Vince Wilfork has shown off his versatility in recent weeks, playing a handful of games at defensive end as well as at his traditional nose tackle position. With Jarvis Green and Ty Warren both listed as inactives on the Patriots' injury report, Wilfork might have to show off that ability again.
The Patriots are down to four healthy defensive linemen -- and one of those is rookie Ron Brace, a second-round pick whose limited use this season doesn't exactly scream out that the coaching staff has confidence in him. This means the Patriots could go one of three ways:
* They could play their traditional 3-4 scheme with Mike Wright at one end and either Wilfork at the nose or Myron Pryor at end or vice versa;
* They could go back to the 4-3 they played earlier this season with Wright and Wilfork at defensive tackle flanked by Tully Banta-Cain and Derrick Burgess at defensive end, leaving Gary Guyton, Jerod Mayo and Adalius Thomas to take most of the snaps at linebacker; or
* They could play most of the game in a nickel or dime formation with Brandon McGowan as a fifth defensive back in place of a true defensive lineman.
It's an interesting dilemma. Banta-Cain has played his best football when he's been lined up as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 formation, and Thomas likewise seems to have turned a corner since the Patriots went back to that same formation.
But if the Patriots were to play a true 3-4, any injury along the defensive line would force Brace into an every-down role -- and two injuries would force the Patriots to start playing their linebackers out of position.
The presence of Dallas Clark likely means McGowan will see the field on almost every snap -- especially in passing situations. The best solution might be for Wilfork and Wright to handle the bulk of the duties on the defensive line by themselves and for the Patriots to use their linebackers and defensive backs both in coverage and to send blitzers at Peyton Manning from every direction.
In a lot of ways, the deactivation of Green and Warren makes the Patriots just a little bit more unpredictable -- and that actually could give them an edge.
Showing posts with label pryor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pryor. Show all posts
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Myron Pryor emerges as a force
Vince Wilfork played each of the Patriots' first four defensive snaps against Tampa Bay last Sunday, doing what he normally does in the middle of the defensive line. When a rush for no gain set up a third-and-4, Wilfork headed for the sidelines to make way for rookie Myron Pryor.
It was Pryor, then, and not Wilfork, who was right in the middle of the defensive line when quarterback Josh Johnson unloaded a hurried pass -- a pass intercepted and returned for a touchdown by safety Brandon Meriweather.
The Patriots drafted Pryor in the sixth round of April's draft, making him the 207th player selected overall. More than half of the players drafted in the sixth round in April -- 19 of the 36, to be specific -- have yet to make an appearance in an NFL game. Pryor, who was the third-to-last pick in the sixth round, played last week as the Patriots' primary third-down nose tackle and backup to Pro Bowler Vince Wilfork.
Wilfork hasn't played nose tackle much on third down all season. The Patriots have kept him off the field on third down quite a bit all year in part to play to his strengths and in part to keep him fresh. Where they haven't been as consistent, though, is how they've replaced him on those snaps. It's interesting, in fact, to see who's replaced him on the Patriots' first third-down defensive snap in their last three games:
Broncos: Mike Wright lined up between Tully Banta-Cain and Derrick Burgess as the Patriots played three defensive linemen and six defensive backs;
Titans: Wilfork lined up alongside Pryor between Banta-Cain and Burgess as the Patriots went with four defensive linemen and five defensive backs;
Buccaneers: Pryor lined up between Banta-Cain and Burgess as the Patriots went with three defensive linemen and six defensive backs.
Wright has the versatility to play anywhere along the Patriots' defensive line and took most of the snaps at nose tackle on third down earlier this season -- especially back when the Patriots were playing primarily a 4-3 defense. When Wilfork sat down on third downs earlier this season, it often was Wright who took his spot in a nickel or dime defense. The fifth-year veteran had his best game against the Baltimore Ravens, finishing with two sacks and two quarterback hurries in a game in which Wilfork still seemed to be limited by his ankle injury.
