Good question, the bye week is always a good time to self-reflect a little bit. Here are some areas of question that remain for me.
1. How does the defensive front seven stack up now with injuries, guys returning from injury and the new additions? Siliga can start practicing shortly and is eligible to return after Detroit. How does he stack up rotationally with Alan Branch and Casey Walker?
Similarly, is Akeem Ayers ready to be the every-down defensive end replacement for Chandler Jones? Or was that a Broncos-specific thing? Could Alan Branch be used at DE for run-stopping or a more traditional 34 look? How about Easley? Then there’s Casillas. Can he find a role in the defense?
All these guys need to be further evaluated to find how to best employ them.
2. Develop the Running Game. I’m still not convinced the Pats can run and pick up those gotta-have-it short yards in critical moments. Jonas Grey runs hard, and Shane Vereen has his moments, but continuing to develop the running game is critical as the weather gets worse.
3. Involve Wright/Amendola (Dobson?) more. Teams are going to study what the Pats are doing with LaFell-Edelman-Gronk and do their best to stop it. The way to stay ahead of the curve is to continue to get guys like Wright and Amendola involved in new ways.
Otherwise it seems like the OL and secondary have found what works for now. Dennard is one interesting guy who I kind of like having in our back pocket. He’s presumably developing at slot corner still and has been bumped by Browner, but he’s got to be the best healthy scratch corner in BB’s history. I still think there’s a role for him to play.
