PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

Mike Dussault

Patriots Training Camp Battle Preview: Wide Receiver

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After left tackle, there’s no more interesting position on the Patriots roster than wide receiver. After a major turnover in 2013, the Pats are once again looking at another evolution in 2018. Tom Brady hasn’t ever blinked before, managing to win even when those catching his throws had unimpressive names like Reche Caldwell, Kenbrell Thompkins and Brandon Lloyd.

Now, at 40, Brady will once again have to find a new set of go-to targets after the departures of Danny Amendola and Brandin Cooks, the pending suspension of 32-year-old Julian Edelman and the recurring absences of promising 2016 rookie Malcolm Mitchell. The Patriots have done well to prepare for this transition, going back into last season, but who clicks with Brady and can stay healthy is a near-impossible thing to predict.

Here’s a rundown of the wide receiver camp battle and who the favorites are to become the next clutch receivers.

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Patriots Training Camp Battle Preview: Left Tackle

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xttDAxpJNY

Remember when Nate Solder signed with the Giants this offseason? It was probably the most significant (and depressing) football move of the offseason as far as the Patriots were concerned, yet by now it’s faded to a distant memory behind all the superficial bullshit that was talked about in the months since.

But the impact of having not set succession plan at the important left tackle spot is the first and easiest place to start as I dive into breaking down the Pats’ training camp battles. Tom Brady‘s only had two starters protecting his blind side — Matt Light, then Solder, and that transition was about as seamless as they come. Solder was drafted in the first round of 2011, got plenty of experience as a backup and spot starter at right tackle as a rookie, then Light retired and Solder stepped in the next season.

There will be no such easy transition this time and the Patriots have taken a throw it all against the wall approach that featured a lot of rotation in OTAs. Dante Scarnecchia is one of the best offensive line coaches in the history of football and with plenty of bodies to work with he should be able to craft a new-look offensive line at 70 years old.

Let’s break down the contenders and how things might look when the 2018 Patriots take the field opening weekend against the Texans.

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Ranking Potential Patriots Rookie Impacts

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Took a nice little vacation up to Maine this week, it was a good chance to unplug during a time where there’s just not much Patriots news to discuss. Most of my blogging comrades are firing out the usual suspects of articles, you know, previews of every random joe on the roster, way-too-early 53-man roster projections and the like. As John Wooden said, don’t mistake activity for achievement, so I’ve taken a less is more approach the last couple weeks.

Now that it’s July (almost) it’s time to start ramping things up, including in-depth looks at the training camp positional battles and a number of under-the-radar players that always seem to make an impact despite the Pats being atop the NFL year in and year out.

Today I’m kicking things off with the new guys, the rookies who can come in and start to reshape the team as they close in on the end of the Tom Brady era. These new rookies, coupled with a number of second-year players who had their rookie seasons cut short, should give the Pats the kind of youthful kick in the pants they really need.

Here’s my top 5 rookies to watch.

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Five Key Patriots For Third-Straight Super Bowl Trip

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As we settle into the void and mentally prepare for the coming Patriots campaign, it’s hard to be too reflective about the team without getting sucked into a meaningless direction. There’s just so much noise — the centerpieces of the Patriots current dynasty are in the middle of it all — Belichick, Brady, Gronk and Edelman are pretty much the only employees in Foxboro that get any attention these days and most of it is of the shit-stirring negative kind.

That leaves the great majority of the 2018 Patriots team somewhat in the dark. Coming off a Super Bowl loss is always so painful and strange. Yes, you had a great season and came within inches of the goal, but the ending was a painful car crash that easily overshadowed most of how impressive the 2017 team actually was.

When the Patriots experience the kind of injuries the 2017 team did, they usually fall short. 2005 they didn’t make it out of the divisional round, 2013 and 2015 they bowed out in Denver. Going toe-to-toe with Philly was more impressive and unlikely than most would give them credit for.

