PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

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.

 

Chuck Fairbanks for Patriots Hall of Fame

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Chuck Fairbanks for Patriots Hall of Fame

This time of year the Patriots Hall of Fame committee meets to decide who will be the newest inductees. Each of the past couple years a heated debate has been centered around Bill Parcells, but I think there’s an equal and less-discussed case to be made for Chuck Fairbanks for the Patriots Hall of Fame.

Last year I wrote a long piece why I don’t think Parcells should be in, but I understand the arguments of those who think he should be. No one was more excited when Parcells was hired than me. He instantly gave the team credibility, “drafted” a number of Patriots legends, introduced Bill Belichick to Robert Kraft and led the team to a Super Bowl loss. But generally, Parcells put the Pats back on the map and they haven’t really left the spotlight since he came to town.

Those are not insignificant accomplishments, but let’s also remember that the Pats were coming off just four losing seasons prior to Parcells. They had been to the Super Bowl in 1985. It’s not like this was the forever-worst team in the NFL. They were down for sure, but the Pats had been good before.

And a big part of being good before, something lost on many fans unaware of the team’s history, was Chuck Fairbanks whose career with the Patriots from 1973-1978 was incredibly similar, for both good and bad reasons, to Parcells’ tenure.

Let’s compare.

The Patriots had six-straight losing seasons prior to Fairbanks’ arrival, and hadn’t been to the playoffs in ten years. By 1976 the Patriots had their best team ever, handing the eventual Super Bowl champion Oakland Raiders their only loss of the season. Oakland would win the re-match in the playoffs in a hard fought game that featured a marginal roughing the passer penalty on Sugar Bear Hamilton on a third-and-18 incomplete pass that would set Oakland up for the 24-21 win.

But to this day, many believe the ’76 Pats teams was one of their best ever, even if they didn’t even make it to the Super Bowl. Before that, the Patriots truly were nobodies in the NFL landscape. If we really want to talk about a coach who put the Patriots on the map, Fairbanks would have to be the original choice.

Fairbanks vs. ParcellsFairbanks also drafted six of the 22 players currently in the Patriots Hall of Fame — Steve Grogan, John Hannah, Sam Cunningham, Steve Nelson, Mike Haynes (also an NFL Hall of Famer) and Stanley Morgan. Parcells has five — Drew Bledsoe, Willie McGinest, Tedy Bruschi, Troy Brown and Ty Law.

A big feather in Parcells’ cap is bringing Bill Belichick into the Patriots organization in 1996, which sparked a friendship between the defensive coordinator and owner Robert Kraft that would lay the groundwork for Belichick’s hiring in 2000. But Fairbanks also had significant contributions that paid off down the line.

The first was his 3-4 defense, called the Fairbanks-Bullough, that Belichick would later use as his defensive foundation. And Fairbanks’ offensive system, the Erhardt-Perkins offense, named for Patriots offensive coaches Ron Erhardt and Ray Perkins, and was also the foundation for the Patriots’ offense when Belichick took over with Charlie Weis as his offensive coordinator.

If you want to say that Parcells set the table for the Patriots dynasty, you should also include Fairbanks, as both systems he and his coaching staff were formulating and refining in the 70s are still having an impact even today, 40 years later.

Finally comes the exits of both coaches, which were both filled with controversy. Parcells was negotiating to jump ship to the Jets the entire two weeks leading up to the Patriots’ Super Bowl appearance. Many fans find this unforgivable, to not only undermine the team as they head to the biggest game of their lives, but to also go to a hated rival, while also bringing along the Pats’ best player, Curtis Martin. It understandable why this has left a lingering bad taste in fans’ mouths.

Fairbanks had a controversial exit as well in similar fashion, having been caught negotiating with the the University of Colorado during the Patriots’ 1978 season, breaking his contract. He was suspended for the last game of the season, only to be brought back for New England’s first-ever home playoff game, but the second-seeded Pats were upset 31–14 by superstar running back Earl Campbell and his fifth-seeded Houston Oilers.

Both coaches are significant figures in Patriots history and had major impacts not only on Patriots teams long after they left, but on the NFL and the game of football itself. What Parcells has going for him is his personality and how enjoyable he was to cover for those who decide who goes into the Patriots Hall of Fame. Fairbanks came up in a different era, and didn’t have the entertaining quotes and razor-sharp personality that made Parcells legendary.

But for what they actually accomplished on the field and with the team, Chuck Fairbanks deserves as much consideration as Bill Parcells.

 

Patriots 2016 Preseason Opponents Announced

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The offseason continues to slowly drip by, with the Patriots 2016 preseason opponents being announced. The Pats will play:

  • Aug 11-15: vs NO
  • Aug 18-22: vs CHI
  • Aug 25-28: at CAR
  • Sept 1-2: at NYG

It’s a good bet the Pats will take advantage of the Belichick-Sean Payton connection once again and set up some joint practices early in training camp, and could possibly do the same with the Bears. Those are always a good chance to get some quality work in against another scheme and style.

What I like about this preseason schedule is that it gives the Pats a nice cross section of pretty good teams to prepare them for the regular season. They’ll get to see practice time and a drive or two of a great passer in Drew Brees, a half of an okay passer in Jay Cutler, and one of the best mobile quarterbacks in the game in Cam Newton in the all-important third preseason game.

And yes, the Pats scrubs and hanger-ons will get to see Eli and the Giants for the first time sans Tom Coughlin in the final preseason week.

The full schedule should be released in the next month and that should be fascinating to see how the 2016 campaign lays out. It’s not the cake walk the 2015 schedule was, and is far closer to the hard road 2014 was. Of course as we saw, playing some great teams prepared that 2014 team well for the playoffs, though remaining healthy was the bigger key.

Patriots 2016 Opponents

Best Patriots Game of 2015?

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTbUrySDe5s

Looking back on the 2015 season now that we have some separation, I have to go with the thrilling last-second victory over the Giants as my best Patriots game of 2015. After this game there wasn’t much else to get excited about. Yes, the playoff win over the Chiefs was a solid victory, especially after the ass-pounding they handed us in 2014, but nothing tops finally beating Eli and the Giants for the first time since 2007’s 16-0 game.

The 4th-and-10 conversion to Danny Amendola on the final drive was a Tom Brady masterpiece. Such focus and poise in the pocket on a must-get play. Amendola also had a huge 82-yard punt return that sparked the comeback. It felt good to tear the Giants’ hearts out with a last second win for a change. This time around Eli just left too much time on the clock, as the Pats have done for him the last three matchups, including both Super Bowls.

Unfortunately the game was not without it’s significant injury hits, as Julian Edelman would miss the rest of the regular season after this one, seven games, in which the Pats went 3-4. So in many ways this win was the high water point of the season.

This was also the first game without Dion Lewis and the ground game struggles that would haunt the Pats the rest of the season started to show. They’d finish with 23 carries for 77 yards, a 3.3 yards-per-rush average.

Other 2015 contenders include the opening Thursday win over the Steelers, an tougher-than-expected battle with the Colts (who can forget their punt play?), and pounding an upstart Dolphins team. Not a lot of unforgettable games last year, but 2016 should change that with a beast of schedule.

Best Patriots Game of 2015

 

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Film Room: Martellus Bennett

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Source: FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Film Room: Martellus Bennett

A great X-and-O read that breaks down what I’ve been writing about since the Pats added Bennett. In short, his blocking ability is what sets him apart from the tight end combos of years past. Now, with Gronk on one end Bennett on the other, there’s nothing the Patriots can’t seamlessly do without changing any personnel. Power run game? Check. Spread offense? Check. Your move, defenses.