Alexander and Slater tied for the league lead with 16 Return Stops last year, and in a surprising example of the Pro Bowl getting something completely right, the two players were chosen as the Pro-Bowl special-teamers for the NFC and AFC. Slater was particularly impressive with a Return Stop on all 16 of his tackles.
FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Special Teams Tackles 2012
Matthew Slater getting some love. When everyone talks about the Patriots draft history, rarely do you hear about Slater, a player without a true college position that the Pats took in the fifth round of the 2008 draft.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/alexander-and-slater-tied-for-the-league-lead-with/
Inside linebacker Brandon Spikes was the only player not in attendance last week when the Patriots hit the field for the first week of voluntary Organized Team Activities, otherwise known as “practices in shorts.” And that’s not going to change this week.
But when attendance is mandatory, Spikes will be in Foxborough with his teammates.
Anyone else get the feeling that Spikes might be dredless when we see him next week? Trying to figure out what “transformation” means…
https://www.patspropaganda.com/inside-linebacker-brandon-spikes-was-the-only/
It Is What It Is » Deconstructing Patriots roster by age
It Is What It Is » Deconstructing Patriots roster by age
• As it stands right now, the average age of the 90-man roster is at 25.3 years old. The oldest average age group is at quarterback, where the three signal-callers average 28 years old (that group includes the oldest player on the roster in Tom Brady). In addition, the linebackers and offensive line have an average age of 26. Meanwhile, the specialists, receivers, offensive line, defensive line, tight ends and defensive backs all average 25 years old. The youngest average position is at running back, where the group averages 24 years old.
He doesn’t have a lot of flash to his game, but Harrison displays all the qualities you want from a big-bodied outside receiver. He’s got deceptive short-area quickness, he runs comeback routes to a tee, he uses his wingspan to his advantage, and he also has the presence of mind to work the sideline.
He has a slight issue with dropping catchable balls, yet once Harrison is in possession and sees the open field, defensive backs face the tough task of essentially bringing down a linebacker.
And more often than not, that downfield running results in a lucrative gain, if not a TD.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/he-doesnt-have-a-lot-of-flash-to-his-game-but/