The Patriots have some hitters in the secondary. Bill Belichick has praised safeties Patrick Chung and Devin McCourty as two of the best tacklers he's ever coached. Corner Malcolm Butler isn't afraid to seek out contact, and Logan Ryan was one of the team's top tacklers last season.
It's a group that will need to be willing to put its physicality on display when the Dolphins get to town for Sunday's Week 2 matchup. According to what Bill Belichick said during his Belistrator segment on Patriots.com with host Scott Zolak, Miami's two top offensive weapons also happen to be among its most difficult to get to the turf.
Belichick praised 30-year-old running back Arian Foster earlier this week for his balance, but he reiterated those points when breaking down some film of Foster's day against Seattle last week.
"Foster, we know about his running style, and his production from carying the ball," Belichick said. "He's also a very good receiver . . . He's very dangerous with the ball in his hands, however he gets it -- running, receiving -- hard guy to tackle."
That also happens to be an apt description for Dolphins slot receiver Jarvis Landry. Miami coach Adam Gase will scheme up ways to get Landry the football, even if it's at or behind the line of scrimmage, thanks in part to Landry's effectiveness after the catch.
"Another dynamic player," Belichick said. "Toughness, run-after-catch ability. He does a good job of finding open spots. Of course [quarterback Ryan] Tannehill looks to him as a very dependable guy."
Belichick pinpointed one 28-yard catch-and-run from Landry against the Seahawks that he found particularly impressive.
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"Here he gets the ball, takes another five or six-yard play and takes it for a 30-yard run with his run-after-catch ability and his running strength. Tackling's going to be a very big thing for us in this game."
In his look at the Dolphins, Belichick also analyzes the skill sets of defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh, safety Rashad Jones and rookie return man Jakeem Grant, among others. You can watch the entire video here.
