Cam Sutton has gone from afterthought to being thrust into the NFL spotlight. After missing the first half of his rookie season, it took only two games for him to be inserted into the defense, rotating in with Coty Sensabaugh with Joe Haden on the mend. Sutton has held his own and speaking to reporters yesterday, Keith Butler chalked that up to his football IQ.
“He is a very sharp young man,” Butler said via Joe Rutter’s short video of the interview. “He picks up stuff well. He’s very situational aware. He’s still got a lot to learn. But we like what we see.”
There’s a chance Sutton will be *the* guy in the most difficult matchup of the season. Sensabaugh has missed both practices as of this writing and Haden has been limited both days. If both are out, a serious possibility, Sutton will see all the snaps.
He was drafted in the third round because of his ability to play man coverage. When asked about it after practice, Sutton deflected, saying it was just important to play their game.
“Each gameplan is not the same,” Sutton said via the team site. “You have your fundamental base. You have what you need to do, what you rely on as a defense. At the end of the day, it comes down to winning your matchups. The more wins we have out there on defense and get off the field, and getting the ball back to our offense, they have more opportunities to put up points on the board.”
It’s a defense that still hasn’t found a way to slow down Tom Brady. Since 2007, including playoffs, Brady has thrown 22 TDs and zero interceptions. The last pick he tossed was in 2005, a span of of well over 250 attempts. Put it this way. The last Steeler to intercept Brady is Chris Hope, a guy who has been retired for five years.
Sutton doesn’t have to be the guy to break the streak. But if he’s out there, it’s a guarantee the Patriots go after him. And he needs to continue to hold his own.
