PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

Preseason Week 1 Rookie Report: Mitchell, Grugier-Hill, Lucien

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The first preseason game is always exciting, as it is a return to football…even though you know going in that it will probably be a sloppy game, and most of the players that get playing time will be seeing most of the time on the field are (likely) getting most of the NFL playing time that they’ll ever receive.

The players I was excited to watch in some capacity were all rookies: Malcolm Mitchell, Kamu Grugier-Hill, and Devin Lucien.

The first quarter was rather uninspiring for the remaining three, as the only time any of them saw on the field was Kamu Grugier-Hill getting some special teams reps. If Grugier-Hill continues to play early on special teams, he has a good shot of making the roster, regardless of other factors.

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Pats Posits: And We’re On to 2016!

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Another day, another bullet seemingly dodged for the Patriots. Yes, I’m leading with Malcolm Mitchell’s injury scare because as I said before the game started, ALL I TRULY CARE ABOUT IN PRESEASON IS AVOIDING INJURIES.

Mitchell’s arm looked like it had been broken in half, bringing back memories of Jeremy Lane in the Super Bowl. But yet again, for the the third time in a week, it wasn’t quite as bad as it initially seemed, and we narrowly avoided losing a promising young player for the season.

Otherwise it looks like the Patriots escaped any other significant dings and went on to beat the Saints, 34-22, showing a lot of promise.

Here are the very first Pats Posits of the new season!

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The Pointless-iest Game in Patriots History: Five things to watch

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Let me be clear: the 1st preseason game is trash every year for every team. I can only thank God that Troy Vincent is so pathetic at his job that we weren’t subjected to the Hall of Fame game last Sunday night. Sure, it’s a chance to watch humans play a reasonable replication of football and for deep divers (like me) who want to evaluate back of the roster talent it can be interesting.

But rarely is the game itself remotely watchable for more than a quarter because the gameplanning is non-existent, the plays are telegraphed and the execution is bad. And even more rarely do the performances of record have any real consequence in the real world. Anyone remember last year’s Jonas Gray 55-yard TD sprint that all but guaranteed his roster spot and HOF jacket?

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5 Patriots Who Could Break Out Tonight

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After six long months (and change), the New England Patriots football team finally takes the field once again tonight to start their journey on the 2016 campaign. Ah, it felt good to write that. And I can’t lie, the loss in last seeason’s AFC Championship to Denver is still really chapping my ass. Maybe that’s because it’s the second time in three years that’s happened (along with a Super Bowl win of course), or more likely it’s because I still can’t believe the Patriots lost to that anemic offense, that they missed a gaddam extra point that cost them at least overtime and that Peyton beat Brady the last time they’d play.

Whatever. The new season is here and it’s time to really turn the page. The Patriots have certainly evolved this offseason, though half of that battle was just getting some of their important pieces back fully healthy. Still, there are plenty of new veterans, young players looking to make their mark and rookies who are about to get their feet wet for the first time.

While we can’t read too much into any preseason game, there’s always something special seeing our favorite team take the field and bang heads with an opponent.

With that in mind, here are five Patriots I’ll be most curious to see.

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Video: Attempting the Patriots Conditioning Test

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I am an NFL-caliber athlete! Okay, maybe not. But what I can claim is that I ran the Patriots Training Camp Conditioning Test.

Little disclaimer, it is not for the faint of heart.  The test is a set of sprints that players do upon arriving to camp.

Let’s break it down:

  • The test that I ran was 3 sets of 10 sprints
  • Each sprint was 40yds
  • Each sprint has to be completed in 7 seconds
  • I get 30 seconds of rest between sprints
  • I get 3 minutes of rest between sets

After a morning involving the gym and a massive pancake breakfast (Tilly’s Diner, shoutout to you) I decided that it was the perfect time to run more than I’ve ever ran since high school. I also decided to forgo stretching or warming up remotely because that’s for the weak. I’ve never regretted anything more in my life.

The moral of the story?

The 300-pound man with a belly the size of a yoga ball is probably in better shape than me.

Brady’s Best Shot? A Look at Present and Future Patriots

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Leading up to the first preseason game is always an interesting time to analyze what your team looks like. That being said, this roster will be very different opening night at ‘Zona, but for now let’s work with what we think we know.

On paper, this is arguably the most gifted Patriots’ squad since ’07. Forget about the Brady led offense for now; I first want to focus on the depth and talent on the other side of the ball. The defense is loaded with more than capable playmakers at every level. Up front, there’s about 1,000 pounds of force between the expected 3-man rotation at D-tackle, 2nd year breakout candidate Malcom Brown, veteran Alan Branch, and newcomer Terrance “Pot-Roast” Knighton.

These are versatile and talented big men that will allow Belichick/Patricia to mix up 3 and 4 man looks up front. Rookie Vincent Valentine and/or ex-Giant Markus Kuhn should provide quality depth behind the aforementioned trio. On the edge, I’m not as worried about the loss of Chandler Jones as the next guy.

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Tweets of Note: Patriots Training Camp Practice #12

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After Julian Edelman went down yesterday I went through a similar range of emotions as when Rob Gronkowski was writhing in pain on the field in Denver last season. You quickly run through all the stages of grief, accepting that Edelman was very possibly done for the year.

But then, just like Gronk, the news was actually better than expected. Then Edelman suddenly appeared at practice today, and though he wasn’t a full participant, it’s an incredibly good sign. Especially when I had already basically accepted I wouldn’t see him on a football field until the winter at the earliest, if not 2017.

The news wasn’t as great on Rob Ninkovich, but four-to-six weeks from early August is nothing. Just like the Jimmy Garoppolo experiment, Nink’s absence should ultimately be a good thing for the Patriots. They can develop Shea McClellin and Tre Flowers, while also giving looks to Geneo Grissom and Rufus Johnson.

Ninkovich is in the last year of his deal and is 32 years old. While I think he’ll return on a new deal next season, the end is coming, just like it is with Brady. Getting the chance to throw some young guys into the fire at this point will ultimately help the Pats in the long run.

Here are the tweets from Wednesday’s practice that stood out, and, oh yeah, THERE’S A GAME TOMORROW!!

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