New England Patriots' Camp Preview: Defensive Line

Don't count on Vince Wilfork this season.

Hypothetically, that is.  Take him right off the depth chart, pretend like he's not even here.

 
Now, what do the Patriots have at defensive tackle?  Is it enough if the five time Pro Bowl selection and 2012 first team All Pro is forced to miss a game or two - or at the very least, take a few plays off?

Entering his 10th NFL season, Wilfork has been nothing short of phenomenal - but playing for that amount of time takes a toll on the body, and even though the 6' 2" 325 pound immovable object enjoyed perhaps his finest season in 2012, if he doesn't get some help as the anchor of New England's 4-3 Base defense, chances are, we won't see that level of production ever again.

But then again, this is Vince Wilfork we're talking about - and the man is right smack in the middle of his prime and the cornerstone of a defense that could possibly be the best that the New England Patriots have ever had.

No?  The secondary is deep and athletic, the linebackers deep and violent and the defensive line deep, versatile and huge.  Bill Belichick has built this unit from the ground up to the point that for the first time in his tenure he was able to focus on conspicuously thin positions, not having to worry about masking deficiencies.

His points of focus were well known to fans, yet the experts - the guys who evaluate teams for various publications for many dollars - just don't get it. 

Going into the offseason, Belichick had three goals on defense: resign Aqib Talib, find an intimidating mid-field presence and retool the interior of the line - and Belichick aggressively punched through the market and came away with everything he needed in free agency, then brought in the finishing touches through the draft.

The biggest hole to fill on defense, that of a penetrating tackle to line up beside Wilfork and to take advantage of the double teams that his presence demands, was taken care of just two days after losing the AFC title game to the Baltimore Ravens as Belichick inked CFL All Star defensive tackle Armond Armstead to a three year deal, then signed Oakland Raiders' tackle Tommy Kelly during the free agency period.

Then once Talib came onboard with a one year "Prove it" contract and the team signed former Cardinals' enforcer, safety Adrian Wilson, the rest of the concern on the defensive side of the ball was in acquiring quality depth, and as Patriots' fans and detractors alike are about to witness in training camp, Belichick's master plan to that end has been a resounding success.

Wilfork

Vince Wilfork is the unquestioned anchor of the defensive line and, indeed, the veteran leader of the defense.  The lone constant in both good and poor years for the unit, the tenured veteran from the University of Miami has shown no sign of slowing down, as his election to the 2012 All Pro team and his admission on the prestigious USA Football's "All Fundamental Team" will attest.

Wilfork is much more than a space eater, using a low center of gravity and the strength of a bull to reestablish the opponent's line of scrimmage three yards deep, and is athletic enough to drop back in coverage in some sub packages.  The Patriots have tried for years to put an effective penetrating tackle next to him to take advantage of his constant double teams, but to no avail...

...but now along comes free agent acquisition Tommy Kelly, himself a 10 year veteran of mostly bad

Kelly

Oakland Raiders' defenses, who at 6' 6" and 325 pounds is a quick interior pass rusher who took advantage of having former Patriot Richard Seymour taking the bulk of the opposing offensive line's attention, and the starting position is his to win or lose.

Kelly should be pushed hard for the position by 1st year pass rusher and former CFL All Star defensive tackle Armond Armstead, though the team may be best served not pinning the athletic freak down to any one particular position.

Those familiar with Armstead insist that the Patriots signed a gem who would have been a 2nd or 3rd round draft pick in 2012, had he not suffered a medication-induced cardiac episode while at USC.

Armstead

What the Patriots get in the young 6' 5", 300 pound hybrid tackle/end is the versatility to line him up just about anywhere along the line and get effective penetration and provides a speedy sack artist to cause chaos in blitz and sub packages.

Second year tackle Marcus Forston, one of many undrafted free agents on the roster, vies to back up Wilfork as a run-stuffing space eater - his roster spot tenuous despite the Patriots releasing tackles Kyle Love and Brandon Deaderick in the offseason.  Though Forston's spot on the roster is far from secure, he certainly has a leg up heading into camp over rookie free agents Cory Grissom and Joe Vellano.

