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Jermaine Cunningham took a few snaps lined up between the guard and center. That’s a new position for him. It’s possible the Patriots could employ him there in certain pass-rush packages.
Hitting again on the theme of the whole off-season… finding a way to get pressure up the middle by any means necessary.
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https://www.patspropaganda.com/jermaine-cunningham-took-a-few-snaps-lined-up/
Official Patriots Football Weekly Blog | From the Hart: Cunningham on the clock
Andy thinks this could be Cunningham’s last shot to make the team. Personally I’m not so sure, after all look at how long Ron Brace has managed to hang around. You want to talk make or break years, Brace has had one the last two seasons.
Cunningham did have some factors working against him in year two after a promising rookie season. There was no off-season and a defensive scheme shift that had him going from outside linebacker back to defensive left end. The Pats gave him a look at 4-3 strong-side linebacker as well. Either way they liked Rob Ninkovich more. Here’s what BB had to say during the season:
“I think one of the things that Jermaine has had to work through is the time he missed in training camp and the preseason,” said Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who noted Cunningham also had to deal with the transition from playing outside linebacker in last year’s 3-4 scheme, to being a defensive end in New England’s 4-3 base defense this season.
“This year we transitioned to a little bit more multiple defensive front, and that’s been an adjustment for him. Missing that time didn’t help him any. He’s worked hard and done a good job to get back on the field – getting rehab and getting back out there. I think he’s improving. He’s gotten a little better each week. He’s definitely on the upswing here. He’s a guy that we hop will be able to contribute for us.”
Whether it was due to a linger injury, trouble adjusting to a new position, or just a sophomore slump there’s no question there will be a spotlight on Cunningham in camp.
But before we dismiss him to a make or break summer, let’s remember how long Belichick has liked Cunningham:
According to Meyer, landing Cunningham represented the culmination of a scouting odyssey for the Patriots coach, who had his eye on Cunningham for several seasons. Meyer says Belichick’s interest in the linebacker was piqued when Cunningham was a sophomore — the New England coach made several trips to Florida to spend time with Meyer, and with a collection of great defenders on the Florida roster, the player that always seemed to interest Belichick the most was Cunningham.
“That started his sophomore year,” Meyer said of Belichick’s interest in Cunningham. “Coach Belichick would always come down and watch film and I’d sometimes sit in there and he would keep asking about [Jermaine]: ‘Who’s this guy? Who’s this guy? Who’s this guy?’ And you had Derrick Harvey, you had Jarvis Moss, Carlos Dunlap, and then Jermaine was kind of the next guy, but he would always say ‘Who is that guy? I love that guy.’
“Bill Belichick’s the one who saw a lot in him.”
New England has struggled to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks the last two seasons, but Meyer believes the emergence of Cunningham could go a long way toward solving those problems for the Patriots.
“He’s got an incredible work ethic — he’s probably as hard a working guy as we’ve had,” Meyer said of Cunningham. “He was excellent with his hands. When we recruited him, he was 195 pounds, and now he’s 260. He’s always been real fast over the course of his career. He’s got a lot of speed.”
Does one bad season really trump all that?
Boston Globe/Bedard: With Wright out, Cunningham on the spot
While this is more of a general look at how Cunningham needs to step up now that Wright is done, it raised an interesting question in my mind. Why not try Cunningham as an interior rusher? He has good size, strength and better quickness than Wilfork, Haynesworth or Gerard Warren would provide on pass downs.
Of course you’re talking about guys like Wright and Pryor who are 300 plus while Cunningham is only 260ish.
But Jermaine has an intriguing make up and could potentially make an impact there. The question is could he hold up against guards and tackles if they try to run on the sub defense, but to my eyes he seems physical enough to cause some disruption inside. And if you can use Kyle Arrington as an edge rusher, why not try Cunningham inside?
ESPN Boston: Where’s Cunningham
I like when reporters ask good questions so hats off to whoever asked BB about Jermaine Cunningham today. Here’s what he had to say:
“I think one of the things that Jermaine has had to work through is the time he missed in training camp and the preseason,” said Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who noted Cunningham also had to deal with the transition from playing outside linebacker in last year’s 3-4 scheme, to being a defensive end in New England’s 4-3 base defense this season.
“This year we transitioned to a little bit more multiple defensive front, and that’s been an adjustment for him. Missing that time didn’t help him any. He’s worked hard and done a good job to get back on the field – getting rehab and getting back out there. I think he’s improving. He’s gotten a little better each week. He’s definitely on the upswing here. He’s a guy that we hop will be able to contribute for us.”
Personally I’m not getting too judgmental on Cunningham here in week six. Yes I find it a little surprising that for someone who played his college career as a defensive end in a similar system to what the Pats are running now that he’d have much of a learning curve going back to it.
Of course I’m sure there are different things he’s being asked to do, but with Andre Carter playing lights out it’s hard to really make a case that the Pats are dying to get Cunningham’s help.
From what I’ve seen in limited action this year is that he’s still a tough, physical player. He’s just not the 3 down linebacker/pass rusher a lot of us envisioned him being when he was drafted.
