Physical Patriots defense could draw flags, but history says that may lead to great things

John Wilcox/Boston Herald

The revamped defense for the New England Patriots came into Training Camp with high expectations and plenty of hype to live up to. It is safe to say that so far, they have delivered. When the Patriots kicked off camp it was already noticeable how much better this defense had become, not only with the addition of two premier cornerbacks in Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner, but with the return of veteran captains and Pro-Bowlers Jerod Mayo and Vince Wilfork. With key young players only getting better and the Tommy Kelly returning from injury more motivated than ever, this defense's gaps or 'weaknesses', if you will, seem to be shrinking.

P. KEVIN MORLEY/Times-Dispatch

Of course, the defense was turning heads and impressing fans when they were facing their own Patriots offense in the opening days of camp. After a few days of going against the same players/teammates over and over again, the defensive unit will almost always have the upper hand. It's human nature to pick up on tendencies and jump a route or even read a play, despite what they admit or what a coach may tell them. So a true test came for the defense when the Patriots went on the road to have joint practices with the Washington Redskins. Though they were not facing a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer like Tom Brady, former Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III and Co. offered a fresh new approach.


They came to Richmond, VA and so far, they've conquered. New Redskins head coach Jay Gruden spent three seasons as offensive coordinator with the Cincinnati Bengals, so he arguably got more action against premier defenses (mainly the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens) than anyone else. Gruden knows a physical defense when he sees one, and he was not shy to dish that complement to that Patriots. He did note though, that the lack of referees at practice may have been an advantage:

“They didn’t have a problem today,” Gruden said. “There’s no referees out there. They have two very physical corners and some of their backups did a nice job as well. It’s a great test for our guys. We’re going to have to work on our releases. I think we got knocked off quite a bit today. I liked the fact that they were physical because teams are going to be physical with our guys until we can fight it off and make them pay.”

The main issue that a physical defense like the Patriots could face is the amount of penalties that could unfortunately come with the style of play. The NFL has really been cracking down on defenses with regards to where they can and can't hit offensive players, who is deemed as 'defenseless' and who is not, and now the main focus of this year will be increased emphasis on pass interference, defensive holding and illegal contact. If referees hold true to this "extra emphasis", expect to see plenty of yellow flags all over the field.

AP Photo/Stephan Savoia

The Patriots and mainly head coach Bill Belichick have always prided themselves on the lack of penalties they commit, ranking in the top five for least penalties committed last season. The shocking statistic here however, is that the two teams who committed the most penalties in 2014 and 2013 went on to become Super Bowl Champions. That's right, the Seattle Seahawks and Baltimore Ravens both led the league in penalty count during their Super Bowl seasons with 152 and 145, respectively. These two teams were driven by their physical defense and as result, they committed more penalties than any other team. What set them apart though was that they were not afraid to warrant a flag or give up extra yards on occasion because they knew they would shut you down when they needed to.

This is the approach that the Patriots may have to take, even to the dismay of Belichick. Giving up 'free yards' is something that every coach loathes with a passion but in order to make a statement and force offenses to fear them, they cannot be afraid to get dirty. The NFL is a business and it knows that high-scoring games and increased offense will bring more viewers, media attention and most importantly, revenue. In a quarterback-driven passing league, the Patriots and mainly their secondary will need to continue to prove themselves to be elite with aggressive physicality. This will warrant plenty of flags, but history says that may not be such a bad thing.

Anthony Aidonidis
@aidonidis18