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What Will 2018 Pats Unveil Sunday?

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-q7OC4su4Y

With the roster set and the first week of the regular season upon us, it’s time to find out who the 2018 Patriots are. Or at least get the first chapter of what will be a long book, with ups and downs. But this one counts and that means it’s time to see how the team has evolved for the new season.

Some pieces are obvious. Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and James White will make the offense go. Dont’a Hightower and Stephon Gilmore will be the playmakers for the defense. But who else will need to chip in? What are the options and what will they ride on both sides of the ball?

Let’s break out the crystal football and predict what we’re going to see from the Pats on Sunday.

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Breaking Down Patriots’ New Waiver Receivers

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With two open roster spots and just three wide receivers on the initial roster, it was little surprise that the Patriots signed two wideouts off the waiver wire. Chad Hansen and Amara Darbo are both second-year receivers who had nine catches as rookies with their respective teams.

Can we count on either to step in and contribute? The track record for in-season receivers is pretty poor outside of Jabar Gaffney in 2006.

Neither name has the sexiness of a Dez Bryant, but both are clearly Patriots-type receivers. Let’s take a quick look at them both.

Amara Darbo

A third-round pick by the Seahawks out of Michigan, Darbo’s best trait is his size and toughness. At 6’2″ with good arm length, Darbo is willing to do the dirty work even if he isn’t the fastest or quickest receiver. Usually that kind of player screams special teams and he did play a third of the Seahawks ST snaps last season.

The biggest concern with Darbo is his hands, with PFF making an apt comparison to Brandon LaFell in Darbo’s scouting report. That tells you what kind of fit he is and that he’ll likely looked at more on the outside at first, a spot where he’ll be behind Dorsett and Hogan.

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Patriots Set Initial Practice Squad

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It’s important to remember that everything is fluid at this time of year, and really for most of the season. The Patriots never stop churning at the bottom of their roster, bringing guys in, sending guys out, recycling those same guys a week or two later. Roster building is never done, but they have to start somewhere so here’s the initial 2018 practice squad and some notes on each player.

Danny Etling — As expected the Patriots hung on to the rookie quarterback who will now be best known for his long preseason touchdown scamper against the Giants. I’ll say this all year: the Patriots should bring in any quarterback that they can. Finding Tom Brady’s eventual successor doesn’t have to be neatly tied up in a high-round-pick bow. It could come from anywhere so it’s important to not only keep Etling, but to stay vigilant for any quarterback who might blossom with the team.

Vincent Valentine — My favorite keep of the practice squad, Valentine was coming on as a rookie before losing his sophomore season to injury. He couldn’t quite crack the 53 with Shelton, Brown and Guy the top interior space eaters in front of him, but he could be needed in a pinch and will be a good player to continue to develop with some uncertainty next year (Brown and Shelton will be free agents).

Ralph Webb — The undrafted rookie running back had a sparkling debut the first week of the preseason and then wasn’t heard from much again. The Pats must’ve seen enough to want to continue working with Webb and with a running back corps that has struggled to stay healthy it’s not crazy to imagine Webb joining the team in a Jonas Grey-type capacity for a few games.

Riley McCarron — I have to be honest on McCarron, I have yet to see him really impress me and every opportunity was there this preseason. If he can’t make the roster this year, when the Pats kept just three receivers initially, and instead they chose to find two castoffs from other teams to fill those spots, I’m not sure if he has any kind of long-term potential. It’s good to have a young receiver in the wings but I’m not holding my breath for McCarron to break through in real football games this season, or ever.

Jomal Wiltz — Wiltz is a cornerback that didn’t quite get the love of Crossen or Jackson, but was very much on the coaches’ radar from what I saw at camp. Depth at corner on the roster is outstanding so it would have to be a long climb for Wiltz but you never know where injuries will strike.

Cole Croston — Croston made the roster last year but just missed the cut this year. This was probably due in large part to the holes that had to be filled at wide receiver. But he’s a versatile offensive linemen who could very well be needed to play a role this season. The coaches clearly like him and he could fill in at a number of spots. With just seven OL on the active roster, Croston is a lot closer to playing than just about anyone else on the practice squad.

James Ferentz — Like Croston, Ferentz isn’t all that far from getting called up to game action. He can play center or guard, and behind Ted Karras would be the top option if one of the interior starters gets hurt.

Trent Harris — Harris might’ve made the team if this was 2017, but the remade edge pieces ran six deep this season. Harris was one of the standout scrubs and had a handful of moments in training camp. As we learned last year you can never have too many edge players. Harris can develop behind the scenes and is excellent insurance at a vital position.

Patriots Set Initial 2018 Roster

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At long last, the New England Patriots 2018 roster has been trimmed to 51 players and though there will continue to be moves made over the next couple days, the core pieces out of preseason are in place for another Super Bowl run.

Let’s start with the surprises — Riley McCarron was cut after sitting out the final preseason game. Usually, that means you’re safe and now the Pats don’t really have a punt returner. But ultimately, McCarron never showed much, his roster spot on my last projected 53-man was more by default than anything else.

The team also kept just two backup offensive linemen, Ted Karras and LaAdrian Waddle. Having only seven is light, especially when they had guys like Cole Croston in house. Adding depth on the OL could be an unexpected spot to watch Sunday and Monday.

