PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

new england patriots

Best of the Week in PatsPropaganda

by

Welcome back to an in-season feature we did last year, linkage to the best Patriots reads of the week. So if you missed anything you can enjoy your Saturday breakfast while you catch up. 

Here’s the best of the week…

PatsPropaganda – Will Revis’ biggest impact for the Pats be on Brady?

ESPNBoston – Pats rookie report

Instagram Video: Revis pick sixes Brady

PatsPropaganda – Week One Regroup

Frenz/Boston.com – Rooks and vets coming together in secondary

Chris Price/WEEI – Secondary worked together in Arizona this offseason

PatsPropaganda – Is Brady to blame for playoff failures?

ProJo – Law and Revis are from the same hometown

Iron Sharpens Iron: Will Revis’ biggest impact for Pats be on Brady?

by

There’s no secret that the New England Patriots defense hasn’t been stellar in recent years.

They’ve certainly had their moments – 2011’s squad with a healthy Andre Carter and Mark Anderson generating the kind of pass rush the Pats have lacked since the late-2000’s. And in 2012/2013, Aqib Talib gave them their first shutdown man-to-man corner since Ty Law.

But the sum of those parts never quite added up to a top-10 defensive unit, usually due in part to injuries. They flash at times, but most often the Patriots won in spite of their defense, not because of them.

I’ve often joked that Tom Brady and the offense must just march up and down the field on the Patriots defense in practice. Especially when you consider the things the Pats defense wasn’t good at – defending the middle of the field, stopping tight ends and running backs – are very much the strengths of the Pats offense in recent years.

But this year the reports out of camp are that the defense is challenging Brady in a way not seen in a long time in Foxboro.

There’s been plenty of speculation of what the acquisitions of Brandon Browner and Darrelle Revis, along with the maturation of various other young pieces like Chandler Jones, Devin McCourty and Dont’a Hightower, will mean for the Pats’ competition. But their biggest impact might be for the Patriots offense.

We wrote about it earlier this week and there’s little debate that Brady hasn’t quite had his best outings against the better defenses in the playoffs the last few years.

Could it be that the Patriots defense just hasn’t been able to provide enough of a challenge lately to force Brady to the absolute top of his game?

He certainly was pushed by the veteran dynasty defense in the early-2000’s, so perhaps this could result in more performances like we saw out of Brady in 2004’s AFC Championship, when he cut through a very tough Steelers defense in Pittsburgh like warm butter.

It might be a stretch, but early in camp it’s apparent that Brady hasn’t seen this kind of consistent challenge in practice day after day in a long time. 

Perhaps this is just what Brady and the Pats need to get over the hump against the best defenses.

Revis pick sixes Brady in Patriots Training Camp

by

Kind of a poor throw by Brady, he looked off his intended receiver but Revis read it all the way. Brady was off balance and partially affected by Wilfork getting some late disruption past Wendell.

It’s still sinking in the kind of player Revis is and that I will actually be able to root for him. I always enjoyed watching his tape even when he was on the Jets (gasp!). He’s special and no matter how long he’s in New England it will be fun.

Regrouping after one week of Patriots training camp

by

We’re one week into training camp for the New England Patriots, and just one week away from their first preseason game, so it’s time to take a look at what we’ve learned so far about this edition of the Pats.

It’s hard not to be excited, especially on the defensive side of the ball, where the Pats are as healthy as we could’ve hoped headed into camp. Vince Wilfork, Tommy Kelly and Will Smith, all coming off major injuries, appear to be on track for the start of the season.

On the back end, the secondary has been as expected with Revis and Browner leading the way. Browner’s attitude and Revis’ high level of play have already seemed to bring a new swagger to the Pats defense that has been missing for a long time.

There have been reports that the Pats have shown a lot of 3-4 looks but I am not reading too much into that. Remember 3-4 vs. 4-3 is really just semantics and the 3-4 has always been Belichick’s teaching base defense of choice.

