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New England Patriots 2016 Schedule

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Patriots 2016 Schedule

The NFL released the 2016 schedule today and the Patriots are in for a tough schedule against some of the best teams in the league from both conferences. Here’s a game-by-game breakdown.

Week 1:  Sunday, 9/11, 8:30pm at Arizona Cardinals (Sunday Night Football): The Pats open the season with a return to the site of their Super Bowl 49 win to take on the tough Cardinals in a game that could’ve been a Super Bowl matchup last year. The Cardinals have all the pieces needed to contend again, plus Chandler Jones now, and, playing at home, they should come at the Patriots full-force on both sides of the ball. This is a fascinating matchup between two of the most forward-thinking and innovative teams in the league. What it might ultimately boil down to is how well Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald are able to keep last year’s magic going. At least the magic that was happening before the playoffs.

Week 2: Sunday, 9/18, 1pm vs. Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins are once again in transition, firing Joe Philbin this offseason and replacing him with Adam Gase. Miami’s defensive line is once against fearsome, but can they put it all together? That’s always the question. They showed good fight in beating the Patriots in Week 17 last year. Miami always seems to be a tough place to play for the Pats, even when they don’t have great season. Thank Hoodie this one isn’t in Miami and we’re saving that trip for the end of the season when heat won’t be a factor.

Week 3: Thursday, 9/22, 8:25pm vs. Houston Texans: A quick turnaround in Week 3 gives the Pats an early Thursday night game, which at this point in the season is pretty manageable. With Brock Osweiler in the mix, the Texans now have (or at least hope to have) the piece they were missing last year —  a legit quarterback. The talent on the Texans’ roster is obvious, led by JJ Watt and DeAndre Hopkins. Coming to New England will be a huge test for the young Texans, one that they surely understand and are likely to embrace. The Pats have had their way with Houston ever since losing to them in 2009 (and losing Wes Welker in the process), this will be a chance for Houston to make a statement and step into the realm of the AFC contenders. Will the Texans be finding their stride this early in the season? I’m not convinced.

Week 4:  Sunday, 10/2, 1pm, vs. Buffalo Bills: It’s a love/hate relationship with Rex Ryan. The Pats’ games with him are always entertaining, at least off the field before the game begins. The Bills will be looking for Tyrod Taylor to build on a breakout 2015 season and if he can get a full season from stud receiver Sammy Watkins that will certainly help. The Bills are scrappy and have the pieces to knock off the Pats. But having the pieces and doing it, especially in New England, are two hugely different things.

Week 5: Sunday, 10/9 at 1pm at Cleveland Browns: The Browns didn’t look much better on paper when they upset the Pats in Cleveland in 2010, but it’s hard to see this team hanging with this Patriots team that is vastly more talented than they were in 2010. Cleveland always is a special place for Bill Belichick and I’m sure he’d like to get that last loss off his mind.

Week 6: Sunday, 10/16 at 1pm vs. Cincinnati Bengals: Early last season it seemed like the Pats and Bengals were on a collision course in the AFC. Then Andy Dalton got hurt, the Bengals faded in the standings and blew a playoff win over the Steelers by imploding. With the departures of Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu, the Bengals will have a different look on offense this year and likely take a step backwards. Still, their defense has talent. The Bengals squeaked out a win over the Pats in 2013, but outside of that rain-soaked game, the Pats have handled them easily.

Week 7: Sunday, 10/23 4:25pm at Pittsburgh Steelers: With the changes in Denver, it seems like only Pittsburgh is left of veteran teams that can challenge the Patriots’ AFC supremacy. Martavis Bryant’s suspension looms large, but the Steelers should have LeVeon Bell back in the mix, testing the Patriots sometimes suspect run defense. Malcolm Butler gets another shot at covering Antonio Brown — that should be an interesting matchup to watch to see if the young corner has developed his game since the 2015 opener.

Week 8: Sunday, 10/30 at 1pm at Buffalo Bills: Always one of the best atmosphere’s in football, the Pats travel to see Rex and the Bills again before their bye week.

