Bleacher Report - Articles by Ken Howes

Derrick Burgess Solidifies New England Patriots' Defense

Ken Howes — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:23:59 -0400

Coming into training camp, there was one glaring hole in the New England Patriots' projected lineup. Tom Brady would be back at quarterback. There would be an embarrassment of riches at running back and wide receiver. The lines were solid. The defensive backfield had received major reinforcements with the signings of Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden and with the drafting of safety Patrick Chung and cornerback Darius Butler.

One inside linebacker spot was solid with Jerod Mayo, and the other would be all right for one more year with Tedy Bruschi. One outside linebacker spot was strong with Adalius Thomas. But what was going to happen at the other outside linebacker spot?

That spot had been held for years by Mike Vrabel, the jack-of-all-trades who could play the run or the pass, rush the passer, and even come in on offense as an extra tight end. Vrabel, however, had slowed badly last year, and in the offseason the Patriots traded him to the Kansas City Chiefs. Who would replace him?

The Patriots had Pierre Woods, who had turned in a decent but not great performance last year, when Thomas was hurt. They re-acquired Tully Banta-Cain, who had served them well as a situational pass rusher but had fizzled in San Francisco when handed a starting job.

They had Shawn Crable and Vince Redd, imposing physical specimens who were hurt last year and never really had a chance to show what they could do. Until last week, it appeared the Patriots had nothing but question marks at OLB opposite Thomas.

Then the Patriots acquired Derrick Burgess, formerly a killer pass rusher with the Eagles and then the Raiders. There is now only one question mark. That is whether he is fully recovered from the injuries that kept him from playing a full season last year.

If he is, the Patriots are all set. Burgess can jam running lanes and can rush the passer with the best of them. He will probably not be put into deep pass drops very often; he will be able to handle coverage in the flat satisfactorily. But they didn't get him to cover receivers. His time will be spent in opposing backfields. Assuming he is fully healthy, the Patriots have solved their problem and should return to an elite level on defense. This looks like a very good year for the Patriots.

The Greatest Month for Sports

Ken Howes — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:05:26 -0400

October is the greatest sports month. Some might even say it's the greatest month in general, especially those of us from places that have great fall foliage. In the crisp yet not numbing cool of October, the weather is perfect for the exertions of the sports field. Old arguments are settled and new ones are created.

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"Aging Patriots" a Cliché, Not Reality

Ken Howes — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:00:57 -0400

Sportswriters, both professional and amateur, continue to write about the "aging Patriots defense." There was some truth to that two years ago, with a linebacker corps of Mike Vrabel, Rosevelt Colvin, Tedy Bruschi, Junior Seau, Adalius Thomas and Larry Izzo. Thomas was the baby at 30.

Today Vrabel is gone by trade.Seau and Colvin have probably returned to their retirement for good now, and Izzo left in free agency. Bruschi appears to be on his last legs. It is unlikely that he will finish 2009 as a starting ILB for the Patriots, even if he begins the season in that role. By crunch time, Thomas, only two years ago the "baby" of the group, will be its old man, a big, fast, hard-hitting linebacker at the top of his career.

The Patriots have brought back Tully Banta-Cain, a promising pass-rushing OLB when he left in free agency a few years ago. He discovered that life wasn't as good when you didn't have ten guys with Super Bowl rings out on the field with you, and eleven more on the offense who could hold the ball long enough that you could rest before going back onto the field.

He flourished in New England before; there is no reason to believe that he will not do so again. Unlike the departing linebackers, Banta-Cain is 28. He is just entering his peak years.

A secondary that, a few years ago, had Ty Law, Tyrone Poole and Rodney Harrison as its mainstays now has Brandon Meriweather, Ellis Hobbs and Leigh Bodden in those roles, all 28 or younger.

Now, as then, the free safety is young. The only older defensive back in the mix is Shawn Springs; his role will likely be one in which his age will be a factor.

The defensive line, at 27 (Wilfork), 28 (Warren) and 29 (Seymour) is still years away from being an aging one. Instead, it is probably the best one in the NFL. All are prime run-stuffers; all can push the pocket, getting some sacks for themselves and generating some for the linebackers.

The often discussed problem of Wilfork and Seymour both coming to the ends of their contracts this year is less of a problem than one might think. 2010 will be a no-salary-cap season. While the best clubs are restrained in raiding other clubs' free agents, they are under no such limitations on holding their own. The odds are very good that both will re-sign, and the Patriots are likely to keep that line for some time to come.

The line also has quality depth, with Jarvis Green, Mike Wright and LeKevin Smith all decent, if not overwhelming, backups. Green has often shown that he could step in as a starter with no harm to their defense.

