Good question. Let’s take a quick look back at how much the Pats have blitzed him in the past:
2010
- 11 blitzes, 34 dropbacks. Jets win 28-14
- 6 blitzes, 36 dropbacks. Pats win 45-3
- 12 blitzes, 25 dropbacks. Jets win 28-21
2011
- 7 blitzes, 28 dropbacks. Pats win 30-21
- 4 blitzes, 47 dropbacks. Pats win 37-16
Now I don’t want to read too much into because obviously there are other factors at play, but it seems like less is more with Sanchez. The two best defensive performances had them sending extra guys on only 6 and 4 drop backs.And given the Patriots struggles in the secondary it might be even more reason to focus more on coverage than sending extra guys.
The Pats should pick their spots, but I think they want to be around 7 or 8 blitzes against the Jets.