I've been thinking about the decline of the so-called base defenses vis a vis the Pats' recent drafts. For instance, I loved Hightower in principle, but had semi-convinced myself that he wasn't a natural target for this team because he fit the classic 3-4 ILB prototype -- a role pretty nicely filled by Mayo, Spikes and Fletcher. Similarly, for the past few drafts people have been scanning closely for the classic 5-technique DE.
But how much do those "classic" positions really exist at this point?
Perhaps I would have been better off thinking of Hightower as an uncommonly aware, heady, versatile player with a 'tweener physique, thus a Swiss army knife to serve multiple roles against the hurry-up.
And while "the next Richard Seymour" would be a fabulous addition, isn't that because Seymour is a HOF-caliber player? Better, perhaps, to ask what "the next Bobby Hamilton" would add to the team.
I'm curious for others' thoughts about how the decline of the 7-man front has influenced who the Pats did and didn't take in recent drafts.
Again: I'm Pulling the Quote out'f the Quote, for those who might respond:
PatChick
I've been thinking about the decline of the so-called base defenses vis a vis the Pats' recent drafts. For instance, I loved Hightower in principle, but had semi-convinced myself that he wasn't a natural target for this team because he fit the classic 3-4 ILB prototype -- a role pretty nicely filled by Mayo, Spikes and Fletcher. Similarly, for the past few drafts people have been scanning closely for the classic 5-technique DE.
But how much do those "classic" positions really exist at this point?
Perhaps I would have been better off thinking of Hightower as an uncommonly aware, heady, versatile player with a 'tweener physique, thus a Swiss army knife to serve multiple roles against the hurry-up.
And while "the next Richard Seymour" would be a fabulous addition, isn't that because
Seymour is a HOF-caliber player? Better, perhaps, to ask what "the next Bobby Hamilton" would add to the team.
I'm curious for others' thoughts about how the decline of the 7-man front has influenced who the Pats did and didn't take in recent drafts.
Off The Grid
Tremendous Angle to take on things, Sister Patty.
It seems to me that if Defenses are evolving towards "65" Formats and Amorphous D's with the "Market Share" of Snaps being divided up amongst many Packages...and if these Amorphous D's are going to require Players of exceptional
Schematic Flexibility, then
Processing Speed,
Diagnostic Acuity, and the
Work Ethic to invest hours upon hours in Film Study are, indeed, going to be at an even greater Premium in the years to come.
Bill The Mad (Genius) always
did place great emphasis on these attributes, I believe.
However, it seems to me that he
has stepped it up recently,
hasn't he??
1 ~ His perceived focus on
Team Captains, the last 3 Drafts ~ 2011 in particular, if memory serves ~ got a lot of attention, and well it ought. And while that
proves nothing, in and of itself, I believe that it strongly suggests that his focus on the
Cerebral and
Character Aspects of Prospects has ratcheted up to
an even higher level of focus than before. This has been discussed, hereabouts, and attributed to
Righting The Ship, in the wake of the
Moral Deluge of 2009, and I'm sure that that
influenced those moves...But it may well be that he's stepping up his
already zealous focus on Players with
Schematic Flexibility.
2 ~ Donta HighTower's potential as ~ as you put it ~ a
Swiss Army Knife type has had me FROTHING since the weekend we drafted'm!! I can easily see him excelling at SIX different positions, and my opinion of'is
Processing Speed, Diagnostics, Vision, Work Ethic, and, above all, his
Leadership...are
SKY HIGH!! :rocker:
3 ~ Jake Bequette is my 2nd Favorite of the lot, and not by much: I am
CRAZY about this kid: His
Processing Speed, Diagnostics, and
Work Ethic are
OUTSTANDING.
4 ~ Brandon Spikes is of course one'f my
all time favorite Binkies, and for
precisely the reason of what I perceive to be
phenomenal Processing Speed.
5 ~ Regarding your Query about "Classic" positions: Yes, I believe that Mad Bill has lost ALL interest in the Classic "34" Defensive End...
and perhaps much'f'is interest in the "34"!! We are so LOADED on the Edge that it seems to me that we are PRIMED to develop ~ over the next couple years ~ an
explosive Amorphous D that toggles really sweetly between the
"245" and
"425"...with great success!!
6 ~ Ironically, these Edge Players of whom we have a sudden and shocking surfeit are
precisely the kind of players that so many'f us've SCREAMED for, for 826 years, but with a mind to developing them as
"34" Flankers ~ OLB's, to you Earthlings...And now that we've finally ~ after YEARS of suffering!! ~ got not only enough but a TON of young Edge Players...it looks ~ to me ~ like we're well on the way to SCRAPPING the
"34"!!
Of course, we've still got plenty of Beef around, so I doubt we've seen the LAST of the
"34".
We may see a great deal more of the
"335", though, as Brother Mayo has posited...