PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

Mike Dussault

Preview Sneak: Patriots Defensive Overview

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We continue with a collection of excerpts from this year’s Patriots Season Preview book with a look at the strides the defensive took in 2016 and how their 2017 offseason will shape the unit this fall.

Outside of replacing Logan Ryan with Stephon Gilmore, there wasn’t much turnover on a defense that led the league in points-per-game, arguably Bill Belichick’s most important defensive stat.

Still, the defense didn’t garner much respect during the season. They were seen as a unit that feasted on bad quarterbacks and offenses. Maybe there was some truth to that, but you can only play who is on your schedule, and the number of poor offenses that litter the NFL landscape isn’t the Patriots problem. They took care of business while other defenses had their ups and downs even against some of those bad offenses.

What mattered most for this defense was how they finished. Dont’a Hightower’s game-changing strip sack in the Super Bowl opened the door for a Patriots comeback, and when it was all on the line, with the Falcons inside field goal range for a game-sealing kick, the defense pushed them back, forced a punt and league MVP Matt Ryan never saw the ball again.

When you line up the last four Patriots teams that went to the Super Bowl it’s the defenses that were the story. Yes, Tom Brady went into berserker mode in Super Bowl 51, but without Hightower, who also had a game-saving goal line tackle in Super Bowl 49, and Malcolm Butler‘s interception, we’d still be lamenting the defenses of Super Bowl 42 and 46, who couldn’t make that one last big play to help win the game.

Hopefully 2017’s defense has the same kind of big plays on the big stage ability.

Here’s the introduction to the defensive player previews.

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Preview Sneak Peak: Patriots 2017 Offensive Overview

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July is here and that only means one thing — Patriots football returns this month!

It’s been a crazy month for your trusted blogger, as I moved home from California and am currently typing this blog post from a new and improved Ministry of PatsPropaganda that sits approximately five miles from the 50-yard-line of Gillette Stadium! Yes, it means that I’m hoping to expand the blog, with more podcasts, live videocasts, plenty of trips to training camp and just as much Patriots coverage as I can squeeze in. Plenty more to come on all that this week as I slip back into the blogging saddle.

In the meantime I’ll be posting some tidbits from my season preview book, which you can pick up here for just $5 (plus 15% off everything in the Prop Shop through July 4th with the code MUSKET), and it features 38 pages of everything you could possibly want to know about the 2017 Pats. There are preview blurbs on every player, recaps of everything that happened this offseason, a full game-by-game prediction (spoiler alert — three out of four, twice), and of course my expert Bill Belichick Hoodie analysis.

I just updated the book to feature all the late offseason moves made by the team, including the Edelman extension and David Harris signing.

To kick things off here’s the offensive overview. Much, much, so much more to come…

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Tom Brady Named #1 NFL Player of 2017

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWHQlgUsEsU

The NFL wrapped up their Top 100 players of 2017 and sitting at the top was Tom Brady. After the Super Bowl it’s kind of a no-brainer, but Patriots fans think Brady being number one should be a no-brainer every season.

This was the first time since 2011 that Brady topped the list (he’s the only player to do it twice), but really we all know who the best player in the NFL over that six-year span has been without these kind of ranking shows.

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David Harris Addition Solidifies Patriots LB Corps

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The Patriots’ depth at linebacker was one of the biggest questions marks remaining with the team, but after signing former Jet David Harris to a two-year deal, they’ve solidified that final weakness and look as stacked as ever on both sides of the ball.

After Dont’a Hightower the linebacker corps was extremely specialized. Elandon Roberts showed promise in his rookie year as a two-down run stuffer, while Kyle Van Noy had the athleticism necessary to play passing downs. That trio, along with hybrid edge defenders Rob Ninkovich and Shea McClellin, were enough to get the team past the Falcons in Super Bowl 51.

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Patriots Extend Edelman

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I’m just getting settled back home in Massachusetts after the cross country drive, but I had to throw up a quick post about the Julian Edelman extension, which is great news. Edelman was entering the final year of his deal and now, with a two-year extension is signed through 2019.

Edelman can earn up to $19.5 million over the course of the deal and falls firmly into the category of being good for the team and good for the player. In many ways, this feels like the kind of deal Wes Welker passed on with the team in 2013 and went on to have one more good season before the concussions caught up with him.

Edelman is smart enough to know the value that playing with Tom Brady and what staying in the Boston market will do for him after his football career. Rather than squeeze a bigger contract out of another team in free agency, Edelman will now likely end his career as a Patriot. or at least the meaningful part of it.

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The 2017 PatsPropaganda Season Preview Book is Here!!

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2017 New England Patriots Season Preview

Excited to announce the 2017 PatsPropaganda season preview book is now available for digital download for $5! This is the third year that I’ve put together a full season preview book. They’re a throwback to the days when I couldn’t wait to pick up an NFL preview magazine only to find that the sparse information was out-of-date and lacking much true insight.

I’ve tried to change that with my preview book, which touches on every player currently on the roster, is packed with a ton of informative long-range stats and has the kind of up-to-date insight you won’t find in any of those national magazines. I’ve tried to pack every bit of Patriots knowledge I can in here so that when training camp opens you’ll have some easy reference material on everything that has happened this offseason and who could be in position to make an impact in 2017.

This will also likely be on of the last posts here on the blog for the next couple weeks. In case you missed the announcement, I am moving back to Boston and will be driving cross country over the first two weeks of June. Once there all the activity on the site will be back through the roof with expanded access but until then, the preview book will have to suffice.

I will plan on periodic updates to the book, especially if there are any major moves. You can always re-download the book for free after an update. Feel free to reach out if you have any problems or questions.

To kick things off use the code MEMORIAL for 20% through the weekend!

Tweets of Note from Thursday’s Patriots OTA Practice

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We’re getting a few glimpses of football as the Patriots take the field this week for OTAs. It’s a refreshing reminder that training camp opens in just a little over two months. Most of that time will be spent in a football void, but for now, there’s actually some tidbits to digest, even if this was a no-pads light session.

Remember, it’s important to never read too much into all the practice reports at this stage. This is a teaching phase, about getting everyone on the same page, and less about competition.

Still, it’s hard not to speculate, especially after reading some of the tweets you’ll find below which might give us some clues about how things will look once things get real.

rob gronkowski gronk spike

Here’s the tweets that stood out.

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