what i'm saying is the same thing everyone else is saying. DB's rely on a strong front 7 to be successful. but replacing pace with VG will cause our front 7 to take a huge hit, placing much more pressure on the DB's to perform. thus decreasing the likelihood of lowery starting and increasing the likelihood of lito starting. don't want two ?'s on the field at the same time.
I'm gonna go on a limb here and assume you didn't watch a good number of the games last year. The last 5 games of the season we mustered an anemic 6 sacks. Half of them coming from the Buffalo game with J.P. "I Love Holding On To The Ball" Losman behind Center. We had more sacks in the first 2 weeks of the season, than the last 5 games of the season. We didn't have a crap pass rush, but most of those numbers came earlier in the season. Once offenses picked up on Mangini's blitz schemes, they were able to set up their blocks perfectly. It got to a point down the stretch when we were damned if we blitzed, damned if we didn't. Ryan does not scheme that way. Go read/listen in on the last Bart Scott interview and he'll tell ya why the Defense completely sucked down the stretch.
this was night and day for the two halves of the season. it was so clear jenkins was injured that the whole run D, the whole pass rush was so much less effective. if it remains fresh and consistent this season, lowery could be satisfactory.
gents, we didn't have to wait until Jenx wore down towards the end of the season to see the effect of him sitting on the pines (i.e. no "front 7" depth). San Diego: EARLY LAST SEASON (3rd week-Monday Night Football) when Jenx sat, the Jet DL opened up and offered no resistance to the Charger running attack; they suddenly looked like a 'squishy' girl in bed whose feet hated each other.....SD ran/stuffed the ball down their throat; it was painful to watch. That's why (right or wrong) I'm watching this year's "elite D" claims with a VERY jaundiced eye....until proven otherwise. Recall, the Giants stuffed the ball down the Ravens' throats last year as well at a time when it was considered *impossible* to run against the Raven "D." NYG came into the game with two consecutive 200+ rushing yards and promptly ran for 200+ against Baltimore as well on their way to a lopsided 30-10 rout. Granted, later in the year, the Jints couldn't do squat vs. the Eagles (Plexico considerations notwithstanding). Hope I'm wrong but just how "different" can a defense become a mere one year removed from the previous year? ..... again: "early in the 2008 year" Chad Pennington was one endzone toss away from bringing the Dolphins back from an improbable deficit. What a mess that would've been to start the season. Aside from the inept offense, what of the Raiders game? Again, a Raven "D" would've stolen that one.....Seahawks with chump as QB game as well....Sean Ellis threw the only good pass that (post) game..... (getting off soapbox) And (not to throw additional cold water on it all), but while folks were gushing about Brett Ratliff-to-David Clowney (vs. the 3rd string) during the Jet-Brown preseason game last year, do people remember how EFFORTLESSLY the Brown's Derek Anderson litterally WALKED the Brownies down-the-field on their opening 1st half drives?....with Edwards making the Jet secondary (Darrell Revis included) look like a passive bunch of overmatched boys-against-men? I see talent don't get me wrong (Revis will never be mistaken for Jerry Holmes vs. the Brownies), but at the same time...."elite?" .....until proven otherwise. Why aren't the phucking Jets playing in their own stadium in Queens?
What I saw from Lowery last season made him look like more of a zone corner than a man corner. I don't know what he can be in man coverage with great coaching, but the guy has excellent instincts, takes very good angles and has surprising quickness when he is closing on the ball - things that are vital in zone coverage. Guys like that create turnovers when you have a solid pass rush. But he doesn't have top-end speed and doesn't yet play big enough to cover man most of the time. I'll be very interested in his development.
True, but Sheppard was benched after a contract dispute and being in the coaches doghouse on the #3 ranked pass defense in the league. Lowery got benched from the #29 ranked pass defense in the league with no dispute or doghouse issues that we know of.
