The New England Patriots cut linebacker Adalius Thomas on Monday, and for most Patriot’s fans one word sums up his departure: finally. Or maybe one phrase: It’s about [insert expletive] time!

Monday’s releasing of Thomas came as little surprise to many, and ended a three-year tenure that can only be described as a marriage from hell. Things came to a boiling point between Thomas and the club when he publicly criticized head coach Bill Belichick during and after the 2009-2010 season.

Why did the Patriots sign him in the first place?

The Patriots signed Thomas as a free-agent in 2007 thinking they were acquiring one of the league’s most talented young linebackers; to the extent that Thomas became the highest-priced free-agent pickup in team history after inking a five-year, $35 million contract.

It’s hard to fault the Patriots for signing Thomas to such a lucrative contract. The veteran linebacker’s production with the Baltimore Ravens from 2001-2006 gave little indication that he would turn into one of, if not the biggest personnel mistake in Bill Belichick’s 11-year stint in Foxboro.

In six seasons with the Ravens, Thomas recorded 38.5 sacks, including a career-high 11.0 in 2006, just prior to becoming a free-agent. He was also responsible for 13 forced fumbles, and six interceptions. Those are impressive numbers for a pass-rushing linebacker by anyone’s standards.

Why didn’t it work out?

Thomas’s poor production and bad attitude combined to earn him a one-way ticket out of New England. But, a closer look at the dysfunctional relationship between Thomas and the Patriots reveals that perhaps both sides are to blame.

In Baltimore, Thomas excelled under defensive coordinator Rex Ryan. Ryan employed a 3-4 scheme in which the three down-lineman were responsible for taking on double-teams, the inside linebackers were responsible for either plugging running lanes or covering tight ends/running backs, and the outside linebackers (including Thomas), were unleashed on the quarterback.

Allowed to roam free and run downhill at the opposing quarterbacks opposite Terrell Suggs, Thomas peaked under the Raven’s defensive system from 2004-2006, racking up 28.o sacks and 8 forced fumbles.

In New England, Thomas wasn’t used on the outside, nor was he allowed much room to freelance. Instead, he was expected to perform as a gap-filler, and a run-stopper, as well as a pass rusher, something he simply couldn’t handle.

He had his best year with the Patriots in 2007, recording 6.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles on the infamous team that finished 18-1, and lost to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl (a game in which he had 2.0 sacks). Over the next two seasons, Thomas’s production fell, as Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, Junior Seau, and Roosevelt Colvin began to fade, and were eventually replaced with a whole new, much less experienced cast of characters. Without other talented linebackers around him, Thomas was less effective, and he grew more and more frustrated by the fact that Belichick refused to adjust his defensive scheme to suit his needs.

In early December of 2009, Belichick sent Thomas home for being late to a team meeting, even though Thomas called ahead and notified the team he would be late due to bad weather. Upset and confused, Thomas wasn’t afraid to express how he felt about Belichick’s disciplinary action.

“There’s a lot of things that go on that you’re dumbfounded by,” Thomas said. “I just roll with the punches.”

When asked if he thought Belichick sent him home to motivate him, Thomas replied:

“Motivation is for kindergartners. I’m not a kindergartner,” he said. “Sending somebody home, that’s like, ‘Oh, you’re expelled,’ and come back and make good grades. Get that [expletive] out of here. That’s ridiculous.”

Consequently, Thomas was benched for the next week’s game against the Carolina Panthers, and he spoke out again following the season in early February, all but assuring his exit from Foxboro saying:

“I want to come somewhere where I’m wanted, where I’m going to have fun.”

Belichick also benched Thomas in Week 6 versus the Tennessee Titans for performance-related reasons.

How are the Patriots positioned with him gone?

After failing to trade Thomas during the draft, the Patriots were forced to cut him and his $4.9 million base-salary. However, the Patriots drafted multiple linebackers to fill the void, taking Florida Gators defensive lineman Jermaine Cunningham with the 53rd pick, who they intend on converting into a linebacker; Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes with the 63rd pick; and two defensive lineman in the seventh round.