At this point, there is no such thing as the "aging Patriots defense." They have one man to replace. Most of their defensive rebuilding will be upgrading their existing roster rather than filling vacancies left behind by older players. The league still has many years of powerful Patriots teams to face.

Patriots' Draft Picture Transformed with Bodden, Peppers Deals

Ken Howes — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 21:09:16 -0400

Only two weeks ago, Patriots fans thought they knew what the upcoming draft would look like. There were serious holes in the team's defense. If those holes were not patched

The Patriots had a horrendous problem at cornerback. Right corner Ellis Hobbs was only average and overwhelmed by big receivers. The left corner was no man's land. Terrence Wheatley had looked decent on that corner, but was hurt, as he had been in college. They also wanted depth at safety.

They were aging at linebacker. Tedy Bruschi and Mike Vrabel were both approaching the end of their useful lives as linebackers. The younger linebackers on the roster were unlikely to prove as good as what those two old warriors had been in their championship years. Pierre Woods and Eric Alexander were no Bruschi or Vrabel.

At wide receiver, they were top-heavy. Randall Moss is a superstar receiver. Wes Welker is an outstanding possession receiver. Behind that, however, wasn't much. Jabar Gaffney left.

So we all thought the pile of high choices the Patriots were amassing would be used to restock the linebacker corps and the defensive backfield. A receiver would be somewhere in the mix. All of that is now out the window.

The Patriots picked up Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden. Springs is 34. At that age, he was strictly a way for the Pats to buy time until a young defensive back could emerge.

Bodden is another story. He is 27, just entering his best years. This is a No. 1 cornerback who could anchor the Patriots' pass defense for years. He will not have to be replaced for many years.

Now it appears that the Patriots are about to acquire Julius Peppers from the Panthers. As the commercial says, "This changes everything." Peppers has been a defensive end his entire professional career.

However, that was in a 4-3 defensive system. The Patriots have very successfully converted defensive ends into linebackers. Mike Vrabel, Tedy Bruschi and Willie McGinest were all defensive ends until Bill Belichick got his defensive system in place.

The Patriots' great 2003 defense had by far the biggest outside linebackers in football, with 270-pound Willie McGinest and 261-pound Mike Vrabel.

Now they propose to have even bigger outside linebackers, with 270-pound Adalius Thomas and 283-pound Julius Peppers. Peppers has been a great pro, and he is still only 29. If Bill Belichick thinks Peppers can be a strong-side linebacker, he probably can.

Then the Patriots went out and solidified their depth at wide receiver. Long-time burner Joey Galloway and veteran No. 3 receiver Greg Lewis joined the Patriots, leaving their receiver corps quite as strong as it was in the record-setting 2007 season.

The Patriots now enter the draft with their cornerback situation solid. Corner is no longer an issue. Likewise, outside linebacker, with Thomas and Peppers backed up by Woods, Tully Banta-Cain, Shawn Crable, and Vince Redd, is no longer even in the picture unless someone is available as an absolute steal.

Inside linebacker is still a serious issue. Only Jerod Mayo is a given in the middle. Tedy Bruschi is at the end of the line. If he plays this year, this is it. The left inside linebacker position must be filled to keep the defense together. The best inside linebacker at whom the Patriots are likely to have a shot is James Laurinaitis.

Again, the Patriots' defensive scheme emphasizes big linebackers. Laurinaitis, at 240 and unlikely to get any bigger, is barely big enough for their system. Jasper Brinkley of South Carolina, though not having as complete a package of skills as Laurinaitis, may fit what the Patriots do better than Laurinaitis.

Brinkley will probably be available late in the second round, so there is no particular pressure to take Laurinaitis with their No. 23 pick in the first round. That being the case, it is now time to look at the Patriots' other needs and the prospects that are on the board.

There is obviously no need to use a high draft choice for a quarterback, a defensive lineman, a center, left tackle or guard. At all those positions, the Patriots' players are Pro Bowl caliber or nearly so.

Outside linebacker and cornerback are now firm, and there is enough wide receiver depth to make that at most a second-day concern, looking for the future burner who succeeds Joey Galloway.

On the other hand, the Patriots are in a running back by committee situation. Laurence Maroney has been inconsistent and brittle. Sammy Morris has been great when he has played, but he, too, has been brittle. Fred Taylor is a fine runner, but at his age, may be nearing the end of his career. Kevin Faulk is best used as a third-down back, and he, too, is getting older.

