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cody lachance

Crowd energy big driver for Patriots on Sunday

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Guest Post from Cody LaChance

(Mike D. note – Cody was lucky enough to be voted winner of one of my ticket giveaways last week, thanks to NRG. Here’s his report from a rocking Gillette Stadium…)

Boston Barstool’s Jerry Thornton has coined the Gillette Stadium crowd as “The Real Housewives of Foxboro”. They only get loud after big plays, and they seem to go quiet too often. They aren’t a feared crowd like the CenturyLink and Arrowhead groups, but

Sunday may have changed that.

Gillette Stadium was rocking. From the time of the first kickoff through the end of the game, the crowd was on its feet and making lots of noise. Did the crowd set a record for stadium noise? No. But did their energy and enthusiasm translate into a great showing by the Patriots? You better believe.

I was lucky enough to be part of the crowd after winning a pair of tickets from PatsPropaganda and NRG and it was an experience I’ll never forget.

Andy Dalton and the Bengals offense never really got into a rhythm. They had a few drive killing penalties that seemed to be in part of the loud stadium making communication hard for Cincinnati. The defense was thriving off the energy from the stands as they did not allow a 3rd as the Bengals boasted a great offense coming into this play that had not given up a sack yet and has explosive weapons like A.J. Green, Giovanni Bernard, and Mohammed Sanu.

The offense was feeding off the noise as well. Brady rushing for first downs on the first drive got the place going and there was no looking back. Gronk only fueled the masses as he made big play after big play, headlined by his 16-yard touchdown pass late into the 3rd quarter that put the game out of reach for the Bengals. It is a great sign moving forward seeing #87 playing mean out there and getting back to his trademark “Smashing and dashing” ways.

What a way to quiet the critics. The Patriot reign is not yet over. Tom Brady and the New England Patriots still are a team that will contend for the Super Bowl. The fans at Gillette Stadium and the team were backed into a corner and they both showed up Sunday night.

Going forward, these crowds need to continue to be loud and on their feet from start to finish. If the fans and team can show up like that each and every home game, this team will be tough to beat in Foxboro.

Patriots Training Camp Report from Cody Lachance

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Mike D. note – Thanks to Cody Lachance (@HailtotheHoodie) for this report from training camp. His defensive report can be found here.

If there was one main takeaway from this weekend, it was that the Patriots look like they can really commit to a power running style offense where they can control the overall pace of game.

If Ridley can hold onto the ball and have some additional help from either White or Finch, the running back by committee technique could lead to the Patriots being one of the best running teams in the NFL.

The offensive line is big and physical and as we saw at the end of last year, they take pride in playing in an aggressive, running style of offense. This will only help preserve the health and efficiency of Tom Brady. By having Brady throw the ball around 30 times a game versus in the 45-50 range, opposing pass rushers won’t have as many chances at him as they have had in previous years. If the Patriots can commit to a run game early in games and make teams stack the box against Brady, he’ll be able to terrorize them in the passing game by picking apart one-on-one coverage to his top receivers like Edelman and Gronkowski.

In their past three playoff losses, the Patriots have lost the time of possession battle by an average of 9 minutes and 16 seconds. The largest deficit came in Super Bowl 46 against the Giants where they had the ball for 14 minutes and 10 seconds MORE than the Patriots. The Patriots need to start controlling the pace of the game more efficiently, or they’re destined for another disappointing playoff loss. The best way to do this is to commit to the run game and set the tone for the entire game with a tough and physical style of play. The Patriots need to use the momentum they built in their last three wins (Baltimore, Buffalo, and Indianapolis) and continue to first establish the run and then break down the defense behind the arm and mind of Tom Brady. If they can do this and stay healthy, there is a great chance this team is playing in Glendale, Arizona in February.

Here’s some more specifics on the different position groups;

The position that showed the most promise over the weekend was the running backs. Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen both looked for strong as they are entering contract seasons and both need great years to get a big paycheck. Ridley did not put the ball on the ground, and even though the drills are not totally full speed yet, it’s still a good sign. Vereen continues to look like a breakout star out of the backfield as his combination of speed and great hands was on display as he caught many passes coming out of the backfield.

