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PatsPropaganda & Frenz Podcast: 5/2 11am EST Final NFL Draft Countdown
Join Frenz and I as we enter the final week before the NFL draft. We’ll discuss which prospects we like the most and drop some early previews of our final mock drafts that will be released next week. Listen in!!
Mayock relayed the story about the Patriots’ 2005 draft and how it’s a good lesson for anyone. The team was coming off a Super Bowl victory and badly wanted to go defense at No. 32, according to Mayock, but the board was picked clean and they instead were flexible in switching to Fresno State offensive lineman Logan Mankins. Ultimately, the team was rewarded for not forcing a need, and that was Mayock’s main point – teams shouldn’t lock in and must remain light on their feet to pick good football players regardless of position.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/patriots-draft-logan-mankins/
It’s an interesting question that will be something to really monitor this season because BB has never had the quality of corners on paper that he has right now.
One thing about defense though is that you never want to have to blitz. You want to get pressure with four. Of course that’s easier said that done. And really, the mainstream definition of a blitz is sending more than four guys, but some would tell you a real blitz is only when defensive backs are getting sent, which we saw occasionally with Arrington and Ryan last season.
Belichick is and will likely always be a fairly conservative defensive coach and it’s hard to argue with the results. But now that his theoretically has multiple corners who can man-up receivers and take them out of the equation, does he start sending more blitzes? Certainly seems like there’s a good chance.
But if I was a betting man I’d bet his blitz rate remains nearly unchanged.
Here’s the percentages of blitzes from last season. While some of it is dependent on how the games unfolded, the Pats are unlikely to ever blitz more than 30% of the snaps.
It might not be me [replacing Spikes], it might be somebody that nobody would ever expect,” he added, “but I definitely feel like from the point we’re at now, from everybody working out, and the way we’re all working out, and we’re having fun, I definitely feel like that’s not going to be a problem.
Dont’a Hightower Stepping Up As ‘Next Leader’ On Patriots’ Defense – Extra Points – Boston.com
Don’t play coy with us, Dont’a…
https://www.patspropaganda.com/it-might-not-be-me-replacing-spikes-it-might/
That’s a tough one but 2007 and 2012 were extra special to me.
Why not a magical Super Bowl-winning season you might ask? Because back then was long before any of this blogging stuff. 2007 was the season I started blogging and for obvious reasons that was just a crazy ride on and off the field.
By 2012 this blog was fully realized so the trip to the Super Bowl with all my fellow fans and readers was extra special.
Nothing can take away the experience as a fan of winning three Super Bowls, but being a blogger and feeling almost a part of it in 2012 was pretty cool too.
Don’t Stop Frontin’: The Mind-Boggling Multiplicity of NFL Defenses « Grantland
Good read, even if there isn’t a single mention of the Patriots, one the originators of the multiple front defense. As I’ve been saying for years, 3-4 vs. 4-3 is just semantics now, those vanilla defenses are just too easy for modern offenses to pick apart. Now you need a combination of athletes and space-eaters, moving around the front and not giving away their intention. Who’s blitzing? Who’s two-gapping? Who’s dropping? It gives the offense a ton to think about rather than the old straight-up 3-4 where it will be the same thing down after down.
