Here’s Reiss’ take on the release of Deaderick and Love. While I did think they needed to upgrade both of them, I don’t think it necessarily means a major scheme change. It will likely be Tommy Kelly in that other tackle spot now, and he’ll likely play a similar role, though he’s better than both Love and Deaderick.
I don’t view the Patriots’ mildly surprising releases of defensive tackles Brandon Deaderick and Kyle Love as a tell-tale sign that the team is significantly changing its scheme or looking for different things from their d-tackles. Deaderick has scheme versatility (3-4 end and 4-3 tackle), and Love fit in both schemes as well. We often hear the words “quality depth management” from the Patriots’ brain trust and it makes no sense to cut two part-time starters in mid-May and voluntarily thin all-important depth unless Bill Belichick had ultimately come to the conclusion he didn’t want the players around for other reasons. My read between the lines: The Patriots no longer viewed Deaderick as a “program” fit and they were disappointed in Love’s performance/conditioning after he signed a two-year contract extension in 2012, and perhaps had a lower level of tolerance to wait for his potential return to health.
Given that background, it’s notable from this perspective that Spikes hasn’t been seen much at Gillette Stadium since the offseason program began in mid-April. Staying away is within Spikes’ rights, and there have been productive players in past years (e.g. Mike Vrabel) who have taken the same approach at times. So one of the first things I’ll be looking at Tuesday is if Spikes is present, and if he is, if there is any noticeable difference in his physical condition and how he is being employed.
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Quick-hit thoughts around NFL & Pats - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston We knew Spikes was off twitter, didn’t know he was off Foxboro too. Such an interesting year for Spikes, who should be training to prove he’s a three-down linebacker and deserves to be paid like one. |
The Best of PatsPropaganda This Week
It’s getting harder and harder to pull this “Best of” post together, because let’s face it, there’s just not a whole lot to analyze these days. It’s the dog days of the offseason, when we spin our wheels and ponder training camp battles.
We’ll bring you a “Gronk injury-free” version today, because as long as the infection doesn’t come back, and the back thing is minor as Shefter said, he should be good to go on opening day.
New England Patriots Offseason Review - The Pats have really hit on everything I think they needed to hit on this offseason. The only question is what new holes will pop up and which fixes will be insufficient.
Best and Worst Case Scenarios for Mallett
More to Pats’ release of Love than meets the eye | Comcast SportsNet - CSNNE.com
Tackling the Patriots defensive line depth
Rotoworld Offensive Line Rankings (Pats #1)
Breathe everybody, there’s still a pretty solid chance Gronk is there opening day.
While the potential back surgery is viewed as minor, it would still be surgery, and if that’s the way it unfolds, that will be five surgeries for Gronkowski since November (four on his left forearm, one on his back). That represents a lot of stress on Gronkowski’s temple in a short period of time. Yet if things go according to plan, Gronkowski wouldn’t miss any regular-season games if he has to undergo back surgery. So while it would be easy to go all gloom-and-doom, that’s not the sense I get from some folks close to the situation.
Leave Gronk alone people!
Mike D note - guest post today from @1crazyPatsfan, clarifying just what’s going on with Gronk’s infection.
Now, I am NOT a doctor and I will not claim to know how his physicians are handling his case so any information stated in this rant of mine is for general information only. I am however a microbiologist at a major hospital and have a lot of experience with bacteria and infections. So we all know that Gronk broke his arm on an extra point and required surgery to stabilize the bone. He then healed and broke it again and required another surgery. Then there was the news that Gronk was battling an infection and could need ANOTHER surgery. Man, he just can’t catch a break right? So what happened? How did he get this infection? Well, there are many ways he could have gotten it such as improperly cleaned surgical equipment or unsanitary operating conditions but the most likely culprit is bacteria that lives on the skin and snuck in when they opened up his arm again. Now, outside the body this bacteria is relatively harmless and even beneficial. Once introduced into the body, the bacteria, more specifically a species of Staphylococcus or “Staph” for short, can wreak havoc. These bacteria have special mechanism of resistance to antibiotics called “biofilms”. Biofilms are super sticky and love to hang out on prosthetics (like the plate holding his arm together). Since the bacteria are so sticky, it is very hard for antibiotics to do their job, and it takes a while to clear the infection. Once cleared though, the problem of the plate remains. That is why Gronk will need another surgery to remove the plate. If the tainted plate is still in his arm, it is very likely that there are bacteria still sticking to it, so it needs to come out. After the old plate is removed and before a new one is inserted, the doctor will send the laboratory pieces of the flesh and bone around the break to be cultured to see if the bacteria are still present. If all goes well, we will have a healthy Gronk ready in about 4 months or so.
Questions? Comments? I am @1crazyPATSfan on twitter
