PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

brandin cooks

Pats Posits: Things to Fix But Plenty to Like

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Most of Patriots Nation is gushing over Tom Brady this morning and rightly so, as he delivered another last-minute comeback, the 50th 4th quarter comeback of his career, with a pinpoint end zone pass to Brandin Cooks. The game against the Texans was one where the two teams were evenly matched and for many spoiled Patriots fans, that’s cause for concern.

But it’s important to remember this is only Week 3. It’s still September. And when you look around the rest of the NFL, with 15 teams owning the same 2-1 record as the Pats and just two undefeated teams remaining, it’s clear that everyone is still figuring it out. The “figuring it out” phase is always hard for fans. It’s a roller coaster of inconsistency as teams discover what they’re good at and where their weaknesses are.

So yes, the Patriots have some weaknesses, and the defensive performances especially are concerning, especially when you see they’re giving up twice the points-per-game that they did last year (15.6 vs. 31.7).

Let’s unpack all the leftover thoughts on what we’ve seen from the 2017 Pats, including where they must improve if they’re to start their annual mid-season climb to the top of the NFL rankings once again.

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Film Review: Patriots vs. Saints Offense Edition

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Finishing off the film reviews of the Saints game with this quick-hit look at the offense. This looked like the Patriots offense we’re used to. Keep the chains moving, sprinkle in some trickeration and big plays, and win the short yardage situations with their power back. Despite the absences of Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola, the Patriots offense looked pretty much like we’ve come to expect.

As always, watching the All-22 really gives you a better sense of how teams defended the Patriots, but also allows you to take a closer look at things that were missed on initial glance. One big thing that stuck out to me is that I don’t think Tom Brady, Brandin Cooks and Josh McDaniels are quite on the same page yet. And I also think that Nate Solder isn’t quite playing the best football of his career.

More on those and everything else in the quick-hit Film Review…

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Patriots Gameplan: Week 1 vs. Kansas City Chiefs

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And just like that another season is upon us! On Thursday night the Patriots will raise their fifth banner (and I’ll be there to see it) as the incredible run continues. I think we’re long past the “just happy to be here” phase and firmly in the “squeeze every last record out of TB and BB before it’s over” mode. It’s amazing how fast it’s all going by yet seems impossibly long ago when the duo won their first together.

Now we’re off on the 2017 season, which will have its own set of challenges, and the first opponent is one who has always scared me a bit. I know that might sound silly — being afraid of Alex Smith!? But in a conference where there really aren’t many contenders to the Pats’ dominance, the Kansas City Chiefs are just the kind of team who can steal a game from New England.

In an oft-fluky first game of the season, the low mistake Chiefs have the playing style and pieces to make this a close game. Let’s face it, no matter who the opponent, the Patriots’ September clashes always seem to be more interesting than expected. And that’s even when they’re playing shitty AFC East teams! Imagine what could happen when they’re playing a well-coached, well-prepared team that play clean football.

It should be a good, competitive game. Yes, the fifth banner will be revealed, but also to be revealed is the Patriots true plans for a dynamic new offense that is dripping with speed, even without Julian Edelman.

Here’s the gameplan for knocking off the Chiefs on opening night.

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Brady and Cooks Primed to Shine

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After completing the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, it wasn’t a surprise that the New England Patriots were heavily favored the win the Super Bowl for a second consecutive season. With most of the team, including future Hall of Famers Tom Brady and Bill Belichick coming back, it’s hard to bet against the Pats.

Check out the Patriots odds offered by major sportsbooks if you want to put your money where the expectations are.

But those hopes took a hit during the preseason, when wide receiver Julian Edelman tore his ACL and was lost for the season.  Edelman came through time and time again in the most biggest moments and replacing that kind of production won’t be easy.

With the game on the line Tom Brady knew he could trust Edelman to be right where he expected him to be, and that made the Patriots’ offense almost impossible to stop.

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Patriots-Jaguars Monday Practice Report

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Just got back from my second credentialed practice of the summer and it was by far the most interesting and entertaining. It was a long workout, going over two hours and featured plenty of 11-on-11 work in the last half hour.

If there was a headline of this practice it would have to be that the Brady-Cooks connection is hitting a new level. I wasn’t around to see what practices with Randy Moss looked like, but Brady is throwing deep to Cooks early and often. Cooks came down with multiple deep catches that drew oohs and aahs from the crowd.

And it wasn’t just Cooks, Chris Hogan got into the action on the deep balls, while Edelman and Gronk had a handful of their usual big plays.

All in all, you look at the offense and it’s easy to imagine what a nightmare they’re going to be for defenses all season long.

More on everything from a fun day of practice after the jump…

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5 New Patriots Emerging in Camp

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMNuIREIhPk

There have only been five Patriots training camp practices, and while we don’t want to annoy Bill Belichick by getting overzealous with our analysis just yet, it’s obvious that some young and new players are emerging and could take on significant roles with the team this season.

It’s an annual right of passage — some random undrafted player or veteran free agent castoff suddenly clicks in the system and becomes someone the team leans on. This summer has been no different, and while some of those emerging were more anticipated than others, it’s clear that the 2017 Patriots will have new faces in a number of spots.

Let’s take a look at the five guys getting the most attention early in camp.

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5 Most Intriguing Patriots of Training Camp

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-JomKcygQ0&t=91s

I drove by Gillette this morning and the excitement in the car was palpable. Inside the stadium, I imagined the Patriots’ rookies getting thrown into the deep end of the NFL training camp pool, preparing for their conditioning tests and the month-long grind upon which they’re about to embark.

The Patriots entered this offseason with a huge amount of cap space, so we knew there were going to be significant additions and extension and the team did not disappoint. For a team that just won the Super Bowl, their offseason looked far more like one of the offseasons where they had fallen just short of the ultimate prize.

So it’s difficult to pin down which players I’m most excited to see. I mean, if I don’t write Tom Brady here is it sacrilegious? Because of course I’m excited to see him, as well as Gronk back out there with a “healthy” back and all the rest of the players who we’ve grown to love in recent years.

This list of most intriguing

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