PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

Amendola has an “undisclosed-injury”. Should we already be worried about his longevity?

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I’m not too worried about it per the tweet below. At this point just about everyone has some sort of knick, it’s just a matter of managing everyone and getting everyone as close to 100% as possible for the opener. Amendola’s past injuries have been more of the bone-break variety, not lingering muscle/soft tissue problems. He should be fine for the opener, and as one tweep pointed it out, it might be good for the Pats to adjust a gameplan without him, because if I were the Bills/Jets, I’d be taking Amendola out of the game and forcing Brady to beat us with rookies and the running game.

Forging Through: Examining Chandler Jones’ Preseason Performance vs. Buccaneers | NEPatriotsDraft.com – 2013 NFL Draft

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Forging Through: Examining Chandler Jones’ Preseason Performance vs. Buccaneers | NEPatriotsDraft.com – 2013 NFL Draft

Great stuff from Oliver Thomas breaking down Chandler Jones vs. the Bucs. Excited about how good he’s looked this preseason, after some unfounded doubts this offseason.

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The only area where the Patriots usually hold back during the preseason is in pass coverage, where they play a little more loosely than they will, say, in December. Still, the Patriots have not been afraid to show a lot of robber looks (one extra defender is freed up to read the quarterback and jump routes) of the kind they used late last season with safety Steve Gregory. With all that said, New England has looked very good so far. The real test will come when teams gameplan to put the young receivers and the tight end (Kenbrell Thompkins, Aaron Dobson, Josh Boyce, Zach Sudfeld) on the spot.

Bedard alert!

LeSean McCoy, Champ Bailey, Cam Newton and more preseason takeaways | The MMQB with Peter King

https://www.patspropaganda.com/the-only-area-where-the-patriots-usually-hold-back/

Do you think it is possible that Dane Fletcher becomes starter at Mike linebacker sometime this season? I like Spikes, but Fletcher is showing a lot this preseason. I’ve wondered if Fletcher was being groomed as a possible replacement last year until the injury.

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It’s a great question and one that I wrestle with. I really see two options:

  1. Hightower, Spikes, Mayo are the base three linebackers, with Spikes then Hightower subbing off in base for Collins and/or Fletcher.
  2. Spikes gets reduced to gameplan-specific starting duties, with Fletcher (MLB) or Collins (SLB, Hightower to MLB) starting against the pass-happy teams.

So that makes the question whether or not they like a Collins-Hightower-Mayo trio or a Hightower-Fletcher-Mayo trio. Fletcher has certainly looked good this preseason and I’ve always been a fan of his. He really showed up against the Dolphins in 2011 playing MLB in his most extensive game action of the season.

Still, I must say I love the attitude and presence that Spikes brings. No one else can, but at what point do they decide they need better pass defense over that run-destroying presence. It’s not an easy decision, and one that I’ll think about until the 2013 campaign begins and we start getting answers.