How Adrian Wilson Fits in with the New England Patriots
Great read from Frenz, with his signature all-22 breakdowns. I had actually been working on a similar piece for B/R before he beat me to the punch, so here’s my take below that I think piggybacks well on what he lays out.
Mike D’s take:
With most of Patriots Nation clamoring for Ed Reed, the Patriots instead went a different route and took Adrian Wilson.
On the surface they may seem like similar players, hard hitting veteran safeties who could bring leadership, maybe a little less speed, but with a bit of stability.
But early this offseason Greg A. Bedard reported that the Patriots liked Tavon Wilson and we’re hoping that he would take the starting safety job next to Devin McCourty. Some might’ve assumed he was just a placeholder until an upgrade like Reed could step in, even though a safety like Reed might’ve been a little too similar to Devin McCourty, rather than a bigger safety who could excel in the box, in coverage against tight end and sometimes, slot receivers.
Both Reed and McCourty are better suited on the back end of the defense, though both can no doubt play in the box, they’re just a little less effective there.
In signing Adrian Wilson, it seems more in line with what the Patriots need. Wilson is bigger and doesn’t have the movement skills he once had, but is still an effective player, especially in short areas.
Adrian will be given every opportunity to start next to McCourty, but the Patriots would still want Tavon Wilson to win the job. Why? Because of his better ability to cover in bigger spaces in the base defense.
Tavon was thrown into the fire in 2012, and his errors against the Seahawks and Jets that led to long pass completions were not pretty. But in the “money”, or dime linebacker role, he excelled.
That role is not that much different from that of the starting strong safety in the Patriots system. Yes, both safeties will see time both on the back end and in the box, but it’s still nice to have a balance.
Adrian Wilson was really brought to New England to take that role over from Tavon.
It follows a trend that Belichick has followed over the last five seasons, starting with Tank Williams, then on to John Lynch and even Brandon McGowan.
They were all veteran safeties in the 6-foot-2, 230 pound range who would only play in subpackages, though McGowan elevated to some starting time in the base defense.
Unfortunately for Belichick they always seemed to end up getting hurt. But in today’s NFL it makes sense at that position.
Their snap count is reduced, they’re only really asked to cover the middle of the field, and as veterans they bring a level of leadership that is only a bonus.
The Patriots have been destroyed by tight ends and slot receivers the last two seasons, but a player like Adrian Wilson will bring a presence in the middle of the field, especially on third-down.
Now it’s just up to Tavon Wilson to make the year two jump. Together, the two Wilsons could help the Patriots defense ascend to a new level.
