My Blueprint for the Defense

[mayoclinic]

Yeah, as long as most everyone stays relatively healthy, I will be very disappointed if this defense does not improve, significantly, on 3rd downs to at least a middle-of-the-pack ranking.

Right now, we're going into training camp healthier than most people expected. There were no injuries out of minicamp and OTAs, and several players appear ahead of schedule, including Wilfork, Will Smith, and Easley. Tommy Kelly appears to be recovering a bit more slowly, but is still making progress. Only Armond Armstead and Alfonzo Dennard remains question marks.

Right now the defense is shaping up very nicely in terms of personnel:

- A DE rotation of Chandler Jones, Rob Ninkovich, Will Smith and Michael Buchanan. Easley may also get snaps at DE, as could Armstead if he gets healthy. Smith looks like he will be healthy enough to contribute as part of a rotation, and should get time at both DE spots. The outside pass rush should benefit tremendously from (1) a deeper rotation, (2) better interior pressure, and (3) the revamped secondary.

- A healthy Wilfork and Easley at DT, with Kelly, Siliga and Jones/Vellano for depth. Armstead is the wild card. The combination of Wilfork (IF he can come back to something at all close to his 2011-2012 form) and Easley should be wicked.

- Mayo-Collins-Hightower at LB, with Anderson for depth and coverage ability. 1 more veteran LB would be nice, though Ninkovich could get LB snaps as well. Hightower looked a bit lighter and more fluid in minicamp by all reports, Mayo seemed ready to go full tilt in training camp, and Collins looks like he is ready to explode.

- A secondary that should be one of the 2-3 best in the NFL, led by Revis and Browner. Browner's size and physicality stood out in OTAs/minicamp, and Revis was Revis. Logan Ryan and Duron Harmon appear to have put in a ton of offseason work, and both have bulked up some.

Staying healthy will be key, but overall the defense looks in great shape going into training camp.

 

[captain stone]

I wonder if Kelly's slow recovery was a reason for the persuit of Kevin Williams.
What a great swap that would've been.

 

[mayoclinic]

I wonder if Kelly's slow recovery was a reason for the persuit of Kevin Williams.
What a great swap that would've been.

Williams would have been nice, but he turned out what seems to have been a solid offer. Kelly played very well last season before getting injured, doesn't have a history of injuries, and seems to be getting back on track, so if he can come back I'll be satisfied. Wilfork, Easley, Kelly, Siliga and Chris Jones is a very solid DT group; even more so if Armond Armstead can somehow get healthy.

 

[mayoclinic]

A very long read by Michael Schottey on Jamie Collins' potential for a breakout season:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2109168-is-jamie-collins-the-next-great-breakout-linebacker

 

[mayoclinic]

Hightower has always been an enigma to me, from the day when he was picked. He's obviously a very solid player, but I just never understood the fit. Lavonte David was my binky in 2012, and he played at a DPOY level in 2013 (145 tackles, 7 sacks, 2 FF, 10 PD and 5 INTs). I try not to get caught up in "what could have been scenarios", but of all the missed opportunities the one that most haunts me is that the Pats could have taken Harrison Smith at 25 and David at 48, and had a defense that looks like this:

DL: Ninkovich - Wilfork - Easley - Jones
LB: Collins (SAM) - Mayo (MLB) - David (WLB)
S: McCourty - Smith
DB: Revis - Browner - Dennard/Ryan - Arrington

As I mentioned elsewhere, Hightower has nice burst and explosiveness (his 1.58 10 yard split is comparable to that of Ryan Shazier, Von Miller and Jadeveon Clowney) but horrible mobility (his 7.55 3-cone and 4.64 short shuttle wore worse than those of many offensive linemen). He's just not a guy who is well equipped to play in space.

I personally think that Hightower's best chance of success is to play a "buck" role similar to what Donte Fowler currently plays for Will Muschamp (and to how Muschamp used Brian Orapko at Texas). Make him essentially a line player who moves forward, whether standing up or rushing from a 3 point stance, and limit him in space. The main problem with that right now is that I'm not sure Hightower would be better in that role than Rob Ninkovich, and the Pats are very thin at LB.

From Reiss' chat today:

Joseph (Baltimore): Opinions on Hightower seem to be across the board from he is a draft bust to he will be a pro bowler. Do you think Hightower takes another step forward building off a solid final few games last year or is he destined for the two back role Spikes held down and will be gone at the end of his rookie contract?

