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Archives for March 2016

Re-setting the Patriots Offseason Positional Needs

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With yesterday’s release of Brandon LaFell and Scott Chandler it shakes things up a bit in terms of the immediate needs for the Patriots. Both were in significant roles last year (at least to start) but faded from view as the season wore on. Right after the end of the season this was how I viewed the Patriots needs:

  1. Tackle
  2. Early Down Running Back
  3. Wide Receiver
  4. Linebacker
  5. Cornerback
  6. Tight End
  7. Guard
  8. Defensive End
  9. Defensive Tackle

Roster Need Reset

Now let’s re-evaluate things a bit:

  1. Wide Receiver – I think Pats fans actually like having this as a top need because it gives them hope that maybe, just maybe, the Pats will finally get a DEEP THREAT!. With the release of LaFell the Pats have an immediate starting need for a wide receiver to primarily play the X spot on the outside. Ideally he’s 6’2″ or bigger, has decent deep speed and is a willing blocker in the run game. 2014 LaFell checked these boxes. 2015 LaFell did not. Not sure anyone is holding out any hope that Aaron Dobson suddenly get it so the cupboard is pretty bare. Previously I thought running back was a spot to spend a little dough on a free agent, but now I shift that to the receiver spot. There will be plenty of speculation about the Patriots having some crazy secret plan in place like bringing in Calvin Johnson. Maybe that’s the case. Or maybe the just go with someone like LaFell was, a castoff who didn’t quite click in another city. Mohmed Sanu won’t excite many people but he still seems to me like an intriguing fit who could play multiple roles in the offense.
  2. Earl Down Running Back – Jeff Howe reported last week that the Pats were interested in bringing back LeGarrette Blount, but I still think he needs to be paired with an explosive hard runner who can get things started. Maybe that role can go to a rookie. Or maybe they try someone like castoff Joique Bell. Still, this is a glaring hole and an important need for 2016.
  3. Tackle – This is a top need, but for the long-term. I think they have to dedicate a high round draft pick to an athletic tackle who can swing to both sides and replace Sebastian Vollmer as starter at right tackle in 2017.
  4. “F” Tight End – Looking for a move tight end can be fun because you don’t have to be as concerned about their blocking. Dwayne Allen formerly of the Colts is an interesting free agent option. This position is also tied to Danny Amendola‘s future. Without Amendola the Pats are really in a bind without a move tight end as well. Which way do they primarily plan on playing, with three receivers or two tight ends? Probably the least exciting option is bringing back Michael Hoomanawanui.
  5. Middle Linebacker – I think this need is best filled by a veteran who can play a two-down role. Stephen Tulloch is intriguing and I’d love to see what Demario Davis could do in the Pats’ system. There are also some interesting guys in the draft like Joshua Perry of Ohio State. Just not sure a rookie can fill this role with where the Pats are picking.
  6. Defensive Tackle – Bringing back Akiem Hicks would be a great start and they also have to decide about Alan Branch in the next few days as he has an option due. Those two are probably tied to each other. But there’s also the fact that there are a ton of great DT fits in the draft. Hoping for one of them without a first round pick might be a fantasy though.

As for Corner, Guard and Defensive End, I think they only really need depth moves as those positions. Bring back Tarrell Brown and see how Ryan Wendell‘s feeling, that would pretty much solidify things before the draft where young corners and guards are always picks.

Report: Patriots release Brandon LaFell and Scott Chandler

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The big news is starting to drop as Adam Schefter and Mike Reiss report that the Patriots have released Brandon LaFell and Scott Chandler. There was plenty of speculation that both players could be let go as both were disappointing in 2015 and effectively removed from the gameplan by the AFC Championship.

Analysis

I was okay keeping Brandon LaFell and thought he was worth the $3.675 million cap hit after a down year that saw him start the season on the PUP list with a nagging foot injury. He just never found any consistency and ended up with just 37 catches on 74 targets. He was impressive in 2014 and a vital part of the Super Bowl run. Belichick always praised his blocking work as well.

I thought it would enough to buy him one more year with the hope that being healthy and playing for a new contract would help him get back to his 2014.  But his absence from the gameplan against the Broncos after getting a bunch of targets against the Chiefs was pretty meaningful. Here we thought LaFell was finally a free agent wide receiver who clicked with Tom Brady. Not anymore.

As for Chandler, everyone had high hopes that he would join with Rob Gronkowski and form a lethal pair of Twin Towers, but Chandler just never seemed to click with Brady. He ended up with 23 catches on 42 targets and four touchdowns. It was worth a try with Chandler, but for all the clutch plays he made against the Patriots when he was with the Bills, he never came through in those big spots with the Patriots.

This will open up around $3.675 million in cap space, and likely makes Danny Amendola safe, at least from release. He still could be extended to reduce his cap hit.

