New England Patriots thread (MOD WARNING - #4503)

Moat_Cailin

BizzyC wrote: »

I don't see it being a problem. It might actually improve our pass rush overall.

Generally in a 3 man front you have at least one guy in a 4 or 5 tech, which is where Jones plays on the 4 man front. I don't see him being put in a 3 tech which wouldn't suit him.

The real change there is Ninkovic wont have his hand in the dirt, which frees his movement up a bit more and will allow us to stunt the other backers more often to keep the O Line guessing where the 4th rusher is coming from. For Jones it should just stay business as usual.

Kelly and Wilfork playing a 3 and 1 tech should solve all of our inside run issues from a year ago...
Also having two big men in the middle like that allows you to create more gaps for inside stunts from Collins and Mayo.

Great to have Wilfork and Kelly back. Spot light will be on after injuries. Let's hope they still have a lot to offer.

Vince doesn't quite get the credit he deserves. Playing a zero tech(3-4), drawing doubles and still stuffing runs up the middle, requires a real monster. Him at one and then Mr.Kelly was a good pick up and a big loss last year, he showed he was still a very good three and it's great to have him back.

BB has a lot to work with next year, I'm excited to see it in action.

JaMarcusHustle

LaFell in training today. Remind you of anyone?

http://instagram.com/p/rU4tb5Bm47/

Masked Man

Guessed it be a one handed catch before I clicked, been watching too many Moss highlights lately.

Hopefully LaFell can pull off a few of them against Revis.

Vanolder

With the world cup and Limerick going well in hurling I've not paid too much attention to pre season or this thread.

What's going on?

JaMarcusHustle

Vanolder wrote: »

With the world cup and Limerick going well in hurling I've not paid too much attention to pre season or this thread.

What's going on?

Revis in.
Talib out.
Gronk fit.
Brady Brady.
Revis in.
Do your job.
Revis in.
REVIS.
REVIS

I think that's about it...

me89

JaMarcusHustle wrote: »

Revis in.
Talib out.
Gronk fit.
Brady Brady.
Revis in.
Do your job.
Revis in.
REVIS.
REVIS

I think that's about it...

And did he mention we got Revis?:)

Vanolder

Cheers lads.... How has Revis settle in tho??

Seriously tho, how are our receivers shaping up? I've read a few mixed reports on La Fell... Jules could be our go to guy again for the first half of the season at least.

Son Of A Vidic

Vanolder wrote: »

Cheers lads.... How has Revis settle in tho??

Revis has simply been outstanding in practice. There is no other word to put on it. Well maybe I could say he's the Brady of CBs.

Vanolder wrote: »

Seriously tho, how are our receivers shaping up? I've read a few mixed reports on La Fell... Jules could be our go to guy again for the first half of the season at least.

I'm putting a post together later on the teams progress, most of it will be about the WR corp. Now it will probably bore you, but it will be my two cents re:what I've picked up.

Son Of A Vidic

bruschi wrote: »

so any thoughts on the team for the season ahead?

a lot.

On defense.

How things have come full circle. If we don't have the terrible luck with injures like last year. Then our defense could be very, very good and that excites me a lot. With a much better secondary, better coverage and jamming at the line. QB's will be holding onto the ball just that little bit longer and so I expect our pretty athletic looking DE's and LB's to capitalise on that.

It will be great to have our defensive general Mayo, back on the field. One thing that particularly pleases me is our LB corp. We don't have run stuffers like Spikes, but we have an all around more versatile group that can be effective against the pass in a pass happy league. The likes of James Anderson has demonstrated excellent athleticism in training camp, especially when dropping back into pass coverage. At LB few months ago, we looked thin in this department, but now we're looking pretty good.

With Wilfork back plugging the middle alongside Kelly, we are also automatically much better off against the run than we were last season. Wilfork has shed some pounds to ease the pressure on the Achilles and looks in good shape. Collins could be our star of the front seven and possibly the entire defense (excluding Revis being Revis of course). He's a tremendous athlete who can do it all, drop back or get to the QB. So I'm expecting big things off him in the year ahead. He and Jones should have fun.

