Pats Pulpit
Even though they lost their season opener 20-13 to the visiting Las Vegas Raiders, not all was bad for the New England Patriots on Sunday. Near the top of the list of things to feel good about is team captain Harold Landry: the outside linebacker finished his Patriots debut with 2.5 sacks and five tackles.
The free agency pickup was a bright spot for New England in Week 1, and he feels confident that others will soon follow suit. In fact, even as his team surrendered 6.8 yards per play and nine plays of more than 20 yards, Landry saw glimpses of dominant play within his unit.
“I feel like we came out with good energy. I felt like we settled down after that first drive,” Landry said at the post-game podium at Gillette Stadium. “I felt like you could see the glimpse of dominance that our defense has.”
A former second-round draft pick by Tennessee, Landry joined the Patriots in March to reunite with longtime Titans head coach Mike Vrabel. He promptly earned a starting role and was voted a captain, and on Sunday against the Raiders led the team’s front seven to a four-sack performance against Raiders QB Geno Smith.
While that outing was not enough to secure a victory, the flashes displayed by the 29-year-old were encouraging. Likewise, he is optimistic that this was just a starting point for him and the rest of New England’s defense.
“We all know on the defensive side of the ball, the sky’s the limit for us,” Landry said. “I think for us it’s just that consistency snapping in and snapping out and not having any lapses. You can easily tell that we have so much potential on that side of the ball.”
Coming off their loss to the Raiders, Landry and company will get their next chance to meet his expectations in a week from today. The Patriots will travel to Miami to take on the Dolphins in their first division game of the year next weekend.
In order to earn a W in South Beach and showcase what Landry thinks the New England defense is capable of, however, a quick turnaround will be necessary — on that already starts on Monday.
“We just have to come to work, leaders have to lead, and we just have to come to work tomorrow ready to improve, hungry to improve,” Landry said. “You can see it, this is an exciting defense, I’m excited to be a part of it.”
