Now that we are a quarter of the way into the season, and have played a mix of teams, it is a good time to compare the metrics of our defense agaisnt the 4th quarter of last season, to see if there is any improvement. How is the switch to a 3-4 defense going?

2009 1st quarter opponents:
Chicago, Cincinnatti, @St. Louis, @Minnesota

2008 4th quarter opponets:
Houston, @Jacksonville, @Chicago, Detroit

Scoring:
The ultimate measure, are they getting the job done or not, are they preventing the opponents offense from scoring?

2009 93 points, 23.3 ppg average
2008 85 points, 21.3 ppg average
Verdict Decline

3rd Down Defense:
Good 3rd down defense prevents opponents from sustaining drives, forcing opponents to produce big plays to put points on the board.

2009 25/57, 43.9%
2008 21/54, 38.9%
Verdict Decline

Run Defense:
If you cant stop the run, you arent going to field a very successful defense, and your offense will have little time to try to put points on the board.

2009 128 att, 449 yd, 3.5 YPC, 13 TFL, 2 TD, 10 10+
2008 105 att, 405 yd, 3.9 YPC, 10 TFL, 3 TD, 7 10+
Verdict Improvement

Pass Defense:
Anecdote says stopping the run is the key to winning football games. Statistical studies of the game, including the trends of past Superbowl winners, shows that stopping the pass is in fact the key to winning football games.

2009 75/126, 59.5%, 892 yd, 7.1 YPA, 9 TD, 7 Int, 82.8 Rating
2008 85/144, 59.0%, 1019 yd, 7.1 YPA, 7 TD, 5 Int, 82.5 Rating
Verdict Push

Big Plays:
Often it isnt good fundamentals that wins at the end of the day, in football big plays are king; they change momentum and put points on the board.

2009 15 20+, 3 fum, 7 int, 5 Sk, 2 DTD
2008 17 20+, 2 fum, 5 Int, 8 Sk, 0 DTD
Verdict Improvement

Penalties:
Penalties can hamper even the best units, and are typically the hallmark of poorly focused and/or coached teams.

2009 10 defensive penalites
2008 8 defensive penalites
Verdict Decline

Time of Possession:
Could they get off the field? Were they worn down?

2009 128:16, 32:04 DTOP/gm
2008 119:52, 29:58 DTOP/gm
Verdict Decline

Overall:
Overall I think that we are seeing slight improvements to fundamental metrics over where we were at the end of last season, however it is ultimately not translating to 3rd downs or the bottom line. The TOP gives us a clear indication why, the D isnt getting off the field, and when they can, the offense is struggling to do much with the ball.

I think that the unit is schematically limited by the injury to the starting SS. As the players continue to adjust, Bigby returns from injury, and the coaches get a chance to self scout, I think that we will see the group show steady improvement in the next quarter of the season. The first quarter of the season after a major defensive shift is expected to be a little bumpy.