Everybody is working over an underachieving New England Patriots defense, including a franchise great who has taken aim at floundering safety Kyle Dugger.
Former middle linebacker Ted Johnson Jr. who helped the Patriots go to four Super Bowls, winning three, thinks Dugger looks “lost.” Johnson, now an analyst for NBC Sports Boston, tore into Dugger for the struggling defensive back’s performance during Week 12’s 34-15 defeat to the Miami Dolphins.
As Johnson put it, “Kyle Dugger looks like a ball in high grass…..lost. Just like last week vs the Rams, the motions and PA are killing the Patriot’s D.”
Johnson didn’t stop there. In addition to crediting, of sorts, Dugger for giving up two touchdowns in the red zone, Johnson also offered the player some advice: “If I’m Kyle Dugger I’m calling in sick to work tomorrow.”
That’s a brutal putdown of a player expected to be a leader for a tough defense this season. Instead, Dugger’s issues are common across a unit performing below expectations.
Johnson’s critique hints at the problem being more about scheme than personnel.
Kyle Dugger Not Meeting Past Standards
The Patriots paid up to keep Dugger in town because he’d proved himself as an accomplished, all-round safety. Being a thumper against the run who could play in the box made Dugger an asset, but so did being able to body tight ends and slot receivers.
Dugger was also set apart as a rare draft success during the dying years of head coach Bill Belichick’s decorated tenure. Getting a lucrative contract extension made Dugger the first top pick in a Patriots draft class to earn a second deal since 2011.
A big payday and some scheme continuity, thanks to defensive assistant Jerod Mayo replacing Belichick as head coach, had Dugger worthy of top-10 recognition to some analysts.
The 28-year-old isn’t playing like a top-10 talent at his position. He appeared confused about his coverage responsibilities against the Dolphins and their moving parts.
One example occurred when Miami running back De’Von Achane scored via a catch and run. Duggan was alerted by cornerback Marcus Jones to the possibility of Achane releasing into a pass pattern, but the safety took “himself out of the play,” according to Taylor Kyles of Patriots on CLNS.
This wasn’t the only breakdown bearing Dugger’s name. He was also slow to react to a screen thrown to ex-Patriots tight end Jonnu Smith. The touchdown left Kyles to conclude “Dugger consistently struggled with awareness, communication, and eye discipline, and he seemed at least partly responsible for each of MIA’s TDs.”
Poor technique and a lack of scheme recognition were rarities when Belichick ran the defenses, but the 2024 Patriots are getting caught out by an opponent’s best plays and weapons too often.
Patriots Look Unprepared Defensively
It’s not as if the Patriots weren’t prepared for what was coming from the Dolphins. They preceded facing the Dolphins by taking on the Los Angeles Rams and their similar reliance on motion, moving pockets and elaborate route concepts.
A warning about motion from Patriots.com Staff Writer Evan Lazar went unheeded. He noted how “The Rams averaged 9.2 yards per play when they motioned, compared to a 4.5-yard average when there wasn’t any motion on the play. Despite their high motion rate, New England looked unprepared for LA’s motion concepts, and guess what, the Dolphins are about to do the exact same thing on Sunday.”
New England’s defense was still undone by the Dolphins “throwing to the motion man and using motion to move the Patriots defense in the wrong direction,” per Lazar.
Numbers from Next Gen Stats showed “The Dolphins used motion at their highest rate in a game this season (93.7%) with Tua Tagovailoa completing 27 of his 37 attempts for 268 yards and 4 touchdowns on such plays. Tagovailoa’s 4 TD passes off motion are tied for the most in any game this season.”
Not only did the Patriots get the basics wrong against a familiar system, they didn’t always match best against best. It was a major problem against the Rams when top cornerback Christian Gonzalez inexplicably didn’t trail marquee wide receivers Cooper Kupp or Puka Nacua.
Things were only slightly different against the Dolphins. Lazar pointed out how Gonzalez didn’t always shadow five-time All-Pro speedster Tyreek Hill: “According to NextGen Stats, Gonzalez lined up over Hill on half his routes (18 of 36).”
Mayo hasn’t been afraid to call out shoddy fundamentals from his defense, but he and first-year coordinator DeMarcus Covington must support players like Duggan with smarter strategies.
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