PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

Point Blank: A Vince Wilfork Appreciation Post

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After having to gather myself to write a send off for Rob Ninkovich last week, now having to do one for Vince Wilfork is making things a little misty here in the Ministry of PatsPropaganda. Wilfork retired yesterday after two final years in Houston, meaning his final game was appropriately in Foxboro against the Patriots.

Now we can forget about those two years Big Vince had as a Texan and just remember him as the Patriots stalwart that he was. The Patriots have planned a press conference for Wilfork on Wednesday and I’m so fired up for it. It will be great to welcome Vince home one last time and hopefully we’ll be seeing more of him and the former first lady of Patriots Nation, Bianca, around Foxboro.

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Patriots-Jaguars Monday Practice Report

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Just got back from my second credentialed practice of the summer and it was by far the most interesting and entertaining. It was a long workout, going over two hours and featured plenty of 11-on-11 work in the last half hour.

If there was a headline of this practice it would have to be that the Brady-Cooks connection is hitting a new level. I wasn’t around to see what practices with Randy Moss looked like, but Brady is throwing deep to Cooks early and often. Cooks came down with multiple deep catches that drew oohs and aahs from the crowd.

And it wasn’t just Cooks, Chris Hogan got into the action on the deep balls, while Edelman and Gronk had a handful of their usual big plays.

All in all, you look at the offense and it’s easy to imagine what a nightmare they’re going to be for defenses all season long.

More on everything from a fun day of practice after the jump…

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Patriots to Watch vs. Jags in Practice

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Excited to be headed back to training camp practice with a press credential this morning. Well, the excitement now is really more to see some actual competition on the football field and to finally see the Patriots players take their camp frustrations out on another team.

There’s been plenty to be excited about through the first week-and-a-half of practices. Young players like Deatrich Wise, Adam Butler and Harvey Langi have gotten thrown right into the fire. New veterans like Stephon Gilmore and Brandin Cooks have brought new excitement on both sides of the ball.

But getting worked up over the first week of training camp can be foolish. The list of training camp players we thought would be lifelong legendary Patriots — like Zack Sudfeld, Kenbrell Thompkins and Anthony Johnson. Those guys all ended up doing nothing for the do nothing Jets. So yeah, let’s keep our heads on straight about a few good training camp practices.

Today things get a little more interesting though. We’ll see the rookies go against some new competition and try to apply what they’ve learned over the past couple months.

Here are the five Patriots I’ll be focusing my attention on this morning.

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Can a Butler Do It Again for Patriots?

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Adam Butler, an unsigned rookie free agent defensive linemen out of Vanderbilt, has turned heads in the last week of Patriots training camp. Saturday’s scrimmage had him showing up in quite a few reports:


Greg Bedard (Boston Sports Journal):

DT Adam Butler continues to be impressive. The best young interior pass rusher. Little weak against the run.

Butler was one of the undrafted rookies that I didn’t take a close enough look at in the preseason, despite him checking a number of versatility boxes — he played all along the defensive line and even some offensive line.

Now it appears that the undrafted rookie could have a shot at actually making the team. Granted we’re just 10 days into camp and have yet to see him in any game action, but on a team famous for their undrafted rookies, Butler appears to be making an early push.

Let’s take a closer look at Butler and what he might bring to the Pats.

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Product Alert: Patriots Football History Told Through The Washington Post

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Thank you to Signature Gifts for sending me one of their Football History books! I have plenty of Patriots keepsakes but this might just be one of my favorites. It’s a compilation of the Patriots’ history told through the pages of the Washington Post.

It goes all the way back to the Patriots’ first season in 1960, right up through their stunning win in Super Bowl 51. It was such a fun way to relive the trials and tribulations of the franchise, as told through the way people used to get their information — the newspaper.

It’s a wonderful compilation, filled with pictures and stories that even I had forgotten about. If you’d like to pick one up you can get all the details here. If you’re a fan of history, or especially newspapers and old time sports reporting, this would make a wonderful gift!

Tweets of Note: Patriots Camp Catch-up

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Things are about to get real at Patriots training camp next week. With the Jags coming to town for joint practices and then the preseason kicking off against them on Thursday night, the preseason is about to begin. With that comes “real” football and some actual film to break down which will be a welcome departure from relying on camp reports.

The team has gotten a bit dinged up in recent days and as a result Bill Belichick has been pulling back a bit, especially on important veteran starters. I’m sure the entire team is looking forward to competing against the Jags, and those practices should see the intensity shoot back up.

The Pats will be practicing both Friday and Saturday, then will have Sunday off prior to the joint practices that start on Monday.

Let’s take a quick look at the biggest storylines in camp right now…

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A Closer Look at the Patriots’ Roster Bubble

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Today is Tom Brady‘s 40th birthday and it also marks the end of then first week of training camp. While I don’t really have any big Brady celebration plans (because your favorite QB turning 40 isn’t exactly something to celebrate), it’s a good time to take a quick reset on what we’ve learned and how the roster is flushing out.

The headline of week one was Rob Ninkovich‘s retirement, and though that opens up a roster spot, there are still plenty of bubble guys who will be in the fight of their lives to make the team.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the bubble players who have emerged in the first week and weigh their chances of making the roster.

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