FloridaPatsFan
Third String But Playing on Special Teams
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CLICK HERE to Register for a free account and login for a smoother ad-free experience. It's easy, and only takes a few moments.I think Adelius Thomas is a much more likely LB free agent for us than Lance Briggs. Thomas is the right size, is versatile enough to play inside or outside, and has 3-4 experience. His only knock is his age, but I think he is a far better fit in our system than Lance Briggs.
This then begs the question, why was Vrabel used at TE in a short yardage midfield situation and does Tom really have a favorite receiver named 'Open?' Could there 'evah' be a juxtaposition?You will never see Vrabel play TE in the open field unless he is blocking or being a decoy.
The Pats need speed and coverage ability at ILB. The trio of Banta-Cain, Vrabel and Colvin are good enough at OLB. Thomas is an OLB type in his first year of "dominant" play. Also, The Baltimore Lbers were nothing special last year. This year, suddenly, they are world beaters. Why the change? Because of the most underrated rookie in this year's class, DT Haloti Ngata. Thomas, Bart Scott, and a Ray Lewis in decline are benefiting from superior 4-3 line play vs. the run. Their sacks are mostly scheme based because the opponents are always in passing downs. Thomas is set to earn a wind-fall, but he is being overrated IMO.
Pony -
Thomas is extremely versatile and I have no doubt at all that he could move to ILB with the Pats and be dominant in the way that Bruschi and Ted Johnson have been.
Now, about your statements. Its incorrect of you to compare last year's Baltimore defense to this year's. This year, they are strictly in the 4-3. Last year, they experimented with a hybrid 3-4 / "46" defense. It was SUPPOSED to have worked to Lewis' strengths, but it didn't. Keamoatu was a FANTASTIC DT for the Ravens, but they didn't use him properly last year. As such, the entire defense suffered.