“Seattle…Seattle…Seattle…Seattle…Seattle.”- William Stephen Belichick, 11/09/2016
Eloquent. Articulate. Expressive. On that note, let’s get to some links. Ben Volin (Boston Globe) offers his game preview, opining that the Seahawks haven’t changed all that much since Super Bowl XLI. Other than a banged up Michael Bennett, this Seattle defense is mostly the same. Earl Thomas flying around the field, Wagner and Chancellor manning the middle of each level, Sherman running his mouth and locking down a side, and Cliff Avril getting after the passer. They aren’t overly big up front, but they’re explosive. The linebackers can do it all, on every down. And the corners are big, strong, physical, and effective. Scheme wise? Unlike the Pats, who are game plan dependent, the Seahawks are what they are. Volin writes:
“You know this defense. They don’t do much to confuse you, but still use their exceptional athleticism and talent to overwhelm and shut down the opposing offense…Up front, they play a basic four-man front, and they can create a lot of havoc…The Seahawks’ linebackers are active and will blitz frequently…On the back end, the Seahawks still play the same coverage — either press man-to-man or Cover 3 (in which the two cornerbacks and the free safety cover the deep thirds of the field).”
In other words, there are no secrets here. Line up and beat them. Period.
Of course, I’d be remiss without mentioning Mr. Malcolm Butler and his kind of sort of big interception to clinch a kind of sort of big game two Februarys ago. Doug Kyed (NESN) breaks down that play here with some X’s and O’s that’s really worth a read.
Staying on the same side of the ball, there’s a magnifying glass on the Pats’ D this weekend, as the debut of the Collins-less unit will take place. For all of his highlights and jaw-dropping plays, Belichick the GM determined it was in the team’s best interest to move on from the linebacker in the middle of the season. Karen Guregian (Boston Herald) writes how it’s time for Belichick and the defense staff to answer the call. Guregian notes that linebacker may not be the biggest question moving forward, as the search for depth behind the aforementioned Butler remains an issue:
Logan Ryan lost the starter’s job on the opposite side of Butler. Perhaps he’ll be given another shot. The slot corner also has been a disappointment with rookie Cyrus Jones essentially sitting in Belichick’s dog house the past three games. But Jones had on a black jersey yesterday as a top practice player, so maybe there’s light at the end of the tunnel for him. There still are moving parts and decisions to be made on how to plug the holes.
Jeez, to be honest I kind of forgot about Cyrus Jones. Loved the pick, loved him in the preseason, and really thought he’d have the inside edge on the nickel spot. Just hasn’t worked out that way early on. I fully expect Ryan to get another shot next to Malcolm, as Guregian guessed, and for Coleman to be the third guy. Rowe’s role will be matchup based, and he’ll get action on the opponent’s bigger receivers/tight ends. I’m curious (nervous?) if we see him on Jimmy Graham at all tomorrow night. Hopefully BB/Matty Patricia used the bye week to sort out some personnel and tie up some loose ends in the secondary.
One of my very favorite pieces of the week came from Jeff Howe (Boston Herald), who broke down the mutual interest between Chris Hogan and the Patriots in the offseason, and the process that made Hogan a Pat. At the time, for that number, it was a bit of a head scratcher. Hogan was mostly unproven during his tenure as a Bill, and many (*raises hand*) underrated how big, strong, and fast he is. I personally thought he was here to replace Amendola, and the replacement for LaFell would be coming via the draft. I was wrong. Plus, considering the (lack of) success we’re used to seeing from veteran receivers coming into mesh with the uber detailed and commanding Brady, Hogan has fit as well anyone could have expected. Along those lines, Howe writes:
The Patriots believed Hogan could play every receiver position within their system. The other five teams that ultimately expressed interest in Hogan pigeonholed him as a slot receiver, so the Pats were both creative and confident in his ability to grasp their complex playbook.
I really recommend the read. Let’s hope “Hoges” can continue to stretch opposing defenses and provide a reliable vertical threat for #12.
To wrap things up, let’s take a look at Rich Hill’s (Pats Pulpit) midseason review of the rookie class. We’ve talked about the minimal early returns from Cyrus Jones, and we know the guys who’ve made the biggest early impacts (Joe Thuney, Elandon Roberts, Jacoby Brissett), but what caught my eye is the contribution from some of the undrafted free agents. Cornerback Jonathan Jones has been effective on special teams (3rd on the team in ST snaps), but Rich is more excited about defensive tackle Woodrow Hamilton, who we saw step up in the absence of fellow rookie Vincent Valentine.
I’m openly excited for Hamilton’s return. Opposing teams average 2.11 fewer yards on running plays when Hamilton, when compared to the league average and accounting for down, distance, and location on the field. That’s beastly. You know who is better than Hamilton? No one. That 2.11 yards below average against the run is the best of any defensive tackle with more than 10 snaps. The 2nd and 3rd best are the Panthers defensive tackle duo of Star Lotulelei (1.45 yards below average) and Kawann Short (1.12 yards below average). Patriots DT Malcom Brown ranks 11th (0.88 yards below average).
Obviously the sample size is far too small to make any conclusions or proclamations, but it seems between Hamilton and Valentine, the Pats could have themselves some solid rotational big boys moving forward. Combined with Malcom Brown, that’s a good core going into 2017, with Branch’s (who has been phenomenal this season) contract up and one year older.
But, for now, we’re onto Seattle.