03-11-2022, 03:48 PM
(03-11-2022, 12:35 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Last year our defense was in the bottom half of the league in both yards and points allowed.
Right now that defense is losing a starting CB, a starting DT (who was top 7 in the league among DTs in sacks, tackles for loss, and QB hits) plus two other DTs who combined to play as many snaps a a starter.
We have more problems than just the O-line to address.
Look, the D was far better than you're making this out to be. They were 17th overall/17th in ppg allowed/18th in yards allowed so you could have easily said that as in middle-of-the-pack to make it look a bit better. Is the fat lady really too fat or just a bit to short.
They were 5th in the NFL against the run last season and of the 4 teams ahead of them (TB,Balt.,Tennessee and NO) only one of them (NO) was better than the Bengals in pass D. How did NO do last season? What's that really tell you?
Teams threw a boatload against them because, mainly A) they could not run the ball, and B) The offense was a quick scoring offense and the D was out there alot. I don't have time of possession stats., etc. but the D was also put either in some terrible situations in a few games (SF, Chargers) or just started slowly only to play well the rest of the game giving the offense several chances to take the lead/win the game.
Were there some clunkers? Absolutely but other than "maybe" a couple teams who doesn't have a few games alot of points are given up? They put in several new defensive starters and I'd bet there weren't too many teams, if any, that plugged in more new starters. Do they need to get better? Sure they do because they'd really like to become a top ten D and, naturally, they're going to have to replace some starters.
With everything being said, the defensive performance this team put on in the playoffs tells far more who they were both last season and probably going into next season.
