It’s possible, but I think it’s more just insurance in case Dobson can’t go, but it looks like he’s okay so I’m not sure how long Collie will be around. And really, he’s more in the Edelman/Amendola slot receiver mold anyway, so I am not reading too much into his arrival. The rookies have shown a lot of promise, but I don’t think anyone would argue the Pats have no need to take a look at another weapon at WR.
Malik Jackson quietly keying Denver Broncos defense | The MMQB with Peter King
Malik Jackson quietly keying Denver Broncos defense | The MMQB with Peter King
Didn’t take Ninkovich long to reinforce to the Patriots that he was worth his recent three-year contract extension, as his 4.0 pressure points against the Falcons were nearly as much as his first three games combined (5.6). Ninkovich didn’t have a sack against the Falcons, but his eight hurries were tied for a league high with Hali. None was bigger than the hurry he notched with 9:43 left in the game—not that you would have known it from the television broadcast. Ninkovich dipped inside right tackle Jeremy Trueblood and quickly got in the face of Matt Ryan. Ninkovich’s presence sped up the throw from Ryan to Roddy White and caused an underthrow that was intercepted by cornerback Aqib Talib. Not that viewers were told that. The only thing they heard about was Talib’s pick.
So if the Patriots have just under 7 million in cap, what are the chances they find a way to resign Talib before the end of the year?
Try? Maybe pretty good. Chances Talib takes what they offer instead of hitting the open market after being at least a quarter of the way to the best season of his career? Doubtful.
They could always franchise him so no need to panic yet, but believe me, all of Patriots Planet is on the same page on this one. This is the first elite man corner we’ve had since Law and the proof is in the pudding for what he brings to the party and how much better the Pats defense is because of him. They cannot let him walk and go back to square one trying to find cornerbacks who are, you know, good.
I think McCourty is the next extension priority, and I think he seems like the kind of guy who would take the 75% deal the Pats would offer.
For Patriots, new season has brought completely new offense – WEEI | Christopher Price
For Patriots, new season has brought completely new offense – WEEI | Christopher Price
When it comes to 2013, there’s a relatively small sample size – four games worth – but it’s becoming clearer that the last time the Patriots made a such offensive overhaul was between the 2006 and 2007 seasons with the addition of receivers Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Donte’ Stallworth, when the Patriots went from almost a straight-up balance between run and pass in 2006 to a pass-heavy bunch that relied heavily on its receivers. The most obvious change from last year to this year is the slower pace. Through the first four games, the Patriots have been in the no-huddle on 17 of their 287 offensive snaps, a rate of 6 percent. That represents a sizable shift from the last two seasons, when New England was in no-huddle for approximately 25 percent of the time and regularly ran teams out of the building. (Through four weeks last year, the Patriots were in no-huddle for 85 of their 299 plays from scrimmage, a rate of 28.4 percent.)
Because of the teams dependence on wilfork, do you think belichick has always had a plan just in case of a situation like this
I sure hope so! There’s not much he can really do other than bump up Tommy Kelly’s play time (hopefully he can handle it) and try to figure out the best way to use Vellano/Smith and Francis/Forston, if they have enough potential to get the call up from the practice squad.
There’s no way to sugarcoat how tough losing Wilfork is, but the Pats have overcome big injuries before and it’s part of football. So now there’s an opportunity for someone to rise and maybe carve out a role as a building block for the future.
The unfortunate thing is that I’ve been so attracted to defensive tackles in the draft the last three seasons. Giving Wilfork help and building a future replacement should’ve been more of a priority as I see it. Now they did sign Armond Armstead, no one could’ve predicted how that got complicated, and they signed Kelly, so they didn’t completely ignore the spot.
Big Vince couldn’t keep the same pace they’d established for him over the last three seasons and it was clearly just a matter of time before he started to decline or got injured. I’m not sure which is more desirable.
Now there’s no avoiding it, the defensive rebuild must focus on the interior defensive line this offseason, no matter what else happens. It’s really the last chapter to be written of the rebuild from the dynasty defense. All the other positions have young playmakers.
Clean slate for Nate Solder | Boston Herald
Clean slate for Nate Solder | Boston Herald
Great stuff on Solder, who has quickly developed into one of the most imposing left tackles in the game.
Solder has been picture perfect at his most important duty: pass protection. Brady has dropped back 166 times this season, making 158 pass attempts, and Solder hasn’t allowed as much as a single clean hit on his quarterback. He has been tagged for two hurries, was flagged for a holding penalty that was declined, whiffed on a cut block and appeared to miss one assignment that didn’t hurt the Pats in the opener against the Bills, but those are five minor hiccups. It is no fluke, either. Solder’s solid technique is behind his rapid development. Solder’s greatest asset has always been his footwork, but he has worked feverishly over the last two offseasons to build up his strength. That’s been evident time and again this season, including one tell-tale play against the Bills when he neutralized defensive end Mario Williams, who looked like he was running on a treadmill trying to push through Solder.
I was also a fan of Bill Belichick’s decision to go for it on fourth-and-1 to try to seal the game on New England’s final meaningful possession, the one that ended with Tom Brady fumbling a fourth-and-1 snap for the second time this season and losing the ball. I’ve covered Brady’s success on these plays in the past, and while he’s not 100 percent, he’s about as close as an NFL player can be in short yardage. You don’t want to risk him on every short-yardage conversion, but sealing a game seems like a good time to pull that off. And just like with the Falcons, poor execution doesn’t negate a proper decision. Belichick’s playing to the historical strength of his team (offense) and avoiding its recent weakness (defense) while doing the same thing in terms of what Atlanta is and isn’t good at. You give Atlanta better field position by not punting, but the reward of possibly ending the game is very obviously worth the risk.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/i-was-also-a-fan-of-bill-belichicks-decision-to/