Coming to the defense of Joe Woods

[The Experience]

I see a lot of hate around here for this guy, I think it is mostly because people are still mad about letting Wade Phillips go. Which it id fine to be upset that he was let go, but I don't think it is fair to trash Joe Woods. Now, I understand Woods has not been perfect and has made mistakes. He is a rookie DC, mistakes are going to happen. However, this defense has been very solid this year and good enough to win us at least 9 games IMO. There are still quite a few holes personnel wise on D. I also think that Vance's insistence on running more zone has made Woods look bad. The fact is, the defense is not the problem with this team, and Woods has shown far more ability and potential than his rookie counterparts in Joseph and Olivo.

Sorry for the rant, I just had to get this off my chest.

[15thebeast]

I’d agree Woods doesn’t seem to be the problem and the defence is still performing at a pretty good standard. Would like to see more man coverage but do you think we could be running more zone to make up for Talib getting older and losing a step?

[The Experience]

I’d agree Woods doesn’t seem to be the problem and the defence is still performing at a pretty good standard. Would like to see more man coverage but do you think we could be running more zone to make up for Talib getting older and losing a step?

Vance explained earlier in the year why he wanted to run zone, and his reasoning made sense. However, it has not worked well, and he hasn't felt a need to change it. That is the problem with the D. Woods is just doing as he is told, and doing the best job he can with it. I think the guy has proven to be a solid coordinator, and he has a lot of room for growth.

[lvbronx]

If VJ is replaced I hope that Woods is kept. I think consistency on that side of the ball should be a priority.

[Rancid]

I have a mixed opinion about Woods probably because the team is so bad as a whole. The defense's major problems are the draft bust that is Shane Ray or Brandon 'Mail-it-In' Marshall, or Todd 'how did I make this team' Davis.

I cannot see a reason to let Woods go because there is so much more that needs fixing.

[haciendadad]

The Offense is the main problem! ST is second. I'm not even concerned about the Defense at this point considering how bad the offense is. We need an experience coach that won't pull punches that can pull this team out of a nosedive.

[The Experience]

I have a mixed opinion about Woods probably because the team is so bad as a whole. The defense's major problems are the draft bust that is Shane Ray or Brandon 'Mail-it-In' Marshall, or Todd 'how did I make this team' Davis.

I cannot see a reason to let Woods go because there is so much more that needs fixing.

I don't think Ray is a bust..... at all. He has lost this season with injury. He was never going to be effective this season. He doesn't even seem healthy now. He was very good last year and will continue to get better but this year was just a woeful injury season for him.

[Hadez]

It is hard to tell but my thinking is the defense is still riding some of the teachings of Wade....the longer he is gone the more broken it will become until we get another DC of that quality....which Woods is not that same level from everything I have seen so far.

The defense is not bad bad bad but it has been better under other coaches imo.

I do know Def and ST scored 4 more TDs in 2015 then our Def/ST has so far.

We gave the ball away 31 times in 2015....so far 24 times this year....why are we -16 this year (2nd to last) and -4 in 2015 (19th)? The number of defensive takeaways.

Our offense is just as bad this year as it was in 2015...difference is the defense this year is much much worse than any other year in recent memory imo.

[JvDub95]

I don't think woods is the problem either. I don't care if you're the 85 bears, the defense can't spend that much time on the field and expect them to pitch shutouts. They will do their job and get a 3 and out just to be back on the field because the offense is either going 3 and out themselves or they are turning it over. Woods is a good coach and he will be 10 times better next season, guaranteed

[Broncos65]

It's hard to rate the defense when they're always playing from way behind. I too think it's the least of our problems but we do have some holes. The number one need to me is a middle linebacker. What ever happened to guys like Erlacher? We need a Kuechley, a run stopper that can also cover TE's and backs out of the back field. We suck at that this year. Even when we knew the only receiver the Giants had was Evan Engram, we couldn't stop him.

[JvDub95]

If I'm not mistaken, the D is still top 5 against the run and pass. Has there ever been a team to finish top 5 on defense and 32nd on offense?

[98-O-Line]

I want him gone. His defense has given up a ton of points & he’s part of the raging trash fire 🔥

[Montoya]

Idk what to feel about him. To his credit. It's obvious we have some HUGE holes on D. Our ILBs are terrible. I don't know which one is worse out of the two. Todd Davis went from a special teams player to a starter because we had nobody else and the rest of the D carried him. I have been asking for a good one for the past 3 offseasons starting with the year Ogletree came out. Anyways We haven't had the Pass Rush. And Darian Stewart and Aqib Talib don't even look like the same players anymore. They are both getting beat bad out there. The lack of talent is obvious so is it really Joe Woods fault? Or is it just bad execution. Who knows. Maybe he's calling great games and with other players they'd be elite again? I would like to see another season out of him. Just not with Vance. Can't do it with him anymore. He looks lost. Completely lost.

[Kyousukeneko]

It's hard to rate the defense when they're always playing from way behind. I too think it's the least of our problems but we do have some holes. The number one need to me is a middle linebacker. What ever happened to guys like Erlacher? We need a Kuechley, a run stopper that can also cover TE's and backs out of the back field. We suck at that this year. Even when we knew the only receiver the Giants had was Evan Engram, we couldn't stop him.

we don''t need a keuchley we need a coverage linebacker i'd take a tevin smith in this defense would be perfect.

the other main issue i think with this defense is sense our offense is ****. they are out on the field way to long. or maybe it is just recently, i just feel like today example the opponent had great starting position and all our offense did except maybe 1 or drives is a 3 and out. i feel it is hard to win or even look good when you lose the field position battle and the time of posession battle.

[broncolassiter]

To be fair the offense and ST has made it so much harder on the defense than it should have ever been. I agree that it is giving up to many big plays but how much of that is because of zone coverage when this defense is built to play man? All we can do at this point is hope that our rookie coaches get a better grasp on the job next season.