Different look for defense

Patriots seeking next men up after losing Wilfork (above), Revis and Browner

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Contrary to the belief that defense wins championships, the New England Patriots didn’t put up all-word defensive stats last season. But coupled with a revived offense that benefitted from the return of healthy Rob Gronkowski, their defense worked well as they their fourth Lombardi Trophy in the last 14 seasons.

Attempting to defend a Super Bowl championship is tough enough. Trying to do so while also having to virtually rebuild your defense and replace your top cornerbacks makes the job exponentially more difficult.

For the Patriots, though, the glass is half full.

“The great thing about football is every year’s a new year, it’s a new season, it’s a new start,” said Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. “That’s the fun about football is being outside and being on the grass and playing with your teammates.”

Patricia might have had a busier offseason than any other NFL coordinator.

“For us really it’s the same thing every year,” he said. “We always start brand new every year. We’re building a team up again new every year. It’s a different team every year. So it’s a different team and that’s the way we approach it. As you go through the spring and training camp and build it over the course of a season, then does it finally take shape and you really understand what you are. So we’re in the infantile stage of that right now.”

This offseason, the Patriots lost several key defensive components including cornerbacks Darelle Revis, who played such a vital role last season but went to the New York Jets in free agency, Brandon Browner, Alfonzo Dennard and Kyle Arrington. They lost defensive end Jake Bequette to the offense as he attempts to covert to tight end (although he is still listed on the roster as a defensive end).

Losing Revis and Browner affects not only the defense but also the offense.

“You have to go out there against those guys and play to another level every day in practice,” Patriots’ receiver Brandon LaFell said on Sirius XM NFL Radio. “When it came to game time, you [had practiced] against Revis, who I feel like is the best corner in the NFL, or a guy like Browner, who I feel like is the most physical in the NFL. [So] you pretty much can get open on anybody.”

Big Man Is A Big Loss

Perhaps the biggest loss, though, is Vince Wilfork, who had been as important to New England’s defense as Tom Brady has been to the offense. Wilfork, whose impact was felt on the field, in the locker room and in the community since the Patriots took him with the 21st overall pick in 2004, went to the Houston Texans as a free agent.

“That’s the National Football League,” defensive back Devin McCourty says of the roster turnover. “All 31 teams go through some type of turnover. Secondary, teams got new quarterbacks, new coaches -- that’s just the way the league works.

“When guys leave a team, that means there’s new opportunities for other guys to step up and play more plays, be out there. So I think everyone in the back field is ready to go.”

With so many new players in the fold and returning players taking on new roles, coach Bill Belichick will be looking for certain signs that a player is catching on.

Asked what those signs are, Belichick says, “When they don’t make mistakes. When they can play aggressively, start communicating the calls and don’t have mistakes. We go fast out there. We’ve got a lot of noise. We’ve got pressure on assignments and different adjustments against our offense. If they can get that right, then they can probably get right what we’ll play against with somebody else. It’s hard out there.”

How well they perform might affect the team’s philosophy about retaining veteran players.

“We’ll see where we are when we get to that point,” Patricia said. "Right now it’s day by day. There’s no long term vision. It’s how are we doing today and how are we getting better today. And that’s where we have to keep our focus.”

McCourty, the Patriots’ first-round (27th overall) pick in 2010 out of Rutgers, is one of the key cogs returning to the defense. The Patriots are also bringing back linemen Rob Ninkovich, Chris Jones and Chandler Jones, linebackers Jamie Collins, Jerod Mayo, Dont’a Hightower, cornerback Logan Ryan and safety Patrick Chung. McCourty has the versatility to play corner or safety or a hybrid of the two, although he has expressed a preference for safety.

“It’s always good to have (versatile players),” Belichick says. “We play against a lot of different offenses, a lot of different matchups, so it’s always good to have versatile players back there.”

Patricia says, “Devin does a great job, a force in the locker room. A lot of our guys on our team have to learn and understand a lot of different positions. So that’s what everybody’s doing right now. Certainly, dev, I think for him, he’s a great leader, does a great job in the classroom, works really hard in the classroom, and he’s just trying to get out here and get better.”

Next Men Up

Returnees Sealver Siliga and Alan Branch, who is entering his second season in New England and ninth overall, will likely be given to the chance to take on the Wilfork role, as will Malcom Brown, their first-round pick this year.

“Yeah, that’s the way the cookie crumbles, especially in this game where the next man is always up,” said Branch of potentially replacing Wilfork. “Big V was awesome. He was a big, big deal for the team, the city and everything to do with the Patriots. He was a great guy and a great leader. But, like I said, it’s next man up and that’s always the mentality of a football player.”

The Pats also brought in defensive end Jabaal Sheard, entering his fifth season.

“He’s done a good job in a little different system than what he’s been in,” Belichick said. “But he’s played on his feet here, played down, both sides, so he’s getting a lot of exposure to different things. But he’s been good.”

Tackle Dominique Easley should be healthy entering the season. The Patriots’ first-round pick in 2014 was limited by injury to 11 games with just two starts last season, just as he was limited because of injuries in his final two seasons at Florida. He was placed on injured reserve Dec. 17 because of a knee injury but managed to avoid offseason surgery.

“I feel a lot more comfortable,” Easley says. “I had a longer time to rehab my knees and come in a little bit more healthier than I was last year. I don’t feel like it’s exactly where I want it to be yet but I feel like it’s getting there. I feel good. I don’t feel like I’m where I need to be right now but I feel like I’m going to get there. It’s just basically football skills, getting the strength all the way back in my knee, just being comfortable getting back on the field.”

The Patriots will also be looking to see what Malcolm Butler can give them in his second season as he attempts to go from virtual unknown to Super Bowl savior to – maybe -- starting cornerback.

“For all of our guys it’s going to be the same answer, whether it’s your second year, your third year, your 15th year,” Patricia says. “I hope everyone’s trying to get better than what they did last year. Every year’s a new year and you’re going to come out and you’re going to try and compete. You’re going to compete with everybody around you. You’re going to compete with yourself to be better. That’s my expectation for everybody on the defense.”