An Independent Patriots Blog
Another case of the NFL mistaking activity for achievement. From 2013:
The league office told all teams planning to wear throwback uniforms this season that players must wear their regular helmets on throwback dates. The outside of the helmet can be modified by removing or replacing decals, but the helmet itself must stay the same. Once players have properly fitted helmets that they’re comfortable wearing, the NFL doesn’t want them changing helmets during the season just for appearances.
Might be in the minority but I miss the silver alternates. And with the stupid helmet rules they could still wear them, unlike the red throwbacks.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/might-be-in-the-minority-but-i-miss-the-silver/
Curran: Kraft does the right thing for the wrong people
Tom E. certainly has his finger on the pulse of Patriots Nation. I’m not sure even I could’ve predicted how harshly Patriots fans have rejected Mr. Kraft’s actions. This thing just seems to keep getting worse and worse.
I can’t even imagine what it would be like if Marshawn Lynch had rumbled into the end zone for a Super Bowl win, handing the Pats a third-straight miracle defeat in the big game. Thankfully that didn’t happen and that’s all we can hold on to right now as town favorites like Dan Shaughnessy do their victory laps over downtrodden Patriot fans who still believe their team has gotten unfairly put through the ringer.
Prior to 2001, Patriots fans were the low men on the Boston sports totem pole. No one really cared who they were or what they stood for. Now, it seems like we are the favorite punching bags of not only a league that our team has systematically destroyed over the past 15 years, but also of many members of the Boston sports media, who delight in sticking it to “fanboys” almost as much as they like sticking it to the teams.
Tom Brady’s appeal still looms large, and from the sounds of it, he will certainly not go quietly into the night like Mr. Kraft did today. If Brady’s suspension is absolved by a neutral arbitrator, it won’t look good for Mr. Kraft.
An Open Letter To Mr. Robert Kraft
Strong letter from Bruce Allen, one of those fighting the good fight for Patriots fans who just want to cheer and support their team without being torn apart by various writers and sports talk radio show hosts. It’s hard to disagree and Mr. Kraft getting everyone fired up over the past couple weeks only to back down now is what hurts the most.
In spots, yes. And it doesn’t have to be Collins, I think more significantly it’s Mayo because there wasn’t another linebacker who could run like him after he went down. Assuming full health this year, I’d predict the sub/regular numbers will shift down closer to what they were the last few years – regular 60-65% of the time.
It’s not a coincidence that the last two seasons when Mayo went down they’ve gone to their sub defense the most.
Still, when it comes down to an obvious passing situation I think they’ll probably pull Hightower most often for the extra DB, though he could have an additional role as a sub-rusher in some spots.
Assuming we hit a point where everyone is healthy and ready to go by somewhere in October, I think you’ll see more of a dip back toward the regular defense. Last year they were in sub over 70 percent of the time. I think that related a lot to Mayo being out and no reliable third linebacker.
Really they can rotate however they need to. Spikes could play in more 34 looks, while you can rotate Ninkovich/Sheard/Chandler/Hightower/Collins at the edge spots as necessary, whether they’re standing up or have a hand down.
The defense I think we’ll see vs. passing teams will be more of the double nose 43 we’ve seen in recent years looking like this: Ninkovich/Sheard -Brown/Siliga/Branch – Easley/Siliga/Jones – Chandler/Sheard, then at LB Hightower – Mayo – Collins.
Might be a sprinkling of Flowers at DE or Grissom at LB, but I’m not convinced either will play much on defense this year.