The play of Wright was no small factor in the impressive first month the Patriots' defense enjoyed.
But Wright didn't see nearly as much time against Tampa Bay as he had earlier in the season. Pryor seemed to be usurping his snaps. Let's piggyback off the work of ESPNBoston's Mike Reiss by breaking down the defensive snaps per game of Pryor and Wright since the season began:
Bills: Wright 18 snaps, Pryor 0 (inactive)
Jets: Wright 51, Pryor 3
Falcons: Pryor 27, Wright 26
(That was the game in which Wilfork injured his ankle; Pryor played every snap at nose tackle in the aftermath of the Wilfork injury.)
Ravens: Wright 38, Pryor 19
Broncos: Wright 58, Pryor 28
Titans: Wright 27, Pryor 24
Buccaneers: Pryor 26, Wright 15
Oh, and wouldn't you know it: The game in London was the first game in which Pryor had a positive ProFootballFocus.com rating. (Note to self: Do a little more research on the way ProFootballFocus.com hands out its ratings before using it too extensively.)
The Tampa Bay game could be an anomaly. But while Belichick doesn't like to hint at the way his depth chart stacks up, his division of labor doesn't lie. Pryor is light years ahead of second-round draft pick Ron Brace and seems to be turning into just the third-down nose tackle to fit the Patriots' defensive scheme.
With the next month a make-or-break month for the Patriots' dreams of a first-round bye in the playoffs, it'll be very interesting to see how much the Patriots' rookie nose tackle can keep progressing.
It was Pryor, then, and not Wilfork, who was right in the middle of the defensive line when quarterback Josh Johnson unloaded a hurried pass -- a pass intercepted and returned for a touchdown by safety Brandon Meriweather.
The Patriots drafted Pryor in the sixth round of April's draft, making him the 207th player selected overall. More than half of the players drafted in the sixth round in April -- 19 of the 36, to be specific -- have yet to make an appearance in an NFL game. Pryor, who was the third-to-last pick in the sixth round, played last week as the Patriots' primary third-down nose tackle and backup to Pro Bowler Vince Wilfork.
Wilfork hasn't played nose tackle much on third down all season. The Patriots have kept him off the field on third down quite a bit all year in part to play to his strengths and in part to keep him fresh. Where they haven't been as consistent, though, is how they've replaced him on those snaps. It's interesting, in fact, to see who's replaced him on the Patriots' first third-down defensive snap in their last three games:
Broncos: Mike Wright lined up between Tully Banta-Cain and Derrick Burgess as the Patriots played three defensive linemen and six defensive backs;
Titans: Wilfork lined up alongside Pryor between Banta-Cain and Burgess as the Patriots went with four defensive linemen and five defensive backs;
Buccaneers: Pryor lined up between Banta-Cain and Burgess as the Patriots went with three defensive linemen and six defensive backs.
Wright has the versatility to play anywhere along the Patriots' defensive line and took most of the snaps at nose tackle on third down earlier this season -- especially back when the Patriots were playing primarily a 4-3 defense. When Wilfork sat down on third downs earlier this season, it often was Wright who took his spot in a nickel or dime defense. The fifth-year veteran had his best game against the Baltimore Ravens, finishing with two sacks and two quarterback hurries in a game in which Wilfork still seemed to be limited by his ankle injury.
The play of Wright was no small factor in the impressive first month the Patriots' defense enjoyed.
But Wright didn't see nearly as much time against Tampa Bay as he had earlier in the season. Pryor seemed to be usurping his snaps. Let's piggyback off the work of ESPNBoston's Mike Reiss by breaking down the defensive snaps per game of Pryor and Wright since the season began:
Bills: Wright 18 snaps, Pryor 0 (inactive)
Jets: Wright 51, Pryor 3
Falcons: Pryor 27, Wright 26
(That was the game in which Wilfork injured his ankle; Pryor played every snap at nose tackle in the aftermath of the Wilfork injury.)
