This is a fantastic conversation. Shout out to @uhredcat96 for getting this one started.
My question is, what can the defense do to get off the field faster without taking a crap ton of risks? It seems like the answer is relegating the risky behaviors to 3rd and medium/long situations. How many times did we have Rice at 3rd and long only to have them convert? Yes, some of those were really nice throws/catches, but a lot of them seemed really easy too. And I think that’s the problem most people had with this defense last year, me included. If your non-creative defense can hold an opponent to 3rd and medium/long (I define that as 3rd and 6+), then up the defensive intensity/creativity on the ensuing 3rd down. Send the blitz, press the WRs, go for the pick. Literally anything to make the QB get rid of the ball faster or disrupt routes. If you get beat, get beat for a 1st down and not a 50+ yard TD. Those long TDs usually mean the QB had too long to throw.
This is just my lay opinion, but with an offense that can score very quickly and in bunches, I’d like to see more risks taken on 3rd and medium/long in an effort to get the defense off the field quicker. If you get beat, trust your offense to get it back. That wasn’t an option last year with that putrid offense Brian Johnson brought us. That shouldn’t be the case this year. Just my thoughts.