Mike Dussault

Pats Should Prioritize Extensions for Edelman and Solder

February 16, 2017 by Mike Dussault

There’s been plenty of analysis about which free agents the Patriots should retain this offseason, but another major piece of the puzzle will be extending players to either balance out their cap hit and/or prevent them from hitting free agency next offseason. Two players that are prime for extensions are left tackle Nate Solder and Julian Edelman.

Solder bounced back from a biceps tear in 2015 to hold down Tom Brady‘s blindside for the Super Bowl run. He didn’t have his best game against Dwight Freeney in Houston, but that doesn’t take away from the stability that Solder brought this season.

Solder’s cap hit for 2017 is due to be over $11 million dollars, a number the Pats would love to get down. Solder’s had two contracts with the Patriots, his initial rookie deal and then a two-year extension he signed in 2015 that guaranteed him $20 million.

He’ll turn 29 this April, so Solder still has plenty of good football left in him. The Patriots have already agreed not to use the franchise tag on him in 2018, so now’s a good time to take a look at a deal that would make sense for both sides. With the rest of the starting offensive line locked up for at least the next two seasons (David Andrews is a RFA next offseason), another two year extension that spreads some of his cap hit out would make sense for Solder.

Should Pats Ditch Shea McClellin?

February 15, 2017 by Mike Dussault

Shea McClellin signed a three-year, $9 million contract last offseason, the biggest contract the Patriots awarded to an external free agent in 2016. He ended the season having played just 37 percent of the defensive snaps and 49 percent of the special teams snaps, logging 16 solo tackles, two fumble recoveries and one sack.

That’s not great production for that much money and in 2017 McClellin is currently slotted to be the 10th highest-paid Patriot. The Pats could save $1.6 million in cap space if they were to cut McClellin. Should they when there’s already a lot of uncertainty with some key front seven players?

I have to admit, I was not a fan of McClellin’s early in the season. While we thought he’d play a sub linebacker role, he started out as more of an edge hybrid where he was ineffective. His athleticism was clear, but he lacked much “pop” to his game and just didn’t really do anything to stand out.

A Closer Look at Patriots Defensive Personnel and Roles

February 15, 2017 by Mike Dussault

Each year the Patriots defensive schemes slowly evolve over the course of the year and each year is unique. I always pray that people can get past the simplistic 3-4 vs. 4-3 debate which is archaic and meaningless now.

The Patriots trend of heavily using sub defense continued this season, as did their evolution to incorporating more Cover-2 Zone as the season progressed. The line between defensive ends and outside linebackers continues to blur, while the importance of having three good safeties and three good corners has become more imperative.

Here’s a look at some of the formations the Patriots utilized in the Super Bowl and what they might be able to tell us about their offseason plan of attack.

Linkage: The MMQB Podcast with Tom Brady

February 14, 2017 by Mike Dussault

Download past episodes or subscribe to future episodes of Peter King, The MMQB Podcast by Sports Illustrated for free.

Source: Peter King, The MMQB Podcast by Sports Illustrated on iTunes

It isn’t often you get an in-depth breakdown from Brady about much of anything, much less one of his epic performances, but here it is. Fascinating to hear Brady’s perspective on one of the craziest comebacks we’ve ever seen.

Just hearing him talk football like this was awesome.

One of the most interesting points by Brady is how in every Super Bowl he’s played the defenses have had trouble stopping the offenses at the end. Never really put that together before but it’s so true.

Time to Put Out the Blount

February 14, 2017 by Mike Dussault

This is the first in a series of Patriots internal free agent posts. You can find the full offseason plan here.

LeGarrette Blount is coming off the best season of his career. At 30 years old he put up 1,161 yards and a Patriots team record 18 touchdowns. However Blount was once again a total non-factor in the playoffs, putting up his worst playoff numbers in his three trips to the post-season with the Pats.

Blount didn’t draw much interest on the open market last season, re-signing with New England on a one-year, $1 million deal. He was coming off a season-ending hip injury which might’ve scared away some potential bidders.

Now, Blount’s deal is up again and despite his record-setting 2016, I think it’s time to let the veteran running back go and throw some youth at the position.

Crafting a Patriots Offseason Plan

February 13, 2017 by Mike Dussault

The last year has had some crazy Patriots personnel moves and there’s no reason to think this spring will be any different. The Patriots have a bunch of free agents and a bunch of cap space that has to go somewhere.

Will this be another soft defensive reset if they were to lose Logan Ryan, Dont’a Hightower, Alan Branch, Chris Long and Jabaal Sheard? Will those who have now won two Super Bowls seek to maximize their leverage?

As is always the case when we enter a Patriots offseason, anything goes. It might be exciting. It also might hurt. It might be a little scary. That’s the NFL in the free agency age. Especially with cold-hearted Bill Belichick.

Here’s a jumping off point for my views on the Patriots offseason. I’ll expand on each in then coming weeks. Perhaps my feelings will change, but right now, here’s what I think.

Pats Posits: Patriots 2017 Offseason Primer

February 12, 2017 by Mike Dussault

It is time to turn the page to the Patriots 2017 offseason, the relaxed portion of the football cycle where it’s all about team building. I reserve the right to dive back into 2016 without notice, but now the door to 2017 is fully open and there’s plenty of work to do.

Many blogs jump right into the draft but over the years I’ve tried to keep focused on the task at hand, so I will start with internal free agents, then external free agents and then finally, the draft.

I’m going to avoid getting too analytical in this kickoff post. This will just be more of a general overview of what’s to come in the next few months. It’s about information gathering and getting a feel for where the holes are and, most importantly, how the Pats can stay ahead of the curve. That often means making hard decisions on players we all love.

First, let’s start with the depth chart, with all the free agents (restricted and unrestricted) removed. Those highlighted in light red are entering the last years of their deals and could be extension candidates. Those highlighted in green are possible cut/restructure candidates. Those in red are dealing with injuries from the season. Starters are bolded.

Note – Sebastian Vollmer spent the season on the PUP list so he should still be under contract, though it’s expected he could retire.