Tag Archives: NFL Bill Belichick

A Reunion with Collins

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Do you believe in second chances? Can you improve on first impressions? Is it possible to go back home? Can Jamie Collins come back to the team that drafted him?

So many questions…

These are questions that the New England Patriots and linebacker Jamie Collins are going to find the answers to when training camp opens for the 2019 NFL season. Collins was unceremoniously shipped off to the Cleveland Browns late October of 2016. Coming during the bye week of a tumultuous season it provided a much needed break for both parties.

The Patriots received draft capital for an individual it was likely not to resign. The Cleveland Browns got their hands on top tier free agent, one who might not have even taken a phone call from management. The Browns quickly inked him to a four year deal.

Bill Belichick walked away from the deal as the eventual winner, as they helped turn that third round pick into Brandin Cooks, Isaiah Wynn and numerous other draft day maneuvers. Oh, and two Super Bowl rings and an additional appearance. So, that worked out ok.

What led to his exit?

Similar to Patrick Chung‘s career arc, Collins has returned a wiser and more experienced football player. During his initial stint, he won on athleticism and speed. Every fan in New England remembers his leap over the head of the long snapper to block that kick. It was his freelancing ways that drew the ire of the coaching staff and contributed to his banishment to Cleveland. His contract situation also contributed. And like so many Patriots before him, he was seeking riches that the team was not willing to part with.

Now that the Cleveland Browns shelled out the cash for him, what do the Patriots have in store for the experienced vet?

What are the Patriots getting?

Jamie Collins and Myles Garrett attempt to rush the Passer: Photo credits by Erik Drost Flickr

A versatile, dynamic linebacker on the cheap for one. His contract is an extremely reasonable one year deal that guaranteed just $250k, and up to $5 million dollars in mostly incentive based language.

Snaps for another. With Dont’a Hightower and Kyle Van Noy returning as roster locks, and second year Ja’Whaun Bentley coming back from injury, there are only three sure linebackers on the roster for week one.

KVN accounted for 90.70% of the defensive snaps, as well as an additional 125 snaps on special teams. Hightower followed him with 74.21%, and 74 snaps on defense and special teams respectively. After that was a whole lot of part timers on both units.

Collins did miss ten games in the 2017 season with a concussion and a season ending MCL tear. He bounced back in 2018 but still look a touch slow. Collins will have to prove that he is fully healthy in order to stick with the team. He will also have to show up willing to work and listen to the coaching staff. With Belichick having a greater hand on the defensive side of the ball, I doubt he will allow the amount of improvisation that Collins is capable of.

The expectations for the 2019 season?

Jamie Collins readies himself for another practice rep. Photo: Erik Drost Flickr

Collins can come in and prove his professionalism. He can get caught up with the new play book and bring his unique playing styles to the team. If the Patriots break camp with a healthy four man rotation of Hightower, KVN, Bentley and Collins, that would constitute one of the deeper and more talented units across the league.

Whatever happens, Belichick will select his guys, get them ready, and put the best game plan to win football for the 2019 season.

Thank you for reading this article written by Andrew Lykins. You can find the rest of my work over at https://bostonsportsextra.com/author/@alykins32 You can find many other fine articles on all Boston sports at Bostonsportsextra.com
My mind resides at twitter under @ALykins32

All statistics were found at www.pro-football-reference.com unless otherwise noted.

LFG for the 7th Ring in 2019!!

The Genius of Sean McVay and his Upcoming Chess Match with Bill

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Watching Sean McVay call plays on offense is like watching someone paint. True art, beautiful design, Sean McVay is a true innovator. All someone needs to be a head coach these days is have a cup of coffee with him. Let’s take a look into what McVay does best and how Flores and Belichick can stop him.

