BoB's #1 priority on defense and perhaps overall - stop the run. It'll happen at some point, right now we just don't have the personnel.
This, far and away, is the biggest issue, IMO. When he's healthy, the difference is night and day. He's a destructive force internally. My guess is that once he's rounded back into shape, the running game will get progressively better.
Once we get our defense at 100% we won't have such a problem. Crick to the bench, Watt, Nix, Pagan, Clowney will be stout and will cover the regression of Cush and inconsistency of Reed. I feel like once we have all our guys back Rac will put Reed on the inside and let Mercilus pick up gravy sacks when Clowney and Watt pressure the qb and Nix clogs the running lane. Patience will be tested but I can't wait to see that
What did you guys expect from a player coming back from major injuries and missing so much time. Cushing may never be the same.
The problem is 2/3 of the defensive line is below average, 3/4 of the linebackers are below average and the one who is supposed to be a stud isn't playing like it, 1 of the safeties is mediocre and the other is a big hitter that whiffs a lot. I mean honestly, when you look at this defense, how many of the guys on the roster would you say "Nope, no need to upgrade there." Or put another way, if you were building a good defense, how many of the guys on this roster do you think would make the cut?
I dont think Clowney coming back will help much against the run. He will have his highlight moments when he gets around the tackle and hits the RB behind the LOS, but those moments stand out in our minds...yet, that'll happen 1 out of 10-15 times a team tries to run. It helps, but we need something that will consistently help against the run. The key here needs to the the ILB next to Cushing. One thing I never understood is why Max Bullough didnt make the roster. He's exactly the tough nosed, get dirty kind of player that gets in there and clogs the running lanes. I think he'd fit in nicely next to Cushing. And as solid as Swearinger has been, he's just not the type of player that you can consistently throw in at LB in nickel formations. He's a safety that hits hard, but he's being put in compromising positions by being put in a situation where his role is to shed OL blocking to get to the RB.
The inside line backers suck. Cush looks slow and a shell of his former self. The rest of the inside backers (tuggle, Mohammed) are complete scrubs who should stick to playing special teams.
Agreed...and this plus the fact that are best players on the offensive side of the ball (and our biggest names) are likely in their final seasons here has me thinking this is a much longer rebuild than most would like for it to be. This isn't filling holes. It's rebuilding.
On the bright side, the offensive line has a pretty positive outlook going forward, especially if Su'a-filo pans out and Newton continues to emerge. We're also an adequate nose tackle away from having at least an above average defensive line (JJ by himself makes just about any d-line above average). Winning in the NFL starts in the trenches and we have a foundation there. QB, LB, and secondary are major concerns going forward. But "rebuild" has a different meaning in the NFL...it can be done a lot faster than in baseball or basketball.
