The Patriots Sign a Pass Rusher, Finally

According to sources on January 22 the Patriots, fresh off the Baltimore loss, have already started improving their team. Patriots are aiming to improve their lackluster pass rush by going out and signing defensive lineman Armond Armstead who apparently played in the CanadianFootball League this past year.
 
Armstead is a USC grad who went undrafted due to a medical error by the USC medical staff causing him to not be medically cleared to play at the time of the draft. Armstead’s attorney claims he suffered a heart attack as a result of USC team doctors treating him with Toradol, a high dose pain killer.

After Armstead went undrafted he took his talents to the CFL where he played for the Argonauts in Toronto. There he made a name for himself posting all-star numbers and leading the team in, wait for it, sacks. A poor pass rush allowed a less than elite QB, in Flacco, to become a QB that posted elite type numbers and Belichick knows that. The 22 year-old, 6’5, 300 pound Armstead started 17 games in Southern California and posted 59 tackles; he sounds like a beast.

If you haven’t noticed the NFL is transitioning to a new type of QB that can not only throw the ball, but run as well so defenses have to adjust. The days of ground and pound football teams are long gone and maybe this is Belichick’s counter to that. Stacking a defensive line with speed and pass rushers allows you to control the more mobile QB’s like RG3 and Cam Newton while also helping to be effective on pocket QB’s. This move should make us all happy because the Patriots saw a weakness and aggressively took actions to fix it. Armstead might not be the answer, but Armstead’s signing signifies recognition from Belichick that the Patriots pass rush needs improvement and he’s seemingly seeking it out.