Myron Pryor, former Kentucky defensive lineman, is already having great success for the New England Patriots and it isn’t going unnoticed.
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[I]FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — In an offseason that saw the Patriots beef up their defensive line with a number of big-name additions like [/I][URL=”http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/3543/albert-haynesworth”][COLOR=#225db7][I]Albert Haynesworth[/I][/COLOR][/URL][I], [/I][URL=”http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/2143/shaun-ellis”][COLOR=#225db7][I]Shaun Ellis[/I][/COLOR][/URL][I], [/I][URL=”http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/2555/andre-carter”][COLOR=#225db7][I]Andre Carter[/I][/COLOR][/URL][I], and [/I][URL=”http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/9745/mark-anderson”][COLOR=#225db7][I]Mark Anderson[/I][/COLOR][/URL][I], it might have been third-year defensive tackle [/I][URL=”http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12715/myron-pryor”][COLOR=#225db7][I]Myron Pryor[/I][/COLOR][/URL][I] who made the biggest splash in Monday’s season-opening triumph in Miami.
Pryor played less than 40 percent of the team’s total snaps, but got credited with a team-high three quarterback hits, a half sack, and two tackles. But that doesn’t quite sum up his impact. According to analytical site Pro Football Focus, which grades players based on overall performance, Pryor graded out as +4.2, which wasn’t just tops on the Patriots, it was the second best grade among all defensive linemen in Week 1 (second only to Cleveland’s Phil Taylor, but ahead of Baltimore’s [/I][URL=”http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/9598/haloti-ngata”][COLOR=#225db7][I]Haloti Ngata[/I][/COLOR][/URL][I] at +3.9, Oakland’s [/I][URL=”http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/2554/richard-seymour”][COLOR=#225db7][I]Richard Seymour[/I][/COLOR][/URL][I] at +3.7, and Haynesworth at +3.5).
Pryor’s efforts helped the Patriots — often scolded for an anemic pass rush a season ago — grade out as the top pass rushing defense in Week 1 with PFF assigning a +12 rating (only two other teams were +10 or better). By comparison, the Patriots graded out at -0.1 last season, seventh worst in the league.
For Pryor, there’s a heightened comfort level with the system that’s allowing him to thrive early this season.
“I think just being in the system for a little while, kind of helps slow everything down, it helps you understand much more,” he said. “And just being in better shape this year, knowing the system, it’s all second nature for me now. Everything moves so much smoother.”[/I]
[I][URL=”http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4703160/pryor-making-the-most-of-his-snaps”]Complete Article[/URL]
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