But, it was a pair of rookies that really caught attention of everyone there. James White looks like he can take on a large workload this year. He was originally said to be an insurance policy for Shane Vereen, but after watching him practice a few days it’s apparent that White can not only catch out of the backfield, but also run with power. White could see some time taking snaps as the lead rusher for the Patriots this year if injuries or fumble issues hit Ridley or Vereen. Both

Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have had high praise for White in the past few days, which shows how even the toughest of critics are showing a log of faith in the rookie RB from Wisconsin.

Another rookie, Roy Finch, looks like he can make a big play at any time. The most notable Finch play was when he lowered his helmet and sat a linebacker down as he tried to make the tackle. Finch also looked solid on special teams as a punt and kickoff returner. Patriots’ fans have been wanting an explosive, game-breaker like this and although he is just a rookie, Finch might fit the mold. Both rookies should be on the 53 man roster going into the season opener in Miami.

That leaves veteran Brandon Bolden as a potential cut. Bolden did not play well during the practices as he dropped many balls and did not seem to run the ball well. The most notable disappointment came during a drill where a coach would drop a ball over Bolden’s head, With

Develin being a lock to make the team due to his versatility at FB and TE, it would seem unlikely the Patriots would keep six backs and keep Bolden on the team. If he does not pick up his play, look for Brandon Bolden to be searching for a new team within a few weeks. The offensive line looks much larger than it has in some time. Solder and Volmer still are the largest of them, but rookies like Bryan Stork just appear larger than what we’re used to seeing on the offensive line. Josh Kline was very impressive this weekend, as one series he took Vince

Wilfork out of a few running plays entirely (even though Vince is recovering from his injury he is still a formidable run stopping DT). Stork continues to have some growing pains as he took some laps with Jimmy Garoppolo on a few botched snaps.

Quarterback has never been a big problem for the Patriots as Tom Brady is still a top 5 quarterback in the league today. Ryan Mallett looked strong in camp, and it was great getting to see how close it appears Brady and Mallett are as Mallett seems to always like pushing Brady in drills and letting him know when Mallett outperforms #12. The most comical part of the weekend occurred during Saturday’s autograph session after practice. As Ryan Mallett was signing for a fan, Tom Brady came behind him and signed Mallett’s practice jersey. Mallett then started to jump around in pure joy of getting a future Hall of Famer’s autograph, much to the delight of the crowd.

Jimmy Garoppolo continues to make progress, but it’s very apparent that he was a Division 1 AA quarterback as he is not quick enough on his reads to perform at this level quite yet. During 7 on 7 and 11 on 11 drills it’s very apparent that the speed of the game is very fast for him and he struggles going through his reads quickly enough. He also seems to bounce around in the pocket a little too much, and with some practice should be able to calm down and set his feet better. Garoppolo did make one of the prettiest throws of the weekend when he hit D.J. Williams in stride down the right sideline for a pickup of about 30 yards during 11 on 11’s.

The wide receiver and tight end groups are looking solid so far as well. Edelman looks primed for another big year, even if his stats go down due to more potent weapons around him. It’s very apparent that Brady trusts him the most and will continue to be his number one option at receiver. Kenbrell Thompkins looked strong as well, but we saw him be a summer hero last year so it’s hard to truly judge him at this point. Danny Amendola looks more explosive and healthy than he did at the end of last year, as apparent by an outstanding, diving, one-handed catch he made during Saturday’s practice.

As for tight ends, Michael Hoomanawanui took snaps with the first team offense during contact drills, with Justin Jones and D.J. Williams getting snaps more with the second team offense.

Jones looks like he could be an absolute monster in this offense, but he dropped many catchable balls on Saturday, but came back for a strong Sunday as he did not drop nearly as many passes.

If Jones can continue to improve his pass catching, he could be the next star tight end to come out of New England. And as for #87, he looks great during non-contact drills, and he should be able to come out swinging week one in Miami.

There was a lot of concern about not enough added weapons to this offense during the offseason. With health and a solid gameplan, they are absolutely talented enough to make a deep playoff run. Add in that they are coached by Belichick and McDaniels and that they will practice against one of the top defenses in the league all year, and they should be primed and ready for nearly anything the other 31 NFL defenses could throw at them.

