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6. Jabaal Sheard, DE, Patriots (two years, $11 million, 83.3)
Sheard has missed some time with injury, but when he’s been on the field, he’s been terrific. Despite playing only 370 snaps, Sheard is eighth among 4-3 DE in hurries (28), leaving him trailing only Ziggy Ansah in pass rush productivity among that group. He’s also added 15 stops on the season, as well.

10 Best Free Agent Signings Through Week 13

Have to agree, Sheard has been the perfect addition we all thought he would be. Would love to see him stick around past 2016.

https://www.patspropaganda.com/6-jabaal-sheard-de-patriots-two-years-11/

Edelman was at the tree lighting as a guest of honor. No boot, walked fine, no limp. Seems to be doing better, ahead of schedule. Knock on wood that his recovery stays on track and progresses as nicely as it has but if he doesn’t come back, I don’t see a Super Bowl for us. His presence on offense is significantly missed and I don’t see dola picking up the slack and making those cuts like he does

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Thanks for the info, and Edelman was also seen in Boston this weekend with a similar report. As I’m sure everybody knows, walking around is one thing, cutting on a dime to get instantly open is another. The other thing is how quickly can Edelman get up to game speed? Remember Brandon LaFell’s first game back? What if that’s Edelman in a playoff game? (Maybe that’s a bad example since LaFell isn’t Edelman, bust still)…

Honestly if the receivers would just catch the ball I think the Patriots will be fine and make a decent run at the Super Bowl no matter where Edelman’s at. For all the stats that we can throw around at the dropoff of the offense without Lewis, Edelman and Gronk, they’re still moving the ball and even had a chance at an impossible comeback. They’re still feeling things out a bit and establishing an identity, but if Martin and LaFell pick up the slack things will be okay.

The thing is, this defense is primed for a Super Bowl run once Hightower gets back. If they can avoid a significant injury going in the next four games (certainly not a given with the way this season has gone), this will be the best I’ve felt about our defense going into a playoff run since 2007.

Pats Posits: Tuesday Edition – Reacting to the Over-reacting

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To be honest I don’t really read or listen to a lot of the Pats analysis out there, but it’s always fun to wake up on a Monday after a loss to find out what people are apoplectic about. The loss to the Eagles was the classic example of some days you just don’t have the magic. Not to say the Pats couldn’t have won that game or that they didn’t shoot themselves in the foot, but this is the NFL. Every team has talent and regardless of records or how they looked last week, any team can beat any team on any Sunday.

Of course there are those who live in the alternate universe where the Pats get no credit for beating teams that don’t have winning records and subsequently get crucified for losing a game to one of them. It’s an easy way to give them no credit for winning more games than anyone else while simultaneously giving them all the blame when they happen to lose. Now they can declare everything that’s wrong with this Patriots team and why they won’t win the Super Bowl, etc. So yeah, that’s why I don’t need to hear what those kind of “pundits” are saying.

Aside from the obvious errors on special teams and bad throws by Brady, the problem is obvious. The receivers don’t get open as fast now, Brady has to hold the ball longer, the offensive line has to protect longer and everything has slowed down. The Eagles often flooded the field with zone defenders and that exposed the Patriots’ problems.

From WEEI.com:

Brady took an average of 2.63 seconds from snap-to-throw, his highest average of the season. Furthermore, Brady had 16 plays which took more than three seconds, something very uncharacteristic for the Patriots offense. Brady has averaged over 2.2 seconds from snap-to-throw in four straight games, which comes following the first eight games where he only had one game averaging over 2.2 seconds.

The defense was actually pretty good and will be even better when Hightower gets back. I am excited about this defense in the playoffs and there is still every reason to be excited about them.

The special teams problems were an outlier and won’t happen again.

So really, all that matters is the offense finding their groove once again and that’s something that is possible even before Gronk and Edelman return. They had flashes of it against the Eagles, they just couldn’t string it all together without a couple of game-deciding mistakes.

This season continues to feel like a weird version of 2013, with injuries piling up and constantly keeping the team in a state of flux. Last year, there wasn’t a single major injury outside of Jerod Mayo and Stevan Ridley, both of which happened early in the season. Each week the 2014 team seemed to be building on past performance and confirming their identity.

