I can think of no more appropriate day than
this one, on which to resurrect
this Thread. 
On The Brink
I think we are on the verge of something
special, Gentlemen.
In fact, I believe that our Defense's
stunning domination of the high-powered
Planet Hoosten Offense on Monday Night will prove to be only the
beginning ~ a glorious
Harbinger of Great Things Yet To Come.
I believe that the vast majority of my Fellow Fans ~ respectfully submitted, and with the obvious exception of Brother Mayo ~ have no
idea what is about to transpire with our Secondary...and our Defense.
Of course, that statement might appear
hideously presumptuous.
But I presume
nothing, Gentlemen!!
It is merely a
Prediction.
The Quickening ~ An Harbinger of Great Things Yet To Come
The Impact of Confidence ~ and Monday's astonishing Rout can only infuse an
Ocean of Confidence into our Defender's veins ~ can be
colossal.
...especially if it's supported by months of relentless Work and a great deal of Talent.
These are the very same guys ~ except for
Aqib Talib replacing
Ras I Dowling, of course ~ that were flailing around madly, the first 6 weeks of the season...
Yet with the flat out
brilliant structural Reconfiguration of Responsibilities & Roles, since then...and several weeks, now, to acclimate themselves to the Roles and to playing with each other
within those roles...things have really started to
click.
And when things start to click ~ when Instinct takes over ~
phenomenal things can start to happen.
Indeed, I believe that they have already
begun.
Consider, if you will:
8 Weeks Ago
1 ~ Devin McCourty ~ Mired in inconsistency. A talented Player, but at the wrong Position.
2 ~ Kyle Arrington ~ Last year's Great Story was this year's Epic Disaster.
3 ~ Steve Gregory ~ A smart Player, but toiling through occasionally hideous Growing Pains.
4 ~ Pat Chung ~ Not allowed to travel outside FoxBoro without an Armed Escort.
The Reconfiguration of Roles & Other Changes
1 ~ Alfonzo Dennard ~ the 2nd Round Talent we stole in the 7th
explodes onto the scene.
2 ~ Devin McCourty ~ this allows
Mad Bill's Master Stroke: Move McCourty to Free Safety. This instantly improves
four Positions:
3 ~ Dennard's a better Corner than McCourty, but ~ far more importantly ~ McCourty has the potential to be an
outstanding Free Safety, and we've all watched'm rapidly grow into the position, since Week 6.
4 ~ This in turn allows us to boot Chung to the bench, and allow the wily but only marginally talented
Steve Gregory to focus on more of an hybrid "Strong Safety/2nd Free Safety" role, which is far better suited to'is skillset than the pure Cover 2 Role that he previously sucked at.
5 ~ And all those changes ~
The Ripple Effect that I wrote about ~ in turn freed up
Brandon Spikes and the other
MidFielders to play to their strengths: Spikes averaged a measly
4.33 Tackles per Game through Week
#6, but has exploded for
7.86 Tackles per Game, since then...but his Impact since
The McCourty Move has been
far more intimidating than mere
Tackles.
6 ~ To top it all off,
The Aqib Talib Trade allowed us to boot
Kyle Arrington down to Slot Corner...and Arrington has caught
fire since that move, tearing up the field, making Plays, and holding his Targets to an astonishing
5 for 19 over the last 4 weeks!!
7 ~ Talib himself has worked through the expected Growing Pains, but he, too, has improved by leaps and bounds, and his
exquisitely tenacious coverage of
Andre Johnson, Monday Night, was an essential part of the
phenomenal Night our Defense put out there, as this much-maligned Defense demoted Planet Hoosten from the
#2 Offense to the
#4 Offense
in a single Night!!
Our Secondary ~ Present Day!!
1 ~ Aqib Talib ~ Rapidly becoming our best CornerBack since
Ty Law. Say no more.
2 ~ Alfonzo Dennard ~ Rapidly becoming our best #2 Corner since...Well, you tell
me.
3 ~ Kyle Arrington ~ Already a
phenomenal Slot Corner.
4 ~ Devin McCourty ~
Born to play Free Safety. We could really have something
special, here.
5 ~ Steve Gregory ~ No superstar, by any means, but a smart, scrappy, and athletic Safety who has Flipped The Switch and transformed from a scary Weakness to a definite
Strength, over the last few weeks.
What I See Through The Looking Glass
There's no denying it: What was a nightmarish weakness, a mere 8 weeks ago, has evolved ~ precisely as foretold, Brothers!!
~ into a decided
Strength.
But what
really fills me with a sense of anticipatory awe...is that these guys have only just
begun to realize how good they can be.
I'm not being
funny, Gents: I believe that Monday Night will prove to be an eye opener for every
one of the guys on this Defense on a
dramatic scale: Only now, I think, do they realize how very, very
Good they can be.
I mean: They shut
Planet Hoosten down.
I presume
nothing, Ladies & Laddies...But I believe that ~ come MidNight ~ the Defense that most people will be talking about won't be
San Fransisco's...
It'll be
ours.
A Few Fresh Predictions!!
1 ~ The Patriots ~ not the
Miners ~ will bring the Dominant Defense, tonight.
2 ~ Brandon Spikes ~ with only 5 Tackles, ere the last 2 weeks ~ will pile up
10, tonight...or will in any case wield a comparably dominant effect on the outcome of this Game.
3 ~ The Patriots Defense will hold the Miners to
13 Points...or
less.
4 ~
It will be cool. 
73Likes
The Patriots Defense ~ A Return to Dominance ~ The Quickening!!
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