Tag Archives: #SuperBowl52

Belichick Takes Players Back in Time During OTAs

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Two Days off and an Unexpected OTA

Bill Belichick and the Patriots have a few quotes they live by: “The Patriot Way,” “Do Your job” and, of course, “No Days Off”. I attended the Super Bowl LI rally in Boston and when the team gathered outside Government Center, Belichick, the team, and the fans had “NO DAYS OFF” echoing throughout downtown. I always found this funny given we had all taken the day off to be there.

This week Belichick awarded the players with a rare “two days off”, canceling the final two days of voluntary OTAs. Bill also decided to give the team a history lesson on Tuesday in place of workouts, complete with a blast from the past, old-school football environment. Oh yes, we mean even leather helmets and black-and white-tape.

Going Old School

Many players could tell right away the day was different from most. One player told Mike Reiss, “It was a lot of fun. We walked in and you could tell something different was going on than the normal practice day.”

Belichick is always in his element when history is involved. He loves football history and while he is often a man of few words, he will go on for days when it comes to matters of the subject. “The thing I’ve learned about Coach Belichick is that he loves history, he loves military, and any time he can incorporate teaching us about that, he loves it”, another player added.

In addition to the leather helmets and black-and-white videos, the players received lunches inspired by what football players used to eat. The bagged lunch reportedly contained hot dogs and hamburgers rather than the foods players eat now. The team was fresh off a field trip to Fenway Park, which they had taken the day before, making it a week to remember.

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The History of Belichick

Belichick developed a love for the history of the football at a very young age. The game has been a facet of his life for many years. It is no surprise he takes his childhood experiences and love of this history and applies it to the way he conducts his team. Belichick’s father, Steve Belichick, was an assistant coach at the United States Naval Academy, and Bill was able to learn a lot from him. Bill has often mentioned that his father was an important mentor to him in his football career and would study the game with him often.

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Between heading to Fenway on Monday, and the history lesson on Tuesday, the team certainly had an interesting last week of OTAs. The team practices next at training camp later this summer.

Super Bowl LII Preview and Prediction

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Super Bowl LII

After all that developed during the 2017-2018 season, it will conclude with the two top-seeded teams squaring off in U.S. Bank Stadium. Fans and media have huddled around the drama, adversity and success (or lack thereof), of each NFL franchise since August. This year’s playoffs featured twelve teams which all had the potential to have their ticket to the Super Bowl punched. The Bills made their first playoff appearance in decades. Chiefs fans left Arrowhead Stadium disappointed after the Titans pulled off a comeback upset in the Wild Card. The Saints were one play away from advancing to the NFC Championship, until the Minneapolis Miracle happened. The postseason has been filled with surprises and highlights, but in the end, there can only be one victor.

On February 4th, the New England Patriots, and Philadelphia Eagles, will battle to make history. All thirty-two teams in the NFL share a common goal: to win the Super Bowl. Every franchise grinds from August to January to earn a spot in the playoffs. The twenty that fail to make it plan accordingly to ensure that they will be present in January next season. The Super Bowl is the mecca of the football world, where sports and entertainment collide. Numbers, statistics and odds circle around the media in the two week break between the Championship games and the Super Bowl. This guide contains for betting on an array of props in the Super Bowl, ranging from points scored to the color of Gatorade poured on the winning coach.

Super Bowl LII- Patriots vs. Eagles: Three Things to Know

1. Experience is Key

Nick Foles will be making his first Super Bowl appearance, to add to his four postseason starts, in his six year career. Though impressive, it is a ninth of Tom Brady’s thirty-six starts in the playoffs. This will be Brady’s eighth Super Bowl appearance in his career, he has only lost in two of them. Coincidentally, the last time the Eagles appeared in the Super Bowl was in 2004, and they lost to none other than Tom Brady and the Pats. Fast forward fourteen years, both teams are completely different except for Bill Belichick and Tom Brady leading New England.

Brady and Belichick might have the upper edge with Super Bowl experience, but they have not faced the Eagles since 2015. Head coach, Doug Pederson, is a crafty play caller and defensive coordinator. Jim Schwartz coaches a young and hungry defense, that leads the league in defensive scoring. Nick Foles might be rattled in his first few drives in a Super Bowl environment, but the Eagles’ planning prior to kickoff could cause a few surprises.

2. Offensive Maestros

Nick Foles unexpectedly became a starter for the Eagles late into the season, after Carson Wentz suffered an ACL injury. He started out rusty the first few games, but was able to pull out a win in each of his starts, except for one. Foles is a talented veteran, and a scary backup, to have on a team. He picked up right where Wentz left off, with little turbulence.

Carson Wentz might have locked up the first seed in the playoffs for the Eagles, but it’s no fluke that Foles has gotten the team to the Super Bowl. In the NFC Championship, Foles tore apart the Vikings’ stingy defense. He posted 352 passing yards, and three touchdowns, in a blowout victory. The Eagles’ running back trio of Jay Ajayi, LaGarrette Blount, and Corey Clement, are all great weapons for Foles to utilize in the backfield as well. The Eagles’ boast a stacked receiving corp as well. Wrapping up the offense, Lane Johnson and his o-line, are one of the best in the league.

