PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

2014: PatsPropaganda Blog Year in Review

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The Patriots finally won the Super Bowl in 2014 and it’s been a long road of blogging to finally get to celebrate a championship in this online space. As I do each year, it’s time to take a look back at all the fun that was had this season.

The PatsPropaganda name began as a twitter feed in 2009 and it was in April 2010 that it became a blog and since then it’s been a fun hobby that just seems to keep getting better each season. Hopefully it didn’t peak this season.

This year I have to thank nrgenergy for their partnership first and foremost.  Every cool thing that happened here for the blog in 2014 started with that. 

First, I got to send my sisters to the Patriots kickoff party where they got to hang with the Patriots and from there things just got better.

I gave away tickets to multiple games, sending deserving fans to awesome seats to root on our team. There was also plenty of swag giveaways, with signed Danny Amendola footballs, hats and gloves. 

My only request of the partnership was that I could attend the Broncos game and they came through, not only with tickets but with more great stuff to give away in the parking lots. 

The weekend of the Broncos game began when the Bill Belichick Hoodie article I wrote in the Summer of 2013 went viral. Someone had posted the chart I had used in the article on Reddit and before long, Deadspin, SI and all the major Boston media outlets had picked it up. It was the kind of national attention I’ve never gotten before and it was just the precursor to an awesome weekend.

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The day of the game, the snow was coming down early. It was Patriots football weather as we made our way from Southie to Foxborough, and that was a good sign, especially against Peyton Manning.

My sister Mary and I met up with Nick “Fitzy” Stevens and George Kippenhan (aka “the other guy” in the Shit Pats Fans Say videos) and started giving NRG stuff away. Later, we met up with Jerry Thornton, someone I had been wanting to meet for a long time who was every bit the great guy you’d expect, and all of us walked around mingling with the great fans of Patriots Nation, giving away swag bags and even tickets to the Bills game.

Walking around a Patriots tailgate with Fitzy and Jerry was like being with two Boston celebrities. People went nuts for them. It was a total blast.

The Pats could’ve lost to the Broncos that day and it still would’ve been an all-time awesome day. Instead, it unfolded as if me, Nick and Jerry had written the script beforehand – Tom Brady and the Pats blowing the doors off of Peyton Manning and the Broncos. Just perfect.

I never thought my 2006 AFC Divisional Playoff game experience could be topped, but it was this day.

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I had already purchased tickets to the Pats @ Chargers game early in the summer, so I asked if NRG could hook me up with some more stuff to shower on some worthy Pats fans and once again they came through.

I had a Stevan Ridley-signed ball to giveaway and saw a kid in a Ridley jersey just as we parked in the lot. It was his birthday and he was thrilled to get it.

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I spent the rest of the tailgate with childhood friends from home and met up with Kristen Shilton, who now writes for USA Today and still has the record for best Pats blog name – The Foxhole. Awesome Pats fans everywhere. 

Once again the Patriots delivered a thrilling victory with big plays in the fourth quarter. I had two great game experiences in 2006 – the opener and the Charger win – but my two this year were even better.

After the game, Belichick and Brady even commented how San Diego felt like a home game. I took that as a personal compliment.

The rest of the season was watched from the comfort of my living room and we all know how it unfolded. I grew up a Patriots fan and attended many games in the old stadium watching them get their butts kicked. Nothing can ever take away from the special feeling of that first Super Bowl win, but this one was special on a new level. 

I’ve been blogging about the Patriots since December 2007, a hard core year-round fan since 2006.  I feel like I was truly there in lockstep with this team every step of the way over the last nine seasons. Every game. Every twist and turn, regular season or offseason.

But there was something even more poetic about this season.

Back when I was just a messageboard poster at PatsFans.com, I was a huge fan of Nick Stevens’ Fitzy webcasts. He so perfectly captured what it was like to be a post-dynasty Pats fan masshole. His videos were always so spot-on and he was a huge inspiration to me as I started all this blogging/tweeting stuff.

After every gut-punch Pats loss, you knew the Fitzy videos would be poignant and make you laugh at your own devastation and somehow his foul-mouthed, burping hilarity helped us move on from a disappointing turn by our beloved team. 

Sometimes Fitzy’s videos were all we had to get us through those dark days like the Indy 2006 AFCCG comeback, or Spygate, or 18-1, or Bernard Pollard, or 4th-and-2, or 45-3 turning into 14-28, or Bernard Pollard again followed by another miracle catch loss to Eli, and so on.

In 2009, I was tailgating with my sisters in back of the Route 1 liquor store across from Gillette, pregamming for the opener against the Bills. Across the way I spotted Fitzy himself, tailgating just a few cars over. 

Now it’s a little known fact, but my real job has me meeting and interacting with famous people pretty consistently and I never really care or get nervous. But when I saw THE Fitzy I couldn’t bring myself to go over and say hi. Instead I tweeted that it was a good sign Fitzy was nearby and went about my tailgating, slightly disappointed I didn’t go crack a beer with him.

The next day I got a tweet from Nick, asking why I hadn’t come by and said hi, and that began an email relationship. We’d eventually meet at 2010’s Blogapalooza and even join forces to attend the 2011 Giants game (that of course, the Pats blew).

Over the last five years we’ve developed a Pats palship as you might expect two Patriot-loving idiots might. Not only is Nick the hardest working guy I know in showbiz, he’s one of the most down to earth and sincere guys you’ll ever meet.

Obviously, the Broncos game experience seemed like destiny after that first time I was too scared to go say hi in 2009.

