Bleacher Report - Articles by Patrick Felicita

Indianapolis Colts' QB Should Change Name to Peyton Whining

Patrick Felicita — Wed, 27 May 2009 11:51:30 -0400

Indianapolis Colts' franchise quarterback Peyton Manning should follow the footsteps of Chad Johnson. Chad legally changed his surname to "Ocho Cinco" last year. Peyton should do the same this year and change his surname to "Whining."

Peyton Whining. By doing so, his name would be perfect for his whining.

Let's take a look at what Peyton was whining about:

"It's not a situation that I'm just thrilled about,'' Manning told the Indianapolis Star on Tuesday. "I think the communication has been pretty poor in my opinion. Somebody says one thing, then somebody else says another thing.”

He whines more:

"It's not normal not having a full coaching staff,'' Manning told the Star. "I know we hired a couple of guys to come in, but these guys are learning. They're not offering a lot of coaching out there, I can assure you of that.''

Oh, poor Peyton.

His Indianapolis Colts are having identity crisis and what does he do? He whines. Not quite the picture of a franchise quarterback.

My idea of a franchise quarterback is one that pulls his team together. Didn't hear the greats complain of losing their offensive coordinators or position coaches.

Forget about the past great quarterbacks. Let's look at his rival Tom Brady. Tom Brady has endured a lot of turnovers with New England Patriots. He lost his offensive coordinator Charlie Weis to Notre Dame and just recently he his quarterback coach and offensive coordinator to Denver Broncos but Tom Brady hasn't complained about that.

The reason behind that is because franchise quarterbacks are the face of their respective franchise. They are the leaders of their team. What they do and say—whether they like it or not—will always reflect on the team.

Peyton's recent mumblings tell us that the Indianapolis Colts are in complete disarray and that the competence of the "replacements" are questionable.

If you read in to Peyton's statements, it's like he is saying the guys replacing Moore and Mudd are idiots. Maybe I read it wrong. But if I misread/misunderstood it, is there not a probability that his teammates misread/misunderstood his statements, too?

Peyton's a great quarterback but at this time—with their team in transition—he should have just kept this internally instead of whining to the media because franchise quarterbacks lead, not whine.

Position Breakdown: Anatomy of a New England Patriot Outside Linebacker

Patrick Felicita — Thu, 21 May 2009 15:14:05 -0400

Bill Belichick has had the opportunity to coach the greatest outside linebacker to play the game in Lawrence Taylor. Lawrence Taylor has been, is still, and will always be the perfect prototype for an outside linebacker. Belichick said it best in 2005, "Lawrence Taylor set a standard that is all his own" .

So what made Lawrence Taylor the best outside linebacker of all time? "Lawrence completely sells out on every play, He doesn't care about his body—or anyone else's for that matter. He will do anything it takes to win. Anything." said Belichick.

With that said let's breakdown the Patriots outside linebacker and try to find what Belichick looks for an outside linebacker.

1. Size and Power Factor

Bill Belichick likes his outside linebackers big. Lawrence Taylor stood at 6'3" and 247 lbs, Willie McGinest 6'5" 270 lbs, Mike Vrabel 6'4" 261 lbs, Adalius Thomas 6'2" lbs 270lbs. The reason behind this is when playing against the run they usually take on the offensive tackles.

2. Speed and Burst Factor

Speed is very important for the 3-4 outside linebacker. Lawrence Taylor ran a 4.5 40, but typically Belichick's outside linebackers run in the range between of 4.6 and 4.65. The logic behind this is simple, the outside linebacker has to get to the backfield faster while covering more ground then a defensive lineman thus speed is important.

3. Intelligence and Instinct Factor

This is a very important trait for Bill Belichick's OLBs which is something you cannot put a number on. On field adjustments are necessary when the offense sets up or adjusts a blocking scheme. Both outside linebackers should see and feel the play before it actually happens, because both of them should be able to recognize between themselves who will be rushing the passer.

Going into the 2009 season, a lot have criticized the Patriots for not addressing the outside linebacker position via draft or free agency. However, it has to be noted the traits and skill sets required from a 3-4 outside linebacker is different from a 4-3 OLB. Why would you draft or sign a player that would struggle in your scheme?

In conclusion, the Patriots 3-4 outside linebacker is there mainly to generate pressure for the backfield to make the big plays, set off the edge against the run for the inside linebackers or safeties, and to pressure the quarterback.

