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Logan Mankins is one of the best players on the team,” Kraft answered. “I think there has been a little misunderstanding about some things that have been written. I just personally want to say, I hope he’s with us for a long-term and we’re going to try to do whatever we have to do to make sure that happens.
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As we slowly get up to speed on the draft it looks like there are quite a few defensive end prospects that (in theory) fit the Patriots system.
Ideally what BB is going to want out of a idedefensive end if he’s going to take him at 17th overall is a big dude (6’ 4" +, 300+) who has long arms, can hold up at the point of attack, while also shifting inside on third down where he can push the pocket and cause chaos. A “three down player” is a buzz word if they’re going to take them in the first round.
Let’s start with the guy who tore up the Senior Bowl, Cameron Jordan. As you’ll see below Jordan is certainly active and provides a definite up-the-field presence. That will serve him better on passing downs that running downs, and he could definitely add some weight to his 288 pound frame. But he does have the height and length add the weight. It will be interesting to see what his strength is like at the combine.
Now let’s take a look at Cameron Heyward out of Ohio State. Heyward’s a little taller than Jordan and looks like he relies more on power than quickness. To me it looks like Heyward might be a little more stout (though he does need to add some weight) while also providing some bull rush. He’s definitely more in the Seymour mold than Jordan, but he is coming off elbow surgery so that must be taken into consideration as well.
Next up we have Muhammad Wilkerson. Wilkerson has been showing up in the Pats 28 slot in a lot of mock drafts. He’s also a favorite of Pats draft guru NEPatriotsDraft.com. Wilkerson seems a little more raw, and from the limited sample size of the footage above I wouldn’t exactly call him dominant. In my non-expert opinion he seems a tier below the Camerons.
Lastly we have JJ Watt out of Wisconsin. I just read one opinion today that Watt might be a little better fit for a 1-gap 3-4 defense like the Steelers, but he definitely has the size.
Although there’s far too much made out of combine performances it will certainly be interesting to see these guys’ numbers on a level playing field. Right now I’d have to say the Cameron’s are candidates for 17th overall, Watt and Wilkerson would be more likely at 28 or 33.
I’m of the opinion right now that the Pats need impact players, and if one of the Camerons is viewed as a three-down player I think it would be a slam dunk to take them at 17.
On Wednesday night after Patriots coach Bill Belichick won his third Coach of the Year award, it sparked a twitter debate of where each season of BB’s tenure ranked.
Here’s my ranking and why I put each one where I did.
1. 2001 – in just his second year with a back-up quarterback he won a Super Bowl, shutting down the “Greatest Show on Turf” in the process with a game plan that currently resides in the Hall of Fame.
2. 2010 – with a difficult schedule, a bunch of rookies and second year players on both sides of the ball BB led the Pats to a 14-2 season, ending in a disappointing playoff loss at home to the Jets. On paper this team looked like they’d be around 10 wins and on the playoff bubble. They ended up being the best team in the NFL during the regular season. Unheard of with such a young defense and so much inexperience. Having Brady’s MVP season certainly helped.
3. 2004 – yes they had talent and experience on both sides of the ball, but they also played the Super Bowl with a makeshift defensive backfield that included such players as undrafted rookie free agent Randall Gay and off-the-street free agent Earthwind Moreland. When you factor in the pressure of defending a Super Bowl title and taking every team’s best shot, this Super Bowl winning team was a special coaching season.
4. 2007 – This was a veteran team that came within 3 minutes of being the undisputed greatest team of all time. Between the addition of so many veteran newcomers and the circus known as Spygate that swirled around them, this team’s 16-0 record was an epic achievement, especially against a tough schedule that included sweeping the NFC East and AFC North. Making it to the Super Bowl was no small achievement either, especially considering how they seemed to run out of gas at the end of the season. A special season, no matter how it ended.
