Matt Judon: Tale Of Two Halves
The Patriots were hurting coming off the 2020 season. With the team’s depth and top-tier talent depleted from the roster, they needed to make some big changes. In comes Matt Judon, a primary target in the 2021 off-season.
He is now in the second year of a four-year 56-million-dollar contract.
Judon gets after the QB, which is a premium need for every team. He had multiple multi-sack games and created havoc for opposing offenses early in the 2020 season. The Patriots thought they had another defensive player of the year on their hands.
The Season
Matt Judon started the season off in an incredible way. In just 13 weeks he tallied 12.5 sacks, and he was considered a legit playmaker. During this time the Patriots’ defense was one of the best in the league. He was the huge factor in the turnaround this defense saw.
Unfortunately, after that week 13 game in Buffalo, something happened to Judon and his production tanked. It could’ve been a play where he collided with Dont’a Hightower and left the game for a period of time.
However, He said “Yeah, how I came down his helmet was just in my rib. Lost my breath a little bit,” Judon said. “I tried to get up, get back to the line of scrimmage, but I really couldn’t breathe. But I’m OK. I’m OK.” (PatriotsWire)
I believe that he and the team downplayed either that injury or another one. Not only did his numbers disappear but his impact on the field dramatically decreased as well.
Another issue that may have caused his down-trend in play is that opposing teams began to gameplan for him, adding chips from tight ends, running backs, and extra pre-snap protection. The other players felt the absence of his impact struggling to produce the same amount.
The Take
In an interview with Felger and Mazz during the Super Bowl radio week, Matt Judon had his own explanation for the defensive struggles saying “I think, after like two games, then everybody tried to start making a play like ‘I’m going to be the player to this, I’m going to be the player to do that’ instead of just playing within the defensive scheme and stuff like that,” he explained. “And I kind of think that’s kind of what happened.”
My take from this quote is that the overall defensive message was lost in translation because of how this coaching staff was and still is structured. The team needs to figure out a way to streamline this committee process so the players understand what to do to maximize their value on the field.
Matt Judon is by no means a bust as some people have mentioned on social media. He may have fallen off down the stretch which is something he can’t continue to do, but he is still a great and productive player. He will need some more help around him if he is to carry this defense. No matter how great a player he is championship defenses have multiple impact players.
A guy like Christian Barmore coming into his second year fully healthy will be a huge part of alleviating the pressure on Judon. The need for more players like that in the front seven is clear because once Barmore got hurt it was a lot easier to double team Judon off the edge.
The Fix
Don’t be surprised for the team to go into the draft to try to find someone who can provide consistent pressure on the defensive line or a linebacker who has great pass rush skills. A few names to keep an eye on are Boye Mafe, Jordan Davis, Devonte Wyatt, and Jermaine Johnson.
I think the best way to fix the production issue is to have more playmakers around Judon so he doesn’t have to do it all for the whole season. The season is long and the body wears down. The team needs to be able to have similar production from the other guys. If so Judon can keep fuel in the tank. It also lowers the chance of him getting banged up throughout the season.
The defensive needs more playmakers, a more consistent identity, and a healthy version of Matt Judon. With these things the defense can look more like the top unit it has looked like in the past.
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