Same old, same old here, but one thing I take issue with is:
Belichick doesn’t want defensive lineman Mike Wright leading the team in sacks again.
In the last eleven seasons the Pats have been led in sacks by a defensive lineman 4 times and an OLB 5 times, and once an OLB and DL tied. So I don’t think it really matters who leads the teams in sacks. As I stated in this article from last summer it’s about getting 3-5 sacks from a variety of positions that will most improve the pass rush, not just bringing in one OLB who will be expected to suddenly fix all the pass rush issues of the past few years.
In fact, in the Super Bowl winning years the Pats leading sack guy was under 10 total sacks each season. The only time someone had 10 or more was Vrabel in 2007 and TBC is 2010.
If you have a number of different guys who can get to the QB you’re a much harder defense to predict and protect against. It’s a lot easier on offensive gameplans when they know there’s one big sack guy that they have to stop.
