The second piece in a series, “Wild Card†will highlight a player currently on the Patriots’ roster who’s development will help determine the team’s success in 2011. Others can be found here.
The History: In the 2010 draft, Cunningham was one of three University of Florida Gators selected by Bill Belichick. It was an odd choice at #53 in the 2nd round as another Gator, Carlos Dunlap, was also available and had had a more high-profile career at UF. A 4-3 defensive end in college, Cunningham had to make the transition to stand-up outside linebacker in the Patriots’ 3-4 defense. His career in New England got off to a rocky start as it was, with the rookie saddled by an injury in training camp that prevented him from participating in the preseason. He missed just one game all regular season though, the week fifteen match up in Buffalo when he, like others, was battling the flu. At final count, Cunningham took approximately 50.9% of defensive snaps (thanks to Mike Reiss for the calculation) in 15 games with 11 starts. He has 35 tackles, 2 forced fumbles and 1 sack on his first-year resume.
The Good: It’s never easy for a new player to make a move from one position to another. Some do it easily (Julian Edelman and Tedy Bruschi come to mind) while some struggle (no need to name names). Cunningham proved to be more versatile than expected. He played standing up and made a key play or two – particularly a disruption of Peyton Manning’s final throw that won the Patriots’ their week 11 game against the Colts. In sub packages he also fluidly returned to a 3-point stance on a four man line. His best appearance, though, came against the Baltimore Ravens in week four when he displayed all the elements of what a New England OLB needs: power, toughness, agility and playmaking abilities. Knowing that Cunningham would have to adjust to an entirely new position, the fact he was able to productively contribute last year should be a victory in itself.
The Bad: That being said, Cunningham was woefully inconsistent in 2010. Some of that can be chalked up to the learning curve, but he was a literal ghost in four games he appeared in and in others registered only a single tackle. For a defense that was on the field more than almost any other, that doesn’t reflect well on Cunningham and his involvement in making plays happen consistently. Like most young players, he missed plenty of opportunities on the field and plays often happened around him (and through him). Cunningham was counted on for a lot with the mid-season injuries to Mike Wright and Myron Pryor and that pressure appeared to weigh on him. The Patriots lack a really strong pass rusher which means there is no one to truly teach the trade to Cunningham, which could also have impeded his success.
The Verdict: It’s clear Cunningham has the tools. He wouldn’t be in the NFL – or with the Patriots – if he didn’t. It’s going to take time for him to develop the same type of instincts he had at defensive end in his new position and whether or not he gets there in a timely fashion will depend on how mentally strong he proves to be going forward. Having played over 50% of the snaps, it still irks me how few his stats were. But like it or not, Belichick didn’t draft any other OLB’s (or transitioning OLB’s) in his year’s draft, so Cunningham is going to continue to be counted upon to produce. Can he be a 5-7 sack guy next season? I have my doubts. That energy he showed in week four needs to be a constant, but it comes from confidence in your skills. One can only hope that as he continues to acclimate himself, there will be less over thinking (and over pursuing) and more instinctive playmaking.