While the Pats might run some odd fronts (aka three-man lines) it’s not the same defense we saw in the 00’s where all three will be two-gapping. This will remain a hybrid defense and whether or not Rob Ninkovich is standing up or has his hand in the dirt doesn’t make much of a difference.

Really, it’s more of a 2-5 the Pats run anyway.

What really matters most is the sub-package anyway, as the Pats spent 67 percent of their defensive snaps with five-plus defensive backs in 2013. Reports of a Ninkovich-Will Smith-Wilfork-Chandler front are intriguing, but more intriguing will be when Dominique Easley returns. He should make an instant impact and could be a secret weapon should the Pats decide to take their time, keep him on the PUP list and unleash him after Week 6.

Offensively there are still some reasons for concern. Julian Edelman has picked up where he left off in 2013, making spectacular catches and setting the tone on offense. Facing Revis in camp should only push him to be even better.

Kenbrell Thompkins has also had a good start to camp despite some inconsistency in Wednesday’s practice. Danny Amendola has also looked explosive and it seems like these three will be the go-to guys on the outside. Brandon LaFell had a slow start to camp but has picked it up in recent days. We continue to wait for Aaron Dobson to make his return.

Rob Gronkowski should be ready to go by the start of the season, but the Pats are wisely taking their time with him. How much dropoff (if any) can we expect with Gronk returning from multiple injuries? That remains to be seen. But so far it seems like Gronk is still Gronk and should be ready for real contact by mid-August.

The offensive line has been seeing a lot of rotation and with so many versatile guys, the Pats will have a lot of options and flexibility. However it will also making for some tough decisions. Bryan Stork left practice Tuesday and has missed two practices since. His absence could put a magnifying glass on the center competition between 2011 starter Dan Connolly and 2012/13 starter Ryan Wendell.

Perhaps most exciting on offense has been the performance of the running backs, especially rookie James White, who has stood out with explosiveness and pass-catching savvy. He could make a devastation combination with Shane Vereen should the Pats look to employ a two-back passing set.

So far the Pats have seemed to have good luck on the health front and it’s vital that that continues. Stork has been the only significant injury issue, though we are still in the dark as to the severity.

Overall, the defense seems on track to be the best unit we’ve seen since 2007, and probably even better than that older squad. The offense seems to have taken strides since 2013, but questions will remain until the regular season starts. They do seem to have some additional weapons this year that they lacked last year. Can Thompkins keep up his high level of offseason play during the regular season? That’s still a question mark.

Next week’s preseason game will tell us even more about where the Pats are at, but so far, they look primed to make another run at Super Bowl number four. There’s plenty to be excited about once again in Foxboro.

by

Current Patriots depth chart. 

Still need some clarity on where the LBs are playing as well as some of the DBs. But generally this how things are shaping up so far.

Key:

  • Red: PUP or long-term injury (Gaffney)
  • Italics: Current injury issues
  • Yellow Box: Rookie

https://www.patspropaganda.com/current-patriots-depth-chart-still-need-some/

Patriots Camp Report from Cody Lachance

by

Mike D. note – Thanks to Cody Lachance (@HailtotheHoodie) for this report from training camp.

Saturday and Sunday marked the first time that the Patriots got to put their pads on and make some noise. I was fortunate enough to attend Saturday and Sunday’s practice sessions and I had many takeaways from the practice sessions. Today’s edition will focus on the defensive side of the ball.

The defense was where the team improved the most this offseason, the additions of Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner made Patriots fans excited for how great this defense can be this year. Add in a potential stud first round pick in DT Dominique Easley and this could be a truly special unit. If this group is as good in season as they showed this weekend, we are all in for a truly great defense this year.

image

Darrelle Revis is absolutely living up to the hype. He makes playing the cornerback position look like an art. His ability to not only cover any receiver he lines up on, but also play the run well makes him an all-around great defender. On one play, he drove Julian Edelman back four or five feet on a quick halfback draw showing how great of a run defender he is. He also added two interceptions on Saturday with a few defended passes; that is when the quarterback actually threw to his side of the field. One of the most impressive aspects of this weekend for Revis was how the New England quarterbacks would just stay away from his side of the field. If healthy, Revis will be an absolute stud in New England and remind people of the days where a different #24 used to roam the backfield for the Patriots.

