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Pats Posits

Pats Posits: Gritty but Costly Victory

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After letting this win over the Bills marinate for the last 20 hours or so I went back to take a look at the condensed game film as I usually do on Mondays. A lot to be excited about, unfortunately it’s hard to be too happy when it looks like Jerod Mayo and Stevan Ridley are likely done for the season.

There’s no way to find a silver lining in either of these injuries. The Pats never replaced LeGarrette Blount, Brandon Spikes or Dane Fletcher this offseason and now those decisions are going to seriously test the Pats’ depth once again.

For Ridley, the obvious personnel adjustment is using Brandon Bolden as the early-down back, but he certainly doesn’t have the ability to break tackles or power through in short yardage situations. He’ll get what is there and likely not a yard more. Maybe Jonas Grey from the practice squad is the answer, or free agent Benjarvus Green-Ellis (I’d be all for giving him a look). But if we’re riding with Bolden as the guy, I’m a little worried.

Mayo was the quarterback of the defense but luckily Hightower got good experience last year and once healthy, he should be able to fill the communication void. The problem is that Jamie Collins is not stout against the run in the base defense and now he must find a way to fix that. Deontae Skinner looked like a rookie despite picking up a sack against the Bills. 

What other options do they have? Promote Darius Fleming from the practice squad, but he still doesn’t give you the kind of coverage Mayo had (obviously). Fleming is more an end of line player. So now Hightower might be headed to Mike and really, he should be named a replacement captain.

With Hightower and Collins in sub-packages the problems are manageable, though the Pats were shredded by Scott Chandler once again and it leaves me wondering how they will deal with Julius Thomas. 

They made it work without Mayo last year but they’re an additional experienced cover linebacker short this year. It’s definitely a big question mark how they fill the void this year.

Alright, with the injuries out of the way let’s talk the rest of the team, because this was a performance that showed the 2014 Patriots have the kind of perseverance the 2013 had in spades.

I really believed the Pats would come out of the locker room and lay an egg. We’ve seen it too many times in recent years on the road, especially when getting hit with adversity. I wasn’t sure if this team, with all the injuries adding up, had enough gas in the tank, but the offense was almost unstoppable in the second half.

Credit that to some major developments – the protection was good, Gronk is back and LaFell is developing into a real threat. All good signs that this offense could be ready to take a major step forward. Not to mention the Moss-like deep ball catch by Tyms.

Overall, it feels like this is still the Belichick/Brady Patriots, who fight to the end. It’s the first time this year I’ve felt safe saying that.

If Connolly and Stork are back for Thursday night, it’s hard not to feel really good about the direction of this offense. But they’ll need Gronk to stay healthy, he’s the straw stirring the drink.

He might take some penalties but Alfonzo Dennard is really a key piece of this secondary. He and Arrington are excellent companions to Revis, with McCourty cleaning up the back end. Still very curious how Browner fits in, but I think we’ll be seeing plenty of Dennard even when he’s ready to go.

Not a lot to love about the ground game, but they stuck with it and that kept the linebackers and pass rush somewhat honest. I worry about someone like Bolden being able to create something out of nothing if the OL blocking isn’t better. Though with Connolly/Stork back it should be.

Tyms essentially played the old Matthew Slater WR role of limited snaps where he just runs down the field really fast. Clearly Tyms has a special skillset catching the deep ball. It was just so refreshing to see Brady complete that long pass (among others). Really feels like it’s been since 2010 to Moss that we saw those kind of completions.

Thank Hoodie for Chandler and Nink. We can make it work without Mayo, not sure we could make it work without one of them. Though the sprinkling of Zach Moore in the game is a positive sign. Curious to see if he gets more time.

Wilfork and Chung – two veterans who might get lost in the shuffle of praise this week, but both have been big factors this year. Chris Jones had another solid game while Casey Walker also did well subbing in.

Tavon Wilson and Duron Harmon could be more involved with Mayo out, but I don’t have much confidence in either yet.

Pats just have to tough out this Thursday night against the Jets, who are sure to present plenty of problems, especially for the offensive line. If you think they’re just going to roll over I’ve got bad news for you.

A win on Thursday would be so huge and then give the Pats some badly needed time to get healthy. Get ready, another football game in just three days…

3 GIFs coming later this afternoon.

Pats Posits: We’re Not Dead Yet!

