Browner as a fit or non-fit

If Jeff Howe is to be believed in http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/.../03/why_darrelle_revis_left_patriots_for_jets, then

So, why release Browner at the same time if they knew Revis was gone? They simply didn’t feel he was a fit in their system.

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That begs the question, of course, as to whether the system non-fit assessment was based on Revis not being back.

I also note that:

• Browner made a good play on the Butler INT. Another Pat in his place would have tried to do the same thing, probably not quite as well, but perhaps (IMO probably) successfully as well.
• Browner had to ask to be switched to the tall WR in the Super Bowl. It was a game-saving/season-saving switch.
• Browner sure got a lot of penalties called on him.
• I don't recall that many games where Browner actually covered the opposing TE.

I don't know what that all boils down to, so I thought I'd pull a few facts together and throw it open for discussion.

I'd rather have him than not have him but I'm not gonna question the goat.

That article makes it pretty clear that the non-fit assessment was made after they knew Revis would be gone. And it makes perfect sense, I suppose. They are going in a different direction.

Ben Volin ‏@BenVolin 35s35 seconds ago
PFT says Browner is about to ink a deal with the #Saints. Pats wouldn't face him until 2017 (or preseason, or a Super Bowl)

I don't buy it. He was such a fit in this defense that he held the CB2 spot and maintained it almost immediately. They also tasked him with the likes of Demaryius Thomas and Calvin Johnson (with safety help, of course) at different points throughout those games and switched him onto Matthews in the Super Bowl.

I liked Browner. I thought he was a good physical presence we needed in the secondary. Regarding THE interception..yeah Browner was key in that play because his guy needed to block Butler but Browner didn't let him do it. I would have liked him back but I trust the Coach to know what he's doing.

That's what I said when he was released. This is what I said then, and I still stand by it.

If you have a corner on the other side that you can trust completely, like Sherman or Revis, and a very good FS that cover for Browner deep, then you can kind of hide his weaknesses and get the most out of him. A great #1 cb allows you to cheat the safety over to Browners side and that allows him to play as physical as he does as the safety is there to cover up for him. But without that help he can get exposed much more easily, which lowers his value if the safety can't put the extra focus on his side, which is hard to do if you don't have a very good corner on the opposite side.

I liked Browner, he sure seemed like a pretty decent fit last year. But maybe they're thinking is, if we can't play man like we did with Revis, then let's just scrap that whole aspect of the defense and go for something else. In which case...

I think he was a perfect fit for what they wanted to do last season and a less perfect fit for whatever they want to do this coming season.

Pisser. I really liked this dude.

If the Pats are going back to more zone without Revis, Browner is definitely not a fit. He is miscast if he is playing 5-10 yards off the ball and maintaining a zone which he would be asks to do a lot in a zone heavy scheme. He is best suited playing on the line and playing physical in the first five yards. That is less used in a zone scheme.

So assuming the Pats are changing to go back to more zone without Revis, the truth is that he is not a fit for the scheme and would likely go from CB #2 to CB #3 or #4 and only coming in on certain situations.

KontradictioN said:

I don't buy it. He was such a fit in this defense that he held the CB2 spot and maintained it almost immediately. They also tasked him with the likes of Demaryius Thomas and Calvin Johnson (with safety help, of course) at different points throughout those games and switched him onto Matthews in the Super Bowl.

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Yes, because the Pats switched to primarily man defense with Revis. He excels at man and struggles in zone.

KontradictioN said:

I don't buy it. He was such a fit in this defense that he held the CB2 spot and maintained it almost immediately. They also tasked him with the likes of Demaryius Thomas and Calvin Johnson (with safety help, of course) at different points throughout those games and switched him onto Matthews in the Super Bowl.

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He wasn't really the CB2, he was more of a situational CB2. He only played about two-thirds of snaps during the regular season in the games he wasn't suspended because he struggled against certain receivers. He's a shutdown corner in press man against certain types of receivers but gets burned by others, and I'm not sure if that's worth $6m a year, especially as the guy gets older, and especially not if the Patriots are moving away from the man coverage.

Good player, I liked his physical style of play but like most posters already said, there is a good chance we play mostly zone next year. To bad because I really enjoyed watching our defense play this year.

KontradictioN said:

I don't buy it. He was such a fit in this defense that he held the CB2 spot and maintained it almost immediately. They also tasked him with the likes of Demaryius Thomas and Calvin Johnson (with safety help, of course) at different points throughout those games and switched him onto Matthews in the Super Bowl.

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He did spend critical parts of the Baltimore playoff game on the bench, so that could be an indication that his spot wasn't in stone.

Ah, so we get to go back to the patented give 10 yard cushion zones. Oh joy! Watching the defense next year won't be nearly as enjoyable.

I'm going to cry when we draft a 5'9 corner high in the draft. I really think we should have kept Browner and tried to fix Dennard or found another physical corner. That zone defense cost us again and again in the playoffs. Although our defense vs Balt and Seattle wasn't great they still were able to make the play to win it that the smurfs couldn't vs Eli. I'm just a fan though and BB knows 1000000000000000x more than me so I hope I'm eating these words at some point.