Disappointed in the Defense

zn wrote:

I honestly think the really BAD series of plays had as much to do with them playing Gaines, McGee, Armstrong, Dunbar at MLB, Donald, and Carrington as anything else.

I don’t think Langford saw the field.

If that’s right, that’s 6 starters out.

That unit didn’t even look confident at first. They had a half-step behind, anxious to catch up feel to them.

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Langford was held out over half of the starting D was held out.My concern would be if JL’s injury is more severe than we’ve been told.JL is a very important part of this D just from a leadership standpoint, he’s the brains of the organization.

My take is relax. In years past across MANY organizations, I’ve seen tremendous changes in various units just between Preseason games 1 and 2 because once the rookies have seen that first game… they KNOW. Before that first game, the rookie from Podunk U has no idea what it will be like. It’s all abstract. Now it’s not. He can relate EVERYTHING the coaches and vets are saying to that game. It’s an entirely different experience.

It’s usually why coaches expect to see much better performances in that 2nd game and often do.

Plus, as we get to preseason games 2 and 3, we’ll see more of the coherent starting and 2nd team units so guys will feel comfortable with the guys next to them and we KNOW how important it is to trust the guy next to you.

Having just 11 guys out there is like playing a pickup game. Very tough to call that a “team” in any real way. That first game I wasn’t sweating at all. I just wanted to see some guys make plays and I did.

Donald, Joyner, Alexander, Sam, Blake and ALEX BAYER!!! and a few others all really showed up and that’s good news for the Rams. Plus vets like Cook, Chase Reynolds, Kendricks and a few others showed up like I hoped for as well. Shaun Hill showed us why we should be excited for him.

The game showed us why we should be excited while also grounding this team to KEEP that underdog spirit. Frankly, I’m glad they had limited success. They’ll only work that much harder in practice.

I did see Donald get some penetration on some plays. I saw him handled on others. Overall the Saints lines beat the Rams lines.

So it’s true–starters were out. It’s also true that the Saints had people sitting. It’s hard to look at the 1st preseason game and determine what–if anything–it all means. But in THIS game, with THESE players…they did get sort of manhandled by the Saints line. Should that be a concern? I don’t know–but it’s going to at the very least be tough to watch. And of course the expectation for this defense is huge.

But Chris Long even said that they kind of sucked against the run and they would fix it.

I hope so.

But I’m not panicking in any way. I do want to see a better performance in game #2.

No–I demand a better performance.

Maybe that’s what this team is waiting for, my demands, I don’t know.

But I want a better looking defense in game #2–and even if it’s this group of players–I want to see improvement.

I hold my self to the same standard as a fan–sitting there eating my cheese puffs and drinking a nice summer brew. I was in mid-season form already. I was sharp. My comments to the tele3vision were spot on: Holy s@#$! Do the Saints have vaseline on their uniforms?” “Hey, Brian Quick…shove that a#%&*@# out of the way and go get the ball!” “Really, Greg the Leg? Or should I say, Greg the BROKEN leg?” “YES!!!!!!! Sted-MAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!!!!”

So yes–I need more next time.

rfl wrote:

I mean, yeah. That’s what I said. Starters were sitting, new guys in, etc.

But there is a unit identity thing that can transcend individual players. A character of the whole.

And the thing is that the whole look of the way the unit played resembled that of recent years. Disappointingly so.

I was really hoping to see the look of a unit being re-defined by a transformative DC. I didn’t see that. I was disappointed.

You know, young kids can make mistakes. But, Lord, I’d like to see clear evidence of both talent and effective deployment. How about stuffs on HALF the runs? Just show you can choke off the running game HALF the time. These guys weren’t even close.

As I said. There’s time yet. But, what I saw from Williams’ bunch last night did NOT scream, “We are an emerging elite defense!” There’s some distance to go to get there. And the clock is ticking on the season …

I hear you RFL . I didn’t see what I wanted to see either but let’s take the 99 Tampa Bucs D and sit Sapp ,McFarland,Brooks,Lynch,Barber and Abrams in a preseason game and see how they do. I did see some guys making plays and guys learning from their mistakes.There was a rough patch there that looked like a bunch of kids that didn’t know who they were or what they were doing because that is pretty much what it was.Those guys , many of them are competing against each other for roster spots so the team concept is going to suffer until the cuts are made Also when Bradford,Long,Wells and Saffold play and crank up the running game I doubt this D is on the field as much as they were in the first preseason game.