Revis is a good player and I’m glad we have him,” he said. “We’ll keep working with him. There is still a lot for him to learn in a new system and all that. But he’s a very experienced and accomplished player and we’ll just try to fit him in to the things we’re doing, both individually and collectively and his other teammates in the secondary, especially once we get into multiple defensive back groups – with five, six, however many are on the field at the same time, there is a lot of communication and adjustments and things like that involved too. He’s worked hard and done fine.
Are you surprised with the lack of reps Marcus Cannon is receiving at Guard? He filled in nice for Vollmer at tackle last year and is clearly a quality runs blocker.
Not really, I know the speculation was that Cannon was headed for guard when he arrived but in my view he’s settled in a swing tackle who could play guard if needed to. He brings a lot of value, but I no longer think he’s going to be a long-term guard and that’s okay. The real question now is how well could he play left tackle in a pinch? The release of RJ Mattes last week puts Cannon a little bit more in the forefront as a swing backup.
Any ideas about how the Pats defensive schemes might change with the changes in personnel? Collins/Anderson for Spikes/Fletcher, additions of Revis/Browner, Easley — even McCourty from CB to S — all seem like attempts to counter high flying passing attacks (most obviously the Broncos). Wondering whether we’ll see some schematic changes as well.
I think the most interesting place to start has to be at linebacker. As mentioned yesterday in Mike Reiss’ notes, Hightower has seen sometime at WLB which would put him closer to the line of scrimmage which is really where I think he’s best.
General consensus was that he’d move to Mike to replace Spikes in base, but I think we all agree that Hightower isn’t exactly the ideal Mike linebacker in coverage.
The Pats scheme has been a hybrid defensively, so it’s hard to put things into a neat box. They will evolve again this year, and if that means Mayo goes to Mike it give the defense some new twists.
First, Mayo is the best coverage linebacker and has the best speed. So if you’re really looking to take away the seam routes, he’s the best bet there. Hightower and Collins being closer to the line of scrimmage where they can use their size and speed to not only disrupt receivers at the line but also get after the quarterback makes a lot sense.
The weakness could be up the middle though, where Mayo doesn’t have the ideal stopping power you’d want against teams that run up the gut a lot. Of course, they could always shift to a 3-4 against those teams and put Hightower in the middle where he would be effective against the run.
As for the defensive line and secondary, there’s just a ton of versatility and different tools for each game plan. It’s hard to really say what they WILL do, but the CAN do just about anything.
The only thing they really lack is a true strong safety but they’ve been moving away from that for years. The safety depth chart should really just be one single depth chart and the top two play. McCourty and Harmon can both do just about everything, but most importantly, both can play in space and have good range. You need that more than a thumping box safety now.
Sensing a trend…
I’ve heard #Patriots and Easley are squabbling over injury protection, which makes sense. But I don’t expect a holdout or anything like that
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) June 13, 2014
Housekeeping note: Injury protection isn’t a holdup in the Easley contract negotiations, nor would it be for any rookie.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) June 16, 2014
Yes, during the first 10 minutes of practice, Gronk was doing short bursts, plants and cuts. Not my fault if other reporters didn’t see it
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) June 9, 2014
Pretty sure if Gronk tried any of that stuff on a soaked field Thursday, Belichick would have personally carried him off it.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) June 9, 2014
Lastly, if Gronk looked as good as one thought, it would have been major news across New England by Thursday at 1 p.m. Not days later.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) June 9, 2014
I can’t say that I saw Gronk cut, burst, or remotely sprint on Thursday. He jogged with some injured players and then went into the bubble.
— Mark Daniels (@MarkDanielsPJ) June 9, 2014
I saw Gronk moving at half speed on Thursday, for whatever it’s worth. Warmed up with team, did quick half-speed drill with the limited guys
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyedNESN) June 9, 2014
They knew what they wanted to do and went out and got the best players available, and some of the best players in the football league to do what they need them to do. I think they’re going to have specific roles for each one of them, specific role for Darrelle and specific role for Brandon that is going to allow their talent to shine. I think they’ll definitely be a top 2, top-3 secondary in football.
Don’t tease me, Sherm…
Setting stage for New England Patriots’ mandatory minicamp – ESPN Boston
Setting stage for New England Patriots’ mandatory minicamp – ESPN Boston
Getting a late start here at Pats blog central, but it’s a good week and the last one with a glimpse of the team until training camp opens next month. Prepare yourselves for The Void!!
Good primer from Reiss on storylines to watch. More than anything it’s just about who’s out there because we won’t get much schematic or depth chart insight. The injured guys are the ones to watch and it should gives us an idea of who are likely to land on PUP to start camp.
