PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

One More Week! Patriots Catchup on Stickergate, 53-Man and more

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We’re just one week away from the start of the Patriots 2016 season, making today the last football-free Sunday until February. It’s hard to believe another offseason has gone by and here we stand, ready for one more run at this thing with Belichick and, eventually, Brady.

With all the focus on the 53-man roster over the last two days, it’s a good time to catch up on some things we might’ve missed and some of the more interesting news around the web today.

Here’s some of their stuff, along with some leftover thoughts as we turn all of our focus to the Arizona Cardinals.

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Patriots 53-Man Roster Set (for now)

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The Patriots made all their necessary cuts today, getting their roster down to the required 53 players. Of course, things are still very fluid and there could be plenty of more movement over the next day or so. But for now, we get to overreact.

They cut a draft pick! But I loved that undrafted rookie! What happens if that guy gets hurt!

Yes, I’m sure you’re already as sick of those people as I am. Who cares. The Pats are stacked again.

Overall there were a few surprises, as there always are, but no true shockers. There are certainly some spots of concern, but those could still be addressed in the next day or so as there are now plenty of available players on the open market, many of whom could potentially help in the Pats’ trouble spots: wide receiver, running back and offensive tackle.

Here’s how things shook out on the depth chart:

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The Best/Worst of the Week in Patriots Posts – 9/3

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So every Saturday morning during the season, I’m going to be dropping this “Patriots Weekly Links” piece. To be frank, I haven’t yet decided how to shape it, what angles to attack, or what to prioritize.

Ideally, this piece will bring to light some of the more significant (mostly) Patriots related articles of the week, but at the same time, offer well-deserved scrutiny to some of the dumber ones. Hopefully, the local and national media alike can offer up a handful of thoughtless, nonsensical hot off the grill takes to be added to the weekly bulletin board. Today marks the first go at it, so let’s get the test tubes and graduated cylinders out and start experimenting. Before that though, I need some help from Gronk, you know, to break the ice.

https://vine.co/v/5iZPDAL7Zxp

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A Closer Look at Barkevious Mingo’s Patriots Debut

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Barkevious Mingo Patriots

Barkevious Mingo’s Patriots debut in the final preseason game of 2016 was an exciting one. Mingo has always had potential, that’s why he was the sixth-overall pick in 2013’s draft, but could never find a role on Cleveland’s defense and was playing more special teams than defense by 2015.

But now Mingo is in New England, where he’s surrounded by a loaded defense and under perhaps the best defensive coach of all time. While there were certainly a fair share of bright spots against the Giants, what is Mingo’s ceiling in New England and how might they employ his superlative quickness within their defense?

Let’s take a closer look with some GIFs courtesy of PatsProp contributor Pete Smith.

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Final Patriots 53-Man Roster Projection

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It’s time for the final 53-man roster projection and to be honest I didn’t find it overly difficult. This team has come together pretty well and yes, I have TWO undrafted rookies making it, as is tradition with the Pats.

Here’s where I’m at, and it’s important to remember there will likely be a shocking cut that no one saw coming, or a free agency signing that’s impossible to predict. But if we stick with the guys who are currently on the roster, here’s who I would keep.

Friday PM Update – Mike Reiss reported Rob Ninkovich as been suspended four games for taking a banned substance, so that opens up a new spot. Geneo Grissom now get on in his place. It’s funny how suspensions can actually really help things at cutdown time.

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Pats Posits: Time to Get the Jimmy Thing Over With

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2016, here we go.

That’s my biggest takeaway from Thursday night’s win/loss (?) over/to the Giants. Yes, there were some injuries to talk about, because those can affect the regular season and there were some interesting performances to consider, but otherwise let’s put a nice little bow on the 2016 preseason and get the Jimmy Garoppolo 2016 Four-Game Tour over with.

On paper, I’m not sure I can remember being more excited about a squad headed into a season. What 2007’s offensive promise was, 2016’s defensive promise is.

I’d put this defense up man-for-man against the hallowed 2003 and 2004 defenses. All are deep, versatile and talented all over.

Now injuries can quickly change things, but going in they have mostly players in their prime, most of them homegrown. And that’s at every position. There’s a sprinkle of hungry and/or misused veterans, who bring just a little of that outside hunger that staves off complacency.

Put it all together and oh boy.

The starting offense is almost as talented on the frontlines, but have their holes and a frightening lack of depth along the offensive line.

So will this be one of those years where the defense has win ’em? Well, unless you’ve been asleep for the Patriots’ last four Super Bowls, it almost always comes down to the defense having to get a stop.

We just hope that Tom Brady comes back in October looking like Tom Brady and Dante Scarnecchia can work his magic one more time and nobody on offense, especially Nate Solder, goes down along the way. Dion Lewis comes back and peaks as we hit the playoffs and number five here we come.

But let’s face it, despite whatever holes we think the Pats have, I promise you every other team has holes that are just as significant, if not bigger. And they don’t have Tom Brady starting Week 5.

All things considered, the Pats are locked and loaded to kick some ass in 2016 so strap in.

Here are the Posits on the preseason finale.

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Review/Preview: 5 Things We Watched and 5 Things to Watch

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Patriots Super Bowl 36Before we review preview, one thing I’m monitoring:

No contract extensions… … …

First, I love that Bill Belichick gets extensions done with players that strengthen the overall team in the least evaluated area of the game, special teams. It reminds me of the moment before Super Bowl XXXVI when they were announced as a team and that gives me chills and anything that does that is good. The Patriots for a decade and a half have been the ideal of a working organization, each piece doing their part (or job, to turn a phrase) to serve the greater goal.

But the marquee extensions of Matthew Slater (1-year) and Jonathan Freeny (2-years) don’t exactly make me feel good about the most important unit of this football team, the defense. Jamie Collins and Hightower (and Sheard and Butler) are huge cogs that play their parts extremely well in what could be an all-time Patriots defense and I’m beginning to fear we’re going to lose one of them. There’s always the chance that if nothing materializes in contract talks, one of them is on his way to Jacksonville or Detroit for a 1st or 2nd round pick. At this point, the best-case scenario is to hang on to them and go the compensatory pick or franchise-tag route.

All I can say is, I’ve got my prepper kit and a season’s worth of provisions in the bunker in anticipation of the Huckster Hurricane should Belichick pull the trigger. I urge Jim Cantore to get his LL Bean parka because level-5 “Shaughnessy Shitstorm” is building strength off the Atlantic coast.

On to the Review/Preview…

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