Defense has work to do
In desperate need of playmakers
FOXBORO — Something’s broken with the defense, and Bill Belichick aims to fix it.
Forget the nifty points allowed per game average, the Patriots defense doesn’t get a pass, or a passing grade from Belichick. That much seems pretty obvious. It’s just interesting to see how the Hoodie is tackling the problem.
Typically, Patriots defenses have been known for playmakers. It’s been a trademark of success. Tedy Bruschi, Rodney Harrison, Mike Vrabel and Ty Law helped win multiple Super Bowls thanks to making a ton of game-changing, momentum-turning plays.
So it’s curious Belichick would strip his current team of two of its best defensive playmakers. End Chandler Jones was dealt after last season to Arizona, and now linebacker Jamie Collins has been traded. While they might have had a few faults by Belichick’s standards, they were both game-changers in a defense that won a Super Bowl in 2014 and thrives on its ability to make plays.
“Jamie’s a special player. You can’t take that away from him. What he does on the field, how dynamic he is, there’s very few people who can dominate a game the way he does,” safety Duron Harmon said. “But you know how it is here, there’s always the next-man-mentality. We, as a team, we’re confident in the people that are going to be in the places that he has to play. We just have to play team defense and make the plays we’re supposed to make.”
We’ve already seen the impact of losing Jones. The Pats haven’t compensated for the double-digit sacks he provided and his ability to wreak havoc and provide turnovers with strip sacks. They have been left with a fairly anemic pass rush, as the Pats sit 25th in the league in sacks with just 13 after eight games. Last season, they were second only to Denver at getting to the quarterback.
Now take away Collins, who had a sack, four quarterback hits, one forced fumble, two interceptions, a batted pass and four run stuffs this season.
What will be the result of taking him out of the middle of the field? Where are the big plays going to come from? How will Belichick and coordinator Matt Patricia maneuver a defense with a lack of differencemakers in the front seven?
As it is, the Pats defense hasn’t been generating turnovers. They’re 17th in the league in interceptions (five) and 18th in fumble recoveries (four), leaving them 17th overall in turnovers. Middle of the pack is not the usual place for Belichick defenses.
It would appear Elandon Roberts will be involved in the running downs, and perhaps Kyle Van Noy on the passing downs, given his coverage skills. They’re the primary replacements for Collins along with Barkevious Mingo. Collectively, they’ll have to take turns making big plays to get the defense out of its current rut.
Moreover, they’ve been having cornerback auditions for the No. 2 spot alongside Malcolm Butler, with Logan Ryan, Eric Rowe and Justin Coleman playing musical chairs. But that’s just one more instance of having an unsettled defense and not having anyone take the baton and establish themselves as a playmaker.
Turning to the pass rush, newcomer Chris Long (one sack) started out like he was going to be a major disruptor but has cooled off. Jabaal Sheard (3.5 sacks) leads the team but hasn’t been quite as effective as he was last year. Rob Ninkovich (three pressures), meanwhile, has been a shell of himself since returning from suspension and his triceps injury.
The veteran linebacker, who has been a playmaker in the past, spoke yesterday about wanting to play better and putting more pressure on himself to get to the quarterback.
“It has to be better. We know that,” Ninkovich said. “We have to make more plays. I have to make more plays. That’s the way it needs to be.”
Ninkovich said it’s an opportune time to have the bye week given all that’s going on. It’s a good time for players to sit back and reflect on what they can do to improve a defense that’s not lived up to expectations.
Perhaps the shock value of the Collins trade will help get some players back on track and performing at a higher level.
“What you have to do as a player is focus on yourself and how you can help the team. As a group, we’re still working on some things we need to get better at,” Ninkovich said. “We have another half of the season to go. I think the best thing for everyone is to take this week to look at themselves, what they’ve done in the first half of the season, and improve on what they can do for the team, and not let outside distractions affect the outcome of where we want to go.”
The Pats might be 7-1, but the defense isn’t right. We’ll see how much of an impact extracting a playmaker like Collins has on either making the issues worse or instigating better performances all-around.
‘You know how it is here, there’s always the nextman-up mentality.’ — DURON HARMON On Jamie Collins trade