Tag Archives: NFL

It’s Quiet Around New England

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Quiet Around Foxborough

There is a different vibe to this Patriots offseason. Tom Brady hasn’t participated in the offseason workout program with the team and is getting ready for the season is own way. Last week, Brady and Julian Edelman practiced in Chestnut Hill with trainer Alex Guerrero. Throughout the offseason, Brady has taken heat for missing OTAs with his team. With Edelman facing a four-game suspension at the start of the season, Brady wants to go to his number-one target in September.

Training Camp Begins Soon

(Foxboro, MA, 08/07/17) New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and his nutritionist Alex Guerrero during Patriots Training Camp Joint Practice with the Jacksonville Jaguars at Gillette Stadium on Monday, August 07, 2017. Staff photo by Matt Stone

Training camp begins in a month, and it’s been quiet for the last couple of weeks around the Patriots. Bill Belichick has enjoyed his trip overseas and will probably head over to Nantucket. The Patriots have been faced with a lot of distractions lately surrounding the team. So this might be a much needed month off from all the football drama surrounding the team. The only news around the Patriots right now is Edelman appealing his suspension. He had a hearing the other day at the league office and a decision hasn’t been made yet about it.

Tom Brady will probably head to Costa Rica for a family vacation. Then, he will go to Montana to practice with Edelman and other receivers. It’s pretty much a new receiving group, so it will be interesting to see how Brady connects with his newer wide receivers. Chris Hogan is going to have to step up and maybe take the lead if Edelman loses his appeal. Tight end Rob Gronkowski will still be a dominant force of the offense too. They will be missing Danny Amendola though.

The quiet around New England might be nice right now, but once we head into training camp, things will start heating up. We’ll see how Danny Etling connects with Tom Brady and if Brady does anything different from previous training camps.

Patriots Training Camp Preview: Quarterback

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With Patriots training camp approaching on July 26th, there are many different players on this team from last year. The Pats acquired four guys from trade, fifteen from free agency, and nine from the NFL Draft. They also lost nine players from trade and free agency and had three players retire.

In this new series, I will be looking at every player from each position leading up to training camp. For this part of the series I will talk about the most important position on the field: Quarterback. Quarterback has been the most consistent position for the Patriots since 2001. Ever since Tom Brady got his first start in 2001, the Patriots had only had four Quarterbacks start for them (Bledsoe, Cassel, Garoppolo, Brissett). The Patriots are bringing in three QB’s to training camp this year.

Tom Brady #12 (2000-Present):

Tom Brady is entering his 19th season for the Patriots where he has had a very successful career. He is a 5-time Super Bowl Winner, 3-time NFL MVP, 4-time Super Bowl MVP, and 13-time Pro-Bowler. Brady for his entire career has had 66,159 pass yards, 488 TD, 160 INT, and a record of 196-55-0. One of Tom’s MVP’s seasons came last year where he amassed 4,577 pass yards, 32 TD, and 8 INT.

He led the Patriots all the way to the Super Bowl where the ultimately came up short to the Eagles. Tom has been one of the main reasons as to why the Patriots are consistently in the Super Bowl.

Brady, who will be 41 at the start of the season, has shown no signs of slowing down yet. Expectations for him are still very high. Every year, it is expected that the Patriots will win a Super Bowl and it is expected that Brady will lead them there.

The verdict is that Tom Brady will 100% be on the Patriots 2018 roster.

Brian Hoyer #2 (2009-2011, 2017-Present)

Brian Hoyer was the Patriots backup QB for the last half of the 2017-2018 season. He began his season in San Francisco where he started six games. Hoyer went 0-6 in those six games and had a stat line of 1,287 pass yards, 5 total touchdowns, and 4 INTs. He ended up getting released by the 49ers after San Francisco traded for former Pat’s QB Jimmy Garappolo.

After getting released by the 49ers, the Patriots signed him for the rest of the season due to only having one QB on the roster. This would be the second stint in New England after being drafted by the team in 2009. Hoyer was part of the 2011 Patriots that went on to win the AFC Championship. Brian has only appeared in eighteen games in his four years with New England with him, and a stat line of 328 pass yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 INT.

