The endings to the 2006 and 2007 seasons were eerily similar and painful for the New England Patriots. For two consecutive years, they watched a late lead evaporate as their Manning-led opponents put together fourth-quarter drives that carved the Patriots' defense for game-clinching touchdowns.
Whether it was Joseph Addai running it in or Plaxico Burress catching it, the Pats could not get a stop when they needed it most.
The Patriots' defense, once the foundation on which the Dynasty of the Millennium was built, had gotten too old and too slow to keep up with opposing offenses.
Teams with athletic tight ends and dynamic slot receivers picked on the Patriots' linebacking crew, forcing former Pro Bowler Tedy Bruschi and the ageless but still aging Junior Seau into pass coverage at any chance they got.
While Bill Belichick admitted the Patriots had been trying to get younger and faster on defense for years, it just hadn’t happened yet. Whether it was free-agent bust Monty Beisel or any of the linebacker draftees that couldn’t stick with the team, there was a stagnation of new talent at Belichick’s favorite defensive position.
However, in 2008, it looks like that has changed.
Reports emerged just before the draft that inside linebacker Jerod Mayo was being targeted by the Pats and, after a trade down from seven to 10, New England nabbed the former Tennessee Volunteer.
Through four games, Mayo has looked like everything the Patriots could’ve hoped for, leading the team with 23 solo tackles and rarely leaving the field.
But Mayo hasn’t been the only rookie to step in and contribute some youthful legs to the linebacking crew that has been knocked around the league as having their best days behind them.
Gary Guyton was not selected on draft day in 2008, despite being the fastest linebacker at the scouting combine.
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3 months ago
awesome article, guyton got it done yesterday for sure, im excited to see what he can bring (consistently) to this defense
from 3 months ago
Thanks, Belichick spoke about Guyton today on WEEI a little bit. Said he was consistently making plays when given the chance and will continue to get more chances to make them. He's shown up on Special Teams, Run D and Pass D and had a big stop against Frank Gore. I guess I wasn't completely right about him not being a run stopper in the base 3-4 just yet. But clearly he's being noticed and has been the type of addition Pats fans have been waiting for (just like Mayo - two in one year).
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