Just a side note, Thrashen, Rob Ninkovich has been moved to DE from OLB.
Here's a link to a story about it.
Thanks for that update, man, as I wasn’t able to see New England’s first pre-season game. Their defense, even with the extremely unfortunate loss of up-and-coming linebacker, Dane Fletcher, should be interesting to watch this season. Below is their starting defense, according to their depth chart…
DE – Chandler Jones
DT – Kyle Love
NT – Vince Young
DE – Rob Ninkovich
SLB – Dont’a Hightower
MLB – Brandon Spikes
WLB - Jerod Mayo
CB – Devin McCourty
FS – Steve Gregory
SS – Patrick Chung
CB – Ras-I Dowling
Former Raider DE, Trevor Scott, is listed behind the undersized rookie, Chandler Jones, so he’ll likely receive plenty of snaps. At linebacker, Hightower is also an unproved rookie, Mayo had some durability concerns last season, and the NFL’s slowest linebacker, Brandon
“The Eye-Gouging Armature Pornstar†Spikes, has already been having knee problems in camp…so look for Bobby Carpenter, Niko Koutouvides, and Jeff Tarpinian to also factor into the game plan. It seem as though the plan for Carpenter, according to a recent Boston Herald article, is the role of a “coverage linebackerâ€â€¦
“We’ve also witnessed a steady diet of the ponytailed wonder playing linebacker. He was there yesterday in the dime package. In fact, he was the one calling the plays in the huddle with normal signal-caller Jerod Mayo off the field.â€
Former Texan DT, Tim Bulman, DE Jake Bequette, the permanently-cut/signed/waived safety, Ross Ventrone, and Nate Ebner are all buried on the defensive depth chart. Of course, there is always the possibility of their “real†defensive backs getting injured, and Julian Edelman (assuming he makes the team) filling in at cornerback. Four years ago, Edelman made the Patriots 53-man roster as a rookie after his electrifying 75-yard punt return for a touchdown against the Eagles in a pre-season game. Hopefully, tonight, he and other white hopefuls can produce some magic against the “Fat Bastard Crewâ€â€¦
CAPTION: Edelman Punt Return, Circa 2009