More importantly it opens up two significant roles on the offense — the starting X receiver spot and the second tight end, of “F”. There are no obvious in-house candidates to fill those roles. Aaron Dobson and Keshawn Martin would be pencilled into the X spot for now. AJ Derby, who spent his rookie year on IR, is the only possible fill in at the F spot.

Mohamed Sanu and Dwayne Allen would be my favorite two candidates to add into these holes.

But the more space the Pats open up the more ability they’ll have to add some impactful players in free agency. Both of these positions will have to be addressed in some fashion in the next couple weeks.

Patriots 2016 Draft Fits Emerging

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Dont'a Hightower Patriots 2012 Draft Pick

Dont’a Hightower, one of the Patriots best draft picks.

In recent years I’ve been kind of burned out on the draft. It’s just so much speculation about an endless number of players, of which 10 might actually be taken by your team, and of those maybe two to five actually make an impact. Yes, there’s not much else to do during the offseason than looking for Patriots draft fits, but talking draft on twitter can be a full contact sport so I tend to keep my draft research and thoughts mostly to myself and really I think it serves me well to come to my own conclusions before I start comparing what I think to everyone else.

It’s even harder to really lock in on the draft before free agency even starts. What are needs right now might not be in a few weeks, or other areas where we think the Pats are set could suddenly become glaring needs with an unexpected release.

But this year I feel really good about the jump I’ve gotten on this year’s crop of prospects and already have a number of players who, regardless of need, are excellent fits for the Patriots.

The big issue I see with this year’s draft class is the depth of the defensive tackles and defensive ends. Neither are major areas of needs for the Patriots, but both are vital positions that you can really never have too much talent or depth at. If we’re still looking at the Patriots not drafting until the end of the second round, their potential pick will be extremely influenced by just how many of the DT and DEs are off the board.

And really, there’s so much talent there that if there’s a delay in the run on those players, I don’t think we can rule out taking a DT for the third-straight year, despite the needs elsewhere.

Patriots Draft Fits

The position that I’ll be most eagerly watching are the tackles. After the combine last week a number of players stood out with their athleticism and that’s just what I think the Patriots need. If I had to custom build a tackle for the Pats first pick it would be an athletic right tackle who can also play on the left side.

Jason Spriggs from Indiana is one to watch and hopefully he falls. He hit on all 10 of the Pats desired measurables per Doug Kyed of NESN. Only thing about him is that he might be destined for left tackle, and those guys go faster than those for the right side even though the difference has been slowly eroding.

An under the radar tackle is Willie Beavers of Western Michigan, who played the left side in college but has the traits to play just about anywhere on the line. Only knock for him is that he doesn’t quite have the ideal size, measuring in at 6’4″, but still weighs 324.

Another player who has jumped out at me a bit is a local kid, Boston College’s Justin Simmons. Yes, he had the best three-cone time and we know what that means to the Patriots, but I also think he’s a fascinating fit on the defense to develop in the Patrick Chung role. He has balance to play both free and strong safety, and though he’s a bit lanky he’s still a willing tackler. He also hit seven-of-ten desired measurables.

What’s most intriguing to me is his size at 6’2″. Being able to deal with bigger tight ends and slot receivers is becoming a key trait for strong safeties in the Pats system. Chung did an excellent job last year, but still struggled at times because he’s just not big enough to deal with guys who are 6’5″ all the time. Someone like Simmons would be an interesting tool to develop alongside Jordan Richards as the Pats look to the future at the position.

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS:  | 2015 Adjusted Games Lost – Patriots 29th in NFL

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New England and Washington were the only teams ranked 20th or worse in AGL to make the playoffs.

Source: FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | 2015 Adjusted Games Lost

Football Outsiders always does a good job at quantifying just how impactful injuries are to teams by specifically looking each player who was lost and what their true impact was.

Not surprisingly the Pats come in at 29th overall with only Ravens, Redskins and Giants being hit harder by injuries in 2015. The Pats were 12th overall in 2014.

Nate Solder has to be the most impactful injury of the year because of the trickle-down effect it had on the rest of the line. They just didn’t have another tackle athletic enough to fill in for him and were left with the up-and-down performances of Sebastian Vollmer, Marcus Cannon, Cameron Fleming and even a tackle cameo by Bryan Stork.

Dion Lewis was the biggest buzzkill injury of the year after coming out of nowhere to look like Barry Sanders in the first seven games of the season. It’s hard to fathom just what the Patriots would’ve looked like at the end of the season if Lewis was still in the mix even with the problems at tackle. Of course then losing LeGarrette Blount on top of Lewis only decimated the running back position even more and essentially made the Pats a pass-only team in the playoffs–never a good combination for a Super Bowl run.

Losing Julian Edelman for the last seven games of the regular season was certainly a big blow as well. He returned and was effective in the playoffs but would’ve still been a lot more dangerous without the plate in his foot.

Still, despite all these injuries the Pats still came within a missed field goal/failed two point conversion of taking the Super Bowl champs to overtime on their homefield. That’s a testament to just how tough Bill Belichick’s teams always seem to be.