image

The rest of the secondary looked strong. Browner looks like an absolute giant out there and towers over nearly everyone on the field. He did have trouble keeping up with players that ran deep routes on him, but anything in the short to intermediate range was where he excelled. With some additional safety help for deep routes, Browner should be able to lock down the short passing game. The hit he put on rookie running back James White was truly impressive and it seems like the rest of the defense will start to follow Browner’s lead and take pride in making big hits like that in games. Browner is definitely showing how he’s bringing some Seattle defensive culture to New England.

Logan Ryan looked outstanding, and is proving why both Revis and Browner have mentioned playing with him as a reason to come to New England. Devin McCourty should have a great yearwith all the new help in the secondary and capitalize on a great chance to play with great players.

Duron Harmon, Patrick Chung, and Tavon Wilson all took snaps with the first team defense and I think the competition for the starting safety alongside McCourty is pretty open. Tavon has been one of the offseason MVPs as he has put in the work, but I would still expect to see Duron Harmon alongside McCourty to start the year.

An interesting development over the weekend was the play of rookie cornerback Malcolm Butler. He kept up with the first team offensive wide receivers, and even picked off Mallett in a live play drill. He plays with a lot of emotion and competes at a high level and we should really see what the Patriots might have in this player in the preseason games. If Butler can play like he did this weekend, there’s a good chance that he’ll earn a spot on the practice roster at the minimum.

image

The linebackers and defensive line seem primed to take advantage of the help from what is now a top secondary in the NFL. Chandler Jones was the most notable of this group as he should continue to improve and could very well notch nearly 15 sacks this year. Vince Wilfork participated in contact drills and at times looked to show flashes of his old self, but on other plays looked like a 30+ year old, 300 pound lineman coming off a torn Achilles. With a reduced workload, Vince should still be able to perform at a high level. Rob Ninkovich does what he has always done in New England, do his job every single snap. The line has a lot of depth, and players like Will Smith, Michael Buchanon, Jake Bequette, Chris Jones, Sealver Siliga, and Joe Vellano all look to contribute. It was disappointing not being able to see Dominique Easley out there, but it’s better to be safe than sorry with him coming off an ACL tear. If he can stay healthy, he can be an absolute game changer on passing downs for this defense. The major takeaway from the linebacker group was how Jamie Collins does appear to have bulked up during the offseason and looks even more physically intimidating than he did last year.

He should be primed to make a big impact on defense, especially with the return of Jerod Mayo and more improvement out of Dont’a Hightower. Mayo was out there in contact drills which is a great sign that he will be just about back to his normal self for the season. James Anderson and Steve Beauharnais both took reps with the second team defense and it will be interesting to see how the competition for the number four linebacker plays out.

Another great development was how well the defense seemed to work together and support each other on the field. The defense was taking great pride in being able to make a stop during 7 on 7 and 11 on 11 drills. The group seems to be forming a strong chemistry which is key in having a cohesive unit that will be able to work together and make big plays when they need to.

This defense is as good as it has been for nearly ten years and this weekend is only scratching the surface of what kind of potential they have. This can easily be a top 5, maybe even top 3 defense in the entire NFL and could have players like Darrelle Revis and Chandler Jones potentially even be in the debate for Defensive Player of the Year honors. For Patriots fans, it’ll be great to finally be able to sit back and enjoy watching a true hard-nosed, outstanding, Belichikian defense looking like it was straight out of the dynasty years.a

Tuesday Patriots Practice Tweets of Note

by

The pads are back on after the team was off from practice yesterday and it sounds like the intensity is starting to pick up. Edelman is having a strong camp, clearly picking up where he left off last year. Nice to see Brandon LaFell make a nice play today after getting off to a slow start last week.