But this year they’ve been constantly adjusting to the latest injuries and after a white hot start they’ve been in triage mode every week since early October, trying to find ways to win without their top pieces. The offense is now a shadow of what it was in September. Maybe that’s an excuse, but it’s also a fact.

All that said, I still think the Patriots have the inside track on the top seed. The Broncos and Bengals play each other as well as the hot Steelers. There are losses in there for both of those teams. But the bye is so important with those Edelman and Gronkowski injuries. Even if they don’t get the one seed I think their chances in Denver or Cincinnati. The extra week of rest is critical.

It all just comes down to how quickly they can get their offense back and so much of it depends on the status of Edelman. I still hesitate to assume he’ll be back, because even if he is can he still get open immediately and make the impossible third-down catches in traffic? That’s asking a lot.

This might be the most interesting December we’ve had in New England in a long time, at least since 2008 where they were right on the playoff bubble. Needing wins at Jets and at Dolphins could really make those last two games meaningful and difficult. Let’s hope we’ve got at least 87 or 11 back for those.

Pats Posits: Any Given Sunday Applies to Pats Too

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It’s been a while since the Patriots lost a game like this. Losses marred by bad football are something Bill Belichick has distanced himself from in 15 years in New England.

But that’s what an ill-advised drop kickoff, a blocked punt for TD, a punt return for TD and a 99-yard pick six easily add up to. Yes, the Pats hung in there until the end, but the scoreboard doesn’t tell the story at 35-28.

The offense and defense weren’t particularly bad. Brady had two ill-advised interceptions but given the offensive pieces the Pats were rolling out there, it’s hard to be too upset with guys like Keshawn Martin for not making a clutch fourth down catch to keep the Pats’ hopes alive. Those are plays for people like Julian Edelman.

The defense failed to get a big third down stop near the end of the game, but did come through with Jamie Collins’ forced fumble, a clutch play in his return after missing four games. They didn’t see the field for a large chunk of the third quarter, but only allowed two scoring drives in the game.

It was as ugly a loss as we see in these parts and there’s plenty more to break down. Here are the Posits…

Big picture, this loss hurts in the playoff race for homefield advantage, but with the Bengals and Broncos still to play, the door is still open to a second-seed bye if the Patriots win out. But now, they might have to win out, and three of the last four are on the road, including two against teams (as of now) fighting for a playoff spot. This is going to be a drag out fight to the end for that extra week of rest, and boy do the Pats look like they need it.

I can’t remember the last time the Patriots lost a game because of multiple special teams breakdowns. Nine of the last ten years they’ve been ranked in the top ten in league special teams DVOA. An occasional snafu sure? Compounding, game-losing mistakes in bunches? Never.

So that makes it a little easier to swallow. It was out of conference and despite the huge deficit late in the game, they kept fighting and took it down to the wire. Even when the Patriots get blown out, it’s still close.

Does it hurt to see we’re now the #3 AFC seed? Sure. But let’s be honest, with the offensive weaponry the Pats have right now, they’re not the best team in the conference and are just trying to keep their head above water until they at least get Rob Gronkowski
 back.

I like the aggressiveness on the dropkickoff, like they were just trying to break the Eagles then and there, but it was really the spark that ignited a complete reversal in game momentum. So in hindsight, yeah maybe better just to kick it deep and save the dropkickoff. Not the first time an overly aggressive playcall has bit us in the ass with Belichick.

I think that was responsible for the TD on the ensuing drive, but I think the bigger meltdowns that came next – the blocked punt TD to tie it before the half, then the 99-yd interception TD near the start of the second half – were more about a team without an identity right now, and the injuries are certainly catching up with them on the field and in their heads. 

James White’s 10 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown is a silver lining. It still doesn’t seem the Patriots trust him entirely yet, but he must’ve gained some trust and confidence in him after his performance against the Eagles.

I liked how they worked Damaris Johnson in early with a couple touches. They need to find player who can make people miss. More of him please.

Danny Amendola was very solid after missing a game, and despite some drops, Scott Chandler is still hanging in there. They still can’t use Chandler in a Y-TE blocking role so they have to swap him and Michael Williams around, limiting the playbook. 

