Originally posted by Ceadderman:
1)TEAM SPORT- The sooner you realize this the sooner you'll get off Alex's ass.
2)When playing straight up 3-4 our Defense has ACTUALLY shown that the are pretty stout. You don't believe me? Look at the last 8 games of the season last year. The PPGA average over that time is pretty decent. We get burnt when we're playing hybrid 3-4 because it's extremely complicated.
3)If we have no pass rush were the QBs' that we faced so inept that they just threw the ball to our guys instead of theirs? I seriously doubt it. Well okay maybe Chokeland's but Garcia is not that bad of a QB.
4)And WE still got Bam Bam. Peterson is good but Bam Bam draws to an inside straight keeping AP to minimum yards. And THIS year we go TKO as well. AP better bounce to the outside ALOT in that matchup or it's going to be a LONG day for him.
The rest I completely agree with you. I think that we match up pretty well against these teams. But I think people read too much into "pass rush". Pass rush is great sports fans. But takeaways are better. I would much rather see our guys getting push and giving the QB fits, rather than see the guy on his back all day. Knock him down sure. But do it as the ball is getting out. That way it gives us the opportunity to take it. Much better option than relying on occasional fumbles.
~Ceadder
1. I didn't mean to talk down about Alex Smith, but the guy had the nerve to compare his record to Jay Cutler's which I find ridiculous.
2. When most Alex Smith supporters try to find reasons to bash Shaun Hill, they say he won games at the end of the season, when teams "gave up." Why does the defense get a pass? I understand it was simplified and easier to execute, but if Hill can't get any credit then why does the defense?
3. We're talking about preseason? OK. Our first team defense provided very little pressure during the preseason. A lot of the takeaways you speak of were created by our backups, who in turn were facing the other team's backup line and QB. The starters haven't provided enough pressure to force turnovers or make sacks. We don't have a pass rush unless we have some sort of complicated scheme that is going to allow Manny Lawson and our defenseive line to miraculously gain the ability to shed blocks.
4. I'd love to see Patrick Willis (I refuse to call him Bam Bam because it's a stupid nickname) shut down Adrian Peterson again, but if you're
expecting that to happen you're likely to be disappointed. Their offensive line is too good to allow us to hold Peterson down the way we did 2 years ago. Nate Clements pretty much shut down Larry Fitzgerald last year, holding him to his two worst performances of the season, but I don't expect it to happen again this season. You don't shut down these premiere players every time.
As for the pass rush.. It's kinda hard to force takeaways without one. Pass rush doesn't mean sacks, it means pressure. So far there is no evidence our pass rush is any better than last year's, and last year's pass rush was non-existant. People aren't reading too much into this. We NEED a pass rush.