Week 9: BYE – After last year’s early week four bye week, injuries decimated the Patriots and they never got a chance to catch their breath. This year it’s the ideal scenario, a late bye week right in the middle of the season to let the team re-group and refocus for the stretch run.

Week 10: Sunday 11/13 8:30pm vs. Seattle Seahawks (Sunday Night Football): A rematch of Super Bowl 49, this should be a fantastic game against two teams who have seen little dropoff since they last met in Arizona. The Seahawks haven’t been to New England since 2004, with the Pats going 1-1 in Seattle, winning in 2008 behind Matt Cassel and blowing a lead and losing in 2012. Can the Seahawks be the same team without Marshawn Lynch? Will Jimmy Graham make more of an impact in year two? Can the Seahawks figure out what made Tom Brady unstoppable against their defense at the end of Super Bowl 49? So many interesting matchups between two great teams. The Pats have an extra week to prepare and that usually helps though doesn’t ensure a win.

Week 11: Sunday, 11/20 4:25pm at San Francisco 49ers: Tom Brady finally gets a chance to play near his hometown after missing out in 2008’s regular season and not making it to the Super Bowl in San Fran last year. The 49ers are obviously in major transition and this figures to be one of the few easy matchups for the Pats in 2016. Could the long travel set them up for a letdown? That might be the 49ers only chance.

Week 12: Sunday 11/27 8:30pm at New York Jets (Sunday Night Football): The Pats went 1-1 against the Jets last season and both games were tight contests. There was no dropoff in the transition from Rex Ryan to Todd Bowles. The Jets always play the Pats hard and though there’s plenty still up in the air with this Jets’ team, they should be ready to attack the Patriots once again. Unless of course they manage to lose Ryan Fitzpatrick and are stuck with Geno Smith or someone worse.

Week 13: Sunday 12/4 at 1pm vs. Los Angeles Rams: The Rams have plenty of talent on defense and are likely to have first overall pick Carson Wentz or Jared Goff at quarterback with not much around him to work with other than running back Todd Gurley. This game will have special meaning for Chris Long and he should be getting after Wentz/Goff all afternoon. Aaron Donald against the Patriots’ interior offensive line will be a spot to watch. He can singlehandedly destroy an offensive gameplan.

Week 14: Monday 12/12 at 8:30pm vs. Baltimore Ravens (Monday Night Football): The Pats didn’t see the Ravens last season. Baltimore might’ve been the only team hit harder by injuries in the league, but they should be reloaded and ready to contend in the AFC once again in 2016. Regardless of how the rest of the offseason shakes out, the Ravens almost always give the Pats a hard time. As always, this is a must-watch game, and at this point in the season, this could be one with major playoff implications.

Week 15: Sunday, 12/18 4:25pm at Denver Broncos: This is probably the game most of the Patriots and their fans are circling out of the gate with the Pats having their season ended there for the second time in three years, and the third time overall for Brady and Belichick. The Broncos are suddenly a team in transition, losing both their top two quarterbacks along with significant pieces on defense like Malik Jackson and Danny Trevathan. Despite these changes, a win in Denver would do a lot for this Patriots team mentally by getting them over the hump that kept the from playing in the last three-straight Super Bowls.

Week 16: Saturday, December 24th 1pm, vs. New York Jets: A Christmas Eve special against the Jets! The season ends with the same opponents as last year only this time they’ll get the Jets in Foxboro. As always it’s hard to tell how meaningful these games will be. Last year they lost both of the them and failed to hold homefield advantage that likely cost them a shot in the Super Bowl. But no one plays the Pats harder than the Jets and no matter what the records or what’s at stake, this will be a close one.

Week 17: Sunday 1/1 1pm at Miami Dolphins: The same ender as last year that saw the Pats lose to Miami and almost lost Tom Brady during a scary sack. With a first-year head coach it’s unlikely Miami is in playoff contention at this point. Still after last year we can’t take anything for granted. But this will be a nice warm way to end the season as long as it doesn’t cost the Pats a place in the standings or any injuries.

