PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

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Mock drafts are pick-by-pick guesses of which team will select which player in April’s draft. They are composed by columnists, experts, obsessed amateurs, compulsive listmakers, interns and precocious toddlers, and all are of exactly the same level of accuracy. Some mock drafts prognosticate only the first round, but many now extend through all seven rounds, which is a little like trying to predict the weather on April 7, 2019.

Draftniks: Ever the Experts and Always on the Clock – NYTimes.com

https://www.patspropaganda.com/mock-drafts-are-pick-by-pick-guesses-of-which-team/

Reiss/ESPN Boston: Bill Belichick crafts a new draft tune

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Reiss/ESPN Boston: Bill Belichick crafts a new draft tune

As we tweeted yesterday, “Nickel is the new base”.

In the past, more focus was placed on the base 3-4 defense. Belichick has almost always had a stout 3-4, with powerful, hold-the-fort linemen in the 300-pound range whose primary job was to build a wall at the line of scrimmage. Bigger, physical linebackers played behind them.

It wasn’t the fastest defense, but it had size, played physically, and was fundamentally sound in its run fits and assignments.

This defense still exists; it’s just that we’re seeing less and less of it. And this is where Belichick has come around to a new way of thinking on what is needed in New England.

As a whole, the parts seem to fit the Patriots – The Boston Globe

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As a whole, the parts seem to fit the Patriots – The Boston Globe

Remember back in 2010 when all we talked about was how specialized the Patriots defense was? There wasn’t much diversity with their defensive personnel, instead it was entirely predictable what they were trying to do based on the guys who were on the field.

But with the additions of this past weekend it’s clear the Patriots are focused on making their defense one that can excel against the passing teams they’ve struggled with the past couple years.

Some will wonder what took them the last three drafts to figure this out, but hey, they just made an entire draft class almost entirely out of defensive backs and pass rushers so let’s not complain too much.

Now, the Patriots set off into an offseason of great expectations with a defense that can emerge like a chameleon when the season starts. No one knows what it will eventually look like. That’s likely the way it will go week to week during the season, especially when opponents try to game plan offensively. The Patriots have the potential to dictate the style of the game defensively with the scheme they choose. Usually that’s what the opposing offense does.