PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

I’ve been seeing a lot of stuff saying we should sign Eric Decker when he becomes a free agent. Do you think the Broncos would let him walk? They would probably give him more to stay than we would to come to us.

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It’s possible, but hard to know if the Broncos want to sign him to a big contract when they have Demaryius entering the last year of his deal as well. How many more years to they have with Manning? How do they want to handle the transition?

And let’s not forget their defense will also need some free agency help as well, if not more so.

I liked Decker coming out and wasn’t surprised McDaniels grabbed him for the Broncos. I think he’d be a good compliment to the New England receiving corps.

I’m sure he’ll have plenty of interest around the league.

Don’t you think is this time for the patriots to move away from the “bend but don’t break” Philosophy on defense? I think it is too conservative, how many more times are they going to allow an 80 yard drive and just hope that they settle for a field goal.

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It’s a valid question, but I think they really moved away from it when they had their full secondary healthy. I think “bend-don’t-break” is really more in reference to playing zone and as we saw against the Broncos, you just can’t play zone against the better quarterbacks in the NFL.

Belichick is a conservative defensive coach and I don’t think that’s going to change. He’s not going to sell out and send a ton of guys blitzing. They pick their spots, but for the most part, he’d prefer to play sound coverage and force the offense to execute without mistakes. 

More often that not offenses cannot do that without throwing picks or coughing up the ball.

But it’s interesting to note that the Patriots were effectively dominated by the Broncos’ offense, yet they only lost by 10 points and were within a two-point conversion of it being just eight points and a chance to tie if they got the onside kick.

In the majority of their losses it’s been like that. The Steelers in 2011 killed the Pats, yet only won by 8. 

And there wasn’t a single loss this season that they didn’t have a chance at winning going into the fourth quarter or overtime.

So I do think there is something to be said for playing this style. It’s certainly frustrating to watch at times but I think their struggles on third down and against the deep ball (as I wrote about today) are the specific things holding them back, not the conservative defensive philosophy.

Bring back Talib and keep playing more man defense and we should see progress next season, especially with a more healthy front seven.

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Ranking the Patriots 11 Pre-Free Agency Needs

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Below are the specific team needs for the Pats as I see them before free agency. This is more a list of needs than wants, hence positions like center and are listed over positions like wide receiver and corner where players like Edelman and Talib are the main focuses.

Here’s our Pre-Free Agency Depth Chart for reference.

  1. Center – Wendell could be back, but could he be upgraded? Or maybe Connolly goes back to center after spending two years at guard. This will be figured out before the draft. Big spender: Alex Mack. Don’t count on that. 
  2. Y-Tight End – No tight end on roster but Gronk. And Gronk hurt. How about Scott Chandler from Buffalo? We can save the move tight end for later. Need to solidify the position with a Dan Graham-type, and then whatever Gronk comes back with (and whenever), is a bonus. Or do they bring back Hooman and Mulligan and count on Gronk again? Risky…
  3. Defensive Tackle – This could be a top-3 need or a bottom-3 need depending on Wilfork, Armstead and Kelly’s recovery. I wanted Randy Starks last season, I’d take him this offseason too. Or how about a flyer on Henry Melton? One veteran free agent would do the trick I think, but there are so many unknowns at this point. Melton or Starks would really be perfect. Or even Arthur Jones. Has to be tempting to play with his brobeans.
  4. Cornerback – Talib is a difference maker, the Pats need him to play press man. Maybe Brent Grimes would be a nice fallback option, he had  a great year in Miami. But if Talib’s presence proved anything the last two years, it’s that the Pats are a different team with a corner they trust to handle the number one threat. The injuries are slightly concerning, he really needs to work on his hip problems, they keep popping up. But I’d take him back, injuries and all. He has to put together a healthy season at some point, right?
  5. Defensive End – Third swing guy/designated pass rusher. Free agent to compete with Buchanan/Bequette. Someone in the Mark Anderson mold. Ideally Buchanan develops, that’s most cost-effective. Free agent defensive ends tend to be overpriced, but the Pats always take a flyer on someone like Marcus Benard and Anderson, guys who might’ve gotten derailed by injuries and are looking to bounce back on the cheap.
  6. Middle Linebacker – I like moving Hightower to MLB now, Fletcher could be back to provide depth, but I’d love to see another WILL added in the 6’2", 240 range who can run. Just have to be careful not to totally abandon all run-stoppers. I think Spikes is gone after believing he had a chance to return for most of the year.
  7. Wide Receiver – Everyone wants Edelman back, but they have 10 WRs under contract already and could survive without him. Although someone like Eric Decker would really compliment Amendola, Dobson and Thompkins well. So hard to imagine them paying Edelman after paying Amendola. Tough spot for the Pats.
  8. Running Back – Blount would round out the squad, but they need Ridley insurance regardless. If they don’t bring back Blount (which I think they will) could see a 3rd or 4th rounder here.
  9. F-Tight End – Pats never had a chance to replace Hernandez, could they target a “move” TE in the draft now? This is more of a luxury position as I see it. Getting a three-down Y is the priority and if there’s a Hernandez type in the draft go for it. Doubt we see a free agency move on a guy like this, they’re rare.
  10. Quarterback – finding a Brady replacement starts this offseason. I’d prefer the draft but with rumors the Texans now might be interested in Mallett (god bless them) they might want a vet in town sooner than later.
  11. Swing Tackle – depth was tested this year with injuries to Solder/Vollmer/Cannon at various times. Svitek could re-sign and then they’re good.