Vellano

Vellano could surprise, however, as he is stout against the run, shedding blocks easily and having good lateral agility once the play breaks down, but Grissom looks to be purely a camp body at this point.

Hybrid tackle/end Justin Francis, who showed some penetration ability as an undersized tackle late last season, could find a niche on the line much the same as Armstead, though he is nowhere near the athlete that Armstead is.  His relentless motor and breakthrough 3 sack performance against the Miami Dolphins late last season certainly showed that he has the attitude and technique to build upon.

There is no question regarding the starting defensive end positions in Belichick's 4-3 base.  Players don't get much more clutch than left side defensive end Rob Ninkovich, who seemed to be around the ball on just about every play, forcing five fumbles to go along with eight sacks and nearly 60 tackles.  He is a steady edge setter, as is second year end Chandler Jones , who proved to be every bit worth the 1st round draft pick the team spent on him.

Jones

Jones missed time with a severely sprained ankle, but still registered six sacks and five passes defended, mostly in the first half of the season as his second half was slowed by the ankle.  Jones worked on his strength and conditioning this offseason and has added 10 pounds of muscle to his 6' 5" frame, tipping the scales at a chiseled 280 pounds.  It remains to be seen if the extra weight affects his speed or mobility, but all signs indicate that he is both bigger and faster.

Depth on the edges is a mixture of under performing veterans fighting for roster spots along with a gaggle of mostly unknown entities.  While Francis could see time on the right backing up Jones, undersized 4 year veteran Jermaine Cunningham is fighting for his backup roster spot behind Ninkovich.

Cunningham

Cunningham was in the midst of a breakout season in 2012 before it was derailed due to a Performance Enhancing Drug suspension.  The Florida product starts camp with a harsh spotlight on him and his every move will be scrutinized as he competes with former Cleveland Brown Marcus Benard, CFL pickup Jason Vega and seventh round draft pick Michael Buchanan.

Benard had a fantastic 2011 season with the Browns, but an injury filled 2012 prompted the Browns to release the Jackson State pass rushing product, so his first order of business is to show that he is healthy and ready to compete - a healthy Benard could certainly make waves. 

While Vega looks like a camp body, Buchanan is going to get a good look from both ends of the line as he shows equal burst from either...

Bequette

...but the most intense competition could come from "red shirt" second year beast Jake Bequette , who saw little time last season despite the injury and suspension and depth issues along the line.  Bequette reportedly dominated and showed incredible speed and technique in OTA's, and while he won't challenge Jones for the starting gig, he will certainly make things very tough for everyone else.

What all this means is that Wilfork, Armstead, Kelly, Jones and Rob Ninkovich are roster locks along the line, and Francis and Forston have a leg up in the battle for backup spots, while incumbent backup end Jermaine Cunningham needs to have a solid camp to hold off the likes of Marcus Bernard. Jake Bequette, Jason Vega and Michael Buchanan...

With the additions the team has made in the offseason and the progress made by returning youngsters, the Patriots' long dormant pass rush could experience a renaissance to the championship days if the talent measures up as well on the field as they do on paper...

...and combined with the pass rushing prowess of linebacker/Defensive end hybrids Dont'a Hightower and 2013 seconds round pick Jamie Collins, Belichick has the most versatile, voracious and violent group of pass rushers that ever got after a quarterback in his tenure - all while maintaining the rock-solid run stopping defense that kept the team in games last season when the offense faltered early in the year.

The potential is present for this line to evolve into a dominating force against both the run and the pass, utilizing the talent to run anything from a base 4-3 to a 3-3-5 Big Nickle to a zero down linemen "cloud" formation in an effort to stop a play before it ever really gets started, and to end it violently when it does...

...and this season it's not so much a question of "if" they can stop a foe, rather, a question of how many ways.

Next: The Linebackers