New England Patriots Def Playbook: Will New Players Get It?
By Kevin Casini
This week the New England Patriots added two new defenders. Linebacker Akeem Ayers, a former 2nd round pick from UCLA, comes form the Tennessee Titans, where he had fallen out of favor with a new coaching staff since coming back from double patellar tendon surgery. Before being injured Ayers boasted a 2012 season with 106 tackles and 6 sacks. He projects as an end rusher and perhaps a coverage ‘backer in sub-packages, and one who may be able to take a load off of Jaime Collins’ shoulders as the season progresses, while spelling at DE for Chandler Jones, who will miss at least a month with a hip injury.
To bolster the defensive line, and aid the aging Vince Wilfork, the Patriots also signed former Seahawks and Bills DT Alan Branch, he of the September DUI arrest that forced his ouster from the Bills. Branch is a large man: 6’6″ 330 lbs large. He projects to the interior line, and can, once he gets his legs and lungs back, be an effective run stuffer.
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The Patriots have had success of late with trades bringing in players, most notably on defense Aqib Talib from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Trades are not often a tactic used by NFL GM’s, and even less so in season, and with good reason: it takes a while to learn a new system. Just today Ayers himself, when asked how long he expected it to be until he could contribute, said “sometimes it takes months to learn a full playbook.”
Well, how long will it take to learn this playbook, you may ask? It may be tougher than you imagine. Think of the talented names that have gone to Foxboro, only to find themselves reduced to average play on a week-to-week basis. The names Albert Haynesworth, Adalius Thomas, Shawn Springs, Leigh Bodden all fit the bill to one degree or another. Could it be that the genius mastermind Hoodie is just too complicated on paper for some vets to be able to adapt?
Guess no more. Unearthed in a day-long perusal of the interwebs, here are two Bill Belichick defensive playbooks. The first from the 1984 New York Giants, the second from the 1997 New York Jets. it’s fair to assume some of this has changed in this version of the Patriots defense, but the tactics and basic terminology have not.
Enjoy.