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Clare Cooper

Clazzy Clare does the Draft: Edge

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Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

This is one of those situations where the Patriots have plenty of need, but this edge guy looks real good! 

It’s tricky at draft time. You see all those great players with potential, but your team only has so many picks. (unless you’re a KC Chiefs fan!). Not only that, but they only have one in the first round, and not surprisingly, that’s where all the guys you really like are projected to go! 

It’s an emotional time, but hey, when is being a fan not emotional, and trying, and exhausting? Okay I digress. 

The tricky thing is that I know the Patriots need a corner back, linebacker…. the list goes on, but there’s this good looking edge guy, and I don’t mean handsome but each to their own! 

George Karlaftis out of Purdue looks like, how do you say, a baller.

6’4”, 266 pounds of Greek god, if you like that kind of thing, but I mean on the field!

He is said to have significant power in his lower half and a strong pass rusher. He’s versatile with the ability to line up on the inside, are any of you drooling right now?

If not, do you want more? He jumped a 38” vertical, benched 21 reps and his broad jump was 10’1”, not to mention at the combine, he ran great run drills, lovely range of movement, and solid ball skills. 

So maybe this is one of those situations where, if the top cornerbacks have all been plucked, maybe nab this quality guy, kinda thing. If not, so be it. I know the Patriots have plenty of holes to fill. But I tell you what, whichever team picks him up are going to have themselves one fantastic edge guy.

Stay tuned for more draft opinions here at Pats Propaganda!

Clazzy Clare does the Draft: Cornerbacks

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Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Cornerback has been a bit of a controversy in New England for a year or two now. 

First the Gilmore thing. Surely the Patriots won’t let their top MVP cornerback leave… ah he wants lots of cash without showing how his injury recovery is going. Yeah, Bill isn’t too fond of…. Oh, okay he went to the Panthers (and now the Colts).

Then, can JC step up? Undrafted out of Maryland in 2018, is he a cornerback 1? 

With his new title of Mr Interception he’s a quality player. Now, let’s see if the Pats franchise tag him…. No? Okay…. Oh dear, he’s on social media saying he needs to get paid…. Okay so we need a cornerback in free agency… Okay, maybe the draft… Yep, JC is off to get paid by the Chargers.

But hey, Malcom Butler is back. Is that good, bad or even relevant? 

Pushing those papers aside, it’s not beyond the realms of reasonable that many are hoping, thinking, wanting, needing a cornerback at pick number 21 in the 2022 NFL draft (only effective if you do it in your head in a Roger Godell kinda tone) for the Patriots. 

I’m guessing you all have your eyes on Andrew Booth, Sauce Gardner and possibly my favourite top round pick guy, Trent McDuffie.

BUT, what if the Patriots do that thing where they don’t chose the position you want them to, and Bill nabs one of those really huge line guys?

So let me tell you about a later round guy, someone you can look at and see if you fancy a piece of him as plan B maybe, or C or even F… 

Coby Bryant out of Cincinnati. Now, before anyone gets upset with me I am not saying this kid is who the Patriots should take instead of one of the top round guys, I want a top class cornerback as much as the next Patriots fan. What I am hoping to do is just show you one of the players who I took a shine to at the combine, who, if they took him later on, I’d be interested to see what he can do on an NFL field. 

If you like your stats, then I can tell you he measures in at 6’1 3/8”. At the combine, his bench rep number was 17, he ran his 40 in 4.54 and had a one handed catch on his short zone break. His gauntlet was smooth, and his backpedal on the short zone break was really good. He had great ball skills and he stood out to me. 

Okay, so that is only a small window into what a player can do, and I fully appreciate that. As fans, there is only so much we have access to, and this is just my opinion folks. 

PFF have him ranked at 177, his pros are that he tracks the ball well, like a wide receiver – great for interceptions. He is a willing hitter, so has quality form as a tackler, but he is an average athlete. I don’t know about you, but those pluses sound rather good, and maybe the athleticism thing could be worked on?

