Am I the only one

[radar55]

First of all, I am glad that we got the 1st win of the year and I HOPE we can get some more but......I am sick and tired of watching leads late into the 4th quarter being blown by this soft prevent bend but don't break #### defense. What is it going to take for the D coordinator to realize that IT DOES NOT WORK. Our biggest problem IMO is NOT the Q/B. Its our defense and the coaches approach when it comes to protecting a lead

[indianation65]

No!

...wisdom

[King James]

Our defense will probably struggle all season. Unless, we have some hidden gems on the bench who will get the opportunity to start sometime soon.

As for coaching, the defense playcalling went so well until this season. I don't know whats happening. I still regret us releasing Winfield because him not being on the field really hurts our secondary. We should have found a good replacement. Josh Robinson is not it.

[Eli]

I honestly don't think they're playing a "bend don't break" defense. When offenses go no-huddle and decide to really attack the Vikings' D with a short to mid-range passing attack, they collapse. If it hadn't been for a strong Vikings' rush against the Steelers' decimated offensive line, it would have happened again.

[TheFoxInDetox]

I'm not making excuses for the defense, they need to get better. A lot better. But...Leads in the NFL are hard to hold on to. Look at the Texans today. Look at several teams today.

The threat of a passing game will do wonders for our ability to extend drives and close out games. I don't think Cassel is the answer long term but I saw enough today realize that he gives us a better chance to win than Ponder. He was able to maintain a few long drives allowing the Defense time to catch their breath. He completed passes to WRs. He helped build a 17 point lead. We just beat the Steelers in London, did anybody really think we'd pull that off when they looked at the matchup?

I think we can build off this win, roll with Cassel, make some adjustments in coverage and win some games, and that is a LOT more than I could say after watching a Ponder led squad last week.

[The Breeze]

Wish I had clicked this thread sooner.

I think our front four has been mostly underperforming which has really highlighted our youth everywhere else.

It didn't help that our division rivals know to throw quick hitters over the LBs to keep the rush at bay and wear those guys down. Plus they have the right guys to exploit that in their TEs and backs.

It looks like they dialed up a bit more pressure today....but Big Ben is no fool and our LBs are pretty easy prey right now.

[JellyBean2144]

Nope. You are not the only one. Our defense has been MIA so far this young season. Hopefully we can figure out what is wrong and fix the problem.

[JellyBean2144]

Nope. You are not the only one. Our defense has been MIA so far this young season. Hopefully we can figure out what is wrong and fix the problem.

[mondry]

I'm not making excuses for the defense, they need to get better. A lot better. But...Leads in the NFL are hard to hold on to. Look at the Texans today. Look at several teams today.

The threat of a passing game will do wonders for our ability to extend drives and close out games. I don't think Cassel is the answer long term but I saw enough today realize that he gives us a better chance to win than Ponder. He was able to maintain a few long drives allowing the Defense time to catch their breath. He completed passes to WRs. He helped build a 17 point lead. We just beat the Steelers in London, did anybody really think we'd pull that off when they looked at the matchup?

I think we can build off this win, roll with Cassel, make some adjustments in coverage and win some games, and that is a LOT more than I could say after watching a Ponder led squad last week.

No kidding, the Patriots almost blew a huge lead against the falcons tonight!

[John_Viveiros]

Our defense will probably struggle all season. Unless, we have some hidden gems on the bench who will get the opportunity to start sometime soon.

I'm not saying it will happen for sure, but I see decent play out of Rhodes and Floyd, and by week 12 or so, those two might be pretty dominant. Floyd's stats might not show it - I saw him double teamed at least once yesterday on replay - but if he's drawing a double-team, we should have pretty good luck with pressure from Allen, Griffen, and Robison.