Ravens: Wright 38, Pryor 19
Broncos: Wright 58, Pryor 28
Titans: Wright 27, Pryor 24
Buccaneers: Pryor 26, Wright 15
Oh, and wouldn't you know it: The game in London was the first game in which Pryor had a positive ProFootballFocus.com rating. (Note to self: Do a little more research on the way ProFootballFocus.com hands out its ratings before using it too extensively.)
The Tampa Bay game could be an anomaly. But while Belichick doesn't like to hint at the way his depth chart stacks up, his division of labor doesn't lie. Pryor is light years ahead of second-round draft pick Ron Brace and seems to be turning into just the third-down nose tackle to fit the Patriots' defensive scheme.
With the next month a make-or-break month for the Patriots' dreams of a first-round bye in the playoffs, it'll be very interesting to see how much the Patriots' rookie nose tackle can keep progressing.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
You must double-team Vince Wilfork
(Note: Wilfork was among the players absence from the portion of practice open to the media on Wednesday. Veterans like Randy Moss and Junior Seau likewise were absent, and with the weather miserable and the team on a bye week, the possibility of a veterans' day off can't be discounted.)
It's sometimes hard to measure the impact of Vince Wilfork.
The 325-pound nose tackle has just 19 tackles on the season, a total that ranks him ninth on his team. He has forced one fumble and has been credited with just two pass break-ups. Against Tampa Bay on Sunday, Wilfork was credited with two solo tackles and not much else. On the stat sheet, at least, he hasn't exactly been the most prolific defensive player on the field.
But there's a reason Wilfork earned a Pro Bowl nod two years ago and might earn another one this year. He still, as they say, commands attention from two offensive linemen most of the time he takes the field.
How much of that translates into actual impact, though? It's sometimes tough to tell. Let's go back to the tape and take a look at how Tampa Bay blocked Wilfork -- and what sort of impact the nose tackle was able to make in spite of that blocking:
* Wilfork played 20 snaps in the first half and was double-teamed -- two offensive linemen at least put a hand on him -- 12 times;
* Four of Tampa Bay's five offensive linemen was matched up against him at least once;
* Center Jeff Faine had to deal with him 15 times, and left guard Jeremy Zuttah had to deal with him 11 times -- and the two double-teamed him eight times;
* Wilfork beat Faine one-on-one in the second quarter and drew a chop-block penalty on running back Derrick Ward;
* On his next snap, on the Bucs' next possession, Wilfork again shed Faine in time to bat down a Josh Johnson pass;
* Only twice in the first half did Tampa Bay run the ball without double-teaming Wilfork -- once when Wilfork lined up as the right end in a 3-4 formation and once on a run that gained only a yard;
* Wilfork had both of his two first-half tackles out of double-teams, including a stop for no gain deep in Bucs' territory.
(Rookie Myron Pryor, by the way, played nose tackle in third-down and long-yardage situations thoughout the game and commanded a few double-teams by himself. The Patriots even left Wilfork on the sidelines on a third-and-1 play in favor of Pryor and Mike Wright -- and they got the stop. The rookie has made tremendous progress in the middle of the line and looks like an emerging force.)
Wilfork played only four snaps in the second half; with the score out of hand and the Buccaners needing to throw the ball downfield to have any chance, Pryor did most of the work on the interior of the defensive line. But here's how those four snaps went:
* First and 10: Wilfork lined up as the defensive end on the right side of a 3-4 and got double-teamed by the left tackle and left guard, allowing Tully Banta-Cain to get in behind him and pressure the quarterback into an incompletion;
* Second and 10: On the next play, the center was the only blocker on Wilfork -- and Wilfork got the first hit on the running back before Jerod Mayo dropped him for no gain;
* First and 10: Wilfork again lined up as the defensive end on the right side and beat the left tackle so clean he drew a holding penalty;
* First and 10: The center and the left guard double-teamed him and took him out of the play on what would be an incomplete pass.