Patriots Camp Report from Cody Lachance

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Mike D. note – Thanks to Cody Lachance (@HailtotheHoodie) for this report from training camp.

Saturday and Sunday marked the first time that the Patriots got to put their pads on and make some noise. I was fortunate enough to attend Saturday and Sunday’s practice sessions and I had many takeaways from the practice sessions. Today’s edition will focus on the defensive side of the ball.

The defense was where the team improved the most this offseason, the additions of Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner made Patriots fans excited for how great this defense can be this year. Add in a potential stud first round pick in DT Dominique Easley and this could be a truly special unit. If this group is as good in season as they showed this weekend, we are all in for a truly great defense this year.

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Darrelle Revis is absolutely living up to the hype. He makes playing the cornerback position look like an art. His ability to not only cover any receiver he lines up on, but also play the run well makes him an all-around great defender. On one play, he drove Julian Edelman back four or five feet on a quick halfback draw showing how great of a run defender he is. He also added two interceptions on Saturday with a few defended passes; that is when the quarterback actually threw to his side of the field. One of the most impressive aspects of this weekend for Revis was how the New England quarterbacks would just stay away from his side of the field. If healthy, Revis will be an absolute stud in New England and remind people of the days where a different #24 used to roam the backfield for the Patriots.

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The rest of the secondary looked strong. Browner looks like an absolute giant out there and towers over nearly everyone on the field. He did have trouble keeping up with players that ran deep routes on him, but anything in the short to intermediate range was where he excelled. With some additional safety help for deep routes, Browner should be able to lock down the short passing game. The hit he put on rookie running back James White was truly impressive and it seems like the rest of the defense will start to follow Browner’s lead and take pride in making big hits like that in games. Browner is definitely showing how he’s bringing some Seattle defensive culture to New England.

Logan Ryan looked outstanding, and is proving why both Revis and Browner have mentioned playing with him as a reason to come to New England. Devin McCourty should have a great yearwith all the new help in the secondary and capitalize on a great chance to play with great players.

Duron Harmon, Patrick Chung, and Tavon Wilson all took snaps with the first team defense and I think the competition for the starting safety alongside McCourty is pretty open. Tavon has been one of the offseason MVPs as he has put in the work, but I would still expect to see Duron Harmon alongside McCourty to start the year.

An interesting development over the weekend was the play of rookie cornerback Malcolm Butler. He kept up with the first team offensive wide receivers, and even picked off Mallett in a live play drill. He plays with a lot of emotion and competes at a high level and we should really see what the Patriots might have in this player in the preseason games. If Butler can play like he did this weekend, there’s a good chance that he’ll earn a spot on the practice roster at the minimum.

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The linebackers and defensive line seem primed to take advantage of the help from what is now a top secondary in the NFL. Chandler Jones was the most notable of this group as he should continue to improve and could very well notch nearly 15 sacks this year. Vince Wilfork participated in contact drills and at times looked to show flashes of his old self, but on other plays looked like a 30+ year old, 300 pound lineman coming off a torn Achilles. With a reduced workload, Vince should still be able to perform at a high level. Rob Ninkovich does what he has always done in New England, do his job every single snap. The line has a lot of depth, and players like Will Smith, Michael Buchanon, Jake Bequette, Chris Jones, Sealver Siliga, and Joe Vellano all look to contribute. It was disappointing not being able to see Dominique Easley out there, but it’s better to be safe than sorry with him coming off an ACL tear. If he can stay healthy, he can be an absolute game changer on passing downs for this defense. The major takeaway from the linebacker group was how Jamie Collins does appear to have bulked up during the offseason and looks even more physically intimidating than he did last year.

He should be primed to make a big impact on defense, especially with the return of Jerod Mayo and more improvement out of Dont’a Hightower. Mayo was out there in contact drills which is a great sign that he will be just about back to his normal self for the season. James Anderson and Steve Beauharnais both took reps with the second team defense and it will be interesting to see how the competition for the number four linebacker plays out.

