PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

Uncategorized

Brave New World for Patriots Offense-Defense Balance

by

With just three games left in the regular season it’s strange to still feel like we don’t quite know who the 2015 Patriots are. No, that will be defined by the team they put on the field in January, and whether or no Julian Edelman and LeGarrette Blount are on the field, and in what capacity, will play a large part in the Patriots’ fate.

The AFC has been leveled by injuries this year so picking a Super Bowl favorite isn’t easy. If you want to learn how to bet on Super Bowl 2016 or just wager online in general check out www.Betting-Super-Bowl.com which is our favorite Superbowl information site.

If the Patriots attain homefield advantage, it’s hard not to call them the favorites in the conference. The strange thing is that with so much uncertainty on offense, it’s now the defense that is the signature side of the ball for this team, and likely who will have to make the biggest plays this post season if the Pats are to make a run at repeating.

Against the Texans, the Patriots defense looked as good in all aspects as we’ve seen this season, and really this is probably their best defense since late 2003/early 2004. Now yes, it was against Brian Hoyer, but it wasn’t too long ago where almost every team the Pats faced put up over 300 yards passing.

Now, even without Dont’a Hightower, this group seems to be getting better each week. Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan are playing as good at cornerback as we’ve seen in these parts outside of Darrelle Revis last season. The front seven are getting consistent pressure, and Jabaal Sheard is a certified finisher.

Yes, they’ll give up a few big plays a game, but they never blink and the big plays only make them compete harder. Simply put, this is a defense that should be clicking on all cylinders as January hits. They are primed for a playoff run.

This is a throwback to the early dynasty days, when Tom Brady only had to manage the offense and not turn the ball over. He didn’t need to put 30-plus points up every game as was the case in 2010-2013.

But if Edelman returns to game action and is close to the player he was before his broken foot, the Patriots should be clear favorites to represent the AFC in Super Bowl 50.

by

https://www.patspropaganda.com/235/

by

tony-perfect:

Brady finds Gronkowski for the TD

Felt good to see a Gronko spike.

https://www.patspropaganda.com/tony-perfect-brady-finds-gronkowski-for-the/

Pats Posits: Defense Dominates in Houston

by

We’re going to the playoffs! After a two-game slide the Pats got back on track against the Texans, led by a suffocating defense that made plays with the pass rush and in coverage.

Houston converted just three of 14 third downs and had a total of 189 yards, 126 of which came on three plays. It was as good as this defense has played all season.

On offense, they made the plays they had to, but against a good defense they still looked out of sync at times. The biggest difference was having Gronk back. We all know he’s a game changer and that was once again proven against the Texans.

Now it’s back to home for a (hopefully) easy one against the Titans. Here are the Posits from the game:

– It’s time to give Logan Ryan
 his due. A lot of us thought Butler would draw Hopkins in coverage, but it was Ryan and aside from one big catch, Ryan erased Hopkins. Ryan was so inconsistent last season and into the preseason this year, but he’s gotten better each week and has developed a calm savvy to his game.

– Malcolm Butler has been just as good. He and Ryan aren’t getting a ton of interceptions but they’re competitive on every ball thrown in their direction. Now we see Leonard Johnson step right into the slot and do a terrific job, breaking up two passes. Johnson is thicker than Coleman and clearly more experienced. If he can keep it up he might be an important addition for the stretch run.

– No one is harder on Brandon Bolden
 than me, but with Blount going down with a hip injury, it was up to Bolden to be the early down back. This was the best game I’ve seen Bolden play as a running back (16 carries, 51 yards). He’s a fantastic special teams player but has lacked the ability to break tackles and make plays. Against the Texans he ran hard. Hopefully Blount isn’t out long, but credit to Bolden for stepping up and playing well.

– Not sure when Freeny got hurt, but Mayo was playing and had his best game of the season. Really looked like he was getting some of his “pop” back. He’s one to focus on in film review this week.

– Just as Keshawn Martin
 was starting to click with Brady he muffs a punt and opens the door to a potential Texans comeback (that failed when the defense got a fourth-down stop. Martin needs to shrug this one off, he’s taken real strides in the offense and looked a lot more comfortable this week. The better he fills the Edelman role the more they can hold back on Amendola (by keeping him as the “slot” receiver), and who knows, with Amendola’s contract Martin could end up replacing him.

– Jabaal Sheard has been a beast coming back off his ankle injury that kept him sidelined far longer than we expected. The combination of him, Ninkovich and Jones finally give us a deep rotation of impressive passive rushers who can all set the edge as well. 

– It seems like Easley dodged a bullett after going down grabbing his knee. He was riding the bike on the sideline and was seen laughing on the broadcast.

– The big injuries to monitor are LeGarrette Blount (hip) and Devin McCourty (ankle). Both looked fairly innocuous, but neither returned from the locker room. The at least have depth at safety to manage without McCourty, but going down to just Bolden and White would hurt.

– Injuries – Blount (hip), McCourty (ankle), Freeny (hand), Easley (knee)

– Nice to see the offense go 3-for-3 in the red zone but six punts and three three-and-outs made things look sluggish. They look nothing like the score-at-will team of September, but I still don’t think we’ve seen this offense’s capabilities post-Lewis. Hopefully we catch a glimpse of it against a floundering Titans team this weekend.

– All things considered I thought the offensive line was better than they’ve been, and that’s a good sign with two rookie guards playing the whole game. We knew they’d employ Michael Williams to help on Watt and they did a good job minimizing Watt’s impact.

Things have shifted quickly in the AFC with the Andy Dalton injury. Now it looks like Pittsburgh might be the biggest threat to the Pats’ AFC title hopes. At the least they’re the closest thing out there to healthy.

Broncos at Steelers will be big this weekend. With three games to go the Steelers are two behind the Bengals. The Bengals have a two-game western swing, first at San Fran then at Denver. The door is still very open on the Steelers getting the second seed.

The Pats game against the Jets in two weeks is shaping up to be a big one, but first the Titans!

by

spitfiremonk:

Julian makes an appearance at practice on Friday, December 11th, 2015.

https://www.patspropaganda.com/spitfiremonk-julian-makes-an-appearance-at/