Reasons why the defense will be better:
--Who's going to get worse? Unlike in years past, when you had Harrison, Bruschi, Colvin and Vrabel all playing prominent roles and on the downswing, we really don't have anyone like that anymore. Bruschi's the only old guy left, and he's not even a starter anymore.
--Our most prominent "old" guy is Adalius Thomas... who is 32 and an athletic phenom. And, as long as he doesn't break his arm again, he'll in all likelihood contribute *more* than he was able to last year.
--Wheatley, Wilhite, Guyton, and Mayo all have a year of experience in the system now. This is particularly important with Mayo, who I expect to be a lot more versatile, and be the most credible threat that we've had to blitz from ILB since Bruschi's stroke.
--Meriweather came on strong at the end of 2008, and showed signs of becoming a real playmaker. Makes sense, really, and follows a pretty natural timeline for a first round pick to develop into a strong contributor in Belichick's D.
--Chung has all the tools, physical and mental, to be a contributor from day one. Not saying that he'll be starting or anything, but I expect that we'll see him in the rotation.
--Bodden and Springs are both better than any CB that was on our roster last season. And I say this as someone who actually likes Hobbs. I also say this under the assumption that Springs will be a little worse than he was last year, and will have durability issues.
--We have real depth at CB for the first time since... early 2004? Over the course of one year, we've turned Ellis Hobbs and Deltha O'Neal into Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden. No matter how you qualify it, that's an upgrade. Even if someone gets hurt or wears down, we have Wheatley, Wilhite, and Butler all waiting in the wings.
--Our best CB will no longer be our KR.
--Our linebackers will be BETTER than last year. We lost Vrabel, who, with his bum shoulder and all, was a JAG in 2008. We're gaining a year of experience for Crable, Mayo, Redd, Woods, and Guyton, all young guys who should be expected to get better.
I'd be curious to see what actual observations this Donaldson guy has made to back up his point. It'd be pretty amateur of him to write that article without at least being able to match what I just came up with on the fly in about ten minutes.