The Patriots plan on developing Cunningham (6 ft. 3, 252 lbs.) into the pass-rusher they’ve been searching for. Look for him to supplant Gary Guyton on the outside at some point during this season. Spikes is smaller than Cunningham, and will be used as an inside linebacker alongside Jerod Mayo.

Belichick will rely heavily on Tully Banta-Cain to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks as well. The eight-year veteran is coming off the best season of his career (9.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles).

I don’t expect the rookie linebackers to have an immediate impact, which means Mayo and Banta-Cain will have a lot of weight on their shoulders; but the Patriots now have a very young, and very talented group of linebackers that could become a forced to be reckoned with over the next few years.

© Andrew Kipp for Sports of Boston, 2010. | Permalink | No comment
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Tedy Bruschi: B
Thoughts: Many were surprised that Tedy Bruschi came back this season after it was hinted he may retire after the Super Bowl (though I’m 90% sure if the Pats had won he would have) but he signed a two year deal before the season and provided the Pats with more quality service. He is no longer an every down player but still finished the season second on the team with 73 tackles – four of which were for losses. He still has a year left on his contract but don’t be surprised if you see him used even less in 2009 as he had no sacks, forced fumbles or interceptions in 2008.

Mike Vrabel: B+
Thoughts: Another player whose value on and off the field must be considered, Vrabel didn’t have the sack total we are used to (just four in 2008) but the team as a whole was down in that category. He’s not as fast as he used to be but still has the instinct which makes him valuable to the defense. He’s another guy who may see less action as the Pats have stockpiled young OLB talent over the past few drafts. Still a guy who can get you 50 tackles and a handful of sacks over the course of a season.

Jerod Mayo: A+
Thoughts: There is nobody who thought Mayo would start from day 1 and play more snaps then anyone on the team. Mayo is as good as advertised as the No. 10 pick, showing speed, power and improving instinct as the season went along. He has a ton of raw talent and will only get better as he has more time in the defense scheme. Mayo is already becoming a backbone of this defense and is one of the best young linebackers in the NFL already. Who said we needed Vernon Ghloston anyways?

Adalius Thomas: C
Thoughts: Thomas missed seven games in 2008 because of injury, but the nine games he did play in didn’t give a whole lot of hope for Patriots fans who thought he would flourish when signing with the team before the 2007 season. After the ’07 year where he settled into the system with 78 tackles and 6.5 sacks, Thomas had 34 tackles and 5 sacks before going down hurt. It seems that Thomas is invisible for a lot of the time but once in a while pops up to make a play we remember – the INT return against the Chargers in ’07, the monster chase/sack against Brett Favre in ’08. He has a lot to prove in 2009 to back up that big free agent contract he signed.

Pierre Woods: B
Thoughts: Woods provided some strong backup with Thomas went down and others needed a spell on the sideline. His 35 tackles and one sack may not look great but he’s a solid contributor, though not a long term solution at linebacker.

Gary Guyton, Junior Seau, Roosevelt Colvin, Shawn Crable: INC
Thoughts: Seau and Colvin came on late in the season and while they provided some quality backup, they probably won’t be back in 2009. Guyton showed some great moves and speed during his limited action and though Crable didn’t play a down because of injury, he is a big boy who could break through this season.

Overall Linebacker Grade: B

© Jeff Christenbury for Sports of Boston, 2009. | Permalink | 2 comments
Filed under: Featured, Patriots, Top Story.

The Teams: New England Patriots (8-5) At Oakland Raiders (3-10)
The Terms: Regular Season Week 15
The Place: McAfee Coliseum, Oakland, California
The Time: 4:15pm
The Channel: CBS
3 Burning Questions:

1. How will Matt Cassel respond to the death of his father? Certainly it’s a tough time for Matt Cassel as he deals with the loss of his father but he seems to be the kind of person who can focus when needed. Nobody knows what’s going on inside his head except for him and you know the coaching staff would never let him play if they didn’t feel he was mentally there. It’s a must win for the Patriots this week and after dealing with the family issues he’s been back to practice and should be ready to go by game time. One note – it will be interesting to see how much national media attention this story gets and how it compares to when Brett Favre’s father passed away. Coincidentally, Favre was also playing the Raiders and he ended up passing for 399 and four touchdowns, nearly all of which came on patented throw-it-up-for-grabs heaves that all seemed to land into the hands of receivers. The media attention he received was so over the top it made me sick.
   