But watch out for Hightower, he was thrown into the deep end with Mayo out last season and I think that invaluable experience bodes well for the future. So with Mayo back, I expect Matt will give Hightower much more freedom to hunt the QB. Something he was very good in college.

Then we have a great talent like Dominique Easley to factor in. We seem to be taking it slow with his recovery and I'm glad to see that. But when he is fit and healthy, he should be a very good weapon to add to the D.

I can see Browner rotating a lot with Dennard. Browners physicality is good, but we will need to watch how his penalty count works out. Chad O Shea nearly killed him last week during camp. But we're looking very good at corner with Revis, Browner, Ryan and Dennard. And when is the last time we could say that?

Arrington will do well when left in the slot and I wouldn’t be surprised if Ryan gets a fair few snaps there during the season also. Ryan had an excellent rookie season, showed excellent ball hawking ability and instincts. So I don’t want to see him on the side line too much if he’s healthy. Who's going to play alongside McCourty seems to be up in the air atm. They seem to be trying to have a committee approach so far in camp.

Personally, I think Harmon is the obvious choice to play with McCourt and I think he’ll get it. I was hoping we’d draft a big safety but we didn’t. I was also hoping we’d try Browner in the middle but we haven’t. His intimidating presence is something we’ve lacked in that area for some time. Who knows, if he starts giving up too many penalties at Corner, Bill may try him out at Strong Safety yet.

For the first time in a long time, I think we can now very effectively pass rush from everywhere on the D line, increase pressures, increase hits and sacks. And failing that, we have a strong looking Secondary biding their time. So overall, I'm very, very excited about the defense for the new season. I think they will be stronger, more dynamic, unpredictable and will give offensive coordinators a lot of headaches. The key as always is staying healthy and if they do that, they'll win a lot of games for us. Good times ahead if they stay healthy

Son Of A Vidic

On Offense

I have some question and maybe some concerns. Looking at the O line. The interior of the line gave us a lot of hassle last year. So I think the loss of Stork with an undisclosed injury, is a big blow imo. It takes away competition and that's not a good thing. On Monday & Tuesday the consensus suggests that the Redskins had the edge in pass rush drills. So looking at the interior of the O line overall, I am a bit worried for Brady going into the new season. That said, if they can get back to their 2012 performance then I'll be very happy and hopefully they will.

Apart from Gronk, I think we can safely say the the much heralded & revolutionary Pats TE offense is well and truly dead . Gronk could again be out by the business end of the season and we''ll be left with predominately blocking TE's. And that will make us that little bit more predictable on offense. Hooman is now sidelined with an injury, along with Williams. So the rookie Jenkins is getting more reps, which I'm glad to see. Yesterday he made one excellent catch on a route down the middle. Demonstrating excellent body control, as he leaped, tracked and turned his body in mid-air to catch and control the ball. He shipped a huge hit when he landed and didn't drop the ball. He's a huge target and I'd love if he could surprise us all this season

Rookie James White, could be the new star of the offense in a Vereen style role. He's got pretty good hands, but unlike Vereen, he runs big for a small guy. If his excellent ball security continues, then that will be a huge plus for us. And we need him, because Vereen continues to have question marks hanging over his durability. White is undoubtedly been the stand our rookie in this camp, has demonstrated excellent maturity, wisdom and discipline for a kid. Then again, his dad is a cop and his mom is a Probation Officer, so it's kinda in his jeans.

If Vereen stays healthy, then expect to see a fair few two back sets with White & Vereen. Defenses will be left wondering will they pass, will they run? So that should be fun to watch.

We could have afforded Blount and we should have kept Blount, because we haven't replaced him. We don't have that barn door smashing presence at RB and that's not good imo. This is a huge year for Ridley, but I have a feeling it could be his last. It's not so much how often he fumbles, but rather when he has. And I think that has created a perception that's hard to shake. I like Ridley, he’s our most dynamic pure RB on the roster. But I have to admit, last year I reached a point where I wanted to see them giving the ball to Blount instead.

And now I reach the area of most concern, our WR corp. No surprise to see that Minitron has been excellent in camp. So if he keeps healthy, then he could have an even better year that last year. But he needs better support out there.

