The issue is filling AD's prior role

[Fencer]

I think we're all agreed that AD will pretty much fill what was Colvin's role. (However, Woods and C. Brown will surely get some reps there, freeing AD for other duties on those plays.)

So the real question is -- how will AD's old role be filled?

And that in turn leads me to the question -- what WAS AD's prior role anyway?

I must confess to considerable fogginess on that score.

 

[satz]

bru/seau were in nickel package as they were better in lateral movement obviously due to being lighter .Now at 270lb AD in the center was a downhill threat we have not had in a few years.think at 270 with speed he did penerate and drop RB for loss of yards fighting again 300 lb gaurds. eric,woods even seu/bru loss 50-70lb to a gaurd and it will hard to generate that kind of presure and have to depend alot of vince to hold his point of attack for run stopping.....we are going to have issues in first and second downs with this loss.

a reason i believe AD will man the ILB and chad brown/woods in the OLB role with some rotation of him going out but he will be in the center.

 

[MetalBleachers]

I think we're all agreed that AD will pretty much fill what was Colvin's role. (However, Woods and C. Brown will surely get some reps there, freeing AD for other duties on those plays.)

So the real question is -- how will AD's old role be filled?

And that in turn leads me to the question -- what WAS AD's prior role anyway?

I must confess to considerable fogginess on that score.

I'd love to see AD in a full-time OLB role for Colvin, with Alexander replacing Bruschi on 3rd down and giving Seau an occasional breather.
And Chad Brown not seeing the field, but I guess that's too much to ask for. :bricks:

 

[MrBigglesWorth]

I expect to see AD in both roles splitting time at OLB and ILB.

it is really come come down to situation and I also am curious to see if Woods is gonna get an expanded role.

 

[psychoPat]

I'd love to see AD in a full-time OLB role for Colvin, with Alexander replacing Bruschi on 3rd down and giving Seau an occasional breather.
And Chad Brown not seeing the field, but I guess that's too much to ask for. :bricks:

Oh, i believe you'll get your wish about Chad not seeing the field.
The composition of the gameday active roster of 45 seems to consign him to gameday INactive
until FURTHER injury.

I think Bru and Seau do best splitting a single assignment ... their antiquity, the ravages and damages of the long season, etc.

Alexander i do foresee as the flex man ... either
spelling Tedy or Junior,
spelling AD when Pierre is at OLB, and Thomas has been inside,
or plain sitting when 4-3 is the formation.

 

[MetalBleachers]

Oh, i believe you'll get your wish about Chad not seeing the field.
The composition of the gameday active roster of 45 seems to consign him to gameday INactive
until FURTHER injury.

I think Bru and Seau do best splitting a single assignment ... their antiquity, the ravages and damages of the long season, etc.

Alexander i do foresee as the flex man ... either
spelling Tedy or Junior,
spelling AD when Pierre is at OLB, and Thomas has been inside,
or plain sitting when 4-3 is the formation.

yeah, it's going to be an interesting array of LBs. While the four(5) of Vrabel, Bruschi/Seau, AD and Colvin is a stronger overall lineup talent-wise, AD is better outside and - as far as I can tell - stronger vs. the run than Colvin. Alexander is the wild card.

 

[Fencer]

I haven't checked Reiss's packages info, but my sense is:

Bruschi and Seau were taking over from AD in the base D. Presumably, he spelled them, especially Seau.

Seau has definitely been in the nickel package. Logically, with his speed AD should have been in it too, but I don't know that for a fact. Bruschi has been sitting in the nickel for years, notwithstanding his run of INTs in his prime, his occasional pass defensed, etc.

In the nickel the options would seem to be Eric Alexander, an extra safety, or replacing AD's quasi-DE reponsibilities at OLB with another rusher (e.g., Woods or C. Brown or a DE) while he moves inside.

In the base defense -- well, there are a ton of possibilities, as discussed in various other threads.

 

[mgteich]

The issue is what happens to Bruschi and Seau when they get the added reps. Will they be likely to get injured? Will they slow down? As was the case in the Championship Game, the key is Alexander. He needs to take an expanded role.

 

[ClevTrev]

True to form, until the Pats play their first game without Colvin (Monday night), we'll have no idea how they'll group their LBs. While AD was primarily playing the strong ILB in the beginning of the season, it's not certain whether he'll take Colvin's OLB spot or he'll continue to be in some rotation using Woods, Brown, and Alexander in certain situations.

Given AD's flexibility, this may be exactly the scenario the Pats had in mind when they signed him. I just hope he's injury free, as his speed appears impacted over the past few games, and my guess is that AD's injury is the reason they had Harrison on Clark in the Colts game. A healthy AD would have been assigned to cover Clark leaving Harrison available to help in double coverage on the WRs and to come up for run support and occasional blitzes.