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Patriots Gameplan: 5 To Watch vs. Redskins

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For as much as I love it when training camp opens, it really doesn’t feel like football is back until we see the team in uniform in a game, albeit a meaningless one with mostly backups likely to play the majority of the game. Still, there’s a sigh of relief knowing that important players like Tom Brady and Dont’a Hightower won’t take the field and won’t potentially get injured because all that truly matters in these four games is not getting anyone injured.

Last year was a catastrophic situation with Julian Edelman tearing his ACL. There’s just nothing worse than losing a player for the season in a game that doesn’t even matter. Hopefully, the Pats can survive Thursday night and we can start to get a real sense of how good the new guys are in an actual game with hitting and tackling, something we still have not seen. But the most important guys should not be risked here in week one.

It’s hard to judge much of anything without real football, despite our best efforts. So now, we can really start to figure out how the bottom half of the roster looks and who might rise to the occasion under the bright lights with people trying to really hit them.

Here are five areas of emphasis that I’ll be focusing on. I’m not making any offensive or defensive gameplan sections because we can expect to see a vanilla bean scheme on both sides of the ball. It’s not about the Redskins, it’s just about the Patriots and seeing how players handle themselves without having to overthink about disguise and adjustments.

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Patriots Clear Off PUP, Tuesday Tweets of Note

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The Patriots welcomed back the remaining members of the PUP squad meaning that they’ll open the season with no one getting a free pass behind the scenes until Week 6. Cyrus Jones, Jonathan Jones and Nate Ebner all returned to practice, donning full pads meaning their time being physically unable to perform were coming to an end.

For the Joneses, it’s a good sign that they’re back before the first preseason game. Jonathan could insert himself into the slot conversation over rookie Duke Dawson, while Cyrus faces a make or break year where the Pats could really use his punt return ability. He’s a bit of a wild card as a cornerback, especially with a loaded depth chart but maybe just maybe he could be a factor.

As for Ebner, he’s just about a roster lock for his special team prowess and is a good presence to have back on the field for Bill Belichick’s favorite phase of the game.

More on the brewing battles and what went down at Tuesday’s practice in the Tweets of Note.

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Pats Posits: Monday Day Off Regroup

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Finally, we’ve got a couple days off here without a bunch of new Patriots information coming at us fast and furious. Not that I’m complaining, but the first week-plus of camp is always a whirlwind of activity — finding out which guys might actually have a chance to contribute (hello Duke Dawson) and which guys we had far too high of expectations of (bye Jordan Matthews). A couple days to catch our breath and enjoy the old Randy Moss highlights has been nice.

The best news is that we get an actual preseason game this Thursday. Usually, these first preseason games are heavy on the mostly expendables, I wouldn’t be surprised if none of the key veterans took the field for any snaps. While this can be frustrating, it will also really give a chance to the lower end guys who are fighting for a roster spot to shine.

More than ever the sports talk radio points continue to chase their tail, trying like hell to get us concerned about the wide receiver position? Sometimes I’m just amazed at how little thought can go into these takes. Do they even watch practices? Do they pay attention to who comes and goes? It’s why I continue to just do my own thing, which is often way out of step with the narratives that the talking heads like to force down our throats.

Here are a bunch of regroup-y Posits as we get ready to see a Patriots football game this week.

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Patriots Training Camp Report: Friday (TFB-Day)

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Got back from another muggy Patriots practice, that featured alternating rain and glaring sun. I was on my game though, setting up right against one of the few trees on the hill that overlooks the stadium. The advantages up there: shade, slight wind, watching the practice from the end zone which makes it a lot easier to scout the players.

A lot of the important guys had their snaps limited, starting with Tom Brady, but also including Dont’a Hightower, Devin McCourty, Rob Gronkowski and Stephon Gilmore. That gave some of the younger players a chance at more reps with starting-caliber players.

Here are some of those who are getting some more chances:

— Christian Sam saw time playing with Hightower as the top nickel linebacker duo and seemed comfortable within the defense. He’s making strides.

— Riley McCarron got plenty of chances but he showed inconsistency. Not sure him or Berrios can stake a claim on a roster spot right now. Did think it was Berrios’ best practice that I’ve seen, gaining separation on Jomal Wiltz on one snap for whatever that’s worth.

