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Dion Lewis Back at Practice for Patriots

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Oh happy day, Dion Lewis is off the PUP list and back at practice for the Patriots. The team now has 21 days to activate him onto the roster.

The former journeyman running back burst onto the scene last season, looking like Barry Sanders 2.0 in seven games with the Patriots before tearing his ACL. The Pats placed him on the PUP list after a setback this summer delayed his return to action.

In those seven games, Lewis put up 49 rushes for 234 yards with two touchdowns and 36 catches for 388 yards and two touchdowns. As those number show, he was a true dynamic threat, and was breaking tackles at a record pace. The thought of what he could bring to the Patriots offense if he can return to that form is frightening (for opponents) and tantalizing (for Pats fans).

Dion Lewis

Dion Lewis

The Pats have been fine with James White and LeGarrette Blount. In fact, has the top running back receiving grade from PFF, while Blount has already exceeded his career-high in touchdowns and needs just nine more catches for his career high. But both are somewhat one-dimensional, especially White, who’s rushing numbers are far below his receiving ones.

So Lewis could bring the best of both worlds, and his ability in space and to make people miss is unique and will bring another dynamic playmaker to an offense that is already loaded with them. But again, Lewis was a nobody before those seven games last season, so there is just a bit of uncertainty that he’s going to automatically get back to the same level of awesomeness, especially coming off an injury that usually takes two years before the player is fully comfortable.

With White and Blount the Pats can bring Lewis along slowly, as they’ve already been doing. But as they slowly bring him into the mix with the goal of seeing some of that 2015 form in January, the offense could see a level of unstoppability not seen since the early months of 2007.

Patriots Injury Buzzkill Sunday

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After two off days, the Patriots had media access on Sunday morning and the Boston Globe’s Jim McBride broke a trio of bad injury news updates concerning Shaq Mason, Dion Lewis and Sebastian Vollmer.

These are the first significant injury blows of the 2016 season with potential long-term ramifications.

Let’s break them each down one by one.

[Read more…] about Patriots Injury Buzzkill Sunday

Tweets of Note from Monday Patriots OTA

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Today was the final OTA practice open to the media, so it’s the last time we’ll see the Patriots on the field until training camp, just over a month away. Two big headlines from today was the return of three players — Rob Gronkowski, Dion Lewis and Shaq Mason.

Not sure what was going on with Gronkowski and why he was missing from mandatory minicamp last week, but it doesn’t seem like anything too serious. The horrible media pundits can go back to trying fabricate the “Gronk’s unhappy with his contract” hot take they all seem so obsessed with.

Lewis’ return is excellent news, and brings back memories of Wes Welker returning to OTAs during the 2010 offseason, just five months removed from tearing his ACL. Welker was ready to go in Week 1 of the 2010 season but the Patriots still managed his snaps early in the year and I’d expect the same of Lewis. But the fact that he was on the field, running and cutting, is a good one no matter how you spin it.

Here are some more tweets of note:

Jones is a popular pick for this year’s UDFA to make the roster. I’ll be very curious to see how he compares to Darryl Roberts. Those two could be fighting for the last CB roster spot.

 

 

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Patriots OTAs Access Today!

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Patriots OTAs

Wes Welker at 2010 OTAs five months after an ACL tear.

Today the media gets access to the Patriots OTAs so we’ll get some pictures and observations to help quench our thirst for football here as we prepare to enter the worst part of the offseason, aka The Void.

It’s important to understand that as much as I’ll be ready to dissect every minute detail, at this point it’s about teaching, not competition. So as much as we’ll want to read into who’s playing where and when, jobs aren’t being won or lost at this stage of the offseason. If anything it’s a chance for everyone to get on the same page and get a fundamental understanding of how business will be done when training camp opens in two months.

However, it will be interesting to see who is participating. If there’s one thing we will get a good sense of, it’s who’s still in recovery mode and not quite ready to make it onto the field, even for light practices.

Some injured guys to be on the look out for:

Dion Lewis – Wes Welker was at OTAs in 2010 after tearing his ACL just five months earlier and while he was still managed into training camp and the regular season, it was an incredibly positive sign that his recovery was quickly headed in the right direction. Dion Lewis is almost seven months removed from his ACL tear, and with reports coming in that he’s on schedule to be ready for the season opener, his presence on the field would be a big step forward.

Julian Edelman – Edelman was spotted in a walking boot just a couple weeks ago after having a “cleanup procedure”. It seems unlikely that he’ll be on the field so soon after, especially since everyone knows what he’s capable of and there’s no need to push him.

Dont’a Hightower – Hightower had knee issues that bothered him last season, reportedly a sprained MCL that he hurt against the Broncos, then re-injured against the Titans. Hightower should be fine but with his physical style of play he could be one who has a lot more going on that we know. It’ll be reassuring to see him back in the mix, especially after his extended recovery from a torn labrum last season.

Nate Solder – Solder tore his biceps last season, but has popped up in various team photos in recent weeks. I’d expect him to be a near lock to be back at his starting left tackle spot, a welcomed site indeed.

LeGarrette Blount – Blount’s 2015 season ended with a hip injury but avoided surgery. However the Pats must be concerned with his durability as his new one-year deal includes a split if he gets injured. If he didn’t need surgery, Blount should be out there.

Aaron Dobson, Trey Flowers, AJ Derby and Darryl Roberts are other interesting players who ended their seasons on IR and worth monitoring for their attendance. Of course, there’s always a surprise injury absence or two as well. Guys who had surgeries that were never reported. That’s just how the Pats roll.

But at least it will be nice to see the team back on the field, a small nibble that will have to help get us through the upcoming worst part of the offseason

New England Patriots RB Dion Lewis (ACL) on track for season opener – Reiss/ESPNBoston

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The Patriots will take a patient and conservative approach with running back Dion Lewis’ recovery from a torn left ACL, but things are going well.

