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Patriots Release Dominique Easley

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Patriots release Dominique Easley

Well this is a bummer, the Patriots released Dominque Easley today, their first round pick from 2014 who I was all over in the draft process. Of course this is a shocking move. Easley had injury concerns in college and those carried over into the pros, with both of his first two seasons ending on IR, but the current speculation is that it was more about his off-the-field behavior that precipitated him being cut.

When the Pats selected Easley it signaled somewhat of a departure for them. In the past, the Pats were more often a two-gapping defensive tackle team and Easley was not a two-gapper. He was a pure one-gapper with a superlative get off. That’s what you need on defense now, especially when you’re playing three-quarters of your snaps with more than four defensive backs on the field.

I saw some speculation that the release could signal another shift in scheme, but I don’t buy that anymore than I bought Revis and Browner walking meant the Pats were going to more zone coverage. Again, if we’re talking about the old “base” defense, it’s maybe 20% of the snaps. That’s not where games are won or lost. They’re won or lost against the pass, and that’s why you can’t have a bunch of two-gappers at defensive tackle now. You need variation, especially with your third-and-long personnel. You’re not cutting a first round pick because you don’t think you need pass rushers anymore.

So this all confirms that this is indeed about off the field issues. Here are a smattering of tweets that have come in, giving us an idea of what the Pats were no longer willing to put up with.

With the great rookie season of Malcom Brown and the retention of Alan Branch with the signing of Terrence Knighton, the Pats are still okay depth-wise at defensive tackle, but I’d still love to see them add an upfield element for their pass rush packages. Chris Jones could be in for an interesting re-birth after missing all of 2015. He’s the on-roster player I see most impacted by this release.

The good news is that this is an excellent defensive tackle class, with great fits for the Pats schematically, but this opens up a new line of thinking in the draft with a specific need.

Still, it will be interesting to see what Easley does whenever he’s picked up by a new team. It’s hard not to immediate label him the biggest disappointment of Bill Belichick’s draft career with the Patriots. That’s partially because my own expectations and excitement were so high when they selected him. But that’s what the draft is, a crap shoot that you have to take some big swings on, the same way they did with Rob Gronkowski.

This was a big swing, and unfortunately, a big miss.

Chuck Fairbanks for Patriots Hall of Fame

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Chuck Fairbanks for Patriots Hall of Fame

This time of year the Patriots Hall of Fame committee meets to decide who will be the newest inductees. Each of the past couple years a heated debate has been centered around Bill Parcells, but I think there’s an equal and less-discussed case to be made for Chuck Fairbanks for the Patriots Hall of Fame.

Last year I wrote a long piece why I don’t think Parcells should be in, but I understand the arguments of those who think he should be. No one was more excited when Parcells was hired than me. He instantly gave the team credibility, “drafted” a number of Patriots legends, introduced Bill Belichick to Robert Kraft and led the team to a Super Bowl loss. But generally, Parcells put the Pats back on the map and they haven’t really left the spotlight since he came to town.

Those are not insignificant accomplishments, but let’s also remember that the Pats were coming off just four losing seasons prior to Parcells. They had been to the Super Bowl in 1985. It’s not like this was the forever-worst team in the NFL. They were down for sure, but the Pats had been good before.

And a big part of being good before, something lost on many fans unaware of the team’s history, was Chuck Fairbanks whose career with the Patriots from 1973-1978 was incredibly similar, for both good and bad reasons, to Parcells’ tenure.

Let’s compare.

The Patriots had six-straight losing seasons prior to Fairbanks’ arrival, and hadn’t been to the playoffs in ten years. By 1976 the Patriots had their best team ever, handing the eventual Super Bowl champion Oakland Raiders their only loss of the season. Oakland would win the re-match in the playoffs in a hard fought game that featured a marginal roughing the passer penalty on Sugar Bear Hamilton on a third-and-18 incomplete pass that would set Oakland up for the 24-21 win.

But to this day, many believe the ’76 Pats teams was one of their best ever, even if they didn’t even make it to the Super Bowl. Before that, the Patriots truly were nobodies in the NFL landscape. If we really want to talk about a coach who put the Patriots on the map, Fairbanks would have to be the original choice.

Fairbanks vs. ParcellsFairbanks also drafted six of the 22 players currently in the Patriots Hall of Fame — Steve Grogan, John Hannah, Sam Cunningham, Steve Nelson, Mike Haynes (also an NFL Hall of Famer) and Stanley Morgan. Parcells has five — Drew Bledsoe, Willie McGinest, Tedy Bruschi, Troy Brown and Ty Law.