2. Can the Patriots take advantage of a horrid Raiders passing attack? If there was ever a week where the Patriots secondary should come into a game with confidence it’s this one. The silver and black are dead last in the NFL in passing with just 137 yards a game – good for 18 yards less than the second worst total. Led by former No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell, the Raiders can never seem to get a rhythm going and have been hurt by Russell turnovers and offensive line woes. Russell has just seven touchdowns with six interceptions this season and though he possesses freakish athletic ability he’s been unable to unleash it thanks to inexperience and a lack of playmakers in the passing game. The Pats secondary should be able to cover Ronald Curry and Javon Walker with little trouble and allow some more blitz packages to put the pressure on Russell.
3. Any chance of looking ahead to next week? The Patriots cannot afford to overlook a team they should easily beat on paper. With a showdown with the Arizona Cardinals next week the Patriots can take a big step towards the playoffs with a win today and some help in other places. Bill Belichick and his veteran team should be able to focus on the task at hand and play with fire in what will be a hostile atmosphere. Now, that doesn’t mean the rest of us can’t be scoreboard watching. After defeating the Jets last week, Patriots fans have to cheer hard for the 49ers to help us again by beating the Dolphins, while the Jets have a test of their own in a match up with the Buffalo Bills.

Prediction

Last week I thought the Patriots would come out and show their might against a subpar Seattle Seahawks team and that obviously didn’t happen. It’s another mismatch on paper this week but because of the unpredictability of the defense I’ll have to reign in my prediction. I think Cassel will be playing with more passion than he’s ever shown given the family situation and the offense will want to do everything they can to help him through the tough win by getting him the win. This has the feel for a Randy Moss breakout game considering he’s returning to Oakland where he spent two less-than-average seasons with the Raiders. He seems to excel when he has a point to prove and he’ll be out to show Raiders fans what they are missing. Junior Seau and Roosevelt Colvin will be relied on for a glut of plays and a week of practice can only help them. The Pats have struggled against athletic quarterbacks this year (*ahem* Seneca Wallace) so Russell may be able to make some plays, but there are just too many veteran players on the Patriots who know the importance of taking care of business as January approaches.

Patriots 34, Raiders 17

© Jeff Christenbury for Sports of Boston, 2008. | Permalink | One comment
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1. What effect will Junior Seau and Roosevelt Colvin have on the game? Coming into the game it’s unclear how much Bill Belichick wanted to use the two veterans, considering Seau wasn’t in the fold until Thursday night. However when Tedy Bruschi went down in the first half Seau had to step up immediately. Seau and Colvin combined for just one tackle and Seau was beaten badly twice: once near the goal line by Seattle tight end John Carlson which led to a touchdown and once to Deion Branch on a 60+ yard run. It’s unfair to pass blame upon them because of the late nature of their signings but at this point the Patriots would take any warm body they can find at the linebacker position.
   
2. Will Matt Cassel take advantage of a terrible pass defense? Cassel was able to throw the ball effectively underneath and finished with some impressive stats (26-44, 268 yards, TD). He finally found the long ball with Moss as they pair hooked up for a huge throw and catch in the fourth quarter. Cassel was sacked a few times but overall did well under pressure. Cassel did not turn the ball over once and led an offense which was 10-18 on third down. He made the important throws when they were necessary and can thank Wes Welker for many of the catches on the other end.
3. Is it a must win? With the Jets losing and the Dolphins winning it’s most definitely a three horse race in the AFC East. Had the Patriots lost, they would be looking at two teams ahead of them in the AFC East and at least two teams ahead of them in the wild card. The win combined with the Jets loss makes it a whole new ball game. If the Ravens lose tonight to the Redskins, there will be four teams at 8-5 in the AFC vying for two playoffs spots; that makes for quite a final three weeks of the season. With the Raiders on the schedule next, the Patriots should find themselves at 9-5 heading into a Week 16 showdown against the Cardinals at Gillette.

