PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

The 2020 Patriots have a lot to overcome defensively

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Patriots: Dont'a Hightower, Marcus Cannon among opting out of 2020
Image: USA Today Sports

The Patriots had an offseason that resulted in a great deal of turnover, and the turnover has grown over the last couple of days. This offseason the Patriots lost Jamie Collins, Kyle Van Noy, Elandon Roberts, Danny Shelton, and of course Tom Brady in free agency. They traded Duron Harmon to the Lions. They lost James Develin to retirement, and now they notably have lost Branden Bolden Patrick Chung, Marcus Cannon, and Dont’a Hightower to COVID opt-outs.

So, that’s a total of 11 impact guys on the field as well as in the locker room. In total, those 11 players have a combined 30 Super Bowl rings. Losing Tom Brady would have been a monumental loss in itself, but losing all those pieces defensively sets up a difficult challenge ahead for Bill Belichick. On top of having a major roster turnover, the pandemic has forced the NFL to cancel the preseason, which will make it difficult for Bill Belichick to fully assess his roster. Training camp will surely look different this season with all of the COVID restrictions.

Bill Belichick has pulled rabbits out of his hat before, but overcoming all of this is a new challenge in itself. This season was supposed to be the season in which Belichick proves that he was not a product of Tom Brady. But, at this point, the loss of Tom Brady isn’t even Bill Belichick’s biggest concern moving forward. The Patriots of course added former MVP quarterback Cam Newton, and they still have Julian Edelman, James White, Mohamed Sanu, N’Keal Harry, Sony Michel, and are getting David Andrews back at center.

As crazy as it sounds, I think the offense is in decent shape heading into training camp. If Cam Newton is indeed healthy, the offense will look different, but it should still be effective.

But, when it comes to the defense, Bill Belichick will have work cut out for him.

The Patriots defense was one of the best units in the NFL last season. The defense was the dominate unit for them last season, but it’s unlikely that they can get the same level of production for the unit in 2020. Losing substantial talent on all three levels of the defense will make it really difficult for the Patriots to overcome.

Starting with the defensive line, the Patriots lost Danny Shelton in free agency, as he reunited with former Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia in Detroit. One of the few weaknesses, the 2019 Patriots defense had was stopping the run. Everyone remembers how Derrick Henry ran all over them in the wild card round last season. Shelton was the best run defender the Patriots had, and I believe that they will in fact miss him.

The Patriots added former Tampa Bay Bucs nose tackle Beau Allen in free agency, and he is the logical replacement for Shelton. Belichick can even move Lawrence Guy inside as a run stopper. With Adam Butler being primarily used as a pass-rusher. Getting the run defense figured out should be one of the biggest concerns for Bill Belichick.

However, when it comes to the linebackers, it won’t be as simple. In particular, replacing Van Noy, Collins, and Hightower is something that is not realistic. According to Pro Football Reference, Kyle Van Noy has played more than 80% of the defensive snaps over the last two seasons. Collins played 81% of the defensive snaps in 2019, and Hightower has been a part of three Super Bowl teams, and has been an anchor on Bill Belichick’s defense for almost a decade. Hightower wears the green dot on defense and is often considered to be the quarterback of the defense. So, the Patriots are basically entering the 2020 season with a whole new group of linebackers. A group that will depend on the jump of second year linebacker Chase Winovich, the emergence of Ja’Whaun Bentley, the readiness of rookies Josh Uche and Anfernee Jennings, and the hope that Brandon Copeland will pick up the Bill Belichick’s complex defensive system.

The linebackers will likely be the Patriots’ biggest weakness of defense, but the secondary which is considered to be the biggest strength of the team took a massive hit when Patrick Chung opted out of the 2020 season. Chung has been a staple for the Patriots’ defense since 2014, and is the most versatile player in that secondary. The Patriots drafted safety Kyle Dugger in the second round of the draft, and he seems to be the logical replacement for Chung on the defense. But, it is far from a perfect fit. Dugger’s potential is clearly unknown, but a jump from NCAA Division II football to a starting safety in the NFL doesn’t seem very plausible. The Patriots also signed safety Adrian Philips in the offseason, and still have Terrance Brooks on the roster. I could see a situation in which the Patriots convert a cornerback to safety. The Patriots are very deep at cornerback and maybe can move a guy like Joejuan Williams to safety. But, they will miss Chung’s leadership and his grit as being one of the toughest guys on the field.