Once he left the Pats in 2011, he had a very solid few seasons in Cleveland. In his first year for the Browns, he started three games and went 3-0 with 615 pass yards, 5 TD, and 3 INT. He then started 13 games for Cleveland where he had a record of 7-6 and 3,326 pass yards 12 TD, and 13 INT. His next season would come in Houston under his former offensive coordinator, Bill O’Brien. He had his best statistical season where he had a record of 5-4, 2,606 pass yards, 19 pass TD, and 7 INT. This would be his last season in Houston though. He then had an uneventful season in Chicago and then went to San Francisco.

Brian Hoyer is a very solid option as a backup quarterback to Tom Brady. He has been in the league for a long time and has some quality experience as a starter. Overall, Hoyer will most likely be the backup to Tom Brady for the upcoming season.

Danny Etling (Rookie):

With the 219th pick in the NFL Draft, the New England Patriots select Danny Etling, QB, LSU. With all the rumors going around about the Patriots selecting a quarterback early to be the predecessor to Brady, they waited all the way until the seventh round. Etling was kind of a surprise pick with him not being rated higher than a lot of undrafted QBs.

Etling started his college career at Purdue where he appeared in thirteen games over the span of two seasons. In those thirteen games, he had 2,490 pass yards, 16 pass TD, and 12 INT. He would then transfer to LSU where he played two seasons. Over those two seasons, he played 24 games and had 4,586 pass yards, 27 pass TD, and 7 INT. His senior season at LSU was his best season in college. He appeared in thirteen games and threw for 2,463 pass yards 16 pass TD, and 2 INT.

Danny Etling, 23, will most likely be a project for the Patriots. He will not be a quality backup right away, but he has potential. I believe the Patriots will keep Etling on the practice squad on the upcoming season to learn from Brady and Hoyer.

The position of quarterback for the Patriots has always been the most consistent since Brady took over, and not much looks to change this year.

 

Trade Options: Defensive Superstar in New England?

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Zach Martin got paid. He signed a six-year, $84 million extension, which includes $40 million guaranteed. This eclipses another guard signing earlier in the spring, when Andrew Norwell signed with the Jaguars for 5 years on a $66.5 million contract. These now set a precedent on the market for this position in free agency this year. Shaq Mason is on the final year of his contract, and there is a good chance the Patriots won’t pay him. Another important fact of note is that Joe Thuney is coming off of foot surgery heading into the season. Let’s look into potential players the Patriots could target via trade if they decide to trade either of these players. These may be unlikely, but it’s fun to think about!

*Note – These do not take cap values into account.

Carlos Dunlap

Carlos Dunlap Pittsburgh Steelers v Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals need offensive line help badly, considering more of their offensive game is slowly centering around Joe Mixon. The Patriots clearly need a more consistent pass rush, which was evident in the Super Bowl. Both Mason and Dunlap are in the final years of their contract. It’s a win-win.

Earl Thomas

Earl Thomas

There have been numerous rumors about the Seahawks looking to trade Earl Thomas. While it’s wishful thinking, the Patriots could package either guard with a high pick to get him. The Seahawks do need the help at offensive line, and Patriots fans would be happy seeing Jordan Richards off the roster.

Chandler Jones

Chandler Jones Tennessee Titans v Arizona Cardinals

*Cue music* Reunited and it feels so gooood…

Having Chandler Jones back in New England would be amazing. He is a proven all-pro player that came out of our system. If the Patriots could work around how much he costs, Jones will be a valuable help to the young New England pass rush. Additionally, Arizona would love more protection for their promising rookie and injury-prone veteran.

Thus…

All of these players would be an absolutely amazing help to this already revamped defense. It will ultimately come down to the cost of the players. However, if the Patriots absolutely love one of them, they won’t stop short to get him.

Follow me on Twitter @devansh0429

Tom Brady Hints He’s Playing Until 45

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Tom Brady Spreading Rumors

Social media has a funny way of breaking news sometimes. Once again that was the case today when Tom Brady commented the number forty-five in Spanish on Instagram. It was a response to an ESPN post talking about how Brady told Oprah he was retiring sooner rather than later. Now if he does play until he’s 45, it contradicts my prediction that Brady will retire after the 2019 NFL season. What if he doesn’t get a contract and Brady wants to keep playing, but not for the Patriots? What happens then, and will it ever reach that point?

