Ted Johnson: How Pats defense can improve against the run

Ted Johnson: How Pats defense can improve against the run originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The New England Patriots run defense was a disaster in Sunday’s 32-16 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Jags totaled 171 yards and two touchdowns on 39 rushing attempts. Running back Tank Bigsby did most of the damage with 26 carries for 118 yards and both TDs.

When New England had six or fewer defenders in the box, Jacksonville averaged 6.6 yards per carry and had four runs of 10 or more yards. During the second half, the Pats defense had no answers as the Jags ran the ball down their throat for 17 consecutive plays.

The Patriots defense allowed the Jaguars to rush for 6.6 yards per carry when six or fewer defenders were in the box.

Not ideal.

So, how can the Patriots defense bounce back from it’s abysmal performance against the run? Ted Johnson, who made a living stuffing the run for New England from 1995-2004, shared the adjustments he would make on The Breakdown.

“I would keep trying to maybe blitz to stop the run,” Johnson said. “So bring guys from the second level to hit gaps at the snap of the ball. Hopefully, you get some penetration. You can make some tackles for a loss. That’s one way to maybe scheme it up.

“Another way to maybe scheme it up is to slant your defensive linemen. Get them looping, get them slanting, get them moving at the snap of the ball. And so, that keeps offensive linemen off guard and makes them hesitate a little bit so they’re not just coming off and drilling you. That’s another thing.

“And then you can also maybe change up your personnel. We’ve had times when teams were running on us in the middle of the field and Belichick said, ‘I want my goal line defense out there.’ So put out all the big guys, dare them to run, and see if they will. That’s another way to do it.”

The Patriots have been playing without their two best run stuffers in linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley and defensive tackle Christian Barmore. After an encouraging start to the…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ted-johnson-pats-defense-improve-233401480.html

Author : NBC Sports Boston

Publish date : 2024-10-21 23:34:01

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