It's easy to look at Monday's night's contest between the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles and claim that the Eagles got the best of things, though that wouldn't necessarily be true.
Yes, the Eagles won 27-17 and found out that their 3rd round draft pick, Quarterback Nick Foles, may be the steal of the draft and, yes, their defensive ends had their way with the Patriots' offensive line - but for the entire first half and part of the third, the Patriots deep, dark depth chart hung with the front line Eagles starters - perhaps showing the rest of the NFL that the Patriots' 2nd stringers could be as good (if not better) than most team's starters.
Which is bullshit, of course, but great fodder for bandwagon jumpers and fair-weather fans. In reality, Belichick got an extended look at mostly what he has in the secondary. The defensive line is starting to take form and the Linebacking corps are - as we already know - a collection of young, athletic thugs that has the potential to be one of the best units in the league.
That's a luxury that the Patriots haven't enjoyed in quite some time, and it all comes from the stark realization that fundamental football is violent and must be played with a soldier's will power and the guile and heartlessness of an assassin - it's Darwinism being taught by Atilla the Hun - a game of violent ground acquisition in which the best prepared and most fit emerge victorious.
Bill Belichick understands this concept better than most, and his roster moves for this particular game gives us a pretty good idea of what the front seven is going to look like. His projected starters played only the first two series of the game, then took the opportunity to sit back and enjoy the pleasant late summer evening,as we watched the depth chart form before our very eyes.
Vince Wilofrk didn't play, and his battery mate Kyle Love was in on only a handful of plays, indicating that Love has a lock on an interior line spot along with Wilfork. Both Ron Brace and Brandon Deaderick have impressed enough for the team to cut free agent signee Jonathan Fanene, giving the interior line a solid look, while Defensive End Chandler Jones has a lock on the Right side. Jermaine Cunningham had the hit of the night, of course, giving Eagles Quarterback Michael Vick a shot to the ribs that he won't forget for a while.
Mayo, Spikes and Hightower appear to be locked in at Linebacker, though both Spikes and Hightower are playing like they're fighting for roster spots, even if it was only for 2 series a piece. There are a few others in the running for situational substituting but the overall feeling is that the front 7 is set - which leads us to the secondary....
...which we know nothing more about now than we did prior to the game, with the exception of a former Rugby player who probably secured a roster spot.
Nate Ebner excelled in the Big Nickle, a role that Tavon Wilson was drafted to fill. Taking over for starting Free Safety Steve Gregory in the 1st Quarter and made solid contributions in run defense and had a nifty interception in coverage support, mirroring his performances in practice this week. He also excelled in his special teams appearances, carving out a niche on the team.
Ras-I Dowling and Sterling Moore saw exclusive action at corner, while Marquis Cole took the majority of the Reps at Nickle, and former corner Will Allen took the most Reps at Safety after taking over for the injured Patrick Chung, and performed very well. My own reflection on this is that Arrington and McCourty are being viewed as the top options at corner with Dowling and Moore and Cole backing them up, while Chung and Gregory are a solid safety tandem backed up with three intriguing players.
The Patriots' next contest should tell us just how the secondary is going to come together, working in tandem with the new and improved pass rush and working in the depth - but it appears for all intents and purposes that the defense has improved greatly over this offseason, and now it's time for them to show it with a full effort against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Friday night.
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