Mike: Joseph, I don't know why anyone would call him a bust. That's crazy to me. He was put in a tough spot last year and did the best he could with it. Here is my underlying thought on Hightower: He doesn't fit in the standard box from a position standpoint so a coaching staff has to be creative to get the best out of him. It was tough to do that last year because of the injuries around him, but I think this year has a chance to be different. Like him coming off the edge a bit more and playing forward.

Hightower (Boston): Mike: he's a bust because he is a first round draft pick that will be a two down at best lb in a passing league...He's 270 pounds and can not cover... At all.... Doesn't add a pass rush... What does he do? Collins will be a better player and he's an end of the 2nd round player.... I don't get what the love for this guy is.

Mike: Has he been given a chance to pass rush? I haven't seen much of it, if at all, and I've watched every play from the 2013 season multiple times. My feeling is there is more to Hightower's game that we haven't seen that can still come out. Play him on the edge at times. Multiple defense. Physical player. I want a guy like that on my team.

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/50820/patriots-with-mike-reiss

I think that's the big question with Hightower going into this year. He clearly "doesn't fit in the standard box from a position standpoint", and he has limitations in space. At worst, he's a "two down at best LB in a passing league." At best, he's a physical player with versatility in a multiple defense who can be used creatively, and hopefully result in "more to Hightower's game that we haven't seen" coming out. We haven't seen much of that in 2 years, for a number of reasons (learning curve, injuries, etc.). Hopefully we'll see more of that this year. In general, I think Hightower will be much more effective "playing forward", to use Reiss' term.

 

[Kontradiction]

From Reiss' chat today:



http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/50820/patriots-with-mike-reiss

I think that's the big question with Hightower going into this year. He clearly "doesn't fit in the standard box from a position standpoint", and he has limitations in space. At worst, he's a "two down at best LB in a passing league." At best, he's a physical player with versatility in a multiple defense who can be used creatively, and hopefully result in "more to Hightower's game that we haven't seen" coming out. We haven't seen much of that in 2 years, for a number of reasons (learning curve, injuries, etc.). Hopefully we'll see more of that this year. In general, I think Hightower will be much more effective "playing forward", to use Reiss' term.

I would love to see Hightower take a good amount of reps at DE. Then the team can move Mayo (who is more athletic) to Mike, Anderson to Will, and keep Collins at Sam if they're in their base defense. If they keep Hightower as a LB, he needs to be the Mike, Mayo the Will, and Collins the Sam. I don't think Hightower is a bust. I think that, in a pass-dominated league, he's misused as a LB... particularly after Mayo went down last year. That's not playing at all to his strengths. That said, he would be a mismatch one on one against a RT if he puts his hand in the dirt and goes after the quarterback. If the team shows a 5-2 look, it can go: Nink-Easley-Wilfork-Jones-Hightower. That's a whole lot of beef and athleticism on the DL on third and long.

 

[mayoclinic]

I would love to see Hightower take a good amount of reps at DE. Then the team can move Mayo (who is more athletic) to Mike, Anderson to Will, and keep Collins at Sam if they're in their base defense. If they keep Hightower as a LB, he needs to be the Mike, Mayo the Will, and Collins the Sam. I don't think Hightower is a bust. I think that, in a pass-dominated league, he's misused as a LB... particularly after Mayo went down last year. That's not playing at all to his strengths. That said, he would be a mismatch one on one against a RT if he puts his hand in the dirt and goes after the quarterback. If the team shows a 5-2 look, it can go: Nink-Easley-Wilfork-Jones-Hightower. That's a whole lot of beef and athleticism on the DL on third and long.

That's the thing about Hightower. He's clearly not a "bust". He's a good player. But equally clearly, he seems "misused as a LB" in a pass-dominated league, though he would have fit very nicely at LB a decade ago. I hope that whether he's at LB or DE that he will be used in a more "playing forward" manner, as I think that plays to his strengths.

I'm not sure that Anderson is good enough to warrant a regular role in the base defense if everyone is healthy. If he is, then I agree with you. In a 5-2, he'd likely be the odd man out.

 

[mayoclinic]

I would love to see Hightower take a good amount of reps at DE. Then the team can move Mayo (who is more athletic) to Mike, Anderson to Will, and keep Collins at Sam if they're in their base defense. If they keep Hightower as a LB, he needs to be the Mike, Mayo the Will, and Collins the Sam. I don't think Hightower is a bust. I think that, in a pass-dominated league, he's misused as a LB... particularly after Mayo went down last year. That's not playing at all to his strengths. That said, he would be a mismatch one on one against a RT if he puts his hand in the dirt and goes after the quarterback. If the team shows a 5-2 look, it can go: Nink-Easley-Wilfork-Jones-Hightower. That's a whole lot of beef and athleticism on the DL on third and long.

