Rob Ninkovich rushes back into fold after suspension

Oct. 06--FOXBORO -- Rob Ninkovich might have had the most unceremonious welcome back party in history this week.

Relative to Tom Brady, whose absence left a literal shadow on a banner-covered Gillette Stadium lighthouse, Ninkovich's four-game suspension passed like a tumbleweed in a ghost town. But his return is meaningful for a Patriots defense that has rotated its ends as well as ever since Bill Belichick transitioned to a 4-3 base in 2011.

Jabaal Sheard, Chris Long and Trey Flowers have helped the Patriots' defensive ends form the most consistent positional group on that side of the ball through four games. Ninkovich obviously will add to that and keep the group a bit fresher, both toward the end of games and throughout the season.

"Rob is a vet in the game, has been doing it for years," Flowers said. "To have him back there in the swing of things is definitely going to help us out, so it's good."

Ninkovich, who was suspended for violating the performance-enhancing drug policy, ranked fourth on the Pats last season with 6.5 sacks, first with 13 quarterback hits and 22 pressures, and tied for second by forcing opponents to commit five penalties.

The 31-year-old was also crestfallen last month when he got word of his suspension, which he said was a result of over-the-counter supplements, so he should be motivated to prove himself on the backside of the ban.

Ninkovich was all smiles while bounding about the locker room yesterday.

"He looks good," Long said. "I'm excited."

Ninkovich's usage will be interesting because Sheard (73.3 percent of the Patriots' snaps) and Long (72.5 percent) have been steady as the starters while Flowers (52.4 percent) has yielded a spark as a backup. It seems reasonable Ninkovich will start as a rotational asset, but there's no reason to shy away from Flowers.

Just look at the production they've gotten in Ninkovich's absence.

Sheard leads the team with three sacks, is tied with Long for the lead with five pressures, ranks third with four quarterback hits and has drawn two penalties and amassed two run stuffs. Long has one sack, leads the Pats with four drawn penalties, ranks second with five quarterback hits and also has two run stuffs and a fumble recovery. Flowers has a team-best seven quarterback hits to go along with one drawn penalty, a fumble recovery and a batted pass.

As a group, the three defensive ends have four sacks, 16 quarterback hits, 10 pressures, seven drawn penalties and four run stuffs. The rest of the team has a combined three sacks, eight quarterback hits, six pressures, one drawn penalty and two run stuffs.

"We're just doing our job, doing what coach asks us to do," Sheard said.

Long elaborated: "We've got good players. We've got good depth, and guys are willing to do whatever it takes to be successful and however they can help the team."

Ninkovich's inclusion reinforces the edge rushers, which is important because Sheard, Long and Flowers have all missed time due to injuries in recent seasons. And quite frankly, Ninkovich would have missed some regular-season action last month while recovering from a torn triceps muscle, so it's valuable to have that rotation.

There isn't a team on the planet that has ever complained about having too many pass rushers. While the Patriots don't have a Khalil Mack on their roster, the depth should conceivably keep the production from tapering off late in the season due to an overreliance on two players, which bit them particularly hard in 2013 with Chandler Jones and Ninkovich. Considering Long missed 14 games in 2014 and 2015, Sheard already dealt with a sprained MCL in August and Flowers played four snaps last season as a rookie, the insurance at the position is vital.

And if their health remains intact, the quartet of pass rushers will continue to be a true strength.

"It's definitely valuable to have that depth on that position because we're dropping (in coverage), chasing quarterbacks that run, chasing running backs, playing blocks," Flowers said. "That's the name of the game. You've got to be consistent. You can't be up and down."

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