Let’s just remember that Belichick has had his eye on Cunningham since his early days at Florida. He’s still only in his second year and he was dinged early in camp. With a little time I think we’re going to start seeing some really good stuff from him on a rotational basis, and hopefully down the line he’s ready to take over for Andre Carter. Though with the way Carter is playing I don’t think it will be any time soon.
As the 2011 Patriots begin to come more and more into focus there are a handful of guys who will really need to elevate their games in 2011 if the team is to contend for a Super Bowl.
While there are no major holes in the Patriots depth chart there are quite a few areas where inconsistent play from fairly unproven players could spell doom. The five guys I see as most pivotal to a successful 2011 season:
1. Brandon Meriweather – Meriweather has to be one of the most talked about Patriots of the past off-season. He made the Pro Bowl, was accused of shooting two people, recorded a rap song, and acted in a You Tube short film. All the while fans were weighing his potential trade value or options to replace him. It seems like Meriweather’s inconsistencies have continued in training camp 2011, and while the pass rush looks to be improved, if you have a back end safety making boneheaded decisions it won’t really matter. Meriweather is in a contract year so the stakes for him to play well have never been higher. I’ve already crossed a potential extension from the Pats almost completely off the list of possibilities, but if the light goes on for him you never know. Perhaps this is why we’ve seen him more in the box in preseason, to avoid the potential catastrophe of mistakes being made by your deep safety.
2. Dan Connolly -In 2010 Connolly did an admirable job filling in for first Logan Mankins, then Stephen Neal. Now Connolly enters the 2011 season penciled in as the starting right guard, however he was one of a few players to not look awesome against the Buccaneers. While it appears that Marcus Cannon is the right guard of the future waiting in the wings, the burden of the 2011 season will fall on Connolly unless rumors of putting Nate Solder at RG are be based in fact. Personally I’m not sold on Solder there, and if Connolly struggles there’s not yet a solid veteran presence on the roster that could replace him. Replacing Neal is not an easy task, but the Patriots cannot afford to have a weak link in the heart of their offensive line. Especially with teams like the Jets who love to send pressure up the middle.
3. Jermaine Cunningham – Cunningham has caught some flack for not having a more stand out camp before getting hurt, but I think that’s more of an effect that playing left defensive end. Remember how Ty Warren never got much praise compared to Richard Seymour? It’s a similar situation even in the 4-3. Cunningham’s job will be stopping the run first and foremost, though he will get chances to rush the QB when the offense goes strong side to the defensive right. Many thought Cunningham was supposed to be the pass rush answer but his real strength is his strength. If he cannot hold up at LDE, it might mean Eric Moore gets a shot there but I’m not sure he’s a great fit there either. There’s a lot of pressure on Cunningham, not only to get healthy but to lock down a position where the Pats don’t have a lot of great fits behind him.
4. Rob Ninkovich -I could also throw Gary Guyton on here too because I think we’ll see a rotation of them at Strong Side Linebacker depending on the opponent, but if Ninkopoop puts it all together I could see him wining the spot outright. The SLB is one of the most important positions in making the 4-3 defense go, and it’s a position that neither Ninkovich or Guyton have much experience in. They have to be adept at coverage, setting the edge, and getting after the quarterback, and they’re in close on the line of scrimmage without any protection from the line. We’ve seen both Guyton and Ninkovich do those things to varying levels of success, but no matter who is in there, especially since they’ll be next to Jermain Cunningham (see above) a lot of the time, they’ll have to be on their game for the Pats D to be successful. Ninkovich and Cunningham will be very much tied to together, if they don’t bring it teams are going to be running at them all game long.
5. Taylor Price/Brandon Tate – This might be asking a little much of Price, but one of these guys has to develop into a consistent deep threat for the Pats to truly open up their offense. While Chad Ochocinco will draw his fair share of attention, someone who can stretch the field will make things that much easier on him, Welker and Branch. After seeing the greatest field stretcher of all time in a Patriots jersey for three plus seasons it’s unfair to expect Tate or Price to be Randy Moss-like, but if one of them can make opposing teams take notice of their deep speed and synergy with Brady it will add a whole new dimension to this Patriots offense that will have to be defended.
Price/WEEI: Urban Meyer on Cunningham/Belichick connection
Great stuff here. Best nugget:
“Coach Belichick would always come down and watch film and I’d sometimes sit in there and he would keep asking about [Jermaine]: ‘Who’s this guy? Who’s this guy? Who’s this guy?’ And you had Derrick Harvey, you had Jarvis Moss, Carlos Dunlap, and then Jermaine was kind of the next guy, but he would always say ‘Who is that guy? I love that guy.’
“He’s got an incredible work ethic — he’s probably as hard a working guy as we’ve had,” Meyer said of Cunningham. “He was excellent with his hands. When we recruited him, he was 195 pounds, and now he’s 260. He’s always been real fast over the course of his career. He’s got a lot of speed.”
Cunningham, who grew up in Stone Mountain, Ga., has spent the majority of his offseason in New England in hopes of making the Year 1 to Year 2 jump that Bill Belichick often cites as the time players can make the biggest strides. One of Cunningham’s goals this offseason, in which he’s studied film on a regular basis, has been to become a player that opposing offenses have to account for on every snap.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/cunningham-who-grew-up-in-stone-mountain-ga/