A year removed from departures and injuries at defensive end, the Pats have re-stocked, welcoming back Derek Rivers and Keionta Davis from injury. With Trey Flowers, Adrian Clayborn and Dietrich Wise, the Pats have a good mix at an important position, one they were undermanned at last year.

The depth at wide receiver is scary, especially with Edelman not allowed near the building until October. I think an addition at the position (Leonte Caroo was always a favorite) makes a lot of sense, especially if they can return punts.

Three rookie cornerbacks made the team which is good news both on the outside, where Eric Rowe is in a contract year, and in the slot where both Duke Dawson and Jonathan Jones have had injury issues. Crossen or Jackson could still end up on the practice squad, it will just be easier to get them there with them on the initial roster. Still, I think the Pats will need at least one of them this season in a significant role.

Most excited about… The Defense

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Patriots 53-Man Roster Projection 5.0

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The final 53-man projection before it all gets blown away to hell over the weekend. Things have already started with Jordan Richards getting traded to Atlanta for a conditional second-round pick. That opens up a spot that I’m giving to Jason McCourty. No doubt, this is viewed as a good start for the Richards Not-a-Fan Club.

Here’s how I have the rest of the 53-man playing out.

QB (2) T.Brady, B.Hoyer – NO CHANGE
RB (5) R.Burkhead, S.Michel, J.Develin, J.Hill, J.White – NO CHANGE
WR (5) C.Hogan, P.Dorsett, C.Patterson, R.McCarron, M.Slater – McCarron slips on somehow as a punt returner. Still not sure he sees any snaps at WR and could be cut for a vet punt returner pretty easily. Was surprised to see him not suit up last night so I guess he’s likely safe.
TE (3) R.Gronkowski, D.Allen, J.Hollister – NO CHANGE
C (1) D.Andrews
G (3) S.Mason, J.Thuney, T.Karras
T (4) T.Brown, M.Cannon, L.Waddle, C.Croston – Croston in for John based on his overall versatility.

DE (5) T.Flowers, A.Clayborn, D.Wise, D.Rivers, K.Davis – Okay I’m giving Davis a shot despite not seeing much out of him. Maybe he’s one of those developmental favorites and could have a role if Trey Flowers is injured for real.
DT (5) L.Guy, D.Shelton, M.Brown, A.Butler, V.Valentine – NO CHANGE
ILB(3) E.Roberts, J.Bentley, N.Grigsby – NO CHANGE
OLB(4) D.Hightower, K.VanNoy, B.King, M.Flowers – NO CHANGE
CB (5) S.Gilmore, E.Rowe, J.Jones, D.Dawson, J.Jackson – I dropped Cyrus because it looks like McCarron is the PR and J. Jones/Dawson are the slot guys. Still think he could help the team down the line.
SS (2) P.Chung, N.Ebner
FS (3) D.McCourty, D.Harmon, J.McCourty – Not sure if D-Mac can replace Richards’ special teams ability but he’s a better insurance overall as a defender.
ST (3) S.Gostkowski, R.Allen, J.Cardona

Total players: 53
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Patriots Cap Preseason with a Whatever Against the Giants

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There’s always a huge sigh of relief when the preseason is over. Injuries are the most impactful and most unknown factors of a football season, and to lose someone in August, before the games even matter, is always a downer.

Seeing Julian Edelman go down so soon after being a Super Bowl hero instantly put the team behind the eightball. But this year the 2018 Patriots were fortunate. There were certainly disappointments — Isaiah Wynn (who still isn’t on IR), Jordan Matthews and Kenny Britt being the prominent ones.

Otherwise, the Patriots will start the season with the team they wanted almost entirely intact. We can poke holes in where there could be depth problems, but every team has those. The fact once again remains, if the most key players of this Patriots team remain upright the entire season their chances at going to a toss-up Super Bowl are nearly assured.

There will be bumps in the road regardless of injuries. Remember, September football is very much an extension of the preseason. The team is still figuring out who they are exactly and what will make them unique amongst the last 18 seasons. They might look like total dogshit one week and lose a game to a team who might win four games all year.

But as the coaching kicks in, the players come together and begin playing to their strengths watch out. Those are the games where we’re reminded the New England Patriots Football Machine is still very much alive and well.

So, did we learn much of anything in the final preseason scrubfest? Were any roster spots won? Let’s take a quick look back before we totally turn the page to the roster craziness of the weekend and then the Texans.

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Patriots Gameplan: Preseason Week 4 at the G-Men

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The regular season is fast upon us! But first, we must sit through one last preseason scrub-fest. For many of those wearing the Flying Elvis tonight, it will be the last time they might ever put an NFL football helmet on. In that regard, I enjoy watching players on the fringe leaving it all out there like it’s the Super Bowl.

The hope is that no one important touches the field tonight. Of course, some who are kinda important will have to. Julian Edelman will likely see a good dose of snaps. So will Hoy-dog, not that anyone really cares about him. But the very most important pieces should be protected. Isaiah Wynn was an unfortunate casualty but appears to be the only significant injury loss of the summer.

Today’s final preseason gameplan will once again just be five areas to focus on. Next week we get into the PatsProp in-season schedule — Posits Monday, Film Tuesday, Scouting Wednesday, and Gameplan Friday being the blog staples.

Here’s the final “gameplan,” bring on the regular season!

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