PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

Archives for July 5, 2016

Write for PatsPropaganda!

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Thursday 7/7 Update: Thanks for all the emails and interest! It looks like I’ve found a few good bloggers to get things started this season. If you’re still interested feel free to shoot me an email and I’ll hang on to your info should people drop out as things progress.

This season I’m looking to add some other voices to PatsPropaganda. For the past six years I’ve been running the site entirely by myself and now that I made the switch over to my own hosted site from just being a simple Tumblr blog, I have the capability expand things a bit and bring in more people to produce quality Patriots content.

While I can’t say any of these positions would be paid, the site has done plenty of promotions with various companies over the last few seasons that resulted in piles of swag and tickets that I can’t use all by myself. For someone who wants to be on board for the whole season and reliably post content, essentially being my assistant editor, those benefits would often be passed along to you. There are also plenty of media opportunities the site gets invited to that I’m unable to attend but would love to send a representative to, something that would be great experience for someone looking to get into journalism.

If you just want to contribute without being so involved as an editor, I’d be open to that as well, but I can’t promise anything other than exposure. With contributors I’d work with you to find very specific focus areas to track and analyze. Maybe it’s a specific training camp battle in August, or tracking how the Pats use their defensive front seven each week. I’m not looking for someone to come in and write the same “patriots signed so and so today” piece that could be read on any other Pats site. I want microscopic analysis of the team.

I don’t know how it will all fit together just yet, but I know there are plenty of passionate Patriots fans out there who can write and just need an outlet, and that’s the biggest thing I can provide. So shoot me an email (PatsPropaganda @ gmail.com) and tell me what kind of role you’d be interested in, and the kind of storylines that interest you most for the 2016 Pats. Ideally the smaller and more specific the better.  Again, the most important thing is knowing the Patriots.

That email will start a dialogue and we’ll start putting the pieces together and hopefully bring aboard some people to help produce outstanding unique Patriots content this coming season.

Patriots 2016 Preview: Offense Overview

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Back in the blogging saddle after a week of vacation and it’s hard to believe that another Patriots training camp is right around the corner. Over the next few weeks I’ll be posting some excerpts from my Patriots 2016 Preview book, which you can buy in its entirety here for just $4.

To kick things off here’s a quick look back at the 2015 offense and a look ahead at how things are shaping up for 2016.

2015 Offensive Statistical Rankings

  • Overall DVOA – 5th
  • Passing DVOA – 4th
  • Running DVOA – 12th
  • Yards-per-Game – 6th (374.4)
  • Points-per-Game – 3rd (29.1)
  • Third Down – 11th (41 percent)
  • Fourth Down –  t-4th (60 percent)

The Patriots were once again one of the best offenses in the NFL, looking almost as unstoppable as they were in 2007 through the first four weeks of the 2015 season. Then came the early bye week and the injury apocalypse commenced.

One stat that can define the 2015 season came on third down. Without Julian Edelman in the lineup, the Patriots third-down conversion percentage dropped by 16.1 percent, while Brady’s overall completion percentage dropped from 69.0 percent to 59.2 percent.

Edelman’s importance, or more specifically, a reliable Z-receiver who can get open quickly, is so vital to the Patriots offense. Developing depth around and in back of Edelman will be a big key for this season.

Meanwhile, the running game devolved to the point where the Pats put up just 44 yards on 17 carries in the AFC Championship. Tom Brady led the team in rushing with 13 yards. Yikes.

For the season the Pats ground “attack” was 29th in yards-per-attempt, 25th in rushing attempts and 30th in rushing yards.

This follows a two-year downward trend by the ground game where they’ve ranked 14th and 12th respectively in DVOA.. The last time they were out of the top-10 was 2005.

Other than adding veteran Donald Brown, the team essentially stayed pat with their running backs. The hope has to be that Dion Lewis and LeGarrette Blount return from injury and hopefully Brown or Tyler Gaffney can contribute. But that seems like a risky plan, relying on the injured and unproven.

The NFL is a passing league and as defenses get lighter and faster to defend the pass it’s a matter of time before power running offenses re-emerge. The Patriots have plenty of size up front, even if their collection of running backs seem far more geared toward the passing game.

Fullback James Develin will be back, and the offensive line should be better at opening holes, but the most exciting addition is tight end Martellus Bennett.

Never before have the Patriots had two dominant Y tight ends who can both block and catch, and that’s what they have in Bennett and Gronk.

Together, they should re-define the Patriots’ offense.

The other key personnel shift will occur at X-receiver where Brandon LaFell was released this offseason. Chris Hogan of the Bills was given the most lucrative free agent contract of the offseason and projects into the X-receiver role. He had a positive showing in minicamp.

Hogan was known as “7-11” during his rookie year on HBO’s Hard Knocks with the Dolphins because he was always open. He hasn’t played with a quarterback like Tom Brady before of course, and if he’s truly always open, he’ll see plenty of balls thrown his way. Earning Brady’s trust in the offseason is the biggest key for Hogan, but he can do everything the Pats ask of their split ends.

The running back spot is a significant area of concern, especially with their two biggest key players coming off significant injuries. But the addition of Bennett and Hogan, along with the return of Dante Scarnecchia to help get the entire offensive line back on track should mean great things once again for the Patriots offense in 2016.