13 November, 2019
Lawrence Guy is everywhere, seemingly impacting
every play - and if he keeps it up, there may be some Pro Bowl consideration in
store, maybe even a spot with The
Avengers...
The ninth-year defensive tackle out of Arizona
State is in his third season with the New England Patriots, and his arrival via
free agency before the 2017 season was the first sign that Patriots' head ball
coach Bill Belichick was shifting his defensive philosophy to more of a 3-4
look - but the Arizona State product turned out to be such a load in the
running game that he now spearheads what the Dark Master calls an
"Amoeba" formation...
...which isn't really a formation at all, rather,
it is a free-floating, shape-shifting entity designed to win before the snap of
the ball, causing much indecision on the part of the opposing quarterback and
center in trying to figure out blocking and protection schemes.
Often, the alignment will find just one down
defensive lineman with the other ten Patriots' defenders buzzing all around him
like fruit flies around an apple core, bobbing and weaving within five yards of
the line of scrimmage, giving the quarterback the impression that the Patriots
are bringing upwards of seven pass rushers.
Sometimes they do, in what is commonly known as a
"Cover Zero" package, and sometimes they don't, but the quarterback
can never know for sure until either the pass rush is on him or the safeties
and linebackers fall back into zone coverage. Either way, the quarterback is
forced to process the chaos in front of him in a split-second, often times with
negative results.
And the one constant along the line is Guy. Stout
enough to double-gap against the run and quick enough to penetrate the pocket
before the double-team can converge, the 6' 4", 315 pound Guy is the key.
He doesn't have amazing stats - just one sack and two quarterback hits to go
along with two runners thrown for loss - but his job is to disrupt the interior
of the offensive line to cause gaps for his teammates on the second level to
fill.
The Disrupter. Kind of a cool name for a super
hero, which would please the hard-core fan of the Marvel Universe who has seen
every Avenger movie there is and will talk your ear off about them, given the
opportunity. In fact, on the rare occasion that he appears on radio shows, the
content of the interview usually evolves into a conversation about the Marvel
brand.
When pressed, Guy will tell you that his favorite
Avenger is Thor, the hammer-wielding demi God whose main nemesis is his
brother, Loki, the God of Mischief - a perfect foil for the wise-yet-naive
Thor, whose quiet countenance and humble persistence is the glue that holds the
super hero clan together.
The Patriots are no collection of super heroes,
but Guy is the glue that holds their defensive line together, and as a unit,
they usually triumph over their foes.
A lot of what New England does defensively is
simply misdirection and sleight of hand, their smoke-and-mirrors approach
confusing their opposition into mistakes that have the opportunistic unit
leading the National Football League in takeaways and near the top in sacks and
in pass defense.
But teams have started to figure out how to
neutralize the aggression inherent in the amoeba, spreading the formation thin
by lining up speedy receivers out wide and leaving Guy and his defensive line
companions Adam Butler, Danny Shelton and Deatrich Wise to hold the fort
against the run with little backup.
That has been an issue, as the Patriots rank in
the bottom three of the league in yards per carry yielded - but with their pass
defense leading the NFL in yards per attempt, interceptions and touchdowns
allowed, they have been able to get away with their foes' success in the
running game.
That didn't hold true against the Baltimore Ravens
before the bye and it won't hold true against upcoming opponents, all of whom
have the speed on the outside and quality, multi-tool runners in the backfield
- but it will be easier to defend the run against teams like Dallas, Houston
and Buffalo than it was against the Ravens, who run a perverted version of the
veer, a philosophy that perfectly counters the amoeba.
All of that said, the Patriots' second half
opponents run offenses that could potentially still give the defensive line all
it can handle. Dallas has Dak Prescott running the show, either handing the
ball to the best runner in the league in Zeke Elliott, keeping it himself or
throwing to a dangerous group of vertical receivers. Houston has Deshaun Watson
and a resilient group of skill position players and Buffalo a devastating
ground attack...
...while Philadelphia has tremendous weapons but
an offensive line besieged by injury and Kansas City, though a tough match with
league MVP Patrick Mahomes working his magic, a team that the Patriots seem to
have their number.
But all the line can do is exhibit fundamental
football, the interior taking on double teams to make gaps for the linebackers
to plug and the edge defenders setting a hard edge to keep both runners and
passers between the tackles.
The Ravens used the Patriots' aggressive scheme
against them, but the real issue in that game was the mental mistakes made by
the New England stoppers – giving life to three different Ravens' drives that
were initially stopped on third downs, but penalties extended those drives and
resulted in Baltimore touchdowns.
The mental errors are easy to correct – and if the
Patriots can eliminate them, their aggressive defense, known as the
“Boogeyman”, should be able to dictate their will against their remaining
opponents.
The key is a defensive line that also includes
edge-setters in Kyle Van Noy and Jamie Collins, disruptors all, and when free
to play to their talent, can shut down any opposing offense – and when married
to an offense that seems to be finding their stride with a key acquisition and
several players returning from injury, there is no reason to believe that New
England can't compete as a front-runner for yet another Lombardi Trophy.
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