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Season in Review: 25 Thoughts on 25 Players on the Patriots Defense

With potential large-scale changes happening in New England, it's fair to wonder what head coach Bill Belichick's future could mean for the Patriots defense.

Despite major injuries to Pro Bowl pass-rusher Matthew Judon and first-rounder Christian Gonzalez, the Patriots defense finished ninth in total DVOA, ranking third against the run and 15th in pass DVOA. Last week, we wrote an extensive breakdown of their defensive scheme here. The skinny version is that New England's defensive system isn't broken or outdated, meaning there aren't as many big-picture concerns about how they do things from this perspective.

The Pats are evolving with the times schematically and personnel-wise, fielding lighter personnel with a league-high rate in dime packages and buying into the simulated/creeper pressure craze.