PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

elandon roberts

Pats Posits: All Aboard the Latest and Greatest Pats Hype Train!

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Here we are once again in early December and the Patriots look like they’re firing on all cylinders.

The Pats played an excellent game of team defense and moved the ball seemingly at will for most of the game, and with the Steelers losing, they now have an inside track on the 2nd seed at least. Homefield is everything at this point. Never has there been a more home manic-road depressive Patriots team than 2018’s.

With four games to go and trips to Miami and Pittsburgh next up, the Patriots will get what they deserve in the playoffs. If they overcome their road woes in two tough places to play then hold serve at home against the Bills and Jets, they’ll prove legitimate Super Bowl contenders and might not have to travel from Foxboro.

Kansas City faces a tough schedule — Ravens, Chargers, at Seahawks and Raiders. Whoever slips will have to hit the road. The race to the finish line will be close.

For now, we enjoy a beautiful victory over the Vikings.

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Film Review: Patriots Defense vs. Titans Edition

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It took me a couple days to finally dive into the film review of the Patriots against the Titans and I can’t say I was looking forward to it. But I’ve been with this defense for a decade and I can’t shy away even when things go as badly as they did in Tennessee.

Let’s take a look at the scoring drives and what went wrong.

1st Drive – Touchdown

The first play of the game pretty much summed up what kind of day it was going to be, as the pressure collapsed around Marcus Mariota but couldn’t bring him down and he found Corey Davis on a deep in cut. The re-appearance of Keionta Davis was a bit surprising and what wasn’t surprising was how the Titans went right after him on this drive. He had the same trouble getting off blocks and making plays. Really Trey Flowers was the only one who showed any pop in this first drive. The Titans finished it off on a third down as Patrick Chung failed to get a jam at the point of the bunch set and was outrun across the field by Jonnu Smith. The rollout by Mariota forced Devin McCourty into a no-win position (see below).

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Pats Posits: And We’re Off…

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The Patriots got the 2018 season rolling yesterday with a 27-20 win over the Texans. For all the talk of last season and offseason drama, the Patriots very much looked like the same old Patriots that have laid waste to the league for the last 17 seasons.

Tom Brady finished with three touchdowns and one tipped-ball interception, looking nothing like an average 41-year old should look navigating an NFL pocket. The biggest difference was that he still had Rob Gronkowski, and the devastating QB-TE combo was just unstoppable.

This was nothing like last year’s maddening loss in the opener to the Chiefs. The Patriots have depth and new personnel issues, but they managed to rotate plenty of players in and showed that there isn’t any personnel problem that can’t be overcome with good coaching. Most exciting is a defense that has had an influx of improvement on a variety of fronts.

Yes, if you’re not a self-hating, self-punishing Patriots fan you should feel pretty good today. Clearly, the New England Football Machine is still firing on all cylinders and looks like they’ll once again be a formidable opponent for every team they face.

Let’s fire off a bunch of Posits and we finally get into the regular season flow!

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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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Lingering Questions For Patriots Preseason Week 3

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Clarity comes quickly when training camp opens. We instantly get at least a partial picture of who’s hurt, who’s in the mix for playing significant roles on offense, defense and, most often ignored, special teams. Now we’re closing in on a month of practices with two games already in the bag, but there remain some lingering questions that could have significant implications for the 2018 Pats.

Let’s run them down as we get ready for a week three preseason game in Carolina that should provide even more of that clarity.

  1. Who’s returning punts weeks 1-4? Even after Julian Edelman returns from suspension I don’t think anyone wants to use him full time returning punts when he’s so critical to the offense. They were lucky to get by doing it with Danny Amendola last year. Thus far we’ve seen Riley McCarron as the primary punt returner and he’s done little to prove he’s anything more than a guy who can catch punts and get tackled. The favorite could be Cyrus Jones, but with a logjam at cornerback, he’s got a lot of ground to make up. Could McCarron or Jones win a roster spot solely to return punts? Just one solid return against the Panthers could make the case.
  2. Can Marcus Cannon stay healthy? I hate asking if anyone can stay healthy because this is football and a career can end in one snap due to one weird play. But Cannon missed the last nine games and playoffs last year and has been MIA at camp for a couple weeks now. I do love the idea of what the Brown-Thuney-Andrews-Mason-Cannon line can do, but I’m starting to wonder if and when we’ll actually see that group. LaAdrian Waddle is once again a guy to lean on and Ulrick John, the best of the rest, could be making a roster push.
  3. Dorsett, Britt or Decker? Anyone? We know that when the games get meaningful that a core of Edelman, Chris Hogan, Rob Gronkowski and James White is going to be very hard to stop. Mix in some Cordarrelle Patterson with gimmicky stuff and the Pats have a good core that tops most teams in the NFL. But the true ceiling of the offense, especially in the first month will depend on one of the Dorsett, Britt or Decker trio stepping up and making plays. Thus far all three have been quiet (or injured in the case of Britt) and time is running out. I kn5ow Dorsett’s going to get a ton of snaps, but I remain unconvinced he’s going to be a game-changer. Britt’s the better outside fit for the offense in my view and Decker is much needed in the slot. These last two games will tell us a lot about the direction of the offense.
  4. Roberts vs Bentley? Both Elandon Roberts and Ja’whaun Bentley are going to play this season, but whether Roberts makes a third-year leap or Bentley translates his preseason play to the regular season will determine if the Patriots have solved their middle field athleticism problems. The thinking man’s analysis of how to attack the Pats centers on the middle linebacker spot, a position Mike Lombardi wrote defines the speed of a defense. Last year, they were undermanned and slow and got exposed by the Eagles.
  5. Second-Year Defenders Lead the Way? Last season the pass rush was devastated, losing Rob Ninkovich, Chris Long and Jabaal Sheard. Injuries didn’t help and forced Dietrich Wise and Adam Butler into significant roles. Now, with Derek Rivers back and looking like the top pick he was, these second-year players must ignite the pass rush. Potentially aided by a more aggressive attack under Brian Flores, along with the disruptive Adrian Clayborn and contract-year Trey Flowers, this is the group that must get after opposing quarterbacks. How well they do will have a huge impact on how good this defense is for this year and into the future.

Sunday Pats Posits: Preseason Week 3

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We’re a mere three weeks away from the start of the Patriots 2018 regular season and with most of training camp done and two games under their belt the team has very much started to take shape.

Two significant injuries have befallen the two first-round picks, but since neither were really needed to immediately step in and start, the impact of both isn’t all that significant. Unfortunate yes, but neither constitutes a critical blow like losing Julian Edelman was last year.

What else have we learned about this version of the Pats? How much can we take away from their two preseason games? How might the team evolve this season? Let’s dive in on this Sunday morning with a bunch of Posits.

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