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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.

Even with the signing of Trey Williams, I feel the complete lack of a run game could hurt us in the playoffs. Is there a solution? Is it down to the O-line tweaking or are Blount, White, Bolden just not that good?

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It’s probably going to be the most interesting thing to see in the playoffs, because I think there’s certainly a school of thought that run games aren’t critical when you have a quarterback like Brady. Though Edelman’s status in January is still something I’m very concerned about, I think the loss of Dion Lewis is the biggest killer.

And I don’t think it’s an offensive line issue, I think these guys – Blount, White, Bolden – are who we thought they were. Blount has never been a great player to just generate yards on his own unless it’s the Colts. White hasn’t taken a big step forward like we hoped and Bolden can fill in but isn’t a playmaking running back.

So now we’re stuck trying to generate a ground game while having to work around the lack of talent. If I was going to be critical of the Patriots offseason this is where I’d go. How could we count so much on Lewis (or Gaffney)?

Still, will it matter? Can Blount run over the Colts in the playoffs again if we see them? Possibly. The bigger question is can we put games away? I believe in “Throw to score, run to win”, but can we still run to win? Certainly it doesn’t help that Edelman might not be there, or at least might be less than 100% and he’s a key third down guy. 

Even with Lewis coming back next year, they need to really address this position this offseason with a Ridley-esque back. Someone who can make people miss when the initial hole isn’t quite there and still get those four yards. Honestly at this point I’d settle for a Benjarvus Green-Ellis, unspectacular but runs hard out of the backfield and never loses yardage.

Patriots Tickets Giveaway Finalists!!

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Thanks to all who entered today’s #FanEnergy ticket contest courtesy of NRG! Here are four finalists, vote for your favorite and send the winner to this weekend’s Pats-Eagles game. Slight change from the original contest post, we’ll pick the winner at 10am EST Thursday (it was previously 12pm but we have to get the tickets out in time!). Good luck and thanks to all who entered!

Who had the best Gronk tweet?

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https://www.patspropaganda.com/282/

Patriots vs. Broncos All-22 Review: Defense Edition

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Had a chance to go back through the All-22 and as always, it was informative. In a lot of ways I don’t feel like I’ve truly seen the game until I watch the All-22, as you can see exactly who the personnel is at all times, what the formations are and what the coverages are.

Little bit more mixing coverages in this one, but on third downs it was all Cover-1 Man. Still plenty of zone throughout the game. In terms of fronts they were so varied, 4-3 under, 3-4. Little of everything.

I know it’s been a popular refrain this week to mention how many rushing yards the Broncos had when Hightower went out, but honestly he wasn’t overly impactful in run defense before he went out with the injury. I was expecting to see him at the center of most of the run tackles, but he was more often playing strong side linebacker where he did a good job setting the edge, or he was more concerned with coverage. 

No, the problem with the run defense is that Freeny and Mayo aren’t that good. Both just lack any pop to make an impact and all of the significant runs the Broncos put together in the first half were often because Freeny was late to fill, went to the wrong hole or simply wasn’t strong enough to physically close a hole. So you put Collins back in there (with Hightower at some point) and they’ll be okay. But if I was attacking this Patriots defense I’d run right at Freeny. Mayo has been better in recent weeks but still lacks that pop he had before the injury. His missed tackle at the end of the first half on the touchdown run was a prime example.

I already wrote about him earlier but Malcom Brown continues to jump off the screen to me. So athletic inside, he consistently splits double teams and makes plays in the run game. He won’t pile on stats at his position but he’s as good a rookie defensive tackle as you’re going to find. Earlier in the third quarter Brown absolutely owned Evan Mathis on a run stop.

Jabaal Sheard is also having a great season and is the perfect fit we all thought he would be. Funny when things work out like that. But he was causing problems all night. Quick and strong off the ball, he’s a beast to deal with and this three-man rotation they have with him, Nink and Chan has been long-needed. He has such a shiftiness to him that makes it tough for blockers to know his intentions. Often it sets them up for a bull rush that they’re not prepared for.

The delayed middle linebacker blitz was a go-to in this one, but it just doesn’t have the same kind of effectiveness when it’s Mayo/Freeny instead of Hightower/Collins. 

13:54 4th Quarter, Pats up 21-7, Broncos at the Pats’ 31 facing third-and-five after the Chris Harper muffed punt. This was the turning point of the game and it’s interesting that here is where the Pats sent a six-man blitz, a rarity for BB. Nobody found a rushing lane and Osweiler had the poise to find Emmanuel Sanders for 17 yards. The next play they’d score and it was a ball game. This is why being aggressive on defense can bite you on the ass.

McCourty’s missed tackle in the backfield on the second Broncos touchdown was pretty bad. How the running back got outside of Ryan and Butler too was a head scratcher. But again, not really a play Hightower would’ve had an effect on.

