Defensive Weakness: Patriots Pass Rush

Posted on August 10, 2010 by Carl Desberg

TBC led the Pats in sacks last year with 9.5. However, five came in two games against the Bills.

Every team needs a solid pass rush and the Patriots’ lack of talent and depth off of the edge has been well documented so far this summer.

Tully Banta-Cain, who has 9.5 sacks last year, resigned this off-season and will be returning as the team’s main source of sacks.

However, it is worth noting that five of those sacks came in two games against the Bills’ sub par offensive line. Opposite TBC are unproven Rob Ninkovich (one career sack) and rookie Jermaine Cunningham (converting from a college defensive end).

The Patriots enter the season with a fairly young defensive backfield. A secondary’s best friend is a pass rush because if pressure is put on the quarterback, it requires them to have to cover them for a lesser amount of time. The Patriots can ill-afford to ask these youngsters to stick their man for 7+ seconds because it’s fairly unrealistic.

So how will the Patriots get pressure on the QB?

Schobel would be the perfect fit, but are the Pats obligated to pay their own first?

One option is signing recently released OLB Aaron Schobel.

The longtime nemesis of Matt Light from his nine year career in Buffalo, Schobel has a remarkable 78 career sacks.

The hold up?

Well, it is widely believed that he would like to play closer to home with the Houston Texans. Also of note, Schobel wants big money. He is 32 and this will be his last time to cash in. That means guaranteed money, and if the Pats are to oblige, it may send the wrong message to holdout guard Logan Mankins amongst other Patriots seeking new deals in the near future (Brady, Moss, etc).

Schobel may be more of a dream than a reality, but we never really know what Belichick and crew have up their sleeve until a move is made. Don’t forget either, Belichick really likes players he sees a lot as he eluded to when he signed former in division rivals Sammy Morris and Sam Aiken a couple years back.

Plan B for Patriots fans and a more likely scenario is Belichick getting creative. Quite often last season, the Patriots deployed defensive sets featuring three safeties. They played Brandon Meriweather and James Sanders deep with the bigger Brandon McGowan in the box. BB has been trying to find a safety to play in the box for years now (ie the Tank Williams experiment).

Can the Pats get by utilizing a hybrid defense with three safeties?

McGowan did not have any sacks last year, but three safeties is one way to shake things up and put some more speed on the field. Perhaps with a year in the scheme under his belt, McGowan will be better served as an “in the box” weapon.

It is the heart training camp in the NFL. We are itching for some live action.

We want to see our team in real game scenarios. Perhaps we are looking too much into this and are nitpicking.

Or maybe it is truly a cause for concern.

Either way, the Patriots know they need to put pressure on opposing offenses.

My guess is Belichick knows how they will do it.

Tags: Boston, Football, jermain cunningham, New England Patriots, NFL, patriots pass ruch, tully banta cain
Category Football, New England Patriots
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BST&N Looks Back....

Vintage Athletes Of The Month: The Boston Marathon Runners
April 21, 2013 | 2:42 pm

BST&N saltues all the men and women who have run the Marathon and made it a special event since 1897.

The Vintage Athlete of the Month for April was originally planned to be a baseball player, for obvious reasons. But for reasons even more obvious the events of this past week led to a change of plans. Instead, BST&N takes this month to honor the Marathon runners. This article will pay tribute to some of the most noteworthy, but the real honor goes to all have participated in this great event since its founding in 1897.

The Boston Marathon was founded in 1897, in response to the positive reception given to the marathon run at the first-ever Olympic Games the previous summer in Athens, Greece. It might sound easy to say in our current context that the Boston Marathon has become a showcase for the best of the human spirit—persistence, courage and fortitude, but the following examples bear witness to the reality that it’s true.

*Roberta Gibb grew up in the suburbs of Boston and got started on running, when she jogged through the woods with her dogs. Later, she kept in shape by jogging the eight miles between her and nursing school. In the early 1960s there were no running shoes designed for women, so Roberta ran in leather nurse shoes.

In 1966, she decided to run in the Marathon. Women were still not allowed to officially participate, so she basically snuck in the middle of the pack. Eventually other runners realized a woman was running alongside of them, and they gave Roberta encouragement. She was further encouraged by the observers on the street who became aware of what was going on, and cheered her on. Roberta is the first female to complete the Boston Marathon.

*Geoffrey Mutai grew up in Kenya, one of eleven children. He couldn’t afford to continue with his education, so he worked on a farm and he ran. He ran so well that he earned a spot on his country’s team for a world competition in 2002. Nine years later he ran a record-setting time in the Boston Marathon.

*John Campbell is from New Zealand, one of six kids born to a factory foreman. He did his running while earning a living doing a variety of jobs form shopkeeper to fisherman to milkman. He delivered his own record-setting performance in the Marathon. “You do what you do and you get on with the job,” he said regarding his training and how it integrates into his daily life. Those words might well serve as the masthead for all Marathon runners.

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