McVay and his misdirections

To start, McVay makes a living off of misdirections and different offensive line shifts. This freezes the second and third levels of the defense. Against the Saints, he called play actions and pulled his guards to one side of the field, then had Goff throw to the opposite side. This froze the linebackers and forced them to go up and play the run, while his receivers quickly got open. This will be hard for the Patriots to defend against as they will be looking to stop the rushing attack early. Expect these tricky play action passes early in the game to try and create uncertainty for that Patriots defense.

Stop the run

One key for the Patriots will be stopping the Rams in 11 personnel (one runningback and one tight end). The Rams run out of that personnel at the highest rate in the NFL, and will look to find success out of that formation early. The goal is to unleash their play action pass, which is their forte, and a weakness of the Patriots. The Eagles early establishment of their run game last year was extremely detrimental to the Patriots defense, and ended up deciding the game. That defense could not stop a nosebleed. Hopefully history does not repeat itself. Expect the Patriots to take the ball to start the game if they can. They want to dictate the game and make the Rams play catch up with them. Both teams will want to start fast, put points on the board, and expose the other team’s defense early.

Belichick’s starting alignment  

Belichick will likely start the defense by lining up one defensive tackle in the A-gap and then another in the B-gap. Look for the defensive starters to look something like Flowers, Butler, Guy, and then the surprising Adrian Clayborn. Belichick will likely line up both ends in a seven or nine technique off the very edge of the tackles to establish the edge. This will force Gurley and Anderson inside. This will also keep Goff in the pocket and give him struggles, as he has struggled identifying edge pressure before.

Fighting against the misdirections and nifty play action McVay calls will not be easy. Although the Bears and Lions had success with the strategy of straight up ignoring it earlier this season.

Will McVay be enough?

The key will be stopping the run early to prevent Los Angeles from really digging into their playbook in that first half. Winning the first half will be key for the Patriots to win as getting into a shootout with this Rams team is not something anyone wants to do. The good news is the gameplan has been similar for the Patriots in both playoff games. If the Patriots can stick to the gameplan on defense and start hot, McVay and his genius mind will not be enough to finish on top.

Who will replace Flores and McDaniels if they leave?

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Both Brian Flores and Josh McDaniels have generated interest from multiple teams to be their head coach. The Broncos, Browns, Packers, and Dolphins have requested to interview Flores for their head coaching positions, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. In addition, the Packers and Dolphins have requested to interview Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Schefter reported.

The Backstories

Photo Courtesy of Getty Images

McDaniels has been with the Patriots for all 5 of their championships as some form of assistant, coach, or coordinator. He took a head coaching job in 2009 and spent two seasons with the Denver Broncos. After an incident, he was fired and was eventually named the Rams offensive coordinator in 2011, before returning back to the Patriots. McDaniels was originally going to take the Colts head coaching job last year, but had backed out of it last minute. He is currently the highest paid offensive coordinator.

Flores has also been with the Patriots as some form of assistant, coach, or coordinator since 2004. This year, he has taken over the Patriots’ play-calling duties on the defensive side.

Homegrown

Can you sense the pattern? The Patriots find and promote their coaches from within for the most part. So, with this in mind, who is next up after McDaniels and Flores?

Chad O’Shea, Wide Receivers Coach

Photo Courtesy of Getty Images

O’Shea has been with the team for nine seasons, and it seems like the Patriots have been planning for him to move up the ladder at some point. Last year, he called plays in the preseason as it looked like teams might go after McDaniels. Belichick has high praise for his abilities as a coach and mentor.

“Chad’s an excellent teacher (and) a very good fundamental coach,” Belichick said recently. “He has a good relationship with his players, has a good relationship with all of the staff members and is easy to work with…He comes from a football background — of course, his dad, Mike O’Shea, is one of the great trainers in his profession of all time…Chad’s done a really good job for us.” (BSJ 2019)

O’Shea is the most obvious candidate for the offensive coordinator job if McDaniels leaves.

Options for Defensive Coordinator

The choice for the next man up for the defense is not clear. Outside of Flores, the longest-tenured defensive coach with 10 seasons with the team is cornerbacks coach, Josh Boyer, if the front office goes on seniority. Obviously, Steve Belichick, the safeties coach, is an option too. However, Bill Belichick could also go without naming a defensive coordinator for the season to maybe allow the defensive staff to develop more, if that is what he sees fit.