All that does not make running back an area of need, but it does mean that it is an area for possible improvement and stabilization. The most talented back in this draft is Chris Wells of Ohio State. He is a big back of the same kind as most backs who have been effective in New England, from Sam Cunningham to Corey Dillon.

The acquisition of niche backs can also receive more attention than it would have. The departure of Heath Evans leaves the Patriots without a fullback unless Morris is shifted to fullback.

Faulk's age means that his successor will be needed in another year or two. This writer has already mentioned behemoth fullback Jorvorskie Lane of Texas A&M; there are several possibilities for a third-down back.

The offensive line can also now become more of a priority. There are several big road-grader types available to play right tackle, to upgrade that position. The eventual successor at left tackle might also be found among a couple of tackles who have shown surprising athleticism. More offensive line help might be worth getting in the lower rounds.

Some have suggested drafting tight end Brandon Pettigrew. It is very questionable whether he would be any improvement over Benjamin Watson. That suggestion is a nonstarter.

The New England Patriots and the Draft

Ken Howes — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 21:34:07 -0400

The critical need for the Patriots this year was a cornerback. The left corner was a disaster area this year, as the Patriots were second-worst in the league in yielding touchdown passes. They have filled that need temporarily with Shawn Springs. Springs is an outstanding corner. However, he is at an age where he's not likely to improve, and is likely within two or three years to see his performance slip.

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Running the Fullback

Ken Howes — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 13:33:50 -0400

For many years, the standard offensive set—even now often referred to as the "pro set"--had two running backs. One, the halfback, was generally called upon to do the outside running and some receiving, while the other, the fullback, did most of the inside running and some blocking.

The roles were not exclusive—fullbacks sometimes ran outside (notably Jim Taylor of the Packers) and halfbacks sometimes ran inside (Calvin Hill of the Cowboys), many fullbacks (Tony Galbreath of the Saints) were great receivers and many halfbacks (Jim Kiick of the Dolphins) were great blockers. But as a rule, those were the positions and their roles.

That began to change in the late '70s and early '80s, as some teams began to have big backs carry the ball more from the halfback spot and run mostly inside. Earl Campbell was the first of these, followed by Eric Dickerson, though both men did from time to time run from the fullback spot—when Campbell got to New Orleans, he was a fullback, and Dickerson was used interchangeably as a halfback or fullback.

George Rogers was a big back running from the halfback spot. The Redskins' use of single-back sets also contributed to the downgrading of the fullback position.

In the mid-1980's, many fullbacks were still their teams' lead rushers—John Riggins, Craig James, and Roger Craig come to mind. However, in the late 1980's, Bill Walsh changed his offensive scheme.

By 1988, Craig, who had been the 49ers' fullback for several years, was moved to halfback, with Tom Rathman at fullback. Rathman carried the ball a little, but his real job was to block. Walsh was the leading mind in football offensive strategy at the time, and other coaches rapidly followed his lead.

The fullback position changed into being essentially that of an extra tight end lined up in the backfield, there to provide more flexible blocking and receiving schemes than a second tight end on line would give. A few fullbacks still got the ball—Charles Way of the Giants and Mike Alstott of the Buccaneers.

However, Way's role vanished once Tiki Barber became the featured back of the Giants, and Alstott's running came increasingly from the halfback position, especially after Tony Dungy was replaced by Jon Gruden as head coach; when he lined up at fullback, he was going to block or receive, not run. Oddly, Gruden had, in Oakland, been one of the few other coaches who ran his fullback—Zack Crockett was another of the fullbacks who got the ball.

Today the fullback as a runner has almost disappeared. The Patriots and Seahawks sometimes run their fullbacks; Marc Edwards and Heath Evans have seen some use in the last ten years in Foxborough, and Mack Strong did some running in Seattle. But even these teams never run their fullback more than perhaps 50 times a year, and most teams run their fullback less than ten times a year.

John Madden has been loudly critical of using the fullback. He launched into a tirade against the Chicago Bears when they failed to get a first down with a fullback dive, going on about how the fullback, with no blocking back in front of him, could not get the necessary yardage. This seems to be the current conventional wisdom.

That is strange coming from the man whose featured runners, when he was a head coach, were fullbacks. In 1969 and 1970, his top runner was fullback Hewritt Dixon, and Dixon was succeeded by fullbacks Marv Hubbard and Mark Van Eeghen, big pounders all who slammed into the line with no other back in front of them.

When the fullback carries the ball, it is quite true that he has no other blocking back in front of him, unless perhaps a tight end is put in motion and delivers a "wham" block in the middle of the line. His blocking is whatever lineman is in front of him. The halfback gets an additional block from the fullback when he runs from a two-back set.