Like I said, this is just an opinion piece to get your pondering juices flowing, and I hope you enjoyed it! Keep your eyes peeled as I delve into the draft class of 2022 a little more for some light entertainment!

So that’s it then at fullback… or is it?

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Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

The Patriots reportedly are not utilising a traditional fullback in the 2022 season, but fullback aficionados do not worry just yet.

We see from the coaching staff that coach Bill may not be one for ‘labels’, and so in that narrative there may be a lot less for fullback fans to worry about.

Now, that’s not to say the loss of Jakob Johnson isn’t significant. He was a really good Patriots player, who last season developed his skill set by making a few catches, as well as his impact on the run game.

And it would seem his former Offensive Co-ordinator sees his value, as Johnson makes his way to Vegas to join Josh McDaniels and the Raiders. 

So, where does that leave us Patriots fans huh?

You may, or may not recall, this humble writer/podcaster has been on the “Dalton Keene for fullback” hill for a while. I sat here kind of alone for a bit, but many seem to be pondering this option and that’s great, just as I’m thinking of heading down…

Now hear me out folks, I haven’t given up on the 22 year old from Virginia Tech, I just have concerns over his injury history. He has been in the Patriots system for two years now, and it feels like 2022 might have to be a show or go year. 

So there we have option one… do you wanna see what’s behind door number two…

It’s someone who is also already in the Patriots system, it’s Jonnu Smith! But you probably guessed that too. 

Smith came over on quite a large contract for four years, and had as many touchdowns in 2021 for the Patriots as JC Jackson did… not ideal. However, this chap is an immense athlete, and has the potential to be rather versatile, did someone say weapon? No, good, that’s not my favourite term to be honest. 

Okay I jest, but seriously, we know he is a good player, we have seen it, in fits and starts we just need some constancy and development, and hopefully training camp 2022 will showcase a bit of this. 

Smith’s blocking abilities are a little lacking in comparison to Johnson, but with the strength of the running backs like Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson it may pale into insignificance.

And that is sort of door number three, power running backs. There are plenty of holes in the roster to fill but the work out of Leonard Fournette, even though he went back to the Bucs, shows that depth at that position could be extra important as the duties of the running backs could evolve a little, there’s that versatility again. 

Another guy sitting on the Patriots roster, with some H-back kinda qualities is Nebraska’s Devine Ozigbo. At 6 foot 2, and 225 pounds he’s got some height there, and some talent, but as a Patriot he’s an unseen entity at present. 

So there you have it fullback fans, there are many options to get yourself excited about, maybe?

Free Agency: The Tight Endage Report – and MUCH more! from Clazzy Clare

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Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Whilst the legal tampering period was opening up, and Patriots Nation’s vision was on where will JC Jackson go (LA Chargers for 5 years at $82.5 million, with around $40 million guaranteed) not forgetting the whole, will the Patriots take a top wide receiver, part of my gaze was focused on what was happening in the tight end rooms. 

And, I was rather interested to find many of the top free agent tight ends were re-signed or tagged by their original team. Now, I appreciate you might not be quite as interested as I in this, however, with the depth at the draft this year it may be quite significant that so many teams have stayed with their existing tight ends, even the rather cap strapped Dallas Cowboys tagged Dalton Schultz, but to be fair he is quite good, but I digress. 

We all know that the tight end position is one of the tougher ones in the NFL to play, and to develop within. It is utilised in pretty much all the range of offensive plays, meaning the plate of those big 6 foot 4-5-6 guys can get rather full. 

So, a quick league wide recap of who has gone and where in the tight end market:

Arizona maintained Zach Ertz for a further 3 years at $31.65 million. The Browns franchise tagged David Njoku, as did the Dolphins with Mike Gesicki. The Colts lost their long time tight end to retirement, and so the maintaining of Mo Alie-Cox on a 3 year $18 million deal wasn’t too surprising. They may have traded away their top quarterback, but the Seahawks kept Will Dissly on a 3 year $24 million deal. There was some tight endage shuffle as the aforementioned Seahawks obtained Noah Fant in one of the biggest trades the NFL has seen for a while. Evan Engram hopped over from New York (Giants) to Jacksonville on a 1 year $9 million deal and the other New York team, the Jets, pulled C.J Uzomah from Cincinnati on a 3 year $24 million deal. 