Patriots 2016 Schedule Analysis

Here’s what jumps out to me on the schedule:

  • Perfect bye week – always where I look first, you can’t get any better that the bye week right in the middle of the season.
  • Three Straight vs. AFC North – Weeks Five through Seven figure to challenge the Pats physically, going up against three traditionally physical teams in the Browns, Bengals and Steelers.
  • Ravens/Broncos Back-To-Back: The Pats playoff positioning will be decided with these two huge games in early December. Of course the Broncos will be a different team this year and by that point maybe even out of contention. Still, those are the two biggest Patriot rivals outside the division at this point.
  • No Brutality: Generally the schedule is pretty well spread out. There’s no brutal travel as both west coast-ish trips are at opposite ends of the schedule.
  • Denver game might be meaningless: And I’m fine with that. Maybe we can put the final nail in Mark Sanchez’s coffin.
  • Love the Start: Maybe an ideal start to the season with a great (but low pressure) opener in Arizona, followed by three home games that should all be very winnable. The real problems start with Cinci and Pitt in October but…
  • If Brady is suspended the first four games: (which I don’t think he will be but still…) There are two home divisional games which in my book are always must-win. Imagine Garoppolo losing those games setting things up for a tight AFC East divisional race all year, which would then mean Brady has to win in Buffalo, New York and Miami later in the season.
  • Primetime Games: Three Sunday Night games (Cardinals, Seahawks and Jets) and one Monday Night game (Ravens). This seems like a low number of national games for the Pats. Maybe it will help them stay under the radar a bit? Nah.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Patriots 2016 Hall of Fame Finalists announced

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A 20-person nomination committee selects Raymond Clayborn, Kevin Faulk and Mike Vrabel as the 2016 Patriots Hall of Fame finalists. Patriots fans now have until May 14 to vote for the nominee most deserving of hall of fame honors.

Source: Patriots 2016 Hall of Fame Finalists announced | New England Patriots

Tough, tough choice here. Raymond Clayborn’s number’s don’t lie but most of us are guilty of recency bias and seeing two legends like Kevin Faulk and Mike Vrabel up there really pulls the attention away. Clayborn’s been nominated for his third-straight time, so it’s kind of now or never for him. He should probably be the guy right now, but is likely to once again be overshadowed by guys who helped the Pats win multiple Super Bowls.

But if we ignore Clayborn for a moment, as most new-ish Patriots fans are doing, how do you choose between Faulk and Vrabel? Both had so many huge plays in huge games that easily and immediately come to mind. Can you really say which was more valuable to the dynasty? I’d argue for Faulk that his value really spiked later in his career, like 2006-2009, though he broke 1000 yards from scrimmage in 2000 and 2003. 2008 he was vital to helping Matt Cassel with the third-most yards-from-scrimmage of his career.

As for Vrabel, I can’t lie. He’s one of my all-time favorite Pats and as we all know now, maybe the smartest player to ever play for Belichick. And the way he came to the team, as a Steeler castoff, only makes him really embody a huge part of what has made the Belichick Pats so good. The clutch Super Bowl touchdowns, the big sacks, playing any position on defense just about, Vrabel did it all and did it all at a high level.

In some ways I feel like Vrabel and Faulk are the flip side of the same coin. Somewhat unsung and under-appreciated but unquestionably the kind of players that the dominance of the 2000s was built on. While I think Vrabel probably wins the vote and gets into the HOF, Faulk shouldn’t have to wait long.