To tally that one up: Wilfork in the second half was single-blocked twice and double-blocked twice -- and he still managed to get in on the play on three of those four snaps.
It's sometimes hard to measure the impact of Vince Wilfork.
The 325-pound nose tackle has just 19 tackles on the season, a total that ranks him ninth on his team. He has forced one fumble and has been credited with just two pass break-ups. Against Tampa Bay on Sunday, Wilfork was credited with two solo tackles and not much else. On the stat sheet, at least, he hasn't exactly been the most prolific defensive player on the field.
But there's a reason Wilfork earned a Pro Bowl nod two years ago and might earn another one this year. He still, as they say, commands attention from two offensive linemen most of the time he takes the field.
How much of that translates into actual impact, though? It's sometimes tough to tell. Let's go back to the tape and take a look at how Tampa Bay blocked Wilfork -- and what sort of impact the nose tackle was able to make in spite of that blocking:
* Wilfork played 20 snaps in the first half and was double-teamed -- two offensive linemen at least put a hand on him -- 12 times;
* Four of Tampa Bay's five offensive linemen was matched up against him at least once;
* Center Jeff Faine had to deal with him 15 times, and left guard Jeremy Zuttah had to deal with him 11 times -- and the two double-teamed him eight times;
* Wilfork beat Faine one-on-one in the second quarter and drew a chop-block penalty on running back Derrick Ward;
* On his next snap, on the Bucs' next possession, Wilfork again shed Faine in time to bat down a Josh Johnson pass;
* Only twice in the first half did Tampa Bay run the ball without double-teaming Wilfork -- once when Wilfork lined up as the right end in a 3-4 formation and once on a run that gained only a yard;
* Wilfork had both of his two first-half tackles out of double-teams, including a stop for no gain deep in Bucs' territory.
(Rookie Myron Pryor, by the way, played nose tackle in third-down and long-yardage situations thoughout the game and commanded a few double-teams by himself. The Patriots even left Wilfork on the sidelines on a third-and-1 play in favor of Pryor and Mike Wright -- and they got the stop. The rookie has made tremendous progress in the middle of the line and looks like an emerging force.)
Wilfork played only four snaps in the second half; with the score out of hand and the Buccaners needing to throw the ball downfield to have any chance, Pryor did most of the work on the interior of the defensive line. But here's how those four snaps went:
* First and 10: Wilfork lined up as the defensive end on the right side of a 3-4 and got double-teamed by the left tackle and left guard, allowing Tully Banta-Cain to get in behind him and pressure the quarterback into an incompletion;
* Second and 10: On the next play, the center was the only blocker on Wilfork -- and Wilfork got the first hit on the running back before Jerod Mayo dropped him for no gain;
* First and 10: Wilfork again lined up as the defensive end on the right side and beat the left tackle so clean he drew a holding penalty;
* First and 10: The center and the left guard double-teamed him and took him out of the play on what would be an incomplete pass.
To tally that one up: Wilfork in the second half was single-blocked twice and double-blocked twice -- and he still managed to get in on the play on three of those four snaps.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Patriots get out the bag of tricks
"The Patriots want to blitz," Phil Simms said early in the CBS broadcast of the New England-Tampa Bay game on Sunday, "and they want to put pressure on the quarterback and they want to put pressure on the short routes."
But the Patriots hadn't blitzed. All season long, with Jerod Mayo and without, the Patriots hadn't blitzed. They'd done some shifting between a 4-3 formation and a 3-4 formation while mixing in some nickel and dime, but they'd mostly stayed home and avoided the creative gambles that for so long was the hallmark of Bill Belichick defenses. Against Denver two weeks ago, with the Broncos' "Wild Horses" offense causing all sorts of problems, the Patriots did almost nothing but stay at home in their base defensive packages -- and Kyle Orton picked them apart.