Source: New England Patriots RB Dion Lewis (ACL) on track for season opener – New England Patriots Blog- ESPN

Obviously this is good news for a player who came out of nowhere to be a critical element for this year’s Super Bowl hopes. I can’t help but imagine how differently 2015 would’ve unfolded if Lewis didn’t go down in Week 9. You need to look no further than James White’s stat line in the AFC Championship — 16 targets, five catches for 45 yards. That was the game where the drop off from Lewis to White was crystal clear.

We’ve seen it plenty of times with past ACL injuries, the Pats will bring him along slowly just like they did with Welker in 2010 and Gronk in 2014. The hope would be the same as it was with those two players in those two seasons — that by December they’re ready to go.

The hard part is assuming Lewis can be just as electric as he was through those first seven-plus games in 2015. Never before has a castoff journeyman stepped in and looked like an all-star quite like that. How did a guy who hadn’t played an NFL game since 2012 slip through the cracks like that? And can we just assume that that’s the player he’ll be once he’s fully healthy? Whatever level Lewis can get back to will determine just what the ceiling for the 2016 Pats offense will be.

 

Why Did Patriots Ignore Major Needs at Running Back and Tackle?

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The major personnel pieces should be in place now for the 2016 Patriots, something I’ve been simmering on for the last couple of days. Most disturbing to me is the two biggest areas I felt needed to be addressed this offseason (running back and offensive tackle) were basically ignored.

Now on the offensive line you’re left with basically one left tackle (Nate Solder) and a shitload of right tackles and interior swing guys. You can’t have starting-caliber backups at every position but going into a season with no one who can legitimately play left tackle behind Solder is scary.

This also means next season they’ll have to choose between giving new contracts to Sebastian Vollmer and/or Marcus Cannon, or acquiring a new player to start at right tackle. Look, if Solder stays healthy, things will be okay. They’re not exactly set for the future and there’s still big question marks surrounding how the right tackle spot will play out, but if the starters stay healthy this is an offensive line capable of winning a Super Bowl.

There is plenty of promise on the interior, where I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Patriots try to move Bryan Stork or David Andrews. Luke Joeckel, who could be available for trade, could make a lot of sense. But otherwise it’s impossible to see how the competition will play out this summer. Jonathan Cooper is probably the most talented of all the guards and there are plenty of pundits who think Joe Thuney has a lot to offer as well.

How will those two new guys compare to what we thought was a young and promising trio in Josh Kline, Tre Jackson and Shaq Mason last season? That’s at least four starter-quality players for two spots. Again, one of those could be trade bait, but I’m not sure any of them are all that appealing to an outside team in the kind of way Logan Mankins was.

Counting on the Return of Superman (Dion Lewis)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdZJk1xtU00

At running back the Pats will now enter camp with just three vets and one undrafted rookie who aren’t coming off a season-ending injury, and none of those healthy guys — Brandon Bolden, James White and Donald Brown — strike much fear in anyone out there. So what the running back position comes down to at this point is the full healthy return of Dion Lewis, who must also recapture his magical seven-plus games in 2015, when he came out of nowhere to suddenly look like Barry Sanders.

If Lewis is back to that form, it will also help LeGarrette Blount immensely in loosening up a defense and setting them up for their hammer/finisher. But as we saw last season, once the Pats lost Lewis things started to unravel on offense. Ideally I wanted to add another rookie pounder to this group. Someone who could take the early carries and loosen up the defense, while taking the heat off of Lewis and Blount.

James White had a couple flashes last season after Lewis went down, but I remain on the fence about him in the long term. And rookie DJ Foster, who played slot receiver last season, is more in the mold of a receiving back than a tough yardage grinder.

Maybe everyone at tackle and running back come back healthy and stay healthy all season and my fears will be unfounded. But if they don’t, these are critical areas that put immense pressure on Tom Brady and the passing game. The Patriots offense in the AFC Championship was one-dimensional and it nearly got Brady killed. That was my biggest takeaway from last season, yet the Patriots essentially stood pat this offseason at both of the positions where attrition caught up to them.

It’s hard not to overreact right now, but there’s still four months until the season starts. New players could still be added or familiar players could emerge as Dion Lewis did meteorically last season. Maybe Donald Brown can re-find the magic that made him a first round pick, or Tyler Gaffney finally stays healthy. A lot can happen, good or bad. Until the pads come on and we know for sure how everyone’s recovery went and how things fit together with the 2016 Pats you can’t panic.

Still, these are clearly the two areas to focus on as potential weak spots on the Patriots roster.

 

Bleacher Report/Frenz: Dion Lewis’ Health Is Critical in Complexion of New England Patriots Offense

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Good read from Frenz on Dion Lewis, who gave us possibly the most unexpectedly exciting seven-plus games from a running back in Patriots history. He also gave us maybe the biggest buzz kill of the season when he tore his ACL against the Redskins in a non-contact situation.

Just fascinating how Lewis, who had been kicking around the league and dealing with injuries for a few years, could suddenly show up, seamlessly fit into the offense and look like the second coming of Barry Sanders. There’s no question if Lewis remained healthy this would’ve been a totally different and more multi-dimensional offense in the playoffs, and one that would’ve been nearly impossible to stop.

Like most previous season ACL injuries, Lewis will likely be brought along slowly, but having James White already locked in is good insurance to manage Lewis’ snaps. I’d take the same approach they took with Gronk in 2014. Slowly bring him back with the goal of having him healed and raring to go by late December.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdZJk1xtU00

 

Source: Dion Lewis’ Health Is Critical in Complexion of New England Patriots Offense | Bleacher Report