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rex burkhead

Bye Bye Burkhead!

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(AP Photo/Frank Victores)

Well there you have it folks, Rex Burkhead has become a Houston Texan. Great. Fabulous. Wonderful.

Anyone feel like Nick Caserio is picking off Patriots like candy!? Hmm, a piece of candy… oh another piece of candy… No, just me? Okay, never mind.

Now, forgive me, it is great for Rex. Kentucky born, raised in Texas. Houston is perfect location wise, especially for his family. 

But I mean come on! Anyone wanna grab a box of tissues and have a bit of a sob with me? This guy was a powerhouse in 2020 for the offence, and his versatility is outstanding! He can run the ball, catch passes, block in pass protection AND play on special teams! Talk about the gift that keeps on giving, am I right?

But we, as Patriots fans, know that Coach Bill lets players go whilst there is still a bit in the tank and I think that this is the case here, that and well the running back room is probably a bit of a squeeze at the moment. 

I know I’m an emotional fan, I openly admit to this, possibly daily, and whilst I completely see the reasoning behind it all, I can still be bummed out, at least a little bit.

As I have mentioned here before, that’s what being a fan is, passion. And so I still stood on my soap box for Ryan Izzo, kept my fingers crossed that the Patriots drafted Pat Freiermuth (he’s the future baby!) Even though there were technically three fullbacks (counting Dalton Keene) on the roster I was still gunning to see Danny Vitale, and so I still hoped that even though he is a 30 year old, coming off injury running back, Coach would ensure the return of Sexy Rexy to the fold.

But alas t’was not meant to be and in all seriousness I wish him nothing but well, and really hope he gets to play out the end of his career in the way he wants to. 

And as for the Patriots running back depth we are presently looking at:

James White

J.J Taylor

Sony Michel

Damien Harris

Brandon Bolden

Tyler Gaffney

Not forgetting the drafting of Rhamondre Stevenson, so I guess none too shabby really!

So whilst we wave goodbye to one of the beloved Patriots who was with us for some of the Super Bowl era shouting “We love you Rex! Thanks for everything! We will miss you!”, we march onwards and upwards and on to Cincinnati I guess, or should that be Houston even…

Will Damien Harris Lead the Patriots in Rushing?

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The rise to health and success of Sony Michel and Rex Burkhead was an underrated aspect of the 2018 Patriots offense. Both players had lengthy injury histories but when it mattered most, both players delivered.

It was the first playoff run of the entire Patriots dynasty where the team topped 150 yards on the ground in every game. Previously, they had only topped 150 four times ever in the playoffs.

Schedule & Game Results Table
ScorScor OffeOffe
Week OT Rec Opp Tm Opp PassY RushY
12W8-3@New York Jets2713283215
13W9-3Minnesota Vikings2410311160
14L9-4@Miami Dolphins333434477
15L9-5@Pittsburgh Steelers101727296
16W10-5Buffalo Bills2412117273
17W11-5New York Jets383244131
DivisionW12-5Los Angeles Chargers4128343155
Conf. Champ.WOT13-5@Kansas City Chiefs3731348176
SuperBowlW14-5NLos Angeles Rams133253154
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/10/2019.

Many analysts seem to undervalue the ground game these days and I understand that passing drives offenses these days. But with Tom Brady closing in on 42 it makes more sense than ever for the Patriots to ensure their running game can take some heat off him.

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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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Patriots Gameplan: Week 13 vs. Minnesota Vikings

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The Patriots return home for a brief road hiatus, taking on the 6-4-1 Vikings and unfamiliar opponent with plenty of quality pieces to challenge the thus-far inconsistent Pats. This next three-game set will essentially determine the Patriots road in the playoffs. A win at home this weekend, followed by road wins in Miami and Pittsburgh should solidify their position with a vital playoff bye. That would leave the only question as to whether they can make up one game on KC and get the top overall seed.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. This Vikings team will give the Pats everything they can handle. The stellar receiving duo of Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen leads the way. Latavius Murray and Dalvin Cook are a nice one-two combo at running back, while Kirk Cousins won’t be afraid to come in and throw it around Gillette Stadium. But the biggest problem for the Pats though could come in the form of tight end Kyle Rudolph.

The veteran Patriot secondary doesn’t usually lay stink bombs at home, but if they do, it will likely be apparent by Rudolph being their biggest and most consistent problem.

Defensively the Vikings also have the pieces to take the Patriots offense head on. They’re 6th overall in DVOA, including 4th against the run and 8th against the pass.  They’re 10th in yards, 3rd in points. Basically, this is a top-10 defense and while the Patriots always have an advantage at home, no one should be expecting a walk in the park on either side of the ball.

Let’s dive into the gameplan.

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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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Adding Injury to Insult: Burkhead and Bentley to IR

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Remember yesterday when I dove into the All-22 and came away with one headline silver lining which was Ja’whaun Bentley looked really good in places, including his interception where he ran like we haven’t seen a linebacker run since the days of Jamie Collins. Welp, today Bentley along with Rex Burkhead were sent to IR.

It appears that Bentley was injured on the final play of the Lions game, adding another level of gut-punch to a season that has been not much fun for the past two weeks.


With the lack of speed already glaring in the middle of the field, losing Bentley like this is devastating. Putting more pressure on Hightower, Roberts and Van Noy, a trio that doesn’t need more pressure put on them. Of every defensive player, I’m not sure there’s a player I’d want to lose less. Maybe Trey Flowers but just about anyone else, including Hightower, would be less depressing, which I’d never thought I’d write as recently as 10 days ago but here we are.

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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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