A friend of mine who attended the Patriots game against San Diego told me that the Pats are still introduced as a team. I could understand that, as for the first five games the defensive line didn't deserve mention.
That's no longer the case. The down linemen in the past two games have been active and disruptive. In two weeks the defense has matched their sack production (seven) in the first five games. And of those seven sacks, the D-linemen have five of them.
Leading the way is Richard Seymour with three of those sacks. There's no other way to say it: In the last two games Big Sey has been dominant. This is the player we are used to seeing, one of the best all-around DTs in the league. He's playing at such a high level Seymour will again draw double-teams, creating opportunities for teammates. So we shouldn't be surprised that LB Adalius Thomas had his best game Sunday (two sacks) and fellow linemen Ty Warren and Mike Wright tallied a sack each in the last two games.
When I predicted the defense would be better this year, the thinking started with a healthy D-line. Seymour says he's healthy for the first time in two years and it's showing now. Whether it was a bad arm or a troublesome knee that held Seymour back in the past, he wasn't the same.
Richard declared himself healthy this preseason, but he didn't look it until the past two weeks. Seymour has been nearly unstoppable. And as Seymour raised his game, the defense has elevated their play with him. Besides the sacks, the defense registered 13 quarterback hits, forced two fumbles, recovered a fumble, and applied the pressure to get in the quarterback's head and leads to interceptions in the last two weeks.
If the injuries continue to mount in the secondary, the performance of the front seven will be of greater importance as constant pressure makes a defensive back's job easier. If the front seven, led by Seymour, continue this strong play, and possibly improve with the eventual return of DE Jarvis Green, then the DBs will get the protection they need and the defense will again be a team strength.
