PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

Pats Posits: Music City Disaster

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There’s simply no way to put a silver lining around the Patriots completely flat performance against the Titans. They were bad in all three phases and made just a handful of plays over the course of the entirety of the game. The up-and-down secondary, which had recently strung together some solid performances, fell down hard yesterday, led by Stephon Gilmore, just as everyone was becoming assured he was a superstar shutdown corner.

The kickoff and punt teams, sub-par all year, once again were bad, giving the Titans favorable field position all day and putting the defense even more in the crosshairs of a balanced offensive attack that the Pats had no answer for.

Then there was the offense, which went 3-15 on third down and put up just 40 rushing yards. Yes, those things go very much hand in hand, as the smoke and mirrors offense finally collapsed against a team that knew Tom Brady through and through.

Unfortunately, we’re at the phase of the Patriots dynasty that every bad game will be touted as the end, the cliff, the harbinger of doom for Belichick and Brady. This one will certainly get that treatment over the bye week as I’m sure the radio airwaves are full of long-held bile that has been waiting to explode.

There’s no question, the 2018 Patriots were not on the upward trajectory I assumed they were. They continue to be two different teams at home and on the road, a strange dichotomy for a team that went undefeated on the road for a season-and-a-half from 2016 to 2017. And now, they’re behind the eightball when it comes to homefield and the playoffs, meaning that their road woes must be fixed or their chances of getting to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in five seasons will be severely in jeopardy.

Still, they’re a better team than what we saw yesterday. And not every team will play as flawlessly as the Titans did, especially with their inside knowledge of Brady and the Pats. Let’s dive in and vent and try to find some meaning and maybe just maybe, a glint of hope?

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Patriots Gameplan: Week 10 at Tennessee Titans

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The Patriots visit the latest incarnation of the Patriots castoffs. There was Romeo Crennel’s former-Pats-heavy team in Kansas City, and its later incarnation under Bill O’Brien in Houston. Now franchise-defining Mike Vrabel has Dean Pees, Logan Ryan, Malcolm Butler and Dion Lewis all under GM Jon Robinson who spent 11 years with the Patriots.

So yes, there is a soft spot here for this team. I especially loved Vrabel, Lewis and Butler and their departures are among my most unfavorite. To see them all them playing against the Patriots all at once might be a little much.

The Titans know Tom Brady as well as any team he’s ever faced. They’ve played extensively, both with and against him. There’s no secret to Vrabel and Pees about what they’re dealing with. That applies to their knowledge of Belichick as well — how he’ll want to play the game, what they can expect to see taken away from them, how critical turnovers will be.

The question will be can they execute the 60-minute gameplan it’s going to take?

Here’s the gameplan to make sure they can’t.

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Book Review: Fridays With Bill

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We’re getting spoiled with Bill Belichick books this year! After Mike Lombardi’s fascinating look from inside the Patriots machine, it was hard to top. The last remaining place to go? Hearing it from Belichick himself.

No, this isn’t the nostalgic, reminiscent end-of-it-all Belichick autobiography that we would all kill for, but it’s the words right out of the coach’s mouth on everything football.

There’s been no secret that Belichick’s Friday press conferences are often fascinating, with long ruminations on football minutiae. John Powers has collected and sorted all those wonderful tidbits and the result is a pretty great mosaic of Bill Belichick the football coach and historian. The instant I heard about this book it was clear to me how great it would be and it delivered in every way to someone who is fascinated by Belichick the coach.

It’s short digestible bits on everything from gameday butterflies to missing practice and everywhere else in between. It’s pure football Belichick at his most willing to tackle any question that actually is about the game.

No spin. No hot takes. Just Belichick and football. My favorites.

 

Patriots Film Review: Defense Strangles out Pack

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Upon further review, the defense’s performance against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers’ offense was a classic kind of win. Did they give up a few long scoring drives? Yup, three to be exact. But they kept the ground game under control, didn’t allow any big scoring plays and withstood the storm until the second half when they grabbed a turnover, forced a timely three-and-out and set the stage for the Patriots’ offense to pull away.

This is always how it seems to go when the Pats face classic QBs like Rodgers, Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco and Ben Roethlisberger to name a few.

