National Post (National Edition)
Patriots defence further wobbled by loss of Hightower
Injury has yanked yet another star player off the New England Patriots’ roster, leaving the defending Super Bowl champions even more vulnerable to be knocked off their high tower.
The Patriots have lost their best defender — linebacker Dont’a Hightower — for the rest of the season with a torn pectoral muscle, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe first reported Thursday morning.
Head coach and general manager Bill Belichick did not confirm or deny the bombshell at his usual Thursday news conference because he cancelled it.
A sixth-year player, Hightower sustained the injury in Sunday night’s victory over the Atlanta Falcons while tackling running back Devonta Freeman, Volin reported.
“It’s a tough loss,” Patriots free safety Devin McCourty told reporters after Thursday’s practice. “When a guy like that goes down, a bunch of guys have to step up and kind of try to fill that role — and in this case, a bunch of different roles.”
The 27-year-old Hightower has been the Patriots’ leader and playcaller on defence, and his versatility is admired around the league. The six-foot-two, 226-pounder is fast, powerful and instinctive enough to be effective at rushing the passer around the edge, sealing the edge on a run, dropping back as a traditional inside linebacker when needed and in dropping into space to cover running backs and tight ends.
ESPN reported Hightower was scheduled to see the surgeon James Andrews on Thursday.
Hightower had just fully recovered from a knee injury that sidelined him for much of the opener, for all of weeks 2 and 3 and limited his playing time in Week 4.
The Patriots defence was gored in every game until Sunday night’s victory over the Atlanta Falcons. All three primary Patriots units — offence, defence, special teams — executed at high levels, probably for the first time all season. Yet it still ranks last in the league in total yardage allowed per game and in defending the pass.
Presumably, the Pats now will give more snaps to inside linebacker David Harris, an 11-year veteran signed in the off-season after a decade of anchoring New York Jets defences.
Or the Patriots might seek a trade by Tuesday afternoon’s deadline to bolster a makeshift front seven that has been slammed since summer. Longtime outside linebacker Rob Ninkovich retired in August, outside linebacker Shea McClellin hasn’t played a down since early August because of an undisclosed injury, rookie defensive end Derek Rivers (the Pats’ top draft pick) tore an ACL in August and is done for the season, and backup defensive tackle Vincent Valentine went on injured reserve in late September with a knee injury.
What’s more, starting defensive tackle Malcolm Brown was not spotted at Thursday’s practice by reporters. He has battled an ankle issue.
The abused New England secondary, meanwhile, lost cornerback Cyrus Jones at the end of training camp with ACL and meniscus tears.
One of the team’s star offensive performers, wide receiver Julian Edelman, tore an ACL in late August. Like Jones, Rivers and Hightower on defence, Edelman is done for the season.
Next up for the Patriots before their bye week: the Los Angeles Chargers, winners of three in a row.
Quarterback Tom Brady was asked this week whether the team’s strong performance against Atlanta upgrades the outlook or long-term potential of this year’s team. The 18th-year pro wouldn’t bite — he knows circumstances can change in the blink of an eye.
“Well, I think we’re just going to keep showing up to work and trying to do the right thing,” Brady said. “(We don’t) think too long-term around here. We’ve got a really important game against a team that’s won three straight and a team that plays well on the road.”
The rest of us, of course, have the luxury of thinking about longer-term ramifications. And Hightower’s loss unquestionably rattled an already unsteady defence.
EXTRA POINTS: Minnesota’s Sam Bradford (knee) did not practise for the second straight day … Arizona placed Carson Palmer on injured reserve, a day after he had surgery on a broken left arm … Rookie DE Myles Garrett won’t fly to England with his Cleveland Browns teammates to play against Minnesota on Sunday. He remained Thursday in concussion protocol.