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Well, well, well, so the Patriots don’t suck after all. I’ve been enjoying the afterglow for the last 15 hours and going back to look at the game was every bit as sweet as I thought it would be.

This looked like the Patriots team we’re used to seeing. They played with an edge and though it wasn’t a perfect night by any stretch of the imagination, it’s clear that the 2014 Patriots will be in the thick of the AFC hunt once again.

The penalties were an absolute disgrace but it didn’t even matter. The Pats were ready to steamroll the Bengals despite 12 penalties for 112 yards. Honestly the penalties didn’t even bother me that much –  the Pats were pissed off and I’ll take that edge every Sunday.

The offensive line had an excellent night. The downfield blocking opened up a ton of seams and the result was an explosive ground game that put up over 200 yards after struggling to get more than 3.5 yards-per-carry the last couple weeks.

For a guy we wrote off as “just a center” Ryan Wendell was a godsend at right guard. The quickness and ability to sustain blocks downfield was apparent all night long. Not to mention the pass protection which allowed just one sack. And on that one it was more of a coverage sack as Brady couldn’t find anyone open and Gronk couldn’t hold his block.

And how about Gronk? He’s slowly shaping into that best tight end in the NFL we remember. Kind of funny for all the “Brady has no weapons talk”, I guess everyone forgot Gronk is actually one of the best weapons in the game?

Tim Wright starting to come around as well. As I’ve said before he just looks like the kind of player that is the perfect fit for the Pats, and he’s still not even playing that much – 19 of 84 snaps. 

Brandon LaFell is another one who just seems to fit and Brady seems to be developing more and more confidence each week in him. Is he a downfield homerun hitter? No but he’s a blocking beast and brings size and physicality to the short-to-intermediate zones that are the Pats bread and butter. 

Ridley and Vereen looked like the backs we expect them to be and of course a lot of it had to do with the blocking.

I said it all last week, and here was Darrelle Revis on full display. What a night for him and luckily it doesn’t appear that his injury was anything that will keep him out. That was a “best corner in football” showing last night.

Not to mention how huge getting Alfonzo Dennard back was. It’s great to have one corner who can play press but having that second outside guy who can do it opens up so many doors. I can only imagine what it looks like with Browner in the mix as well.

Kyle Arrington doesn’t get a ton of love, but he’s as good of a slot corner as there is out there. His physicality at the line of scrimmage continues to impress. 

Bounce-back game for Jerod Mayo who looked good stopping the run from the sub defense, one of the big keys for this game. Jamie Collins had a good game as well, as the heavy amount of sub played into his strengths.

He played just 14 snaps but new DL Chris Walker showed up a couple times causing disruption in the middle. He could be a real find with Siliga out.

Chris Jones again showed some positive progress this week, picking up the first sack the Bengals have allowed this year. Now that he can be a rotational player he’s starting to show up both getting upfield and holding his ground.

Pats are starting to get dinged up – Hightower/Ebner were inactive, Easley and McCourty left the game and didn’t return, Chandler Jones was limited with a shoulder injury and Revis left the game with a hamstring issue but returned. How these injuries play out with two big divisional games in the next 10 days will be something to monitor.

Finally I’ll wrap this up with a comment about Tom Brady. So good to see him so comfortable in the pocket. He just had a spring in his step that instantly demonstrated he was on for this one. We can debate who’s elite or declining and all that stuff, but the simple fact is Tom Brady is still really good and still a quarterback you can win a Super Bowl with.

Three GIFs coming later today…

Pats Posits: Big picture problems

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It’s going to be a rough week Patriots fans. Everyone will have their theory about what the root of the Pats problems are. 

Tom Brady doesn’t have enough weapons. There’s no deep threat. Belichick the GM isn’t helping Belichick the coach. They shouldn’t have traded Logan Mankins. The play calling. You’ve heard them all by now and it didn’t take a blow out to make any of them definitively true.

On defense it was pretty simple, they weren’t ready to play. They were out-coached. Blown tackles started them off on the wrong foot, over compensating with over-aggressiveness just made it worse, and things snowballed from there.

Offensively the protection was a bit better but the blocking still looks messy and out-of-sync. The running game is all but ignored. And in a recurring theme, teams are just stacking the line of scrimmage because they don’t think the Pats offense can beat them beyond seven yards. 

Thus the box is stacked for the running game, and any receiver who catches a short pass is immediately killed if he doesn’t get immediately to the ground.

