Revamped pass defense

[AntoinCD]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...rylines/1.html

The Patriots secondary

New England's revamped defensive backfield will get tested more often than Lance Armstrong's urine this year. The tests begin with the Monday Night Football opener against Buffalo and its new star receiver, Terrell Owens.

It's critical that this unit perform well. Even with Tom Brady back and at full strength, the battered secondary (pathetic 89.5 Defensive Passer Rating last year) needs to improve to give the Super Bowl favorites a legitimate shot at actually fulfilling those expectations.

Put most simply, the Patriots play for Super Bowls when they field a decent pass defense. The Patriots take an early vacation when they do not field a decent pass defense.

• The Patriots have reached the AFC title game five times in the Belichick Era. Their average defensive passer rating in these five seasons was 68.9.

• The Patriots have failed to reach the AFC title game four times in the Belichick Era. Their average defensive passer rating in these four seasons was 85.5.

But the schedule looks like a difficult one for any pass defense. After trying to tackle Owens, the Patriots stare down Jets rookie Mark Sanchez and 2008 quarterbacking phenoms Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco in consecutive weeks. The schedule also includes a pair of showdowns with Miami's Chad Pennington, who historically does well against the Patriots, second meetings with Sanchez and Owens and -- oh! -- a mid-November showdown on the road against Manning and the Colts.

Colts-Patriots has been the great rivalry of the past decade: Manning has proven he can abuse a sub-standard New England secondary, and the winner of this regular-season battle has had the inside track on the AFC title almost every year since 2001. This will be big.

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...#ixzz0Q5DPyEQl

I read this and it got me thinking. Not how the Pats are going to have difficulties defending the pass this year but who the hell is handing out sports journalism jobs these days. While the secondary has been revamped and the pass rush has been suspect for a while I cant help but think how does two games against Trent Edwards, two against Mark Sanchez, two against Chad Pennington and one against Joe Flacco and the run first Ravens constitute a tough schedule for a pass defense.

OK I got that off my chest and I feel better now lol. No but I personally am feeling a lot more confident this year with Bodden, Wilhite, Butler and Wheatley at CB and Merriweather(who is going to beast it this year), Sanders and Chung at S. Plus Burgess and a healthy AD will upgrade the pass rush. Any thoughts???

[Nalej]

I pass D is so under-rated this year. I have high expectations for them.
Meriweather and Butler will have a big impact on our overall production by season's end

[FlyingElvis]

I agree with you on several points.

1. True journalism is dead, buried and already decomposed. lol

2. T.E. to T.O. is not even a mild concern. The Bills Oline looks worse than the Rams line looked last year.

3. The Jets weak receiver core and rookie QB isn't scaring anyone and the first of those 2 matchups is week 2. I expect Sanchez to have some deer in the headlights throws that early in the season.

4. Pennington never, ever should be mentioned in a discussion of "tough matchups for a pass D." lol

5. Flacco, on the other hand, looked very good in preseason. But I still agree since the Ravens are run first and not very deep at WR, either.

[Bigburt63]

Edwards to Owens/Evans is a threat, but only if their o-line can block.

Pennington is ok, and who is he gonna throw too?

Sanchez is a freakin rookie. Can he do it? maybe. Is he classified as someone who a pass D should fear? not yet.

And as stated before, the ravens are run first, but Flacco can hurt you some.