How good is the defense?

p1_

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I don't know about you guys, but Chido is getting beat alot more than I expected and hoped for. I know he injured his ankle a few games back, but that can't be the problem.
 

p1_

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Simpleton

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Awuzie hasn't been great but he's been a pretty competent number 2 CB. These guys will give up plays from time to time, and he actually made a pretty good play on Julio's TD by getting his hands on the ball and forcing him to fumble it a bit, it's just that Julio is a monster and sometimes you can't do anything about it.

He definitely seems like one of those CB's who isn't able to get his head turned, and if so he will probably never be anything but a good number 2, which isn't the end of the world when you're talking a late 2nd rounder.
 

p1_

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p1_

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Are we this year's Jacksonville?
 

Simpleton

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Are we this year's Jacksonville?
No, this defense isn't as dominant as theirs was last year and I don't think our offense can scheme around Dak the way they schemed around Bortles last year. The only path to get that deep would be if the defense starts getting 2-3 turnovers a game, including scoring themselves now and again as the Jags did last year, and if Elliott can continue putting up 100+ a game.
 

ravidubey

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I think we need another serious pass rusher honestly. A ball hawking safety would be nice too.
Those would be great of course, but having the interior set better allows those positions to be developed as opposed to spending big money or more high draft picks.

The interior makes everything around it (i.e. the whole defense) better.
 

Simpleton

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I'm hoping that they'll be a little more free-wheeling in free agency this year with no 1st and that they go after Grady Jarrett on the interior. Jarrett/Collins/Woods/Crawford would be a pretty excellent rotation, especially if you can get anything out of Irving.
 

p1_

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p1_

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Agree that LB is the least important element of an elite defense?
 

Cotton

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Agree that LB is the least important element of an elite defense?
Not even close. The front seven are easily the most important 7 positions on the defense.
 

Smitty

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Dallas is more than fine in the secondary, especially at corner, for having a top defense. A ball hawking safety would be icing on the cake back there, but it's not a dire need. Chido and Woods are fine and improving players, Heath isn't a liability at least.

LB is pretty damn good, and in Marinelli's 4-3, LB is super important.

The DL could use another pass rusher and more reliable inside presence/pocket collapser. That could have been Irving if he could get his shit together.

But Drummond has a point: We don't create turnovers and we don't get off the field on third downs at an acceptable rate, relative to the rest of the NFL.

I have no idea why any of those things are the way they are. Our line, linebackers, and secondary all should be good enough to get turnovers at a higher rate than they are. Kris Richard comes from a place that generated good turnover numbers, too.

Maybe teams are playing us conservative because they don't fear Dak, they don't fear falling behind. But that still doesn't explain the third down struggles. Not sure what to make of that.

Statistically we are good, but again, we aren't pressing teams to need to score, because we can't score ourselves. Without it's own improvement, the defense would turn into a paper tiger a bit, if our offense got going. It would let us down by not getting off the field.

Not sure how to fix that.
 
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