The defense still has potential. They were way to sloppy last night and that is a concern – not that they don’t have the talent, but it seems almost as if they think they don’t have to earn it every game. Once they start playing like they have to earn it every down, they’ll be pretty good. There’s too much talent for them to be as bad as they were last night.

Offensively, the concerns are real and have been for a while. It’s as if they just can’t get our of their own way to get this offense to where it needs to be. Everything seems overthought on offense. They can’t put two good plays together at this point.

The hard part is that after a quarter of the season you should know to an extent what you have and I can’t say for sure what the Patriots have on either side of the ball. 

I tend to think the defense can and will be okay, but I have real concerns about the offense that run deep and have for a while now. Pointing out individual players seems like a waste because everyone is at fault.

My only prescription? Find the best OL combo and stick with it. Establish a level of trust from Brady because he doesn’t have that now. Lean on the running game more. Get Dobson in there and do whatever they can to pull some coverage away from the line of scrimmage.

Ignore the noise this week. There’s plenty to be excited about this weekend with an undefeated team coming to town on national TV. Things look bad right now, but one thing I’ve learned is to never count the Patriots out until their season is over.

The season isn’t even close to over.

Pats Posits: Offense’s start is carbon copy of 2013

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I was about to write some snap reactions last night, but maybe because I was sick or maybe because I just didn’t feel like writing about such an annoying game, I put it off until this morning.

So now everyone has an opinion and a lot of them are valid, while some are not – looking at you ‘the 3-4 doesn’t work’ guy. I really try to reserve judgement until after the first quarter of the season, so while we’re certainly close to that, I don’t want to be a chicken little just yet.

Let’s start with the positive – the defense. Was it perfect yesterday? Nope. Did Revis look like a guy we should back up the money truck for this offseason? Nope. Was there enough pass rush? Not even close. But is this still the most promising defense since the mid-2000s? Absolutely.

Chandler Jones and Dont’a Hightower are playing off the charts right now. Vince Wilfork hasn’t missed a beat. The run defense has solidified after looking non-existent in week one. They’re not giving up big plays. They’re tackling much better.

Things are trending upward and I think once we get Revis against the top wide receivers he’ll face in the coming weeks, we’ll have a better sense of his worth.

The Siliga injury hurts and puts more pressure on Wilfork, which we certainly don’t need. I thought Chris Jones looked pretty good playing just under half the defensive snaps. Easley is still coming along, but it’s clear the Pats drafted a designated pass rusher in the first round and I’m glad. It’s just a matter of time before he starts making impact plays, I really believe it.

Get Dennard and Browner back and then let’s see what this defense looks like, but again, I think they’re headed in the right direction.

Okay, let’s turn the page to everyone’s favorite topic today – the offense.

First, a little perspective – things are really not that different than what we saw last year. Check out the stats from 2013 vs. 2014. The area that stands out to me is the difference in yards-per-play, 4.54 in 2013, down to 4.27 this year. 

I think all the problems we’re seeing on offense start (but don’t necessarily end) with the offensive line. Do I still think they can pull it together? Yes. Do I think they had a good enough plan in place this offseason there? No.

One of the major themes of last offseason for me was improving the interior of the offensive line. I thought we were headed in the right direction with the selection of Bryan Stork and Jon Halapio. Then Halapio didn’t even make the practice squad and Mankins was sent packing.

What we’ve been left with is a line with four tackles and a swing interior guy playing center. And the guys who are actually playing the right positions -Solder and Vollmer – haven’t been the stalwart leaders we’ve needed.

By PFF’s count the Pats starting offensive line has given up 8 sacks, 10 QB hits and 20 QB hurries in three games. Yikes.

As the cliche goes, it all starts up front and the Pats have very little getting started up front. Their running game is pedestrian and that just sets up long yardage on second and third. 

Their drives are plodding, fighting for every inch and nothing has been easy. Still they keep fighting like they always do, and that is a testament to the kind of guys this team is loaded with.

The potential is there, but as Tom Brady himself pointed out this morning, Julian Edelman is the only guy on offense playing well.

Now it has looked dreadful to this point but can this group of OL get them back to at least where they were last year? I think so. But the question that is bugging serious Patriots fans right now is can this OL get to and win a Super Bowl? Because let’s face it, that’s what a team that has been to three-straight AFC championships has to do. I’m not so sure right now, but I’m not ready to issue a final verdict just yet.