In my opinion, Brady will retire a Patriot, and no team will spend a lot on a 43-year-old quarterback. Brady has said he wants to play until he’s 45 when Jimmy Garoppolo was on the team. Now with Garoppolo off the team, he’s talking about spending more time with his kids and retirement could be sooner rather than later. After this Instagram comment, he’s sending mixed signals on what he’s doing. Sort of like a girl sending a guy mixed signals if she likes him or not.

Brady Messing With People’s Heads

Maybe Brady is just fooling us and will retire at the end of his contract in 2019. Nobody really knows except Tom and his wife. Tom knows when he’s going to hang up the cleats for the final time, and maybe Robert Kraft knows too. Brady’s loyalty is all to Robert Kraft and Kraft would never trade Tom Brady. The Instagram comment has everyone around social media hopping on it to figure out what it means.

With Brady being the greatest of all time he can say and do whatever he wants. He’s earned that right he could say he’s playing until 45 to mess with our heads and get people talking. However, he could be really hanging up his jersey at the end of the 2019 season. Nobody really knows.

Reliving Randy Moss’ Patriots Career

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It’s been years since Bill Belichick has been able to call a team and give a low ball offer and get a ready-made star in return. Now, when an executive takes a call from the Patriots and get “I’ll take this guy off your hands for a mere….”, they should immediately hang up and spend the rest of the day figuring out what the hell they are doing wrong. And the trade that was the beginning of the end was the fleecing if the Oakland Raiders in the acquisition of Randy Moss for a fourth-round pick.

But what if the trade was never made? Would the fortunes of both franchise have been forever altered? Could the Oakland Raiders have built championship teams on the legs of one of the best receivers in NFL History? Would the Patriots dynasty have ended with the defensive juggernauts of Tom Brady’s younger years?

Oakland’s Fortunes

Could a motivated Randy Moss have been the key to turning around the storied franchise for the 2007-2010 seasons? No. Not a chance. This team had so many problems, culminating in the power struggle following Al Davis’ death. New head coach Lane Kiffin considered Moss a poor locker room presence and wanted him gone. They took the fourth-round pick and selected John Bowie. Couple that with #1 overall bust of the century JaMarcus Russell, and the world would continue until just recently.

New England’s Fortunes

18-1!

This was the amazingly record-breaking season, resulting in an MVP for Brady, with records for TD passes thrown and TD passes caught. While the fans did not get to celebrate another championship, it provided lasting memories.

The following seasons saw diminishing returns as Moss played out his contract. He ultimately forced himself out of town by mid season in 2010. Age and motivation seemed to slow down the speedy receiver.  Meanwhile the team as a whole was entering what was arguably the toughest stretch of Brady’s career.

The Verdict

Brady has displayed a tendency to focus on favorite targets. At times this can be to the detriment of the offense and the team. With a decline in Moss’ motivation or ability, Tom Brady suffered a decline in numbers for the ‘09 and ‘10 season. Following Moss’ exit from Foxboro, the Patriots reset the offense with the two-tight-end offense in the 2011 season and created a Brady resurgence.

We’ll always have the almost-undefeated season. Randy Moss’ contribution to an amazing year is not in question. However, by the end of his third season, his old ways were starting to cause problems with management. On the field his production was dropping precipitously. The 20 games after the ’07 season only resulted in an average of below 67 yards per game. Even with a season of Matt Cassel as the quarterback, that still isn’t #1 wide-receiver worthy. This was a great chapter in the history of the NFL and a storied franchise. But, ultimately it did not vastly affect either franchises’ fortunes in the long-term.

Tom Brady Knows The End Is Near

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Brady Planning For Life After Football

Tom Brady has been distant this offseason and doing training at TB12. Tom Brady revealed to Oprah that the end is sooner rather than later. He realizes since he got his way with Garoppolo being traded and has won five Super Bowls, it’s time to focus on his family. Oprah misread what Tom Brady meant when he said at the end of his documentary Tom vs. Time. He had said, “Why are we doing this, what are we doing this for.” It had nothing to do with him spiritually as much as it did that Garoppolo was no longer a Patriot and Brady’s job wasn’t in jeopardy.