Wanted more out of LaFell in this one (five catches, nine targets), though he did have a key catch on the second-to-last drive, taking it down inside the five-yard line. I guess outside receivers can only be so effective in this offense, while inside guys and tight ends have to keep the chains moving, but he still needs to catch the ball.

The defense forced seven punts and one fumble, giving up just two scoring drives – the short field one post dropkickoff (eight plays, 59 yards) and the clincher drive, a 12-play, 80 yarder capped with a touchdown to make it 35-14 early in the fourth quarter. Hard to be too upset with the defense, despite that long drive and failing to get a stop on the last third down they saw.

I missed Jamie Collins. Once Hightower gets back too…

I’m guessing this will get plenty of action this week, but the Eagles were false starting throughout the game, and did so clear as day on the the last third down, where the RT was already kicking out to block Jabaal Sheard before the snap. I can understand that pass interference calls have a lot of moving parts, but if the refs can’t catch something as simple as a false start what are they doing out there?

Brady looked incredibly natural catching that pass! And on the bright side, someday that will be the only thing we remember about this game. It was a great play at the time, but all the good feelings were killed when Brady threw the bad pick the very next play. It was like he was feeling a little too good – like this was suddenly the 2014 offense and nothing could go wrong. 

Josh Kline looks to be the latest offensive player to get injured and leave the game, he’s the sixth offensive line starter to get injured as well. Hopefully it’s not a season-ended. Tough to tell. Was ruled a “shoulder”. 

The special teams are not going to have this kind of meltdown again, but the Patriots are now hanging by a thread as far as controlling their own fate in the conference. This week’s matchup against the former-Patriot laden Texans is fascinating. What I wouldn’t give to hear the conversations between Bill O’Brien, Romeo Crennel
, Mike Vrabel
, Vince Wilfork and Brian Hoyer, among others behind closed doors.

The Patriots’ offense will have a huge challenge, especially if they have to face JJ Watt without their most consistent interior offensive lineman this year. Starting two rookies against that front is far from ideal.

The 2015 season is three-quarters over and the Patriots are hanging on, but far from Super Bowl favorites if they don’t eliminate the sloppy play that showed up way too much against the Eagles. I believe the whole team was still reeling somewhat from the loss in Denver. That kind of loss, plus the way Gronk went out, has a way of being a dark cloud and I think it lingered a bit. They just froze in the face of adversity for the second week – which is a little troubling.

Still, it’s the kind of thing they can usually clean up. 

This loss should put Denver and Gronk to bed. They’ll turn the page, but it’s clear they’ll struggle to make it out of the AFC without Gronkowski and Edelman. They must find a way to turn the tide in Houston, a place that hasn’t been great to them since winning Super Bowl 38 there.

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sports-and-everything-else:

Tom Brady acts as a wide receiver taking a pass from Danny Amendola

https://www.patspropaganda.com/sports-and-everything-else-tom-brady-acts-as-a/

Do you think this is amendola and lafell ‘s last year

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LaFell still has another year on his deal and he’s pretty affordable so I think he’ll stick. Amendola could be extended to spread his cap hit out a bit. I think he’s worth it, but he won’t stick at his current projected salary of $5 million for 2016. By comparison LaFell is due to make $2.4 million next year. 

My only reservation is Amendola will be 31 next year. He’s likely got two more years max that they’ll want to pay him, maybe even just one depending on how healthy he stays. So maybe they tack on another year, push out a lot of the cap hit and figure he gets cut after 2016.

Let’s face it, slot receiver take a pounding and break down quickly as we saw with Welker. So while he’s an important piece who has made some huge plays for us, he’s not going to last forever.

With edelman and amendola out, has anyone popped out to you on film that might actually stick around

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Not yet, and I think that’s a big problem and an area to watch this weekend. With all these guys out you’d love to see Chandler or Martin or one of the two new guys signed this week show a spark that indicates they can make plays. We just haven’t seen it yet. No one is really making any plays in the open field any more, or more specifically, making people miss. This is a big detriment to an offense that needs those yards-after-catch. Fingers crossed someone does something to get excited about this weekend, because I’m worried that this offense is only getting easier and easier to shut down with all the injuries. Still, I think if the offensive line can just protect Brady and give him the extra time now required for guys to get open, we’ll be okay.