The New England Patriots 2024 hopes survived by a thread in Sunday’s win over the hapless New York Jets. If anyone wants to see what a rebuild really looks like, check out the Jets. They’ve been at it
for 55 years!
At 2-6, the Pats are still alive in the AFC East and playoff hunt, as remote as it may seem. All will continue to hinge on the health of Drake Maye. If he’s back from concussion protocol, they have a
chance. If not, don’t bet on it. (Whenever you're back, please wear the Guardian Cap, Drake)
One change the team can make immediately that can help the defense is to redeploy their best defensive player.
That’s Keion White, who had a great first half of the season, and it could have been even better if he had been used correctly. (Disclosure: White is a favorite on the Patriots' defense and was touted as 2024's "Breakout Player of the Season.")
Keion White is a Christian Barmore-like interior disruptor
Inside in a gap, any gap, White is a major disruptive force to reckon with for any NFL defense. He's unblockable by one O-lineman, and two will also have their hands full. Defense is a numbers game. Someone else may get free if you can tie up two offensive linemen with one rusher. In White's case, he's liable to be that guy anyway. He's a virtual one-man wrecking crew inside.
So, what's the problem?
The issue is that the Patriots coaches, who should know better, misuse him too often. White is moved outside to the edge on about half of his plays. While he's solid there, it's not his best position. White has nice moves from outside, but good offensive tackles can deal with that much of the time. Interior linemen can't.
White's bull rushes and technique inside are a nightmare. At best, two O-linemen will detain but not stop him. He'll force any but quarterbacks with the quickest releases to get out of harm's way. Generally, that's a broken play and a very good thing for the Patriots' defense.
Broken plays result in mistakes. A fortunate one is only an errant pass. But bad things such as sacks, strip-sacks, and interceptions also change the tempo and fortunes of games. Having a pocket-collapsing presence like Keion White inside is a causative factor in that eventuality.
Time for the Patriot's to make the move now
Seeing White deployed on the edge is irritating enough when he's your best interior defensive lineman and penetrator by far. No one else does much of anything he can at this stage. This miscue results in the team putting more pressure on everyone else on the depleted D. It's time to wake up!
An article by the33rdteam.com about White's versatility ably demonstrates his ability inside and out. Here's a nice demo of his inside ability,
— James Foster (@JamesFosterNFL) September 18, 2024
Another look from the same site shows his prowess from a wider gap, again, inside,
— James Foster (@JamesFosterNFL) September 18, 2024
While White admittedly is the Patriots' best edge rusher (they traded their former best, Matt Judon, after all), he's still best deployed where he can single-handedly disrupt an entire offense. That's from inside in a gap, any gap where he is a force to be reckoned with on every play.
The 2024 season is teetering on the brink, and the move suggested here, absent a quick return by Drake Maye, probably won't matter anyway. Yet, whatever the situation, Keion White's best position is inside, not on the edge, and certainly not dropping back into coverage on zone blitzes, an occurrence that is mind-numbing.
The Patriots' Head Coach and defensive coaches have to get with the program. With Maye at the helm, the Patriots may surprise, even make a run for the playoffs. Hopefully, he'll be back soon. Regardless, playing your best defensive player in his natural position is never a bad thing. And think of this: White and Barmore will be inside in 2025? It won't get any better than that.