Quote
kw13
Our play doesn't drop off that much without Donald. He makes 5 or 6 plays a game that Fox or whoever wouldn't, so it would be noticed a little over the course of a game and would be huge over the course of a season.
But on a play by play basis, we are still a #1 defense with or without him.
As Pete said, we do have great depth along the DL so if he leaves in the middle of a game his absence, while felt, can be managed.
But if a team knew that he wasn't playing, their entire gameplan and strategy of how they would attack us would change. The ramifications of that, even for one game, would be huge. Over the course of a season we wouldn't be close to a #1 defense without him.
AD is the transcendent game wrecker in the NFL. The secondary is a great example of what happens when you plug in a game wrecker: there's a synergistic effect that elevates all of the other players.