If you add up all the departures on defense, it’s obvious that this defense will go through a serious makeover. With a plethora of question marks, it’s tough to project who will even be on the field come week 1. Bill Belichick has certainly dealt with adversity when it comes to building a defense, but losing all of this talent days ahead of training camp is setting up a great challenge for him.

The hoodie will have his hands full when he begins to craft this Patriots defense…

Let’s talk Fullbacks

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Following the retirement of James Develin this offseason, the hope would have been for Danny Vitale to help fill the void in the backfield. We all know how Belichick can use the position to great effect. Whilst the offense may look different this season, the Patriots Fullback position will still be a vital need for the run game.

So who’s in contention?

Jakob Johnson

  • (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Clearly, Johnson would be a safe bet to fill the role if he continues to improve and can stay healthy. The 6-foot-3, 255lb German became part of the roster under the NFL’s International Player Pathway system in 2019. He was only able to make three starts last season before being placed on IR with a shoulder injury.

[Read more…] about Let’s talk Fullbacks

The Hits Keep Coming

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The number is currently at 6 Patriots players opting out of the upcoming season. As it stands, Marcus Cannon, Dan Vitale, Najee Toran, Brandon Bolden, Dont’a Hightower, and now Patrick Chung have all made the decision to sit out this year due to Covid-19 pandemic concerns. This is completely understandable and a personal decision that I’m certain was not easy.

It obviously frees up tons of salary cap space and of course it will be fascinating to see what Bill Belichick does with that, but seeing what is happening right now in baseball with the Marlins as an example of what can go very wrong very fast makes even the most determined optimist question how realistic our hopes for an actual full NFL season really are.

My 15 year old commented “Tank for Trevor (Lawrence)”, the Clemson quarterback most are projecting as the top pick in next year’s draft, but I just don’t see it for a Bill Belichick team. He is way too much of a competitor and historian of the game, who I believe is chasing Don Shula’s record for most games won in his career. Bill knows he only has so many games left to accomplish this. Its hard to imagine him wasting a year of potential wins to maybe get a player of the future. Not to mention, what a challenge for a coach who loves to make adjustments. Is this not the ultimate test for a head coach, to somehow pull off a winning season under the worst possible conditions and the first post-Brady?

Its very much a fluid situation right now, so we’ll stay tuned and try to stay optimistic. We really need sports as a distraction from everything else going on around the country and globe, so everything crossed it can be done safely.

Two Patriots opt-out of upcoming NFL season

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As reported first by Jarrett Bell for USA Today, newly acquired FB Danny Vitale is opting out of the upcoming season over Coronavirus safety fears. Guard Najee Toran has also taken the option to sit out the year.

To be honest, it’s hardly a surprise that Patriots players have exercised this option, but now the concern for coaching staff will be if more players follow. I hate to speculate, but rumors are also circulating that Marcus Cannon is considering his options regarding an opt-out.

Under the agreement, players who decide to opt-out of the season will be paid a stipend salary of $150,000.

The first NFL player to opt-out was Chiefs starting RG Duvernay-Tardif who has given up around $2.6 million to sit out the season and help the fight against COVID-19 in his local community.

By no means can you blame any player that decides to sit out the season, it’s a crazy world right now and football certainly isn’t the most important thing.

But as a football fan, it will be worth keeping an eye out for any further movement on this leading up to the opt-out deadline on August 3.

Hello from (Old) England!

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Growing up in the UK, you’d need to go out of your way to find the NFL.

I first discovered the Patriots during the 2012 season, It was the first time I’d followed a team for more than one regular-season game. The first game, a win over the Jets in OT thanks to a Stephen Gostkowski field goal. The second, a 45-7 thrashing over the St Louis Rams when they played at Wembley Stadium. Oh, and do you remember Gronk’s changing of the guard TD spike before 84,000 British fans in London? I do, I was hooked.

Gronk spike at Wembley in 2012
Jamie McDonald/Getty Images

You know those awkward icebreaker introductions at the start of a job interview? Yep, here it comes.

I’m Tom Shaw-Mellors or ‘TSM’. I’m from Nottingham UK, home of the mighty Notts County FC (soccer fans if you look them up, yes, I’m aware they’re not very good). I’ve been away from writing since I finished my degree in Sports Journalism back in 2018. University was a great time for me to follow and understand the sport in greater depth, I also played 3 years for my college football team as an offensive tackle.