Amendola like last year has looked good in camp, but his durability remains suspect. I know I gave out about him and wanted a taller WR, with a bigger catch radius. But Amendola is a damn nice guy and a bloody hard worker. And if I can see the Amendola that I saw against the Bills last year, then he will do very well.

Thompkins had a great start to camp and then had some drop days, which happens. But he's another real hard worker and Bill has singled his ethic out for praise. All Thompkins needs to do is add consistency and if he can add that & stay healthy, then I'll be happy camper.

Dobson was my ace in the hole for 2014, was mismanaged and now he's lost an entire training camp. He's lost ground that will be hard to make up when he comes back. So we've already shot ourselves in the foot for the new season.
He's the one true deep threat on the team, the one guy that can get up there and take the ball from CB's. And this is a key ares of need for us for a few years now. So I can't hide the disappointment of Dodson not being out there and it was all so avoidable.

Only time will tell if La Fell can provide an option to cover Dobson, initially reports said he was inconsistent, but he seems to have picked it up in the last week. As TO. previously said, the lad is adapting and adjusting to the offense and Brady. Ja Marcuses post yesterday (video clip) shows what he can do with that sweet one handed catch. Brady's body language also seems to suggest a growing rapport with La Fell, which is key.

Since I’m already factoring in not having Gronk when we really need him. I think the success of our offense could be very significantly affected by La Fell and how well he does. If he build trust with Brady, stays healthy and provides an outside/deep threat with Dobson out? Then I’ll be delighted. I think La Fell could have a significant impact on our season, by stretching defenses and keeping them honest.

At QB, I expect Mallet to have a better preseason than last year and we can't afford to trade because unsurprisingly, Garropolo is playing like a rookie.

Brady looked lethal against the Redskins. He's had everybody gushing as he put on a master class. Revis said last week its been a pleasure practicing with and playing against the best. He said Brady brings the best competition out in him and I'm sure Brady feels the same way about Revis. And once again, Brady enters another season where he has not been provided with a truly elite WR target.

But hey, this time last season Brady was in the unprecedented position, of virtually breaking in an entirely new corp. So the return of familiar faces this year is a positive. But keeping Brady healthy is as always the bottom line and the priority for the success of the Pats.

Sorry for the length of the post. But these are my thoughts and ramblings on the team. No doubt my opinion on some, most, or all of that could change by the time preseason is over. But that's where I think we're at right now.

BaronVon

Nice summary Corvus, I'd agree with most points made, especially

Corvus Maximus wrote: »

On Offense
We could have afforded Blount and we should have kept Blount, because we haven't replaced him. We don't have that barn door smashing presence at RB and that's not good imo.

I'm really disappointed we didn't re-sign Blount. Excellent option to have in the backfield, and I thought he comes across as a very likeable player.

Son Of A Vidic

infacteh wrote: »

I'm really disappointed we didn't re-sign Blount. Excellent option to have in the backfield, and I thought he comes across as a very likeable player.

Ya, is was really disappointing and he didn't break the bank in the end. After picking up a player like White, who has a similar skill set to Vereen. I thought it was even more important to keep Blount. It's good to have one RB who runs like A JCB. And if I was asked to decide between who went and who stayed? I would have kept Blount and cut Bolden.

bruschi

on Blount, is his record at the Patriots inflated due to a couple of massive games late in the season and in the first post season game? Being honest, I was so so on him, I liked his hard running, but at times during the year he was very ineffective. Maybe it was just getting used to the system or whatever, and maybe it was a case that he got used to it and produced his best at the end. Or maybe he just got a good speel which coincided to be at the end. I'm not sure. In any case, I'd have liked it if he stayed, but I'm not too despondent that he didnt.

I could also be the usual BB way of making a point, whether through pure stubbornness or to make sure he is getting value for money, that he wasnt going to overpay a first year player after a couple of good performances.

Maybe I'm being overly harsh too, but I just wasnt overly convinced on him. Doesnt mean I'm anyway convinced by Ridley either mind!