A few hours before the Super Bowl last week, I gave Nick a call. I don’t think we’ve ever actually spoken on the phone outside of just before the Pats Super Bowl of 2011. We save the actual phone conversations for the special Pats moments.

His Fitzy-esque sermon on putting all the haters and misery of the last decade to bed was inspirational and as we hung up, it felt like there as no way we could lose.

And, as you know, we didn’t.

But maybe the best part of the whole last week was seeing Nick’s latest Fitzy video – one that he himself admitted had him a little emotional to make. It brought back all the memories of when I first discovered Fitzy and what his videos meant to me then.

Now, to see his Super Bowl winning one and to be able say Fitzy was now a friend, well, it was a special year indeed. Thanks to all who played a part in it, big or small!

Liked your piece on the development needed from Dominique Easley. One question I have on Easly is — is he an hydrid DE/DT in the Michael Bennet mode that would play DE in base defense and kick inside to rush the passer in sub? Or was he playing out of necessity (and out of position) this year at DE? If so, we should expect Belichick to sign a veteran pass rusher in the offseason as he usually does, no matter how Zach Moore and/or Michael Buchanan are experted to develop

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I think Easley should be the DPR, doesn’t necessarily mean he has to be a DE that kicks inside, he can be a DT that kicks outside. Or even just the regular DT if he shows enough ability to hold up against the run. He did see some snaps at DE primarily out of necessity, and I was surprised at how well he did it. 

Now that he’ll be a full two years removed from his ACL surgery, I expect him to really flash in training camp. Anything less will be a disappointment.

As for signing a veteran I think Ayers makes the most sense as a third edge rusher for sub, but who can also play on the edge/LB. I am curious to see how Moore develops behind Ninkovich as the LDE. He is a big man and could be an interesting player in that spot down the road. 

Buchanan seems more of a RDE as a pass rusher type. I was disappointed to see his season end on IR.

Pats Posits: Development Needed From These Key Patriots

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The most unrecognized form of offseason team building is the development of players currently on the roster. Too often the general mode of thought is that if the team was weak at a position, they must sign a high-priced free agent or use a high-round pick to upgrade it.

But there are players already on the roster that could blossom with healthy offseasons or just the chance to get on the field.

Here are some of those kind of Patriots who will hopefully elevate their play with a good offseason and step into a more significant role next year.

Dominique Easley: Easley showed some flashes in his rookie year but was ultimately shut down and told to get ready for 2015. I still have high hopes for the 2014 first rounder, potentially to surpass Chris Jones as the top interior rusher. Easley surprised me with his ability to play some defensive end  as well against the Colts (see below). He should have all of his excellent burst back in 2015 and I expect he should make a big impact.

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Tim Wright: Wright had 26 catches for 259 yards and six touchdowns after being traded for Logan Mankins. Now, with a full offseason in the playbook and a chance to really be integrated into the offense, we could see Wright take off and help the Pats show some more 2011/2012-esque looks with the two tight end offense.

Aaron Dobson: With the emergence of Brandon LaFell, Dobson has become an afterthought for many in Patriots nation, but he does have a unique skillset and some downfield speed that isn’t present on the rest of the roster. The 2013 second rounder is facing somewhat of a make or break year, and dethroning LaFell as the top X-receiver seems like a tall order given LaFell’s superlative physicality, a trait the Patriots coaches love. Still, there could be a third or fourth receiver role for Dobson. His first task, showing a more well-rounded game than Brian Tyms to secure a roster spot.

Zach Moore/Michael Buchanan: The lack of depth at defensive end continues to be a story for the Patriots headed into this offseason. Can Moore or Buchan develop into a legitimate third defensive end who can rotate with Chandler and Ninkovich? That’s a big question. The Pats overcame the midseason loss of Chandler by acquiring Akeem Ayers, but he seems like a possible better fit at linebacker than defensive end. If Moore and/or Buchanan can develop, it will take a major offseason need off the board.

Sealver Siliga: Vince Wilfork is due a $4 million bonus on March 10th and there’s no guarantee the Pats will pick it up. Perhaps Wilfork can be re-structured, but if not, it will be up to Siliga to take over as the top interior space eater for the defense. Siliga showed some brilliant flashes in 2014, but once again struggled with injuries. He needs a healthy and productive year in 2015 to continue to his development and ascension.

James White: Shane Vereen had a redshirt year in 2011 and James White had a similar one in 2014. With Vereen hitting free agency, there’s on guarantee he’ll return. Is White ready to step into the lead receiving back role? That might be a stretch, but it could certainly be there for the taking if Vereen walks.

Malcolm Butler: The Super Bowl hero doesn’t want to just be remembered for one play, so it will be up to him to take significant strides this offseason. What is his ceiling? He can play man defense, but how is his zone awareness? There are still a lot of questions about Butler, but his knack for making plays on the ball is undeniable. Could he unseat Kyle Arrington in the slot? That might be his most direct route to full time status, assuming Revis and Browner return.

With all the talk of Tom Brady’s career coming to a close in the not so distant future, I think the Patriots fanbase may have our collective head in the sand about the longevity of our mastermind head coach. What are your thoughts on how much longer Darth Hoodie will grace us with his infinite football wisdom?

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Belichick will be 63 this April 16th (which also happens to be my birthday btw). I’ve always felt like he’ll stay on a few years after Brady is done. He’s spoken in the past about the admiration he has for San Francisco keeping their dynasty going through a second quarterback and something tells me he’ll try to do the same. He’s shown no signs of slowing down or taking any less enjoyment out of the grind, so I’d bet we have at least five more years of BB, maybe as many as seven or eight. But he has said he doesn’t want to be like Marv Levy coaching into his 70s, we’ll see if that holds true.