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Vince Wilfork, Kyle Love, and Brandon Deaderick were the three players to receive heavy snaps at DT, and only one of them remains on the team heading into the 2013 season. Both Deaderick and Love were recently released by the team, and both players now have homes with the Jacksonville Jaguars. While I will miss Love for his solid run defense, Deaderick’s cut was a long time coming. Neither of them provided any sort of pass rush (as you will see), and Deaderick was a poor player overall. He did receive more playing time down the stretch of the 2012 season, but more playing time doesn’t automatically equate to better quality.

It is obvious that the Patriots have made every effort to get more pass rush at the defensive tackle position, and both Tommy Kelly and Armond Armstead are DTs who specialize in that facet. Last season, the Patriots got almost no pass rush up the middle, and they look in a better position to alleviate the pressure on the secondary by providing pass rushing ability at DT. When pressure comes from the interior, it collapses the pocket and affects quarterbacks more than pressure off the edge.

Armstead and Kelly will both inject pass rushing prowess to the Patriots defense on the inside, and that was something neither Love nor Deaderick could provide.

Just take a look at the numbers that include playoff games. In 13 games, Deaderick had just one sack and two hits on the quarterback, while Kyle Love had just one hit on the quarterback for a four-yard sack. Neither of them consistently brought pressure either, as both were clearly in the “red” in the Pro Football Focus’s grades for pass rushing.

Wilfork’s best asset is his run defense, as he is the big man in the middle who is amazing against the run and clogs up holes. However, he was actually decent as a pass rusher last season, mainly because he was able to use his size to swallow up blockers. But he also had four QB hits, three sacks, and even finished with a slightly positive grade in pass rushing per PFF.

And yet, therein lies the problem. If Wilfork was your best pass rushing defensive tackle, then you clearly had problems there. Both Love and Deaderick were abysmal as pass rushers, and it was clear to me that Deaderick was part of the problem. I don’t know why a few fans were surprised by his release, because he, quite frankly, stunk last season. The Patriots needed more pass rush up the middle of the defense, and they were able to get it in free agency by signing a rookie in Armstead and a veteran in Kelly; one of those guys is going to pan out and both help this team out.

I firmly believe the Patriots are going to sign another defensive tackle heading into training camp, and it is going to be a veteran like the two guys they recently worked out in Sedrick Ellis (formerly of the New Orleans Saints) and Spencer Johnson (formerly of the Buffalo Bills). A vet DT will make the roster as a backup if either UDFAs Joe Vellano or draft-snub Cory Grissom of USF don’t immediately pan out in training camp for the Patriots.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

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New Patriots beat guy Ben Volin of the Boston Globe knows plenty about Brandon Spikes, even though he covered the Miami Dolphins for the Palm Beach Post before replacing Greg Bedard on the Globe six days ago. That’s because the first team Volin covered with the Post was the Florida Gators, and, in the post above, he referenced times in college when Spikes preferred to be a “lone wolf”.

This backs up the point that the main reason why Brandon Spikes did not participate in OTAs is because he believes it is better for him to work out on his own. Spikes has every right to do this, and he isn’t the only player who feels this way around the league. Troy Polamalu, before 2012, did not participate in OTAs for this reason, and nobody will ever knock Polamalu’s leadership.

Spikes isn’t on that level, though, and it’s unclear as to whether or not Bill Belichick is upset at Spikes. He can’t be happy with him for this, but this isn’t going to make-or-break Spikes’s time in New England, and there’s basically no chance of Spikes getting traded. Volin wrote that he expects Spikes to participate in Patriots minicamp, and there’s no reason for me to disagree with him.

Rookie defensive tackle Armond Armstead is set for a significant role in the Patriots defense next season, and he figures to get heavy snaps coming out of the CFL and on the Pats interior as a pass rushing specialist at DT. Armstead, who is 6’5″ and weighs 298 pounds, is certainly an intriguing player, and he would have been at least a third-round pick if he was a draft-eligible player. A star with the USC Trojans and Toronto Argonauts, Armstead has a chip on his shoulder and will be a player to watch for closely.

ESPN Boston’s Mike Reiss said in his Sunday column that the Patriots “seem to have high hopes” for Armstead, and it certainly does appear that way. The Patriots released Brandon Deaderick and Kyle Love, so they are clearly expecting big things out of Armstead and fellow offseason signing Tommy Kelly. It’s easy to see at least one of those two DTs having a strong 2013 campaign, but the Patriots need both to be quality players on the defensive line for the Patriots to justify releasing a solid DT like Love.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

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Armstead was signed by the Patriots shortly after their postseason exit, and he figures to make an impact as a situational pass rusher on the interior behind newly-signed veteran DT Tommy Kelly (previously with the Oakland Raiders). Some have lauded Armstead as a first-round talent, and he should make an impact for the Patriots.

The Pats greatly needed some help with the interior pass rush, and they are in a good spot between both Kelly and Armstead. At least one of them will blossom (either Kelly will play more disciplined and continue to be a force as a pass rusher, or Armstead will make a splash as a solid interior pass rusher in the rotation), and you have to think that the Patriots are in a much better position at DT now than they were last season. I mean, the Patriots were getting absolutely no pressure from the inside, and only Vince Wilfork‘s ability to eat up blocks was helping the defensive ends.

The experience that Armstead will get by participating in rookie minicamp will undoubtedly be valuable, and it was an obvious decision for the Patriots to get him started early. They will need him to quickly grasp things, adjust to the pros and all that, because he is basically a rookie. He did play and star in the CFL, but we all know that the level of play in the NFL is something else entirely.

As for where Armstead fits, I say he is clearly best off as a 4-3 DT. But Bill Belichick said, “We’ll see how it goes.” Some believe Armstead could play at defensive end, but I fully expect him to be a DT. Not only does he fit better there, but there is also much more depth at DE than DT.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.