A big feather in Parcells’ cap is bringing Bill Belichick into the Patriots organization in 1996, which sparked a friendship between the defensive coordinator and owner Robert Kraft that would lay the groundwork for Belichick’s hiring in 2000. But Fairbanks also had significant contributions that paid off down the line.

The first was his 3-4 defense, called the Fairbanks-Bullough, that Belichick would later use as his defensive foundation. And Fairbanks’ offensive system, the Erhardt-Perkins offense, named for Patriots offensive coaches Ron Erhardt and Ray Perkins, and was also the foundation for the Patriots’ offense when Belichick took over with Charlie Weis as his offensive coordinator.

If you want to say that Parcells set the table for the Patriots dynasty, you should also include Fairbanks, as both systems he and his coaching staff were formulating and refining in the 70s are still having an impact even today, 40 years later.

Finally comes the exits of both coaches, which were both filled with controversy. Parcells was negotiating to jump ship to the Jets the entire two weeks leading up to the Patriots’ Super Bowl appearance. Many fans find this unforgivable, to not only undermine the team as they head to the biggest game of their lives, but to also go to a hated rival, while also bringing along the Pats’ best player, Curtis Martin. It understandable why this has left a lingering bad taste in fans’ mouths.

Fairbanks had a controversial exit as well in similar fashion, having been caught negotiating with the the University of Colorado during the Patriots’ 1978 season, breaking his contract. He was suspended for the last game of the season, only to be brought back for New England’s first-ever home playoff game, but the second-seeded Pats were upset 31–14 by superstar running back Earl Campbell and his fifth-seeded Houston Oilers.

Both coaches are significant figures in Patriots history and had major impacts not only on Patriots teams long after they left, but on the NFL and the game of football itself. What Parcells has going for him is his personality and how enjoyable he was to cover for those who decide who goes into the Patriots Hall of Fame. Fairbanks came up in a different era, and didn’t have the entertaining quotes and razor-sharp personality that made Parcells legendary.

But for what they actually accomplished on the field and with the team, Chuck Fairbanks deserves as much consideration as Bill Parcells.

 

Patriots Extend Patrick Chung Through 2018

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Patriots extend Patrick ChungI’m not sure there’s been a more interesting player path than Patrick Chung’s with the Patriots. His latest extension, the second since he returned to the Pats after a one-year stint in 2013 with the Eagles, is just another marker that Chung has lived up to his second-round draft status in 2009.

Chung was an early favorite of the blog. You can scan through all the archived posts about him here. What excited me most about him was his fiery play that would hopefully bring back the enforcer presence Rodney Harrison left behind the year before Chung arrived. Nick Caserio famously said it only took an interview at the combine to sell the Pats on Chung:

One story of note came when he recapped the team’s 15-minute interview with second-round draft choice Patrick Chung at the combine. “That made an impression,” Caserio told the crowd of about 50. “After 15 minutes, we were ready to run through a wall. It was like ‘sign me up.’ … This is one of these guys, the more you’re around him, you like what you see.”

Belichick Chews Out Chung After Blown Fake Punt 2010 AFCDG

Belichick Chews Out Chung After Blown Fake Punt 2010 AFCDG

But his first three years were marred with injuries and forgettable plays. There was the fake punt he called without BB’s approval in the 2010 AFC Divisional round that backfired. Instead of going into the locker room down just 7-3, the Jets put up another touchdown to go up 14-3.

Then there was the millimeter Chung was late for Mario Manningham’s game-winning-drive-sparking catch in Super Bowl 46.

Chung was a special teams player as a rookie, but stepped into a starter’s role in 2010, aka the Patriots worst year of pass defense of the Belichick era. In 2011 he’d play just eight games, and in 2012 he began to fall down the depth chart:

Of Patrick Chung’s 16 snaps, 14 come on the final three drives when the outcome was well in hand. He has really fallen out of favor when all players are healthy, as rookie Tavon Wilson is playing over him in the dime. Chung is essentially a special teamer and depth option at this point, which is a hard fall for the 2009 second-round draft choice who opened the year as a starter.

The defense was playing more Cover-2 in those days and Chung was moved around between two spots he didn’t excel in — free safety and slot corner. Part of that was due to injuries and Chung did his best filling in, but his game was physicality, not coverage.

Now the Patriots keep Chung mostly in the box or covering tight ends, and last year he took his game to a new level. The game is slowing down for the veteran now and he’s playing more under control which is keeping him healthy. Chung is still just 28 years old and in his prime and it seems clear the Patriots feel he’s now a player to build around. The biggest key for him will be to stay on the field and not let the injuries that plagued his early career.

