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Do you think the offensive line is capable of playing at a higher level next year without any big upgrades?

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Yeah I just don’t know the actual mechanics of blowing up the offensive line. There’s plenty to feel good about, but obviously everyone has a bad taste in their mouth based on how things ended and understandably so.

For me I think the answer is to draft an athletic swing tackle and really that’s about it. You can go out and spend at right tackle when you’ve got Vollmer and Cannon there. Now you could cut one of them for some cap savings, but what’s that going to solve? I mean right tackle is probably the least valued position on the offense, so I don’t really see making a splash free agent signing there being good value.

I don’t know how much gas Vollmer has left in the tank, but I think he’s got another year left. The thing you just want to make sure is that you’ve got a little more athleticism in the tackle group. Hopefully get a rookie that can at least backup Vollmer out of the gate, maybe push him a bit. Best case scenario is someone who can swing to the left side like Vollmer did as a rookie when his feet were a little better.

So yeah, a lot of good young depth on the interior and the improvement of Mason/Jackson/Andrews/Stork and even Kline should help matters. Solder is still one of the best left tackles in the game, they just need a little more youth and athleticism.

PatsPropagaganda 2015 Season Wrap

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It’s hard to believe another season is in the books and with it my ninth season of blogging the Patriots and sixth here writing PatsPropaganda.

First and foremost I have to thank everyone who once again supported the site, bought t-shirts, asked questions, read my stuff and kept me entertained during one of the more blah years of Patriots football. I write this site because of you and as I always say every year, you’re why I keep it going. So thank you to every one of you and your messages of support mean the world to me and keep me going.

Some highlights to share include once again partnering with NRG Energy and getting to send a bunch of fans and friends to games over the season. Also sent out plenty of signed merchandise and swag bags, so thank you to NRG Energy for the second year in a row of giving me a chance to help spread the word about all the great things they’re doing – real things that actually matter for this planet far more than football does.

Thanks as well to Tide for their partnership on the #OurColors campaign! I’ll be shopping at NFLShop.com for the foreseeable future because of them.

Highlight of the year for me was going to Pats-Jets game in Week 7. We had a great giveaway contest and sent a great Jets fan to the game (I know I know). That was also the game I made my yearly trip home for and got to go to a Patriots game with my Dad for the first time since the 80′s. Special times.

Once again spent the pregame tailgate with awesome Patriots fans, giving away NRG swag and eating free food. Doesn’t get any better than that! Here’s the video I made of the whirlwind trip which had me in Boston for 36 hours total. All worth it of course, and not just because the Pats beat the Jets.

Finally, some notes on the future. In the coming weeks I’ll be migrating the site from Tumblr to a fully hosted Word Press site. This will open the door to expanding if I so choose, but is immediately aimed at making the site more user friendly for what is most important – the writing content. Hopefully there will be no major glitches. The Tumblr version will remain as it currently is, and the new main site will be unveiled sometime in February (or sooner if the mood strikes me).

I am also helping to start a new blog called The Rams Report that will be based out of Los Angeles following in similar fashion to PatsProp, you guessed it, the new LA Rams. Right now we’re starting to look for writers, especially anyone LA-based, so if you or anyone you know are interested please email ramsreport16 at gmail.com.

And now we’re on to the Patriots 2016 season starting with free agency and the draft (Hoodie help us). Last year we savored a fourth Super Bowl but this year I’m already getting excited for the 2016 campaign. The injured guys will be back with the team almost completely intact. Brady’s still in his prime. The schedule is a beast. This should be one to remember.

It’s Time for a Patriots Power Running Resurgence via BetonSports.com

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The Patriots season might be over, but things are already in motion for next year’s campaign, and with limited roster turnover, the Pats’ Super Bowl Odds should be near the top of the pack for 2016. 

The question right now, as they plan for the offseason, is how do they stay fresh and avoid complacency?

After reading this interesting piece from WEEI.com, it’s worth pondering if it’s time for the Patriots’ offense to begin their next evolution. Look, Tom Brady is Tom Brady, and there’s no use suddenly trying to go to the run-and-shoot or the wishbone because he does what he does and he does it amazingly well, but as Brady will hit 39 this season, how can the Patriots protect and extend the playing career of their best all-time quarterback?

The Patriots offense has gone through many evolutions over Brady’s career. Early on he wore the “game manager” label, but slowly became more and more efficient and knowledgeable within the offense, earning the remark that his “favorite receiver was the open one”.

