49ers, Saints, and Jets ride improved defenses to good records

Through four games of the 2009 NFL season the San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints, and New York Jets are a surprising 10-2 collectively. While all three of these teams are somewhat of a surprise, two of them have great offenses, but the real reason that all three of these teams are winning is because of their improved defenses.

San Francisco 49ers– No team is a bigger surprise, and they are essentially doing it all on the defensive side of the ball. Of course that may change a bit now that 2009 Number one draft pick, Michael Crabtree, has finally signed with the team. What can you say about the play of linebacker Patrick Willis? Having him on the field is like having 12 defenders. Head Coach Mike Singletary installed a more physical defense in his first training camp, and it seems this team has taken to it. Since their offense still ranks 28th in the league the Niners Defense will have to continue to carry the load.

New Orleans Saints– The Saints may have the best offense of recent memory, but the real reason that they are winning is because of their outstanding defense. New Defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams, has made this unit not only more aggressive but more disciplined as well. Safety Darrelle Sharper has learned how to bait opposing QB’s into throwing interceptions. The only concern is this unit has faced a back up QB, a struggling QB, and two rookie QB’s, what will a more experienced guy do to them.

New York Jets– New Head Coach, Rex Ryan, brought in a proven system hat he was confident in. He then added players like LB Bart Scott and Safety Jim Leonhard that knew how to play in that system. This unit can harass the QB while corner Darrelle Revis can blanket the opponent’s best wide outs. The only real concern is opponents are having a lot of success running against this unit.