PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

20 Questions About 2018 Patriots

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We’re a mere 10 days away from the opening of Patriots training camp, one of the most exciting times of the football season, when hope springs eternal, no one has gotten severely injured yet and every team has a shot at the Super Bowl. For the Patriots it’s another bonus chance getting to watch Bill Belichick and Tom Brady add to their unprecedented run.

These seasons are fleeting, we’re already on borrowed time, so it’s best to savor every moment.

The 2018 Patriots should be a big switch from the 2017 team. Just as the 2015 team was decimated by injuries and the 2016 team bounced back, this will be another opportunity for the team to put a bunch of injuries and a disappointing ending behind them.

There will be new faces, returning faces and hopefully, unexpected faces emerging. As we continue to count down, here are 20 questions that are facing this edition of the Pats.

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Best of PatsProp Offseason Round Up

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In case you missed any of them here are eight of my favorite pieces from the offseason.

5 Most Intriguing Returning Patriots – Still very much believe in this list, though I am probably overestimating Damarius Travis.

A Brief History of Patriots-Inspired Rule Changes – Pretty amazing the impact the Patriots have had on the NFL’s rule changes over the years.

Patriots 2018 Draft Recap – Always exciting to get a new crop of promising players.

Tom Brady Will Finish Career as Patriot, On Own Terms – Brady Ride or Die till the end.

Tom Brady’s Helmets: A Retrospective – Brady will have switch helmets at the end of his career, likely starting in 2019. A look back at all he’s worn over the years.

Stop Worrying and Enjoy the End of Belichick/Brady – My philosophy as the end of the Belichick-Brady dynasty approaches the end.

Can Flores Fix the First-Down D? – Critical element of the defense that needs to be addressed.

Brady: 2022 – Imagine a world where Tom Brady plays injury free until he’s 45. What records will fall? How many Super Bowls could he win? It’s Brady: 2022.

Third-Down Offensive Personnel Deep Dive

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It shouldn’t be a surprise the Patriots’ third-down offense suffered without Julian Edelman in 2017, they fell from 4th to 10th in the league. Now they’ll be without Danny Amendola as well.


Using the impressive Sharp Football Analysis, I took a quick deep dive into how the offensive personnel changed between 2016 and 2017. How they compensated without Edelman…what worked, what didn’t.

Here’s what I found:

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Potential Patriots Extensions and Cap Casualties

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The Patriots are usually pretty good about managing their contracts and not getting into deals that are bad for the team. Still, they have no remorse about making a move that’s best for the football team, even if it means they visit Fitness Muscle Meals and eat a chunk of salary by jettisoning a player they overpaid.

They are 8th-lowest in dead cap money.

They’re also proactive when it comes to getting extensions done for players they want to retain before they hit free agency, especially for the middle class of their roster. We always hold our breath when talented young players close in on the end of their affordable rookie deals and this season is no different.

As we count down to training camp here are some of the most interesting contracts on the team. Players who make more than they’re contributing, players whose dead money makes them near uncuttable and those who are coming to the end of their deals and could be in line for an extension.

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Breaking Down Patriots PUP Candidates

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The release of the PUP list, those who are physically unable to perform at the start of training camp, is often a surprise and can ruin some of the initial excitement of camp kickoff. Some years there are players that we thought were healthy that are suddenly not available.

Yes, some significant names are still recovering from last year’s campaign, but it won’t be enough to move the Patriots’ position on top football betting sites.

Players can come off of the list at any moment, and sometimes it’s just a matter of needing additional tries to pass the conditioning test (hello fatties). So there’s no reason to panic, but it’s worth regrouping on who was unavailable during last month’s minicamp to get a sense of who might still be rehabbing.

Here’s who was absent or working out off to the side in June, and what the impact might be if they are PUP’d just before training camp gets open.

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Pats Posits: Countdown to Camp is On!

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With the 4th of July in the rearview mirror, all focus now turns to Patriots training camp, which opens in just 17 days. It was an annoying offseason, watching some important and beloved players walk and hearing constant chatter about internal discord. I’m ready for all that to be over.

How does it all translate onto the football field? We’re about to find out.

I’m especially ready for this 2018 Patriots train to leave the station. Edelman and Hightower will be back out there and they’re a huge boost. And yes, we get to watch Tom Brady play football for another season. Savor every second.

The end looms so every new moment of Brady-Belichick will be thrilling and uncertain. Fingers crossed they got another run at this thing in them, it will be historic and crazy no matter how it turns out.

In case you missed them I posted some camp battle previews :

Training Camp Battle Breakdowns:

  1. Left Tackle
  2. Defensive End
  3. Wide Receiver
  4. Running Back

Also, a pre-camp 53-man roster projection. All of it generated some good areas to discuss so let’s hop in with some Posits…

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Patriots Pre-Training Camp 53-Man Roster Projection

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With training camp just a couple weeks away, it’s a good time to take a quick reset on the roster and make a 53-man projection. Julian Edelman’s suspension being upheld, there’s an extra roster spot to play with at cutdown time. Despite it being a punishment, I always find those roster spots incredibly helpful in protecting promising young players.

Admittedly, this was a fairly easy projection. There are spots where I’m on the fence, but overall this is a deep team that got some good experience last year at the lower end of the roster. Add the influx of injury returnees like Dont’a Hightower, Harvey Langi and Derek Rivers and there’s a lot to be excited about. Training camp should be extremely competitive.

Here’s where I’m at and the spots that were the hardest to pare down.

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