Perhaps the greatest tragedy to come out of New England Patriots' training camp is that not one of their many candidates could unseat Steve Gregory as the starting strong safety.
Everything about him suggests free technique, he's not that great a tackler and he looks too much like Friends Joey Tribiani for anyone to really take seriously - though many times last season he was in the right place at the right time, and will always be a part of sports lore as the answer to the question "Who recovered the infamous "Butt Fumble""?
How would you like to be the guy that walks around with that Albatross hanging around his neck? Anyway, a fumble is a fumble after all, and someone has to recover it - and it's not like anyone's butt actually made contact with the ball, yet Gregory is treated like a leper wherever he goes.
Regardless, even though the linebackers are the heart of this defense and the line has the potential to be a controling force in spots, it's the play of the safeties that will ultimately decide whether this defense becomes an attacking entity that dictates to the opposing offense or if it remains the same old Bend-but-don't-break, anxiety-producing group that yeilds yards in chunks and relies on forcing the timely turnover.
There were times last season that the defense was maddeningly inconsistent, and that was usually due to a coverage mixup in the secondary, particularly amongst the safeties when the corners were in zone and passed off the receiver to the back end, Gregory and rookie Tavon Wilson being victimized time and again by taking improper angles or just by being slow to react.
So it's a problem is that no one could beat Gregory out of the starting job in camp, and more than perplexing considering that coach Bill Belichick spent some high draft picks on safeties the past two seasons - and while it's not fair to pass any sort of judgement on 2013 3rd round pick Duron Harmon, many are inclined to give 2012 2nd round pick Wilson the bum's rush out of town...
...and probably the only reason that he's still around is because free agent pick up Adrian Wilson finally realized he can't do it any more and that, besides Harmon, there's no one else on the depth chart - plus he's a core four special teams ace, so it's not exactly like he's not worth the roster spot but Belichick was probably hoping that he would make the fabled second year jump into a starting quality safety, but that's still a ways off...
...as is any hope of cornerback Alfonzo Dennard getting his legal woes behind him - his misadventures for two consecutive summers have put his freedom and subsequent availability to the Patriots in peril, as he could be sentenced to jail at a probation revocation hearing in mid-September for at least 30 days and perhaps longer.
This is why teams shy away from felons. Anyone who has been involved in the legal system knows how slowly the process moves and how imposing the sanctions can be, and when those things start to overlap the season the powers that be tend to separate themselves from the convicted...
...but by all accounts Dennard is a hell of a guy - maybe not the sharpest crayon in the box when it comes to street smarts - but a good dude and a promising young corner. If he wasn't he wouldn't still be on the roster, but the team and Dennard's legal counsel have to have an urgency in getting some clarity of his status, because it is this and the issues at strong safety that may ultimately doom this team.
Why? Well, if Dennard is making licence plates and nobody steps up and takes a stranglehold on the strong safety spot, one entire side of the back end of the defense is vulnerable, and the good teams are going to take advantage of it - which suggests the evil and wrong bend-but-don't-break thing.
But there are options, and they both come by way of Rutgers University.
Dennard has also been banged up during camp and didn't play at all in the preseason schedule, so he'll have to be incorporated into the mix slowly, leaving the door open for rookie Logan Ryan to hone his considerable skill set, as he is a better option on the corner opposite number one cover corner Aqib Talib.
In the past, Kyle Arrington was the choice by default to man the outside, but he has shown to be a much better underneath guy. Burned repeatedly on the outside, Arrington doesn't track the ball well at all, playing inside technique and relying on the sideline to keep the receiver in range, but his lack of vision results in him having to make a choice between looking back for the ball or chance losing contact with the receiver.
When covering the slot, Arrington can use the underneath traffic to his advantage, gaining an inside edge and working from an angle that allows him to look back for the ball. This also allows him to be much more physical with the receiver coming off the line and can easily bottle neck the route - add that to the fact that he is excellent in run support and it's clear that Arrington's best position is in the slot...
...leaving Ryan and journeyman Marquice Cole to back up the outside, and with Cole best suited to dime duty and special teams, the job should eventually fall to the rookie if Dennard is unable to go.
Ryan has a skill set that suggests bully. As physical off the line as any corner the Patriots have had in recent history, Ryan rarely gets cheated in the five yard mugging zone, sometimes not disengaging in time to avoid an illegal contact call - and in coverage is already adept at baiting the quarterback and jumping the route - of course he's a rookie and has much to learn and more experienced quarterbacks are going to test him early and often.
But the pairing for optimum performance out of the corners is still Aqib and Dennard - and despite the capriciousness of Dennard's potential availability issues, the cornerback scenario plays out better than the with the safety corps - unless, that is, rookie Duron Harmon steps up to the plate.
Free safety Devin McCourty, in his contract year from - yup - Rutgers, is a pro bowl quality centerfielder, with the speed and understanding of back end nuances, so having an entire training camp dedicated mostly to honing his craft should make him as indispensable as Aqib Talib is at McCourty's old corner haunt.
Harmon has the potential to be an integral part of the Patriots secondary as a rookie, partly because of the thinned out depth chart but also because of his versatility and physicality. He has good size and speed and appears to be instinctive and takes proper angles to the ball, which puts him ahead of Wilson and special teamer Nate Ebner.
With good speed, instincts and an understanding of leverage and angles, Harmon can play either Free or Strong with equal effectiveness - which, when he gains Belichick's full confidence, frees up the players in front of him to be aggressive and attack the play.
And that's what's been holding this defense up these past few seasons, the secondary not being stout enough to allow the front seven to truly attack the offense - and these rookies give that to them - in time.
It might not be evident right away, but Belichick has brought in the players that can complete the puzzle and transform a middle of the pack defense of 2012 into a dominating force this season - and given the proper scenario, the secondary could have the moniker, "Aqib Talib and Rutgers Three"...
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