PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

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Can the Patriots get better from a talent perspective on defense? Certainly.

But I’m not sure they could have played much better last night as a group.

And they did it on the biggest stage.

You couldn’t ask anymore of the defense. Holding that Giants offense to 15 points until that late touchdown, when the Patriots allowed the Giants to score, was the type of performance many thought they weren’t capable of. But they proved us wrong.

The Patriots defense had a winning performance.

The offense did not, and that’s why the Patriots lost this Super Bowl.

Much-maligned defense wasn’t the problem – The Boston Globe

This just goes to show you can spend all season talking about how the defense was the Patriots’ Achilles Heal yet it was the most trusted part of the team that couldn’t come through in the clutch.

https://www.patspropaganda.com/patriots-goants-super-bowl/

Notes on Patriots Free Agents

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The Patriots have a number of Unrestricted Free Agents that the will have to make decisions on. Who they decide to sign and let go should tell quite a bit about the direction of the team on both sides of the ball.

Some of the immediate biggest questions that come to mind:

  • Will there be steps taken to find a deep threat field stretcher?
  • Will they go back to the 3-4 defense and how will that affect players like Andre Carter and Mark Anderson?
  • What changes will Josh McDaniels implement on offense?
  • Will the Pats turn the page on Dan Koppen and maybe Matt Light?

Patriots Unrestricted Free Agents

RB Kevin Faulk – all signs point towards retirement for the Patriots legend.

RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis – hard not to want the solid Green-Ellis back, and he shouldn’t be a bank breaker. I think it’s more than likely the Law Firm is back in Foxboro, he’s not flashy but he’s a consistently reliable back who can get tough yards. Belichick values guys like that.

WR Deion Branch – wants to come back but will the Patriots look to move on? If they can get him cheap they might want him back as insurance, but I expect measures to be taken to try and replace him with a more dangerous receiving threat to help open things up even moreso for Gronk, Hernando and Welker.

WR Matt Slater – the captain and Pro Bowler should be back for his Special Teams skills. I’d prefer to never see him play another snap of offense or defense again in my life.

WR Wes Welker – the number one free agent to be addressed I think Welker will be back one way or another. Ideally on a three or four year deal, but the Franchise Tag can’t be ruled out.

OL Dan Connolly – Connolly had a solid year filling in at center for Koppen. Is he the long term solution there, or maybe at right guard? Or will he continue to be the top interior fill in? He brings a lot of value so I bet he’s back.

OC Dan Koppen – As they did with Matt Light last year I think Koppen will be back, but developing his replacement is something that has to be considered.

DE Mark Anderson – Anderson surprised at outside linebacker in the 3-4 and looks like he could have a future there. His two sacks in the Super Bowl can’t go unmentioned. He should be a priority.

DE Andre Carter – Carter could be the biggest wild card of the internal free agents. His work on and off the field was praised by Belichick, but his recovery from the torn quad, and the schematic direction the Pats want to take will be factors. No doubt that everyone in Patriots Nation are hoping for his return.

DE Shaun Ellis – Didn’t look like Ellis has much left in the tank, it’s likely he won’t return.

DT Gerard Warren – Warren was a force in the playoffs after having the Pats manage his snaps in the regular season. He could be back on a cheap deal, but should have competition for a roster spot. Shadow roster potential.

LB Gary Guyton – Guyton fell off the depth chart this year, and it’s likely he doesn’t return unless they need additional inside linebacker depth.

LB Niko Koutouvides – could be back, he got some time on defense in the Super Bowl and also was a top Special Teams guy.

LB Tracy White – one of the bigger surprises in the Super Bowl was seeing White get so much time over Dane Fletcher on defense. Could this be a sign that White will be back? I think so.

CB Nathan Jones – probably won’t be back unless for secondary depth.

CB Antwaun Molden – I’d like to see Molden back, especially to give him a full off-season with the Pats. He has good size, and showed some good things. The secondary should get a lot of attention this off-season, but Molden would be a solid depth player who will compete.

S James Ihedigbo- I like Ihedigbo as a player, but not as a starting safety. I think he’ll be back for depth and special teams, but I’d bet the Patriots will take measures to make sure he’s not the starting safety in 2012.

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This is how I choose to remember the 2011 Patriots

The 2011 Patriots will slowly come fully into focus over the next few days. While it would be easy to get depressed about the end this was another special season filled with record-breaking performances,  AFC East and AFC Conference championships, and a tight Super Bowl that went down to the end.

Maybe it’s because we already lost a Super Bowl to the Giants that today’s feeling isn’t that entirely novel. Of course there will be much overreaction to this loss, but a couple of missed plays won’t alter the Patriots approach to team-building, and the have the draft picks and cap space to improve the team.

We’ll begin to turn the page to the off-season, beginning first with evaluating the internal free agents the Patriots must make decisions on, then slowly making our way to external free agents and the draft.

https://www.patspropaganda.com/this-is-how-i-choose-to-remember-the-2011/

» Knee Jerk Reactions From Super Bowl XLVI: Pats vs Giants Barstool Sports: Boston

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» Knee Jerk Reactions From Super Bowl XLVI: Pats vs Giants Barstool Sports: Boston

Here’s Jerry Thornton’s take and I’m feeling pretty similar this morning. I’m sure the Boston papers and airwaves are full of the blame game today, but as Jerry said, this season just proved that the Patriots way of operating is the right one.

Obviously there will be many decisions to make this off-season but I think we can all agree that we’ll be back in the thick of it next year.

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That’s all folks. Well it will certainly take some time for this to all sink in. It was a miserable end, but a great run by the Pats this year. It wasn’t always perfect but the 2011 team was stocked with fighters. It always hurts to get so close only to fall short, and while it would be easy to get carried away it the “what does it all mean” of it all, let’s just take a moment and appreciate what this Patriots team did in 2011.

They overcame significant injuries, won the AFC East, the first overall seed, and defended home field and went to the Super Bowl. Ultimately it was Tom Brady and the offense’s inability to move the ball in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl that did the 2011 Pats in.

You can’t help but wonder ‘what if’ with Rob Gronkowski’s ankle. He was far less effective than I thought he’d be and it seems like the Patriots offense struggled because of it. 

After a week of getting thrown under the bus, it was not the defense that was most responsible for the Patriots demise. They gave up the last drive, but they made enough stops to put the onus on the Pats offense for failing to produce a single second half point. Of course some of the credit goes to the Giants’ defense, but ultimately this is where the game was won.

The Patriots head into another off-season with multiple high draft picks. We look forward to turning the page to our draft research and finding some players that could make the difference in 2012.

It was a painful end, but not as painful as 2007, so there was a familiarity to this end. It’s hard to argue the 2011 Giants weren’t the best team in football but the Patriots went down swinging like they did all season long.

The 2011 Patriots never lost a football game by more than eight points. The teams that beat them had to hang on to do so. 

There will be tons of talk about how this loss affects the legacies of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, but as I see it, this has to be a season that is respected in the Belichick reign. They might not have pulled it out, but they played like a team down to the last moment.

https://www.patspropaganda.com/patriots-giants-super-bowl-4/

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Can’t complain about a lead at the half but this one looks like it’s going to come down to the wire and I don’t know if my heart can handle it..

https://www.patspropaganda.com/cant-complain-about-a-lead-at-the-half-but-this/