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Here's the age of most of the starters. I think a lot of fans see Bruschi/Harrison/Vrabel and go, "Oh, they're so old!" but the Pats focus more on veteran leadership given the 'age' rather than thinking higher age = declining skills. I also think many, many fans who don't follow the Patriots intently see the same guys from 2001/2003/2004 and assume the whole team's similar in age when it's far from the truth. If anything, the team is surprisingly young overall.I suck with DOB so here's the rough ages.Ellis Hobbs: 25Terrence Wheatley: 23Jonathan Wilhite: 24Deltha O'Neal: 31Vince Wilfork: 27Ty Warren: 27Richard Seymour: 29Pierre Woods: 26Shawn Crable: 24Jerod Mayo: 22Mike Vrabel: 33Tedy Bruschi: 35Adalius Thomas: 31Brandon Meriweather: 24Rodney Harrison: 36James Sanders: 25
PAts D is pretty old, and really was only good last year because they forced opponents into a one dimensional offense. I don't see how they will be any good if a team can play them straight for 4 quarters, without being in catch up mode.
16 "starters"
Outside of Meyo and Hobbs... most of those guys are on the downturn for defensive players
Not sure what is so funny about that? Harrison & Bruschi are the only guys who are "old" i.e. past their prime. The next oldest is Mike Vrable at 33 who came off a career year with 12.5 sacks and had 2 sacks week 1. 27-32 years old is "prime" for a BB LB as he likes veteran smarts, so I wouldn't consider Adalius "old" at 31.Anyone else over 30 is a rotating role player. I'd imagine this mix stacks up with most other teams in the league, it's only that Bruschi & Harrison stick out because they are high profile guys that are the face of the D and have seemingly been playing forever.16 "starters"Outside of Meyo and Hobbs... most of those guys are on the downturn for defensive players
What was funny was listing 16 players as starters. There are 11 starters, and then role players.Not sure what is so funny about that?16 "starters"Outside of Meyo and Hobbs... most of those guys are on the downturn for defensive players
Anyone over 30 is old in the NFL. Their "good" players are all pretty old for the NFL. Their DL is getting old, and their LBs are old. Their secondary doesn't have really strong players, outside of Hobbs. Belichick's schemes are great, and the players are some of the most intelligent defensive players in the NFL. But from a physical standpoint, they can get beaten down, because they aren't young players anymore.
Belichick has always preferred a mix of vets and youth, with it more a 60/40 split favoring vets. That's worked out for him in the past. And the DL players are in their prime. No way you can say they are old, unless you have an agenda. Obviously the LBs are old, but as I said, it's BBs MO, so much so it's a complete shock that Mayo has been starting and played EVERY SINGLE SNAP last week. Hopefully this means BB is finally willing to rely on young LBs ...What was funny was listing 16 players as starters. There are 11 starters, and then role players.Not sure what is so funny about that?16 "starters"Anyone over 30 is old in the NFL. Their "good" players are all pretty old for the NFL. Their DL is getting old, and their LBs are old. Their secondary doesn't have really strong players, outside of Hobbs. Belichick's schemes are great, and the players are some of the most intelligent defensive players in the NFL. But from a physical standpoint, they can get beaten down, because they aren't young players anymore.
I may be wrong, but don't most DL have very short NFL lives? It seems to me that a lot of DL come in and within 3-4 years are out of the league or backups, due to the grind they take in every NFL game in the trenches. I know some really stand out and have long careers, but they seem far and few between. I just look at guys like Warren and Wilfork and think they're starting to press time before breaking down.
It's an interesting question. I'd be curious the typical lifespan of a DL. For a 4-3 speed guy like Freeney, I'd think age hurts a lot more than the 3-4 DLs who rely more on size & technique than speed & quickness.
Exactly. I'd been contending all offseason that the Pats D is Old & Slow is more myth than reality. They got younger in a lot of key spots. IMO, as stated above, this perception likely stems more from the fact that the two most high profile Face of the Defense players are their two oldest, Harrison & Bruschi who are rotating at this point.
