Here is the post of mine you quoted including the post I was replying to.
KVN's snaps declining could be gameplan related as well but who really knows but BB and Patricia. What we do know and shouldn't pretend is that KVN is an equally effective player for the Patriots as Hightower and should be valued as such. I don't think we we see any do or die game in which Hightower and Van Noy are both healthy (able to take 100% of the snaps if needed) and Van Noy is on the field for more of them than Hightower.
Roberts snaps declining significantly and (chung?) taking less snaps in the box speak to KVN's versatility as a player as well as Roberts severe limitations (2 down player). Both of these things also speak to lack of versatility at linebacker if Roberts is forced into a bigger role if one of KVN, Hightower or Shea go down. All the more reason to add a couple more capable bodies
The post you quoted wasn't visible to me.
BTW - I 100% agree that the LB group (2nd-level group) needs greater quantity of capable bodies.
McCourty's role was different in 2017, likely due to the lack of available, healthy, 2nd-level defender bodies. He played much closer to the line much more often after HT went to IR, while Harmon took most of the deep-safety assignments.
As to KVN being a "less effective" player than HT - not, I don't
know that.
First of all, KVN's total career NFL snaps on defense (including his 2.5 years in DET) are just slightly great than what HT might contribute in
one healthy season. Even now, he has only 1.5 seasons under his belt in the Pats' system. I'll withhold judgement on KVN until after I've seen whether or not he's been able to build on his 2017 experience (same with Roberts).
Secondly, while both are versatile, the skill sets aren't identical - they merely overlap in some aspects. With a completely healthy LB group, I'd guess that they could be "equally effective", but in different roles - the tandem being greater than either player individually.
Also, realistically, had it been KVN out for the season, and HT out there alone with Roberts, I really don't think that HT would have been significantly more "effective" than KVN was in the same egregiously "understaffed" circumstances. AFAIK,
no LB possesses the "talent" to be in two places at once.