Tom Brady Wants To Play For Josh McDaniels As Head Coach

Tom wants one year with Josh McDaniels as head coach. Then he’ll ride off into the sunset with his head held high and five or six Super Bowl rings.  Tom Brady has accomplished so much in his almost 20 years in New England. Some fans might be upset because he went back on what he said. Jimmy Garoppolo wasn’t on the team anymore. It’s fine if he wants to retire, but he shouldn’t put that he wants to play until he’s 45 when Garoppolo is here and then talks about family and spending more time with them when Jimmy’s gone.

Some Patriot fans don’t want to see the reality and think that Tom Brady can do no wrong. All this skipping out on voluntary workouts was very unusual for Tom Brady. He always talked about how the OTAs were so important in preparation. The end is near, and Brady will play out his contract and then retire. Brady has a year left with Bill Belichick and a year with Josh McDaniels. Then, Danny Etling will be at quarterback with McDaniels as head coach in 2020. Enjoy the short break the Patriots have now. Once training camp starts, things will be heating up.

No, Days Off!

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Since Bill Belichick has been with the Patriots, he has stressed having no days off and doing your job. That has been Belichick’s motto for a long time. Now, with Belichick nearing retirement and Brady not participating in the offseason workouts, the Patriots took the final two days off of OTAs this week. You won’t see them on a practice field until training camp. The No Days Off Patriots are now the No, Days Off! Patriots. Bill Belichick went to Viva La France to get away from diva La Brady. I’m joking, but it’s clear Belichick wasn’t getting anything out of Hoyer and Etling. So since Brady wasn’t there, what’s the point of having the final two days of practice. Just wait until everyone is together when training camp starts. This way, there are no dropped passes, and Brady knows what he is doing.

Having Fun Doesn’t Win Championships

The Patriots went to Fenway Park on Monday for a team bonding exercise. On Tuesday, Bill Belichick had a history lesson on football. One of Bill Belichick’s famous quotes is “There are no shortcuts to building a team each season. You build the foundation brick by brick.” That’s from the combine all the way until the start of the season. Everything is important. Julian Edelman is about to be suspended four games of the season, and there are some rookies on this team who could use the reps. However, when the starting quarterback isn’t there, it might be best to wait until camp to start when everyone is together.

There’s been a lot of gossip and drama going on in New England to the point now that it might be sickening. From the Malcolm Butler benching all the way to Brady, it’s been something every day with this team. Robert Kraft spoke last week. He called the reports that the Patriots were going to trade Rob Gronkowski last Friday hogwash. However, they were looking to trading Gronkowski three days before the NFL Draft. That was when Gronkowski was complaining about not getting enough money. Enjoy the next month of hopefully no Patriots drama. When training camp starts, it will be strictly focused on football.

 

Lesson Plan for Sony Michel

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The Patriots shocked everyone when they selected UG bulldog Sony Michel running back in the first round. But you don’t let your lead running back leave in free agency without a backup plan. Nearly 900 yards on the ground, and another 200 in the air.

Dion Lewis was an atypical lead back. His cutting style and small frame powering through the line of scrimmage. What’s more is that he played the part well. In the 2017 season he looked like a lead back. This production was bittersweet when he signed a free agent contract with the Tennessee Titans. Replacing the yards from his snaps would not be easy. The team did resign Rex Burkhead and looked for free agent options. Eventually deciding on Jeremy Hill as a low risk, veteran gamble.

The Lesson

One only has to look at the Dallas Cowboys as a recent lesson. They did not properly plan for a succession at that position. DeMarco Murray’s production was not immediately replaced when he left in free agency. The Cowboys scrambled with a group that produced a thousand yard rusher in Darren McFadden and little else. In response to this, the Cowboys scrambled and drafted Ezekiel Elliott the next year. This ensured that the position was set. The Patriots have made one thing clear. It’s that they won’t allow that sequence of poor performance to sink a chance at a championship.

Michel carrying the ball for the Bulldogs

The Method

The selection of a running back in the first round is in defiance of current mode for thinking for NFL draft strategy. A common line of thought is to get multiple talented individuals and rotate them. The Patriots have themselves been a primary proponent of this philosophy. This year, however, they swam against the current of this method. With pick 31 they got Michel, an offensive weapon that could rival some of the best in the NFL.

The Application

How best can the Patriots utilize Michel talents? Ideally, he could come in and replace every one of Dion Lewis’s snaps and provide a home run threat at running back. The teams haven’t had a threat in the backfield like that since the early promise of Laurence Maroney, or even as far back as prime Corey Dillon years.