Is there any questions that Dont’a Hightower and Julian Edelman (cough, or Malcolm Butler) could’ve swung a third Super Bowl title in four years the Pats’ way? Thems the breaks when you’re in Patriots Nation at this stage.

The Patriots were the same old Patriots in 2017. There’s plenty of chatter about what was going on both in front and behind the scenes last season, but what we once again saw on the field right till the end was a resilient, tough football team that took a 60-minute perfect game to defeat.

There’s little reason to think that won’t once again be the case this year. The Patriots are healthy and have added a number of interesting free agents. All that adds to an influx of intrigue at a number of positions.

Here are five guys that I’ve been focusing on as I twiddle my thumbs counting down till training camp.

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Brady: 2022

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Tom Brady kinda sorta hinted at calling it a wrap at 45 on Instagram, leaving me to wonder if he did make it five more years what his potential win/stat outlook would be and how the offense (and team) will have to re-built around him once again.

But first, a question and disclaimer. Does 45 mean we get potentially get Brady at 45 for the 2022 season? Or that he’ll call it quits when he turns 45 in August of 2022? Let’s just assume he means four more seasons after this one, meaning in February 2023, after winning his 7th-ish Super Bowl, the GOAT will ride off into the sunset as the SUPER GOAT.

The disclaimer, and it’s a big one, is it only takes one play to change it all in an instant. That’s the reality of the NFL for every player, and no matter how bendy Brady is, no amount of clean eating, foam rolling, and Alex Guerrero rubdowns can save him from everything. There’s also a “rehabbing Brady coming back at 43 after a lost injury season” possibility, which would be another potential dramatic twist.

We don’t have to go down this road any further. It’s the NFL. Injuries happen and Brady has been lucky to have avoided them thus far.

Let’s just assume Brady stays healthy for it all. 90 regular season games. Five more AFC Championships. A final play either way in at least a couple more Super Bowls – 52, 53, 54, 55 or 56. What statistical mountains can Brady, how high can he set the bar? How can they build the team around him to make it happen?

Let’s dive in!

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Pats Posits: BB & His Pancakes Take Us Early Into the Void

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After a flurry of real news to write about last week during minicamp, this week has seen a return to the dead of the offseason. This has been highlighted by Belichick canceling the last two days of OTAs while everyone was talking about some $60 pancakes he ordered at a hotel.

This is the offseason. The real offseason, the worst part. There shouldn’t be much football action as teams take the final month before training camp to get some well-needed rest and relaxation before it’s pedal to the metal from August-January.

Here’s a bunch of random Pats Posits as we regroup and begin to prepare for summer, and with it, another training camp.

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Who’s Fueling the Patriots Internal Dissension Frenzy?

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As you’re all aware of by now, on Friday morning there were murmurs that something BIG was going to happen with the Patriots. Something that, in the words of Jerry Thornton, would be a 9.5 on the Richter scale, something that would instantly overshadow Thursday’s Edelman suspension.

Notably, it wasn’t ESPN or the mainstream beat guys tantalizing us and having us brace for the worst. It was compadres like Jerry, and the lesser-known blogger types like myself. Now, I don’t claim to have sources. I have people who occasionally tell me things, sometimes they’re true, sometimes not. As a blogger who is unconcerned with breaking news, I never run with anything in an attempt to be first.

I prefer to let things play out and stick to my mantra of this being a Patriots football blog, not a Patriots rumor blog. I know that seems to go against the stereotype of me sitting in my mom’s basement, trying desperately to break a bit of news that will put me in the spotlight, but that’s what I’ve been doing for over a decade.

And I heard the same rumblings that my fellow bloggers were reporting, so like everyone else I was waiting on pins and needles. As I pondered what it might be I came to the realization that only three Patriots people truly mattered to me — BB, TB and Gronk. Anything outside of that trio and I wouldn’t even blink. There’s just no one left who is untouchable outside of maybe Dont’a Hightower.

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