Patriots Comfortable with their Outside Linebackers

Patrick Felicita — Thu, 14 May 2009 09:14:19 -0400

With Jason Taylor signing with the Miami Dolphins, the focus of attention turns into the the position that a lot of people feel will be the Patriots' Achilles heel this coming season. However, the Patriots are not concerned.

Director of Player Personnel Nick Caserio had this to say when asked why the Patriots didn't draft an outside linebacker, "I think we've got players on our team that we feel good about, between A.D. [Thomas], Pierre [Woods], we signed Tully Banta-Cain, Shawn Crable didn't have an opportunity to play last year."

Caserio further expressed confidence with their current personnel at OLB stating, "We looked at our team as it was currently configured, and we felt comfortable with those guys. They've got different levels of experience. Some have played at a higher level than others."

Let's take a closer look on the outside linebackers in the roster and understand the reason why they are comfortable with what they have.

1. Adalius Thomas

A.D. was on course to a double-digit sack season in 2008 before an injury barred him from doing so. It was evident last season that A.D was finally comfortable with the system and expect more from him this coming season. Expect him to improve on his 34-tackle and five-sack performance from last season

2. Pierre Woods

Until recently, Woods has been a decent backup at OLB. This coming season he may be called on to take over Mike Vrabel's spot. Woods' best game as a starter came against the Jets (taking over A.D Thomas' spot) where he tallied nine tackles and one sack.

3. Tully Banta Cain

TBC is probably the best situational pass rusher in the current lineup of the Patriots. He also had his best season with the Patriots in 2006 where he tallied 43 tackles and 5.5 sacks. TBC is the perfect example on how Belichick perfectly uses players to their strengths.

4. Shawn Crable

If Crable lives up to his billing (a third rounder), potential, and works hard, Crable might be the starter by week 9 or week 10. This guy has size, speed, and the skill set that the Patriots look for in an outside linebacker. The only problem is he was drafted at a weight of 247 lbs., if he has bulked up and gotten stronger since he was drafted, expect Crable to be the next Mike Vrabel.

The Patriots may still add an outside linebacker before training camp, but for now the Patriots have confidence with who they have at linebacker. And if you remember correctly, the last guy whom the Patriots have placed their confidence on is currently a franchise quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, Matt Cassel, who led the Patriots to a 11-5 season last year.

No Rush for New England Patriots' Pass Rush

Patrick Felicita — Mon, 11 May 2009 10:21:54 -0400

After the recently concluded 2009 NFL Draft, experts pointed out that the New England Patriots failed to address a glaring need which was the outside linebacker. With Vrabel gone, most mock drafts had the Patriots taking an OLB at the 23rd or the 34th pick but coach Bill Belichick had other plans.

The Patriots passed on the likes Clay Matthews, Everette Brown, Clint Sintim, Conor Barwin, and Cody Brown who were probably rated as third round grade players on the Patriots board.

This is the best example that the Patriots draft the best player on their board not based on their needs as pointed out by coach Belichick in his Pre-draft press conference this year where he stated that:

"It's how we value the players, not how someone else values them and not what some other grade is on them or what round someone else thinks he can go in. What's important to us is what we think he'll do for our football team if he's here. That is really where the emphasis is."

With that said, what happens now? The basic idea of a 3-4 defense is to disguise where the fourth rusher will come from.

The only problem is that with the current personnel of the Patriots, blockers will key in on Adalius Thomas (as he is the only real threat among Patriots' OLBs) thus supposedly defeating the purpose of concealing where the fourth rusher will come from.

Three weeks after the draft, the Patriots have yet to add a pass rusher to their roster which could mean either:

1. Belichick has complete confidence in his current stock of OLBs or,

2. Belichick will be signing a free agent stud like Jason Taylor as an OLB, as speculated by the likes of Chris Mortensen of ESPN and Shalise Manza Young of The Providence Journal or,

3. Belichick is still looking to trade for Julius Peppers, which is highly improbable or,

4. Belichick will wait for another wave of free agents, which will come in a couple of weeks or so when teams drop veterans after assessing the result of the draft.

Whatever path the Patriots would take, one thing is definite, it would be for the improvement of the team as Belichick stated:

"Improve our team. That's what we are trying to do: improve our team. I don't know what the opportunities are going to be. We will have to wait ... to see what they are, but I hope we can take advantage of our opportunities and improve our team. We will know that this fall, we will know it next fall and we will know it the fall after that."

So no worries here Pats fans, GO PATRIOTS!