Photo Courtesy of Getty Images

Now, those were all internal options. Externally, it is hard to pinpoint who exactly the Patriots would go after. One option is Greg Schiano, who is the defensive coordinator for Ohio State. It is reported that he and Bill Belichick have a good relationship, and that he was wooed by the Patriots in early 2018 before deciding to remain at Ohio State (NBCSports 2018).

Bill Belichick Knows the Chiefs Will Be Tough

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Big Game on Sunday Night Football

The Patriots host the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night. This really is a big matchup for the Patriots as it could decide who is home or away in the playoffs. The Patriots defense might have a tough time with the Chiefs offense. Belichick said on Monday Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes could throw a pass out of the stadium. Tight end Travis Kelce seems like Mahomes’ favorite target to throw too. That defense could have their handful on Sunday night.

Bill Belichick Knows It’ll Be a Tough Matchup

Via New England PatriotsBill Belichick met the media Wednesday and said, “Alright, well I think it’s fortunate that we’ve had a couple of extra days here to work on Kansas City. They’re obviously a really good football team, do a lot of things well. We need a lot of extra time to prepare for this team. They give you a lot of problems with their scheme, their players. They’re very well-coached, as they always are with Andy [Reid]. Just a very explosive group. It’s easy to see why they’re undefeated. This will be a big challenge for us this week. We’ll have to do a lot of things well and do them consistently, do them for 60 minutes. That’s what this week is about for us, playing good football, 60 minutes of it. That’s what it’ll take.”

And Belichick was also asked about Mahomes as a player, and Belichick spoke highly of him: “He’s got a good team, a good coach, a good offensive line. He’s got a lot of skill players. They’re very efficient. They can run it. They can throw it, big plays. Tight ends, backs, receivers, quarterback – they’re a very explosive group.”

With ten days to work on Kansas City, it gives them enough time to get ready for the game. Belichick wouldn’t answer if he was playing for the number one seed in the conference, just saying they are playing Kansas City. The Chiefs have given the Patriots trouble recently and with a young good quarterback who can throw is good for Kansas City. Finally, the Patriots have a tough test on Sunday night but both teams will be ready for it.

FLASHback to 2007’s Offense

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COMPARING THE 2007 SEASON TO THIS YEARS TEAM OFFENSIVELY

In 2007, New England was a juggernaut on offense. As far as regular seasons go, well, the Patriots went undefeated. Of course, this season won’t be perfect, the offense could look quite familiar. Josh Gordon recently picked up by New England, has many fans very excited. First and foremost, he is not Randy Moss 2.0. I want to make that clear.

However, if Gordon can fall in line, keep his nose in the playbook and contribute all season, then we could be in for quite the show. The comparisons this year to the undefeated regular season are fair, hear me out.

Let’s compare Offenses

(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

DIFFERENT NAMES – SAME GAME

New England’s offense in 2007 was unstoppable, mainly because of Randy Moss and Wes Welker. Other key players had their roles as well, only one player remains – Tom Brady. 2007 will go down as one of the best complete football teams of all time, if not the best. Here is what the offense looked like.

Starting off is Tom Brady, who has seemed to have gotten better with age. As he admits himself, “I feel like I’ve played better the last eight years then I did my first ten.”

Next, let’s look at the running game. Laurence Maroney handled the heavy workload. Patriots HOF’er Kevin Faulk and Sammy Morris as the 3rd down change of pace backs. Heath Evans was the fullback.

Jumping ahead to this season, SB hero James White, Rex Burkhead, and rookie Sony Michel can all either be RBs or receivers in the slot or split out wide. In today’s NFL, I’d give the slight edge to this season’s RB core, as moving the ball through the air is more important than ever. Defenses can’t tell whether it’s a run or pass play when any of these players step on the field. Also, James Devlin is used at FB to open up running lanes and catch the ball as well.