The argument, though, is not as strong as it sounds. First, many teams no longer have any lead blocking back at all. The Indianapolis Colts generally do not even carry a fullback on their roster (tight end Dallas Clark's number 44 reflects a time when they did), and a great many teams use a three wide receiver set as their standard offense. Their halfbacks run all the time without another back in front of them.

In short yardage situations, the lead blocker does gain additional value, as power becomes of the essence. The fullback, however, has his own advantages.

In the I formation generally used in short yardage situations, the halfback is usually lined up 6-8 yards behind the line. The fullback is typically 3-4 yards back from the line. That means that he gets to the line much more quickly than the halfback.

When, in a short yardage situations, the defense becomes aware that the play is a run into the line, it has to close on that run. If it does not, the runner just cuts off his block and breaks into the secondary for a big gain. So the linebackers head for the point of attack to seal the hole as quickly as possible.

Typically there are three or four linebackers. If he is in a blocking role, the fullback will attempt to drive out or at least block off the first of them to arrive at the point of attack. He cannot, however, block all of them, let alone a strong safety who is probably also coming on quickly. They are likely to arrive at the point of attack almost as soon as the halfback arrives.

On the other hand, if the fullback is carrying the ball, he is getting to the point of attack before more than one linebacker can arrive. He is coming straight on, firing out of his set and hitting the hole. If he is a really powerful runner, he can drive the linebacker, who is moving sideways and avoiding the traffic, back a couple of yards.

Further, the offensive lineman (usually a guard) through whose spot the play is designed to run will usually get a momentary surge as he hits the defensive lineman while the latter is still diagnosing the play. That lasts only briefly. By the time a halfback can get to the hole, unless the offensive lineman is really driving the defensive lineman, the latter has recovered from the initial impact and is closing on the play.

On the other hand, the fullback hits the hole almost immediately. When he gets there, unless the defensive lineman has absolutely squashed the blocker, the defensive lineman is in no position to help bring the fullback down.

A really powerful fullback can hit that line and move the pile a yard or two almost every time. Mack Strong was able to do that. Heath Evans' almost unheard-of 67 percent success rate (see the 2008 Pro Football Prospectus) shows that he could do it. NFL teams would be well to escape the herd mentality and regain the short-yardage capability that men like Csonka, Nance, Harris and Cunningham used to give their teams.

Terrell Owens—Goodbye!

Ken Howes — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:29:21 -0500

The inevitable happened again, as it always does with Terrell Owens. The worst of football's bad boys wore out his welcome in Dallas, and the Cowboys cut him loose. In Dallas as everywhere else, his conduct finally outweighed his talent.

It truly is a shame. This is a man with tremendous speed and leaping ability. When his mind is on the game, he has great hands. Unfortunately, his mind isn't always on the game, and when it turns to other things, bad things happen.

The problem includes his bad-mouthing of quarterbacks, coaches, and other receivers. It becomes difficult for the necessary bond of teammates to form when one player insists on speaking ill of the others around him. To be sure, TO's comments late last year on the Cowboys were nowhere near as bad as his vicious attacks on Jeff Garcia and Donovan McNabb on his previous teams.

They were, however, bad enough. A quarterback can't be thinking in a game situation whether another receiver will take offense. TO complained that Tony Romo was preferring Jason Witten to him as a primary receiver.

There was another part of the TO problem. Many writers seem to miss that TO regularly drops more passes than any other receiver in the league. When TO is disgruntled, his concentration is off, and he drops balls. No team can have its' No. 1 receiver doing that.

We have all seen through the years how former bad boys Bryan Cox, Corey Dillon, and Randy Moss became good teammates with the New England Patriots. One wonders how much of that is Bill Belichick, and since 2003, the combined force of Tom Brady, Mike Vrabel, Rodney Harrison, and Tedy Bruschi. They are no-nonsense leaders who make sure that every new arrival knows that funny business is not how things are done in the northeastern blue and silver. Vrabel is gone, but the culture remains.

Unfortunately for the southwestern blue and silver, there doesn't seem to be anyone in Dallas capable of calling bad actors on the carpet and straightening them out. Ever since Jimmy Johnson left town, it has been one bad apple after another misbehaving. No one seems able to communicate that the Dallas Cowboys are supposed to be a team.

Certainly, that message never got to TO. Maybe it never will.

