Huge Questions of the Defensive Side

I can't sleep, and I started to think about the Patriots of course because I am craving NFL in general and our match-up Monday night specifically. The offense, with a healthy Brady, is loaded and ready to fire. The defense? Well we don't really know...

Yes, I posted yesterday about the front seven, but this is a big picture look about the young D. This unit lost key veterans Bruschi, Vrabel, Harrison, and Seymour this off-season. Those have been constant names on this side of the ball for years (Bruschi, Vrable, and Seymour played on all three Super Bowl winning teams). So the question really isn't will play the 3-4 or the 4-3 more often, but who will step up and be Belichick (smart, d0-your-job, humble) players?

We know what the d-line and linebacking units look like. Such seasoned Patriots as Wilfork, Warren, and Thomas have been around long enough to know the deal and how to do their jobs. Jerod Mayo, entering his second year, appears to have the opportunity to become a leader of this defense at a very important position. Will we see Junior Seau later in the season? I'd say there's over a 50% chance he is added for the championship push.

The secondary has seen about as much turnover as the LBs these past couple of seasons, but the strength as far as leadership comes from the safties. Safety James Sanders, who is not spectacular on the field, is still a very solid player and was resigned to a three year deal this offseason. Sanders makes his plays and is the veteran Patriot in this bunch. 2007 first round pick Brandon Meriweather, like Mayo, has the opportunity to step up big here. His talent is evident, and working under Rodney Harrison for two seasons couldn't have hurt. Cornerbacks are never really leaders on the D, but let's hope this over-hauled bunch (all CBs on the roster have been with the team two years or less) doesn't get beat as bad as some of the average Joe's we were throwing out there last year (Deltha O'Neal).

The unit is younger, but the defense needed it. Belichick is the master evaluator of talent, and could obviously see the falloff in the departed veterans skills with age. He will not let one's past dictate or influence his decisions for this team's future. Yes, we did lose the players that continued to pass along our legacy year-to-year, but this is a transition period. Wilfork, Warren, Thomas, and Sanders have been here the longest, and they will be our bridge to a new era of Bill Belichick defense. This unit could be the one that reminds us why BB is a defensive genius, or it could leave us wondering why we let the oldies but goodies go.