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Patriots Gameplan: Week 12 at New York Jets

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Is it really already week 12? Yes, we’re after Thanksgiving, when the “real” football starts and the push to the playoffs begins. After a week off the Patriots are back in contention for a bye, a vitally important piece of the Super Bowl run equation. There are just six games left, with three of the next four on the road. That’s where we’ll learn the most about who these Patriots really are.

They kick things off with the 3-7 Jets who will be without rookie quarterback Sam Darnold. The Jets have been hit hard with injuries this year, with running back Bilal Powell ending up on IR. Losing your best running back and young quarterback when you’re in rebuild mode is never a good thing and the Jets have lost four in a row and have put up just 26 total points in their last three games.

Still, no matter how bad the Jets appear on paper they always seem to play their asses off against the Patriots. Last October they put up 400 yards on the Patriots and lost by just a touchdown and that was a team that won just five games. The season finale was a meaningless affair just as this year’s finale will likely be.

But for now the Pats have a lot to prove on the road, and the Jets have the 2nd-best third-down defense in the league. That hits the Pats where they’ve struggled most. Tom Brady and the offense will get a good test. Defensively there aren’t any excuses. They’ve played down to the competition on the road and to do it again this week after getting a break will be unacceptable and another sign that the Pats are sputtering when they usually don’t sputter.

Let’s dive into both sides of the ball and come up with a gameplan that will get the post-Thanksgiving train rolling!

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Patriots Film Review: Defense Strangles out Pack

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Upon further review, the defense’s performance against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers’ offense was a classic kind of win. Did they give up a few long scoring drives? Yup, three to be exact. But they kept the ground game under control, didn’t allow any big scoring plays and withstood the storm until the second half when they grabbed a turnover, forced a timely three-and-out and set the stage for the Patriots’ offense to pull away.

This is always how it seems to go when the Pats face classic QBs like Rodgers, Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco and Ben Roethlisberger to name a few.

Despite the Jaguars and Lions hiccups, this has been a defense reborn and they getting better every week. It’s impressive and exciting to watch. Especially the Trey Flowers part of it.

No doubt there are still improvements to be made but this is a solid defense no matter how you slice it. Here’s how the Pats D strangled out the Pack.

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Potential Patriots Extensions and Cap Casualties

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The Patriots are usually pretty good about managing their contracts and not getting into deals that are bad for the team. Still, they have no remorse about making a move that’s best for the football team, even if it means they visit Fitness Muscle Meals and eat a chunk of salary by jettisoning a player they overpaid.

They are 8th-lowest in dead cap money.

They’re also proactive when it comes to getting extensions done for players they want to retain before they hit free agency, especially for the middle class of their roster. We always hold our breath when talented young players close in on the end of their affordable rookie deals and this season is no different.

As we count down to training camp here are some of the most interesting contracts on the team. Players who make more than they’re contributing, players whose dead money makes them near uncuttable and those who are coming to the end of their deals and could be in line for an extension.

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Monday Morning Pats Regroup

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We were scheduled to shoot our second episode of Patshow this morning, unfortunately a sick kid is forcing us to reschedule to Wednesday. I’ll post a full announcement in the next day or so with all we have planned for Patshow. First episode was a total blast, excited to start cranking them out twice a week during the season. Big things planned!

In the meantime, we’re just a little over two weeks away from the season opener and plenty is going to go down in that timespan, including at least one or two jaw droppers.

I remain underwhelmed by the Texans preseason game and these last two “games” on the schedule only reinforce how there are way too many games in the summer. The hardest part of the NFL season is battle against attrition and four preseason games only makes it harder.

The weather’s getting cooler and I just want real football!!

Here’s a bunch of regroup thoughts on where the Pats are at…

 

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Pats Posits: A Last Minute Drive in Houston Finally Falls Short

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The Patriots and the Texans played a preseason game on Saturday night that came down to the final play, with Jacoby Brissett fumbling what was almost the game-winning touchdown pass.

It might’ve been thrilling if it weren’t the preseason…

But it is the preseason and how this game ended or what the score was matters not. What matters is how well the 2017 Patriots are coming together and who looked good, bad and injured in their second preseason game of the summer.

The headliners? Rex Burkhead‘s arrival, some defensive struggles but with some individual improved performances that could really help, and Stephen Gostkowski putting us all at peace.

Despite some more big plays allowed, I feel pretty good about the team right now after the second preseason game. Elandon Roberts appeared to be the only significant injury, while some of the guys who really needed to start playing well did so.

Of course we got to see Tom Brady play (meaningless, don’t tell him) football, so it was a good day no matter what.

Here’s them Posits as we inch closer and closer to the start of the regular season.

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5 New Patriots Emerging in Camp

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

There have only been five Patriots training camp practices, and while we don’t want to annoy Bill Belichick by getting overzealous with our analysis just yet, it’s obvious that some young and new players are emerging and could take on significant roles with the team this season.

It’s an annual right of passage — some random undrafted player or veteran free agent castoff suddenly clicks in the system and becomes someone the team leans on. This summer has been no different, and while some of those emerging were more anticipated than others, it’s clear that the 2017 Patriots will have new faces in a number of spots.

Let’s take a look at the five guys getting the most attention early in camp.

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Patriots Positional Preview: Defensive Tackles

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The countdown to camp with positional excerpts from my season preview book continues today with the defensive tackles.

One of the most underrated groups on the roster, Alan Branch, Malcom Brown and Vincent Valentine did a fantastic job controlling the heart of the offensive line and winning the battles in the trenches in 2016. The result was the best-ranked run defense (4th in Football Outsiders DVOA) ever under Belichick.

This is even more of an accomplishment when you consider the Patriots now use two defensive linemen to do what three used to do.

Branch might’ve been the defensive MVP for a large chunk of the season. The huge veteran often lined up at nose tackle and was near unmoveable. While Brown doesn’t have much flash to his game, but he’s an athletic technician who always seems to be in the right spot. He should start to get even more notice in his third year.

Together, Brown and Branch gave the Patriots everything they could expect from two stout tackles tasked with occupying multiple blockers and controlling the line of scrimmage.

Valentine did an outstanding job filling in at times for Branch and Brown and should take more strides in his second season. His goal line stop in the AFC Championship (see GIF) was the highlight of his season and a play to build on.

While the starting trio returns intact, free agent signee Lawrence Guy is one of then most intriguing new players who is below many radars. Guy’s interior pass rush skills should be a huge asset while his role on early downs is something to watch.

Let’s take a closer look at all the defensive tackles!

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