Per Phil Perry,
If you were to move on from AVP, it's unlikely anyone would really want to sign on in his place when the head coach may be fired soon.
As for the DC position, the only defense that Mayo knows is the BB defense. So Mayo would want another defensive coach from the same tree, and who would that be? Perry did mention coach Graham. Unless they just go with a totally different system.
Perry also spoke to an NFL associate with the Cardinals who stated that the only worthy defensive player was Gonzo. And the defensive talent was worse than the offensive.
I've been thinking about it for 6-7 weeks and I agree with the AVP part. Replacing him with anyone better would be near impossible. The best solution I see is to ask AVP to take some
continuing education time to study some of the better offensive schemes in the league. He could adopt some of those plays or series of plays since 1 play often sets up 2 or 3 other plays. See what he comes up with from 4 hours of film study of successful plays from the Lions, Rams, Packers and 9ers. It could broaden his outlook and show him how good offensive schemes are designed so he can get out of his rut. I mean, other teams can run successful screen plays, why can't the Patriots? I haven't seen the Pats use a single play with a trailing WR all year.
How about flooding a zone or using rubs like every other team?
As for the D...Mayo may only know the BB defense but this D that Covington is coaching isn't BB's D. I say that bc the front 7 play is much too soft. On pass rushes the DL players bull rush 2-3 yds hard then slow down to wait for the QB to react. They don't individually try to shed their man to get to the QB unless the OL makes a mistake or the QB bolts. Our LBs don't fill gaps on running plays or they fill the wrong gaps. Go back and look at that Cook 50 yd TD run in the Buffalo game - it's a perfect example. Another problem is setting the edge has become a pipe dream. Keion White, who was ok last year, has become pathetic. Judon is missed. Wise used to be good but he's regressed since last year. He and Jonathan Jones are FAs after this season. Jones has been a valuable piece for a long time but he's 32 and may not be coming back. Just facing reality. Wise is easily replaceable which makes him a jag. Austin is also a FA and he's worthy of keeping, imo.
It's easy to say our front 7 talent (size, strength, athleticism, speed) isn't good enough to match up and that's probably true but they performed better last year. Coaching. Their regression is undeniable. LB talent is the worst I remember going back to the early '80s. Bentley is our best but he's often injured and at full health he would be a backup on most other clubs because
he lacks speed & can't cover well enough. This offseason the Pats need 2 big strong run stoppers on the DL, 2 speedier LBs who can tackle the ball and 2 CBs, 1 of whom is frontline caliber.
That's a total of 5 new starter capable players out of 11.