5. 2003 – it’s weird to have a Super Bowl winning team ranked below two non-Super Bowl winning teams but the fact is that this was a veteran team that was peaking especially on defense. BB did win Coach of the Year in 2003, but his job was a lot easier based on the quality and leadership of his personnel. Still, winning a Super Bowl is never easy, and the Pats shutdown both NFL MVPs on the way. They also pulled out what was possibly the best Super Bowl game of recent memory.
6. 2006 – This team had it’s fair share of injuries and departures to overcome, especially Rodney Harrison, Willie McGinest and Deion Branch. Brady didn’t have much to work with at receiver (remember Doug Gabriel?), Corey Dillon was at the end of the road, and the linebacker corps had begun to get thin. Still this team pulled it together and came within a quarter of the Super Bowl. They just ran out of gas at the end, but this was an impressive coaching season to even get to that point.
7. 2008 – A lot of people have this season ranked a lot higher than I do (Felger had it as maybe BB’s best) but just because they won 11 games with Matt Cassel doesn’t do it for me. They beat one playoff team (Dolphins… who were BARELY a playoff team) and missed the playoffs on a tie breaker. You couldn’t get a more cake schedule than the AFC and NFC West. Cassel was surprising but let’s remember in 2001 they WON the Super Bowl with a backup, and far less talent around him.
8. 2005 – Injuries and departures really killed this team. Gone were Ty Law, Roman Phifer, and Ted Johnson. Tedy Bruschi suffered a stroke and didn’t return until late October. Rodney Harrison and Matt Light were both lost for the season against the Steelers. When you added it all up it was too much to overcome. Though they played some good football in December and beat the Jaguars in the AFCWC they just didn’t have the horses to win in Denver.
9. 2009 – The highlight of this season was Tom Brady’s first game back where he had the best comeback of his career. After that it was all downhill. The 2009 team just didn’t have the Patriots magic. Maybe it was the retirements of Bruschi and Harrison coupled with some toxic locker room presences. They sputtered down the stretch, going 4-4 in their last 8 before getting wiped out in the wild card round by the Ravens. I suppose the fact that they still won the AFCE is a testament to where our expectations are, but no one should’ve been surprised to the this team’s season ended early.
INC: 2000 – I give BB a pass on the 2000 season, it was a team he inherited so it hard to really judge it.
Before the 2010 season I wrote this article for Pats Pulpit where I surmised that the Patriots really didn’t necessarily need one OLB pass rusher to solve their pass rush problems. What they needed was more pressure from the entire defensive front seven. So not just the high end sack artist type, but the three to four sacks from a multitude of players.
Here was the breakdown of total sacks and sack leaders from the past decade:
And now we can add:
It was our general determination that you really wanted to be around 40 sacks for the season, and after back to back seasons if 31 total sacks in 2008 and 2009 the Patriots improved to 36 sacks in 2010, good for t-14th in the NFL.
However Mike Wright’s team leading total of 5.5 was the lowest since 2002, and he only played in 10 games. Myron Pryor also battled back problems this season, limiting him to just a half sack. Losing your top two interior rushers can cripple a team, and it surely had an effect on the Pats, especially in the playoff game where they were sack-less.
But it appears that this Patriots team was on the right track and had Wright played the last six games it’s likely they would’ve been right around 40 sacks.
2010 appeared to be a step in the right direction. It’s hard to read too much into these numbers because they don’t include QB pressures, but when you’re leading sack guy is 4.5 sacks lower than last year yet you still have more sacks total you’re getting better production across the board.
That is the tenet of the 3-4 defense, applying pressure from multiple different spots. Adding additional young pass rushers both on the interior of the line and at outside linebacker will again be a priority, but it looks like the pieces are starting to come together.
The Pats missed Wright late in the season.
NFL Network’s segment announcing Belichick as AP Coach of the Year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0A08m
As we prepare for another Super Bowl let’s take a moment to appreciate an epic Patriots dynasty video…