Analyzing New England Patriots' Defensive Drafting Strategy (2000-2009)

Patrick Felicita — Sat, 09 May 2009 16:19:47 -0400

After the recently concluded 2009 draft, experts have given Bill Belichick's New England Patriots very high grades. Over the years, the Patriots have been cunningly calculating in the draft, they might have had few misses (say it with me, Chad Jackson) but they also have a lot of hits.

This analysis will try to get a read on the Patriots' drafting philosophy in selecting their defensive personnel by going through their statistics since coach Bill Belichick took over.

1. Coach Bill Belichick values Defense as much as the Offense

Since coach Belichick took over in 2000 up to the latest 2009 draft, Bill Belichick drafted 89 players.

Of the 89 players that coach Belichick drafted, 43 were defensive players, another 43 were offensive personnel and the remaining 3 for special teams. 43 for defense, 43 for offense means that coach Belichick understands the value of both phases of the game.

2. Coach Bill Belichick builds his defense from the Defensive Line

Of the 89 players that were drafted, fifteen (15) were drafted as defensive linemen. Since the Patriots employ a 3-4 defense (three defensive linemen), it would mean 15 players for three positions or simply five defensive lineman are drafted for each of those three spots.

A ratio of 1:5 in drafting defensive linemen means coach Belichick stockpiles DLs because the Patriots defense relies heavily on what happens in the line of scrimmage.

3. Coach Bill Belichick doesn't like drafting linebackers

Ten(10) linebackers were drafted since Belichick took over and in a 3-4 (four linebackers), what it tells us is that ONLY ten players were drafted for four linebacker spots available or roughly two players for each LB spot.

The 1:2.5 ratio indicates two things, one is that coach Belichick prefers signing veterans as his linebackers and two, the linebacker position is the most complex position in the Patriots defense that the Patriots will draft almost only one linebacker per draft to be able to focus their attention on that player's development.

4. Coach Belichick values the defensive backfield like he does his defensive line

In a typical 3-4 defense, there are four defensive backs that complete the defense. Since Belichick took over the Patriots, the Patriots have drafted a total of eighteen(18) defensive backs for four DB spots or almost 5 DBs for each spot. The ratio 1:4.5 drafting rate for defensive backs almost equals that of the DL(1:5).

There are two reasons for this, first is that the Patriots defensive flexibility comes from the backfield like safeties becoming extra linebackers, corners blitzing, etc. and second is the defensive backs are expected to be the play makers with the front seven generating the pressure.

On a final thought, I'd like to bring up the Forbes article stating that the New England Patriots are one of the worst drafting teams but Belichick described the drafting process best:

"You put them into a professional program which is a lot different than a college program. You start talking about a lot more time, a lot more money, a different schedule, different demands [and] some kids respond differently to that. How they will actually do when they get in there you won’t know until they get in there. You can guess, but you don’t have the evidence liked you’d have if you took a player from another NFL team. You will get a lot better evaluation on that. So, it’s a very inexact science but we do the best we can. "

Exactly inexact!

Darius Butler: Asante Samuel's Second Coming?

Patrick Felicita — Mon, 04 May 2009 04:01:42 -0400

The 2008 defensive backfield was atrocious, abominable, horrible, disgusting, awful, and every possible adjective you could think of that is synonymous to bad. So what do the Patriots do? They rebuild the cornerback position. With Mike Richardson as the longest tenured Patriot cornerback, its safe to assume that coach Belichick has had enough.

So what does he do?

Belichick gets Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden via free agency but he doesn't stop there, with the Patriots third pick in the 2009 draft, he picks Darius Butler from UConn then he ships Ellis Hobbs to Philadelphia for two fifth-rounders and later signs undrafted FA Jamar Love. That much tells you how disgusted Belichick was at the corner position.

The highest expectations though are on Darius Butler who was considered a steal at 41. A player who a lot of scouting experts compare to former Patriot Asante Samuel.

So how do these two players compare with each other? Let's take a look at the scouting report on these two guys from Pro Football Weekly.

Here is PFW's take on Darius Butler

(5-10 3⁄8, 183, 4.46)

Positives: Outstanding foot quickness. Excellent, natural athletic ability with an outstanding, 43-inch vertical. Loose-hipped. Pedals smoothly, transitions and pops out of his breaks with little wasted movement. Explosive—broad-jumped 13 feet, four inches at the Combine. Excelled in one-on-one drills at the Senior Bowl.

