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Patriots Comfortable with their Outside Linebackers
Published: May 14, 2009
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With Jason Taylor signing with the Miami Dolphins, the focus of attention turns into the the position that a lot of people feel will be the Patriots’ Achilles heel this coming season. However, the Patriots are not concerned.
Director of Player Personnel Nick Caserio had this to say when asked why the Patriots didn’t draft an outside linebacker, “I think we’ve got players on our team that we feel good about, between A.D. [Thomas], Pierre [Woods], we signed Tully Banta-Cain, Shawn Crable didn’t have an opportunity to play last year.”
Caserio further expressed confidence with their current personnel at OLB stating, “We looked at our team as it was currently configured, and we felt comfortable with those guys. They’ve got different levels of experience. Some have played at a higher level than others.”
Let’s take a closer look on the outside linebackers in the roster and understand the reason why they are comfortable with what they have.
1. Adalius Thomas
A.D. was on course to a double-digit sack season in 2008 before an injury barred him from doing so. It was evident last season that A.D was finally comfortable with the system and expect more from him this coming season. Expect him to improve on his 34-tackle and five-sack performance from last season
2. Pierre Woods
Until recently, Woods has been a decent backup at OLB. This coming season he may be called on to take over Mike Vrabel’s spot. Woods’ best game as a starter came against the Jets (taking over A.D Thomas’ spot) where he tallied nine tackles and one sack.
3. Tully Banta Cain
TBC is probably the best situational pass rusher in the current lineup of the Patriots. He also had his best season with the Patriots in 2006 where he tallied 43 tackles and 5.5 sacks. TBC is the perfect example on how Belichick perfectly uses players to their strengths.
4. Shawn Crable
If Crable lives up to his billing (a third rounder), potential, and works hard, Crable might be the starter by week 9 or week 10. This guy has size, speed, and the skill set that the Patriots look for in an outside linebacker. The only problem is he was drafted at a weight of 247 lbs., if he has bulked up and gotten stronger since he was drafted, expect Crable to be the next Mike Vrabel.
The Patriots may still add an outside linebacker before training camp, but for now the Patriots have confidence with who they have at linebacker. And if you remember correctly, the last guy whom the Patriots have placed their confidence on is currently a franchise quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, Matt Cassel, who led the Patriots to a 11-5 season last year.
Ron Brace: Vince Wilfork’s Replacement or 4-3 DT Cohort?
Published: May 2, 2009
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With an eye to the contract of nose tackle Vince Wilfork, which expires after the 2009 season, the New England Patriots drafted Ron Brace of Boston College with their second pick in the 2009 draft. This pick was a move with eyes on 2010: Although Wilfork has said in public how much he wants to stay, we simply don’t know what he wants in his next contract.
Asante Samuel said much the same thing, but still cashed in when he hit free agency. So if Wilfork, who I really love as the Pats’ NT, and the Patriots can’t get on the same page, they have a very capable backup in Ron Brace.
Let’s see how these two compare.
Here is NFLDraftScout.com’s analysis on Ron Brace:
Positives: Square-framed, naturally large man. Surprising initial quickness off the snap to disrupt the play before it has a chance to begin. Good lateral quickness to slide down the line. Good use of hands to slap away the blockers’ attempts to control him.
Good overall strength, especially in his lower body, to hold up at the point. Can anchor against the double-team and flashes the ability to split. Able to close if given a free lane. Recognizes the action quickly and can slide off the block onto the runner as he goes by. Versatile defender capable of projecting as a zero-, one- or three-technique at the next level.
Negatives: Only “phone booth” quickness. Requires a free lane to close on the quarterback and isn’t going to provide significant interior pass rush. Marginal effort and ability in pursuit. Flanked by a better prospect in Raji and often faces only one blocker. Struggled with a recurring back injury in 2008.
Concern over back injury only heightened considering his heavy build and potential to allow his weight to get out of control.
This is NFLDraftScout.com’s take on Vince Wilfork in 2004:
Positives: Normal-to-short strider who flashes good speed and a short burst to close…Despite his size, he has the foot quickness and change-of-direction agility to flash power and explosion down the line…Has good functional strength at the point of attack… Shows the arm power and hand usage to create separation, stuff and shed…
Will strike and explode into blockers…Has the raw strength to collapse the pocket and gives a solid second effort to disengage…Displays good desire to get to the passer through his backside pursuit…Has a great motor, getting into the backfield in an instant…Shows the foot speed to stalk the ball carriers turning the corner and the quickness to mirror receivers in the short area passing game…
Has an aggressive nature, doing an excellent job to defeat combo blocks and double teams with forceful rip, swim and club moves… His lateral agility, change-of-direction quickness, low pad level and massive frame could be ideal plugging the middle in a 3-4 defensive alignment.
Negatives: Despite his power, he shows inconsistency when trying to stack, mostly due to his narrow leg base…Short-arms at times, which lets blockers get into his chest too much…Plays too high in his stance due to his soft midsection preventing him from getting down in a three-point…Must be in front of the ball carrier in order to make the tackles, as he lacks the proper arm technique to stalk, wrap and secure…
Lacks good cross face moves needed to get gap penetration and his high stance makes him appear sluggish when combating the low blocks…Good tackler, but his inability to properly extend his arms prevents him from wrapping when tackling
If Vince Wilfork decides not to re-up with the Patriots, Ron Brace will have a year of experience at the position, making the transition to the NT would be a bit easier. Considering the imprtance of the nose tackle on the 3-4 defense and the difficulty of finding good NTs in the draft, this was a borderline great pick for the Patriots.
But here is one interesting thought, what if Vince Wilfork decides to stay with the Pats and Coach Belichick decides to change to a base 4-3 alignment, wouldn’t it be scary to have Vince and Ron side by side? With those two having their hands on the dirt, Jarod Mayo’s potential would be totally unleashed, perhaps making him the Patriots’ version of Ray Lewis or Junior Seau.
