Schefter: Burgess re-signed to one-year deal

[mgteich]

Well maybe not a hundred times better.

Last year Ninkovich couldn't beat our Burgess and there is no reason to believe that the situation will change. Obviously Ninkovich could look great and beat out Burgess.

I believe that our OLB linebacker situation is marginally better this year than last. Both Burgess and Ninkovich know the system better than last year, and we've replaced Thomas with Cunningham.

We our five roster players who could be upgraded or beaten out by others: Banta-Cain, Burgess, Woods, Cunningham, Ninkovich.

good re-sign by the pats he is 100 times better then Rob Ninkovich, he is a better pass rusher then Pierre Woods, let's just hope that Jermaine Cunningham, can bring something to the table as a rookie.

 

[eom]

Definitely better than nothing.

looks like his agent posts here.

 

[patsinthesnow]

We our five roster players who could be upgraded or beaten out by others: Banta-Cain, Burgess, Woods, Cunningham, Ninkovich.

Banta-Cain's 10 sacks isn't even good enough to be a 2nd starting OLB?

 

[Pewsterbaby]

Isn't "Moth of December" a Norwegian Black Metal Band?

Maybe THIS guy could line up next to Burgess and distract the other team. That's the only was Derrick is gonna sniff a q.b.
This pic is also a good analogy for the Pats pass rush. You people are pleased with this signing? Man, you're delusional. That's like saying all is well and good in Hiroshima on the morning of August 6th, 1945.

 

[eom]

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Man survived both atomic bombings

check this dude out --- this is the guy they were trying to get.

 

[patfanken]

If Bill had played his cards right, not one of these guys would even be on our roster except as camp competition/fodder.

Captain, this is a ridiculous statement. There aren't 4 teams in the league that have 2 dominant outside pass rushers. You are on the verge of sounding like a delusional Jet fan who demands that there be all pros at EVERY prosition.

Last season the Jets had exactly ONE more sack than the Pats defense that you so deride. You know the one that was 6th in scoring D last year. You should be encouraged, as I was in finding that Burgess was so productive at the end of the season, as he got more comfortable. If he gets us 6-8 sacks this season he will provide a productive bridge for our younger prospects like Cunningham and Crable.

I would encourage everyone NOT to get caught up in who the "starters" are on this defense. The defense has become very SITUATIONAL these days. Different situations means different people. Very few of our players should expect to play 90% of a game's defensive snaps. Its just not how they do things these days.

BB spotted TBC last season brilliantly and got great production out of a guy who most of us thought was being brought in to improve our special teams play. I remember the post that compared TBC's stats with Freeney, Peppers, and some other "dominant" rusher, and we found that he compared VERY well.

Well Burgess is THIS year's TBC. He's a guy who will take situational snaps and be part of the 16 or so "regulars" who will play defense for us this season.

Again, It was impressive to read about Burgess' impressive December numbers. It bodes well.

 

[Frezo]

Captain, this is a ridiculous statement. There aren't 4 teams in the league that have 2 dominant outside pass rushers. You are on the verge of sounding like a delusional Jet fan who demands that there be all pros at EVERY prosition.

Last season the Jets had exactly ONE more sack than the Pats defense that you so deride. You know the one that was 6th in scoring D last year. You should be encouraged, as I was in finding that Burgess was so productive at the end of the season, as he got more comfortable. If he gets us 6-8 sacks this season he will provide a productive bridge for our younger prospects like Cunningham and Crable.

I would encourage everyone NOT to get caught up in who the "starters" are on this defense. The defense has become very SITUATIONAL these days. Different situations means different people. Very few of our players should expect to play 90% of a game's defensive snaps. Its just not how they do things these days.

BB spotted TBC last season brilliantly and got great production out of a guy who most of us thought was being brought in to improve our special teams play. I remember the post that compared TBC's stats with Freeney, Peppers, and some other "dominant" rusher, and we found that he compared VERY well.

Well Burgess is THIS year's TBC. He's a guy who will take situational snaps and be part of the 16 or so "regulars" who will play defense for us this season.

Again, It was impressive to read about Burgess' impressive December numbers. It bodes well.

