FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The top four cornerbacks from last season’s New England Patriots defense are gone, including the three who started the 28-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl.

With those cornerbacks – particularly Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner – the Patriots were allowed to play an aggressive style of defense in the secondary that locked down some of the game’s top receivers.

Rob Ninkovich of the New England Patriots, who says he’s still learning in his seventh season with the team, is part of a defensive line that will be counted on to further pressure quarterbacks, especially as a new-look secondary adjusts. The Associated Press

This year the focus of New England’s defense will shift to the front seven, particularly those players on the edge.

This year’s group of cornerbacks, led by Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler and newcomer Tarell Brown, may turn out to be successful, but the defense’s effectiveness will come from its ability to rush the passer. Unlike last year when the Patriots’ coverage bought time for the rush to develop, the rushers are going to have to get to opposing quarterbacks quickly to take pressure off a rebuilding secondary.

Devin McCourty, New England’s stellar safety, likes the potential up front. He noted that last year’s pass rush was more integral than statistics indicated.

New England didn’t have great numbers – ranked only 13th in the NFL with 40 sacks – but made sacks at key moments. Now players like defensive ends Rob Ninkovich (team-high eight sacks) and Chandler Jones (six sacks), and newcomer Jabaal Sheard (a 6-foot-3, 260-pounder who can play on the edge or inside), must become more disruptive.

“The pass rush is huge,” said McCourty. “You can’t have a good secondary without a pass rush and you can’t have a good pass rush without a good secondary. I think it’s a real good balance and for us, we’ve got to play off those guys. They’re going to do a real good job getting after the quarterback and we’re going to have to cover guys up and not give up easy throws.”

The Patriots have an interesting group up front, a mixture of veterans like Ninkovich (10 years) and Sheard (five years with the Cleveland Browns), with two second-year players (including last year’s first-round pick Dominique Easley) and three rookies (first-rounder Malcom Brown along with Trey Flowers and Geno Grissom).

“I think we have a lot of guys who are athletic and versatile,” said Ninkovich. “(Sheard) has come in and done a great job, and is working hard. (Flowers) and (Grissom) have come in and tried to absorb as much as they can. We’ve still got to continue to work and grow as a unit.”

New England’s versatility up front caught the attention of Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who will face the Patriots in the opener Thursday night at Gillette Stadium.

“They keep guys with high motors,” said Roethlisberger. “They can be complicated at times, their defense and their front seven. They can also be very plain and basic. But even when they are plain and basic, and just rush four guys, their motors never stop.”

Tarell Brown, who signed with the Patriots as a free agent from Oakland, likes the combination up front: “They do a great job of putting pressure on the quarterback, stopping the run and wrecking havoc. They have a nucleus of guys who can get to the ball and it helps to keep those guys fresh. The more you can rotate guys on the defensive front, the more it helps.”

Ninkovich exemplifies the pass rush more than anyone else on the team. Since joining the Patriots in 2009 as a free agent, he has compiled 35.5 sacks, forced 13 fumbles, recovered eight fumbles and intercepted five passes.

He’s now trying to impart some of his knowledge to the younger players. He’s also working hard with Sheard, who had 23 sacks in four years with Cleveland but only two last year.

Coach Bill Belichick said Sheard has had to adjust to some new schemes with the Patriots.

“Overall a lot of things that we do (schematically), he’s done, so there’s been a little bit of an adjustment, but he’s done well with that. He’s a good player. He’s long, has good playing strength, pretty instinctive.”

Ninkovich added, “He’s definitely an explosive player. He’s strong, still young, still got a lot more game in him. He’s going to continue to get better and progress as a football player.”

Ninkovich certainly understands the adjustment Sheard has to go through.

“It’s my seventh year here and I’m still learning, trying to get better at my craft,” he said. “It helps to be in the system as long as I have.”

McCourty is glad Sheard is in New England to contribute to the rush.

“Adding a guy like Jabaal now is huge,” he said. “I’ve seen him play in college and then as a pro. He’s had a pretty good career in the NFL. We’ve got three guys who can do it all on the edge, rushing the passer and playing stout on the edge against the run so I think to have three guys really good at that only helps the defense out.”

Belichick said that having three potential big-time pass rushers like Ninkovich, Jones and Sheard is only part of the story. Their versatility gives them added value. Both Jones and Sheard will play inside at times. And Ninkovich can play off the line and drop into pass coverage.

“It’s great to be good at one thing,” said Belichick. “It’s also great to have flexibility and versatility from those players who can help us in other areas. We try to build our repertoire with them, try to build a wide base so we can use them in different ways.”

Both Sheard and Ninkovich dismissed the notion that the pass rushers are under pressure this year.

“It’s not about just one area,” said Ninkovich of the defense.

“It’s just a matter of going out and doing your job,” said Sheard. “That’s what we’re here for: play football and on third down go after the quarterback or whatever it is.

“Just do our job. That’s it.”

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