FOXBOROUGH - They say sacks aren't the be-all end-all when it comes to affecting the quarterback. Pressures and hurries (if you want to define them as different entities) and hits all matter equally. Well, I've got news for you. The Patriots aren't doing nearly enough of any of it, and if you weren't certain that this should be their primary focus with the trade deadline almost upon us (4 p.m. Tuesday), yesterday should have pushed you over the edge.
The Pats got to Michael Penix just once, and that was in the first quarter. He is not Mr. Mobility either, which is partly why Atlanta rarely puts him under center (the other reason being that the team is poorly coordinated). The Falcons had a chance, in part, because Penix was able to sit back there and wait for Drake London to get open, or close to open, before throwing him one 50/50 ball after another. A better, more coordinated rush, or just one ass kicker on the edge, would have put an end to that.
When I asked Mike Vrabel if the defense was doing enough to affect the quarterback, especially of late, he gave a diplomatic answer.
"I think we can always do more," he said at his Monday morning press conference. "Thought we had some good rushes yesterday. I thought we had some impactful rushes. We got off the field on third down. We've talked about the ability to get into second-and-long situations and affect the quarterback. Got the grounding on the one (so) that's significant.
"I think it just has to continue to improve and understand where those opportunities are. They don't always occur on third down. We have to find ways to go rush and affect the quarterback outside of third down."
The Pats now have 19 sacks in 9 games. Don't forget, they led the league after two weeks (8 total). Since then, they've been like the guy who forgot to put his dentures in - toothless far too often. That's why Vrabel and company had talked to the Dolphins about Jaelen Phillips (traded this morning to Philadelphia for a 3rd round pick), and, per league sources, continue to make calls around the league assessing what it would take to make a deal. Other names that could make sense/be on their radar include Arden Key in Tennessee (who played under Vrabel for one season), Malcolm Koonce in Vegas, and, if Miami really wanted to strip it down to the studs, Bradley Chubb. However, his contract is a little more onerous. Cincinnati's ask for Trey Hendrickson remains exorbitant (a 1st). There have also been rumblings about Arnold Ebiketie, who you just saw make a couple of plays for Atlanta on Sunday, and Seattle's Boye Mafe (15 sacks over the last two seasons but zero this year as a reserve).
"Nothing new to report," Vrabel said, noting the personnel staff remains active and they'll meet as a group to decide if there's anything that makes sense.
Regardless of whether a trade is made to address this area or not, more is needed from those on the roster. Chaisson and Harold Landry are tied for the team in sacks with 5.5 each, but after a two-week heater, Chaisson finished the day with only two pressures. Ditto for Landry, who has slowed considerably after a fast start.
"I, for sure, can tell you that this front is still hungry," Chassion said on Monday. "We know that we're capable of much more than what we put on film."
But it's not just the edge guys. There's a lot of money invested in the interior defensive line. While Milton Williams was their team's most disruptive rusher against Atlanta - four pressures on 25 rushes - he still didn't record a sack. After a month or so of excellent play, Christian Barmore didn't officially record a single pressure. Vrabel had previously talked about needing more from those guys in particular, and while he didn't pound that drum again today, that's still an issue.
"It's okay," added Vrabel of the rush in general. "It needs to continue to improve, and has to be something that, whether we send four, whether we send more than four, you know, just to have a great mentality and an understanding of how we need to affect the quarterback, but also what the quarterback can do. There's so much more that can be mobile, that can extend the play, so I think that's also part of it: making sure it's relentless and coordinated."
That last part — relentless and coordinated — defined Vrabel's best defenses with the Titans. For this year's team to continue exceeding expectations, the pass rush needs to find its way home more often. The best way, at this point, is to inject one more rotational piece on the edge, where the primary backups are Anfernee Jennings (1 sack) and UDFA Elijah Ponder (0). Not good enough, not for what the Pats have become, and what they could be in the here and now.
