AFC North Defenses: 2015

[Bengalstripes9]

It's a rainy day over here today, so I've got the day off. I'm unsure what to expect from the rest of the AFC North's defenses this year. The Bengals will obviously have the best defense in the division

But how will the Browns defense do with Phil Taylor back?

What about the Steelers with their forced youth movement and new DQ?

The Ravens defense wasn't anything special last year, will they improve at all?

How will the AFCN defenses rank amongst other divisions?

[BmorePat87]

(06-22-2015, 11:47 AM)Bengalstripes18 Wrote: The Ravens defense wasn't anything special last year, will they improve at all?

8th in yards allowed and 6th in points allowed isn't anything special?

Both were far better than Cincy, btw, who were 22nd in yards and 12th in points.

[J24]

Ravens have the best Lb core in the business and also have the two best Outside edge rushers in our division with Suggs & Dumervile. So I would say its crazy to underestimate them when it comes to having the best defense in the north. With that being said I think the Bengals could regain the top spot if Geno regains form and Vontaz can come back from injury close to 100%.  Cleveland plays tougher than there stats and have a pretty good secondary with Gibson, Haden, and Whitener. I don't think Pitt will be that good on defense though and if I were a Steeler fan I would be worried about that.

[wolfkaosaun]

Browns defense will do very well with Shelton and Taylor. That defense just got a ton better on the run defense, which was it's biggest flaw. Still not sold on Gilbert, but that secondary is very good. Probably the most underrated defense in the NFL.

It's going to be interesting to see how the Steelers defense will look. Lost some veteran players, cornerbacks is a big question mark, and will Harrison continue to produce? Also throw in their young linebackers with Jones, Shazier, and Dupree. Will they do well?

Ravens defense was good last year. Think they continue to improve with their linebackers. Safeties have been doing better, although Elam still is out of position from time to time. Biggest question mark for that defense is cornerback right now.

Bengals defense has a ton of questions. How will the linebacking corp look? Who starts where? Will Kirkpatrick continue to improve and be a great starter? Will Leon Hall's play keep going downhill (seriously, last year he wasn't that good). Is Atkins back? Is anyone going to step up on the defensive line? Is Guenther going to get the most out of his players?

Basically, we already know the Ravens and Browns will do very well. The Bengals and Steelers have potential to do so, but they also have numerous question marks.

[BmorePat87]

(06-26-2015, 08:29 AM)wolfkaosaun Wrote: Browns defense will do very well with Shelton and Taylor. That defense just got a ton better on the run defense, which was it's biggest flaw. Still not sold on Gilbert, but that secondary is very good. Probably the most underrated defense in the NFL.

It's going to be interesting to see how the Steelers defense will look. Lost some veteran players, cornerbacks is a big question mark, and will Harrison continue to produce? Also throw in their young linebackers with Jones, Shazier, and Dupree. Will they do well?

Ravens defense was good last year. Think they continue to improve with their linebackers. Safeties have been doing better, although Elam still is out of position from time to time. Biggest question mark for that defense is cornerback right now.

Bengals defense has a ton of questions. How will the linebacking corp look? Who starts where? Will Kirkpatrick continue to improve and be a great starter? Will Leon Hall's play keep going downhill (seriously, last year he wasn't that good). Is Atkins back? Is anyone going to step up on the defensive line? Is Guenther going to get the most out of his players?

Basically, we already know the Ravens and Browns will do very well. The Bengals and Steelers have potential to do so, but they also have numerous question marks.

I'm hoping Elam is a late bloomer like Jimmy Smith.

[Aquapod770]

(06-22-2015, 05:01 PM)BmorePat87 Wrote: 8th in yards allowed and 6th in points allowed isn't anything special?

Both were far better than Cincy, btw, who were 22nd in yards and 12th in points.

If only those higher rankings could have helped prevent a season sweep by Cincy   


Oh well, better luck next year 

















In all seriousness the Ravens do have a very good front 7, they didn't do enough to help the secondary this off-season for my taste though.  It seems like they're banking on Smith and Webb staying healthy for a full 16 games. 

[BmorePat87]

(06-27-2015, 04:18 PM)Aquapod770 Wrote: If only those higher rankings could have helped prevent a season sweep by Cincy   


Oh well, better luck next year 




In all seriousness the Ravens do have a very good front 7, they didn't do enough to help the secondary this off-season for my taste though.  It seems like they're banking on Smith and Webb staying healthy for a full 16 games. 

Yea, Cincy took advantage of a non existent secondary that was on the DL. Shut down the running game all season, though with that front 7. We also went the furthest in the playoffs until our secondary gave up 3 leads, so there's that.