The opposing offense is extremely resilient. The Patriots are missing multiple starters to injury, but still cannot seem to lose. Dion Lewis is having a career year at the team’s primary running back position. Rob Gronkowski, whose availability is up in the air at the moment, can be a spark to the offense on every drive. Both Brandin Cooks and Danny Amendola, are posting career numbers in the playoffs. Amendola has been a key receiver in the playoffs, and came in clutch on Sunday against the Jaguars.

However, only one team has Tom Brady. He has mounted a whopping eight postseason comebacks, upon a plethora more in the regular season. He completed an MVP-worthy season, without one of his best receivers, and an occasionally faulty offensive line. Only Brady could make a season like this look like a clinic.

3. Protect the Throne

Coming into this year, almost everyone expected the Patriots to make a deep playoff run. No one held the Eagles to the same standard. The Eagles are hungry for a Super Bowl trophy. Despite losing their starting quarterback, they came out swinging in every playoff match-up. They are not scared of Tom Brady, or the Patriots, but rather they are excited to dethrone them:

The Eagles want nothing more than to have a repeat of the beat-down they gave to the Vikings. Though they are the one seed in the NFC, they were written off in the Divisional Round. The Eagles embraced their underdog role, and played their hearts out throughout the playoffs. Now in the Super Bowl, the odds are against them once again. This time, however, they will battle one of the most methodical teams in the NFL. The Patriots are elite because of the preparation they put into each game. Their game-plan changes depending on what team they face. They have two weeks to study film, and see how the Eagles play. Bill Belichick is amazing at pointing out teams’ weaknesses, so it is safe to say the Patriots will be ready. We’ll all have to see how this match-up fares out on Super Bowl Sunday.

Prediction: 33-24 Patriots

 

Cover image courtesy of PennLive.com.

The Patriots Next Undrafted Superstar Is … ?

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Pats fans, please retweet this and if you follow me, I will follow you back. Thank you!

When it comes to finding undrafted free agents, Bill Belichick is like some shady yard sale hunter taking advantage of the other 31 General Managers. These knuckleheads clean out their basements and attics, overlooking their “junk” by practically giving it away for nothing.

Picture this: Belichick approaches the brainless GM, and asks, “*snort* How much for the *throat clear* beat-up cup?” The GM shrugs, and says, “Uhhhh. One dollar?”

Belichick hands the GM a buck, then brings the beat-up cup, which happens to be the Holy Grail Jesus Christ drank from, to an auction. He sells it for a cool billion. Meanwhile, the GM sees the cup all over the news and internet, and says, “Heyyyyyy. Dat’s my cup!”

This is yet another way that Belichick has out smarted everyone else. He makes it a point on a yearly basis to not only make certain that an undrafted player makes the team, he sometimes turns them into stars. How does this benefit the Patriots exactly?

Every year hundreds of college players who have potential go undrafted. The second the draft is over, GM’s across the league call these players in hopes of signing them to their training camp roster. Belichick now has a reputation that’s so strong in this player pool, these diamonds in the rough wait to see if Belichick calls them first, before committing to another team. Why are they keeping their fingers crossed that Belichick calls? They’re hoping The Hoodie will turn them into the next Wes Welker, or Danny Woodhead, or David Andrews, or Malcolm Butler. And trust me, there’s a ton more.

The proof of this? Out of what were considered the top 10 undrafted free agents in 2017, The Patriots signed the top SEVEN. (After all, who the hell wouldn’t want to play for the greatest franchise in sports while backstroking in the tears of Patriots Haters?) And one of these players is going to be a stud!

D.J. Killings, Jacob Hollister, Austin Carr, Adam Butler, Cole Croston, Kenny Moore, and Harvey Langi were all undrafted and signed by Belichick. Killings got injured during camp, while Carr, and Moore were released after training camp. Carr and Moore were immediately claimed by other teams, while Hollister, Butler, Croston and Langi made the Patriots roster. So amongst these players, who is the next undrafted Patriots Super Star?

Once again … the Butler did it!

Here’s what you need to know about Adam Butler. He’s #70. He went to Vanderbilt. He has lost 30 pounds since the combine. He is now a ferocious monster who will be flattening quarterbacks like a teenager with a learners-permit mowing down pylons in Drivers Ed.

While I keyed on Butler during the preseason games, I noticed he pancaked FOUR offensive lineman. To put into perspective how ridiculous this is, a “Pancake” is a college stat kept for offensive linemen who knock a defender onto their ass. Butler is a DEFENSIVE lineman who in 3 games, has knocked FOUR offensive linemen onto their Goodell’s. Three of these Pancakes were done with a bull-rush, (this is how a pancake is usually accomplished) and one was by a spin move. A flipping SPIN move!

There was also a play against the Lions where he nearly killed quarterback Matt Stafford. There was no replay of the hit, and it was barely visible because the camera followed the ball as Stafford just released the throw. But Butler had beaten his man, gained a full head of steam, and hit Stafford so hard he could taste his own jockstrap. The next camera angle showed Stafford coming back to the huddle rather gingerly. (And probably spray spitting the taste from his mouth.)