Michel’s skill set is ideally suited for today’s NFL running game. His pass-catching skills and route running are very developed for a soon to be rookie. He is falling forward or getting those extra yards after contact. Michel’s biggest need for improvement will be in pass blocking. In film study he made read errors such as staying in when he should’ve been running a route for a hot read or getting caught up in traffic and not able to make a clean block. When he was able to square up and put everything into it, I saw a blocker that looks like they will be able to learn and grow as an NFL blocker.

The Application Part II

His running style reminds me the most of a more upright Devonta Freeman. His offense at Georgia utilized a lot of the cutback and outlet passes. He commits decisively and does not waste too much time dancing in the backfield. When he sees daylight his second and third gear are activated very quickly. Michel is at his best when he’s trying to let a hole develop he is very patient and almost looks Le’veon Bell-esque. Allows the blocks to open up and keeps his feet moving and eyes up until he sees what he wants and then goes.

Conclusions

At the very worst, the Patriots have drafted for themselves a contributor that will learn from the veterans on the roster. Michel will hone the weaker parts of his game and be ready to steal all the snaps in future seasons. At best they may have drafted a complete running back in today’s NFL that can have his name read with the games great. An exciting future for sure.

Lots of Fake Reporting Going on in Foxborough

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Some False Reporting Going on in Foxborough

Friday was an off day at Gillette Stadium. The team didn’t have practice and Belichick was enjoying the off day in New York City. According to Barstool Sports, however, there were reports that Rob Gronkowski was no longer going to be a Patriot by the end of the day. Another “reliable” source reported that Belichick had a meeting with Kraft about trading Gronkowski. Brady stepped in and threatened to retire if they traded Gronkowski. Needless to say, that was all fake and the meeting never happened.

Gronkowski was going to be possibly be traded in the offseason, according to Tom E Curran of NBC Sports Boston. All of the fake reporting Friday was quickly shut down. The real reporting comes from the beat reporters and people that cover the team. When I said in April Belichick was retiring at the end of the season, I found out from an insider at Patriot Place. There is tension there is drama, but Friday was all nonsense and believing some guy from Attleboro because he has a blue check mark on Twitter. Pathetic.

Tom Brady Wasn’t Going to Retire

Tom Brady wasn’t going to retire after this season. He might have threatened it in the offseason if they traded Gronkowski, however, he wasn’t going anywhere. Why should he retire when Josh McDaniels was returning? There was no meeting on Friday. Maybe there was in the offseason, and Barstool just wanted to break something big. Then other “reporters” wanted to join in on the fun.

As for Tom Brady, he’ll be skipping the rest of OTAs. Don’t expect to see him until Training Camp which begins in July. Brady will probably spend the next month with his family, doing fundraisers, and be traveling the world. He’ll also prepare at TB12. Enjoy all the gossip talk on the radio this week on how Friday was a fake news day in Foxborough.

A look into JC Jackson: UDFA Corner Gets First Team Reps

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Well, it’s that time of the year again. Mandatory mini camps started Tuesday for the Patriots, and players are looking to prove themselves to try to secure a roster spot. One of the biggest surprises of OTAs and the mini camps thus far is an undrafted free agent, JC Jackson, starting opposite Gilmore.

Jackson’s College Career

Maryland v Wisconsin

Photo Credit: Getty Images

JC (Jerald Christopher) Jackson began his career at the University of Florida. However, an injury in the 2014 season opener knocked him out for the rest of the year. Eventually, the program dismissed him in 2015 after felony charges for which he was eventually acquitted. Jackson played at Riverside Community College before transferring to Maryland where he played two seasons. In that span, he amassed 80 tackles, four interceptions, and 12 pass breakups (NFL.com).

Jackson’s Game

  • Very physical and aggressive. Impressive response and speed to the curl route shown below.
  • Active and willing in the run game. Does a great job getting off the block and tackling/forcing the back out of bounds
  • Excellent play recognition. Reads the quarterback well. Got off a route to break up to the pass to the receiver cutting to the outside.
  • Mirrors routes well and has the speed to still disrupt the play even if he gets a little behind

 

However, Jackson gets a bit grabby with his hands which can lead to pass interference calls. He also has a problem with consistency. Nonetheless, JC Jackson is a name to keep an eye out in the future when training camp and preseason comes around.