Patriots rookie Shawn Crable left quite an impression on Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco.
(James Savoia/Associated Press)
On Football
Easy to defend this group
Young linebackers provide big boost
Patriots rookie Shawn Crable left quite an impression on Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco.
(James Savoia/Associated Press)
When compared to the rest of the NFL over the last eight years, the Patriots have done well in identifying college talent and integrating those players into their system.
Almost every position on New England's roster has at least two homegrown draft choices, or at least had two who went on to receive free agent riches elsewhere (like receivers Deion Branch and David Givens). The defensive line, in impressive fashion, has been built almost entirely through the draft.
Yet until this year, there was one part of the talent crop that didn't yield such fruitful results - linebackers.
Besides Tully Banta-Cain, the seventh-round draft choice from 2003 now playing in San Francisco, what other young linebackers have the Patriots developed to the point of receiving consistent contributions?
The lack of development is partially because the Patriots, since coach Bill Belichick and vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli took over the football operation in 2000, seldom have selected linebackers in the draft. Their scorecard showed just seven linebackers in their first eight years on the job, none picked higher than the fifth round (Ryan Claridge, 2005).
But 2008 marked a decisive shift, and one of the lasting impressions from Thursday's exhibition loss to the Ravens was the energetic injection of youth at linebacker.
First-round draft choice Jerod Mayo started at inside linebacker in the 3-4 alignment and finished with three tackles, including one blistering blow that separated Ravens running back Ray Rice from his helmet.
Third-round draft choice Shawn Crable, who at 6 feet 5 inches, 243 pounds, looks like he's playing on stilts at outside linebacker, totaled four tackles, a half-sack, and an interception.
Even rookie free agents Vince Redd (outside linebacker) and Gary Guyton (inside and outside linebacker) showed up with positive plays - the 6-6, 260-pound Redd using his long reach to bat down a fourth-quarter pass on fourth down, and the speedy Guyton registering three tackles, in addition to a pure hustle stop on the punt team.
And any mention of young linebackers must also include Pierre Woods, a rookie free agent from 2006, who although now in his third season has not seen extensive playing time in the regular defense at outside 'backer. But Woods (6-5, 250 pounds) essentially went wire to wire Thursday night and might have been the most impressive linebacker of all with three tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
As a former linebacker, longtime Patriot Steve Nelson naturally was keeping an eye on the team's new talent at the position.
Like others, he took note of the 6-1, 242-pound Mayo on a first-quarter play in which he sent Rice's helmet twirling through the air. Yet it wasn't necessarily the helmet-separating hit that made such a strong impression, it was what Mayo did before gobbling up Rice. Because the play was a cutback run, it initially went away from Mayo before coming back in his direction.
"Young linebackers can have a tendency to see things and go for it, maybe trying to do something that isn't their responsibility, but he stayed behind the play and when Rice came back in his direction, he stepped up and made the play," Nelson said.
"He was patient and took care of his responsibility of having his gap covered. He also played great technique, keeping his shoulders square throughout the play, and then made a nice tackle."
Nelson also took note of Crable, specifically his second-quarter interception in what appeared to be zone coverage.
"The thing that stood out to me was that he got good depth in his drop, because sometimes young players coming out of college are not used to taking as deep drops as they have to in the pros," he said. "But he got himself in the right position and made a real nice play when it came to him. I have to think he must be pretty happy with the way he played."
Nelson pointed out that Crable created some pressure at the line of scrimmage on his pass rush, using his long arms to keep blockers from getting into his body, an important technique for any pass rusher.
Then there was Woods, who began building positive momentum on the second play of the game by taking on fullback Le'Ron McLain, shedding his block, and dropping Rice after a 1-yard gain. It was the type of no-frills power-based play that outside linebackers must make to earn playing time in the Patriots' defense. Woods then capped his night in the fourth quarter by sacking quarterback Joe Flacco and forcing a fumble, which he recovered.
"I thought he played the best out of all of them," Nelson said. "He was around the ball all night. You can see him improving, and that's going to be important for the Patriots because through the course of the year you need seven, eight linebackers to play."
In the end, it was only one exhibition game, and a generally uninspiring one at that. But one area that stood out for the Patriots was the linebacker play, specifically from the younger crew.
Entering the ninth year of their tenure with the Patriots, it looks like Belichick and Pioli finally have harvested a potentially promising crop at the position.
Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com. 
© Copyright 2008 Globe Newspaper Company.
