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brandon bolden

Pats Posits: Countdown to Camp is On!

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With the 4th of July in the rearview mirror, all focus now turns to Patriots training camp, which opens in just 17 days. It was an annoying offseason, watching some important and beloved players walk and hearing constant chatter about internal discord. I’m ready for all that to be over.

How does it all translate onto the football field? We’re about to find out.

I’m especially ready for this 2018 Patriots train to leave the station. Edelman and Hightower will be back out there and they’re a huge boost. And yes, we get to watch Tom Brady play football for another season. Savor every second.

The end looms so every new moment of Brady-Belichick will be thrilling and uncertain. Fingers crossed they got another run at this thing in them, it will be historic and crazy no matter how it turns out.

In case you missed them I posted some camp battle previews :

Training Camp Battle Breakdowns:

  1. Left Tackle
  2. Defensive End
  3. Wide Receiver
  4. Running Back

Also, a pre-camp 53-man roster projection. All of it generated some good areas to discuss so let’s hop in with some Posits…

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McClellan to IR, Bolden re-signed

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Some interesting roster developments today as Shea McClellin was moved to IR and Brandon Bolden was re-signed to the roster. On the practice squad, an offensive lineman that I liked a little too much in 2016 along with a few other new faces were seen. Roster building continues.

On Bolden it’s good to get him back. I’ve never been his biggest fan but it was more directed toward him as a running back. As a special teamer I think he’s the kind of smart, tough player you win football games with. Add in that he’s a well-respected leader off the field and it feels even better to bring him back for a campaign without Edelman or Ninkovich. They don’t need him at running back now, so welcome back BBHulksmash.

As for McClellin, I held out slim hope that he would start making consistent plays on defense but now it appears we’ll have to wait until next year and a mystery injury recovery later for that. The hit on the Pats linebacker/edge depth continue, but the good news is Dietrich Ward was not listed on the injury report, so I’d expect him to play A LOT.

Nate Solder was another notable player absent from the injury report after being in and out all summer. Solder is entering the last year of his deal and the Pats are handling more delicately than Brady. If Tony Garcia can somehow return from a mystery non-football illness, maybe the team can see if they might have a potential replacement at left tackle. Maybe they’re making Solder prove he’s still durable for giving him another contract.

These Thursday Season Kickoff games come up on you quick and the low end roster moves are a blur. It will be an exciting week. New Patshow Wednesday afternoon! Game Thursday. Here. We. Go.

The Curious Case of Belichick Praise

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Every now and then Bill Belichick sings the praise of an individual player. Usually he deflects specific player questions into team generalization. You know the drill. A reporter asks about a certain player who’s struggling or shown promise and Belichick responds with something along the lines of “the player did some good things, needs to improve on things, we all need to improve on things, including the coaches.”

If you’re like me you just tune these responses out by now. Not that they really bother me. I get it. All of Belichick’s answers are well-crafted, not for the reporter, but for the specific player and for the team. Belichick doesn’t coach through the press, at least in a negative sense.

But every now and then Belichick throws some glowing praise at a player and more often than not it’s some random guy you never really gave much thought to.

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A Closer Look at the Patriots’ Roster Bubble

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Today is Tom Brady‘s 40th birthday and it also marks the end of then first week of training camp. While I don’t really have any big Brady celebration plans (because your favorite QB turning 40 isn’t exactly something to celebrate), it’s a good time to take a quick reset on what we’ve learned and how the roster is flushing out.

The headline of week one was Rob Ninkovich‘s retirement, and though that opens up a roster spot, there are still plenty of bubble guys who will be in the fight of their lives to make the team.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the bubble players who have emerged in the first week and weigh their chances of making the roster.

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5 Possible Shocking Patriots Cuts

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Patriots shocking cutLabor Day weekend can be one of the craziest times of the football year for Patriots fans. There’s always at least one bombshell that Bill Belichick drops on us, cutting or trading a player we all thought would play a significant part in a season that starts in mere days.

It puts many of us in a tailspin. What does it mean? Are they not “all in” this year? Was that guy a bad dude? Are they cheap? Do they not want to win the Super Bowl this year. What. Is. Happening.

Now before you let any of these drive you insane, remember two things. 1) None of them will probably happen, but… B) That’s what we would’ve thought about Lawyer Milloy, Richard Seymour, Logan Mankins, Brandon Meriweather and even Jonas Gray to name a few. And the tailspin described above is more or less what happened with each of those releases.

The formula is pretty simple really. Either guys aren’t as good as we thought they were or, they’re entering the final year of a deal and on the backside of their career. That’s a prime time to move them and get some value in return. It might be one year too early, but that’s how BB rolls. Better than one year too late.

We already got one kind of surprising (but not for me) trades this offseason that fit this mold with Chandler Jones getting moved. Maybe BB already hit his quota with that one.

Here’s my five (realistic) potential shockers.

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pottsisstarksheart:

Brandon Bolden goes 63 yards for a touchdown, the longest reception of his career!

https://www.patspropaganda.com/pottsisstarksheart-brandon-bolden-goes-63-yards/

Brandon Bolden has emerged as leader for Shane Vereen’s role

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Brandon Bolden has emerged as leader for Shane Vereen’s role

I don’t love Bolden in this role, at least in the long term, but he’s reliable, great on special teams and is a pretty balanced back. My problem with Bolden is I don’t see a playmaking upside. He’ll get what’s there and not much more. However this will be only his fourth year in the league, it’s still too early to write him off, especially when he hasn’t gotten many extended opportunities.

Still, I think James White and/or Travaris Cadet will be a bigger part of the passing-down role by December.