PatsPropaganda

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defense

Notes on the Patriots-Bills re-watch

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Had a chance to take another look at the game last night and as those of you who’ve been long-time readers know, I tend to gravitate toward the defensive side of the ball. 

Here are the things that jumped out to me…

– The Pats played nickel nearly the whole game (we’ll get the snap counts later today) and it was Brandon Spikes getting the start with Mayo. Spikes left due to dehydration but returned and then had a rotation with Hightower similar to what we saw last year.

– They played a lot of man-to-man defense, something we thought they wanted to be able to do, and they rarely sent many blitzers. Most of the time if was just a four-man rush, though they did send Hightower once and he caused a rush throw that resulted in an incompletion.

– In the pass rush sub-package they shifted Chandler Jones inside for Tommy Kelly and brought on Michael Buchanan.

– Joe Vellano saw plenty of snaps but I didn’t see him make much impact. He got pushed out of the way and run over a couple of times. Hopefully Armond Armstead can upgrade him when he returns.

– I heard from some fans who thought Chandler Jones was invisible but I really thought he looked pretty good. Did he have a big impact sack? No, but he caused plenty of problems and looked a lot faster and more violent with his hands than he did last year. The sacks and stats will come for him, and I like what he brings as an inside rusher where he has better size than Jermaine Cunningham did last year.

– I thought Steve Gregory had a pretty good day as well considering most of us were writing him off this offseason. He’s a good combo with McCourty when he can play the “robber” role and come downhill to make tackles. He had some sure tackles yesterday. Makes me think he and McCourty could be the two for a while back there.

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artwnoeasel:

I agree with Loyko’s tweets above, it’s been a long process since the defensive rebuild began in 2008 and went into high gear in 2009. Chandler Jones was such a huge missing piece and if he elevates his game to the level we all think he can this year, this defense should be really good.

There are no more excuses. This isn’t 2009 when they had fill-ins miscast in roles like Gary Guyton at Mike and Jarvis Green at defensive end in the base defense. All the players on the defense fit their spots and were groomed/acquired for them.

Again, the mantra: No more not losing games. It’s time to win games.

https://www.patspropaganda.com/artwnoeasel-i-have-to-say-on-paper-this-is/

Patriots need to improve their pass rush – Sports – The Boston Globe

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Patriots need to improve their pass rush – Sports – The Boston Globe

I agree with the premise, however to judge the pass rush off a preseason game is a little premature when you consider they are running straight-forward defensive calls. We all know the Pats D excels at disguise, and that will be a big help to the pass rush. 

Marcus Benard is the key guy, and he should move all over the line in the nickel and dime packages. Along with Ninkovich and Jones they should be a pretty good threesome. Could another DPR make a splash like Michael Buchanan or Jake Bequette? The roster door is certainly open.

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There now seems to be more speed at linebacker, Jones looks primed to build on his 6-sack rookie season, defensive tackle depth is thin, and the continuity of having most of this group returning has them starting at a higher point than last year.

Big takeaway: Vince happy with D – New England Patriots Blog – ESPN Boston

So far so good on defense, mix in Marcus Benard’s pass rush and this could be the best group we’ve seen since 2007.

https://www.patspropaganda.com/there-now-seems-to-be-more-speed-at-linebacker/

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: 2012 Pressure Plays, Defense

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FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: 2012 Pressure Plays, Defense

Interesting stuff here, but in a nutshell it shows the Pats just weren’t good enough getting after the passer in 2012.

They were 24th overall in pressure, but when they got pressure they were the 9th best defense, and when they didn’t get pressure they were also 24th. They had the 5th greatest difference between pressure and non-pressure performance.

It just goes to show, when they got pressure they were a really good defense, and when they didn’t they were bad. Sounds pretty obvious, but only four teams had a great disparity between performance based on pass rush pressure.

Eleven things to watch at New England Patriots training camp – ESPN Boston

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Eleven things to watch at New England Patriots training camp – ESPN Boston

Great stuff in this one, including my favorite topic:

Gone are the days of a surplus of big, physical defensive linemen; in its place is an overflow of hybrid outside linebacker/defensive end types in the 250- to 270-pound range. This was highlighted by 2013 top draft pick Jamie Collins, the 6-foot-3, 250-pound linebacker/defensive end from Southern Mississippi, who was selected 52nd overall. What it all means remains to be seen, as the Patriots still could employ the 4-3 base defense that they mostly played last year, or perhaps there will be a shift to more of a 3-4 type of front to play to the strengths of the hybrid numbers on the roster. At the least, there should be more athleticism in the team’s sub packages, and that’s where more of the game is being played these days (57 percent for the Patriots in 2012). Scheme tweaks bear watching in camp.

Youth movement promising for Pats defense | Boston Herald

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Youth movement promising for Pats defense | Boston Herald

“We have a great foundation as far as young guys getting the experience of a long season. A lot of rookies that were starting this year,” Ninkovich said. “Getting that in is going to help us. Having a full offseason with those guys is going to help us. I think, again, our future is definitely bright, so we’ve got to continue to be mentally strong and learn from it.”