Patriots are one of the smallest teams in the league


The Patriots over the last decade have been known as one of the toughest teams in the NFL, both physically and mentally. Some of the toughest Patriots have been those smallest in stature. Wes Welker, Julian Edelman, Danny Woodhead, Shane Vereen - the list goes on. It is not uncommon to see Tom Brady towering over his huddle when they break, but his child-size supporting cast are the real lionhearts. Nothing triggers a Foxborough roar better than Edelman or Vereen catching a slant and turning up field, bouncing off countless hits from much bigger players. As it happens, this year's Patriots roster is one of the smallest and lightest in the NFL.


Now, it would be unreasonable not to show even a shred of objectivity here, so it should be noted that this could just as easily be construed as a severe disadvantage. There's a fair amount of evidence to suggest that the smaller guys in this league are susceptible to injury. Wes Welker's constant concussion issues can be at least partially attributed to his height, and the way he lowers himself into hits. Edelman meanwhile was only able to play a full NFL season in his fifth year in the league. Add that to perennial scratch and fellow 5ft+'er Danny Amendola and it makes for quite an injury report.

However (in the case of the offensive skill positions at least) by filling the roster with these sorts of players, it means that when one goes down, someone is always ready to step up. A 7-10 yard slant hit on the numbers is something that Brady has built his career on, and as we have seen over the years, it is much harder to replace the production of a Gronkowski or a Randy Moss than it is a Wes Welker. Unless you don't have the right guys to do the job...


Some of the guys under six-foot would include: Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, Brandon LaFell, Shane Vereen, James White, Stevan Ridley, Brandon Bolden. All key contributors to the offense right? After Wes Welker left, many questioned where his production would come from. Well, although Edelman has been the twinkle in Tom Brady's eye, this has really become a Welker-yardage by commission teams. Edelman caught a deep ball on Sunday, but how many times has he, or indeed any of these players been struck in the chest and turned upfield for 5 yards, or a back like Ridley bounced through the tackles for a quick first-down. My point is that while some do things better than others, most of these smaller players have proven themselves to be capable of doing anything that their positional peers can do, and this perfectly equates the Bill Belichick 'next man-up' formula. It is no mystery that this team has been put together in this way.

Similarly, at the cornerback position, only one notable contributor (Brandon Browner) stands tall above the rest. Darrelle Revis, Malcom Butler, Alfonzo Dennard, Logan Ryan and Kyle Arrington - as well as other secondary players like Pat Chung and Devin McCourty are under 6ft tall. Yet the Patriots secondary is considered to be among the deepest in the NFL, because Ryan can produce Arrington's production, Butler looks capable of playing a similar role to Alfonzo Dennard in coverage. The Patriots may miss some of the jarring hits or interception numbers that other teams can produce, but they can likely count on strong coverage from whoever is in the game.

Small players are all a part of Bill Belichick's philosophy. And I'm not about to question that? #InBillWeTrust

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