Nice goal line stand in the fourth quarter to force a field goal by the Broncos. Who would have ever though Logan Ryan would own Demaryius Thomas?

The three-and-out the defense forced with just under 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter is what I’ll prefer to remember about this game. Physical possession from Alan Branch and Tavon Wilson who both forced incomplete passes with pressure. Wilson drilled Osweiler. Didn’t remember that in the broadcast.

Now comes the last possession of regulation:

36 yard pass to Thomas: This was just a let it go and let your big receiver go up and get it. Could there have been some disruption to prevent Osweiler from stepping into it? Sure. But it’s hard to stop this play when everything clicks.

39 yard pass to Sanders: Flawless pass, barely any time for any rush to get to Osweiler. Just like the last big one to Thomas he just let it go. But perfect placement. Bravo Brock.

Finally the game winning touchdown in overtime was another toss sweep. You’ll notice the Pats have Sheard and Nink on the left side and no true defensive end on the right. But the key block comes on Chung, which effectively blocks not only Chung, but Freeny and Mayo too. There’s simply no defensive end to set the edge and that’s what springs Anderson because he only had to beat Branch in pursuit, McCourty, who can’t get off his block, and Harmon, who just whiffs in the open field.

So yeah, that sucks. Had Chandler Jones been in at his RDE spot, he very well would’ve blown this play up, so I think part of this has to fall on the coaches because the Broncos kept going to this toss sweep with success.

But overall I feel better now after reviewing the defense. Really it comes does to Collins/Hightower > Freeny/Mayo. Generally the run defense was good except for a few big runs, but I think generally it was because the linebackers were just not impact players. The defensive line played well, but once runs got past them there wasn’t anyone to clean it up like Collins and Hightower usually do.

The Broncos made some big key plays, but I think this is a much different game if Collins and Hightower were in there the whole time. Not to make excuses, but I just hope that’s what we have in any January rematch.

Pats Posits: Wednesday Edition

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Look at me banging out some Pats Posits every day this week! Obviously there’s a ton to talk about, so let’s hop right in!

Pats Sign Trey Williams

I’m not a big fan of in-season additions but I really felt like they had to do something at the running back position this week and on Tuesday they did, adding Trey Williams who had been cut by the Cowboys. On paper Williams seems a lot like Dion Lewis, including the ability to make defenders miss, but like Lewis he is undersized. He didn’t get a carry with the Cowboys but given how things have looked with Blount/White/Bolden I think he’ll get a shot in New England. Of course this is just an undrafted rookie so expecting him to come in and do anything at all might be a long shot. Still, he has undeniable explosion and given what we have right now, it can’t hurt to take a look at him over the last five games.

Whiny Pats Fans

Frank Schwab of YahooSports was complaining a bit on Twitter yesterday asking if Patriots fans really felt like they had it bad. Look, I hate whining about referees more than most people and really the only thing about the Broncos game that really bothered me is that it truly seems like Gronkowski is being unfairly targeted by the refs with all these OPI calls. Of course the Patriots don’t have it bad, we all know that. All we want is fairness and after Deflategate, when the NFL purposefully spread misinformation and lies to win their case in the court of public opinion, is it any surprise that Patriots fans are on high alert for anything unfair? So I’m not crying about some bad calls, I’m crying about a player being unfairly singled out and that’s all.

Malcom Brown

Taking a closer look at the Broncos game I was even more impressed with how good Malcom Brown is getting. He’s really elusive for a man his size and has an uncanny ability to slip around blocks with his quickness. He continues to make bigger and bigger plays and combined with Alan Branch, they’re forming a stout interior. Hard for me to say it, but he certainly looks like the better overall player compared to my boo Domnique Easley at this point, though their roles are entirely different.

Injuries

Not to rain on the parade, but as much as I’ve been saying “just get healthy for the playoffs,” it’s probably too much to expect the Pats can have Edelman, Gronk and maybe Hightower out until the playoffs then just have them all step in and play like it’s the 2014 playoff run. They can certainly still beat the entire stable of AFC teams, but I think we’re fooling ourselves a bit if we think the offense can just pick up where it left off two months previously. Edelman especially is a concern considering his injury and how physical he plays, with lots of cutting.

Defense

Honestly the defense blowing the Broncos game is probably the best thing that could’ve happened to them (and the team as a whole). But give me Collins and Hightower back in there (assuming everyone else stays healthy) and I feel like this is a defense that could shut down anyone. Right now I’m just praying for Butler and Ryan to make it all the way without getting dinged. They’re playing so well together, it would be a devastating blow to lose one of them. Again, hopefully the Gronk Return will break the injury curse of the last two months.