Despite the Jaguars and Lions hiccups, this has been a defense reborn and they getting better every week. It’s impressive and exciting to watch. Especially the Trey Flowers part of it.

No doubt there are still improvements to be made but this is a solid defense no matter how you slice it. Here’s how the Pats D strangled out the Pack.

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Pats Posits: Is this just fantasy?

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Last night I had the chance to sit in the Draft Kings luxury box for the game and well, this was a night that may never be topped in my Patriots fandom. I was able to bring my wife to her first game and let’s just say the bar that was set will be near impossible to top for her. Free food, free drinks, free programs and the best seats I’ve ever watched a game at Gillette from. I’m still processing the night and hence, a delay on the posits about the game.

Stack this one right up there with my best live game memories — 2006 AFCDG in San Diego, the 2009 opener, 2014 vs Broncos and now this one, 2018 vs Packers. Wow, a huge night on and off the field!

The game itself was another nice reminder that the Patriots are on an insane sports run. They’re stepped outside their box on defense. Gave Cordarrelle Patterson a bunch of carries and watched Josh Gordon put up his best night yet. I don’t want to call it Gordon’s breakout game yet because even at five catches for 130 yards and a touchdown I’m not quite sure we’ve seen the ceiling with him yet.

The Pats were undermanned, didn’t play all that great without Michel and Gronk, but they did what they always do. Execute the gameplan. Play good fundamental football across the board. Don’t beat themselves. That was enough to beat another historically great player, Aaron Rodgers.

Here are some quick posits as I remain in recovery mode from a perfect evening. Thank you again to Draft Kings!

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Patriots Gameplan: Week 9 vs. Green Bay Packers

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Games like the Patriots vs. the Packers is why I write all these blogs. If you can’t just sit back and enjoy a great football matchup then I’m not sure what you’re doing. There’s not the underlying sense of stress that comes before a playoff game. I learned a long time ago if you only get excited for those, most seasons are going to be pretty depressing.

With no more Brady-Manning, we’re left with Brady vs. the mostly new guard, save a few select holdovers from the early days, the Roethlisbergers, the Flaccos and the Rivers’. Brady and NFC counterpart Aaron Rodgers have met but once, back in 2014 with Rodgers and the Packers beating the Patriots in what would be their last meaningful loss of the season. That just goes to show that even Sunday Night’s loser can take solace that losses can be the spark to a Super Bowl title.

As for the great Brady vs. Rodgers debate that has raged so fiercely this week, I can take appreciation in both quarterbacks. I do think it can largely be boiled down to the same Brady-Manning argument. Manning was bred to be a quarterback. Rodgers was bred to be a super athlete. Tom Brady didn’t have either of their natural gifts. Super Bowls are also largely team-dependant, but when you look at the overall body of their work, I’m a Brady guy through and through, and if that includes a little bit of Bill Belichick mixed in too I don’t really give a shit.

Brady has shown historic resilience when it all comes down to him. Those numerous times simply seal it for me, regardless how big a part Belichick played in the game-planning, team-building, etc. Brady has done it over and over with different guys everywhere.

Is Rodgers a better athlete? In a test tube, is he the guy you’d create? For sure. And I love watching him do what he does just like I enjoyed Peyton playing whenever it wasn’t against the Patriots.

But give me Tom Brady and his unstoppable quest from the doughy middle school kid to the GOAT every. single. time.

As for the teams on the field who will actually play against Brady and Rodgers and will decide the game? Here’s that gameplan!

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Five Stats to Define 2018 Patriots’ First Half

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One of my favorite things to do, especially now with half a season in the books, is stack this current Patriots team to previous teams to see what makes this one unique. Each year there are some strange outliers, either rapid improvement or decline that gives each squad their own little flare.

The 2007 team was an offensive juggernaut. The 2010 and 2011 teams gave up a ton of yards but managed it by getting a ton of takeaways. The 2017 defense, marred by injuries, was the lowest-ranked DVOA defense of the Belichick era.

Each team always has one or two interesting little nuggets that you’ll only get from someone who’s blogged about them exclusively for over a decade. So what has made the 2018 Patriots unique this far? Here are five stats where they stand out, for good and bad reasons.

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