The rock

Every workplace has its "rock." The person who shows up every day, carries a big chunk of the workload, rarely complains about it, has an even temperament, is a pleasure to be around, and is often overlooked. There's one in my department at the newspaper and when he's not there you notice it. Ty Warren is the rock of the Patriots. The announcement that he's going to have hip surgery and miss the entire season is a rather large rock through my rose-colored window. His absence is going to be noticed.

Warren -- fellow Mansfield resident -- has been a rock on the Pats D line since he was drafted in the first round of 2003. He has quietly manned Wilfork's right side. Together they have been a formidable run stopping force. The last thing the Pats evolving defense needed was to lose one of its veterans. But the last thing is often the most likely thing to happen in the NFL. And the teams that succeed adjust. The Patriots have been good at that under Belichick. This may be the toughest test of all.

The Patriots had already brought in another Warren to play on the other side of Wilfork. Veteran Gerard Warren. I guess they were going with the two Warrens are better than one philosphy. Well, let's hope the new Warren can play a key role in easing the loss of the old one. Mike Wright will be the other part of that equation, stepping into Ty Warren's spot. He has shown flashes of terrific play. Some guys like that prove that they can only do it in small doses. I get the feeling Wright is not one of those guys.

The other option is for the Pats to go out and get former Bill Aaron Schobel, a pass rushing beast. He's not really a good fit for the 3-4 but if the Pats switched to an in-your-face blitzing defense he would quickly become the leader of it. I would like to see Belichick go that route. They have young, fast players among the linebackers and defensive backs. They could let Wilfork, Warren (Gerard not Ty), and Wright do their best against the run and send everyone else after the QB. It would be fun if nothing else.

The bend-don't-break 3-4 defense that the Pats have used depends on having a physical presence on the end. Ty Warren brought that presence. Now it's gone for a year. If I see Ty around town I'll buy him a DD caramel ice coffee to cheer him -- and me -- up