There are other indications that suggest Butler will be a breakout star. He’s nearly 300 pounds and the Pats like to play him at defensive end. Reports from training camp have buzzed about him and in the fourth preseason game when all of the backups played and every starter sat, Butler was one of the players Belichick kept off the field for the meaningless contest.

Keep an eye on this kid. He will be a force by the end of the year. This following statement will have people demanding I take a drug test: I believe Butler could be a poor man’s Bruce Smith. And trust me people, I’m as anti-drug as they come. No dope for this dope.

Pats fans, please retweet this and if you follow me, I will follow you back!

 Edelman’s Unexpected Replacement

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Pats fans, please follow me @StevenViner1 and I will follow you back. Oh and I ALWAYS answer questions!

The Patriots good health lasted about as long as Bill Belichick contemplating a rap career.

Not only was I on board for the 19-0 train, I shoveled the coal, I was the conductor, I wore a silly little hat to collect tickets. Of course, a prediction like this is predicated on good health. You can’t lose a top-five player for the year and expect to achieve perfection. Tom Brady, Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski, Dont’a Hightower, Trey Flowers — all irreplaceable in some way.

A Jule lost from the crown

When GQ Edelman went down with a torn ACL, a mass celebration erupted amongst Patriots Haters. They did their white-boy dance to Abba’s Dancing Queen like a drunk uncle at a wedding. They whiffed on their nerdy high-fives. They grabbed the ball that they took home every time the game didn’t go their way, and went back out to do what they always do … play by themselves. When they were kids, mom tied a pork chop around their neck so the dog would play with them. Mom would say to these ass-clowns, “You don’t need friends, Little Joey. I’ll be your friend!” Pathetic. These people are losers. Because let’s face it, that’s what losers do—they root for the Express train known at the Patriots to get injuries.

Let me tell you what I am not all aboard on—the Patriots’ fans mantra of “Next man up.” Unless a clutch-gene-injected-27-year-old-big-testies Wes Welker walks through the doors at Gillette Stadium, there is no replacement for Edelman. So who could possibly try to make up for Julian’s production? The answer is not Tom Brady, and it is not a wide receiver.

Being Brady’s Brain

The #1 reason why Brady is the best quarterback in the league against the blitz is his mind. His ability to read the defense pre-snap, and ultra-quick decision making after the snap make blitzing him as useful as Johnny Manziel attending church. The best slot receiver in NFL history, Julian Edelman, was reason #2. No one in the NFL gets open as quickly as #11. He’s Brady’s fail safe.

When the defense and coverage challenge Brady, he simply looked to Jackrabbit Julian, and waited the .002 seconds it took for him to juke away from his defender before tossing a strike for the first down. Brandin Cooks is physically the closest to emulating Edelman’s ability, (Cooks’ shuttle times at the combine were exceptional) but he’s not a slot receiver. Danny Amendola is a good slot receiver who does nothing but catch big passes in big games, but he can’t shake defenders the way Edelman could. Hogan and Mitchell are terrific receivers, and Dorsett is as fast as Cooks, but there is a difference between fast, and quick.

It’s why every receiver who runs a 4.2 forty is not a success. Straightaway speed is great. But if you can’t cut on a dime, and run precision routes, you better stop by Walmart and pick up a spatula to flip burgers, because you won’t last in the NFL. It won’t be a player who replaces Edelman, but playerSSSSS. (Plural.)

Who will make up for the loss of Edelman? Nate Solder, Joe Thuney, David Andrews, Shaq Mason, and Marcus Canon.

Five for the cost of, well… five

Brady’s brain and quick release along with Edelman’s ability to get open in the blink-of-an-eye had covered up for the Patriots offensive line’s deficiencies. When one of the Buddha-bellies whiffed on a block, it went unnoticed by Brady, consistently getting rid of the ball before the pass-rusher destroyed him. I know this from my obsession with re-watching Patriots games several times and focusing on line of scrimmage play. Brady bails these guys out … a lot.

But there’s hope.

In 2016-2017, the O-line showed incredible improvement over the previous year. So, if the O-line has to take another step forward, and give the G.O.A.T. quarterback a consistent, extra second to survey the field.  Give their new deep-threat toys a chance to get open, and the Patriots should survive without Edelman.

THE TRAIN IS RUNNING AHEAD OF SCHEDULE

Look for a drop in the Patriots’ 3rd down conversion numbers from last year, but the total points to rise from more big plays. IF the big boys up front can build a Great Wall of Foxboro around TB12. Patriots Haters may want to leave the basement and head upstairs, see if mom bought any more pork chops for Fido across the street, because it’s gonna be another loooooong winter outside of New England.

If the O-line doesn’t step up, the New England Patriots Express could get derailed, and lose a game or two. Bye-bye 19-0. Guess Patriots fans will have to settle for a sixth Super Bowl Championship with a 17-2 record. Bear down, Pats fans. Tough times are ahead … tough times indeed.

Pats fans, please follow me @StevenViner1 and I will follow you back. Oh and I ALWAYS answer questions!