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I saw nothing tonight from the 1st team that reminded me of Sutton's defense. Except, of course, for the fact that Sorensen was very active and near the action most of the night (and certain obvious elements of the pass defense).
There was no Dee Ford or Justin Houston, but I can't say they were particularly missed. It did seem a little strange that Scandrick and Nelson weren't grabbing guys downfield all night. In fact (while the 1s were on the field), I think the only defensive holding call we got was on a backer who tugged the tight end's jersey as the enemy was making his primary cut.
The run game defense looks improved (again, just talking about the 1s here) while the coverage was generally poor (which was the only stark similarity I perceived). Pick plays and the short-to-intermediate throws remain problematic, apparently. One would hope that the communication on the back end would be better.
Overall, I think it's fair to say that the defense plays with a noticeably different (and improved) attitude. The fact that Honey Badger wasn't on the field is important to remember.
If we can fix the communication problems among the backs and backers, we'll know more. As of now, however, I see no reason to compare this outing to the defense we fielded last season. We may be worse or we may be better, but (other than blown coverages and our difficulty dealing with intermediate crossers) we are not the same.
FAX
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