[McC]

(06-27-2015, 05:34 PM)BmorePat87 Wrote: Yea, Cincy took advantage of a non existent secondary that was on the DL. Shut down the running game all season, though with that front 7. We also went the furthest in the playoffs until our secondary gave up 3 leads, so there's that.

What's the impact of losing Ngata and McPhee?  I know you guys lose guys every year and barely miss a beat but who's waiting in the wings now?

[BmorePat87]

(06-29-2015, 07:37 PM)McC Wrote: What's the impact of losing Ngata and McPhee?  I know you guys lose guys every year and barely miss a beat but who's waiting in the wings now?

We did pretty good when Ngata was suspeneded last year with the use of Timmy Jernigan and Brandon Williams. As for McPhee, we're fortunate to have a ton of depth at that position and he wasn't even our top pass rusher. Before the draft, I would have assumed that it was Upshaw's job to lose. It probably still is, but Za'Darius Smith might win it.

[Mike M (the other one)]

I list the Defenses like this:
Ravens
Bengals
Steeler
Browns

and 3 possibly 4 will finish in the top 15.

Ravens. A little weak in the secondary (no depth), but they are good up front vs the run and opposing QB's have to get rid of it fast or else Elvis/Suggs will find a way to get to you.

Bengals. Good all around, if Geno returns to form and MJ plays like we know he can, then we very well could end up with a top 5 defense by the end of the year. Biggest Weakness is LB. Front 4 and Secondary are top notch and will have to carry the LB's until we can get Burfict back and if Dawson turns out to be better than advertised, then this defense could get scary good fast. If they can get consistent pressure on the QB, then they could very well lead the league in Interceptions, you don't want to make mistakes against this secondary.

Steelers. stout, but their Backfield can be abused. Gay and Cortez don't really instill fear in anyone. Dupree was a good pick up, and Shazier needs to step up his game this year. Scheme makes them better than most, and they should end up better than middle of the pack.

Browns. The enigma. Shelton was a much needed plug 'n play player that should help improve their run defense. LB's are solid, but lacking depth. DB's are looking good, if Gilbert doesn't step up and play, then he could be passed by Williams or Charles Gaines on the depth chart. This defense should be better than middle of the pack, but they will be on the field too much and get worn down and become susceptible to giving up big plays late in the game.

[UDWhoDey]

(06-27-2015, 05:34 PM)BmorePat87 Wrote: Yea, Cincy took advantage of a non existent secondary that was on the DL. Shut down the running game all season, though with that front 7. We also went the furthest in the playoffs until our secondary gave up 3 leads, so there's that.

The old injury excuse, heh?  The Bengals might have had a few injuries last year too.  A good friend of mine is a Squeelers fan (bad character reference of mine I know) and those fans are the worse with the injury card.  Either way, Ravens defense was legit (just ended up with the 2 Bengals Ls), but Bengals can match if the DL can get back to old form.

[BmorePat87]

(07-03-2015, 10:56 PM)UDWhoDey Wrote: The old injury excuse, heh?  The Bengals might have had a few injuries last year too.  A good friend of mine is a Squeelers fan (bad character reference of mine I know) and those fans are the worse with the injury card.  Either way, Ravens defense was legit (just ended up with the 2 Bengals Ls), but Bengals can match if the DL can get back to old form.

Not really an excuse. Our secondary consisted of Webb and Smith. Webb was out for one game and Smith was out for another. With the Ravens filling in those missing spots with practice squad caliber corners, the Bengals took advantage of that. The front 7 shut down the run, so they exploited a secondary that was missing key pieces.

Same reason we lost in the playoffs to the Patriots. We had half of a secondary.

[J24]

(07-07-2015, 11:50 AM)BmorePat87 Wrote: Not really an excuse. Our secondary consisted of Webb and Smith. Webb was out for one game and Smith was out for another. With the Ravens filling in those missing spots with practice squad caliber corners, the Bengals took advantage of that. The front 7 shut down the run, so they exploited a secondary that was missing key pieces.

Same reason we lost in the playoffs to the Patriots. We had half of a secondary.

We had San, Tate, and Greg little in the second game. Its not like we had a killer group of wideouts in the 2nd game.

[BmorePat87]

(07-07-2015, 04:56 PM)J24 Wrote: We had San, Tate, and Greg little in the second game. Its not like we had a killer group of wideouts in the 2nd game.

lol, I've been told here that Tate and Sanu are better than Torrey Smith so...

