PatsPropaganda

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With Revis and Browner coming in along with a reliable slot corner in Kyle Arrington plus a rising star in Logan Ryan how do you project Dennards role?

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First and foremost I don’t think we can get too carried away trying to put the whole puzzle together right now. Let’s remember Browner is out the first four games and who knows how injuries will pile up. You ALWAYS need depth in the secondary and the Pats are lucky to have it heading into the training camp (hopefully).

Dennard has really been an outside corner since he got here. I know a lot of people projected him to the slot simply given his size, but we have yet to see him there at all unless I missed something.

Dennard also had a ton of issues last season dealing with his constantly-moving court dates and a number of injuries. He’s super tough though and kept playing through it all. 

Now that he’s doing his jail time and can put that behind him and hopefully get healthy, he should be ready to go for 2014. I liked what we’ve seen out of him in his first two years, but he might have to develop some versatility to keep his job, i.e. playing inside and maybe even giving it a go on special teams.

But if you have Arrington and Ryan who can both play inside and outside and Dennard, Revis and Browner who are all primarily outside guys (Revis can play anywhere obvs) it’s a great place to start.

I’d guess weeks one through four we’re like seeing Dennard start on the right side opposite Revis with Arrington in the slot, assuming they all make it out of camp healthy, which is no given.

New England Patriots scout’s view: Brandon Browner – ESPN Boston

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New England Patriots scout’s view: Brandon Browner – ESPN Boston

At 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, Browner is perhaps the most imposing and physical cornerback in the NFL. He can swallow up wide receivers at the line of scrimmage with his length and power, while he can also be an impact tackler in the running game and open field. He has a large catch radius and sufficient ball skills. He can play press-man coverage and hold his own against split out tight ends, too.

Interesting stuff here on Browner and I think it’s safe to say we can rule him out for moving to strong safety or even playing in the slot against tight ends. He likely needs the sideline to keep his from having to move horizontally.

The real question is do the Pats play matchup with Revis and Browner or do they let them stay on each side like Seattle did with Browner? Because if they’re playing matchup and I’m an offensive coordinator, I’m putting Browner’s guy in the slot as much as possible and making him chase my guy across the field.

And if they’re playing sides I’m putting my best receiver away from Revis. Pats still have a number of options, but it will be interesting to see what they do each week (which of course, will change constantly).

Update: Browner just dropped this on his conference call. Clearly he has a lot to learn about how things are done in New England. Ssssssh!

if wilfork goes, do they try to replace him with a similar rookie DT? if said rookie is taken, and who else would value a run stuffing dt in this pass happy league, does it change what they try to do on defense? essentially, the defense has been wilfork centric, do you see it continue to be so?

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Wrote about this last week in depth, check it out here.

Maybe you pick up a big fat nose tackle later in the draft, but I don’t see the value it taking someone like Louis Nix III in the first round just because he has similar dimension to Wilfork.

Wilfork was a one-of-a-kind player, not just a nose tackle. 

My whole philosophy on defense now is that it has to be geared to stopping the pass. If a player can’t cover or rush the passer, his impact will be limited.

So far it seems like the Pats have stuck to this philosophy this offseason -> Revis/Browner, letting Spikes go. I just think we really need that third defense end and it’s becoming less and less likely they find a real impact guy in free agency. This does worry me a bit, but there’s a lot of time left.

Assume they add a mid-range vet defensive end (which I’m sure they will), then I think defensive end becomes more and more of a draft need and serious round one consideration, over defensive tackle for sure.

And I’m still hopeful that Wilfork sees the market out there for him isn’t all that intriguing and he comes back to the Pats. That would be ideal.

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What a great weekend filled with Pats goodness on NFL Network’s dynasty week. Makes you realize how special Brady-to-Moss was, and how quickly it was over.

https://www.patspropaganda.com/what-a-great-weekend-filled-with-pats-goodness-on/

Patriots Mock Draft: Fresh 7-Round Predictions Post-Week 1 of Free Agency

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Patriots Mock Draft: Fresh 7-Round Predictions Post-Week 1 of Free Agency

Good morning and Happy St. Patricks Day/Monday! Kicking off the new week with a mock draft from B/R cohort James Christensen.

The 2014 Pats have really started to take shape in the last week with some exciting additions. You almost forget they still have a full haul of rookies to add.

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A rival assistant general manager said the Patriots came out on top in the Revis-Talib swap, and said the prospect of Revis being coached by Bill Belichick is “scary.” “He’s going to give them the same benefits he gave Rex [Ryan],” the assistant GM said. “When you want to create pressure on the quarterback, you have a lockdown corner.”

NFL teams spend early part of free agency spending – Sports – The Boston Globe

https://www.patspropaganda.com/a-rival-assistant-general-manager-said-the/

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[LaFell] aligned in various spots in the game, and was often used in motion. He played on the outside in two-receiver sets, although the Panthers often had two receivers to the same side, and in those cases, LaFell would usually be aligned as the inside receiver. In the three-receiver set, he would mostly be in the slot as the Panthers seemed to want the speed of Steve Smith and Ted Ginn outside. LaFell showed good hands (e.g. tough sideline catch for a first down), precise route-running (e.g. 9-yard slant for a touchdown against Logan Ryan) and strength as a blocker (e.g. he leveled defensive end Andre Carter on one play). LaFell doesn’t wow with speed and might be summed up best this way – a solid-not-spectacular receiver with good size (6-2, 210) and versatility. He also boasts potential as a red zone target, and he’s been durable in his four years in the NFL (just four games missed).

Thoughts on LaFell agreement – New England Patriots Blog – ESPN

https://www.patspropaganda.com/lafell-aligned-in-various-spots-in-the-game-and/