julian edelman

The Record-Setting Pace of the 2017 Offense

October 31, 2017 by Sam Hollister

Despite another relatively ugly effort, the Patriots ground out a victory Sunday against the Chargers to extend their winning streak to four games. Leading the charge to the Pats 6-2 record is the offense, which leads the NFL in total yards, and while they continued to struggle in the red zone on Sunday, they still rank 7th in the NFL in points per game.

While this success is certainly not surprising, there was some concern about the passing game after the loss of Brady’s safety blanket, Julian Edelman. However, thanks to the best variety of distribution we have seen in the Brady era, the passing game has been able to combat the loss of Edelman, and even prosper through it, reaching territory that few Brady-led offenses have ever reached.

Thus far in 2017, the Patriots have five players with have 31 catches or more, compared to the first eight weeks of the 2016 season, in which they had just three. In 2017, James White leads the way with 43 catches, followed by Rob Gronkowski (34), Chris Hogan (33), Brandin Cooks (33), and Danny Amendola (31). These five are all on pace to reach at least 670 yards this season, with Cooks leading the way at 1,126 yards and Gronkowski in second with 1,018 yards.

10 Posits on America’s Game 2016 Patriots

September 7, 2017 by Mike Dussault

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwZo1Qh7h9g

America’s Game: 2016 New England Patriots premiered last night (embedded above until the NFL kills it), marking the final bit of Pats porn that comes as a bonus to winning the Super Bowl. Previously we’ve gotten Three Games to Glory 5 along with Do Your Job II, which were both excellent, revealing so much from behind the scenes about the magical journey that the 2016 Pats had.

America’s Game has turned into the fluff piece of them all. Of course I enjoyed it, but nowhere near as much as I did Do Your Job II. The America’s Games used to have every bit as much unseen behind the scenes stuff as DYJ II, but it was far more down the middle, focused more on the players talking about the team than the team itself. We didn’t learn a lot of new information, but of course it was fun to hear the perspectives of Julian Edelman, LeGarrette Blount and Dont’a Hightower.

Here are 10 Posits on what I liked and what I missed.

A Preview of the Real 2017 Patriots

September 5, 2017 by Mike Dussault

After an entire offseason spent analyzing who the 2017 Patriots would be, we now have just a short window between actually finding out who made it through training camp and the official start of the campaign. This is why injuries are such a huge part of the game. No one could’ve predicted the early defining characteristic of the 2017 Patriots would be replacing an injured Julian Edelman but here we are.

So it’s a good time to take a quick breath and analyze this edition of the Patriots before the proverbial train leaves the station. You’ve read plenty of season previews by this point, but it’s really only the one that happens right now that truly matters.

Now we know who we’re taking to battle and what the strengths and weaknesses could potentially be. As always it’s important to remember that September really is just an extension of the preseason. The schemes, especially on defense, really start out slowly. Random guys will still get long looks in significant roles. The team will probably have a flat game where an inferior team on paper plays them tough. They’ll fight through it and ignore any noise.

This is September. Don’t overreact. Let things play out and let the coaching staff figure out exactly what they have and how to best use everyone. Then it’s pedal to the metal.

Let’s dive in.

Comparing Loss of Julian Edelman to 2013’s Offensive Turnover

August 31, 2017 by Mike Dussault

Julian Edelman is one of Tom Brady’s closest friends. So naturally, Brady was one of the first people in the Medical tent after Edelman was carted off following a knee injury. The New England Patriots dominated last Friday night’s preseason game against the Detroit Lions. But the injury Edelman suffered just two minutes into the game left a dark cloud over the otherwise impressive (in the first half) win.

Naturally, the Patriots odds for the 2017 season are unlikely to be drastically affected. But Edelman’s importance to the offense, especially in some of the biggest moments has already been well documented.

It is likely that the Patriots will get by without him. The 9.8 targets per game average the shifty receiver posted last season is impressive. But the Patriots have plenty of players on offense that they can rely on in Edelman’s absence.

If we dig further into Edelman’s numbers, his value becomes even more apparent. In the second half of games since 2013 where the Patriots are losing or up by one score or less, Edelman has been the most targeted receiver. He caught 14 of 22 targets in those situations, converting 11 into first downs.

That’s then kind of critical receiver Edelman is, but this isn’t unprecedented territory for the Patriots.

How Will Pats Replace Edelman?

August 29, 2017 by Sam Hollister

The Patriots were dealt a big blow Friday night, as Julian Edelman tore his right ACL and will be sidelined for the 2017 season. Luckily for New England, wide receiver is arguably the deepest position on the roster, and the loss of Edelman does not appear to put the Patriots Super Bowl hopes in jeopardy.

On paper, the injury is far worse for Edelman himself then the team, as one has to wonder if the 31 year old Edelman will ever be able to return to the elite play we have come accustomed to seeing every Sunday out of the Kent State product. Obviously, that is certainly the more pessimistic angle, especially after witnessing other NFL players (Adrian Peterson, Chris Harris Jr., and Jeremy Maclin come to mind immediately) return from ACL injuries and continue to play at a high level, but these concerns cannot be dismissed, seeing as so much of Edelman’s livelihood as a slot weapon is predicated on being able to make sharp, quick cuts to create space.

Check out Patshow Episode #3!

August 28, 2017 by Mike Dussault

In case you missed it live earlier today, here’s episode three of Patshow! Plenty of Julian Edelman discussion, a visit from our first guest (a puppet Fitzy) and a 53-man roster projection.

Next show will be Wednesday but in the meantime if you’ll be tailgating for Patriot-Giants this Thursday be on the lookout for yours truly shooting some fan interviews for next week’s show. Thanks to all for tuning in and be sure to follow/fave/share all things @Patshow6!

Will Brady’s Guru Magic Work for Gronk and Boomtower?

August 16, 2017 by Mike Dussault

One of the biggest headlines of the offseason that I don’t want to get lost in the shuffle is how both Rob Gronkowski and Dont’a Hightower are now working with Tom Brady‘s healthy guru Alex Guerrero. The duo joins at least Brady and Julian Edelman as players using Guerrero’s methods to prepare their bodies for all that comes with football combat.

If there was one thing I hoped for after Gronk was lost for another season with another back injury, it was that the big tight end might give Guerrero a try. What did he have to lose? The only thing standing between Gronk and being the best tight end of all time (if he isn’t already) was his health.

Imagine Gronk playing into his 30s. Jason Witten has 135 more regular season games, and six less touchdowns. Tony Gonzalez played 188 more games at this point and had 43 more touchdowns.

Gronk will be just 28 this year and if Guerrero can help him squeeze another handful of seasons out of his battle-worn body, there will be no tight end record left that he doesn’t own.