The Saints DST should be on this list.
ETA:
Switch from 4-3 to 3-4
Added Vaccaro, early reports are promising
Two fomer all-pros, Harper and Jenkins at safety, though they did not play well last year, should be part of a three safety nickel defense often. Remains to be seen how it will work out but it holds promise, especially as Jenkins has played plenty of corner in his pro and college career.
Edge rushers added or converted:
- The main signee, Kevin Butler, had real hope to be an emerging star this year, but now he is out for the season.
- Guys underutilized in the last couple years, like Junior Galette and Martez Wilson, might finally be featured.
- Good UD free agents LBs, like Chase Thomas, Kevin Riddick and Eric Martin, could be something
- Cameron Jordan might just be All-Pro this year. Just a theory.
Some good news on the line:
- Akiem Hicks is a real star in the making, he should play all three line positions, and he has real edge rush ability to.
- Kenyon Coleman should be good and he has experience in the Dallas defense run by Ryan.
- Picks John Jenkins and Rufus Johnson (LB) are looking good, people are very excited about Jenkins.
- Lofton was a defensive standout last year, actually the only one, and he should be good again.
Improved corners:
- Keenan Lewis is new, from the Steelers, he has a good record of passes defended albeit maybe not so many INTs (so far).
- Greer is as always a real reliable pro. Solid.
Deficiencies:
- Old wheels on Vilma and Will Smith, plus now in a poor defensive fit for their skills.
- In some games, CB Patrick Robinson got beat worse than almost any CB you can imagine being beat, even a preseason scrub. Dez Bryant just destroyed him, going almost untouched on two deep scores for starters. At other times he looked brilliant.
- The Saints offense can be a plus, if it jumps to a lead and forces teams into desperate mistakes; but it can also lead to shootouts.
- Since the Saints technically finished 3rd they shoudl have a nicer 3rd place schedule; but they get the AFCE & the NFCW, plus some terrible scheduling, including a brutal
SF/@ATL/@SEA stretch, and they also get CHI & DAL as their 3rd place matchups.
All kinds of ?'s here and it's still the same guys by and large who were absolutely beyond awful last year, but then again those were mostly the same guys who had done very well under Gregg Williams over the prior 3 years and this 2013 defense is more of a mindset and scheme in common with those years.
That the system is new might be a deficiency, but Ryan brought in one Cowboy from each of the defensive groups, Coleman (DL), Butler (LB), and Carr (DB), to coach up the group on field.
Finally, Peyton is back. Things were just rudderless last year, there was no real coordination on the defensive side.
The biggest change, Rex Ryan, is really just a big IF. His defenses have maybe once (?) finished in the top-5 in a major stat (3rd in yards allowed rushing, or perhaps points) in 2006 or so in Oakland. They finished around 9th in sacks and maybe pass yards or points allowed in Dallas, in 2011 I think(?). And that's it. On the other hand his defenses have historically had to play supporting downright awful offenses (typically bottom 5) in Oakland and Cleveland. Dallas was different but last year they had no running game and again head coaching matters. Hopefully this will be the perfect merger of a DC who has always lacked a supporting offense and an offense that has almost always lacked a supporting defense.