Okay, so now I have done my public service in making sure you lovely Patriots fans are aware what has gone on in the world of tight endage, I am here to update you on the rest! Just call me Miss Unliiiiiiimited…

Moving swiftly on! 

Unfortunately, it is with a heavy heart that I write Steady Teddy, Ted Karras, has gotten paid and is on route to Cincinnati on a 3 year $18 million deal. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am happy when a great player gets paid, but when it’s at the possible sacrifice of the offensive line, I’m sorry I can’t really be THAT happy. 

The possibly, most obvious move, and perhaps the most hated by many Patriots fans so far this season, is the jetting off of cornerback JC Jackson to sunnier climates. The LA Chargers scooped him up on a long deal of 5 years at $82.5 million. 

The Patriots did some quiet maintaining whilst big name wide receivers were moving around, some were having money practically thrown at them, in particular Jacksonville giving Christian Kirk a $72 million, possibly up to $84 million, 4 year deal, but as of yet the Patriots only receiver action was a second round restricted free agent tender on Jakobi Meyers.

The Patriots quarterback room maintains some stability with Brian Hoyer on a 2 year $4 million deal, as New England retains three fan favourites, and some grounding the team needs (in my humble opinion) during this rebuild, of Devin McCourty for 1 year at $9 million, Matthew Slater on a 1 year $2.6 million deal, and (thank goodness!) Nick Folk for 2 years at $5 million. James Ferentz has reportedly signed a contract with the Patriots but the terms have not yet been announced. 

So there you have it you lovely lot, free agency frenzy so far… and it’s only Tuesday morning! 

Franchise Tagging: The Tight Endage Report from Clazzy Clare 

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(AP Photo/Stew Milne)

The significant amount of tight end talent that hit free agency was eye-watering and rather bittersweet if you are a tight end enthusiast whose team isn’t going to target tight endage in free agency. But that’s okay, Hunter Henry is special enough for me.

But I digress. With the franchise tag of David Njoku, the Browns are set to put down just over $10 million for him in 2022, so there’s one off the list. 

But the total available tight endage is still significant with some epic strength and ability. Did someone say Rob Gronkowski?

Now, Rob may be utilising the gymnasium equipment at the Tampa Bay facility, but he is still currently set to be a free agent. Not only that, there is a second name belonging to the Bucs on the list in O.J Howard, and the Bucs saved their franchise tag for wide receiver Chris Godwin, whilst a lot are wondering who will be throwing to him… 

Tampa Bay aren’t the only team that may need to double dip when it comes to drafting or signing some nice tight endage. 

The Tennessee Titans let their two tight ends hit free agency in Anthony Frisker and Geoff Swaim, as well as the Miami Dolphins Durham Smythe and for a time their elite guy, Mike Gesicki was atop of the free agency tight end list until he was tagged yesterday. The Colts are two guys down also with Jack Doyle announcing his retirement, and Mo Alie-Cox a free agent as I write this. 

As the list goes on, obviously the teams with available spots do too. Very familiar household tight end names such as Schultz from the Cowboys, Ertz from the Cardinals and Engram from the Giants were all in the mix. Poor Kyle Pitts may end up being THE Atlanta offense, but that’s a different topic entirely. 

Surprising to some, the Cowboys tagged a favourite target of Dak Prescott in Dalton Schultz. With just under an $11 million hit on the cap, I can see why many were surprised, not only that but the Cowboys are presently well over the relevant cap limit for this year. Some renegotiating of current players deals will probably sort all that out, and when you have a decent quarterback to work around, you do the best you can to keep his top talent within reach. 

Most of this is much of a muchness if you’re a Patriots fan of course. With the price tags on Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith last year, you wouldn’t think Coach Bill is interested. However, this list, and available spots, could have a reverse impact on the Patriots. 

