New England Patriots: Why Versatility Is Important for OLBs in 2011 NFL Draft

March 25, 2011   ·   Erik Frenz   ·   Jump to comments

A video was posted today on ESPNBoston.com, in which Tedy Bruschi talked about some defensive end/outside linebacker "tweener" prospects in the 2011 NFL Draft. In the video, he touched on why versatility is so incredibly important for outside linebackers.
Having played for the New England Patriots for 13 years, Bruschi understands more than anyone why versatility is important in their scheme.
Many Patriots fans have begun to clamor for the pass rush specialist, the guy who may not be able to drop into coverage smoothly and effectively, but can get after the quarterback with the best of them.
As of recently, the Patriots defense has been predicated on specialization. Their personnel groupings in the front seven differ greatly between running and passing situations, as evidenced with Mike Dussault's listing of the defensive formations in 2010.
Finding more specialists may contribute to the problems that the Patriots 25th-ranked defense faced last year.
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