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Mailbag: Why an elite D won't be enough to win at a high level in 2023

Related Topics: Kendrick Bourne, Bill Belichick

We're through the spring portion of the NFL schedule and headed for summer. But before we kick our feet up, we have to unload The Bag.

Let's start with a big-picture thought that I've been kicking around for the last few years...

Hey Phil. Curious to hear you answer your own question from PatsTalk pod: Can a team led by its defense win in 2023?

— Guy Rhodes (@BigEastChamp) June 15, 2023

This is a topic that has interested me for a while, Guy. That interest got ratcheted up back in 2020 when I saw that one of the best defensive minds to ever walk a sideline, Nick Saban, suggested that playing stifling defense isn't enough to win at the college level anymore.