Due to the current situation going on in the world, I’ll be working from home until 2021. Luckily enough, I’ve been given this great opportunity to offer you all new Patriots content as we head into the 2020 training camp!

I’ll be providing content on current/future international players on the team, as well as offering an alternate viewpoint on the organization as a whole. We’ll also be covering breaking team news as it happens, because, as you all know, there’s never a dull moment following the Patriots.

You can follow me on Twitter @ShawMellors, and make sure you follow @patspropaganda for all of our content as soon as it’s posted!

2020 Season – L F G

The Patriots trim their roster putting their UDFA streak in question

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NFL Rumors: 'Nick Caserio Rule' among changes approved by owners ...
Image: Boston Globe 2018

Over the weekend, Bill Belichick and the Patriots released 10 players, trimming their roster to 80 players. Typically, Belichick would bring in 90 players into training camp, but this training camp will look a little different, for obvious reasons.

On July 24th, the NFL and the NFLPA came to an agreement in which teams had to reduce their rosters to 80 players by August, 16th. However, with training camp rapidly approaching, Bill Belichick wasted no time in reaching that 80 player mark. This might not seem like a big deal, but when it comes to evaluating talent, and finding those hidden gems it makes all the difference in the world. Especially with this current Patriots roster, with a lot of competition and unknowns with the front-7.

For the past 16 years, at least one undrafted rookie free agent has made the Patriots week 1 roster. For nearly two decades, it’s been one of the safest bets in sports, and has become one of Bill Belichick’s biggest strengths. He identifies talent like nobody else, and that is why he has been able to have success for nearly 20 years. Guys like Brian Hoyer, Brandon Bolden, Malcolm Butler, David Andrews, Jonathan Jones, Adam Butler, and J.C. Jackson all came from the undrafted ranks. Belichick has really thrived in finding the forgotten talent, but he may struggle to keep the streak alive this season.

On Saturday, the Patriots released veteran cornerback Lenzy Pipkins, and on Sunday they released an additional 9 players, including seven undrafted free agents. Quarterbacks Brian Lewerke and J’Mar Smith, wide receivers Isaiah Zuber, Sean Riley and Will Hastings, defensive tackle Courtney Wallace, linebacker Kyahva Tezino, and safeties Adarius Pickett and Malik Grant were all let go by the Patriots.

After these cuts the Patriots only have eight UDFA’s on their roster. Running back JJ Taylor, tight ends Jake Burt and Rashod Berry, wide receiver Jeff Thomas, defensive end Nick Coe, defensive tackle Bill Murray, linebacker De’Jon Harris, and cornerback Myles Bryant are the last remaining UDFA’s on the Patriots’ roster.

With training camp around the corner, will any of these eight players stick on the week 1 roster? Well, with the competition at the running back and wide receiver positions it seem like too much of an uphill battle for JJ Taylor and Jeff Thomas. The Patriots drafted two tight ends in the draft, and still have Matt LaCosse and Ryan Izzo, so I’m not in love with Burt or Berry’s chances to make the roster. The depth at cornerback is probably the biggest strength of this Patriots team, so Myles Bryant won’s sniff the roster.

So, that leaves defensive end Nick Coe, defensive tackle Bill Murray, and linebacker De’Jon Harris.

Defensive end Nick Coe played his collegiate career at Auburn, and finished his career with 71 tackles, nine sacks, and two forced fumbles. Coe was scouted and projected to be a 3-4 defensive end, and his long-arms and length really are his best traits. Coe will be fighting for a roster spot with Nick Thurman and Deatrich Wise Jr. With the Patriots continued support of Deatrich Wise over the last couple of seasons, I would be surprised if Belichick axed him in 2020. Especially in a season with a lot of question marks, Wise provides the Patriots with safety and security.

Defensive tackle Bill Murray played at William & Murray, and was a three-year starter. He recorded 143 tackles, 32 tackles for loss, and four forced fumbles. On top of that, he had an impact on special teams, as he blocked 10 kicks. His 4.93 40-time was his most notable achievement at the NFL combine. His strength is in run defense, but he has shown the ability to chase down the quarterback. Murray will be in competition with Byron Cowhart and Beau Allen for the right to backup Adam Butler. I like Murray’s chances to make the squad, as I would pin point him as the UDFA that is most likely to keep the streak alive. With Adam Butler being most effective as an interior pass-rusher, Murray could get a serious look when it comes to stopping the run. The Patriots need all the help they can get on the interior part of their defensive line. Losing Danny Shelton was a substantial loss, and Murray could slide into his shoes.