Deion Branch and David Givens were his early weapons and when they exited it opened the door for the free agency and trade haul of 2007 with Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Donte Stallworth. That offense would go on to set records and fall just short of a perfect season.

Then came the return of Branch in 2010, and combined with Welker, and young tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, it became the “death by a thousand cuts” offense which pushed offensive pace to a new level.

This iteration is largely what we still see today, as it maximizes Brady’s strengths – reading the defense, accurately throwing the ball short. When it’s clicking it’s unstoppable, but as we saw against the Broncos, and in other season-ending defeats to teams who can generate pass rush pressure with only four defenders, it can break down at times.

When that happens the offense can look flat and suicidal for Brady and his receivers.

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Now you might’ve noticed there’s one small thing I’ve left out of this discussion of the Patriots offense, and that is the running game. And I’m not talking about the passing down back role held by the likes of Kevin Faulk, Danny Woodhead, Shane Vereen and then the combination of Dion Lewis and James White this season. That’s a huge role in the offense and a vital one, but that’s not what we’re here to talk about. 

We, like the Patriots, have forgotten about the power running game.

Ironically, the great grandfather of the Patriots’ offensive system (The Erhardt-Perkins Offense) was originally predicated on smash mouth ball control and didn’t ask running backs to get involved in the passing game. Obviously that has been flipped on its head now. 

The kind of powerful running backs the Patriots could lean on have slowly disappeared from New England over the last 15 seasons. The first two Super Bowls were heavily reliant on Antowan Smith, the third was a ton of Corey Dillon. Even Laurence Maroney had his moments like 2007′s AFC Championship, but since Maroney’s quick rise and quicker fall, the power back role has almost been an after thought. 

Unless you want to talk about the Sammy Morris years. Which I don’t. 

LeGarrette Blount is the closest thing we’ve had to one of those old fashioned war horses and while he’s had some big games, mostly against the Colts, he often struggles to generate early momentum against tough fronts. Stevan Ridley showed some spark at times, but lacked the faith of the coaching staff to truly fill the power back role and be a consistent closer. 

At the end of this season the Patriots were left to pull Stevan Jackson off the retirement scrap heap, and while he gave them a touchdown in the AFC Championship, he was well past his prime of being an impact player.

All this leads us back to now being the time the Patriots must re-commit to the power running game. They essentially have carte blanche this offseason at the position with Blount a free agent and just unknown Tyler Gaffney sitting with Brandon Bolden on the depth chart. 

With limited pressing needs they should return to their roots with multiple impact additions, both in the draft and free agency.

The simple fact is that the Patriots at the end of the 2015 season could not run the ball even against light boxes with sub-package secondaries behind them. They were one-dimensional and forced to send Brady back to pass over and over. The result? The defense could attack him and Brady paid the price for it too many times.

The Patriots were lucky he escaped the season finale in Miami without a broken leg, much less so the AFC Championship where he was hit more than any other quarterback in a decade.

The cupboard cannot be left barren heading into training camp. The Patriots must add at least two explosive new running backs who can compete and insure each other against injury. Preferably ones with size and young, fresh legs.

The results would be fantastic. And they have the personnel to immediately help – Gronkowski, Edelman and LaFell are all excellent blockers, and guard Shaq Mason is one of the most athletic young pulling guards in the game. They have the pieces and could make teams who want to play them with their nickel or dime defense pay mightily.

Best of all it takes the pressure off of Brady and the constant punishment which he won’t be able to endure and walk away scratch-free from much longer.

The Pats always stay ahead of the curve. This time, staying ahead of the curve means going back to their original roots.

Greg Cosell’s Film Review: How Denver’s D dominated the Patriots

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Greg Cosell’s Film Review: How Denver’s D dominated the Patriots

Always enjoy Greg Cosell’s breakdowns even when they’re about the season-ender. It’s hard to believe the Patriots would be so slow, or even refuse outright to adjust to what Wade Phillips was doing on defense. They’ve seen it all before. How was there no counter punch to help Brady find a rhythm? 

Offseason Day #2: A rough outline of a plan

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My Patriots needs as of a month ago haven’t really changed much after the post-season non-fun. Here they are again, with some notes as to why I’ve initially ranked them this way.

