Former Patriots Assistant Lombardi Rips Patriots Defense In Wake Of Jamie Collins Trade
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- One of the first people to support Bill Belichick's decision to trade Jamie Collins was former Patriots assistant Michael Lombardi. Amid a whirlwind of bewilderment among fans and media after the news broke on Twitter, Lombardi was the first prominent name to offer up the idea that Collins was "freelancing" too much and hurting the under-performing Patriots defense in the process.
Lombardi, a former assistant to the Patriots coaching staff and former GM of the Cleveland Browns, doubled down later on Monday when he joined Bill Simmons on his podcast, which he was recording at the time the news of the trade broke. Lombardi absolutely let it rip, not just on Collins but on the entire Patriots defense. Listen to the full interview here, but be forewarned, there is some salty language within the podcast. Hat-tip to Pats Pulpit for transcribing the juiciest parts of the interview.
Here are some of the highlights from Lombardi's interview on the Jamie Collins trade ...
On the trade and Collins' play leading up to it:
"Well, I think Collins has played poorly all season, you know he's going to be a free agent at the end of the year, they had no interest in really signing him for next year, and the way he's played through the first eight games, he was getting demoted within each game. ... Yesterday, the second play of the game, he goes, he just kind of does whatever he was gonna do, he kind of played with no enthusiasm, and he seemed like he didn't really want to play. It seemed like he was playing on the 0-11 Southern Mississippi team that he played in college."
On the remaining linebackers on the Patriots:
"I think Elandon Roberts is the best run defender. I mean, Dont'a Hightower is not playing very well either. I mean, look, that's the thing that always cracks me up about sports people evaluating other teams. They talk about the great talent of the Patriots front seven and then nobody makes a play."
On Bill Belichick's message to the defense and its leadership:
"And so I think this defense has really been a liability, and I think what Bill's statement today to the team is that we're not going to tolerate it. We're not going to allow this to happen. And he needs to get control of it. And I think they lack a leadership element on their defense. McCourty on the backend certainly can help, but their defensive leadership has been void all season."
On Jamie Collins' future with the Browns:
"I mean, look, he's [Collins] not going to play any harder for the Browns. He's not going to do anything. He just did not play well. I watched the game tape this morning and their defense just sticks on blocks, I mean it's not very good. They're not playing with any physicality or emotion. And when they play against a good team, they are going to have trouble. And as good as the offense is playing, you can't score 30 every week to win."
On the collective performance of the defense in 2016:
"The defense hasn't played well ever. I mean, it hasn't played well all season. I mean, the people are like, you know, I go on these shows and talk about it, and it's only because they're able to outscore people. I mean, Andy Dalton was playing well against them. I mean, every quarterback, the second half of the Miami game, Tyrod Taylor, the Buffalo Bills moved the ball on them. It was just the end of the half and Brady was just too good. They have to fix the defense. They're not going to Houston to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl with the way the defense has been playing, I can promise you that."
Lombardi might lose you when he says that Hightower isn't playing well, and for good reason. Pro Football Focus ranks him as the No. 8 linebacker in the National Football League through eight weeks with a "high-quality" grade of 88.9 (90 and above grades as "elite"). He's had several great games and made some impact plays, including forcing two safeties in consecutive games.
But the defense as a unit? They may still be third in the NFL with 16.5 points allowed per game, but they've mostly struggled on third down - their 40.6 opponent success rate on third down ranks 18th in the league. Their inability to consistently pressure quarterbacks has also been frustrating. Belichick himself said he was "disappointed" in the defense's performance in his Monday conference call, just hours before making the Collins trade.
It seems counter-productive to trade a former All-Pro linebacker who is one of the most freakish athletes in the NFL, so there has to be more to the story than what is currently known. Lombardi is a Belichick confidant and must know more than most about what's gone on behind-the-scenes, but his comments here sound strong-to-quite-strong. It remains to be seen how the defense will perform without Collins and whether the trade will pan out like Lombardi ostensibly sees it, as a form of "addition by subtraction."
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
