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Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner are going to be a big help to the pass defense, but little-heralded James Anderson will be key as well. It only takes one guy to get open to ruin a play for the defense.

Brandon Spikes and Dane Fletcher—no longer with the New England Patriots—are not going to be replaced by Anderson. He isn't a run-stopper. You don't want him in the game on 3rd-and-1. However, he'll find a role.

Oliver Thomas from NEPatriotsDraft.com details just what Anderson can and cannot do:

Anderson’s backpedal has kept with inside receivers. And his discipline, as well as his penchant for jumping routes, has contested them. Now there are times where blocks will overpower him, where tight ends will outreach him, where running backs will undercut him, and where receivers will outrun him. Yet for Anderson, it’s about more than doing what his size and athleticism allow him to do. It’s about doing what other linebackers do not.

Expect to see Anderson and the similarly swift Jamie Collins on the field in passing situations. Jerod Mayo and Dont'a Hightower will see some time as well—their ability to rush and combat the run are important as well—but Anderson and Collins will be able to shut down the interior while the defensive backfield does its job.