What's up with the run defense?

[Kuech the Sneak]

I'd like to see us go into next season with this d-line. Very satisfied with our 4 defensive ends and I think well go into next season with them 4

[Cat'sGrowl]

I think we saw some slight improvement in the run defense by finally putting some veterans out there, but I think the improvement was more scheme than anything else. Josh Johnson posed no threat as a passer so we stacked the box. Did it again last week and it worked for a time, but once the momentum shifted, our young defense just didn't have it in them to fight back.

Good new is, is that Yates is not on Ryan's level, even though he's certainly a drastic improvement over Johnson.

Rivera riding this team hard about not letting bad singular moments snowball should hopefully have a positive impact too, but that isn't really something you can predict.

[Delhommey]

It helps that Atlanta's interior o line was a poo show for the ages.

Pretty sure that's the last we'll see of Sam Baker in a Falcons uni.

[Showtime]

There's actually a better explanation than a defensive transformation. We led and Atlanta played catch-up from the begging of the second quarter. This tends to give you a "good run defense" and a "bad pass defense" since they have to pass more. You're going to give up more passing yards and less running yards. You shouldn't compare stats like that.

Teams figured out that our passing defense (outside of Gamble) also sucks hard

In reality...

Passing:

yards per pass allowed in game #1: 7.2 yards per attempt(22 attempts)

Longest pass play allowed: 34 yards

Without longest longest play: 6.0 yards per attempt allowed

yards per pass allowed in game #2: 8.1 yards per attempt(38 attempts)

Longest pass play allowed: 75 yards

Without longest play: 6.3 yards per attempt allowed

Rushing:

yards per rush allowed in game #1: 4.7 yards per rush(35 attempts)

Longest rush play allowed: 33 yards

Without longest play: 3.9 yards per rush allowed

yards per rush allowed in game #2: 3.1 yards per rush(28 attempts)

Longest rush play allowed: 13 yards

Without longest play: 2.73 yards per rush allowed

So we got worse by 0.9 yards per attempt in passing overall, and 0.3 when you take out the longest play. If you were to extrapolate it which is probably a bad idea, that would be about a 34 yard difference or 11.4 yard difference not counting longest play. Not 200.

You could say our entire pass defense got slightly worse, that is if Matt Ryan played 100% identical, or you could also say maybe Matt Ryan played a little bit better and got into a rhythm considering he threw twice as many passes and we eventually gave up one big play in the 4th quarter with 5 minutes left to play because it also helps them when our offense stops playing in the second half. Let someone beat up on your defense non-stop and eventually....it breaks.

I'd argue the biggest difference is actually our improvement of 1.2 yards per rush in our run defense while our pass defense remained about the same. Or you could continue believing we just magically transform from suck to good and back to suck every sunday and all of those other things have nothing to do with it. Your choice.

[Davidson Deac II]

I think they've been better, but I'd say it's mostly due to getting a lead on both teams. I thought they did well against Turner though.

I definitely think thats part of it. Both Tampa and Atlanta mostly abandoned the run in the second half. But I also think having more experienced linemen helps. Also our linebacking corps has been relatively stable for the last few games.

[carpanfan96]

Kearse is the only true NT on the team, is stout against the POA and can handle double teams. He's playing and the run defense improved...

[thefuzz]

Being ahead.

[rayzor]

in both games we forced them away from running the ball.

remember this....you run the ball when you have the lead or the game is close and you aren't in a shootout. when you are behind like we had TB and the falcons early, you don't run the ball. we made them one dimensional. the reason blount and turner didn't put up poo against us was that neither one of them do anything in passing situations...well turner can block, but he can't catch. blount is crap at receiving and blocking so he sits on the sidelines.

RBs that can catch are the ones that will kill us, esp. when the game is close.

we may have improved at stopping the run as far as personnel is concerned, but the reason that they weren't able to run that well was that we put them in a situation where running the ball wasn't going to help them.

[panthers55]

They stopped running because we stopped it plain and simple. They went to it late to control the clock but overall we have been pretty stout against the run. You can believe that Houston will want to go to it a lot this week. We have to do the same thing, be fundamentally sound between the tackles and contain the edges. We also need to stop Foster in the dumpoff game and on screens. The linebackers have been better given we have actually had the same guys in there for a few games. I hope we don't sell out on the blitz this week and make Yates beat us downfield. He is very streaky and struggles with accuracy.

If we get a few turnovers which seem rare as hens teeth these days, we could do pretty well. The defense at this point can't dictate the action which is exactly opposite from the goal at the beginning of this year. Of course who knew we would have more guys on IR this year than we did in 2004.

[CRA]

I can see McClain developing into a Warren Sapp type player, but I'm not quite sure Fua is going to make it.

that is an insult to Warren Sapp to use McClain's name in the same sentence.

[CRA]

in both games we forced them away from running the ball.

remember this....you run the ball when you have the lead or the game is close and you aren't in a shootout. when you are behind like we had TB and the falcons early, you don't run the ball. we made them one dimensional. the reason blount and turner didn't put up poo against us was that neither one of them do anything in passing situations...well turner can block, but he can't catch. blount is crap at receiving and blocking so he sits on the sidelines.

RBs that can catch are the ones that will kill us, esp. when the game is close.

we may have improved at stopping the run as far as personnel is concerned, but the reason that they weren't able to run that well was that we put them in a situation where running the ball wasn't going to help them.

yep, very worried about Foster as a reciever out of the backfield.

[carpanfan96]

Tampa and Atlanta both ran the ball in those games with 27 attempts and 28 attempts.

Turner had over 20 attempts in both games, 27 attempts in the first game and 21 in the second game. The Dt's played well up the middle and the DE's collective improvement on holding the edge against the run. Those factors allowed the LB's to move north and south and that limited the stretch play's that Atlanta killed Carolina with in the first game.

[Fiz]

yep, very worried about Foster as a reciever out of the backfield.

It's not so much out of the backfield, since as long as they're behing the line of scrimmage Godfrey will be on them.

But holy poo if they run a drag route out of the backfield/slot they can pretty much count on being wide open.

Dan Connor sees an opportunity to be beat off the first cut and just salivates.

[Fiz]

Tampa and Atlanta both ran the ball in those games with 27 attempts and 28 attempts.

Turner had over 20 attempts in both games, 27 attempts in the first game and 21 in the second game. The Dt's played well up the middle and the DE's collective improvement on holding the edge against the run. Those factors allowed the LB's to move north and south and that limited the stretch play's that Atlanta killed Carolina with in the first game.

This is certainly a wrong way of looking at it.