a little salt in the cardinals wound

[rayzor]

True but for much of the season teams didn't need to throw it they were gashing us so bad with the run. Also other than yesterday we haven't played with a lead much where teams are forced to throw it. Combine the two and you wind up overrated. The worst thing that can happen is for our secondary to start thinking it has arrived.

the best thing they can do, however, is believe that they are on the right path and that they need to keep doing the same thing...building on this success.

this wasn't like stopping the bucs passing offense...this was stopping one of the top passing games in the league.

there is something to be proud of there. the job is far from done but they have every right to be happy with what they did. content? no. just happy and optimistic about what they can do the rest of the season.

[joemac]

If the D line continues to get pressure like they did yesterday, our pass D will make any QB look like Jake.....the God-like Drew Brees included.

[goodoleboy]

If the D line continues to get pressure like they did yesterday, our pass D will make any QB look like Jake.....the God-like Drew Brees included.

Get a two score lead like we did yesterday and that pressure is easier to come by. Problem is the Saints run the ball better than Arizona so we can't pin those ears back to rush Brees like we did yesterday. Everything is connected. Got to stop the run first and get a lead. Jake throwing the ball trying to come from behind has proven to be a recipe for disaster this year.

[rayzor]

i think the saints run game stats is as skewed as the cardinals run defense was.

saints are running better than they have in a long time but they are more benefiting from teams having to focus so much on stopping the passing game. they are running more this year than most. plus their defense is actually doing pretty well so they can afford to run more rather than spend the game trying to play catchup through the air.

in other words..it isn't that they are running better, it's that they are allowed to run more and the proficiency of their passing game allows the run game to be more productive.

that doesn't make it any easier but still, it's some perspective.

also, the cards had found their running game coming into the game yesterday. beanie and hightower were putting forth some respectable numbers the past several games.

[goodoleboy]

also, the cards had found their running game coming into the game yesterday. beanie and hightower were putting forth some respectable numbers the past several games.

That's why getting the early 2 score lead was so huge. Make any team one dimensional and you have a better chance to win no matter the strength of the passing attack. Arizona couldn't afford to run the ball yesterday much like we couldn't against Philly.

[rayzor]

yep.

[PuntJake]

Our #1 ranked pass D gets the ultimate test to prove its worth on Sunday

its only ranked #1 in yards per game given up. the reason is because teams have had leads and didn't need to pass in the second half. if you sort the stats any other way, we drop to the bottom half of the NFL.

for example, if you look at yards per completion we drop to 20 i think. if you look at points given up on passing we are 22nd. there was another stat where we were 22nd. out of 8 or 10 sortable stats, we led in only one, and that one was skewed due to our offense and special teams give opponenets short fields which translates to less yardage available to score and by getting blown out which means other teams run the ball which is why our run defense is down in the lower bottom half.

so really, we're not the best pass defense in the league. we can just twist the numbers to make us look like we are.

if you averaged our positions over each stat, we'd be around 15th to 20th i'd imagine.

[monstercat]

its only ranked #1 in yards per game given up. the reason is because teams have had leads and didn't need to pass in the second half. if you sort the stats any other way, we drop to the bottom half of the NFL.

for example, if you look at yards per completion we drop to 20 i think. if you look at points given up on passing we are 22nd. there was another stat where we were 22nd. out of 8 or 10 sortable stats, we led in only one, and that one was skewed due to our offense and special teams give opponenets short fields which translates to less yardage available to score and by getting blown out which means other teams run the ball which is why our run defense is down in the lower bottom half.

so really, we're not the best pass defense in the league. we can just twist the numbers to make us look like we are.

if you averaged our positions over each stat, we'd be around 15th to 20th i'd imagine.

I strongly disagree. Most of the points the Panthers defense has given up lately, came after turnovers when the other team had a short field. Since those first 3 games, they have only given up 2-3 scores where the opponent actually had to drive the length of the field.

[PuntJake]

I strongly disagree. Most of the points the Panthers defense has given up lately, came after turnovers when the other team had a short field. Since those first 3 games, they have only given up 2-3 scores where the opponent actually had to drive the length of the field.

it's talking about points off passes.... not just points. the short fields gave up points off both, true, but passing defense is based on points, or yardage, given up on passes. a short field means less yardage to gain which means less yardage to give up therefore less yardage given up total per game.

you can't give up 50 yards passing on a drive that starts in the red zone thus... "Our pass defense is awesome because we're not giving up much passing yardage!"

[Carolina Crazy V2]

just like what we did to Tampa last year

[kornicova]

Another key stat is the percentage of completed passes which is a lot lower than first in the league along with attempts. If you put it that way the pass defense isn't as good as it seems.

In saying that the D passed their first real test with flying colors on Sunday

[monstercat]

I really don't care what the numbers say. If you watch the games, you can tell that they're getting better and better in Meeks' defense, both against the run and the pass. Forget those first three games, just look at what they have done since then. Every week, they get just a little bit better.

[goodoleboy]

I really don't care what the numbers say. If you watch the games, you can tell that they're getting better and better in Meeks' defense, both against the run and the pass. Forget those first three games, just look at what they have done since then. Every week, they get just a little bit better.

We are improving but level of competition comes into play minus the first 3 games. Also we should improve in a new scheme as they learn it. However best in the NFL we are not. Stats are for losers. Save the best in the league crownings for teams with winning records.

[panthers55]

Total yards and yards per game are skewed by the number of times you run the ball bu the best stats are things like Yards per carry. On that Carolina is 6th at 4.7 and NO is 10th at 4.5. They also have 14 TDs rushing the ball to our 9.

They do have a good running attack. But it is a function of how well they do against the defense they face that day. Our run defense right now is actually better than their defense over the past several games. And our pass defense is better than their pass defense as well.

Problem is that their pass offense is much better than ours at this point. And how well we play against the pass and whether we can muster a pass offense of our own will tell the tale of this game. Williams will scheme to stop the run and we will have to do what we did against arizona which is come out mixing things up or we will be behind before we know it. If we don't have long drives that eat the clock, we will get blown out. The best way to beat brees is keep him off the field.