X's & O's: Following the Seattle blueprint could lead to a dominant Patriots defense
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| Photo by David Silverman |
While the Patriots have statistically struggled on defense during the past few years, closer observation revealed that Bill Belichick was in the early stages of building with some of Seattle's principles. For starters, the team had undergone a transition from a base 3-4 to a 4-3 defensive front. The team had no choice but to rebuild the defense on the fly, as a championship core of veterans (Willie McGinnest, Mike Vrabel, Tedy Bruschi, Richard Seymour, Ty Warren) began to get picked off by father time. This process was delayed a bit by a three year drafting slump from 2007 to 2009, a time span that saw the Pats hit on Jerod Mayo, but miss on Brandon Meriweather, Terrance Wheatley, Patrick Chung Ron Brace, Johnathan Wilhite, Shawn Crable, Darius Butler...you get the picture. It wasn't pretty for a few years.
However, Belichick seems to have regained his drafting fastball in recent years, adding cornerstone players like Devin McCourty, Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins in recent drafts, while also finding productive players like Dont'a Hightower, Logan Ryan and Alfonzo Dennard. The result is a much more talented and versatile defensive roster for him to play with.
The additions of Jones and Collins particularly illustrate Belichick's recent shifts in defensive philosophy; a tendency towards speed necessitated by the offensive pace of the NFL. There would have been no fit for a 270 pound defensive end like Jones or a skinny, speed demon at linebacker like Collins on the Patriots defenses of old. However, 3-4 schemes require the kind of bigger, slower personnel that gets eaten alive in space against the speed and pace of modern passing attacks. Belichick has gradually adapted to that need to speed in the modern NFL, and once again drafted with speed and downfield explosion on his mind this spring with the selection of Dominique Easley.
Signs were already there of a shift towards a Seattle-like approach, but the parallels became obvious this spring with the free agent additions of Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner. The secondary had long been the defense's weak-link, with back-to-back AFC Championship Game bids thwarted thanks to injuries to top corner Aqib Talib, but now boasts depth at corner that matches up (at least on paper) with any team in the league.
Here's a look back at each of the defensive components I went over back in February, with an overview of how the Patriots have addressed that need.
Explosive pass rushers
Not only did the Seahawks have excellent pass rushers, but they had enough of them to come at you in waves. Russell Wilson's extraordinary bargain of a rookie contract allowed them to add veterans Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril, giving them four defensive ends (Bruce Irvin and the since-departed Chris Clemons being the others) capable of bringing the heat. This enabled them to keep all four players fresh throughout the game, and that depth enabled them to play around with occasionally moving Bennett inside to take advantage of blatant speed mismatches.
The Patriots already had two excellent starters at defensive end last year, but a lack of depth behind Rob Ninkovich and Chandler Jones eventually caught up to them. Michael Buchanan wasn't ready for immediate playing time as a raw rookie, and midseason addition Andre Carter proved to have little left in the tank. As a result, Jones and Ninkovich had the two highest full-season snap counts for defensive linemen since 2008, and both saw fatigue from that workload catch up to them down the stretch.
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The X factor for the pass rush is first round pick Dominique Easley, who has yet to practice as he rehabs his own torn ACL. The medical red flags on Easley are alarming, but his talent is undeniable; it's not hyperbole to suggest he would have been a top 10 and possibly top 5 pick this spring had he stayed healthy and continued his strong play throughout the year. The Patriots have understandably been cautious with Easley's rehab, but most reports have been positive overall when it comes to Easley's knee. History is also in his favor: he came back from his first torn ACL stronger and more explosive than before, and all signs point to him seeing the field at some point during his rookie year. If he can come remotely close to living up to his massive potential, the Pats have added a dynamic, disruptive threat to their front seven. An emergence from Easley could also do wonders for Jones, as it could compromise opponents ability to focus their protection schemes on him.
Finally, the Patriots depth could allow Belichick to find some extra pass rush from his linebackers. Both Collins and Dont'a Hightower had success rushing the passer in college, and both have been regulars in one-on-one pass rushing drills this training camp. Collins in particular flashed a lot of pass rushing ability as a rookie and could really cause problems for offenses coming off the opposite end of Chandler Jones.
Athleticism at linebacker
Probably the most underrated unit of Seattle's championship defense, the Seahawks boast a number of athletic linebackers, equally adept at turning and running downfield with an RB/TE or using their speed to buzz upfield and hit opponents in the mouth. This versatility allowed the Hawks to better contain dynamic mismatches that confounded most defenses, such as Darren Sproles and Jimmy Graham in two wins over the Saints.
Collins has the potential to become a huge asset here. His athleticism is rare for his position, and combining that with a basketball player's length gives him a unique upside as a coverage linebacker. It's hard enough finding linebackers with enough athleticism to simply compete in coverage nowadays, but in Collins the Patriots might have found themselves the closest thing to a "shutdown" backer.
However, it would be a shame to not utilize all of Collins' skills, especially his pass rushing, due to an over-reliance on his coverage skills. That's where late-offseason pickup James Anderson has a chance to step in and contribute as another strong coverage option. Anderson was miscast as an every-down player in the Bears dreadful defense last year, but he has the speed to be an excellent player in the right role as a nickel linebacker. He's already flashed that coverage ability in camp, where the linebackers have been regularly tested in coverage by skilled running backs like Shane Vereen and James White.
