I've heard a lot of talk about how poorly Barron and Gholdson are playing and how it's their faults the tight ends are ripping us apart but I personally believe it's our atrocious linebacker play mixed with the defensive scheme and the new NFL rules.Don't remember when it occurred but I think it was Heath Miller who went for a seam route. He got behind the backers (shocker there. Dane Fletcher is terrible) and Ben threw the ball high. You could visibly see Hawk hold up and basically just hug him to the ground.My belief is that stopping those intermediate routes is the responsibility of the linebackers based on the new NFL rules. They need quick drops and the ability to make athletic plays over the middle. The safeties can't really offer support anymore without being penalized.I really believe that in the Tampa 2 you are asking way too much out of the linebackers for it to be realistically feasible to defend. The safeties can't punish guys over the middle anymore and with Verner getting beat deep almost every play, the D is getting stretched too thin. We need to mix in more man because we're simply asking too much that isn't all that possible.
