PatsPropaganda

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Pats Posits: Monday Day Off Regroup

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Finally, we’ve got a couple days off here without a bunch of new Patriots information coming at us fast and furious. Not that I’m complaining, but the first week-plus of camp is always a whirlwind of activity — finding out which guys might actually have a chance to contribute (hello Duke Dawson) and which guys we had far too high of expectations of (bye Jordan Matthews). A couple days to catch our breath and enjoy the old Randy Moss highlights has been nice.

The best news is that we get an actual preseason game this Thursday. Usually, these first preseason games are heavy on the mostly expendables, I wouldn’t be surprised if none of the key veterans took the field for any snaps. While this can be frustrating, it will also really give a chance to the lower end guys who are fighting for a roster spot to shine.

More than ever the sports talk radio points continue to chase their tail, trying like hell to get us concerned about the wide receiver position? Sometimes I’m just amazed at how little thought can go into these takes. Do they even watch practices? Do they pay attention to who comes and goes? It’s why I continue to just do my own thing, which is often way out of step with the narratives that the talking heads like to force down our throats.

Here are a bunch of regroup-y Posits as we get ready to see a Patriots football game this week.

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10 Things We’ve Learned About 2018 Pats

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Four days, four training camp practices. Not that many, but enough to get some answers to some of the questions of the offseason.

I’ll be back at Gillette tonight for the in-stadium practice, which I’m very much looking forward to… sitting in a seat and not getting baked by the sun. Usually, these are special teams and autograph sessions. Still, I bet we get a good chance to see more of the Allen-Bojorquez competition. Despite one bad shank, Bojorquez very well could be in the lead.

One quick note, in case you’ve missed it I’ve added some videos to the blog this season. Please check them out and subscribe for more this season!

Here are 10 more things we’ve learned about the 2018 Patriots.

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Patriots Open Training Camp!

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Was planning on being there at the first day of camp today, unfortunately, a sick kiddo is keeping me home, but I’ll be there on Friday and can’t wait to get a first look at the 2018 Patriots.

Yesterday’s kickoff Belichick press conference was predictable as Dan Shaughnessy, claiming to speak for the fans, grilled the head coach about 2017. Of course, I saw this coming down the pike a mile away and Belichick’s parries were just as predictable. It gives rise to that group of Patriots fans out there who are eager to flush 18 years down the toilet because the coach didn’t play Butler in the Super Bowl, and won’t ever be true fans again until Belichick explains why or the Pats win another Super Bowl.

Yes, that’s how deep loyalty lies after five Super Bowl wins in eight appearances.

I stopped taking the bait from guys like Shaughnessy a while back so that’s enough about him trying to steal spotlight from what is usually the most exciting time of year — the opening of camp, when hope springs eternal and for the last time, most of the team is healthy.

Here’s a quick rundown of my training camp preview articles and some quick hits of specific positions and players I’ll be watching in the early days of camp.

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Pats Posits: Camp Starts Thursday!

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After a long spring of unparalleled toxicity in Patriots Nation, real football is finally back this Thursday! Yes, the Patriots were a play away from winning another Super Bowl, but because they couldn’t get that fourth-down stop we’ve had to listen to the Eagles’ incessant chest pounding, our defense ridiculed and a near-constant barrage of stories about behind-the-scenes drama.

The common thread now for any interviews of former Patriots players? Did you have fun while you played there? Was Bill Belichick nice enough?

We’ve come full circle.  The Patriots dynasty is only setting the bars of NFL history higher and higher at this point. Almost every meaningful record belongs to the team, Belichick and Tom Brady.

All that’s left to wonder is if this is the greatest sports dynasty in sports history?

That’s why I’m excited for 2018. It’s Brady Ride or Die time. Every new championship and award is just gravy at this point, so what do we really have to worry about? Enjoy the end and marvel at how hard this coach-quarterback tandem continues to work despite already being legendary.

