Leftover thoughts from Week 2 – New England Patriots Blog – ESPN Boston
Four really good detailed nuggets here on things that we talked a lot about this offseason.
The composition of the Patriots’ roster is perhaps the most unique we’ve seen in Bill Belichick’s 14 years as coach. The club returned 18 of 22 primary starters this season, so there is what many would consider the ideal layer of continuity. But as of opening kickoff, the Patriots also had more first- and second-year players (21) than all but two teams in the NFL (the St. Louis Rams and Cleveland Browns). Makes for a different type of mix – a contending team that from an overall perspective trends younger. The question remains: Is it the right mix?
https://www.patspropaganda.com/the-composition-of-the-patriots-roster-is-perhaps/
Do you thik that the pats have solved every weak spot from last year? With Chandler Jones and Buchanan pass rushing at a high level With Jamie Collins and Hightower covering the middle And with Dobson, Thompkins,Boyce as deep threats Althought we lost some posession recievers in the middle but with gronk, edelman and Amendola healthy we are good to go Do you think this is the year of the fourth ring?
Tough to tell if they’ve solved anything at this point – it has looked sloppy on offense and the defense has looked good, but against two rookie quarterbacks.
I always find this time of year to be difficult as someone who has to write about the team, because while there have been two games played, it’s hard to make any definitive statements about the team at this point. I can’t really dive into stats yet, because the sample size is just too small and can be skewed in any way you wish to skew it.
What do we know now? Generally how the Patriots view their personnel, and the groupings that they like and trust the most.
Really not many surprises on defense. Tommy Kelly is in for Love/Deaderick and Michael Buchanan is the designated pass rusher. After that things are pretty much status quo from last year, which is a good thing. Yay continuity.
On offense they’re just trying to survive, as they clearly don’t have the horses they’d like to. That should change in the next week or two once Gronk gets back. And when he does it takes the pressure off Amendola to tough out his groin injury.
Between Gronk and Edelman, the Pats should have plenty of threats to challenge the middle of the field. Then the focus just goes back on getting Thompkins and Dobson on the same page as everyone else (i.e. just catching the ball) on the outside.
I don’t want to put too much on him, because it could take him some time to get fully up to speed, but Gronk will have a major impact on the offense both on the ground and through the air just by getting back on the field.
As for the fourth ring, it’s way too early for that, but if these receivers continue to progress, the Pats will have one of the best young teams on both sides of the ball in all of the NFL ,for the next few seasons.
Amendola has torn muscles in his hip. Panic mode?
We’re just going to take it day-by-day and when we put the injury report out on Wednesday you’ll see what it says.
(Sorry, just always wanted to do that to someone…)
Ever since 2006, the “body language” criticism has been the stupid bar-setter by which all stupid criticism is measured, and now, surprise, surprise, IT’S BACK!
I can only imagine the reaction if Tom nonchalantly walked off the field after his offense went three-and-out again, maybe smirked and gave Dobson a little tap on the ass. “Don’t worry, big guy, we’ll get ‘em next time”. Yeah, the media wouldn’t have even more of a field day with that one.
The fire we see from Brady is why he’s one of the best all-time quarterbacks. If other professional football players on his team can’t handle his level of competitiveness then I suggest they find another line of work. The passion Brady shows is what will continue to show the young members of the team what the expectations are.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/ever-since-2006-the-body-language-criticism-has/
I feel like we’re two and 0 in the division were getting the growing pains out of the way and the defense is looking good and being tested. The rookies are being rookies and we were relying on them a ton with all the injuries. By mid season well have Gronk back hopefully Amendola and a squad of rookies with some experience. I know we’re spoiled as Pats fans but we have a bright future ahead. What are your thoughts?
Yeah, my thoughts exactly. Right now we’re seeing that there are two kinds of fans, those who see poor performance in Week 2 and want to fly off the handle and rush to judgement on anything that can be judged. They likely did the same thing last season after the Pats lost to the Cardinals.
The other group is where you and I reside. We understand that football in September is meaningless unless you lose a bunch of games and kill your playoff chances. Otherwise it’s about trying things out, understanding what you have and what your strengths and weaknesses are.
The WR rebuild was inevitable. It’s fair to criticize the organization for failing to bring in and stick with any young wide receivers from 2005-2012. They’ve made that bed and now they have to lie in it, and there is no other way to do that than stay the course, trust your scouts and coaches, and hope that come November the team starts to click.
It Is What It Is » Inside Man: Chandler Jones bringing pressure from defensive tackle spot
It Is What It Is » Inside Man: Chandler Jones bringing pressure from defensive tackle spot
Great stuff from Chris Price on my favorite topic – the interior pass rush. It was tough this weekend and seeing guys like Dontari Poe who looked so quick and tough inside. Hopefully Wilfork and Kelly get on track this weekend, sometimes it takes those vets a little while to kick into high gear.