— Wiltz and Ryan Lewis saw plenty of time at cornerback today. Neither stood out like JC Jackson has to me. Jackson is getting time as a gunner too, so he’s really looking like he could have an inside spot on a job at this point.

— Eddie Pleasant and Nicholas Grigsby look mostly like roster locks right now, playing multiple special teams units and getting valuable reps on defense as well.

— The whole offense took a lap after a sloppy exchange. They had already fumbled one. Funny to see Brady, who wasn’t really practicing at this point, take a lap with them. It drew happy birthday cheers from the audience, even though it was a penalty lap.

— Mike Gillislee was back in pads and looks explosive on a couple carries to me. Jeremy Hill has a spot on the kickoff return team right now so it’d look like he’s adding more value than Gillislee so he’s got his work cut out for him.

— I am so curious to see how Jacob Hollister looks in the preseason. He’s been great at camp, catching everything thrown his direction, consistently getting open. When we talk about filling in for Edelman weeks one through four, Hollister could be a significant part of the equation. Between him and Decker, the Pats will have some inside size this year that they’ve never really had.

— If you missed my 53-man projection from yesterday I can say that I feel even better about my defensive picks after today’s practice.

Patriots Add Eric Decker

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc9EutK6U2w

In a move that felt inevitable as soon as Jordan Matthews was lost for the season, the Pats signed receiver Eric Decker to a one-year deal. Though we all remember what a pain in the ass Decker was playing for the Broncos and Jets, he’s definitely near the end of the road. But perhaps a shot at a ring and nothing to lose with the best quarterback he’s ever played with 😉 can help him squeeze out one last productive season. You can see his most recent work above.

He was 1-6 vs. the Patriots with two touchdowns and under a 50 percent catch rate. Seems like I was more afraid of what he could do than he ever actually did. His best game against the Pats was six catches for 94 yards with the Jets in 2014.

I am eager to give him a look. He has good size and brings a similar physical presence inside that Matthews would’ve brought. Decker’s experienced and shouldn’t be holding anything back. It could turn into an interesting year with him and Brady, especially the first four weeks.

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Patriots Book Review: Gridiron Genius by Michael Lombardi

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I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of Michael Lombardi’s new book coming in September, Gridiron Genius. If you’re a fan of the kind of stuff I write… i.e. pretend Pats football GM, coach, team builder… this is the book for you!

Around 2014 I found a group of concrete articles I wanted to write every week. Mondays are Posits, just general thoughts about the team. Tuesdays are film review, Wednesdays are scouting reports and then Fridays are the big one, my favorite, the gameplan. Well, Lombardi pretty much gives you the real version of all these things and I couldn’t put it down.

First, I will obviously focus much on Bill Belichick in this review and he is a huge part of the book, but there are tons of great stories about Bill Walsh and Al Davis as well in here. As a fan of the game, anything about Bill Walsh instantly perks my attention and Lombardi spent plenty of times getting to know him. And of course, there’s Davis, who became somewhat of a cartoon by the end, but we forget what a passionate football mind he was and one-of-a-kind. He had his preferences and it’s interesting to see how the game changed on him.

That aside, the Patriots stuff, oh the Patriots stuff.

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Patriots 53-Man Roster Projection 2.0 (August 2nd)

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With one week of training camp under their belt, it’s an okay time to make another attempt at a 53-man roster. In case you missed them I’ve put up three training camp videos on my Youtube channel so far. Please subscribe!

QB (2) T.Brady, B.Hoyer — With a year on the practice squad, Etling could have some promise developing behind the scenes, a perfect spot for him.

RB (6) R.Burkhead, J.White, J.Hill, B.Bolden, S.Michel, J.Develin — Gillislee better get on the field quick or Hill will run away with the job.

WR (5) C.Hogan, P.Dorsett, C.Patterson, K.Britt, M.Slater — Projecting Britt based on OTAs but he has to get back on the field. Losing Matthews hurts the depth but really the top line is going to be the same once Edelman gets back. Dorsett will be a key contributor this season. Addition coming?

TE (3) R.Gronkowski, D.Allen, J.Hollister – Solid group led by Gronk. Allen is improved. Hollister continues to carve out a receiving role.

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