New England Patriots Confound Haters With Trade

Ken Howes — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:21:39 -0500

Hating the New England Patriots has become a cottage industry in the press. There is a certain coterie of writers for whom everything the "Cheatriots" and "Belicheat" do must be "cheating". Among these are Jay Mariotti, formerly of the Chicago Sun-Times, and Pete Prisco of CBS. The most negative spin they can find on every move the Patriots make is the one they'll put on it.

A few days ago, the Patriots traded QB Matt Cassel and veteran OLB Mike Vrabel to the Kansas City Chiefs for the Chiefs' second draft pick. What was predictable was that Prisco and Mariotti would have something bad to say about the Patriots following the trade. What was less predictable was that their complaints about the Patriots would be mutually contradictory.

Prisco's rant was the usual sort. He said that Bill Belichick, that old swindler, had cheated his own friend, Scott Pioli, palming off a one-season wonder QB and a washed-up old LB on the Chiefs for a pick that is so high in the second round as to be almost a first-rounder.

Mariotti's was harder to follow. His complaint was that Belichick had given Pioli such an incredible sweetheart deal that the league should investigate it. Apparently, if this tough operator isn't ripping off someone, he must be doing something REALLY sinister!

The truth of the deal is somewhere in between. The Patriots sent two players whose value might be quite a bit more than that second-round pick to the Chiefs. However, there is no assurance that their value really is that.

It is quite possible that Cassel is a flash in the pan, with nothing to follow. Anyone who remembers Matt Cavanaugh, Frank Reich, Scott Mitchell or A.J. Feeley will prefer to wait and see if there's any more where that came from. It is just as possible that Mike Vrabel has nothing left in the tank.

Just a few years ago, the Pats let Willie McGinest go, at the same age that Vrabel is now. The Browns signed him and found that he was at best an average linebacker. The Patriots, for their part, signed Chad Brown in 2005, also the same age, only to find that he had nothing left. That may be the case with Vrabel now.

If such is the case as to each of them, then the Patriots have unloaded some very disappointing players on the Chiefs for a choice that should bring a very good prospect to Foxborough. However, there is also the upper end of the deal for the Chiefs. What if Cassel and Vrabel are better than that?

Cassel's numbers in 2008 were those of a well above average quarterback. He had a problem with handling the pass rush early in the year, but by November, he was not being sacked any more than most quarterbacks and he had several big games. If he produces the same numbers for the Chiefs, he will be the best QB they have had since Trent Green's best years. That would be worth a first-round draft choice.

Vrabel was, as recently as 2007, one of the two or three best outside linebackers in football. If he can recapture anything resembling that form with a new team, he would be worth a mid-round pick. So if these players play at the level for which the Chiefs are hoping, they have acquired players worth a first and a third- or fourth-round pick all for the price of a second.

The problem the haters have is that either scenario, each providing the basis for its proponent's screech about the Patriots, is plausible. If it is plausible, then, whether or not things turn out that way, the writer who suggested the opposite is simply engaged in hysteria. Since both are plausible, both writers are simply ranting against a team they hate. They are contributing nothing to any real football discussion.

Prisco is actually capable of good articles when he is not on his soapbox. Mariotti is just showing why Ozzie Guillen reacted to him as he did. He makes irresponsible, vicious attacks with little to back them up, and he has done so again now.

Crusaders Turning a Corner

Ken Howes — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 19:54:26 -0500

This has not been an easy season for Valparaiso University's basketball team. Two key seniors, Shawn Huff and Jarryd Loyd, graduated last year. Their promising center, Bryan Bouchie, who was so impressive in a post-season win over Washington last year, transferred to Evansville. Brandon McPherson, a quick guard, was injured at the beginning of the season. They were left with two seniors, power forward Urule Igbavboa and guard Jake Diebler, no juniors and two sophomores, Howard Little and Michael Rogers. Everyone else on the team is a freshman. This on a team that had just moved into the strong Horizon League from the Mid-Continent Conference that Valparaiso had dominated for over a decade.

There is finally a light at the end of the tunnel that isn't an oncoming train. The team, after having been left with no big man with the loss of Bouchie, will have Beas Hamga, a 7-foot center who transferred in from UNLV. Also coming in is Cory Johnson, a 6'7 forward who transferred from Iowa State but had to sit out this season because of transfer rules. Forwards Benjamin Fumey and Cameron Witt will also have a year's experience behind them and should play a bigger part next year.

The team has had a couple of encouraging games of late, good wins over Wisconsin-Green Bay, Akron and Loyola. They put up good fights against high-ranked Butler and a strong Illinois-Chicago team. The team is plainly better now than it was earlier in the season. "Wait till next year" is a cliché, but when applied to Valpo, it is a true expression of hope. This should be a good team next year.