Here are some Posits on this Monday morning about the 2018 Patriots and my plans for training camp and the upcoming season.

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Patriots Training Camp Battle Preview: Left Tackle

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xttDAxpJNY

Remember when Nate Solder signed with the Giants this offseason? It was probably the most significant (and depressing) football move of the offseason as far as the Patriots were concerned, yet by now it’s faded to a distant memory behind all the superficial bullshit that was talked about in the months since.

But the impact of having not set succession plan at the important left tackle spot is the first and easiest place to start as I dive into breaking down the Pats’ training camp battles. Tom Brady‘s only had two starters protecting his blind side — Matt Light, then Solder, and that transition was about as seamless as they come. Solder was drafted in the first round of 2011, got plenty of experience as a backup and spot starter at right tackle as a rookie, then Light retired and Solder stepped in the next season.

There will be no such easy transition this time and the Patriots have taken a throw it all against the wall approach that featured a lot of rotation in OTAs. Dante Scarnecchia is one of the best offensive line coaches in the history of football and with plenty of bodies to work with he should be able to craft a new-look offensive line at 70 years old.

Let’s break down the contenders and how things might look when the 2018 Patriots take the field opening weekend against the Texans.

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Five Key Patriots For Third-Straight Super Bowl Trip

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As we settle into the void and mentally prepare for the coming Patriots campaign, it’s hard to be too reflective about the team without getting sucked into a meaningless direction. There’s just so much noise — the centerpieces of the Patriots current dynasty are in the middle of it all — Belichick, Brady, Gronk and Edelman are pretty much the only employees in Foxboro that get any attention these days and most of it is of the shit-stirring negative kind.

That leaves the great majority of the 2018 Patriots team somewhat in the dark. Coming off a Super Bowl loss is always so painful and strange. Yes, you had a great season and came within inches of the goal, but the ending was a painful car crash that easily overshadowed most of how impressive the 2017 team actually was.

When the Patriots experience the kind of injuries the 2017 team did, they usually fall short. 2005 they didn’t make it out of the divisional round, 2013 and 2015 they bowed out in Denver. Going toe-to-toe with Philly was more impressive and unlikely than most would give them credit for.

Is there any questions that Dont’a Hightower and Julian Edelman (cough, or Malcolm Butler) could’ve swung a third Super Bowl title in four years the Pats’ way? Thems the breaks when you’re in Patriots Nation at this stage.

The Patriots were the same old Patriots in 2017. There’s plenty of chatter about what was going on both in front and behind the scenes last season, but what we once again saw on the field right till the end was a resilient, tough football team that took a 60-minute perfect game to defeat.

There’s little reason to think that won’t once again be the case this year. The Patriots are healthy and have added a number of interesting free agents. All that adds to an influx of intrigue at a number of positions.

Here are five guys that I’ve been focusing on as I twiddle my thumbs counting down till training camp.

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Patriots Draft CB Duke Dawson, Trade for OT Trent Brown on Draft Day Two

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You have to hand it to Bill Belichick. Every year even the most astute draft pundits are completely pretzeled by Belichick’s drafts, and this year has been more pretzel-inducing than most.

Look, I get it. He’s the genius… the best coach in history, he has a plan, knows what fits and will coach up an empty bag of potato chips and it should still be enough to win the AFC East and make a playoff run. But that doesn’t mean we can’t still pull our hair out wondering about all the moves he made.

Day Two of the 2018 NFL Draft began with the Patriots trading for offensive tackle Trent Brown, a hulking right tackle once called by Von Miller the best in the game. But he’s had injury issues and was supposedly way out of shape when he reported to San Fran this season, and with Marcus Cannon atop the right tackle depth chart (and a Patriots family favorite), along with the Day One selection of Isaiah Wynn, how exactly Brown fits in is very much up in the air. And the Pats paid a pretty hefty price, the 95th overall pick.

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