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Very interesting question, because I do think that Ayers is a bit better in space than Chandler is. However I think Chandler is the better player on the line and really, that’s what is most important as a defensive end. 

Ayers has been very good, but at the same time I think a lot of his success has been a result of scheme, not necessarily him being physically dominant. Ayers has certainly flashed levels of dominance, but I think Chandler is more capable of “ruining a game/play” by himself.

I do think, like you said, we could see a Ninkovich-Chris Jones-Chandler Jones-Ayers all-out pass rush front (sorry Easley). Chandler is a load inside and that would make for a nightmare.

It will be depend on the game plan but Ayers has shown enough to remain involved when Chandler is back to 100%. Ayers could also play some linebacker with Jones at defensive end. BB will get creative to get his best 11 out there.

That’s kind of the rub, isn’t it? He was seeming like a high-cost re-signing before having this down year. It’s also hard to read how the Cannon extension feeds into that.

I saw some speculation that Cannon is insurance for Solder should he walk. But what if they’re ready to give Cannon a shot at starting? It’s hard to know for sure because as bad as Solder has been this year, I thought Cannon had been even worse.

It’s a level of protection and I’m sure Cannon’s new deal is incredibly incentive-laden. You can’t hate a Vollmer-Cannon-Fleming tackle group. Maybe there’s even an outside chance Vollmer flips to the left side? That might be a stretch but that’s where he played in college. Still, I think he’s one who could start to degrade quickly given his injury history, though he’s had a very solid year after a shaky start.

But yes, I think between Solder’s falling price tag, along with the rollover cap room and extra cap room, the Pats should have the funds to lock up Revis and McCourty.

I was really blown away by Siliga’s performance against the Chargers and I think that is in some part why they can consider shutting down Easley for the season. If he can keep that up he could be a beast down the stretch.

I also think we can look for the new guys to make similar jumps (or maybe just have a “breakout” game) like Blount did last year. That group includes Ayers, Branch and Wright to name just a few. What will be most interesting will be how the manage Ayers once Chandler gets back.

I’d also really like to see Jonas Gray get another chance to carry the load for a game. Maybe that has to wait until the division is (hopefully) clinched this weekend, then they’ll give Gray a ton of carries in the last two weeks. But I really like his burst out of the backfield and think it could be useful when the OL looks like they did against the Chargers.