Wiggy On Felger & Mazz: Seahawks Prove Pass Rush Is Paramount
BOSTON (CBS) - If the Patriots want to get back and win another Super Bowl, they will need some help in the pass rush area on defense according to Jermaine Wiggins.
"The one thing that game showed me, and I've been harping on this since day one, is when you can put consistent pressure on the quarterback and get him moving around and make him uncomfortable back there, even if he's the greatest regular season quarterback of all time you'll be able to make plays."
Chandler Jones made a quality second year leap at right defensive end for the Patriots and Rob Ninkovich is solid on the other side, but they could still do better. They have to do better to bring home another Lombardi, and doing so through free agency may be the answer.
Wiggy examines some potential free agent targets.
"You got Michael Johnson (Cincinnati) and you got Jared Allen who's a free agent. I know he's 32-years-old, but look at the year Robert Mathis had at 32-years-old with 19.5 sacks. Allen wants to play for a contender. Michael Bennett (Seattle) is a free agent. I think if you add a piece to Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich you're able to get to the quarterback on a consistent basis. That's been the problem for the Patriots."
Gresh & Zo: Patriots Wouldn't Have Lost By 35 Points To Seahawks
Tony Massarotti has had the safety position at the top of his Patriots wishlist for awhile now, which is another strong point of the Seattle Seahawks. Mazz is going into this offseason with the same attitude: Bring in a tone-setting safety to play alongside Devin McCourty.
"Another pass rusher? Put it on the list! But I thought Kam Chancellor should have been the MVP of the Super Bowl - he was a monster in that game. He hit the crap out of people and made reads on the fly - the Patriots don't have that guy," said Mazz.
There's no shortage of potential free agent safeties the Pats could pluck. Some notable names are Donte Whitner, Jairus Byrd, Antoine Bethea and Patriots killers Bernard Pollard and T.J. Ward.
Listen below for the full discussion:
Patriots Need A Pass Rusher
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