I came across this old Alen Dumonjic article on Hightower, written at the beginning of training camp in 2012:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...ers-versatility-bring-to-the-patriots-defense

The article hits on a lot of the issues that are still questions about Hightower:

April's NFL Draft was full of surprises, none which were more surprising than the New England Patriots trading up twice to select two downhill players. One of those players was Dont'a Hightower, a large-sized inside linebacker that has the versatility to play a variety of roles in the front seven. At the University of Alabama, Hightower did just that, playing all over the Crimson Tide's defensive front.

But before I get to his vast alignments, it's important to identify who he is and what type of talent he brings to the Patriots.

Like his teammate Brandon Spikes, Hightower is bigger than your typical inside linebacker. Defenses have moved to shorter and quicker linebackers while the Patriots have continued placing an emphasis on size, which is what they get with the 6'2", 265-pound Hightower.

Moreover, Hightower did several things at Alabama, most notably roaming the middle of the field in the often-discussed 'Cover 1 Robber' concept. This meant that he wasn't assigned an offensive player to cover like his teammates, instead playing zone in the short and intermediate depths and attempting to get his hands on passes by undercutting routes.

When he wasn't playing zone, he was manning tight ends, which he did OK. He didn't stand out in this area because he lacks fluidity, great instincts and overall foot speed, but he wasn't a detriment to the team either because of the way the coverages were played. His pass coverage will be one area that will be interesting to monitor throughout his career to see whether he does well or not.

Hightower did his best work when he was used as a downhill player at Alabama, where he has the play in front of him and is able to read it. He doesn't have issues in this part of his game because he is very strong in his lower body and quick to read and recognize plays. He also possesses the ability to stack and shed blockers.

The full article is well worth reading, but I think Dumonjic hits on a bunch of key points, including:

- Hightower is probably best playing with the play in front of him, and playing "downhill".
- Hightower has good zone coverage ability, and can be used effectively as a robber.
- Hightower has limited range and lateral agility, which limits him in man coverage.
- Hightower's limited range is a question mark as far as playing 4-3 MLB.

It seems to me that Hightower is a guy who you really have to use in ways that play to his strengths, and cover up for his weaknesses. The Pats haven't done as good a job of that as Nick Saban did in college. In particular, Mayo went down and the Pats asked Hightower to be something that he just didn't have the skills for, he floundered terribly.

 

[mayoclinic]

A really detailed and nice breakdown by Doug Kyed on the skillets that Brandon Browner, Logan Ryan and Alfonzo Denanrd bring to the 2nd CB position:

http://nesn.com/2014/07/patriots-film-review-brandon-browner-competing-for-starting-cornerback-role/

Kyed provides some great film breakdown and succinctly identifies the different skillets that the 3 bring to the outside CB position: Ryan is a playmaker and ballhawk, Browner is huge and incredibly physical, and Dennard is a physical "pest". Kyed also identifies the common theme between the 3: lack of pure speed and recovery ability, which can be a liability at times.

The Verdict: Browner’s the most proven player, Dennard has the most experience in the Patriots’ defense and Ryan has the most potential. The Patriots might be able to use all three players depending on the circumstances. Browner can cover bigger, stronger receivers, Dennard can overpower smaller, shiftier receivers and Ryan can be a jack of all trades and be used in zone with his impressive instincts, ball skills and agility. This will be a fun battle to watch throughout training camp and preseason, and the nickel role will be the consolation prize for one cornerback who doesn’t win the starting job.

I think that Darrell Revis' ability to lock down one side of the field and Devin McCourty's ability to cover a huge territory will be key in limiting the exposure of these 3 guys, and allowing their strengths to be best utilized.

I also wish the Pats had picked up someone like Phillip Gaines (6' 0 3/8" 193#, 4.31 40, 6.62 3C), who would have been a great understudy to Revis.

 

[mayoclinic]

Following up on the DB topic, Oliver Thomas at NEPatriotsDraft.com has a nice analysis of Brandon Browner, with detailed film breakdown:

http://www.nepatriotsdraft.com/2014...ing-patriots-cornerback-brandon-browner.html

 

[ausbacker]

A side comment but isn't it nice to be reading pieces regarding the potential versatility of the Patriots D opposed to the O for a change? Without being an overzealous idiot, I'm rather excited to the see what the D is capable of this season.

 

[mayoclinic]

NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal has Jamie Collins at #5 on his list of player's ready to "make the leap":

Jamie Collins is a cornerback trapped in a 250-pound body. While most linebackers are forced into pass coverage duties, Collins looks at home on an island.

