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akeem ayers

September 1, 2015 by Mike Dussault

To get traded to New England was just unbelievable. I had heard about the culture of the team — the intense preparation and complete focus — but I didn’t really understand what that meant until the first week I was there. New England prepares with the expectation of winning. You go there as a player and you know the tradition they have, the players they have and the mindset they have. Anything other than winning is simply not an option. And I can see how they’ve maintained such success over a long period of time. When I arrived, I just had to follow everyone’s lead. The organization runs like a well-oiled machine.

Akeem Ayers Proving Myself | The Players’ Tribune

Must-read from The Player’s Tribune from Akeem Ayers with his perspective on last season, including the under-mentioned second-to-last defensive play of the Super Bowl where he and Hightower stopped Lynch just before the goal line.

https://www.patspropaganda.com/to-get-traded-to-new-england-was-just/

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: akeem ayers

November 23, 2014 by Mike Dussault


https://www.patspropaganda.com/4201/

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: akeem ayers

Regrouping After Two Patriots Signings and an Injury

October 22, 2014 by Mike Dussault

Yesterday was a little hectic on the real job front so not only didn’t I get a chance to discuss all the Patriots news that broke, I also didn’t get to the All-22 offense review.

Here’s the first part of that equation. As you probably know by now, Chandler Jones is out a month with a hip injury. The good news is that the bye should be included in that month so optimistically he misses the Bears, Broncos and then the Colts. 

Of course those last two will have playoff implications and that’s where it hurts most. 

To compensate for both the loss of Chandler, as well as Jerod Mayo, the Pats signed Akeem Ayers and are expected to sign DL Alan Branch. How both will fit and how they’ll force an evolution in scheme is anyone’s guess right now.

But my biggest concern right now is what it’s always been for the Patriots defense since 2010 – third down defense. Chandler was one of the only guys getting consistent pressure, and even he wasn’t as consistent as we would’ve liked.

You criticize the Patriots however you want, but at the end of the day, third down defense has been what has killed this team. And despite their best secondary in years, along with the first-round drafting of a pass rushing specialist, their problems have continued this year. In fact they’ve regressed so far.

Now without their best pass rusher and on the verge of facing three very good quarterbacks, including that Peyton Manning guy, the Pats have a huge challenge in front of them.

Branch has been out of football a while. Considering his size I don’t think we’re seeing him much if at all until after the bye week. He’ll likely be used as a defensive end, mostly on early downs.

As for Ayers he does have some versatility and some pass rush ability. But he was buried on the Titans’ depth chart, so to expect him to come in and be the kind of pass rusher the Pats need might be a little too lofty an expectation.

It’s the subpackages that concern me, not how this impacts the 34 or 43. Ayers should allow some flexibility to move Hightower and Collins around. But can he come in and bring pressure from the right defensive end spot like Jones did?

I’d expect against the Broncos and Colts they would be almost entirely in sub-packages, so Ayers could step in immediately with a significant role.

There’s no question, Rob NInkovich and Dominique Easley must elevate their game, especially getting after the quarterback. Easley looked okay at defensive end filling in for Chandler against the Bengals, but I don’t think he’s ready to be an every down player in that spot. 

Zach Moore has only played 27 snaps so far this season, but that would seem very likely to increase substantially this weekend.

Most likely is that we’ll see a steady rotation at the defensive end and outside linebacker spots until the Pats (hopefully) find something that works. It’s only three games, but they really must find a way to at least split with Denver and Indy to keep their chances of a playoff bye. That’s obviously a tall order, since both teams are firing on all cylinders on both sides of the ball.

In the long run, losing Chandler for a period of time could be a positive in a similar way to how the Pats got to find and develop Chris Jones and Sealver Siliga after last year’s injury to Vince Wilfork. 

They had no depth at defensive end and linebacker as it was, so this is a chance to get some of the unproven guys some experience. Maybe once Chandler returns we’ll have an even better front seven with Ayers and Branch in the mix to take some of the load off of him.

Ultimately the Pats have no one to blame but themselves for these problems. They played with fire having no depth behind their starting linebackers and defensive ends and now they will pay a price for it. 

How much it hurts them in January will remain to be seen, but no one circles the wagons like New England.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: akeem ayers, alan branch, analysis, chandler jones

NFP: New two round mock

April 13, 2011 by Mike Dussault

NFP: New two round mock

Here’s the latest mock draft from Wes Bunting and I like 3 of the 4 picks he gives the Pats:

  • 17: Cameron Jordan
  • 28: Danny Watkins
  • 33: Akeem Ayers
  • 60: Ryan Williams

Ayers is the only one I take issue with, and I know a lot of other Pats fans out there share my sentiment. One thing that is an absolute must to play for the Patriots is to be tough and physical and I have yet to see any digital video (because who’s really watching video tape anymore honestly?) where he demonstrates that he possesses those traits.

He seems like a good athlete, and can make some plays, but I just don’t see him as a dominating presence who is ready for trench warfare against offensive lineman. We’re seeing Ayers go to the Jets in a lot of mocks and I’d be both shocked and happy to see that.

Ayers seems like an example of taking someone who has the physical dimensions and putting him on a team with a need for a 3-4 OLB. I hope the Patriots stay away…

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: akeem ayers, new england patriots

NFP/Bunting: Akeem Ayers a gem for Patriots?

March 10, 2011 by Mike Dussault

NFP/Bunting: Akeem Ayers a gem for Patriots?

Between Ayers and Cameron Heyward there are no other two guys who have more varied scouting reports out there. On many it looks like Ayers is the perfect Patriots fit, but in the limited film I’ve seen he doesn’t look fast or physical.

You’ll see what I think of him tomorrow when the Patriots big board gets released, but there aren’t many guys out there who are more polarizing.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: akeem ayers, new england patriots

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I’ve looked through all of BB’s drafts and was surprised at how bad many were. I know everyone says, no on hits on all. I just think when he’s considered a draft guru, he wouldn’t miss on taking so many studs, or miss on so many that he did draft. There were a few that no player made the team. No WR in the first 4 rounds being picked by them has worked out. I’m stunned. Is it Brady has trouble with the young kids, or they can’t draft a WR? Edelman was a 7th, but almost all others fail

Belichick’s sample size is pretty enormous now that he’s heading into his 16th season in New England, so yeah, you can pick out plenty of hits and misses, but it’s important to remember the draft is really a crapshoot. There’s no team out there that is nailing every pick. BB’s style has always been to […]

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