As if more really needed to be said on the subject of defense being far more important than offense in the NFL:
TMQ
"The saying goes -- offense sells tickets and defense wins championships. That has been the theme of the current playoffs. Of the top 10 offensive teams in the NFL this season, only one, Green Bay, reached the title round. But all of the final four teams were in the top 10 for defense. Of the top 10 rushing-offense teams this season, only one, Jersey/B, reached the title round. But of the top rushing defenses, Nos. 1, 2 and 3 -- the Steelers, Bears and Jets, respectively -- made the final four.
In passing, the disparity isn't quite as pronounced. Of the top 10 passing-offense teams this season, only one, Green Bay, made the title round. Of the top 10 passing defenses, two, the Jets and Packers, did so. But in the main event, defense has prevailed over offense emphatically, with defenses No. 2 (Pittsburgh) and No. 5 (Green Bay) reaching the Super Bowl, while offense No. 9 (Green Bay) is the highest represented."
Won't have much confidence in the Patriots until they develop a top defense.
How good was the Saints defense last year?
That was my first thought too.
Basically, it is all about matchups and execution on any given Sunday. Teams with decent balance have the best chance of winning it all (and I would argue that two of the more balanced teams in the league made the superbowl), but when it's one and done, it is tough to predict based on offense versus defense.
I agree.
That is why you never want to see a division rival in the playoffs. Both teams know everything about each other so it just comes down to execution. Pats turnover, botched fake punt, and the drop in the end zone by Crump really were the difference. We lost by 7 but managed to outgain the Jets in yards and dominate time of posession.
The Jets really played mistake free football while our team tripped at times.
Our team is still young, really young on defense and is only going to get better. I would argue that the Pats D in the 2nd half looked like one of the better units in the league. However in the playoffs, they got a taste of what it really takes. They couldnt force the same turnovers they were forcing all year. If we continue building the D while looking for value on offense, this team could become another dynasty.
Dont let the sour taste of the playoff loss diminish the fact that the Pats werent supposed to be this good, this early. If you told me they would make it to the divisional round this year, I would have been happy. They are ahead of schedule and I look forward to seeing this yound exciting defense grow into a dominant one.
Topic: Which direction would you go.( Pats draft) (Read 13164 times)