NFL - Are You Ready For Some Football?! - 08/09 Season

[Koyaanisqatsi]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
Think Indy without Bob Sanders, and that is what we are dealing with right now.

Aw. My sympathy for your plight knows no bounds.

[-Jrabbit]

Originally posted by snoopy369
I know that if the Bears beat the Lions by a point, I wouldn't exactly be talking big about them...

Yeah, they beat 'em by 3... Probably not the best example you could have chosen.

[Ben Kenobi]

For a linebacker, tackles are precisely how you measure their skill.

In most cases. If you are looking at the ILBs in a 3-4 then yes.

OLBs are more analogous to the DEs, who as you have stated don't get many tackles because they are involved in the pass rush.

They're generally the single most effective indicator of the impact that LB has on the rest of the team.

I don't think generalising helps. As you said, OLBs in a 3-4 get less tackles then the ILBs in a 3-4. Look at Donnie Edwards. He was consistanly the highest tackler in the Chargers, and what position did he play? ILB.

In fact, you can see the problem with the Chargers defense in that one stat. Highest tackler? Weddle, who is a FS!

As long as you double team him in the pass rush, you won't have a significant threat from him in the game.

Yes, and what happens to the rest of the scheme? Now you have an overload which can be exploited.

Combine Merriman with Jamal Williams, and if they both take out two blockers, that leaves big holes for the others.

but they don't suddenly become one of the worst D's in the league.

The Chargers have always had a bad pass defense, in terms of yardage allowed. I haven't seen a single season in the past while that they have ranked in the top half.

Their strength has tended to be their Run D. You are looking at the Chargers reverting to their old ways without Merriman.

If you want to feel optimistic about the Bolt's chances based on a one point victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, feel free. I won't hold you back. But I know that if the Bears beat the Lions by a point, I wouldn't exactly be talking big about them...

As I said, the score is misleading, and the fact that the defense got much better as the game went on are encouraging signs.

With Roethlisberger injured, that will be a good matchup for the Chargers. They can't run and they can't pass, so it will be the Chargers strengths against the stingy Steelers D. I expect it to be a low scoring, hard fought game.

[Ben Kenobi]

For a linebacker, tackles are precisely how you measure their skill.

In most cases. If you are looking at the ILBs in a 3-4 then yes.

OLBs are more analogous to the DEs, who as you have stated don't get many tackles because they are involved in the pass rush.

They're generally the single most effective indicator of the impact that LB has on the rest of the team.

I don't think generalising helps. As you said, OLBs in a 3-4 get less tackles then the ILBs in a 3-4. Look at Donnie Edwards. He was consistanly the highest tackler in the Chargers, and what position did he play? ILB.

In fact, you can see the problem with the Chargers defense in that one stat. Highest tackler? Weddle, who is a FS!

As long as you double team him in the pass rush, you won't have a significant threat from him in the game.

Yes, and what happens to the rest of the scheme? Now you have an overload which can be exploited.

Combine Merriman with Jamal Williams, and if they both take out two blockers, that leaves big holes for the others.

but they don't suddenly become one of the worst D's in the league.

The Chargers have always had a bad pass defense, in terms of yardage allowed. I haven't seen a single season in the past while that they have ranked in the top half.

Their strength has tended to be their Run D. You are looking at the Chargers reverting to their old ways without Merriman.

If you want to feel optimistic about the Bolt's chances based on a one point victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, feel free. I won't hold you back. But I know that if the Bears beat the Lions by a point, I wouldn't exactly be talking big about them...

As I said, the score is misleading, and the fact that the defense got much better as the game went on are encouraging signs.

With Roethlisberger injured, that will be a good matchup for the Chargers. They can't run and they can't pass, so it will be the Chargers strengths against the stingy Steelers D. I expect it to be a low scoring, hard fought game.

[Ben Kenobi]

No one is denying Merriman's skill. But they did fine without him -- playing the 3-4 scheme -- when he was suspended for 'roids.

That's an excellent point.

Probably the best Charger team ever.

They pasted the Raiders and Titans, and lost to the Ravens and Steelers.

This team is quite different from 2006.

[snoopy369]

Originally posted by -Jrabbit

Yeah, they beat 'em by 3... Probably not the best example you could have chosen.

My point was that I was not crowing about the Bears' amazing potential. It was a precisely selected example

[Ben Kenobi]

My point was that I was not crowing about the Bears' amazing potential. It was a precisely selected example

You should be. Bears are playing well and should win the North.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
You should be. Bears are playing well and should win the North.

That's like saying someone is doing well in business and should be CEO of AIG in the next month.

[snoopy369]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi


You should be. Bears are playing well and should win the North.

I should consider a victory over Detroit, possibly the worst team in the history of football (at least comparitively), of 3 points pulled off via a late comeback, to be an indicator of great performance?????

Good one, thanks for the laugh.

[-Jrabbit]

The Bears are have played like crap recently, especially on defense. No pass rush, soft coverage. They have made a succession of mediocre QBs -- Collins, Griese, Frerotte, Ryan, Orlovsky -- look like Pro Bowlers this year. Heaven help them when they play Brees on the road.

[Lord Avalon]

FWIW, through week 10, SD defense DVOA is 21.1% (29th), pass def DVOA 27.1% (23rd). Last year they were -9.8% (5th), pass D -15.2% (2nd).

[snoopy369]

What's interesting about CHI on that chart (excellent against the run, slightly below average against the pass, like I needed a chart to tell me that), is that the Bears are above average against #1 and #2 WR, below average against other WR, far above average against TE, and far below average against RB in the pass game.

That tells me that it's not the CBs, but the LBs and the scheme, that is failing. And it's not the usual failing of a Cover 2, which is the TE... it's the slot WR and the RB.

So don't blame Tillman and Vasher ... blame the LBs, which makes sense to me. Urlacher, Briggs, and Hillenmeyer are getting old and can't cover as effectively as they used to. We need a new LB (probably replacing Hillenmeyer) who can have the primary job of covering the RB in passing situations. I'd also wonder about moving Urlacher to either run-only or to the outside... he still seems to cover the run well enough, though Briggs may be covering some of that, but against the pass he's just not cutting it.

Wonder if Lovie can alter the cover 2 a bit to better defend against the RB? Or is that just how it has to be with the cover 2?

[Will9]

The Pats have done something even in a loss. They've proven they come back with Matt Cassel leading the way.

[snoopy369]

No, they proved that they could come most of the way back...

[Koyaanisqatsi]

They proved they might be able to come back, if they get a friendly coin flip. Which, to be honest, is far more than I expected of Matt Cassel.

That being said, I think the Jets fans who are crowing (and believe me, there are many) about this win are hilarious. Congratulations, you spent how much in the offseason and still need a kick return touchdown and overtime field goal to beat the Pats without Brady, Maroney, Harrison, Adalius Thomas, etc., etc.