NFL’s Best GMs 2016: Belichick #1 – Rotoworld.com

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The reputation of “Bill Belichick, coach” has typically outpaced that of “Bill Belichick, GM,” but just look at what he’s done this offseason. The Patriots needed a receiver. Badly. What they didn’t need to do was give Mohamed Sanu or Marvin Jones $35 million. So instead of overpaying mid-range talents who were available for a reason, Belichick looked for help where others rarely tread: The restricted free agent market. Chris Hogan is now a Patriot for the next three years at the bargain price of $12 million. As Belichick was bringing Hogan aboard he was shipping star Chandler Jones out. The master of “one year too early instead of one year too late,” Belichick knew he wouldn’t be re-signing Jones next offseason. In lieu of letting Jones walk for a compensatory pick, Belichick turned him into a second-rounder and first-round reclamation project, OG Jonathan Cooper. Hogan and Jones represent what Belichick has always been. A zigger in a group of zaggers, and a futurist who doesn’t look at this trophy case. Belichick is the greatest of all time because of the games he’s won in the fall and winter, but it’s the work he does in the spring and summer that sets the table.

Source: NFL’s Best GMs 2016 – Goal Line Stand – Rotoworld.com

Love that this comes out the day after Belichick makes one of the most notable moves of his personnel career, cutting a first-round pick just two seasons into his career. Yes, it’s easy to say Dominique Easley was the biggest disappointment of Belichick’s tenure with the Pats, but guess what? Belichick doesn’t care. At all.

My favorite are those who love to say “Belichick can’t draft”. To that I always say compared to who? Let’s talk about all the coach/GMs that have had 16 drafts with the same team and sustained this level of success. Oh right, there aren’t any others. Not to mention the Pats have rarely had any top-15 picks, where the truly elite talent in the draft is selected each year. Belichick has built and re-built this team on both sides of the ball, with complete turnover outside the quarterback position, and had literally no drop off.

The draft is a crapshoot and no one who matters is keeping score. Sometimes you hit on guys, sometimes you miss. There’s no exact science. But I can tell you we’re far better off drafting for value and fit over need — selecting multiple players in the middle rounds over one player in the early rounds. Belichick gets what a crapshoot the draft is and that’s why quantity always trumps the perceived quality of early round picks.

 

Patriots Release Dominique Easley

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Patriots release Dominique Easley

Well this is a bummer, the Patriots released Dominque Easley today, their first round pick from 2014 who I was all over in the draft process. Of course this is a shocking move. Easley had injury concerns in college and those carried over into the pros, with both of his first two seasons ending on IR, but the current speculation is that it was more about his off-the-field behavior that precipitated him being cut.

When the Pats selected Easley it signaled somewhat of a departure for them. In the past, the Pats were more often a two-gapping defensive tackle team and Easley was not a two-gapper. He was a pure one-gapper with a superlative get off. That’s what you need on defense now, especially when you’re playing three-quarters of your snaps with more than four defensive backs on the field.

I saw some speculation that the release could signal another shift in scheme, but I don’t buy that anymore than I bought Revis and Browner walking meant the Pats were going to more zone coverage. Again, if we’re talking about the old “base” defense, it’s maybe 20% of the snaps. That’s not where games are won or lost. They’re won or lost against the pass, and that’s why you can’t have a bunch of two-gappers at defensive tackle now. You need variation, especially with your third-and-long personnel. You’re not cutting a first round pick because you don’t think you need pass rushers anymore.

So this all confirms that this is indeed about off the field issues. Here are a smattering of tweets that have come in, giving us an idea of what the Pats were no longer willing to put up with.

With the great rookie season of Malcom Brown and the retention of Alan Branch with the signing of Terrence Knighton, the Pats are still okay depth-wise at defensive tackle, but I’d still love to see them add an upfield element for their pass rush packages. Chris Jones could be in for an interesting re-birth after missing all of 2015. He’s the on-roster player I see most impacted by this release.

The good news is that this is an excellent defensive tackle class, with great fits for the Pats schematically, but this opens up a new line of thinking in the draft with a specific need.

Still, it will be interesting to see what Easley does whenever he’s picked up by a new team. It’s hard not to immediate label him the biggest disappointment of Bill Belichick’s draft career with the Patriots. That’s partially because my own expectations and excitement were so high when they selected him. But that’s what the draft is, a crap shoot that you have to take some big swings on, the same way they did with Rob Gronkowski.