 

Danny Amendola and the Slot

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The Patriots added Nate Washington yesterday, a move that left with me with a yawn and a sigh. I think that’s probably because Nate Washington always seems to be that guy atop the fantasy free agents list when you’re in a can’t-win emergency, but I don’t think it will affect Danny Amendola’s role in the slot.

Yes, Washington has experience in the system after playing under Bill O’Brien and has some talent to work with, but ultimately you hope he’s like Donald Brown – a placeholder veteran addition that will get beaten out by one of the younger guys. But with the additions of Washington and Chris Hogan it’s fair to wonder how Amendola’s role could evolve, and whether these moves put him in more danger.

Amendola certainly seems like a candidate to re-structure for the second time in two seasons. Who knows how that could go. Amendola could rightly refuse which would probably mean the Pats cut him. Or maybe the Pats are biding their time and will wait to see how things shake out in the draft and into training camp.

Amendola: Slot Receiver

I also don’t see Amendola as the top 1-2 combination at wide receiver with Julian Edelman. Amendola is the slot receiver and shouldn’t be asked to play nearly every down. That’s a recipe for disaster with the way Amendola plays.

No, I fully view Chris Hogan as the “X” starter next to Edelman, with Amendola coming on in three-receiver sets. That’s why Nate Washington, who is older and less effective that Amendola, doesn’t really change the equation for me.

However, with the number of shifty slot options in the draft this year, I do think Amendola could see a challenger arise in the form of a significant draft pick. The slot receiver, as long as Edelman is intact, is a rotational position that is important, but not critical to every gameplan, especially with the presence of Martellus Bennett.

The addition of Bennett should already push the Pats toward more two-tight end sets and away from the three-receiver ones that Amendola is critical for.

The Pats have time to let it play out, but for now Amendola’s role with the Patriots still projects to what it was last year in the slot.

Under-the-Radar Patriots To Watch This Summer

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With a collection of free agents already solidifying most of the roster, I’ve been focusing on a few under-the-radar Patriots to watch this summer. Obviously there are still plenty of personnel to be added that will affect these guys and how they fit into things, but right now here are some guys who could emerge into significant roles or finally fall off the roster.

Tyler Gaffney – The Pats swooped in and snagged Gaffney during the 2014 preseason after the Panthers tried to sneak him onto IR. He sat out 2014 and then got injured in training camp and missed all of 2015 as well. But one interesting tidbit about Gaffney was his appearance at the top of the Pats’ depth chart if you caught a peek at the wall of one scene as Nick Caserio walked into his office. Maybe it meant nothing. Or maybe it meant the Pats have/had high hopes for the Stanford grad. As of right now there’s still a big need at running back, one that Gaffney could theoretically fill, if he can stay healthy for the first time in three years.

Nick Caserio Patriots Depth Chart

Aaron Dobson – At this point no one is expecting much out of Dobson and for good reason, the last two years he’s ended up on IR and even when he’s on the field his development has stagnated after a promising rookie campaign where he grabbed 37 catches and four touchdowns. But Dobson has some skill and size, and is now entering his final year in New England. This is likely the last chance he has to save his football career, if not in New England, perhaps somewhere else. But he’ll need to put some great tape together during the preseason and should get plenty of chances to show if he can contribute anything at last.

Trey Flowers – With both Rob Ninkovich, Chris Long and Jabaal Sheard entering the last year’s of their deal, the Patriots are going to need Tre Flowers, Geneo Grissom and Rufus Johnson to step into a significant role at some point. Flowers looked like the most promising of the group last preseason. We saw some of Grissom during the season, often as an interior rusher before he got some DE snaps, but his home position remains a little unclear to me. Sheard should be extended, but Ninkovich is fast approaching the end of the line. Unless the Pats draft a defensive end this season, Flowers should get every chance to show if he has the potential to step into a starting role.

Trey Flowers Sack

Jordan Richards – Richards was a surprise safety selection last year, chosen way before anyone thought he should be, but I thought he had some excellent flashes during spot work last season. He showed good instincts and tackling ability. Now, with Tavon Wilson gone, Richards should step into a more significant role on special teams at least. And he could be a Patrick Chung injury away from a starting role on defense. Is he ready for that kind of jump? It’s a vital role in the defense in their regular package, one that includes major run support and plenty of coverage responsibilities usually against tight ends. He could be thrust into the fire if injuries strike.