On Sunday, though, the Patriots blitzed. They blitzed corners off the edge. They blitzed safeties up the middle. They blitzed linebackers from just about everywhere. They didn't blitz too much -- by the count of this reporter, they blitzed on 13 of their 36 defensive snaps in the first half -- but they blitzed enough to keep young quarterback Josh Johnson looking over his shoulder.
And while it didn't make much of a difference against the woeful Buccaneers, who would have lost big no matter what, it did demonstrate that it did demonstrate that the Patriots' new-look defense still is capable of executing the same complex defensive packages as its predecessors.
Here's a look at how the Patriots distributed their blitzes in the first half before the score started to get out of hand:
* Brandon McGowan blitzed four times;
* Jonathan Wilhite blitzed three times;
* Adalius Thomas -- remember him? -- blitzed three times;
* Wilhite and McGowan blitzed at the same time twice, including on the interception that Brandon Meriweather returned for a touchdown;
* Gary Guyton blitzed twice;
* Meriweather blitzed once, doing so in tandem with Thomas;
* Jerod Mayo blitzed once;
* Patrick Chung blitzed once;
* Leigh Bodden blitzed once.
And that's just the first half.
Oh, and the Patriots frequently lined up Tully Banta-Cain and Derrick Burgess at defensive end, flanking Vince Wilfork and Ty Warren, and both Banta-Cain and Burgess are at their best when they're going after the quarterback.
The result?
* Thomas had a quarterback hurry;
* Banta-Cain had two tackles for a loss;
* Chung had a sack and a quarterback hurry;
* Guyton had a tackle for a loss and a quarterback hurry;
* Mike Wright had a sack and a quarterback hurry;
* Myron Pryor had a quarterback hurry and a tackle for a loss;
* McGowan, Meriweather and bodden each broke up two passes.
The Patriots will face the Dolphins at Gillette Stadium in two weeks, a team that sparked the Wildcat revolution across the NFL. The Patriots weren't able to deal with the "Wild Horses" offense the Broncos threw at them, eschewing creativity in favor of conservatism.
It'll be interesting to see if they do the same against Miami.
But the Patriots hadn't blitzed. All season long, with Jerod Mayo and without, the Patriots hadn't blitzed. They'd done some shifting between a 4-3 formation and a 3-4 formation while mixing in some nickel and dime, but they'd mostly stayed home and avoided the creative gambles that for so long was the hallmark of Bill Belichick defenses. Against Denver two weeks ago, with the Broncos' "Wild Horses" offense causing all sorts of problems, the Patriots did almost nothing but stay at home in their base defensive packages -- and Kyle Orton picked them apart.
On Sunday, though, the Patriots blitzed. They blitzed corners off the edge. They blitzed safeties up the middle. They blitzed linebackers from just about everywhere. They didn't blitz too much -- by the count of this reporter, they blitzed on 13 of their 36 defensive snaps in the first half -- but they blitzed enough to keep young quarterback Josh Johnson looking over his shoulder.
And while it didn't make much of a difference against the woeful Buccaneers, who would have lost big no matter what, it did demonstrate that it did demonstrate that the Patriots' new-look defense still is capable of executing the same complex defensive packages as its predecessors.
Here's a look at how the Patriots distributed their blitzes in the first half before the score started to get out of hand:
* Brandon McGowan blitzed four times;
* Jonathan Wilhite blitzed three times;
* Adalius Thomas -- remember him? -- blitzed three times;
* Wilhite and McGowan blitzed at the same time twice, including on the interception that Brandon Meriweather returned for a touchdown;
* Gary Guyton blitzed twice;
* Meriweather blitzed once, doing so in tandem with Thomas;
* Jerod Mayo blitzed once;
* Patrick Chung blitzed once;
* Leigh Bodden blitzed once.
And that's just the first half.
