Those who generate steals, block shots and draw charges (a measure that should be included in the contemporary box score, but sadly is not) with consistency deserve recognition, so long as that recognition is not a standalone defensive judgment.
There is little doubt Ashton was harshly dealt with when he was banned for 10 weeks for making contact with the eye area of Ulster's Luke Marshall but, unfortunate or not, it gave Jones further reason to wonder if Ashton's defensive judgment is as sound as a Test wing's should be.
He seemed neither proud nor defensive, and offered no judgments on the behavior of those he encountered.
Much of his running commentary is defensive, anticipating and deflecting judgment, but he offers it so matter-of-factly, with a self-awareness edged with self-mockery, that it's disarming, inclusive.
After limping to the end of the regular season and a bye week that raised red flags over Gronkowski's health and defensive end Chandler Jones' judgment, the noise was everywhere.
But he and other officials say for the record that they have decided only to develop a "lower-tier" defense with the Patriot and Aegis systems, withholding judgment on any future defensive network.
As we challenge those accommodations, we are not being moralistic and passing judgment on Singapore, as its defensive apologists often accuse us critics of doing.
The revelation of the letters raised questions about Mr. McCall's judgment and put him on the defensive for days.
There, after relinquishing my defensive pose of cynicism and my own Yankee judgment, I found myself supercharged, hungry, hopeful.
Without a mention of anyone else by name, this could be understood as an oblique reference to the judgment of Bill Sheridan, the first-year defensive coordinator.
