Seau Back In the House

Well the deal we’ve been waiting for finally happened today. LB Junior Seau signed with the Patriots for the remainder of the season. Welcome back, old man. Derrick Burgess, hand over your jersey. You can’t have 54, 56 or 57. How does something in the 90s sound?

While the rumor was flying around for a couple of weeks, the signing was delayed until Tuesday. Does his return help an inconsistent defense? I can’t hurt, but I also don’t believe Seau is exactly what the defense needs.

The question about Seau’s return is what will his role be? Is he a reserve, filling in where needed to keep the rotation fresh? Does Junior immediately get plugged in to start next to LB Jerod Mayo, moving Gary Guyton to the outside? Or is Seau in for Pierre Woods on the outside? That decision is up to the coaches.

If Seau gives the defense a refresher on tackling, that would be great. The way Denver RB Knowshon Moreno ran through the arms and hands reaching for him embarrassed the D. It would be nice to see a defender shed a blocker and blow up a ball carrier. Or better yet, Seau could teach Mayo and Guyton how to shoot gaps for tackles behind the line. The air punch celebration after the play is optional.

Outside of defending the run, I’m not sure how Seau helps the team. At 40 years old, I have doubts he can run with tight ends or players out of the backfield. TEs are getting more and more athletic, and offenses get more creative to generate mismatches. A receiver coming out of the backfield would be difficult for any linebacker that draws that assignment. Going after Seau in that manner probably wouldn’t be close.

There is a way to prevent Seau from being a liability in coverage, and that’s by blitzing the 40-year old. That would help a pass rush with just 10 sacks after five games, good for a five-way tie at 14^th in the league.

And there lies the problem. Junior can only do so much to strengthen a weakness. The play of the secondary has been solid as the defense allows 218 yards per game (13^th) through the air and just eleven pass plays of 20 yards or more (10^th). But the secondary plays it safe for the most part because they can’t count on the front seven producing consistent pressure.

I debated which “55” the Patriots should bring back. I preferred Willie McGinest over Seau because I believe McGinest could rush the passer as an end in a 3-4 or as a DT in a 4-3 while playing OLB on run downs. I know McGinest lost a step, and my thinking back then was to decrease the distance to the quarterback for Willie in hopes it makes him more effective. Like Seau, I don’t see what harm a McGinest return could do to this defense.

The way this season is going, Seau’s return probably isn’t the last move to upgrade the defense. The trade deadline is next week, so another unexpected exchange could go down. Or maybe the Pats come back from London with a monster of a defensive end. Let’s see what kind of an athlete raised on crumpets and tea produces.