Final Thoughts

You can get a blow-by-blow account of the game from my live blog. The bottom line is this was a gutsy win by a team absolutely decimated by injury. Looking forward it will be important to see how serious the injuries are to Vince Wilfork and Tedy Bruschi are as the loss of those two would spell disaster for an already depleted defense. It’s not the kind of win I envisioned but at this point of the season a W is a W is a W.

© Jeff Christenbury for Sports of Boston, 2008. | Permalink | 3 comments
Filed under: Featured, Patriots, Top Story.

The Teams: New England Patriots (7-5) At Seattle Seahawks (2-10)
The Terms: Regular Season Week 14
The Place: Qwest Field, Seattle, Washington
The Time: 4:05pm
The Channel: CBS
3 Burning Questions:

1. What effect will Junior Seau and Roosevelt Colvin have on the game? Many feel Junior Seau is much like Ty Law as in he can step in day one and help the team. It’s unclear what his specific role is going to be as both Jerod Mayo and Tedy Bruschi have performed well this season and are not the glaring deficiencies in the defense. We could see Seau on the outside of the 3-4 formation blitzing off the edge to put pressure on Matt Hasselbeck (or looks more likely to be backup Seneca Wallace). Either way, both Colvin and Seau haven’t played a down of competitive football this year so it would be unfair to expect much out of either of them, though if my score prediction is correct they may have some garbage time to work the rust off. I, for one, am looking forward to a patented Seau tackle for loss and the concurrent celebration.
   
2. Will Matt Cassel take advantage of a terrible pass defense? After two 400 yard passing games, Matt Cassel and the Patriots passing attack came back to Earth against the crazy good Steelers defense. This week is the opposite as the Seahawks come in with the absolute worst pass defense in league, allowing 265 yards a game (16 yards worse than then the 31st ranked team). Cassel should be able to throw all over the field to Randy Moss, Wes Welker and heck, maybe even Ben Watson (one can dream)!! The key for Cassel is to limit the turnovers and convert on third downs. Against the Steelers the Patriots converted just ONE solitary first down and that was because a penalty gave it to them. It would be encouraging to see the Patriots throw the ball down the field but I think offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will want to play it safe as there should be room underneath to keep the chains moving. Look for the Patriots to come out in a no huddle on the first drive and try to punch one in quick.
3. Is this a must win? Yes. No bones about it. With the Bills and Dolphins facing off in Toronto and the Jets playing the 49ers, there will be plenty of score board watching today. Patriots fans obviously need San Fran to take out the Mean Green, and a win by Buffalo wouldn’t hurt as it would worsen Miami’s division record. That all said, a loss today for the Patriots could be a nail in the coffin for the playoff push.

Prediction

This game has the makings of both a blowout and a trap game. Seattle is terrible and most likely will be playing with a backup quarterback. The Seahawks have had extra rest to prepare for this game as they last played on Thanksgiving, albeit they got waxed by the Cowboys. The Patriots just need to keep things simple today: convert third downs, move the chains, win the turnover battle and limit the penalties. Cassel should get good protection in the pocket and will have every opportunity to make plays from the opening drive. Watch out for Randy Moss, I smell a couple of touchdowns for him today. Unless the Pats turn it over and Seattle jumps ahead, I don’t see this one being close heading into the fourth quarter.

