So below is a quote from the great (and by “great” I mean worst) Michael Felger’s mailbag, I chime in with my thoughts below….
The Patriots “insiders” tell me the rush is going to come from a more aggressive scheme. I’ll believe it when I see it. The personnel is what it is at this point, and when it comes to getting after the quarterback, it’s not pretty. The only prayer is for Mayo to turn into a real force attacking the pocket and for McKenzine, Crable and/or Cunningham to emerge beyond what we expect. I’m not optimistic.
Overall, I think the Patriots are managing this season for what it is: A transition year. The single most important factor over this period will be how many of their draft picks pan out. The Pats had four selections in the second round in 2009 (Patrick Chung, Ron Brace, Darius Butler, Sebastian Vollmer). They had a first (Devin McCourty) and three seconds (Rob Gronkowski, Jermaine Cunningham, Brandon Spikes) in 2010. They have two firsts next year. If a title-contending core doesn’t emerge out of that group, it’s over.
Ok first, we’re all well aware of the pass rush problems, but a “more aggressive scheme” doesn’t make sense. You can be more aggressive with your play calling, you can blitz more, you can send guys from different areas which is probably what Felgie means. But the Patriots aren’t all of a sudden playing the attacking Jets or Steelers’ 3-4 defense.
We saw the 5 LB, 6 DB package last year and that produced some decent results, but Jerod Mayo ain’t gonna be the answer for pass rush. He’s a three down linebacker, but if he’s going to be run stopping on first and second down, he ain’t gonna have much left in the tank when it comes to pinning back his ears and screaming in on the QB.
The answer is a simple one. Our pass rushers (note, pass rushers.. NOT blitzers, there is a difference) need to be better. The Patriots were 9th in the NFL in blitzing last year, but when you have to blitz (sending additional rushers than your standard four) you can get burned. So what it comes down to is on passing downs our four down lineman, be it Damione Lewis, Myron Pryor, Derrick Burgess, TBC, or newcomers like Cunningham or Crable need to beat the offensive lineman and get to the quarterback.
You can scheme all you want, but it comes down to our guys need to beat their guys without having to send extra blitzers. This is how good defenses work. See what the Giants did to the Patriots in the Super Bowl for an example.
On to the second point… a transition year? Well what was last year, Felgie? Year 10 of the dynasty? Not quite. The transition started in 2009 and will continue in 2010, but the Patriots D should be in far better position this year than they were last year. But one thing he is right, an elite defense needs to emerge from all these draft picks.