I don’t see it being Kirksey in isolation. I think RAC’s D has regressed season on season for 3 or 4 years now. I don’t think JJ Watt has played at the level you think he has during that time, but I do think he was still playing the same way he did when he was going for the sack record.
I’m not really sold on Lovie Smith as DC either as it happens, but I think this 1 year roster build can set us up for the future to play disciplined, to not let every RB with a pulse run 200 yards on us, and maybe slow down TE’s also.
Easy to get mixed up between what JJ was his first 5 years and what he was more recently. The on field result from the D as a whole, there isn’t much room to get worse.
JJ was still in the top 6 in the league in TFL. That was twice as much as anyone else on the team (Cunningham), and almost 2/3 more than any other D-lineman.
Yeah, his sack numbers were nearly nothing, but it still led the team.
And how much of RAC’s scheme is effected by it being strip of talent? Reader gone, JD gone. Not saying JD should have been kept, but they never replaced him. Trading 3rds away for scrubs, signing the Murray’s of the world to stupid money. All of that matters and makes an impact. Piss poor coverage means the ball is leaving early, resulting in missed sack opportunities. No other pass rusher other than JJ doesn’t help either.
No, JJ isn’t playing at his former DPOY level, but he’s still very effective. And you do have to consider he had no other help on this defense. None, nada, zilch. Hard to appear to be effective when defenses can game plan you out and not have to worry about anyone else.