I think there really should be a trickle-down effect on all the other issues once the offensive line starts building trust with Brady and the rest of the offense. The running game will ease the pass rush and lessen the number of third and longs, which by the way, there were 14 third-and-10-plus in 2013, and there have been 16 this year.

When under duress, it’s hard to fault Brady and the offensive system for sticking with Edelman and Gronk, though I found receptions by LaFell, Wright and Thompkins to be a bit encouraging.

The other problem, and as those who have read this blog for very long know, I’m not one to get on the “play calling” but I think it’s time for the Patriots to adjust to the fact that this isn’t 2011 anymore. 

I can’t say it enough – the hurry-up to a quick run no longer works. They need to focus on execution not speed. And starting the game with three-straight passes, all of which looked mistimed, was ugly.

The 2013 Patriots looked very similar on offense to what we’ve seen through three weeks this season and really, it was injuries that derailed that team just as they were starting to show what an explosive offense they were capable of being. I still have high expectations for this group, but the offensive line must be better.

Maybe that starts with shifting to Solder-Cannon-Stork-Conolly-Vollmer.

Once they fall into place, the rest of the offense will as well.

Pats Posits: Notes on the Patriots-Vikings Rewatch

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The New England Patriots bounced back on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings to even their record at 1-1. It was still an ugly affair – with the Pats getting called for a whopping 15 penalties for 163 yards.

The general NFL sentiment and betting expectations were not favorable to the Patriots after their opening weekend loss, but with big games just around the corner, including a Monday Night Football matchup in Kansas City on the horizon, the Pats look to be coming into form. You can read more on the best NFL news here.

It’s always better to take a second, emotion-less look at the game before going to the All-22 film. I finished this game feeling a great sense of “what if”.

What happens when this offense cuts their excessive penalties? They will be tough to stop. And the defense looks like they are starting to find their stride and that’s a good thing – the season is about to get very real, very soon.

Here are my observations on the rewatch.

Hard for the penalties not to be the first thing that jumped out immediately. So many positive plays and momentum were killed by flags. Just unprecedented and I’m not sure why the Patriots are the worst team in the NFL right now in penalties. They just have to be better and the results should really make a huge difference.

Packages:

Standard

  • Ninkovich-Wilfork-Siliga-Chandler
  • Hightower-Mayo-Skinner

34

  • Wilfork-Siliga-Chris Jones

Nickel/Dime Combos

  • Easley/Jones inside, Easley only in dime.

Easley over center, best spot for him to use his quickness/disruption. Really like combining him and Chris Jones inside, that’s the pass rush interior front I’ve been waiting for a long time.

Start of second quarter – did they send McCourty on a blitz? Seemed like there were a few DB blitzes in this one. Not usually a big tenet of the defense.

Second drive went to double nose with Wilfork/Siliga two-gapping inside and letting Ninkovich/Chandler deal with the edges. This might not be the best interior pass rush package, but it’s probably the most balanced and effective early down package unless it’s one of the better passing offenses. Then I think you work Chris Jones and Easley more into the early down rotation.

With Fleming as blocking TE, Cannon/Devey at G, the Pats were essentially running a 5 tackle offensive line. Hopefully that kind of size can make a difference.

After first drive the Pats started dropping Ninkovich and Hightower (edges) into short zones that would allow them to come downhill and nail any crossing routes.

Third-and-three with time winding down in the second quarter, the Pats send the blitz but Cassel gets it off. Worth taking a closer look at this one on A22. They were spinning the dial a bit on defense.

Tackling and getting off blocks were so much better than last week. That made such a difference and allowed them to overcome the penalties.

Stephen Gostkowski is such an unsung story. To replace Vinatieri as seamlessly as he did is pretty impressive. Now he’s reached that level we had with Vinatieri where you pretty much expect to make every kick and an occasional miss is forgivable.

The defense really settled in during the second half, likely because Minnesota was in a hole. Their physicality and aggressiveness really stood out.

Logan Ryan is such a smooth corner, even when he allows a catch he seems to be right there and immediately makes the tackle. His interception was just the perfect undercut of the route.

Offense still looked sloppy and couldn’t get out of their own way. They’re going to put it all together, probably this weekend, and when they do expect a 2007-ish explosion.

Despite that, Tom Brady was really starting to step into his throws with great accuracy. Second-and-10 pass to Edelman in the third quarter showed how much arm Brady has left. Those are the throws that indicate to me that he’s feeling comfortable with the protection. He wasn’t stepping into them last week.

