Patriots 53-Man Roster Prediction: Final Prediction
I haven’t had a chance to take a look at last nights game yet, but after reviewing all the observations I feel okay about making a final roster prediction.
Lot of tough decisions to make, especially at safety, defensive end and offensive line. And I’m sure there will be a surprise cut or two that throws this whole thing off but oh well, we’re just 9 days from Patriots football.
QB (2) Brady, Garoppolo – Garoppolo might’ve come back to earth a bit last night, but I still think I’d rather roll with him if Brady were to get dinged. Would there be growing pains and inconsistency? Sure. But his release and deep ball are so intriguing.
RB (5) Ridley, Vereen, White, Develin, Bolden – Not sure where Bolden’s been, but I’m keeping him, especially after White seems more and more suited as a passing back.
WR (6) Edelman, Thompkins, Amendola, LaFell, Dobson, Slater – Tyms sticks around as well through Week 4. Great showing by Dobson last night and in the limited footage I’ve seen of him he looks a lot more decisive and stronger.
TE (3) Gronkowski, Hoomanawanui, Wright – Using an OL in blocking situations is fine and once Gronk and Wright can be out there at the same time, look out.
C (2) Wendell, Stork – Would love to see Stork take the job from Wendell in-season, but I think it’s Wendell’s to start.
G (3) Connolly, Kline, Halapio – Kline should be fine, but could there still be a veteran addition tomorrow? Possibly. Halapio needs time.
T (4) Solder, Vollmer, Cannon, Fleming – Really solid group.
DE (3) Jones, Ninkovich, Buchanan – Scariest position on the roster and Buchanan’s injury issues from last night are not what was needed. I like Moore and he could sneak on as could Bequette if Buchanan’s injury will hold him out.
DT (6) Wilfork, Easley, Jones, Siliga, Worthy, Vellano – Maybe not the most proven group but I love their potential.
LB(6) Hightower, Beauharnais, White, Mayo, Collins, Fleming – Not great depth but the starters plus Fleming are very solid.
CB (5) Revis, Arrington, Dennard, Butler, Ryan – Browner starts on the suspended list. These other five should get mixed and matched all over the field. Very curious if any of them actually see time at Safety in the regular season. That would be an interesting schematic evolution.
SS (3) Chung, Wilson, Ebner – Maybe I’m crazy to keep Wilson and Chung but given injury history and the lack of depth at linebacker and it makes sense to keep two in-the-box types.
FS (2) McCourty, Harmon – two good back end guys with solid range, Harmon would be okay in the box as well.
ST (3) Gostkowski, Allen, Aiken
Total players: 53
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UP – Tim Wright: The tight end showed he’s a quick study as he played significant snaps and showed up as a pass-catcher just two days after being acquired.
Tonight was Aaron Dobson’s first game action of the preseason, and he delivered exactly what the Patriots need: a big-bodied, physical receiver who can stretch the defense vertically.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/tonight-was-aaron-dobsons-first-game-action-of/
Sorry to ask for something so in-depth, but could you please talk about the possibility of a Big Nickel (3 Safety) configuration as it pertains to the Patriots’ defense? It seems like they have their eyes on it with McCourty, Harmon, and Chung, and it makes sense now that they’ll have better man coverage. What would this personnel grouping let them do and which players are best suited to which roles within that scheme?
Never apologize for asking an in-depth X and O question about the defense!
Yes, I think this is very possible as many of us have surmised Chung will be the run stopping SS while Harmon will be the pass stopping 2nd FS and they’ll rotate based on the game or down.
So yes, there’s a world where you have Harmon and McCourty both playing the back end, perhaps in a Cover 2 shell to keep it simple. Then there’s certainly a place for putting Chung in the box with them, perhaps along with a slot corner like Arrington, maybe Dennard.
That’s a pretty solid dime package with speed and coverage skills on the perimeter and toughness/tackling on the inside.
What will the Pats do week-to-week? I don’t know and neither does the opposition. They have a lot of tools in the toolbox on both sides of the ball to do whatever BB sees fit to win the game.
But trying to put either squad in a box at this point is useless. Just know they can do almost anything with the guys they have.
Matt Bowen’s NFL Regular-Season Film Preview | Bleacher Report
Matt Bowen’s NFL Regular-Season Film Preview | Bleacher Report
Lots of great X-and-O stuff here from Matt Bowen as usual, including a couple Patriots mentions.