This was a big swing, and unfortunately, a big miss.

Patriots Re-Sign LeGarrette Blount

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Patriots re-sign LeGarrette Blount

Blount back for another season with the Pats.

In a somewhat expected move, the Patriots re-signed LeGarrette Blount today to a one-year deal. Blount had been sending out pics last week from the Pats’ facility which indicated he’d likely be back with the team for his fourth season with the team.

I could’ve gone either way with bringing Blount back. He’s certainly had some great games for the Pats, usually against the Colts, but last year, when asked to take more of a lead back role, Blount wasn’t able to find much consistency. He failed to break 70 yards rushing after the Pats lost Dion Lewis to injury, and had his season end on IR with a hip injury sustained in Week 13.

As a complimentary piece, Blount is outstanding, especially as a closer once the defense is worn down a bit, but as the depth chart currently sits, the Patriots need to reinforce the position in the draft. Ideally they should add an early-down back who can make something out of nothing, or at the very least, grind out the tough yards early in the game.

Then with Lewis and Blount, the Pats should have the pieces necessary to rebuild their ground game that was decimated by injuries in 2015, and non-existent by the playoffs. Earlier this offseason I wrote how making over the running back position should be a priority this offseason, and though they only added Donald Brown in free agency before this, and exciting addition or two in the draft should give this offense just what they need.

Princesses, Pirates & Patriots: A Charity Tea with Lil’ Mayo

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVGhOpYkB60

If you missed any of the super cute videos the Patriots put together with Jerod Mayo’s daughter Chya the last couple seasons, they were totes adorbs. And though Jerod retired this year, Lil’ Chya is just starting her career and it looks like she’s got a bright road ahead of her.

Lil' Mayo is back!

Lil’ Mayo is back!

This Sunday, April 24th, Chya will be hosting Princesses, Pirates & Patriots: A Charity Tea with Lil’ Mayo at Mirbeau Inn & Spa in Plymouth from 11am – 2pm. Kids can dress up as their favorite princess, pirate or Patriot and are encouraged to bring an activity, arts & crafts kit or creative toy to donate. All proceeds will benefit the Boston Medical Center.

It will be a memorable family event including balloon artistry, face and nail painting, child-friendly games, and more, as well as a great way to show kids how to give back to the community!

Pricing for this afternoon is $55.00 per adult and $35.00 per child 12 years of age and under, exclusive of tax and gratuity.

To schedule your reservation, please call 877-MIRBEAU (877-647-2328).

Patriots release Tyler Gaffney

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The Patriots released Tyler Gaffney on Monday, jettisoning one of the players I was most intrigued about heading into training camp this summer. Running back was already a need, and though it seems like LeGarrette Blount should return after posting on social media from the Patriots facility last week, the Pats should take at least one running back in the draft, if not a couple.

I am curious to see what kind of additions the Pats do make in a couple weeks, because after the way they kicked the tires on so many receiving backs early in free agency, I wonder if this is a position that is evolving. We already know the Pats are one of the running-back-by-committee teams and there’s no sign  of that changing, but there seems to be a concerted effort to reinforce the passing game out of the backfield.

Of course, if Dion Lewis returns to the form he showed last year, it will be hard to take him off the field. James White seems like an able back up to Lewis, and one who can hold the fort until Lewis is fully ready to go. I’d assume the Pats will ease Lewis into things as he returns from an ACL tear.

With Blount back in the mix, the Pats would have a closer, but what they still lack is that early down grinder who can get the tough yards and soften up the defense. In a perfect world, I’d love to see a rookie burst on the scene and make for an eventual two-back rotation for the majority of the game with Lewis, with a dash of Blount to finish certain teams (cough Colts) off.

It should be a fun draft despite the Pats not having a first round pick because it’s easy to see them targeting multiple offensive weapons at both running back and wide receiver. Fans (and Tom Brady) love to have exciting new toys to play with and there should be a few on the way in a couple weeks.