The thought of Brandon Bolden being the lead back for a full game scares me. I would love to see James White start to eat into Bolden’s limited carries. The rookie just needs to work on pass protection I’m sure, that’s the hardest thing for a rookie RB.

The only sack of the game is mostly on Cannon. I thought Brady had enough time to get the ball out, but the coverage was solid. Cannon was stunned by a good initial punch and that allowed the DL to get by him.

Not enough push from Devey and Stork on Brady’s failed 4th quarter sneak attempt. Good to get Stork’s feet wet though.

Great athletic play by Easley on his interception. He might not’ve gotten any sacks but he’s a handful inside. As he learns to be a better pass rusher in the pros, his production will only go up. He knows how to use his hands that’s for sure.

Not to oversimplify anything, but just eliminate the penalties and I think we’ll be amazed by how good this Patriots team can be. Hard to have any momentum on offense with that many penalties. And I really can’t wait to see this defense go up against a quality passing offense.

I’ll take a look at the All-22 tomorrow to take a closer look at coverages and schemes.

Pats Posits: September Stinker Now Out of Way?

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Like I usually do with a loss, I like to go back and take a closer look immediately and then put it behind us. What can you say about this game? It was pretty much like all season openers go, especially in the division.

We all remember wins over the Bills in 2009 and 2013 that were just about miracles, and 2009 was at home. Or how about the 2012 loss at home to the Cardinals who wouldn’t win another road game all year.

The month of September is always good for at least one Pats stinker and let’s hope this one was it. And really, this could’ve very well been the toughest divisional game they’ll play all year.

The September stinker might tell you where some of the team’s weaknesses are right now, but the result won’t tell you much about where this team will be at the end of the season.

One loss and a lot of the pundits want to change the scheme or criticize the moves of the offseason. The truth is this was just a sloppy football game in tough conditions, but there was plenty to like about this team and plenty to build on.

Give me sound tackling and a few less avoidable penalties and this is a different game. 

Here are some things that stuck out to me on the rewatch:

Easley played up and down the left side of the defensive line, from 0-technique to 3- and 5- technique, including the only DT on pass rush third down package. At least until Buchanan comes back it seems like he’s their top DPR. Getting Chris Jones back should help manage some of his snaps. But I saw good explosion and disruption from him considering this was his first game action in over a year and first NFL game. I continue to be excited about what he’ll do.

Plenty of 34/43 talk today, but it’s all semantics and the same guys playing no matter if they are standing or have a hand in the dirt. The thing to analyze is where those guys are playing. Chandler Jones at 5-tech is questionable, but he showed he can get to the QB from that spot, he just can’t hit them in the head.

The schematic change was Ninkovich at SOLB and Hightower at WOLB in more of a pass rush role. Ninkovich was coming off in sub-packages and only played 35 of 74 snaps. Is this more a statement about Ninkovich or Hightower? I’m not sure. But Hightower flashed a few times in this new role despite some sizable errors as well.

Solder, Vollmer, Devey, Cannon – they were all bad and sometimes they were beat on simple stunts that should not be a problem to pick up. That goes to communication and experience, both of which were lacking with some many guys rotating and changing positions. They need to find what works and stick with it.

I don’t think there is any question Stork gets a shot at center once he’s healthy. All options must be on the table. I think Devey was out of his league yesterday.

I have my concerns that Mayo is going to struggle moving back inside like we saw in 2009. He seemed less effective having to get off blocks, something the entire defense struggled with. Again, that’s something that will be better as conditioning and experience improve.

I like Joe Vellano’s hustle but he cannot hold the point of attack. The Wilfork/Siliga combo inside is intriguing in base but they’re going to have to be better stopping the run from their sub defense.

Speaking of Siliga, I loved the burst and strength I saw out of him. Once he gets that cast off he should be even more effective, but I thought he was a bright spot.

There was a rotating door at safety, using Arrington and Ryan in over-the-top coverage. McCourty the FS. Harmon (4 snaps only), Chung (47 snaps) in box, even Wilson (22 snaps) all saw time. I think this is BB using his smarter corners in off coverage where they can pattern read and jump routes. The traditional strong safety is a dying breed.

Pats were in “base” 42% of the snaps. They’ve been between 31-40% the last four seasons. It would seem like they’re trying to go back toward more base, at least after one game (which admittedly could be an outlier).

