PatsPropaganda

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pass rush

ProFootballFocus: What we’ve been saying all along about the Patriots Pass Rush

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Alright, the Gronk and Hernando posts are donezo, time to get back to some real football talk. In the world of casual football fans there’s one way to get pressure on the quarterback. It’s a Demarcus Ware, James Harrison or Lawrence Taylor type, screaming off the edge, causing mayhem on every snap.

But in reality pass rush is so much more than that. It’s a number of different factors, including (and just as importantly) the interior rushers and the quality of the coverage (especially taking away the quick throws).

So while the Patriots don’t have a feared outside linebacker and look now (reminder: BEFORE FREE AGENCY) like they’re going to have the same problems  they had last year we’re preaching patience with the pass rush problems that existed last season because the Pats were hammered with injuries to their interior rushers in 2010.

One thing that I’ve talked about extensively this off-season, especially on the podcast with Frenz, is how you have to take in the whole picture of pass rush before you can make a judgement on how good the Pats will be in 2011. So while Ty Warren, Mike Wright, Myron Pryor and Leigh Bodden don’t play OLB, their return to the lineup should have a definite effect on making opposing quarterbacks uncomfortable in the pocket.

This is the gist of what our response has been to pass rush panickers of Patriots Nation.

Well today, (hat tip to Frenz) comes this article from Pro Football Focus. Now I usually take their rankings with a grain of salt, but these numbers jump of the page when it comes to Mike Wright.

I’d hazard a guess that, unprompted, not many people would say Patriot Mike Wright was the most productive interior pass rushing lineman last year. He was, and it was such a shame (for him, for the Pats, and for football fans) that his season was cut short. Wright may not be that great against the run, but you only need to watch his performance against Pittsburgh to know what he’s capable of as a pass rusher.

Wright is ranked as the number one in Pass Rush Productivity in the NFL in 2010, and ranked 8th overall in the past three seasons. Now it seems even more apparent how big it was to lose him. But no one wants to talk about the interior guys when they slam the Pats pass rush woes.

The problem of losing Wright was even magnified even more when the Pats lost their top interior rusher behind him, Myron Pryor. If you don’t have push up the middle the QB is able to step up in the pocket, thus nullifying even the most dangerous edge pass rushers.

For the stretch run and playoffs the Pats were forced to use defensive lineman who didn’t have the jump and power of guys like Wright and Pryor. With their return in 2011 the Pats outside linebackers and overall pass rush should improve immensely.

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“You know how they are. Maybe they’re happy with what they got (in-house),” McGinest said. “They do have a young linebacking squad. Maybe they like what they have, and those guys will start to get it pretty soon.”

“The Patriots are pretty smart. They probably have some free agents they’re eying,” McGinest said. “I think it’ll be good for them to go after some veterans to mix in with the younger guys they have. … Depending on how long the lockout goes, will determine how active they can be in free agency.”

Willie McGinest

https://www.patspropaganda.com/you-know-how-they-are-maybe-theyre-happy-with/

Frenz:Why the New England Patriots Passed on a Pass Rusher

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Frenz:Why the New England Patriots Passed on a Pass Rusher

Great stuff here from my podcast mate Erik Frenz. Here’s a nice excerpt…

[In 2010],  the Patriots not only got more sacks [than 2009], but they came from a wider group of players. It’s hard to believe the Patriots pass rush improved between 2009 and 2010, but they made strides toward the defense they want to run.

Why would spreading them out be better? It’s easier to neutralize the pass rush if all the production is coming from one player. Simply lock onto that “pass rush specialist” and boom, tough actin’ Tinactin…or something.

Frenz:Why the New England Patriots Passed on a Pass Rusher

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Frenz:Why the New England Patriots Passed on a Pass Rusher

Great stuff here from my podcast mate Erik Frenz. Here’s a nice excerpt…

[In 2010],  the Patriots not only got more sacks [than 2009], but they came from a wider group of players. It’s hard to believe the Patriots pass rush improved between 2009 and 2010, but they made strides toward the defense they want to run.

Why would spreading them out be better? It’s easier to neutralize the pass rush if all the production is coming from one player. Simply lock onto that “pass rush specialist” and boom, tough actin’ Tinactin…or something.

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Most people on the outside looking in at a draft only see it on a need basis. Unless you have the same information as a team, you really can’t have a value board. Either way, these players haven’t even stepped on the field yet, which makes it premature to assume how they will perform.

Let’s wait and see how much Jermaine Cunningham has developed and what’s happens when veterans are available.

Pat Kirwan, predictable voice of reason

https://www.patspropaganda.com/most-people-on-the-outside-looking-in-at-a-draft/

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“You don’t have to be the greatest athlete,” said Packers outside linebackers coach Kevin Greene, who had 160 sacks as an outside linebacker in a 15 year career that one day may land him a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “I’m talking from experience. I was not the most athletic outside linebacker to play. But I was physical. I was hard-nosed. I had a motor. And I was smart. I studied. I knew where I needed to be and I knew where my help was. I knew what leverage to use. I knew on the other side what they were trying to do.

“You do have to have some things. You have to be able to backpedal and go backwards. You don’t have to great at it, but you have to have some functional ability. But the No. 1 thing is the physicality. You can get caught up in all the measurables—40 yard dash, broad jump, shuttle. It boils down to are they physical and are they relentless? Are they playing with passion?”

https://www.patspropaganda.com/you-dont-have-to-be-the-greatest-athlete-said/

There’s more than one way to pressure a quarterback

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Yes, we’re just 14 days from the draft which means that the die-easy’s are starting to come out of their football hibernation to weigh in with their just-informed opinions of what the Patriots need.

What do they think? Here’s a hint: PASS RUSH PASS RUSH PASS RUSH!

I think every Patriots fan from far and wide can agree that quarterbacks appeared far too comfortable in the pocket in 2010 against our defense. But there’s a couple things to point out.

You cannot understate the effect that losing Mike Wright and Myron Pryor had. They were the Patriots top two interior rushers and without them the Pats were forced to go with defensive lineman who did not excel in that role. I love Big Vince, and Gerard Warren had some really solid pressure in some games, but neither are ideal there.

Offenses these days have perfected the 3-step drop, quick passing attacks, and it’s simple geometry that the interior rushers are the ones with the shortest and most direct route to disrupting a quarterback who will be looking to throw just six feet behind the center.

Edge rushers have virtually no chance to disrupt the short passing attack, unless they are dropping into coverage, which in a nickel package is rarely happening.

This is why it’s not Robert Quinn, Aldon Smith or bust in terms of upgrading the pass rush. JJ Watt or Cameron Jordan could shift inside on passing downs and really cause some mayhem, pushing the pocket back, while also allowing the outside rushers to get a better angle of attack on the QB, who will be forced off the spot.

As always pass rush is a combination of things. It’s interior pressure, it’s edge pressure, and it’s coverage. So don’t be dismayed if it’s the interior pass rush that gets upgraded early in the draft.