Quick-hit thoughts around NFL & Pats – New England Patriots Blog – ESPN Boston
Here’s Reiss’ take on the release of Deaderick and Love. While I did think they needed to upgrade both of them, I don’t think it necessarily means a major scheme change. It will likely be Tommy Kelly in that other tackle spot now, and he’ll likely play a similar role, though he’s better than both Love and Deaderick.
I don’t view the Patriots’ mildly surprising releases of defensive tackles Brandon Deaderick and Kyle Love as a tell-tale sign that the team is significantly changing its scheme or looking for different things from their d-tackles. Deaderick has scheme versatility (3-4 end and 4-3 tackle), and Love fit in both schemes as well. We often hear the words “quality depth management” from the Patriots’ brain trust and it makes no sense to cut two part-time starters in mid-May and voluntarily thin all-important depth unless Bill Belichick had ultimately come to the conclusion he didn’t want the players around for other reasons. My read between the lines: The Patriots no longer viewed Deaderick as a “program” fit and they were disappointed in Love’s performance/conditioning after he signed a two-year contract extension in 2012, and perhaps had a lower level of tolerance to wait for his potential return to health.