What defense would you start against the Colts? They will likely be on the field for the entire series of downs.

 

[OldNEPatsFan]

All opponents have to do is use a hurry up or no huddle offense and the Pats are in trouble. The Pats just don't have enough 3 down players on the team.

 

[mgteich]

For the the record, I believe that Banta-Cain and Cunningham are locks for the squad and Woods is almost a lock. I have been a strong supporter of Banta-Cain since his re-signing.

By listing the five and stating that they could be upgraded, I did not mean to make a statement regarding the final roster, other than that as of now, these are our five OLB's.

Banta-Cain's 10 sacks isn't even good enough to be a 2nd starting OLB?

 

[patsinthesnow]

For the the record, I believe that Banta-Cain and Cunningham are locks for the squad and Woods is almost a lock. I have been a strong supporter of Banta-Cain since his re-signing.

By listing the five and stating that they could be upgraded, I did not mean to make a statement regarding the final roster, other than that as of now, these are our five OLB's.

Sorry, misinterpreted what you said.

 

[eom]

What defense would you start against the Colts? They will likely be on the field for the entire series of downs.

well, for one thing I would probably hope to have 3 good corners, so it's nice we got one in the first.
I'd also probably get burgess re-signed and have him on the field as a rushing end.

 

[italian pat patriot]

depth and, sure, a needed competiton at training camp

not bad...

 

[BelizePats]

This is a smart, low cost low risk signing. DB knows the system having been it it for a full year. His productivity increased as last season went on, during the push for a playoff spot.
Bringing him back for a year takes a little of the sting out of the high price we paid for him last year. Is he a superstar, last piece in the puzzle kind of player? NO!
What he is is a proven veteran at a position of need. With year already in the system, there is still upside potential here from him.
An intelligent signing by management.

 

[signbabybrady]

What defense would you start against the Colts? They will likely be on the field for the entire series of downs.

I know what you are saying and it is valid but it is worth pointing out that when an offense goes no huddle they can't change personell so whatever you start with would likely match up well the entire drive. Lets assume the colts come out in a common COlt formation of three wide, 1te, and 1RB. We would likely match by bringing in a Nickle and sure they could run at our nickle but they don't have the best personell to run with as we don't have the best to stop it. I don't think our situational players will have conditioning issues just that they are only useful vs the right personell.

 

[Off The Grid]

Glad to have him back, showed improvement towards the end of the year, and a "bridge player" for some of our young'us...

True: Ninkovich, Woods, and Crable did mention that they needed a "fourth"!

 

[Off The Grid]

Pass Rush is yesterday's problem,and has been solved. In the last 8 games, Burgess produced 5 of his 6 sacks, 6 of 6 QB hits, and 18 of his 23 QB pressures. It took a while, but now he knows what he is doing, in the Belichick read-and-react 3-4 D.

He didn't play in Jacksonville blowout, so than the numbers project to 11.5 sacks, 13.5 QB hits and 41 QB pressures. Is that enough from one position, and good enough for y'all?

I'm more concerned with what concerned Belichick so badly, aiding the pass rush by stopping the run, and creating more 3rd and long, obvious, passing situations. Those were few and far between last season.

Then the rushers can rush, and the secondary can prepare to cover. This Defense was not far from being extremely good last season, but also not far from being very poor too. Tightening up the Rush Defense was and is, the first order of the day,and am absolute imperative. The Pass Rush will take care of itself, then.

Your other comments are spot on. The Pats were never a dominant rusher team.

Beautifully said.

Everything flows from the Run Defense.

Failure to consistently stop the Run creates a Ripple Effect, where the entire D ends up playing back on its heels, and both the Secondary and the Edge Rushers are made to look like chumps, because they play most of the game behind the 8 Ball: Persistent 3rd and Shorts places the Offense on the Tactical High Ground, because their 3rd Down options open up dramatically.

Need I mention that it was precisely when we were consistently stuffing the Run on 1st and 2nd Downs that Championships were amassed, hereabouts.

That is why I PRAYED to the Gods that we would snag Brandon Spikes...even though I knew, damned well, that there was no way in HELL we would actually do so!