As a rookie, Collins played inside and outside linebacker. He lined up at defensive end occasionally to rush the passer, and could blitz up the middle. Moving forward is typical of a guy his size, but it's not typical to see the same player line up one-on-one outside the numbers against receivers, and win.

Bill Belichick has found a new sort of prototype. Nearly 30 years removed from establishing what NFL teams look for in a 3-4 linebacker, Collins is the right player for this era. Once a safety at Southern Mississippi, Collins can go entire games without going after a quarterback. (Week 16 against Baltimore was a great example; he shut down their tight ends on passing downs.)

"He does everything," Patriots safety Devin McCourty told the Boston Globe this offseason. "He's one of those freakish athletes that can do what we do as defensive backs and as a linebacker."

Belichick built his championship defenses in large part around his linebackers, but he hasn't had a player quite like Collins. It's disarming to see a player his size (6'4) chasing down wide receivers from the weak side. The NFL wouldn't have known what to do with him 20 years ago.

Collins is the player that Adalius Thomas was supposed to be. If he were a baseball player, we'd talk about his five tools: Speed, strength, pass coverage, pass rush and run stopping. Belichick's defenses have tended to be more vanilla in recent years because of personnel. Now Belichick has Darrelle Revisand a Swiss Army knife asset like Collins in his pocket; it's time to get more creative again.

Collins' ceiling would be to emerge as the AFC's answer to Lavonte David and Thomas Davis. In an era of multiple defenses and pass-catching tight ends, every team is looking for hybrids at linebacker. The Patriots found a good one.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000363560/article/making-the-leap-no-5-patriots-jamie-collins

The full article is worth reading.

 

[mayoclinic]

I think Mike Reiss has a screw loose. He lists Chris Jones as a "sure lock" to make the team in his defensive tackle breakdown:

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4764622/checking-the-locks-patriots-dts

I don't think Jones is a given at all. I think that Wilfork, Easley and Siliga are locks, Kelly is a lock if healthy, and Armstead, Jones and Vellano are in the mix for 1-2 remaining slots, with Armstead's health the wild card factor. I think Jones is ahead of Vellano, but I don't think he's anything close to a "lock".

 

[mayoclinic]

Following up on the DB topic, Oliver Thomas at NEPatriotsDraft.com has a nice analysis of Brandon Browner, with detailed film breakdown:

http://www.nepatriotsdraft.com/2014/07/after-five-yards-studying-patriots-cornerback-brandon-browner.html

Oliver Thomas follows up with a really nice read on the evolution of Devin McCourty at safety:

http://www.nepatriotsdraft.com/2014...-rise-of-patriots-safety-devin-mccourty.html

 

[mayoclinic]

I think Mike Reiss has a screw loose. He lists Chris Jones as a "sure lock" to make the team in his defensive tackle breakdown:

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4764622/checking-the-locks-patriots-dts

I don't think Jones is a given at all. I think that Wilfork, Easley and Siliga are locks, Kelly is a lock if healthy, and Armstead, Jones and Vellano are in the mix for 1-2 remaining slots, with Armstead's health the wild card factor. I think Jones is ahead of Vellano, but I don't think he's anything close to a "lock".

More support that Reiss has a screw loose: he lists Zach Moore as a "lock" to make the team:

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-..._/id/4764629/checking-the-locks-patriots-des

I liked the Moore pick, and I agree that it will likely take him a year to develop, but I don't think he's a lock to make the roster at all. I can't imagine any 6th round pick being a "lock".

 

[mayoclinic]

NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal has Jamie Collins at #5 on his list of player's ready to "make the leap":

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000363560/article/making-the-leap-no-5-patriots-jamie-collins

The full article is worth reading.

I was thinking more about some of Rosenthal's statements. These in particular came to mind:

Bill Belichick has found a new sort of prototype. Nearly 30 years removed from establishing what NFL teams look for in a 3-4 linebacker, Collins is the right player for this era.

Collins' ceiling would be to emerge as the AFC's answer to Lavonte David and Thomas Davis. In an era of multiple defenses and pass-catching tight ends, every team is looking for hybrids at linebacker.