Seriously, though, we had Domonique Franks starting in that game because our #1 and #3 corners were out for the season. If we go back to my actual point, a healthy Smith and Jackson and the addition of Arrington should actually give them some threat at the CB position. Will Hill actually looked good as he played more and more with the team. Just have to see how Kendrick Lewis does as our starting FS.

We now just need Webb to actually play  with the speed he used to have.

[BFritz21]

(07-07-2015, 11:50 AM)BmorePat87 Wrote: Not really an excuse. Our secondary consisted of Webb and Smith. Webb was out for one game and Smith was out for another. With the Ravens filling in those missing spots with practice squad caliber corners, the Bengals took advantage of that. The front 7 shut down the run, so they exploited a secondary that was missing key pieces.

Same reason we lost in the playoffs to the Patriots. We had half of a secondary.

Hill also wasn't getting the majority of the carries yet in either Ravens game (4 and 10 attempts), so what will they do now when he's just ramming the ball down their throats?

Had 100+ yard games against Denver, Pittsburgh, and Houston (Houston was only 87, but that's close enough considering he only had 18 carries), all of which were top 10 rushing defenses, so how do you think he'll do with a full NFL offseason of conditioning in him, as well as being more used to the NFL and the playbook?

Point is that you'll likely need to bring another safety into the box, but then how do you cover Eifert and Kroft up the seams, as well as having at least one other player to have extra coverage on AJ?

[BmorePat87]

(07-07-2015, 07:26 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: Hill also wasn't getting the majority of the carries yet in either Ravens game (4 and 10 attempts), so what will they do now when he's just ramming the ball down their throats?

Had 100+ yard games against Denver, Pittsburgh, and Houston (Houston was only 87, but that's close enough considering he only had 18 carries), all of which were top 10 rushing defenses, so how do you think he'll do with a full NFL offseason of conditioning in him, as well as being more used to the NFL and the playbook?

Point is that you'll likely need to bring another safety into the box, but then how do you cover Eifert and Kroft up the seams, as well as having at least one other player to have extra coverage on AJ?

I assumed he was trying to ram the ball down our throats but they realized it was futile and just stopped. He had 10 carried to Giovani's 16, so it's not like they didn't try with him before giving up. So what, he got 25 yards on those 10 carries? Our run D was good. I'm guessing any attempts next season will be similar to Bell's inability this season.

Also, why would we need to double cover Green? That's what Jimmy Smith is for.

[J24]

(07-07-2015, 05:47 PM)BmorePat87 Wrote: lol, I've been told here that Tate and Sanu are better than Torrey Smith so...

Seriously, though, we had Domonique Franks starting in that game because our #1 and #3 corners were out for the season. If we go back to my actual point, a healthy Smith and Jackson and the addition of Arrington should actually give them some threat at the CB position. Will Hill actually looked good as he played more and more with the team. Just have to see how Kendrick Lewis does as our starting FS.

We now just need Webb to actually play  with the speed he used to have.

Wait who told you Tate  and Sanu were better?

[BmorePat87]

(07-08-2015, 02:57 AM)J24 Wrote: Wait who told you Tate  and Sanu were better?

haha, StLucieBengal. He argued multiple times that Torrey Smith would be a #3 tops on any other North team.

[djs7685]

(07-08-2015, 08:41 AM)BmorePat87 Wrote: haha, StLucieBengal. He argued multiple times that Torrey Smith would be a #3 tops on any other North team.

Please don't let that imbecile StLucie speak for Bengals' fans as a whole.

He knows about as much about football as the rock stuck in my shoe right now.

Torrey Smith would clearly be ahead of Sanu and Tate on any depth chart. I think Martavis Bryant and Marvin Jones are both underrated in the division and will make an impact in 2015 (assuming healthy), but Smith would still be ahead of either of those guys on a depth chart too. He's a #2 at worst in the NFL as of right now, and he's a good #2.

[BFritz21]

(07-07-2015, 09:40 PM)BmorePat87 Wrote: I assumed he was trying to ram the ball down our throats but they realized it was futile and just stopped. He had 10 carried to Giovani's 16, so it's not like they didn't try with him before giving up. So what, he got 25 yards on those 10 carries? Our run D was good. I'm guessing any attempts next season will be similar to Bell's inability this season.

Also, why would we need to double cover Green? That's what Jimmy Smith is for.

I would LOVE to watch you try to single cover AJ with Jimmy Smith 

As far as the carries, like I said, that was when Gio was still getting the majority of the carries and this coaching staff has always been loyal to a fault, but that won't be the case this year because we know what we have.

Hill gets better as he gets more carries because, even if you stop him on 10 carries, he wears you down and eventually breaks an 80 yarder.