Sticks to receivers in man coverage. Good zone awareness. Attacks the ball in the air like a receiver. Showed very good hands and ball skills when lined up as a receiver. Has return ability. Has NFL bloodlines.

Negatives: Is very thin-framed, weak and will shy and turn down contact. Narrow-hipped with a thin frame. Does not support the run. Hits like a marshmallow. Gives up too much separation. Gets beat more than he makes plays on the ball — zero interceptions as a senior.

Was abused by Rutgers WR Kenny Britt and could struggle to handle big receivers. Soft playing temperament could always lend itself to durability issues.

Here is PFW's analysis on Asante Samuel in 2003

(5-10, 185, 4.51)

Positives: Very good quick-twitch athlete with quick feet and good balance. Can peddle and turn without losing much in transition. Shows good ball skills and breaks on the ball well. Has decent hands, returns punts with vision and has shown skill as a kick blocker.

Negatives: Average at best versus the run and does not tackle that well. Quicker-than-fast player who does not have great makeup speed. Tends to leave a lot of cushion when in pass coverage. Seems to have a hard time catching punts at times and tends to catch them off to the side.

If you look at closely, Butler's 40 was better than Samuel's (4.46 vs 4.51) but it wasn't speed that made Asante one of the best cornerbacks in the league. It was the great ball instincts that he had and taking on chances to make a big time play.

Another difference is that Samuel was always willing to make big hits on those bigger receivers which cannot be said of Butler.

It is also interesting to note that Butler is very lanky. One wonders if he needs to add at least 5-10 pound before the training camp starts.

Overall, I'd say he is an upgrade over Jason Webster, Deltha O'neal, Lewis Sanders and perhaps Ellis Hobbs of 2008 cornerbacks past. Only time will tell though if he could be as great as Asante Samuel.

Ron Brace: Vince Wilfork's Replacement or 4-3 DT Cohort?

Patrick Felicita — Sat, 02 May 2009 14:35:12 -0400

Considering the Vince Wilfork contract situation, the New England Patriots drafted Ron Brace as their second pick in 2009 draft. This pick was a move with eyes on 2010 because although Vince Wilfork went public to say how much he wants to stay, we never really know how much money he really wants.

Asante Samuel pretty much said the same words but still cashed in when the free agency came. So if Vince (who I really love as Pats' NT) and the Patriots don't get on the same page, they have a very able backup in Ron Brace.

Let's see how these two compare with each other.

Here is NFLDraftScout.com's analysis on Ron Brace

Positives: Square-framed, naturally large man. Surprising initial quickness off the snap to disrupt the play before it has a chance to begin. Good lateral quickness to slide down the line. Good use of hands to slap away the blockers' attempts to control him.

Good overall strength, especially in his lower body, to hold up at the point. Can anchor against the double-team and flashes the ability to split. Able to close if given a free lane. Recognizes the action quickly and can slide off the block onto the runner as he goes by. Versatile defender capable of projecting as a zero-, one- or three-technique at the next level.

Negatives: Only "phone booth" quickness. Requires a free lane to close on the quarterback and isn't going to provide significant interior pass rush. Marginal effort and ability in pursuit. Flanked by a better prospect in Raji and often faces only one blocker. Struggled with a recurring back injury in 2008.

Concern over back injury only heightened considering his heavy build and potential to allow his weight to get out of control.

and this is NFLDraftScout.com's take on Vince Wilfork in 2004

Positives: Normal-to-short strider who flashes good speed and a short burst to close...Despite his size, he has the foot quickness and change-of-direction agility to flash power and explosion down the line...Has good functional strength at the point of attack... Shows the arm power and hand usage to create separation, stuff and shed...

Will strike and explode into blockers...Has the raw strength to collapse the pocket and gives a solid second effort to disengage...Displays good desire to get to the passer through his backside pursuit...Has a great motor, getting into the backfield in an instant...Shows the foot speed to stalk the ball carriers turning the corner and the quickness to mirror receivers in the short area passing game...

Has an aggressive nature, doing an excellent job to defeat combo blocks and double teams with forceful rip, swim and club moves... His lateral agility, change-of-direction quickness, low pad level and massive frame could be ideal plugging the middle in a 3-4 defensive alignment.

Negatives: Despite his power, he shows inconsistency when trying to stack, mostly due to his narrow leg base...Short-arms at times, which lets blockers get into his chest too much...Plays too high in his stance due to his soft midsection preventing him from getting down in a three-point...Must be in front of the ball carrier in order to make the tackles, as he lacks the proper arm technique to stalk, wrap and secure...

