PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

Can Pats Replicate 2018’s Ground Success?

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Just as I was feeling pretty great about the team-building of the 2019 offseason, Jared Veldheer threw us all a curve ball and abruptly retired just a couple weeks after signing.

I was penciling in Veldheer to start the season at left tackle, so this thrusts Isaiah Wynn back into the spotlight. Dante Scarnecchia was recently complimentary of Wynn, but coming off a torn Achilles and stepping right into a starting left tackle spot is a monumental leap no matter how great his potential.

What this ultimately feeds into though is my biggest storyline of this season: the ground game. Can they reproduce the success they had in critical games without Brown, Gronk and Allen?

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Shelton and Collins Re-Signings Take Pats Defense Over the Top

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The Patriots brought back another veteran at a spot of need by signing Danny Shelton. Shelton was a healthy scratch for a few games last season but came on at the end, playing his best football of the year in the playoffs, recording two tackles with a tackle-for-loss in the Super Bowl.

I don’t think there’s any hope that he’s going to ever reach his first-round pick status, but even as a rotational defensive tackle, especially against good running teams, Shelton reinforces the defensive interior.

Essentially the Patriots swapped Mike Pennel for Malcom Brown, a possible upgrade.

Combine this signing with the Jamie Collins signing (along with Jared Veldheer, Ben Watson and Austin-Seferian Jenkins on the offensive side), and the Patriots have put together one of the deepest groups they’ve ever brought into training camp. The defense won’t have Trey Flowers but they look well-equipped to find his replacement.

Young hard chargers like JC Jackson and Ja’Whaun Bentley will push vets like Jason McCourty and Collins as the D is deep at every spot.

They’ve lost some significant players this offseason, particularly at tight end and defensive end, as well as left tackle and receiver. But for every loss they’ve added two players who could potentially replace it.

Injuries are going to take 10 percent of the 90-man roster no matter what, but once again the Patriots have quality depth and potential at almost every position as OTAs get rolling this week.

Pats Bring Back Jamie Collins

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The Patriots trade of Jamie Collins was one of the most shocking moves of Bill Belichick’s storied tenure. At that point in the 2016 season the Patriots defense was pretty bad.

No one ever thought they’d trade someone like Collins who after 2014 and 2015 was one of the most well-respected young linebackers in the league. In tandem with Dont’a Hightower they were a lethal duo leading the team to Super Bowl 49’s title.

Collins seemed like the perfect athletic linebacker for today’s game. Still he was exposed in coverage more than we’d like to admit. The 2015 AFC Championship was a low point for him and it carried over into the 2016 season.

He was a dynamic player, but prone to mental lapses that eventually caught up with him. So what’s different now that they’re bringing him back?

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Initial 53-Man Patriots Roster and Position Battle Thoughts

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After filling out their roster with some quality veteran depth the Patriots have put together a solid 90-man squad. Yes, there’s some wide open positions like receiver, tight end and left tackle, but they’ve thrown enough at the wall in all spots to make things competitive.

Let’s take a wild swing at how I’d see a 53-man roster from here, with the caveat that injuries will turn this thing on its head, unfortunately. Here’s the current 90-man depth chart:

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Please Tell Me Belichick is Calling Defensive Plays!

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According to a report from Ben Volin (so take it for what it’s worth) Bill Belichick will be the one to call the plays for the defense this year.

The buzz I am hearing from a league source is that Bill Belichick will simply call defensive plays himself this fall. This same source also told me Bielema would become defensive line coach, which I was going to write in this space before it was confirmed on Friday.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/patriots/2019/05/11/john-urschel-retirement-was-case-simple-math/sASqkV9xeS7e48JvO8ABKI/story.html

As we’ve seen plenty of times now from whenever he’s been miked up, Belichick takes the calm overseer role. He sticks his nose in here and there, mostly to tell people to do their job, but he takes in the big picture.

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Patriots Add Inman to Intriguing Receiver Group

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There isn’t much assured after Julian Edelman when it comes to Patriots wide receivers, but after adding Dontrelle Inman they now have a fascinating array of options to play a new key role.

Here’s how the group of ten break down:

Kent State class of 2019… we did it! 🎓 #13YearSenior pic.twitter.com/3uNwamnZkp— Julian Edelman (@Edelman11) May 11, 2019

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Patriots Adding Comp-Free Vets

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With veterans no longer counting against the compensatory pick formula, the Patriots have added two veterans, tackle Jared Veldheer and tight end Ben Watson that won’t cost them any of their projected four comp picks.

The moves are no brainers at positions in transition, with each on a low-risk one-year deal. The moves continue an approach to throw as much as possible at the wall when there’s positional uncertainty.

Combined, the team lost five “starters” at tight end and tackle and after the draft they still need all the help they can get, especially trying to make up for what they lost in Rob Gronkowski piecemeal. It’s gonna take a lot of pieces.

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