Revis should’ve had a pass defended on the touchdown he gave up. Great play by receiver to hold on to ball. Revis was smooth and in position all afternoon. Hard to find much fault with him, sometime the other team just make great plays to beat great players.

Dennard/Butler gave up some catches, but were feisty and right there. It would appear that Dennard is now firmly over Arrington as an outside corner. Let’s hope he stays healthy.

There were blown tackles everywhere, a sign of how much less tackling there is in training camp. It’s something that will be fixed so I’m not too worried. It was just so frustrating to see guys almost stopped in the backfield only to squirm out of the tackle and pick up positive (and one time scoring) yardage.

LaFell had a bad game but it’s tough to be the new receiver when the QB isn’t trusting the protection. The Pats severely lacked what he and Dobson should be bringing to the party.

Where was Amendola? This is something to monitor. For whatever reason it seems like Brady just doesn’t find him. 

I thought the Pats hid Chung in coverage pretty well. Clearly he brings an attitude and some physicality. It seems almost an attempt to offset some of the loss of Brandon Spikes.

The simplest criticism: Get off blocks, make tackles. Everyone on defense struggled to disengage, especially in the run game. And even when they did, they tended to miss the tackle.

It’s not what anyone wants to hear because it’s not sexy, but everyone just needs to play better. They’re all capable of getting off blocks and wrapping up their tackles, they just weren’t prepared to do it in Miami for whatever reason.

The run defense down the middle will continue to be a spot to watch as Jamie Collins is athletic in space but is not a downhill presence in the run game. He also looked out of gas at the end of the game when the Pats gave up the last long touchdown drive.

As for the offense, the line has to be better. There’s still a lot of talent there and I expect this game to be a good kick in the pants that they need. 

Pats Posits: Notes on the rewatch of a Patriots team that looks primed

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Had a chance to go back and look at last nights game on an actual TV instead of a jumpy internet feed and I liked what saw even more. 

Here’s some random reflection on what I liked and what’s concerning heading into the season. It’s hard to be too critical, this team is stacked.

Offense

Brady is still Brady. Yay.

Brandon Bolden missed this one, I’m so back and forth on him. One day you’re reading how he’s a core special teams guy, the next he might be injured again. I think the Pats will be fine with Ridley/White/Vereen and it seems like Bolden is what he is.

Hard to believe the offense was this good while completely ignoring the tight end spot. The White-Vereen backfield set will be tough to defend.

I’m 90 percent sure Kenbrell Thompkins is going to have a breakout season. I’m 100 percent sure he’ll have some drops.

The scary part is we don’t even know what Dobson can do. At worst they’ve added a sizable red zone target in LaFell and if Dobson turns out to be be as advertised all the better. Throw Gronk in there too and this is a tough team to defend.

Really have no clue how the offensive line is going to play out. With the injuries it might just make the most sense to start the year off with the line that has started the last two seasons. They have their flaws but they’re pretty reliable. Hopefully one of the young guys elevates in-season and pushing for playing time.

Defense

Jamie Collins and Chandler Jones are two players to be excited about. Both had impressive games. I really can’t wait to see the creative ways Collins is deployed.

Amazing that Wilfork and Tommy Kelly don’t even look like they were injured. So impressed with how they’ve bounced back and it’s a huge relief considering the injuries to Siliga and Jones.

It’s incredible how good Revis is. I am going to enjoy watching him play football this season.

I will not be surprised to see Butler see immediate time in sub-packages.

Chung and Harmon will likely rotate but I could see games (vs. Broncos esp.) where Chung doesn’t see the field. But he’ll be useful against the more physical teams like the Jets.

Small sample size but I liked what I briefly saw of Worthy. I have a roster spot for him, at least until Easley and Chris Jones are back up to speed.

Vellano probably sneaks on too, but just until Siliga is back. Seeing a Wilfork-Kelly-Vellano rotation with Worthy on passing downs to start the season, smattering of Easley and the Siliga and Jones’ returns should be a real boost.

The backup linebackers showed up to me last night – James Morris looked good in space, not taking a lot of false steps, Ja’Gared Davis delivered a big hit, and Darius Fleming looked strong on the end of the line. Steve Beauharnais had an interception and looked solid.

James Anderson seems like a lock, but had another missed tackle in space. But with Collins and Mayo there might not be much chance for him to see the field.

What can we say? The Patriots are once again very good, and how far they go will depend on how healthy they stay. Now let’s just get through the final game without any injuries and get started on the 2014 campaign!