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danny shelton

Shelton and Collins Re-Signings Take Pats Defense Over the Top

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The Patriots brought back another veteran at a spot of need by signing Danny Shelton. Shelton was a healthy scratch for a few games last season but came on at the end, playing his best football of the year in the playoffs, recording two tackles with a tackle-for-loss in the Super Bowl.

I don’t think there’s any hope that he’s going to ever reach his first-round pick status, but even as a rotational defensive tackle, especially against good running teams, Shelton reinforces the defensive interior.

Essentially the Patriots swapped Mike Pennel for Malcom Brown, a possible upgrade.

Combine this signing with the Jamie Collins signing (along with Jared Veldheer, Ben Watson and Austin-Seferian Jenkins on the offensive side), and the Patriots have put together one of the deepest groups they’ve ever brought into training camp. The defense won’t have Trey Flowers but they look well-equipped to find his replacement.

Young hard chargers like JC Jackson and Ja’Whaun Bentley will push vets like Jason McCourty and Collins as the D is deep at every spot.

They’ve lost some significant players this offseason, particularly at tight end and defensive end, as well as left tackle and receiver. But for every loss they’ve added two players who could potentially replace it.

Injuries are going to take 10 percent of the 90-man roster no matter what, but once again the Patriots have quality depth and potential at almost every position as OTAs get rolling this week.

Film Review: It All Goes Right for Pats D vs. Phins

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I am pretty sure this was my favorite defensive football film watch of all-time. Simply put it was the second time in four weeks that the Patriots defense executed across the board. The pressure was consistent even with four, they were tough on first down, they got takeaways. I’m not sure what more you can ask from a defense and that’s almost a little scary.

It really puts a spotlight on how inexcusable the two performances on the road were, but those are done and the Pats need to figure out how to live up to the performances against Houston and Miami every week. Here’s a bunch of rapid-fire thoughts as I digest the brief and spectacular film review.

— The defense was just totally in sync as it was vs the Texans. It’s beautiful to watch as the coverage perfectly matches the receivers and the pocket breaks apart forcing an uncomfortable throw. Again and again, we’re reminded that when defenses simply get off blocks and make tackles they can look monumentally better. That was the case in this one.

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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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Film Review: It’s All There for Pats

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I know most of us came out of Friday’s preseason game with a bland taste in our mouths but after reviewing the film of the game, I’m feeling pretty good actually. That’s usually the case, especially in games that get overreacted to. My favorite example being the 2014 Chiefs blowout, which showed up in film review as just a game of bad fundamentals, something that is often quickly fixed.

It’s clear who the 2018 Patriots are now. And while there are still some questions toward the bottom of the roster, the top lines of the offense, defense and special teams have taken shape. Yes, even without adding another huge name wide receiver.

It’s impossible to know how the health of the team will hold up. So far so good. If they stay healthy no one can tell me this isn’t a Super Bowl roster. As always things will remain a work in progress but all the elements are there. Now it’s just a matter of bringing them all together under an actual gameplan and executing. There will be steps forward and steps back, but the aim of this team is the same as it’s ever been under Bill Belichick.

Here’s what jumped out in the film review against the Panthers.

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Pats Posits: Let the Tampering Begin!

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It’s an exciting time to be a football fan with the start of free agency this week, the 2018 season will finally start to take shape. For the Patriots, they already grabbed Danny Shelton and another draft pick for what will likely be a 2019 3rd round pick, making a solid investment in this coming fall without sacrificing much more than a couple million in cap space this season.

There are still plenty of moves for them to make, starting with Nate Solder and the tackle position.

From there they can move on to running back, linebacker and cornerback, doing what they always do — targeting the cost-effective vets in the middle-to-lower tiers. 2017 was a shocker when they made a big splash on a cornerback. Since Adalius Thomas they really had avoided big time external free agent deals, with consideration to Darrelle Revis, who was expensive but really just a one-year rental.

They had the cap space last year, this year they don’t. So until Solder is resolved I don’t expect any big moves. After that there should be quite a bit of action.

More on that and everything else that might come at us this week in a very offseason Posits!

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Report: Patriots Acquire DT Danny Shelton

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After spending the better part of two days wondering how a large contingent of Patriots Nation thought cornerback was the biggest need for this defense, the Patriots made the kind of splash I wanted them to in the front seven, acquiring monstrous defensive tackle Danny Shelton and a 2018 pick from the Cleveland Browns for a 2019 mid-round pick..

Shelton is entering the last year of his rookie deal at an affordable $2 million, with an option for 2019 that @Patscap estimates would be in the $6-7 million range. Shelton was the 12th overall pick in 2015 and is really the perfect fit for the Patriots’ defense that looks for their two defensive tackles to control the interior of the offensive line while the ends and linebackers make the plays.

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