Lacks good cross face moves needed to get gap penetration and his high stance makes him appear sluggish when combating the low blocks...Good tackler, but his inability to properly extend his arms prevents him from wrapping when tackling

If Vince Wilfork decides not to re-up with the Patriots, Ron Brace would have been schooled for a year in the nose tackle position and the transition in the NT would be a bit easier. Considering the premium of the nose tackle on the 3-4 defense and the difficulty of finding good NTs in the draft, this was a borderline great pick for the Patriots.

But here is one interesting thought, what if Vince Wilfork decides to stay with the Pats and Coach Belichick decides to change to a base 4-3 alignment, wouldn't it be scary to have Vince and Ron side by side? With those two having their hands on the dirt, Jarod Mayo's potential would be totally unleashed, perhaps making him Patriots' version of Ray Lewis or Junior Seau.

Patrick Chung: A Troy Polamalu in the Making?

Patrick Felicita — Fri, 01 May 2009 00:12:27 -0400

The New England Patriots started reshaping the defensive backfield as soon as the offseason started and then continued to overhauling the 2008 defensive burnfield, I meant, backfield via the 2009 draft. After a number of wheeling-and-dealing on the draft, they finally drafted their top pick on the second round.

The Patriots drafted fourth year senior safety from Oregon State, Patrick Chung, as their top pick but a lot of so-called experts were not enamored with this guy. But if you examine this guy closely, you would see a lot of similarities, in terms of game style, with Steeler's Troy Polamalu.

Here is an analysis from NFLDraftScout.com on Patrick Chung

Positives: Well-built, versatile athlete who has seen time at cornerback and as a returner. ...Flashes explosive hitting ability. ...Reads the action quickly and is seemingly always around the ball.

Good lateral quickness, acceleration and smooth change-of-direction agility while in zone coverage. ... Attacks underneath routes and rarely allows the receiver to cross with the ball unscathed. ... Closes quickly on the ballcarrier.

Receivers are cognizant of him when going over the middle. ... Quick enough to hang with receivers for a few seconds in the deep half. ... Among the more reliable open-field tacklers in the country and should be an excellent last line of defense at the NFL level. ... Accomplished blitzer.

Few have Chung's ability to explode into ballcarriers while wrapping their arms securely. ... Whether deep in coverage or attacking the line of scrimmage, he limits the yards gained at the point he meets the ballcarrier. ... Consistently swarms to the ball. ... Durable, consistent performer. ... Instinctive defender. ... Should be a leader on defense and special teams.

Negatives: Questionable deep speed and is a bit shorter than scouts prefer because of their coverage duties against tight ends. ... Physical player who can get a bit grabby while in coverage, leading to some holding calls. ... Attacks the line or underneath routes too quickly, leaving room for the deep ball behind him. ... At his best facing the quarterback and running downhill toward the ball.

Here is Profootballweekly.com's take on Troy Polamalu on the 2003 draft

Positives: Strongest player on the team on a pound-for-pound basis. Has a 600-pound squat. Real warrior who is totally dedicated to getting better. Good football intelligence and flexibility. Great motor and competitiveness. Excellent in run support and tackling.

Will wrap up. Can backpedal and cover. Gets a good jump and can adjust to the ball. Has good range.

Intense, physical and tough with a high motor. Strong. Good planting and driving. Can cover tight ends and backs. Very good punt blocker. Explosive. Big 10 1/4-inch hands. Can cover man-to-man. Big-time hitter who has receivers hearing footsteps. An extra linebacker vs. the run.

Excellent speed and suddenness to close. Showed improvement every year. Special-teams captain as a junior and senior. Can cover most slot receivers. Instinctive and can accelerate.

Negatives: Short for the NFL and is not a real ballhawk. Misses plays because he is out of position. Does not read keys well and diagnose. Struggles covering man deep. Plays out of control and lacks great change of direction. Skills will translate to the NFL, but measurables might not. Gets carried away. Prefers setting up a well-timed hit to break up a play over going for an interception. Does not have great playing speed and range.

Given that Troy Polamalu took at least a couple of years to become the player that he is known now, it would be fair to give Chung the same leeway. And it if turns out to be just like Polamalu, then the Patriots' backfield could finally put some semblance of fear once again in the opponent's heart, much like the good ole Harrison wham-bam, smash-mouth football days. Then the sight of a tight end getting 16 yards on a 3rd-and-15 (the 16 yards that cost the Patriots the playoffs) would never again occur!