SB hero James White

Photo Courtesy of Sports Illustrated

PASS CATCHING COMPARISONS

Randy Moss is in the HOF, Josh Gordon is not Randy Moss. However, if Gordon is the best version of himself, he will fill the Moss role, which is taking the top off the defense with his size and speed. Brady hasn’t had this since Randy Moss, with the obvious edge going to Moss, with one caveat – the rest of the pass catchers overall compared to this year.

With Gordon attempting to do his best Moss impersonation, Brady now has a real deep threat. His targets also include Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, and Philip Dorsett with special teams ace, Corderelle Patterson, being involved in some packages each game.

Josh Gordon opening up the field for these receivers will not allow defenses to double. If they do, Brady will find one of the open players. Looking at this year’s pass catchers and 2007 receivers, it’s the same concept with similarly skilled players except for Moss. Now, 2018 now has a beast like him plus Rob Gronkowski. That alone is scary for opponents.

JE11 in the slot

Edelman will be back in the slot, with Gordon opening up the field. Just like Welker did in 2007

Patriots offensively in 2007, besides Randy, had an aging local legend in Troy Brown, another Patriot HOF player, along with Wes Welker, Donte Stallworth, and Jabar Gaffney. They didn’t have a huge part of this comparison in Rob Gronkowski. Ben Watson was good along with Brady, but it’s not close to Gronk alone.  2018 also adds Hollister in the mix. So, can this year’s team look anything like the 2007 Patriots?

IN CONCLUSION, WHERE DOES THIS SEASON’S OFFENSE STACK UP?

Going through it by positions was interesting, and all these comparisons depend on one player, who’s never been dependable. In the event Josh Gordon does click with Tom Brady, this year’s Patriots team will do some serious damage. As I see it, this years RB group can be better than 2007.

Pass catchers; if everything goes to plan, will put up eye-popping numbers. Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Josh Gordon and Chris Hogan with the RBs will keep defenses up at night.

No, this season won’t be as prolific as the undefeated team but will have a similar feeling to it. As always, health will play a factor as well of the offensive line.

Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are still here, with players comparable or better to the 2007 team. Still, it’s too early to tell what will happen next.

No Tom Brady led offense will ever be as good, but this year is the closest it will get. Imagine all of this coming after the recent WR drama throughout the last few months.

Gronkowski Says There’s a Lot of Fake News

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Gronk Says ‘Fake News’ Is Being Reported

It was reported before the Super Bowl that  Rob Gronkowski was thinking about retiring. After the Super Bowl he was thinking about his career and what his plan was moving forward. Then we got that he was thinking about an acting career and sending people signs on social media with his tweets. Gronkowski on Saturday did a press conference and made a fool out of himself and the team. He talked about how much he was going to be working on his dirt bike skills and not be attending the offseason workout program.

Belichick Gave Gronk a Choice

Via CNNOn Tuesday, Gronk met with Belichick because he gave him the ultimatum: that he’s either in or out. Gronkowski said that he’s been working out and will be ready for the 2018 season, which is what he wrote on Instagram. Now, yesterday he posted a video of Patriots fans saying there is a lot of fake news being reported. I’d like to know what that is since Gronkowski is the one that started this whole thing. He’s also saying how he feels more pliable. Gronkowski is heading to the Bahamas to shoot Shark Week, but will be ready for the 2018 NFL Season.

With the NFL Draft is tonight, the Patriots had to know if he was going to be in or not. Would they have to draft a tight end? They still might, but who knows because they do need other help besides on the offensive side of the ball. I swear, since the Super Bowl every single day there’s something new to talk about with this team. It’s amazing. You have the three other teams in Boston doing well and the Patriots are still making headlines. Unreal.

Maybe some of the things being reported were blown out of proportion, however, the overall gist is there. There’s are a rift and Gronkowski was told to keep his mouth shut and get ready for the season.