Mike Dussault

Why Did Pats Dump Collins, Easley and Chandler Jones Again?

November 14, 2016 by Mike Dussault

Before I get into this let me say that I think most hold Bill Belichick to an impossible standard. He’s the best coach in NFL history, but that doesn’t mean he hits on every draft pick or that every personnel decision he makes turns out right. Better than the league average? Yup. More often right than not? Yes. But he’s not perfect and I don’t expect him to be.

I know the likes of Dan Shaughnessy think that bloggers like me are nothing more than fanboys who wave pom poms and blindly think everything Belichick does is infallible. But after how the Patriots defense has looked through nine games, even I have a hard time not casting a critical eye on the moves made by Belichick since last offseason.

By themselves, getting rid of Dominique Easley, Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins could’ve been easily dismissed and swept under the rug. But collectively jettisoning first round picks from 2012 and 2014 and a second round pick from 2013 now seems even more extreme as we’re forced to watch a defense that can’t get off the field, can’t disrupt a quarterback, and looks generally lifeless when they’re supposed to be rounding into form.

Why did we rationalize getting rid of them all again? Locker room cancer and was going to want too much money and freelancing? Something like those? Well at this point I’d happily take all those “problems” back since all three had more energy and life to their game than anything we’re seeing from the Patriots defense now.

Pats Posits: PATRIOTS DEFENSE SUCKSAGEDDON!!!!

November 14, 2016 by Mike Dussault

Yet again, a Patriots-Seahawks game came down to a final goal-line play, but this time the Patriots fell short, losing 31-24 to Seattle.

With eight lead changes, this was just the kind of thrilling Patriots game we’ve (not) been waiting for. We’re here to see good football games, not just blow everyone out right?

The Seahawks played a clean, tough game and their defense made the one play ours could not. It’s nice to play another NFL team that isn’t in shambles on and off the field.

But hey, big picture: no apparent injuries, a two-game lead in the division and still tied for best record in the AFC (with KC and OAK). I’ll take it. We’re on to a much-needed road trip to San Francisco as we batten down the hatches and get ready for this week’s PATRIOTS DEFENSE SUCKSAGEDDON!!!!

Here’s the Posits on a defensive dud and yet another near-impossible end-of-game drive (almost) perfectly engineered by Tom Brady…

Patriots Gameplan: Week 10 vs. Seattle Seahawks

November 11, 2016 by Mike Dussault

After a bye week and an exhausting election, I think we’re all ready for Patriots football to be back and it would be hard to ask for a better game than a rematch of Super Bowl 49 against the Seattle Seahawks.

Let’s face it, the competition in the NFL stinks this year. Many teams have regressed and only a couple have risen to new heights. But the Patriots and Seahawks are two well-coached teams that play a physical brand of football. It should be a fantastic game and one of the last/only true tests for this New England team.

Here’s my gameplan, with some help from Bill Belichick’s Super Bowl 49 gameplan.

Patriots’ Do Your Job Keys vs. Seahawks in SB49

November 10, 2016 by Mike Dussault

If you haven’t watched the Do Your Job documentary from NFL Films above, stop reading this blog and get on it right now. This, along with Bill Belichick’s A Football Life, are the two most critical must-watch pieces about the dynasty Patriots. Nowhere else will you find the kind of look behind the curtain that these two shows provide.

One of my favorite parts (and no, it’s definitely not the Deflategate act) was where the Patriots coaches talked about their keys to the game going into Super Bowl 49. It’s worth a quick look back since this Seahawks team is very much like the one they saw in Arizona and the keys are likely to be very similar.

If you want to hop to the part where they talk about these keys, fast forward to 22:30.

Belichick on Patriots Injury Improvements (so far…)

November 8, 2016 by Mike Dussault

Brady after Gronk looked lost for the season in Denver, 2015.

If there’s one dead horse I’ve been beating this season it’s that all that really matters for the 2016 Patriots are injuries. We can argue about Jamie Collins, the ups-and-downs of the run game or the defense’s lack of sacks or poor start on third downs early in the season, but all that’s going to matter come January is what the Injured Reserve list looks like.

In the last three seasons, the Patriots won a Super Bowl and lost to the Broncos in Denver. One team was almost fully healthy. The other two were shells of their initial September rosters.

It’s sad that this is what football has come to in some ways… that who got hurt is nearly as important as who won. But when you have a well-oiled machine like the Patriots at this phase of Bill Belichick’s tenure, that’s what the season gets reduced to. And with the rest of the NFL withering into mediocrity or worse, I can’t help but wonder if this is the year the Patriots just go berserker right through the Super Bowl and finish the job the 2007 team fell just short on.

If the Patriots core remains intact, it’s hard finding a team that will be able to stop them, at least on paper, though history tells us any potential Super Bowl will go down to the final drive no matter who the opponent is.

The good news is at the halfway point the Patriots are pretty as close to full health as could be realistically hoped. Belichick touched on it a bit on Sunday, including how the team has made changes to try to prevent injuries.

We’ve tried every year to work a little bit harder, try to do things a little bit better, and hopefully some of those little things are paying off. I know the players work extremely hard on their training as well as their nutrition, hydration, rest, recovery, all the things that go into performance. We’re always looking to fine tune those for each individual because they’re all different. We all have different makeups and different little things that can help different players in unique ways, so always trying to stay on top of that. I think our staff has done a good job and the players have done a good job, so hopefully we’ll be able to continue that over the next eight regular season games.

I always viewed injuries as the will of the Football Gods, but it’s good to know the team is making every effort they can to prevent them.

Ranking the Patriots Impending Free Agents

November 4, 2016 by Mike Dussault

Dont’a Hightower

The Patriots are set for a major re-evaluation of their defense this offseason with a number of key free agents that will force them to determine the direction they want to go. The offensive free agents won’t be far behind. Of course, things certainly look a lot easier now (unfortunately) than they did when both Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins were still on the team. Two less major pieces to worry about paying.

And really, the poor overall performance of many of the impending free agents still on the team make it easier too. Again, unfortunately. But of course things can change quickly as the important part of the season and playoffs roll around. A huge playoff performance by one of these players could up their importance and price tag.

We’re at the halfway point of the season, so why not take stock of where we’re at?

One note before we dive in, Malcolm Butler is a restricted free agent. The Patriots should, in my opinion, pursue a long-term extension with him, but the team can easily slap a first round tender for around $3.6 million and retain his rights unless someone wants to give up a first rounder for him, which I wouldn’t entirely rule out. So for our purposes here, I’m leaving him off this list, but if he was on it he’d be second.

Let’s do it, starting from the lowest priority, counting down to the most important.

5 Patriots Defensive Fixes for the Bye Week

November 3, 2016 by Mike Dussault

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The bye week is a time to take a step back and reflect on what the team needs to do better moving forward into the second half of the season. Never has that been more true than with the Patriots defense, now that they’ve traded away one of their key contributors. There are holes to fill and improvements to be made.

Aside from replacing Jamie Collins from a personnel perspective, it’s also worth taking a look at the scheme and what things haven’t quite been working out the way the Patriots coaching staff might’ve envisioned them.

Here are five moves for the Patriots defense that should help them moving into the winter months.