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So old friend Jamie Collins is returning to the Patriots this year, adding another ball-hawking playmaker to their Super Bowl winning defense. Gronk and his irreplaceable production, where I find myself more intrigued with what's happening on defense.
Newsflash – the Pats defense is stacked and here's hoping the days of 'bend do not break' are a distant memory.
This defense screams for aggression and I say, "Dogs loose!"
It's a shame that form defensive play caller, Brian Flores is now in Miami. Matt Patricia's more conservative approach. That and I hate Miami, but that's just said, Flores went for it. He showed a lot of different looks starting in the 2018 preseason, and a fearless approach to getting past the passing of various levels of defense. It was a mistake prone approach but that did not make your mistake. He trusted his veterans and put his players in positions to make plays. With Patricia, it was more of a game of attrition. Do the right thing. Be in the right position. Do what Bill Belichick says. Wash, rinse, repeat and the opposition will make a mistake. For the most part, it worked with wild success, but I enjoyed the Flores approach better and that team won it all too. More impressively I might add …
The thing is, nor Patricia nor Flores had the depth of playmakers this defense seems to have at every level. It's gotten me thinking that we can be able to see the best of Belichick's defensive tricks now that he has an abundance of talent to get more creative. This Patriots run over the last 18 years has been incredible for sure, but I believe that defensive dominance is the hallmark of the earliest entrants of the Patriots dynasty. With many of these Patriots teams over the last several years, the goal of this year is to complete the reverse of that trend. 2019 projects to look like those 2001-2004 teams that kicked all this off. Could the key ingredient to their success while the offense slowly comes to a boil. I think Belichick liked what he saw in Super Bowl LIII and I'm guessing we see more of it.
It's really classic Belichick. While everyone is looking one way he looks the other way and voila! A dominant defense appears. With the quarterback position getting stronger within the division, the Patriots hold a reenergized defense. Now, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen and newcomer Josh Rosen come into their own. It's vintage Belichick and do not forget, the Patriots have plenty of offense of their own. Tom Brady will get their ball rolling just fine, but they will open the flood gates as I think they may, the Patriots will be winning games for this team all year long.
Let's break it down back to front.
The Secondary: Dear AFC offenses, good luck. This unit has it all. All-Pro shut down corner Stephon Gilmore is your anchor and leads the cornerbacks. He's flanked by the veteran smarts in Jason McCourty and two younger players in Jonathan Jones and J.C Jackson. Last year's second-round pick Duke Dawson adds to the youth and upside, and another second round pick in this year's draft Joejuan Williams boasts all the measurables draftniks salivate over. He's big, fast and gutsy. Times are good in the Patriots secondary and I did not even mention the safeties yet to a reliable, experienced and have championship pedigree. Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung and Duron Harmon are all relatable players and leaders on the field. Simply said the Patriots have invested in their home and is now the foundation of their defense, from which everything else will flow. This could be the best Patriots in the late 70's. It's possible that good.
Linebacker: For years people have screamed for more playmakers at this position and I'm in that camp. Back in the day, Tedy Bruschi had a nose for the ball and Mike Vrabel joined the band. In more recent times Dont'a Hightower has been a beast when healthy and is still in the spotlight.
Fast forward to today; Kyle Van Noy has taken a level jump in the last year and some key additions have been made. Now suddenly, there are playmakers all over the middle of the field. Hightower, Van Noy, Jamie Collins and 2018 draft hopeful Ja'Whaun Bentley look like a potentially formidable group at this head of this linebacking core. Elandon Roberts and Christian Sam This unit could be fun to watch. Belichick loves his linebackers and he has a full cupboard of them to choose from.
Defensive Line: This unit is more solid than spectacular and that's just fine. They will have all the day to go with the coverage they have to get back to the end of the day. That is not all however. This unit has talent and playmaking ability too. A healthy Derek Rivers shows promise as an end rusher and the wind of win-win-win. Chase Winovich. His steps are exciting and adds an element of speed off the edge. Guys like Deatrich Wise, Lawrence Guy, John Simon, Adam Butler, and Keionta Davis all contributed in the last season and newcomer Michael Bennett
So my expectations are a little higher than the old "bend do not break" adage. I think that the phrase needs a refresh, to "will not bend or break." You saw the new template for success in Super LIII and their defense should be better. There's lots of talent here.
Related: Thursday's Mashup: Tom Brady reacts on Instagram to Jamie Collins returning to the Patriots
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