Monday Patriots Regroup

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Bill BelichickPlenty going on this Monday of the offseason, and I’m going to stick to ignoring Deflategate, but if you want to read about amicus briefs and other legal stuff I wish I never had to cover just read resident Deflategate go-to Michael Hurley’s two pieces here and here. In short, non-partisan lawyer writes letter to court saying NFL lied. NFL says they didn’t lie, they were just going off what Roger Goodell thought. Seriously, I can’t wait until this whole charade is over.

Another Deflategate bit is that Robert Kraft told reporters today that he had written a letter to Roger Goodell asking for the first-round pick back.  Didn’t sound like he had heard back and let’s be honest, with a little over a month until the draft, that ship has sailed. Unless the court upholds Judge Berman’s decision and scolds the NFL for their handling of it and there’s a public outcry that also comes from the rest of the NFL owners, there’s no one outside Patriots Nation that want the Pats to get that pick back, even if they should get it back.

Do you think any of the other 31 want to give New England that pick back? Especially after the offseason they’ve had and how, oh look, they’re now one of four teams with four picks in the first 100. This is more than enough ammo to make up for the missing first rounder, as much as you’d like the near-certainty that Bill Belichick would get a great player with it.

Kraft’s letter will calm some of the masses who are still angry at him for not fighting the NFL harder, but I can’t see it having any real chance of getting anywhere with the NFL who will do anything in their power to make us believe Deflategate actually was an entire cheating scheme masterminded by Tom Brady.

Free Agent Visits Continue

Now to football, what I really care about here. Couple visits were reported: Nick Fairley, a defensive tackle who spent last year with the Rams, and tight end Weslye Saunders.

On Fairley, it’s another former first-rounder the Pats are kicking the tires on. Fairley is under 300 pounds and has a bit more of an upfield guy but that’s perfect for the rotation the Pats got going. I do wonder how much he’s related to Dominique Easley‘s unreliability of his first two seasons, but Fairley is one of the best players still left on the market and would solidify and already solid defensive tackle rotation.

As for Saunders, it’s another tight end, what did you expect? Despite the acquisition of Martellus Bennett I’d still prefer to never see Michael William running a route again in my life, so this would add a solid third option who could specialize in blocking. He’s only caught 10 passes in four seasons.

 

Martellus Bennett and the Potential of the “Double Y”

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<a rel=Been processing the whirlwind of activity over the last couple of days and though I usually skew to the defensive side of the ball, Martellus Bennett‘s potential impact is what has been most interesting to me.

Bill Belichick’s preference for the two tight end sets has been well chronicled. Daniel Graham and Christian Fauria, Graham and Ben Watson, and Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez are just a few of the more well-known combos that had success. Last year the Pats tried to add Scott Chandler with Gronk but they never found their stride.


Gronkowski and Hernandez had the most devastating run from 2010-2012. Combined with the Pats lightning-fast no-huddle, Gronk and Hernandez exploited defensive mistmatches all over the league and almost took the Pats all the way to the Lombardi Trophy.

But in all these cases it was a combination of a “Y” tight end, one who can play in-line and block, and an “F” tight end, one who is better in space and often a less-than-desired blocker.

Now, with the addition of another true “Y” tight end in Bennett, the Patriots have the potential to take the two tight end set to the next level. Both Gronkowski and Bennett are equally talented catching and running with the ball in their hands as they are lining up next to a tackle and blocking.

Hernandez caused plenty of problems receiving, but he was never a threat to motion in-line and set up a power run scheme. But now the Patriots will have that kind of flexibility. They can shift from a pro set with two tight ends in-line right into a spread offense and still be just as effective.

The possibilities are really unlimited. What personnel does a defense defend Gronkowski and Bennett with? Because whatever you choose to defend — the run with your base defense or the pass with you sub defense — the Pats will attack the opposite with equal devastation.

Put a defensive back on one of those tight ends and they’ll run the ball right at him. Stick a slower linebacker on him and they’ll wish you luck in coverage.

I’m fascinated to see how Bennett assimilates into New England, and there’s certainly some cause for concern just as there was with Corey Dillon, Chad Ochocinco, Albert Haynesworth and Hernandez. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t, and not always just for off-the-field issues. Sometimes, like in Ochocinco’s case, players just can’t pick up the playbook and/or earn Tom Brady‘s trust.

But the potential is certainly there for this to be a new incarnation of the two tight end set, this version being a “Double Y” one. This could also reduce the value of Danny Amendola as a slot receiver because of the versatility of this kind of offense. Why take Gronk or Bennett off the field?

There’s plenty to play out in the next five months, but for now the Patriots offense looks ready for a new and different twist that should give NFL defenses a ton of problems.