Linebacker De’Jon Harris played at Arkansas, and was mostly used as an off-the-ball linebacker. Harris finished his collegiate career with 371 tackles, seven and a half sacks, and four forced fumbles. His senior season he was named All-SEC second team. The linebacker group for the Patriots is filled with question marks, so who knows how it’ll play out. Harris will duke it out with Cassh Maluia, Derek Rivers, and Shilique Calhoun for a position as an inside linebacker. It’s tough to predict how the linebacker position will unfold, but if Harris has a good camp he can easily skate on this roster. The linebacker position is as open as any position on the roster.

As training camp begins to get underway keep an eye on Coe, Murray, and Harris, as they look to make it onto the week 1 roster.

Dumpster fire 2020

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I think its safe to say that Big Picture Real World 2020 has been, so far, kind of a bummer. Some are calling it a Dumpster fire, which is a descriptive image that’s not quite accurate for the current moment. A Dumpster fire is automatically self-contained, and with protective equipment and tools, the lid can be closed and the fire will smother itself out. That definitely does NOT seem to be the case for Big Picture 2020.

Here, though, its about football, where we go to escape from that real world stuff. But for Patriots fans, maybe the worst and seemingly longest off-season in team history CAN be described as kind of a Dumpster fire.

We knew there was some pretty flammable stuff in there. I covered my ears and closed my eyes like a kid in denial but still heard the rumblings and saw the signs. The Seth Wickersham bombshell piece. The body language and demeanor of “the most miserable 8-0 quarterback in the league”. The frustrating lack of rapport with the young receivers and balls in the dirt. The Brookline mansion listing. The looming free agency with no contract discussions. Even Tom Brady Sr. told us it would end badly years ago.

But still I felt gut-punched. I had held out hope that there would be a last minute deal and Tom Brady’s legacy would be that rare unicorn athlete who retired with his original team. I always try to guard my heart but just couldn’t when it came to Thomas Edward Patrick Brady. He could do no wrong in my mind. Always keeping it professional. Hardest working competitor and humble role model for the new guys. Team over individual accomplishments. Spotless image on and off the field. Someone I pointed to as an example for my boys in both sports and life. I’ve literally said “thank Tom Brady” after a crisis averted. He’s laminated on my celebrity hall pass.

When the deadline for free agency passed with no joyous announcement I smelled the smoke. I already knew March 17, 2020 was going to be a bad day before it even began. We’d just learned schools were closed for the rest of the year. My oldest hockey player’s small town team had their once in a lifetime, Cinderella story trip to Nationals in California cancelled, and our family vacation there for it was off. No recognizable St. Patrick’s Day, quarantine, bleaching the groceries, PANDEMIC.

So when I woke to the news of Tom Brady moving on, it made total sense for Big Picture 2020, and the Patriots Dumpster fire was fully ablaze and engulfed. I cycled through the stages of grief multiple times and I’m not ashamed to admit it felt like actual mourning. Like, “a grown adult woman with kids maybe shouldn’t be blubbering this way over a football player” kind of reaction in my weak moments. But this was someone I pretty much worshipped for 20 years. The 16-20 Patriots games per season are basically sacred in my house and he was an enormous part of that. And when we later learned he was reuniting with Gronk in Tampa, adding fuel to the fire, I’m not gonna lie, it felt a little like the husband running off with the nanny for a bit there. Irrational maybe, but we all have our “hobbies and interests”, right?

With time and distance comes perspective, and while we’ll probably never know all the factors that built and sparked the Dumpster fire of 2020, its not relevant here right now. I believe, until I’m proven wrong, that Bill Belichick has his flame retardant football hazmat suit on. He probably designed it himself and cut the sleeves off. He’s assembling the tools to get the lid closed and put that sucker out (maybe even using some of my favorite drink, Bill’s special Kool-Aid) because this is going to be an intriguing season, no matter what. Fingers crossed for the rest of both Big Picture and Patriots 2020.