Having two adept coverage backers could also benefit the team by reducing Dont'a Hightower's role in coverage. Much of Hightower's mid-season struggles appeared to stem from a position switch to account for the loss of Mayo, but the massive Hightower has always looked out of place trying to run with NFL caliber receiving threats. He's built like a downhill, thumping linebacker, and is clearly better suited to be attacking downfield than back-pedaling in coverage.
Big bodies up front
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The Patriots have actually been ahead of the curve here with their usage of Vince WIlfork. Essentially, what Seattle often did was have their big guys plug up the middle of the field, occupying their gaps (and blockers) while freeing up the rest of their teammates attack downfield. The Pats were moving Wilfork around to the focal point of opponents formation as far back as 2011, often having him play with a two-gapping technique while the rest of the defense operated like a 4-3.
The "strength in numbers" concept mentioned back with the pass rushers certainly applies to the big tackles up front, and the Pats appear set with a deep rotation at tackle now that some injury questions have been answered. The return of both Vince Wilfork and Tommy Kelly can only help a run defense that fell apart without those two and Mayo after a strong start to the year. Sealver Siliga appeared to be building on his late season emergence with a strong camp, if he can come back from his recent arm injury, he could earn significant time in base packages as a run stuffer. Easley and Chris Jones are both smaller guys who rely on speed more than pure size and strength, but both are options on running downs as well.
Secondary play: Big, physical and opportunistic
I wrote in February about the need to either retain Talib or somehow find a replacement capable of filling his significant role in the defense. Talib was injury-prone in New England, but also took on the responsibility of covering the other team's best receiver whenever he was on the field. Alfonzo Dennard, Logan Ryan and Kyle Arrington are solid depth corners, but they were badly exposed in back-to-back AFC championship games when an injury to Talib pushed them into tougher matchups.
All the Patriots did to counter the loss of Talib was sign arguably the best cornerback on the planet (Somewhere, Rodney Harrison is nodding in agreement). Darrelle Revis was among the best in the game last year, despite recovering from a torn ACL and miscast in a zone-heavy Buccaneers defense. Now, he's nearly a full two years removed from that ACL injury, playing for his next contract, and surely motivated by the emergence and contracts of Patrick Peterson and Richard Sherman as threats to his title as the league's best cornerback.
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Oh, and Revis' ability to handle the games best receivers might come in handy this year: Brandon Marshall, Calvin Johnson, AJ Green, Demaryius Thomas, Jordy Nelson, Sammy Watkins and Keenan Allen are just a handful of the top receivers looming on the Pats schedule this year.
Like Seattle's Sherman, Revis excels when allowed to play a physical, press-man style of coverage, and Browner should complement Revis just as well as he complemented Sherman with the Legion of Boom. Browner will bring a degree of physical nastiness to the defense, and his ability to match up with big receivers will be useful, especially with a showdown with the Bears jumbo-duo of Marshall and Alshon Jeffery scheduled this year.
So far, the Patriots have consistently lined Browner up at right corner, where he played exclusively with the Seahawks, with Revis manning the left side. It will be interesting to see if the Patriots stick with that throughout the season, particularly if opponents begin to try to use that predictability to create mismatches. Browner has his troubles with smaller, shiftier receivers, and could be exposed in the wrong matchups.
Fortunately, the Patriots appear to have enough depth to protect Browner from bad matchups. Kyle Arrington gets exposed on the outside, but is an above-average slot corner, and both Dennard and Ryan have proven capable of handling #2 corner duties if called upon.
The one aspect of Seattle's secondary missing from New England is an enforcer at the safety position. The rangy Devin McCourty has emerged as one of the league's best at free safety, but none of the options to start aside him (Duron Harmon is the current favorite) come close to striking the kind of fear into opponents that Kam Chancellor did last year for the Hawks. However, the Patriots defense is loaded with fast, physical players, and should be fine as long as strong safety doesn't become a hole in the secondary. Harmon impressed in spot duty as a rookie, but would be in for a big uptick in responsibility if he wins the starting job. Behind him is an uninspiring combination of the disappointing (Tavon Wilson), untested (Nate Ebner) and former draft bust Patrick Chung. Given the scenario, the Patriots should be happy just with Harmon managing to give them adequate play next to his superstar teammates. If the tutelage of fellow Rutgers alum Devin McCourty can help him develop into yet another playmaker for this secondary, all the better.
In conclusion:
It's taken longer than expected, but it sure looks like Bill Belichick has finally rebuilt the Patriots defense into a unit worthy of the Super Bowl champions that precede them. On paper, this defense has everything it needs to compete with the best offenses the NFL has to offer. The defensive line is a nice, deep group, with versatility against the run and pass and potential breakout stars in Chandler Jones and Easley. With the emergence of Collins, the addition of Anderson, and the return of Mayo they are much better equipped to deal with athletic backs and tight ends in the passing game, a weakness that has dramatically hurt their ability to get off the field in past years. Finally, the additions of Revis and Browner give them a unique ability to matchup with even the best groups of skill positions, a luxury they simply haven't had since the Ty Law era.
This isn't to say that success is a given. The Pats defense looked poised for a breakout campaign early last year as well before injuries cut them down, and an injury to certain players on this defense could have a real trickle-down effect on the depth chart (Chandler Jones, Devin McCourty and, of course, Revis chief amongst them). They also are counting on a lot of players returning from injuries, including a pair of defensive tackles already in their mid-thirties.
If this defense manages to stay remotely healthy though...look out. As Rodney Harrison recently preached, "It's about time!"
Related Reading:
The Seattle Blueprint: How the Seahawks success could influence the future of both the Patriots and the NFL
Coverage linebackers: new element to Patriots defense
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