Well, you’re coming to someone as biased about Easley as one can get so take this answer with a grain of salt, but yes I think Easley could be the final piece of the puzzle.
I’ve been banging the interior rusher drum since 2010, but the Pats kept picking up nose tackles and two-gapping defensive ends. There just wasn’t a value placed on penetrating defensive tackles and when you look at the struggles they’ve had on third down, I see it as a biggest reason why.
What are the two biggest problems for this defense of late? Third down and deep passes. What does that say about a defense? That the pass rush is not getting there. If the QB has time to hit the long passes he’s got too much time in the pocket, because coverage can’t last forever.
As much as I love Vince WIlfork, he was just way overused in 2010-2012 and just could not be a consistent menace on passing downs. And really, that’s not his game to begin with.
The Pats had Mike Wright and Myron Pryor but injuries ended both their Pats careers early. They needed more of those kind of players who could come on for passing downs with fresh legs and get some push up the middle of the pocket.
Wilfork, Tommy Kelly, Kyle Love, Brandon Deaderick, Albert Haynesworth, Ron Brace, Gerard Warren…none of them were the answer.
Now, in Easley, you finally have that guy. He might only be a situational player but that is fine and well-worth a first-round pick as I see it. Because he’s going to come on and cause major problems for the offense. He can rush from any spot on the line and his explosiveness is superlative.
Think of him this way… He’s the passing down version of the running down chess piece Vince Wilfork was/is. BB will move him around and he should make an instant impact in the areas where the Pats defense has struggled most over the last four seasons.
And the revamped secondary featuring Revis et al will only help that.