Oh, and the Patriots frequently lined up Tully Banta-Cain and Derrick Burgess at defensive end, flanking Vince Wilfork and Ty Warren, and both Banta-Cain and Burgess are at their best when they're going after the quarterback.
The result?
* Thomas had a quarterback hurry;
* Banta-Cain had two tackles for a loss;
* Chung had a sack and a quarterback hurry;
* Guyton had a tackle for a loss and a quarterback hurry;
* Mike Wright had a sack and a quarterback hurry;
* Myron Pryor had a quarterback hurry and a tackle for a loss;
* McGowan, Meriweather and bodden each broke up two passes.
The Patriots will face the Dolphins at Gillette Stadium in two weeks, a team that sparked the Wildcat revolution across the NFL. The Patriots weren't able to deal with the "Wild Horses" offense the Broncos threw at them, eschewing creativity in favor of conservatism.
It'll be interesting to see if they do the same against Miami.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Patriots' 'D'-line suddenly looks deep
A funny thing happened to the Patriots' defensive line this week.
It got deep.
The Patriots began Sunday's game in a relatively routine 4-3 defense with Ty Warren, Vince Wilfork, Mike Wright and Jarvis Green on the line of scrimmage. The Ravens, however, reeled off a 15-play drive that ate up more than six and a half minutes -- and other than third-down or long-yardage situations in which the Patriots went to the dime defense, those four defensive linemen did not come off the field. (Wright and Green even stayed on the field for at least one of the third-down snaps, too.)
It was exactly the type of drive that can wear down a defensive line before the game even is 15 minutes old.
But the next time the Ravens took the field, Green was off the field and rookie Myron Pryor had taken his place -- playing defensive tackle with Wright shifting to defensive end. The drive after that, new acquisition Terdell Sands made his New England debut with Wright and Wilfork watching a few plays from the sidelines.
"That's an advantage for us, to rotate as many guys as we do," Wright said. "That just shows how much confidence the coaches have in the players, and it also shows how versatile we are."
The reason the Patriots signed Sands in the first place was a concern with depth on the defensive line. Richard Seymour, of course, was traded to the Oakland Raiders shortly before the season began, and Wilfork suffered an ankle injury a week ago and didn't practice until Friday.
But the Patriots found themselves with so much depth on Sunday they didn't even dress second-round pick Ron Brace. Green, Pryor, Sands, Wilfork and Wright all saw time at defensive tackle, and Green, Warren and Wright -- as well as third-down pass-rushers Tully Banta-Cain and Derrick Burgess -- all saw time at defensive end.
"Every week, it seems like everybody is coming together a little bit more," Wright said. "There's better communication out there -- especially with just getting comfortable with guys out there, knowing what other guys are doing, playing off their pass rush."
That's in part why, even though the Ravens had run more than 50 offensive plays to that point, the Patriots' trench defenders were fresh enough to make a third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 stop in the middle of the field with five minutes to go in the game.
"It's just doing your job and playing your technique," Wright said. "Vince did a great job on that fourth-and-1, and Tiny" -- the team's nickname for Warren -- "on the third-and-1 bullied his guy and made a play. It was huge for the defense."
Said Bill Belichick, "It looked like (the Ravens) opened the formation up, got some penetration inside. There’s a wall of bodies in there, so it’s hard to tell from the sideline, but they didn’t get much movement on the line of scrimmage."
The Patriots even had enough energy to chase Flacco all over the field, sacking the Ravens' second-year quarterback twice and hurrying him 10 times.
"Whenever the 'D'-line can make the quarterback throw the ball quick, you know it's some great pressure," safety Brandon McGowan said.
A key to that depth was the emergence of Sands, who signed with the Patriots on Monday but had enough of a handle on the playbook to make a contribution right away.
"He's a presence," Wright said. "He's huge up the middle, and he draws a lot of blocks. He's tall and can get his hands up and move guys around. It's huge for us to have a guy like that to step in and do work."
