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Well, you’re coming to someone as biased about Easley as one can get so take this answer with a grain of salt, but yes I think Easley could be the final piece of the puzzle.

I’ve been banging the interior rusher drum since 2010, but the Pats kept picking up nose tackles and two-gapping defensive ends. There just wasn’t a value placed on penetrating defensive tackles and when you look at the struggles they’ve had on third down, I see it as a biggest reason why.

What are the two biggest problems for this defense of late? Third down and deep passes. What does that say about a defense? That the pass rush is not getting there. If the QB has time to hit the long passes he’s got too much time in the pocket, because coverage can’t last forever.

As much as I love Vince WIlfork, he was just way overused in 2010-2012 and just could not be a consistent menace on passing downs. And really, that’s not his game to begin with.

The Pats had Mike Wright and Myron Pryor but injuries ended both their Pats careers early. They needed more of those kind of players who could come on for passing downs with fresh legs and get some push up the middle of the pocket.

Wilfork, Tommy Kelly, Kyle Love, Brandon Deaderick, Albert Haynesworth, Ron Brace, Gerard Warren…none of them were the answer.

Now, in Easley, you finally have that guy. He might only be a situational player but that is fine and well-worth a first-round pick as I see it. Because he’s going to come on and cause major problems for the offense. He can rush from any spot on the line and his explosiveness is superlative.

Think of him this way… He’s the passing down version of the running down chess piece Vince Wilfork was/is. BB will move him around and he should make an instant impact in the areas where the Pats defense has struggled most over the last four seasons.

And the revamped secondary featuring Revis et al will only help that.

I sure hope so, but it’s more about subbing them for a defensive end than one of the linebackers. As I’ve said a lot the offseason, they can’t afford to run Chandler and Nink into the ground like they did last year. They need a third defensive end to rotate and hopefully Will Smith is that guy, along with maybe Michael Buchanan, if he develops, as a designated pass rusher.

But as you say, I think the possibilities of Hightower and/or Collins playing a pass rushing role is intriguing. However I don’t think either would be best utilized putting their hand in the dirt as a wide-9 defensive end and simply rushing the passer. 

That makes things too simple for a quarterback, especially with two skilled players who can do a lot more.

Simply, Collins and Hightower will be good as blitzers, not as pass rushers. Disguise is the key…not knowing whether they’re dropping or rushing. That’s when blocking assignments get confused or you get an undersized running back trying to block the 270-pound Hightower. Or an immobile guard trying to slide and pick up the uber-athletic Collins.

I remember thinking “I really don’t need another blowout Super Bowl loss”.

Yeah you nailed it. This has been popping up more and more lately. And it’s not like the Patriots have just run right over the rest of the AFC East every season. If you’ve actually watched the games you know how close they have been. How many times did the Pats pull a win out over Buffalo by the skin of their teeth? With just a couple exceptions, every game with Rex’s Jets has been close. Miami has had their chances, and wins (Wildcat) as well.

But none of them could do it consistently, which would require beating New England twice in a season. Each one can and has put together a game (usually at home) where everything goes right and they beat New England. But twice? Including in Foxboro? Nope.

Look at how much the other divisions have changed in recent years. Remember when the NFC West was the laughing stock of the league? I certainly do in 2008 when the Pats swept them with Matt Cassel.

Might the Titans or Jaguars or even Texans have gotten more freedom and chances to develop if they weren’t getting blasted by Peyton Manning every season in Indy? Good teams with good quarterbacks lay waste to the teams they play most, leaving those opponents in an almost constant state of rebuilding. That certainly snowballs on them as well.

That’s why I think the Jets are the closest to having the right idea. Let Rex stay. He gives Brady and Belichick problems. Teams need that continuity, but even Rex might be on his final chance.

This argument always leads to saying the Pats can’t beat the good teams in the playoffs. In 2009, you got me. The Pats got blown off the field in the first quarter, but every other playoff loss came down to the end for the most part. It’s not easy to beat the best teams and Super Bowl 42 and 46 really could’ve gone either way if the Pats defense had made one more play.

So the simple truth? The Patriots are a good football team and have been ever since 2001. They are extremely hard to play and to beat them you have to play a full game and never give them any kind of hope. You also need to not turn the ball over more than once.

It’s funny that people will really try to make the comment that it’s acceptable and almost expected that the three other AFC East teams haven’t been able to put together even a good team in the past 12 seasons. Personally I’d be insulted if I were a Jets fan. I think Rex had his faults as a coach, but in terms of his defensive prowess, there are few better. 

As if that is more plausible than the Patriots, with the same head coach and quarterback, could possibly just be that good. Maybe it’s just Spygate. Sigh…