The defense is pretty bad this year

[SunsetBengal]

(10-30-2016, 06:44 PM)wildcats forever Wrote: All really good points, but the defense as a whole looks out of sync to me - not just the secondary. There's no denying the talent of Geno and Carlos, but the line is a bubble off this year too. And Vinnie Rey is the sole consistently decent LB so far this season. Topping it off are the damned boneheaded penalties every week. Talented players, but undisciplined and scatter-brained looking. It sure feels like this defensive coaching staff has no clear vision, or the wrong vision if they have one. I know I can't turn back the clock, but I really want last year's staff back after watching this train wreck so far.

I get what you are saying, but I chose to emphasize the secondary as my point of focus on the defense for a reason.  The reason I feel the secondary, more specifically the Safety play, has been the key letdown this season on defense, is because of the effect their play has on the perceived effectiveness of pass rush generated by the DL. 

From what I have been seeing, they have been generating pressure at about the same rate as they did last year.  Sure, there are days like today, when Carlos Dunlap got stonewalled much of the day by a guy playing well above his pay grade.  But, he still deflected a pass that should have been a gift INT for Will Clarke that would have essentially sealed the win in regulation.  Look at how many times Cousins got whacked just after he released the ball that completed a pass.  That's not because Cousins is so dang awesome of a QB, or the DL wasn't good enough to get him, as much as it was because the Safeties were out of position or blew a coverage responsibility leaving a man open.

The biggest difference on the DL play this year (pass rushing wise), is that they're not getting the coverage sacks that they were getting last year.  Thus why I chose to point my finger at the secondary.

As for the rushing defense, that is all on the poor LB play.