[washingtonismoney]

I am not as concerned about pass coverage as some others.  The defense only gave up over 300 yards passing once (Fiesta Bowl).  Would have been difficult to completely shut down Weedon-Blackmon combo completely - they were going to get some decent yards whoever was in the secondary.

That's a very deceptive stat. Raw yardage isn't necessarily relevant to assessing a team defense. Per-play statistics are more relevant. And in that respect we were decidedly mediocre last year: http://www.ruleoftree.com/2012/4/20/2962...-be-anyway

That said, it's too simple to attribute the blame solely on the defensive backs--linebackers have coverage responsibilities too. Jarek Lancaster was a good tackler, both in space and in a phone booth, but he got a few glaring pass penalties (which may or may not be a sign of overall deficiencies).

It's hard to know what to expect overall from the defensive backs. Brown is a credible CB. But Browning played above Lyons in the spring game; perhaps the hype came a little too early for him? I feel fairly good about Jordan Richards at safety, but the other spot is a question mark. Hopefully Alex Carter can come in and make an impact at corner--he's certainly really talented.

[washingtonismoney]

I am not as concerned about pass coverage as some others.  The defense only gave up over 300 yards passing once (Fiesta Bowl).  Would have been difficult to completely shut down Weedon-Blackmon combo completely - they were going to get some decent yards whoever was in the secondary.

That's a very deceptive stat. Raw yardage isn't necessarily relevant to assessing a team defense. Per-play statistics are more relevant. And in that respect we were decidedly mediocre last year: http://www.ruleoftree.com/2012/4/20/2962...-be-anyway

That said, it's too simple to attribute the blame solely on the defensive backs--linebackers have coverage responsibilities too. Jarek Lancaster was a good tackler, both in space and in a phone booth, but he got a few glaring pass penalties (which may or may not be a sign of overall deficiencies).

It's hard to know what to expect overall from the defensive backs. Brown is a credible CB. But Browning played above Lyons in the spring game; perhaps the hype came a little too early for him? I feel fairly good about Jordan Richards at safety, but the other spot is a question mark. Hopefully Alex Carter can come in and make an impact at corner--he's certainly really talented.