Son Of A Vidic

bruschi wrote: »

on Blount, is his record at the Patriots inflated due to a couple of massive games late in the season and in the first post season game? Being honest, I was so so on him, I liked his hard running, but at times during the year he was very ineffective.!

The game I really remember was the AFC title game. But the entire RB group was ineffective, because Knighton was constantly disrupting the interior O line. So they were never given that platform.

BKWDR

True about Blount , sad that we didn't keep him. But even in saying that bruschi, i'd rather he peaked the time he did with some amazing performances at that side of the season AND we kept him than Ridleys drops which everyone remembers.

I think he should've been kept

me89

Brady wont play tonight so Mallet will get the start.

A chance to show him off for a possible trade?

BKWDR

Brady sitting this game out.

Mallett throwing with maybe Grop getting in on the action.

Son Of A Vidic

me89 wrote: »

Brady wont play tonight so Mallet will get the start.

A chance to show him off for a possible trade?

Unless we bring in some veteran QB cover on the cheap, because the rookie is totally not ready for a back up role. But I just can't see it happening. But if it does, then they better be bringing in a quality weapon for Brady.

JaMarcusHustle

It's really him...

TO.

I was wondering why Revis seemed to know Law so well last Friday and I never realised they grew up in the same town and their families know each other. Explains the greatness.

Hazys

Garoppolo showing flashes in his first drive

TO.

Just posted this in Preseason thread. I know its early yet but Hoping he turns out to be the cracking player we hope he will be.

TO. wrote: »

Im delighted to see he brings his A game for games even if its a Pre-season. He was looking bad all the way through camp. If he keeps this up all the way through his bench warming we will be alright because Mallet is garbage.

Hazys

BB's press conference is electric...hilarious

Son Of A Vidic

I can't remember at what point I fell asleep on the couch, but Mallett was on the field. Thankfully my tiredness saved my from slitting my wrists. Going into year 4, there is no getting my head around how bad Mallett was tonight. 5-for-12 for 55 yards in the first half, but the worst part was his body language though, it was pretty embarrassing for a QB with starter aspirations.

I will have to look back at the Garoppolo footage tomorrow. From what I remember, Butler caught my eye and looked hawkish at CB. I thought Ryan was poor and I hope he's not gonna do an Arrington? Have a really good first year and then slide in his second?

JaMarcusHustle

Very disappointed in Mallett again. Unless he was under the impression that the turf was an eligible receiver. I'd have to see the playbook to make sure none of our plays called for him to throw the ball into the turf on purpose, but I doubt it did. Looking like he fell in the draft for a reason. That's what being a douchebag in college gets you.

BKWDR

JaMarcusHustle wrote: »

Very disappointed in Mallett again. Unless he was under the impression that the turf was an eligible receiver. I'd have to see the playbook to make sure none of our plays called for him to throw the ball into the turf on purpose, but I doubt it did. Looking like he fell in the draft for a reason. That's what being a douchebag in college gets you.

What were the 'other issues' the commentary were talking about re Draft? Did he do a manziel in college?

BKWDR

The Game Pass app kept on saying my tablet wasn't connected to the internet so i gave up but watched the 30 min condensed when i woke up. Thought that game will cost Mallett big time if he still has ideas of being a starting QB. Garoppolo did very well i thought.

j8wk2feszrnpao

Stayed up to watch the game; wishing I hadn't now, long day at work ahead.

Mallet. Just awful. Four years at the Pats, and he's stood still in his development.
The trade talk was mildly optimistic.
With Brady back in the next game, and Garoppolo (who impressed and at least played with some confidence) doing enough to warrant more time; Mallet may be closer to being cut rather than traded or making the roster.

TaosHum

BKWDR wrote: »

What were the 'other issues' the commentary were talking about re Draft? Did he do a manziel in college?

Rumored cocaine use if I remember correctly.

Son Of A Vidic

BKWDR wrote: »

What were the 'other issues' the commentary were talking about re Draft? Did he do a manziel in college?

No, nothing close to being a Manziel. But there were rumours of drug use and not just pot. Mallet himself admitted to using pot. But as far as I'm concerned, he must have been on Meth last night, he was so out of it.