It wasn't perfect: One one third-and-2 snap late in the second quarter, linebacker Adalius Thomas grabbed Sands by the hips and shoved him to his left to make sure he was lined up in the right gap. But it was more than acceptable for his first career game.
"I don't know what they're doing with him, but I'm sure they're probably keeping it simple," Wright said. "Five days is not that much to get what we've been putting in since minicamps, so I'm sure they're putting a little in every day."
(Note: Of the Patriots' defensive linemen, only Wright was in the locker room after the door was opened to reporters.)
It got deep.
The Patriots began Sunday's game in a relatively routine 4-3 defense with Ty Warren, Vince Wilfork, Mike Wright and Jarvis Green on the line of scrimmage. The Ravens, however, reeled off a 15-play drive that ate up more than six and a half minutes -- and other than third-down or long-yardage situations in which the Patriots went to the dime defense, those four defensive linemen did not come off the field. (Wright and Green even stayed on the field for at least one of the third-down snaps, too.)
It was exactly the type of drive that can wear down a defensive line before the game even is 15 minutes old.
But the next time the Ravens took the field, Green was off the field and rookie Myron Pryor had taken his place -- playing defensive tackle with Wright shifting to defensive end. The drive after that, new acquisition Terdell Sands made his New England debut with Wright and Wilfork watching a few plays from the sidelines.
"That's an advantage for us, to rotate as many guys as we do," Wright said. "That just shows how much confidence the coaches have in the players, and it also shows how versatile we are."
The reason the Patriots signed Sands in the first place was a concern with depth on the defensive line. Richard Seymour, of course, was traded to the Oakland Raiders shortly before the season began, and Wilfork suffered an ankle injury a week ago and didn't practice until Friday.
But the Patriots found themselves with so much depth on Sunday they didn't even dress second-round pick Ron Brace. Green, Pryor, Sands, Wilfork and Wright all saw time at defensive tackle, and Green, Warren and Wright -- as well as third-down pass-rushers Tully Banta-Cain and Derrick Burgess -- all saw time at defensive end.
"Every week, it seems like everybody is coming together a little bit more," Wright said. "There's better communication out there -- especially with just getting comfortable with guys out there, knowing what other guys are doing, playing off their pass rush."
That's in part why, even though the Ravens had run more than 50 offensive plays to that point, the Patriots' trench defenders were fresh enough to make a third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 stop in the middle of the field with five minutes to go in the game.
"It's just doing your job and playing your technique," Wright said. "Vince did a great job on that fourth-and-1, and Tiny" -- the team's nickname for Warren -- "on the third-and-1 bullied his guy and made a play. It was huge for the defense."
Said Bill Belichick, "It looked like (the Ravens) opened the formation up, got some penetration inside. There’s a wall of bodies in there, so it’s hard to tell from the sideline, but they didn’t get much movement on the line of scrimmage."
The Patriots even had enough energy to chase Flacco all over the field, sacking the Ravens' second-year quarterback twice and hurrying him 10 times.
"Whenever the 'D'-line can make the quarterback throw the ball quick, you know it's some great pressure," safety Brandon McGowan said.
A key to that depth was the emergence of Sands, who signed with the Patriots on Monday but had enough of a handle on the playbook to make a contribution right away.
"He's a presence," Wright said. "He's huge up the middle, and he draws a lot of blocks. He's tall and can get his hands up and move guys around. It's huge for us to have a guy like that to step in and do work."
It wasn't perfect: One one third-and-2 snap late in the second quarter, linebacker Adalius Thomas grabbed Sands by the hips and shoved him to his left to make sure he was lined up in the right gap. But it was more than acceptable for his first career game.
"I don't know what they're doing with him, but I'm sure they're probably keeping it simple," Wright said. "Five days is not that much to get what we've been putting in since minicamps, so I'm sure they're putting a little in every day."
(Note: Of the Patriots' defensive linemen, only Wright was in the locker room after the door was opened to reporters.)
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