Bill & Pats drop the ball by cutting Kony
Here’s a question for the Foxborough sheep, who believe that the Hoodie and his minions can do no wrong: What were the Patriots thinking by cutting Kony Ealy? The scuttlebutt inside the gates of The Evil Empire has been predictable: The talented defensive lineman wasn’t a scheme fit for Bill Belichick. Oh, really? So, what scheme are the Patriots exactly employing these days?
The we-suck-against-the-passand-run scheme? Or maybe it’s the can’t-stop-a-nosebleed-scheme. Hard to definitively know. Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia’s unit has been excoriated this season. Ealy, meanwhile, has been an important piece for the Jets.
New England is rock bottom in total defense and pass defense en route to allowing a league-worst 116.5 passer rating. A year after having the league’s stingiest scoring defense, Belichick has witnessed some horrific stuff. His team is giving up 32 points per game. Only the Colts are worse.
The Patriots have allowed more 300-yard passers (four) this year than in 2016 (three). You don’t need an engineering degree from RPI or a pencil glued behind your ear to know that New England’s defense has been an unmitigated disaster.
Belichick made the trade with Carolina for Ealy in March. He practically was begging to give away the player to anyone a few months later, ostensibly due to a scheme disconnect. The Patriots waived Ealy on Aug. 26. Seven teams (Giants, Cowboys, Buccaneers, Lions, Washington, Cardinals, Jets) put in a claim, but the Jets had the highest waiver priority.
The net result: The Patriots dealt a 2017 second-round pick to the Panthers for a 2017 third-round pick. That’s some bad GMing right there, folks.
Ealy has made an early impact with his new team, including an inspired effort in the wake of personal tragedy. The 25-yearold lineman missed time last week after his sister, LaToya Brown, unexpectedly passed away. He had a franchise-record four batted passes and a pivotal interception that earned him the game ball in the Jets’ overtime win against the Jaguars.
“She’s not suffering,” Ealy said in a quiet moment about his sister. “It warms my heart a little bit more to know that she’s not struggling. I was grateful for getting (the game ball).”
Ealy, who didn’t practice Wednesday due to a bruised shoulder, had more batted balls in one game than the Patriots have had all season (one). ICYMI: The Jets and Patriots have the same record: 2-2.
“He came up big,” Jets defensive line coach Robert Nunn said. “He plays with a lot of emotion and passion. That’s just him. We talked all week about batting balls. (Blake) Bortles has had a history of getting balls batted at the line of scrimmage. Sometimes (defensive linemen) overdo it. They don’t rush enough. They just sit there and throw their hands up in the throwing lanes. I thought Kony did a good job of trying to push the pocket and get his hands up.”
Ealy has 11 total pressures (two quarterback hits and nine pressures) through four games, according to Pro Football Focus. Todd Bowles and defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers have played to Ealy’s strengths as a 4-3 defensive end in nickel packages.
“He excels in a four-man front,” Nunn said. “If (opponents) come out in sub personnel groups, he’s going to be in there a lot of snaps.”
Ealy, who’s played 56.7% of the snaps, has hardly been perfect, but there have been promising signs for the former second-round pick, who flashed his passrushing skills in three seasons with the Panthers.
His biggest adjustment has centered on the Jets’ communication layers on pressure packages.
“We have a different way of calling it and how we do it,” Nunn said. “So that’s been the biggest learning curve for him. We got a lot of communication going on too. So, when his mistakes have happened, it’s because of lot of communication. He’s just got to continue to build there. But I like where he is right now.”
Ealy’s performance highlighted a solid day for a talented defensive line that stumbled out of the gate. Although the Jets traded away former Pro Bowler Sheldon Richardson a few days after claiming Ealy, the line is still stocked with pedigree players like Leonard Williams and Mo Wilkerson. So, there’s no need to sugarcoat it: The unit underperformed early on.
“No question we started a little shaky,” Nunn said. “Really in Buffalo. In Oakland, the score didn’t tell the true story of how we played. I thought we improved.”
The next most important step will require Ealy, Williams and Wilkerson to stay in their rush lanes to avoid open gaps through the middle for mobile quarterbacks or smart ones capable of stepping up in the pocket to beat you through the air.
Although the Jets weren’t burned in recent weeks by Jay Cutler and Bortles, big boys like Tom Brady and Matt Ryan are on the horizon. It’ll be incumbent upon the defensive linemen to generate consistent pressure to minimize taking chances with additional pass rushers.
“However you slice it, when you’re rushing four, you got more gaps than you got people to put in,” Nunn said. “So, there’s no exact science to it. You got to have a plan and stick with it. We’ve been violating that too much. We got to stay in our rush lanes.” Ealy will be a big part of it all. “I love winning,” Ealy said. “What we’re trying to build here is a winning attitude.”
The Jets should send a fruit basket to 1 Patriot Place.