Patriots 34, Seahawks 20

© Jeff Christenbury for Sports of Boston, 2008. | Permalink | One comment
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1. Can the Steelers stop the Matt Cassel attack? Yes, in a big way. Cassel did have two costly fumbles in the third quarter but it’s tough to fault him completely because the pocket was collapsing. The interception he threw early in the fourth should have been caught by Ben Watson (don’t get me started) and the weather definitely affected his play. Cassel was hurt by a few huge drops (Gaffney and Moss in the end zone) and didn’t rush the ball at all like he has in the past few games. He definitely didn’t have a very good outing overall but a lot of the credit has to be given to the Steelers defense which is fast and strong at nearly every position. They will be tough to stop in the playoffs.
2. Can the defense stop anyone? For the most part the Pats defense did a terrible job stopping the Steelers outside the redzone but a fairly effective job inside the red zone. The Steelers scored 10 first half points despite being in the redzone on a regular basis. The opening drive gave Patriots fans some hope with the nice Vrabel interception, but the rest of the game belonged to Big Ben as he ended up throwing for 179 yards and two touchdowns. With Rosie Colvin back in the mix and Junior Seau now officially a Patriot again, veteran leadership may be on the way for the defense.
3. Can the Patriots lose and still be a favorite to make the playoffs? It’s looking less likely that the Patriots can claim a wild card spot (unless they win out). Both the Colts and Ravens won on Sunday which Puts the Pats behind them, and in effect two games behind the Colts because of their loss to Indy earlier in the season. Thankfully the Jets got smoked by the Broncos so they remain just a game ahead. With games against the Seahawks and Raiders, the Patriots should come in to the week 16 showdown with the Cardinals at 9-5 and a win there or against Buffalo could vault them into the playoffs. The Jets have easy games against the 49ers and Seahawks left but also play Buffalo and Miami down the stretch and my guess is division record is going to be the final decider on who wins the AFC East.

Final Thoughts

This game was close in the first half but just snowballed in the third quarter. Matt Slater’s fumble on the kickoff was pathetic and the pocket collapsed twice on Cassel, causing fumbles. The Steelers defense is incredible and the elements sure didn’t help the Patriots offense. The secondary again showed no real signs of life, which may not be a big deal in the next two weeks. The Seahawks have the worst passing defense in the NFL so Cassel/Moss/Welker (if he plays) should have a field day through the air. It goes without saying that the next two weeks should be easy wins for the Patriots if they want to make the playoffs. After seeing them live, I now consider the Steelers as the favorite to win the AFC thanks to their defense and ability to convert big third downs.

© Jeff Christenbury for Sports of Boston, 2008. | Permalink | No comment
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My Take: Between Seau and Colvin the Pats have brought in two more veteran defenders but it’s tough to predict what they can bring to the table. Both players haven’t played all season and it may take a week or two for them to get up to speed. I don’t think these are the missing links to the puzzle but with Thomas and Webster not around it makes sense to fill the void with guys who know the system. Seau will travel with the team to Seattle for Sunday’s game.

© Jeff Christenbury for Sports of Boston, 2008. | Permalink | One comment
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The Pats also have placed CB Jason Webster on injured reserve, which made space to sign Colvin.

My Take: With the way the defense has been playing I’m not surprised the Pats made a move. Colvin could come in and provide a spark off the edge in the 3-4 scheme and even if he doesn’t he’ll be no worse than an absent Jason Webster has been.

© Jeff Christenbury for Sports of Boston, 2008. | Permalink | One comment
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Linebackers

Key Departures: Roosevelt Colvin, Junior Seau(?)
Key Arrivals: Jerod Mayo, Victor Hobson

Breakdown

Probably the most intriguing position heading into training camp is linebacker, considering the evolution of the corps taking place. Many felt 2007 would be Tedy Bruschi’s last go-round but No. 54 is back for another two years. Junior Seau did a satisfactory job in ’07 as well but it’s unclear whether he has played his last game for the Patriots. There’s a new rookie in town with high hopes in No. 10 pick overall Jerod Mayo, and the Pats signed a veteran from the hated Jets, Victor Hobson. The personnel is there, but where people will fit in from day 1 remains to be seen.

First we’ll take a look at the outside linebacker position, a spot the Pats rely on heavily for quarterback pressure in their 3-4 scheme. Roosevelt Colvin has moved on, cut by the Patriots and replaced (potentially) by Adalius Thomas. Colvin signed with the Pats from Chicago and looked as though he was ready to break out and be an elite linebacker in the NFL, but injury has slowed him and he never truly panned out the way Bill Belichick had hoped.