Another great development was how well the defense seemed to work together and support each other on the field. The defense was taking great pride in being able to make a stop during 7 on 7 and 11 on 11 drills. The group seems to be forming a strong chemistry which is key in having a cohesive unit that will be able to work together and make big plays when they need to.

This defense is as good as it has been for nearly ten years and this weekend is only scratching the surface of what kind of potential they have. This can easily be a top 5, maybe even top 3 defense in the entire NFL and could have players like Darrelle Revis and Chandler Jones potentially even be in the debate for Defensive Player of the Year honors. For Patriots fans, it’ll be great to finally be able to sit back and enjoy watching a true hard-nosed, outstanding, Belichikian defense looking like it was straight out of the dynasty years.a

Will Patriots’ Offensive Youth Movement Continue?

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Will the New England Patriots continue 2013’s trend of going young on the offensive side of the ball? Given the players in their last year and the weak spots along their offensive line, it seems likely.

Specifically focusing on the interior line where the Patriots got much larger during the draft. Rookie offensive linemen like Stork, Halapio, and Fleming are on average much larger than bubble veteran players like Connolly and Wendell.

The problem is that they haven’t quite caught on as fast as the team had hoped. Stork was the highest OL taken in the draft, and it was a common reoccurrence to see him take a lap for a missed snap or botched play.

We’ll see this unit more when the pads come on in late July, and that might be where the rookies set themselves apart from the veterans due to their sheer size. Connolly and Wendell could very well be in jeopardy of losing their jobs when the roster needs to be cut down to 53.

Although they weren’t flashy picks that excite the fan base, drafting young, big offensive linemen is a great weapon to give Brady, as he should be able to stay on his feet a bit longer and let his receivers create more separation.

When it comes to running backs, look for the veterans to hold their spots pretty well. Ridley and Vereen should both be near locks to make the roster. They both are playing in a contract year and both are integral parts of the offense. Brandon Bolden could potentially be in trouble here, especially if rookie running backs James White and Roy Finch can produce during training camp.

White seems more likely to earn a spot due to his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and it’s been rumored the Patriots could go to a personnel package featuring both Vereen and White who are both solid pass catchers out of the backfield.

Similar to revolutionizing the two TE system, Belichick finds a way to think ahead of the curve and the two pass catching RB system might be his next big leap in NFL offensive personnel packages. Especially in the screen game, this system could become opposing defensive coordinators worst nightmares.

James Develin who is listed as a RB on the team’s site has actually been taking snaps with the TE group during minicamp. If he can show reliable hands, his spot should be safe regardless of what position it says on the roster. The battle between Bolden and Finch could come down to special team value, where Finch could have the upper hand. The Patriots could sport a RB depth chart looking something like Ridley, Vereen, White, Develin, and Finch at the beginning of the season.

The Patriots wide receiver core remains one of its biggest question marks. Last year it was very apparent that the rookie wide receivers were not on the same page with their quarterback. Whether it was bad drops, poorly run routes, or even not knowing where to line up before the snap, the Patriots looked lost on offense from time to time.

Edelman played a full 16 game season for the first time in his career, while Danny Amendola lived up to his injury prone expectations and never really looked 100% healthy after the Buffalo opener.

This group will rely on second year jumps from their young trio of Aaron Dobson, Josh Boyce, and Kenbrell Thompkins. Boyce looked solid in camp until some minor injury woes, and Thompkins once again looks like a summer hero but then again we’ve seen this before where he shines in the summer and disappears in the early winter. Dobson is still recovering from a foot injury, and we just hope to see something out of him in training camp but that is looking less and less likely.

I actually throw Amendola into the second year jump category, as a full season with the playbook should give him a better chance to form chemistry with Brady. This unit looks like it will heavily rely on a WR package featuring Amendola in the slot, Edelman as the Z receiver, and potentially a revolving door of Dobson, Thompkins, and Brandon LaFell as the X receiver. Barring health, this group should be better than last year, but it will be far from an elite unit in the NFL.

But are they good enough to compete for a Super Bowl? With a healthy Rob Gronkowski, absolutely.

Guest post from Cody Lachance/@HailtotheHoodie