I’m one of those people who wasn’t all in on Jonnu Smith, but has no issue with him remaining in New England, and increasing his production in year two. 

Some fans would be happy to trade him away, there’s always the fact that his lacklustre 2021 stats might not make him a great sell, but you never know. 

The possibility of something else intrigues me much more than the slim possibility of Smith not being a Patriot for the 2022 season, and that is Devin Asiasi. 

If you’re interested in my work, you will have seen/heard/read my pondering over this tight end for, well, two years now. Multiple reasons have eaten into why we haven’t seen much out of Asiasi, but at the end of the day, on paper he is a young tight end, would go for quite cheap money, and may still be developing, so easily fittable into the right program… possibly?

Another name of a tight end Patriots fans haven’t heard much of when it comes to games, is Dalton Keene. A bit more of a H-back kind of versatile guy, he may hold a skill set the Patriots could need in a couple of years, but by then he will be working towards the end of his rookie draft deal, and didn’t really play within his first two with the team. August 2021 saw him under go season ending surgery to repair a meniscus injury and so, like Asiasi, 2022 may be show or go time. 

And so, with the franchise tag window closed, the clock ticks down to the legal tampering period, free agency, the draft, and all that jazz. We await the outcome of where these guys may end up. Okay… just me then?

Stay tuned for more tight end reporting as I keep an eye on free agency availability and collate my combine notes!

Can we get some love for the kickers!?

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Fluffs, field goals and frenzy! The divisional round weekend of playoffs in the NFL 2021 season.

In case you didn’t know, three of the four divisional match-ups last weekend came down to a field goal. Not only that, the fourth game was moved into overtime by a field goal… C-R-A-Z-Y for K-I-C-K-E-R-S! 

And the nuttiness doesn’t cease there!

T’was the second quarter in Tennessee, Derek Henry took the direct snap and powered through for a touchdown. The Bengals had too many men on the field and Vrabel changed his play, and the Titans went for two. Henry rushed to the right and was taken down, conversion failed. The craziness is, had they gone back to the original play, and just took the extra point the Bengals couldn’t have won in the final moments with a field goal. Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda. 

Obviously, that’s easy to say, and you could about many, many games… Cowboys fans look away now…

But this is the playoffs baby!

Next up were the 49ers at Green Bay, McDreamy verses McMVP? Well, that’s popular opinion (but if you have listened to the latest episode of A Clare Perspective the podcast, you’ll know we aren’t ALL under that Jimmy G handsome spell). 

So, the 49ers were going to regret they didn’t draft the greatness that is Aaron Rodgers? (Oh, I so wish you guys could hear my sarcasm right now.)

But, in all seriousness the 10 and 7 Niners were the 6th seed, and the Packers were number 1. Not only that, it was looking shaky for Jimmy G with a couple of injuries, including his thumb! Don’t forget AR’s poorly pinky toe… Sorry, sorry I will can it. 

So, my personal feelings aside, Aaron Rodgers and his Green Bay Packers had a super successful season going 13 to 4, and people thought this Packers team were going to be different. January hasn’t been a great month for Green Bay in the past. 

There was snow, there was a blocked field goal, but you could argue that the Packers lost this game more than the 49ers won it, however, the blocked punt for a game tying touchdown in the fourth quarter by the Niners – pretty good. Either way, we witnessed some more franticness for the playoffs and the 49ers continued their journey to the Super Bowl with a 13 to 10 win at Lambeau Field. 

A headline in itself for the third game, “The Rams caused Tom Brady to draw his own blood!” The controversial penalty call on TB12, when the guy who hit him late didn’t even get slapped on the wrist, isn’t the only crazy thing that was seen in Tampa Bay. 

The Bucs kicker hit out of bounds twice, (not great Bob), Brady was under pressure far too often, and the Buccaneers were depleted by injury, unfortunately it showed. 

