New England Patriots sign former Buffalo Bills defensive end Marcus Stroud for two year contract
Defensive end Marcus Stroud has signed a two year contract with the New England Patriots, according to a source. After being let go by the Buffalo Bills last month, he will be staying in the same division, but with an arguable better team. Although the Pats
have not announced the hiring yet, Stroud’s Twitter account was filled with congratulations from former team-mates.
The 6ft 6in, 310 lb defensive lineman did not feel that he belonged with the Bills after they switched from a 4-3 defensive scheme to 3-4 scheme for the 2010 National Football League season.
In the University of Georgia, Stroud played with Jamie Henderson, Josh Mallard, Charles Grant, Johnathan Sullivan, Tony Gilbert, Richard Seymour, Will Witherspoon, Kendrell Bell and Jonas Jennings, all of whom would go on to play in the NFL.
The 2001 NFL Draft is considered to be the best draft in history for defensive tackles and Stroud was picked in the first round, 13th pick overall, by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He teamed up with John Henderson to become one of the most powerful
defensive duos in the NFL. He made it to the Pro Bowl three years in a row, in 2003, 2004, and 2005. Stroud was also suspended for four games in the 2007 season with the Jags because of substance abuse. With the Jaguars, Stroud had 274 tackles in seven seasons
as well as 22 sacks and 22 defended passes, as he also forced six fumbles with the Jags.
Stroud was traded to the Bills in 2008 for draft picks and was immediately made one of the key players. In April of 2009, he signed a two year contract with 12-million-dollars guaranteed and was released by the Bills after two years, in 2011. While playing
for the Bills, Stroud had 150 tackles in four years, 7.5 sacks, 17 passes defended and two forced fumbles. His three years with the Bills were arguably better than those that he had with the Jags. With the Jags, Stroud averaged 39 tackles, three sacks, and
three passes defended per season. However, with the Bills he averaged 50 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 5.6 sacks per year.
This is his 11th season in the NFL and he has a total of 424 tackles, 29.5 sacks, 39 passes defended and eight forced fumbles during his career. The addition of Stroud to the Patriots’ team, will give them a huge defensive boost. His ability to
read the offence and make quick changes to the defence are his most admired traits. It will be interesting to see how Stroud adapts into his new team and makes a positive impact.
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