PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

Archives for July 2013

The Best of PatsPropaganda This Week

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It’s the second-to-last weekend before training camp starts, and like Patriots fans everywhere, I can’t wait to put this offseason behind us. No need to recap but let’s just say the positive news (Brady extension, signings/draft picks) have been far outweighed by the negative news or new that was spun negatively (Welker departure, Gronk surgeries, Hernandez, Dennard, and all the rest).

Here’s some of the best stuff from the week, and it’s limited because most of the pundits are off on vacation before the NFL season kicks into high gear.

On the Patriots receiver re-build and defensive continuity

The Shutdown Corner AFC East Draft Review Podcast with Greg Cosell | Shutdown Corner – Yahoo! Sports

Key Patriots Entering Contract Years – Frenz

Patriots WRs are a unit to watch in training camp – Kyed

Make your own Pats 53-man roster with PatsPicker!

Finally don’t forget to stop by The Prop Shop to pick up one of our tees. We’ll have another addition sometime in the next 10 days that we’re really excited about!

Do you have much concern about the stalwart veterans Mankins and Wilfork dropping off significantly in their performance level? We’ve seen the Pats get rid of long-tenured players rather unceremoniously before, which makes one wonder whether the same thing could happen again, especially in the case of Mankins.

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No on Mankins, he’s still young enough that he should be in his prime, and now that he’s a full year recovered from ACL surgery I’m expecting his best year since 2010. The Pats value their offensive lineman, so I don’t really see them jettisoning him regardless.

As for Wilfork they can’t keep running him into the ground, and if they keep relying on him so heavily it’s just a matter of time before he starts getting dinged. That’s why I think the Tommy Kelly signing was a good one. Kelly can take some heat off of Wilfork and has been injury-free for the last few seasons. Armond Armstead should help as well on passing downs. 

With a better supporting cast I think Vince will have an even more consistent impact, but there’s no question has he gets up there in years the Pats will have to protect him a bit.

There’s been talk about using vareen the way we used Hernandez, Iike moving him around the formation to make mismatch problems. But vareen isn’t what Hernandez is, he’s not the size and I feel like wont garner the same priorities Hernandez did. What do you think?

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Yeah I don’t really buy it either. Vereen will have his hands full enough taking over for Woodhead, it seems a little much to suddenly make him into a wide receiver as well. And I’m not even sure who was making these observations because it could’ve just been that he motioned out of the backfield out wide, which is a staple of the Patriots offense, and just because he’s out on the perimeter doesn’t mean he’s a wide receiver. Usually it’s because they’re checking to see if the defense is in man coverage and if they are the result will be a big middle linebacker having to go cover on the perimeter.

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On the New England Patriots’ second-round pick, Marshall WR Aaron Dobson: “I liked him on film – he had a few easy drops, which you don’t want to see. But for the most part, watching him on film, I thought he had really good hands and made a lot of difficult catches. He’s got a very good size/hands combination, in my opinion, and he’s a pretty easy mover. I wouldn’t call him explosive as a vertical guy, but with experience, he will be a vertical threat. But he’s not a ‘burner’ in the traditional sense – he’s more of a fluid, long-striding receiver.”

The Shutdown Corner AFC East Draft Review Podcast with Greg Cosell | Shutdown Corner – Yahoo! Sports

Can’t wait to listen to this!!

https://www.patspropaganda.com/on-the-new-england-patriots-second-round-pick/

How much better will Jones and Hightower be in their second year, and what does an improved pass rush mean for the Patriots’ defense?

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They really need them both to be better, Jones especially. I don’t think enough pundits are pointing out how much pressure there is on Jones to build off the potential he flashed in early 2012. If he takes a step back it could really set the defenses growth back. He needs to be an impact three-down defensive end, and especially show that he’s a force who can get after the quarterback on any down if he’s not accounted for.

As for Hightower I think he’s going to make a big jump. He’s so strong, poised and a great tackler. As his instincts settle in at the NFL level he could really make an impact at outside linebacker. The question is how good can he be in coverage? He split nickel snaps with Spikes last year. Can he overtake him now? And how will Dane Fletcher factor into that equation.

Regardless I think Hightower is an ideal linebacker for this system, and should have a big role this year.

What do you think is more realistic this year? Top 10 Defense or 15th and lower offense?

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Top 10 Defense for sure. And by Top 10, I’m talking DVOA, Football Outsiders’ efficiency rankings. I think there is something to be said for the amount of yards given up, but it doesn’t make sense to make that the king of defense rankings.

So last year the Pats were 15th in DVOA last year, after being 30th in 2011. That’s a significant improvement, and with the continuity and additions of Adrian Wilson and Tommy Kelly, I don’t see why they couldn’t elevate five more spots.

Offensively they haven’t been below 7th in DVOA since 2003 (14th) and 2001 (11th). Even with Matt Cassel in 2008 they were 7th.

The O-line and Brady are too good drop in the bottom half of the NFL regardless of who the new wide receivers are. Everyone loves to bring up the wide receivers of 2006, well the offense was 4th in the NFL that season.

As much as I’ve heard the Patriots are going to be crisp this year I totally disagree. It’s always better to be doubted and look at the Ravens and Giants the last two years. They didn’t have great regular seasons yet they got hot at the right time. By the playoffs we will be hot and as opposed to the last few years we have the advantage of being highly doubted by many people and this is why I believe we will win the Super Bowl. What do you think? Am I crazy?

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Well I’m not one to predict Super Bowl championships, but I think there’s a lot of truth to your thoughts. It really is about getting hot right in the playoffs. Not even in November and December. January and February.

There’s no magical formula for putting together 3-4 games where you get all the breaks and make all the clutch plays. That’s what makes it so hard to predict, and whether you’re the first seed or the sixth seed, it doesn’t really matter.

I think the biggest hump to get over in winning the Super Bowl for the Patriots will be their defense. They need to take a step forward this year, and with all the high draft picks they have who are now entering their prime, it should be expected of them. 

This core group on defense has had a few years together. They know the system. They’ve played on huge stages, in championship games. They have to start consistently controlling games. Dictating. 

For too long they’ve been a group that no lead is safe with, especially in the fourth quarter and especially against the pass. There are no more excuses for them. They have a solid mix of all the necessary ingredients, and have shown flashes of being great, but they have been far too infrequent and woefully inconsistent.

If the defense elevates it will be an enormous help to the offense, who will be looking for a new identity this season. But as we all know, you don’t need the record-setting offenses of 2007, 2010 and 2012 to win the Super Bowl. 

You need consistent solid play from your defense, and clutch play from the offense in January and February. Put those things together and I think the Patriots have as good a shot at another Lombardi as any team.