PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

Mike Dussault

O Line Question(s). Im not sure if Im just biased or not-football-smart but I like Donald Thomas over Wendell. Hell, last year I liked Nick McDonald more than Wendell. So… What do you think of Wendell? Who do you think the Pats best 5 are on the line? What do you think of Thomas, and McDonald? What’s more important: putting out the most talented 5? OR sticking with what has been out there so far for continuity and chemistry? Whats going on with Connolly? Healthy yet? And Cannon? Is he good?

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I actually think Wendell has been one of the biggest surprises so far this year. I don’t think anyone had him winning the center battle outright when camp started and so far this season he’s been pretty solid, especially in run blocking.

PFF has graded him 1.6, 2.1, 1.2 so far this season, though Greg Bedard noted he struggled a bit in pass protection against the Ravens. Still overall he’s been solid and it’s entirely possible that the Patriots see him as the long term solution at center. His play so far has shown promise.

Vollmer played all the snaps against the Ravens and that’s a positive development. If he can stay healthy he’s an impact player and he should only get better as he gets fully into game shape. As for Marcus Cannon he’s shown that he can be a decent fill in at right tackle. The question everyone has is whether or not he’s a better fit at right guard. Everyone outside of Bill Belichick seems to think he is, but we know whose opinion counts most there.

Connolly right now is the biggest question mark to me. He was solid at center last year but so far this year he’s been below average at right guard. He didn’t play in week two due to a concussion, but his grades from PFF this year are -3.6 and -1.5 with real struggles in run blocking. You can’t have that from your right guard.

Overall I’d expect the offensive line to do nothing but improve if they can all stay on the field. But for me Connolly is the biggest question mark right now.

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Gronkowski & staying in to block – New England Patriots Blog – ESPN Boston

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Gronkowski & staying in to block – New England Patriots Blog – ESPN Boston

Releasing into routes: 33

Staying in to protect: 16

The 16 might be a bit more than the norm (just a guess, as this isn’t something normally charted here), but offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels wasn’t spinning things when he said of Gronkowski’s limited production, “I think it’s just a factor of the ball came out quick sometimes and we had some other people that were in situations to make plays based on what Baltimore did to us.” Those other players were mainly Brandon Lloyd and Wes Welker. On the majority of plays that Gronkowski released downfield, the ball was out of Brady’s hands to someone else before Gronkowski was at the stem of his route. In particular, the Patriots really seemed to like the one-on-one matchup on the outside against cornerback Cary Williams.

Patriot defense didn’t look revamped in first test – Patriots – Boston.com

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Patriot defense didn’t look revamped in first test – Patriots – Boston.com

We can’t really turn the page to the next game until Greg Bedard weighs in with his weekly wrap up and most of what he writes here reinforces what the PFF breakdown saw, though I tend to trust Bedard’s analysis more than the anonymous PFF guy.

Biggest takeaway? The defensive performance is concerning, and though Bedard didn’t include it here, he was wondering on twitter last night whether off-man coverage can even work any more in today’s NFL. I hope he writes more on that because it’s been a main ingredient of the bend-don’t-break, but it’s like pretty much giving up free completions against teams with any offensive presence. This quote sums it up:

The question the Patriots have to be asking themselves is: Is it time to change how we do things — at least against good teams? Because an increased talent level alone doesn’t look like it will be good enough against elite teams.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsiIPzh-3pg

New England Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins | Sideline Camera | 1990 (by TheBillGonzalez)

This video popped up on YouTube yesterday with the following disclaimer:

This video is a digital dump of a single Beta tape I found in the midst of tapes I own. I have no idea how it came into my possession and do not claim ownership. I am posting strictly for historical purposes and general curiosity.


I just enjoy watching the footage despite the lack of sound. It brings back a lot of memories of shitty Patriots teams I watched in the old stadium. Grogan at the end of the line. John Stephens. I’d say “good times” but they really weren’t. But I sure did love seeing games there.

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)

https://www.patspropaganda.com/new-england-patriots-vs-miami-dolphins-sideline/