By the time the 2011 season rolls around ~ if not sooner, say: Halloween ~ the Patriots are, simply, going to have the best ILB Crew in the GALAXY.

Spikes and an healthy Mayo are going to be NIGHTMARISH: The Inside Run, against the Patriots...is GONE.

BattleField Initiative is now OURS, once again.

The importance of that on how our Edge Rush and our Secondary performs can NOT be overstated.

***

I would also add: the importance of having experience in this System is immense: Cunningham's best contributions will probably happen after Halloween.

More importantly: That means that we have, effectively, added TWO productive OLB's, in Ninkovich and Burgess.

Better yet: we have, perhaps, added one effective OLB, in Ninkovich ~ yes, I'm one of THOSE guys!! ~ and brought back a very effective End, in Burgess, who came on EXTREMELY strong in December.

If the Gods grant us good health, there is every reason to expect that, come Halloween or Thanksgiving, we will have 2 effective Starting Caliber OLB's in Ninkovich and Cunningham, and 2 effective situational guys, in Burgess and Cain.

And Murrell had decent Short Shuttle and Cone times ~ I don't know what his 10 Yard Split was ~ coming out of Appalachian State in 2007. I wouldn't be surprised to see him make a few plays down the stretch, if he makes the team.

 

[Urgent]

In the last 8 games, Burgess produced 5 of his 6 sacks, 6 of 6 QB hits, and 18 of his 23 QB pressures. It took a while, but now he knows what he is doing, in the Belichick read-and-react 3-4 D.

He didn't play in Jacksonville blowout, so than the numbers project to 11.5 sacks, 13.5 QB hits and 41 QB pressures.

Not quite factually right, but I agree with the thoughts.

In the last eight games, Burgess produced 3 of his 5 sacks.
You could say he produced 4 of 5 in his last 10 games; you could also say 4 of 5 in his last 15 games, depending upon how you look at the data.

He might have generated 6 QB hits in the final 8 games - not sure - but he is listed with 10 QB hits by Reiss.

He did play in the Jacksonville blow-out, according to Mike Reiss.
Burgess provides veteran presence - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston
In fact, in that game Reiss counted 17 plays using five linebackers, so he presumably played quite a bit.

So, given that he played in 16 games, using those figures he would project to, um, 35 tackles, 5 sacks, and 10 QB hits, again, if he plays all 16 games.

However, equally interesting is his versatility. He played OLB, rush end in a 4-3, and occasionally a DE in the 3-4. He provides the critical versatility to enable the Patriots to play multiple fronts. He has the stoutness and power to anchor the edge, and the rush ability to generate pressure. He hasn't been a top-10 sack guy in four years, but he does offer a lot more than Woods, Ninkovich, and Crable, who have a career total of two sacks combined.

 

[Marqui]

Anything that keeps Ninkovich off the field is a great move.

 

[eom]

you could get his game by game participation over at profootballfocus --- if you have faith in their data.
I know the player ratings seem a little odd, but that doesn't mean the raw data is bad, of course, I have no idea if it's good, either.

 

[patfanken]

What defense would you start against the Colts? They will likely be on the field for the entire series of downs.

Good question, wrong assumption. You are assuming that the Colts no-huddle is a hurry up offense. It isn't. Manning often uses the full 40 seconds to get his play off, waiting for the D to tip off its coverage. But "situations" STILL exist. There is still going to be 3rd and longs, and 2nd and shorts, etc.

The Colts readily substitute when they are in their no huddle, depending on the situation. The Pats have seen it enough that they are usually prepared to substitute as well....based on the down/distance and field position situation.

Players will be coached during the week to know when "their" package will be on the field. If you notice when the Pats play the coach, their is rarely an defensive huddle before the play. Coverages are mostly predetermined by the Colt's formation and situational tendencies. Calls are being made right up to the snap of the ball. Some are real and some are decoys, but THAT is the advantage the Pats will have THIS season, that they really haven't had the last 3 years.

They will have the depth and talent to show Manning and the rest of league, many looks, and disguised coverages. Injuries and lack of talent in some areas had forced the Pats to be very vanilla and more conservative lately. I think this is going to stop......and Burgess will be the kind of depth and talent that will make the D more effective over all.