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If you are a Jaguars fan and you like Deaderick against the run, then you should love Kyle Love‘s run defense. Although he is also a total non-factor as a pass rusher, the big DT is very good against the run and is a solid contributor at defensive tackle overall. Love’s release made the Patriots thin on the interior, and Love is confident in his ability to quickly gain weight in the fight against Type-2 diabetes. I’m not going to get into the moral issues regarding his release, and I will instead focus on what he means for the Jacksonville Jaguars going forward.

Love is just 26, and I think he’s going to start in Jacksonville. Love is clearly better than Roy Miller, and he’s a solid player overall with the ability to make an impact on run defense. The Patriots were likely wary of Love’s ability to gain enough weight to continue being an effective run defender, which is why they asked him to retire for a year. Love said “no”, and thus is confident in his ability to gain that weight. I hope he is vindicated in this confidence, because Love is a great player, person, and somebody who I truly want to see succeed as much as possible in 2013.

Jacksonville, you guys are getting a heckuva a person, a feel-good story, and a quality football player.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

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Love’s agent Richard Kopelman was the one who broke the news of the release, and he told Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio that the Patriots gave his client two options. The Patriots stated that Love should either retire for a year or get released, and Love decided to continue playing instead of taking a year off. It sounds like Love is confident in his ability to quickly adapt to the challenges of diabetes (he’s reportedly lost 20 pounds of weight) and continue to be an effective defensive tackle in this league.

Although Florio uses this knowledge to further incriminate the Patriots (read his thoughts in the piece, I’m not going to restate them),it is possible to use the knowledge to justify the release from the Patriots perspective. Maybe the Pats decided that it was best for Love to take a year off and adapt to things so that they are sure he can continue playing football at a high level and won’t suffer any complications. Maybe the Pats are genuinely concerned about Love’s health going forward and don’t want him to rush things.

I don’t know which side to believe, and this news gives us more information but does clarify the Patriots motives for releasing Love. Honestly, I’m still not sure what to think and would like further comments from you guys below. At the end of the day, though, Love has made his decision to play elsewhere, and it is a noble one. I hope he does bounce back quickly and has a good season with his new team, and I’m sure he’ll get a chance with somebody. I am sure there are plenty of teams willing to sign a solid run-stopper, but I would not go as far to say that the Patriots are being classless with this release. I mean, you could make a compelling argument that the Patriots do indeed have Love’s best interests at heart. After all, Love is not bitter about the decision, and he has accepted his release and his decision. Not only did his agent say that, but you can also see it in the tweets on Love’s account.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

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However, releasing Kyle Love went a step too far from a football perspective, because the Patriots released a solid player and just got thin at defensive tackle. It was a surprising release for multiple reasons, and I was surprised to see such a solid contributor released. He would have eased Armstead’s transition and Kelly’s snaps, and Love would have been stout against the run and could have also came in for Vince Wilfork (though, that wouldn’t be often due to Wilfork’s much better stamina these days). Although Love was a non-factor against the pass rush, he was a solid player overall, and the Pats made one cut too many there.

But let’s focus on Deaderick. According to a recent report from CSNNE’s Tom E. Curran, Deaderick had work ethic issues in New England and was described as a source as “complacent”. Although this couldn’t have been the primary reason for Deaderick’s release, as Curran notes, it was almost certainly a factor. Curran is the best in the business at reporting character concerns (he did so with Brandon Lloyd and Aqib Talib earlier this offseason), and this report further entrenches my belief that the Patriots made a good move in cutting Deaderick, contrary to popular belief. As for Love, I am not willing to say that the Pats were justified in making the release, and I am still shocked by the move.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.