Tom Brady flung and slung, but sometimes he didn’t look like the GOAT we know, particularly when he threw too low for Gronkowski (anyone else think he was having a flashback and was actually looking for a certain cute squirrel? JE11, could just be me?). 

The Rams didn’t play a perfect game, so the Bucs left Cooper Kupp open too often, but he lost the ball at one point causing a turnover. And, I don’t know if Rams fans have arranged for that very early 4th quarter wild snap to Matt Stafford to be erased from history, but it was the craziest snap I may have ever seen, Stafford’s face was actually comical, I’m pretty sure he won’t see the funny side though.

And there at the end, as the game clock ticked down and it’s 27 to 27 did we witness another playoff winning field goal, and the Rams are one step closer to playing a Super Bowl in their own house.

The final game of the weekend was a doozy. It wasn’t quite as nut-job crazy as the others (well until the very end) but it was a battle of the elite. As much as it pains me to say it (you guys all know how much I dislike the Bills) this match up was one of some gifted players, and it came down to the toss of a coin, or did it? Don’t worry I am not here to start a fight, I’m moving along from that controversy.

So whether you think the ruling on the field should stand, that it is on a defense to get the ball back, or that each team should get a touch of the ball, at the end of the day Patrick Mahomes took less time to get a field goal, 13 seconds (yep, that’s right another important field goal) than it did for Dak Prescott to run… you know what, let’s not go there…

And so there you have it folks, another wild weekend of football, as we get one step closer to the almighty Super Bowl let’s take a moment to thank the kickers, ‘cos without them where ever would we be?

Go Pats!

The not so grand finale to the Patriots season

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Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

The Patriots repeat visit to Buffalo resulted in another blow out, of the touchdown kind, as the Bills won 47 to 17. 

I gotta say, I like that the Pats denied the Bills of the fifty burger, but I shall put my visceral Bills hatred aside for the moment. 

I won’t sum up the game this time as frankly, I don’t think any Patriots fan wants to relive it, and if you haven’t seen it I’d rather not be responsible for traumatising you. Needless to say, the Patriots weaknesses were made rather obvious under the late night lights, and they just couldn’t get it done.  

But, that’s all the doom and gloom you’re getting from me folks. Sure, the Patriots only just made it to the playoffs, yes there are plenty of holes to be worried about, players and possibly personnel, but this is the rebuild of a dynasty baby! 

It is not about the destination, it is about the journey, and all this is still pathway!

The Patriots picked a new quarterback and he’s good, and who knows his potential?! Okay, he isn’t a playoff game winning QB, this year, and we may have seen some of his limitations, but he’s the only rookie to make the play offs. A smart kid with determination and dedication, leadership and heart. Let’s shoot for the moon Pats fans, and whilst we are there, we don’t want to miss the stars. 

Now, I know I’ll be criticised for glass more than half full attitude, but that just how I try to be. I am also realistic, I say when things aren’t great, and that was the offensive line earlier in the year, then the secondary, special teams, oh and about that so called dominant defence… 

So yeah, the QB is a rookie who’s potential could be limited, there’s issues on both sides of the ball and less cap space to play with next season, and the Patriots only got as far as the play offs. But we got through it, together. Patriots Nation had a team to root for, a team to be disappointed in as well as proud. And, we had each other. 

It’s been a rough couple of years and we’ve sought solace in sports, and hopefully in each other. 

This isn’t the end Patriots Nation, it’s another new beginning!! With Mac Jones, David Andrews, Kendrick Bourne, Jakobi Meyers, Hunter Henry,  Rhamondre Stevenson, Adrian Phillips, Christian Barmore, (hopefully) Big Kick Nick Folk and many others, we can see the team build up once again. Remember it is not just the one, but the sum of the parts. 

Sport is a cruel mistress sometimes, and that is how it goes.  However, try to be thankful for all that you do have, be the light in someone’s day, and just thank goodness you aren’t a Jets fan… 

As some of you know, I have lost loved ones during the last 18 months, as I am certain many of you have too, it’s been tough. And so, I dedicate this article to all those loved and lost.❤️