Run defense

Last year our run defense was horrible. A lot of teams abandoned the run or the stats would look even worse.

I’m hopeful Burnett can help with better angles/tackling and I know tuitt was hurt but ...

What worries me is I don’t see anything changing. It seems our players and butler are obsessed with the sack total, and Dupree sucks vs the run

Just expressing concern...anyone else feel the same or anyone who can give me reason to believe : )

 

Burnett, bostic, a healthy tuitt, a healthy dirty red, Mitchell gone, golden gone, a healthy Sutton, Brian Allen, kieon Adams, Carl Dunbar, Tom Bradley, some good draft picks. How's that?

 

FYI Dirty Red will be relegated to special teams, once they draft a ILB.

 

Maybe.

 

No worries. We just re-signed Dan McCullers.

 

Good problem to have....

 

The run defense has already improved with the subtraction of Mitchell and Spence, Bostic and Burnett are both good tacklers.

 

Hopefully

 

Not to mention good communicators.



Tackling is but a part of a good run defense. Knowing where one's gap assignments and ensuring everyone is in place to perform their intended roles is another aspect all together.



Add Bradley and Dunbar and we just effectivley solved part of the biggest issue. The only thing that remains is the draft. Adding the right pieces will also ensure a higher degree of success.

 

He will still rotate in some. He will be the top backup for sure unless they take a ILB in the first.

 

Maybe they draft two ILBs

 

Matakevich isn't going anywhere. He's a good player.

 

If he has to play then we're in trouble , draft a ILB within the first 2 rounds. Then maybe draft a Oren Burks in the 5th.

 

Good at what?

 

The run defense starts with the NT and I watched Hargrave going backwards far too often.

 

No our LBs need to make more tackles. Do you realize watt and Dupree only had a handful more tackles than Jarvis Jones did? He at least had a couple of FF and a pick. That was playing part time. Did we really improve that position? JJ and harrison combined for 100 tackles and 4 FF on the year.

We got 25 less tackles from Vince than we did from timmons. We got about half of the production from watt than we did JJ and harrison. Hargreaves had 10 more tackles on the season than he did the prior year. Davis had 22 more tackles than the prior year. Mitchell had far less last year than the previous year.

Vince, Dupree, watt need far more production in the run game. We became so worried about sacks and pressure in the passing game that we let ourselves abandon the run tackles by the guys that need to be making these plays. Sure we got some more sacks but the run killed us, so what did we gain?