I think that BB's thinking about what kind of defensive players best fit "this era" of pass-first offenses and offense-friendly rules has been evolving. Collins in 2013 and Dominique Easley this year are both guys whose skill sets are ideally suited to a multi-front hybrid defense to combat the modern passing game, and both are guys who BB probably would have passed up in the past; their selections signify that BB has moved away from his old prototype. The model of the kind of defensive player BB is looking for is changing. In 2009 BB was still rooted in a traditional 2-gapping 3-4 defense. In 2010 he took guys like Jermaine Cunningham and Brandon Spikes who fit that model, passing up some talented 4-3 DEs like Carlos Dunlap and Greg Hardy and some faster, more mobile LBs like Sean Lee, Daryl Washington and Navorro Bowman. In 2012 the Pats took a 4-3 DE in Chandler Jones, and looked hard at smaller and faster LBs like Lavonte Davis and Bobby Wagner, but ended up taking a bigger LB in Dont'a Hightower. I think the Collins and Easley pick signifies that BB has really moved away from the old model towards more mobile and versatile defenders. I'm guessing that Ryan Shazier would have gotten serious consideration if he had slipped to the end of the 1st round. I'm also guessing that we'll see BB look at more and more guys who don't fit into the old mold.

 

[Marqui]

I think Mike Reiss has a screw loose. He lists Chris Jones as a "sure lock" to make the team in his defensive tackle breakdown:

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4764622/checking-the-locks-patriots-dts

I don't think Jones is a given at all. I think that Wilfork, Easley and Siliga are locks, Kelly is a lock if healthy, and Armstead, Jones and Vellano are in the mix for 1-2 remaining slots, with Armstead's health the wild card factor. I think Jones is ahead of Vellano, but I don't think he's anything close to a "lock".

Well I don't see them cutting either of the 2 DTs they started for the majority of last season (Jones and Siliga). That's great depth to have.

Vellano I think is a sure goner and I'm not convinced Armstead actually exists at this point.

 

[mayoclinic]

Well I don't see them cutting either of the 2 DTs they started for the majority of last season (Jones and Siliga). That's great depth to have.

Vellano I think is a sure goner and I'm not convinced Armstead actually exists at this point.

I personally think Jones will make the team, but I don't think he's a "lock" by any means. I think Siliga is probably a lock. I'm not a Vellano fan, but it's not out of the question that he could pass Jones.

 

[mayoclinic]

An interesting read:

http://clnsradio.com/new-england-pa...hick-using-pete-carroll-s-defensive-strategy

Of note:

Pete Carroll built his defensive line so he could have six to seven capable starters who would constantly rotate to keep all of them fresh. With that strategy, Carroll used the likes of Cliff Avril, Chris Clemons, Michael Bennett, Red Bryant, Clinton McDonald, Tony McDaniel, and Brandon Mebane to put his plan into action. All of those players played around 50% of the defensive snaps on the year, with Michael Bennett being on the field the most, at 57.5% of the time.

To put that into perspective, the New England Patriots had four defensive linemen who were all on the field more than Michael Bennett was. Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich were both on the field for more than 95% of the Patriots’ defensive snaps. While the Patriots were plagued with injuries including season ending injuries to key defensive linemen Vince Wilfork and Tommy Kelly, there is no reason to believe that the defensive ends would have seen significantly less time than they did.

With Wilfork and Kelly both coming off major injuries, Armond Armstead attempting to finally make it onto the football field, and rookie Dominque Easley coming off another torn ACL, there are definitely question marks along the line; however, the direction that Bill Belichick is going is clear. He is building his defensive line similarly to the way Carroll built his in Seattle.

I think that a healthy Will Smith will help the DE rotation a lot. If either Michael Buchanan or rookie Zach Moore can contribute meaningful snaps, it will be an additional bonus. Dominique Easley will likely see reps at both DT and DE, and I think the Pats will be careful to keep Vince Wilfork's snap count down and use Sealver Siliga for depth, along with Kelly/Easley and probably Chris Jones at the 3-tech. That should translate into reduced snap counts all along the DL, with more rotation and fresher legs. And that's discounting Armond Armstead, who would obviously be an additional asset if he can ever get on the field.

 

[Marqui]

I personally think Jones will make the team, but I don't think he's a "lock" by any means. I think Siliga is probably a lock. I'm not a Vellano fan, but it's not out of the question that he could pass Jones.

How do you have Siliga as a lock but not Jones when they both played the same amount down the stretch last year? I think it's out of the question Vellano passes Jones. Jones had 27 sacks his last 3 years in college, 6 sacks last year as a rookie, and another sack in the playoffs. He's not a starting level player because he can't anchor against the run all game/season long, but he can definitely get to the quarterback. He'd be great in a rotation and in sub packages. Vellano meanwhile is undersized, weak, nonathletic, and untalented.

Why do you have such a low view of Jones?