  1. Tackle (Vollmer/Cannon entering last years, always go trenches over skill, high draft)
  2. Early Down Running Back (mid-round draft, Gaffney potential?, Blount is FA)
  3. Wide Receiver (Amendola possible cap casualty, LaFell entering last year, Keshawn Martin ceiling? high/mid/low draft)
  4. Linebacker (middle guy, coverage speed, cut & re-sign Mayo on cheap, draft, FA)
  5. Cornerback (depth and size needed, re-sign Tarrell Brown? Low draft )
  6. Tight End (always a need, find ideal Gronk compliment at Y-TE)
  7. Guard (Are Mason/Jackson/Kline the answer?)
  8. Defensive End (Sheard/Ninkovich/Jones entering last years)
  9. Defensive Tackle (always a need)

Here’s how the depth chart currently looks, along with free agents. I starred the priority guys for me. Branch and Mayo have orange boxes signifying their options this offseason.

Here’s a rough outline for a plan this offseason.

Decline: Mayo option

Don’t see much interest out there for Mayo, at least not enough to get him to leave New England even if the Pats offered him a vet minimum type deal after declining his option. Does he have anything left in the tank? Didn’t look like it this year though he started to make some plays down the stretch. Given his favored status with BB I could see him getting one last shot on a team-friendly deal. Either way, LB depth is a priority.

Re-Work/Cut: Amendola, Bostic

Bostic did nothing after the Pats traded for him and is an easy cut unless there were lingering injury issues they’d like to give him a chance to get through. Amendola is an interesting one, due to make $5 million with a $6.8 million cap hit. They’re still paying for the overpriced contract they gave him two years ago, and had to already re-do it once last season to spread out his hit a little bit. Seems possible he might not return unless he’s willing to do the Pats another favor.

Pickup: Branch option

Pats have an option on Branch that would pay him the same salary as this year: $1.2 million. The $2.75 million cap hit might be a little rich for the Pats, but Branch was consistently good this season and made for a great starting inside pair with Malcolm Brown. Must bring at least him or Hicks back, and Branch is far more affordable.

Extend: Hightower, Sheard, Collins, Butler

Not a lot of priority internal free agents this year but next offseason is brutal so they need to start locking guys up now. Hightower is my top priority, he’s the heart of the defense now and gets just a slight nod over Jamie Collins, who is nearly as important. Sheard was everything we’d hoped he’d be last season, and was playing over Chandler Jones in the playoffs. He should be a long-term building block. Butler should get done before the end of the 2016 season, but for the Pats, who don’t overpay the corner position, it will be interesting to see how they value Butler.

Trade Bait: Chandler Jones

Pats are in a good position with Chandler in that they can just let him play out the last year of his contract, because he still has something to prove. They have the depth to replace him though and that’s why he could be trade bait. A Sheard-Ninkovich-Flowers-Grissom DE group would be okay assuming Flowers builds on how he looked in limited action last summer. Either way, I don’t think Chandler’s with the Pats past 2016.

Priority RFA/ERFA: Coleman, Develin, C. Fleming, King, Siliga, R. Johnson.

Coleman was really underrated in the slot and despite injuries and a concussion came on in the playoffs. They’ll want to keep him around for sure. Develin’s return would really help the struggling run game and give the offense another dynamic they missed this year. Fleming stays cause we can’t cut all the tackles. King was extremely underrated on special teams and could be needed to fill a void that Brandon Bolden/Nate Ebner might leave via free agency.

Priority Internal UFA: Ebner, Fletcher, Brown, Hicks

We can take a shot at Hicks but it seems likely he’ll get more elsewhere after getting that new Patriots smell rubbed all over him this season. Tarrell Brown looked like a starter in training camp and would be the perfect kind of veteran to bring in to the corner mix again rather than trolling for someone new who may or may not get it. Always liked Fletcher and linebacker depth is a need, especially someone like him with good quickness and coverage ability. Keeping Ebner over Wilson for special teams. Wilson replaceable by King, Fletcher.

External FA Positional Consideration: RB, OT, LB, WR

Don’t get too crazy with delusions of big name, high priced guys here with all the internal guys who need to be secured. The Amendola/Mayo/Fletcher/Cannon/Vollmer situations will impact the needs here and must play out first. One name I liked before the draft is WR Mohammad Sanu who has good size and can do a number of different things. Otherwise I’m looking at mid-range vets coming off injuries or sub-par seasons who will be reasonably priced.

Initial Primary Draft (Long-term) Needs: OT, LB, RB, WR, QB

Again, we have to go through free agency first to really get a sense on draft needs but generally the draft is about the long term. These are the positions that need young depth more than anywhere else. And I’m throwing QB on there because it would make sense if you think Brady can get another couple years out of his body past 2017, the last year of his current deal (which is also the last year of Garoppolo’s. At this point, the more young QBs we can groom under Brady the better.

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