Kyle: Nothing this year- but maybe in the future they shouldn’t cut guys who can play like Tommy Kelley just because there is a cheaper alternative on the roster. Sometimes you can’t just plug and play guys- sometimes the more expensive guy is a better player who will do more to help the team win.
Raj: Find someone who can fill in Mayo’s role. Maybe Dont’a Hightower, maybe Jamie Collins, maybe Dominique Easley? I can’t be so sure. But they have all the time in the world (not really but it feels like it) to find a replacement. This is a big issue for the Patriots but come on, Belichick is a genius. He’ll take care of this and soon it’ll feel like Mayo was never missed because the run defense will be that great.
Rick: I like the moves that the Patriots made on Tuesday in acquiring Akeem Ayers via trade as well as Alan Branch via free agency. The run defense, in my opinion, won’t get significantly better, but it can’t get any worse thanThursday night. The defensive line is being beat in the trenches and that allows running backs like Chris Ivory to get to the second level and thru the gaps at an easy rate. The Patriots also need to do a better job at tackling because this season, we have seen a lot of running backs be able to gain significant yards after contact. New England’s run defense won’t be the top in the league, but it can’t get worse, can it?
Derek: Filling in some of the defensive gaps with signings or trades is one answer, as others have already mentioned. However, if the Patriots are looking at an answer from within, I think it really comes down to fundamentals. The Patriots need to make their tackles and win the individual battles on defense. I think fatigue played a huge role in what we saw last Thursday night. Now, with the rest of the games this season coming no more frequently than 7 days apart, hopefully the Patriots are well-rested enough to dig deep in the trenches and prevent their opponents from running all over them.
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