New England Patriots To Watch This Preseason Shawn Crable

(Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

Last time, I focused on inside linebacker Gary Guyton and the impact he could have on New England’s defense. This time, I’m looking at Shawn Crable, a 2008 3rd round draft choice who also could add speed to the linebacking corp.

First, Crable needs to win a starting job or at least find a defensive role that gets him on the field. As a rookie, he didn’t play a down in the regular season. He was a game day inactive for 8 games, and then landed on Injured Reserve.

Crable doesn’t possess Guyton’s 4.4 speed in the 40-yard-dash, but his 4.6 is still impressive for a linebacker (at the 2008 NFL combine, the league grouped him with defensive line prospects).

That 4.6 matches fellow outside linebacker Adalius Thomas, who was leading the team in sacks last year until he suffered a season ending injury. With Thomas and Crable on opposite sides, New England could have a good speed rush on both edges.

Of course, Thomas and Crable wouldn’t have been bookends had they played opposite sides last season. On bull rushes, the 6’2 Thomas brings 270 lbs to the mix. Coming out of college, the 6’5 Crable only weighed 243 pounds. New England’s official bio still lists him at that weight.

Maybe “reed thin” is cliché, but it described Crable’s legs. On the other hand, he got 29 reps with 225lbs on the bench press. This was decent, not great among defensive linemen, but he would have ranked second in the linebacker group.

Playing outside linebacker isn’t only about rushing the passer though. Outside linebackers need to defend the run too. Sometimes they’re asked to drop back in pass coverage.

Crable’s height and leaping ability can wreak havoc for opponents in the form of batted passes and blocked kicks.

Unfortunately, Crable’s height also gives him some leverage problems. The author of Crable’s combine analysis said Crable was inconsistent on keeping his pad level low.

 Combined with his relative lack of weight, this poses problems in taking on run blockers and setting the edge against the run.

The analysis writer noted that Crable did well against blockers when he used his hands and got good arm extension. When offensive linemen got their hands on Crable though, he had problems. He also had trouble with double teams and plays run right at him.

While the analyst thought Crable showed some pass coverage skills, he thought he didn’t do as well in zone coverage. Crable grabbed an interception in the 2008 preseason.

Some observers blame Crable’s lack of bulk on the antiquated strength and conditioning program Michigan had while Crable was there. This was the same program which sent a scrawny Tom Brady to the NFL. In New England’s program, Brady bulked up to respectable levels during his first year.

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