Thomas came from Baltimore having played most of his time at the OLB position but played more inside in ’07. Now that the Patriots have loaded up a little on ILB, Thomas should be able to move outside and rush off the edge. His speed, as displayed in last years game against the Chargers where he outran an entire offensive unit for a 60+ yard INT return for six (close representation), gives him an edge over most OT in the league and he should be able to improve on his sack total from ’07, which was 6.5.

The other OLB spot belongs, of course, to Mike Vrabel, who led the team with 12.5 sacks in 2007. His age, 32, may worry some, but he’s as good as it gets as an OLB and with help from the inside, outside and a healthy D-line, he should have another monster year. The other options at OLB include the usual backup Pierre Woods (is he ever going to ‘break out’ as they predict?) and rookie Shawn Crable, who was a rising star out of Michigan when the Patriots snagged him in the third round of the draft.

Inside linebacker is where the question marks lie. How much does Tedy Bruschi have left? How good is Victor Hobson? How fast can Jerod Mayo pick up the system and get some burn? The answers: enough, better than people expect, and about six weeks.

It is evident what Bruschi means to this team and despite him having lost a step he’s still an important part of the defense. He led the team in tackles in ’07 with 92, but total tackles can be a very deceiving statistic. Bruschi had two sacks, two pass deflections and zero interceptions last year and is no longer an every down linebacker. With Junior Seau’s return in question, the Patriots had to make moves to fill in the the gaps in their 3-4.

In steps Victor Hobson, a free agent signing from the New York Jets. Hobson, 28, has played all 16 games for the Jets in the last three seasons and has 11 career sacks and three interceptions. One red flag here is that the Jets let him go for nothing and allowed him to sign for the Patriots. However they seem to be in the middle of rebuilding their defense with the likes of Vernon Gholston, so it’s tough to read anything into that. Hobson is 6’0″ and 252 lbs. which is prototypical size for an ILB. I don’t see him as a long term solution at ILB but at this point I think he’s a better option than bringing back Junior Seau for another go-round.

Then, of course, is Jerod Mayo. I feel he is going to need to have an impact on this team THIS season. In the Bill Belichick era we have not seen defensive rookies play all that much and have never seen a linebacker drafted in the top rounds, or even at all. By taking Mayo with the 10th pick overall, the Pats are putting a lot of faith in the rookie from Tennessee that he can learn a complex system which has stunted the growth of players like Pierre Woods and Eric Alexander.

If Mayo can learn the system, he will get significant time this year. His size and speed are valuable at the ILB position and he would fit in nicely with the veteran leadership around him. All reports are that he is a bright kid and a fast learner, but it will still take time. Look for him to play significant time in the preseason, but I think it won’t be until around Week 6 or 7 of the regular season where we see Mayo on the field in big situations. Barring injury or out-of-this-world play from Bruschi/Hobson, I think Mayo has the tools to be a starting ILB by Week 12.

Final Analysis

Linebackers are key in the 3-4 scheme and the Patriots don’t lack depth. What kind of quality we see out of Bruschi, Hobson and Mayo will determine the fate of the interior defense. Watch out for rookie Shawn Crable, I see him making a bigger impact than Alexander or Woods have in their few years in blue.

© Jeff Christenbury for Sports of Boston, 2008. | Permalink | One comment
Filed under: Featured, Patriots.

Colvin finished with 26 sacks in his five years in New England, just five more than his total from his previous two seasons with the Bears.

My Take: Colvin was one of the first high profile free agent signings in the Bill Belichick era. Coming off back to back seasons of 10+ sacks, Colvin looked like a potential monster on the outside. Unfortunately, injuries really plagued him during his tenure and he never really got to the level we thought he would. I wish him best of luck in the future but I’m happy the Patriots didn’t decide to break the bank for the guy.

© Jeff Christenbury for Sports of Boston, 2008. | Permalink | One comment
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