On Thursday, Patriots Rob Gronkowski, Wes Welker and Donald Thomas will participate in the first ever Sportsnation “Halo 4” Bowl. It will be, dubiously named, Team Gronk versus Team Cruz (New York Giants Victor Cruz, Ramses Barden, and Terrell Thomas). The show will air at 5 p.m. EDT on ESPN2.
Does Cunningham finding his niche as an interior sub-rusher make Pryor redundant? — @heisthejuan
Good question from Twitter that I wanted to take the time to answer here because obviously it deals with my favorite pass rush topic – generating more interior rush.
The window on Pryor could be closing quickly. If you’re on the PUP list you have to sit out the first six weeks, then you have three weeks to be activated. We’re closing on three weeks right now as this Sunday will be week 9. I’m not sure of the exact day, but the Pats are certainly waiting until the last minute on him.
As for Cunningham I like that the Pats have inserted him on the inside and he’s been the closest thing to an answer for replacing Mike Wright that they’ve had. However if Pryor can return I think you could use both of them.
Pryor is really more of a traditional interior pass rusher. He’s around 300 pounds but gets up the field like a mad mad. At least he did the last time we saw him healthy which was against the Dolphins in the 2011 opener.
All of this could be moot by next week if the Pats don’t activate Pryor, and then no one will have to read any more of my rantings on him again this year, but I think a combination of Cunningham and Pryor in an all out pass rush package could really elevate the Pats pass defense.
Bill Belichick Press Conference Transcript – 11/1/2012
Bill Belichick Press Conference Transcript – 11/1/2012
Q: What is your evaluation of the play of the secondary in the first half? What are things to be improved upon? They’ve given up a lot of big plays.
BB: Sure, defensively that would be a big area for us, is to limit the number of big plays. That’s a whole team defensive thing. It’s not one thing. Anytime they throw the ball deep down the field, that involves pass rush, it involves pass coverage, it involves possibly scheme depending on how you’re playing it. But yeah, we can improve in every area.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5erbE4vegyU
If you’re fighting a hangover like I am it’s a good day to throw on an old Patriots game like this 1997 matchup with the Jets featuring some of the best plays and drives. This was the first time the team faced Bill Parcells after he had jumped ship for New York. Also this is probably the game Parcells decided he had to get Curtis Martin from the Pats.
New England Patriots vs Jets 1997 Week 3 (by wiley16350)
(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
I think it’s important, as I’ve said, to not really ride the roller coaster of the season,” Brady said. “The highs of the winning and the lows of the losing. When you have a bad game, it can’t lead to another bad game, which leads to a bad month and then you have to be nearly perfect the rest of the way. So when you lose a game, you have to put it behind you, you gotta move forward. And if you lose again, you gotta do the same thing. I think that’s, to try to get to the things that we’ve been good at, the things we’re consistently doing better than other things, that what’s most important, and that’s what leads to better execution over the course of a season.
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- HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!
Happy Halloween…Patriots edition
https://www.patspropaganda.com/yosoyfiestaa-happy-halloweenpatriots-edition/