Here’s yesterday’s live broadcast from I Love Boston Sports in the South Shore Plaza in which me and Fitzy discuss the departures of Trent Brown and Trey Flowers and so much more!
Goodbye Trey Flowers and Trent Brown
And just like that, they were gone.
I guess I forgot about how silly the “legal tampering period” is because the Monday mid-day news of the Patriots’ big fish signing elsewhere caught me a bit by surprise.
Trent Brown made it two years in a row that a Patriots free agent left tackle became the highest paid offensive lineman in the NFL, signing with the Oakland Raiders.
Trey Flowers followed Matt Patricia and Danny Amendola to Detroit, as the ex-defensive coordinator and GM Bob Quinn continue to put a Patriots stamp on the Lions.
Neither departure was all that much of a surprise. With tons of money to spend, everyone
So what now for the Patriots?
[Read more…] about Goodbye Trey Flowers and Trent BrownPatriots Already Aggressive in Nabbing Bennett(s?)
The Patriots appear to be trading for Michael Bennett, though no official word has come down since news of the trade broke on Friday.
Bennett is coming to New England from the Philadelphia Eagles, along with a 2020 seventh-round pick, in exchange for a 2020 fifth-round pick.
Boston.com
My first thought was being blown away by how immediately aggressive a team coming off their sixth Super Bowl was being. Yes, Trey Flowers is about to hit the market but grabbing Bennett cushioned any potential blow his departure might make.
Make no mistake, Bennett is at the end of the road and in no way should be considered a favorable replacement to the hitting-his-prime Flowers. But as we’ve seen, you can never have too many pass rushers and Belichick just couldn’t resist a manageable deal on one of the only pass rushers to give the Pats problems in Super Bowl 49.
[Read more…] about Patriots Already Aggressive in Nabbing Bennett(s?)Potential Tight End Free Agents for Patriots
With free agency starting next week and Rob Gronkowski reportedly around Gillette Stadium more than he was last year, I’m starting to think we might have ourselves a Gronk back in 2019.
Still, Dwayne Allen is a player that did the dirty work, leading a potent ground attack that led the way to a Super Bowl. And these days you can never have too little Gronk insurance.
With Jacob Hollister an injury MIA in his first two seasons, the Patriots need to target at least two quality tight ends both in free agency and the draft. Let’s take a quick look at some options, internal and external.
[Read more…] about Potential Tight End Free Agents for PatriotsPatriots 2001: Preview of a Dynasty
As I’ve been enjoying the Patriots sixth Super Bowl title over the last month, I found myself glancing back at the 2001 season and how much has happened since then. The Patriots going on a second three-Super-Bowl run has certainly given things a complete feeling. I’ve been saying everything else is gravy but this is getting ridiculous thinking they’re not done.
2001 was a lifetime ago and for the Patriots it was the last time that there were no expectations for them. Really, no one outside of New England really cared about this football team back then, and now, 17 years later, the Patriots are loved and hated around the globe.
I popped the 2001 NFL Films Yearbook DVD in this weekend and was fascinated to see what a microcosm of the dynasty this season really was, how so many games against so many teams would encapsulate so much of what Brady and the Patriots would experience en route to winning five more Super Bowls. The themes that would recur over and over across the next two decades of football.
Let’s take a look at some of the notable moments and pieces that would echo well into the future.
[Read more…] about Patriots 2001: Preview of a DynastyPats Posits: Here Comes Free Agency and the Draft
I’ve gotta admit, I’ve been just taking it
As much as we want there to be a ton of football to talk about this is really the one time there isn’t much more than coaching departures and speculation. I’ve returned to my roots a bit, diving into the draft immediately and fully.
With six picks in the first three rounds, the Patriots are poised to re-energize their roster. After going to four Super Bowls in five seasons and winning three of them, you wouldn’t immediately think the roster needs re-energizing, but things are constantly turning over in the NFL and this has the chance to be a draft that sets the Patriots up for the next decade.
As we wait for real news, the easiest thing to do is to bang out some random Posits on all the little tidbits that have been dripping out.
Patriots Offseason: Wide Receiver Wide Open
All we know for sure about the Patriots wide receiver corps this offseason is that Julian Edelman will be back. After him who knows, but it’s reassuring to know the guy who keeps the chains moving on key third downs will return. The rest is mostly window dressing.
Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett
| Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Tgt ▼ |
Rec | Ctch% | Yds | TD | 1D |
| James White | 40 | 27 | 67.5% | 202 | 3 | 18 |
| Julian Edelman | 36 | 22 | 61.1% | 278 | 4 | 18 |
| Rob Gronkowski | 29 | 15 | 51.7% | 236 | 2 | 13 |
| Josh Gordon | 18 | 8 | 44.4% | 152 | 0 | 7 |
| Chris Hogan | 16 | 7 | 43.8% | 91 | 1 | 5 |
| Phillip Dorsett | 14 | 8 | 57.1% | 88 | 2 | 5 |
| Cordarrelle Patterson | 9 | 6 | 66.7% | 78 | 2 | 3 |
| Rex Burkhead | 2 | 1 | 50.0% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 168 | 95 | 56.5% | 1136 | 14 | 69 |