As you might’ve noticed in the past week, it’s not just me Mike D posting content here on PatsPropaganda anymore. I’ve added a handful of contributors to help this season. All are passionate and knowledgeable Patriots fans and I’m excited that there will be more great content than ever on the site thanks to them. You can check out more on each of them here.
While some of their pieces have already been posted, I thought a good way to introduce everyone to some of the contributors would be a round table discussion with everyone, with topics ranging from their Patriots fandom to their opinions on the upcoming season.
Here’s part one:
What are you most excited for with the 2016 Patriots as we get ready to open camp?
Pete Smith: The running game benefiting from a healthy Blount & Lewis, and an improved offensive line. It won’t matter who starts at QB if these two play to the best of their abilities. An improved offensive line, aided by the return of Dante Scarnecchia, should pave the way for what I see as a top-5 RB combo in the NFL.
Rick Starke: Some football. The offseason seems longer every year, especially when certain particular “scandals” can’t seem to disappear. 3 out of the past 4 offseasons have been littered with ugliness, some manufactured, some really, really unfortunate.
Niko Davos: Oh come on. This one’s easy. Gronk and Bennett. Bennett and Gronk. On paper, the towering tight end duo is as difficult to defend as any pair Brady’s had to work with, including Moss and Welker. If the O-line can just be average this season, good freakin’ luck keeping the good guys out of the end zone.
Jamie Conway: Seeing how wide-open at least two of the stable of quick release receivers (Edelman, Amendola, Hogan, D. Lewis) and loping giants (Bennett and Gronk) will be on nearly every play.
Adam Magnacca: I’m most excited to get an inkling of how the team uses the new pieces they’ve gained this offseason. Are they going to use Bennett as another Y TE or will they see if they can use him as a move guy or maybe some weird combination of both? Will Shea McClellin be an edge guy or will be in the middle of the linebackers? There are so many interesting twists these and other new additions could create for the team this season
What are you most concerned about?
Pete Smith: Depth at Offensive Tackle. When Solder went down last year the Offensive Line never really seemed to be able to identify a reliable replacement at left tackle. This led to a constant shuffling and rotating of personnel upfront, and the line never seemed to really gel like previous lines. The Patriots did little to address these concerns with the addition of two primarily interior linemen in Thuney and Karas. This leaves the beguiled Marcus Cannon (a potential cap casualty), LaAdrian Waddle & Keavon Milton as the primary backup tackles. All things considered, this is a great problem to have, but one that I would have preferred seen addressed with a FA signing or trade.
Rick Starke: Depth at runningback has to be the biggest concern for all Patriots fans. I can’t see anywhere else on the roster that hasn’t been addressed. Perhaps the return of Dante Scarnecchia will be all that is needed to push the running game to the next level.
Niko Davos: The offensive line is by far the biggest concern. If you watched the godforsaken AFC Title game and saw Brady get hit 20 (!!!) times, that much is obvious. There is reason for optimism though, with the return of coach Dante Scarnecchia from retirement, tackle Nate Solder from injury, the infusion of new talent (Cooper, Thuney) and the expected in-house development.
Adam Magnacca: I’m gonna go out on a limb and say I’m a little concerned about the Special Teams. It was not nearly as strong last year as it has been since Belichick took over. I’m hoping they tighten up in that area but we’re not really gonna see if what they’ve been doing will come to fruition until the preseason starts.
Under-the-radar player you think could breakout in camp?
Pete Smith: Jonathan Jones. Fits the mold of a typical Patriots corner. Has great speed (4.33 40), and great ball skills. Played in the SEC with Auburn. I was surprised he went undrafted, and with $35K guaranteed as a signing bonus for an UDFA, it reflects the value the Patriots saw in his skill set. According to multiple reports he’s looked good in camp so far, so I guess this is a bit of a safe pick.
Rick Starke: I’d love to see Kamu Grugier-Hill turn into more than just a bubble player. Freakish athlete Swiss army knife type players are certainly more bust than boom, but one more piece like that for the Patriots defense could push them into top-3 in the league realm.
Niko Davos: Tight end/fullback Clay Harbor was an interesting offseason acquisition that flew under the radar. He’s had a somewhat underwhelming career up until this point with Philadelphia/Jacksonville (26 catches in 2014 is his career high) but he’s a 6’3 250 pounder that can run a 4.6 40–yard dash, so the attractiveness from the Patriots’ perspective is clear. He has a Swiss-army knife skillset; one Josh McDaniels is drooling over as we speak.
Jamie Conway: Keshawn Martin or Nate Washington.
Adam Magnacca: I don’t know if it will happen but I want nothing more than for TE AJ Derby to explode on the scene. I want him to add another weapon to the TE room and scare the bejeezus out of the opposing D-Coordinators. If he turns into the Swiss army at TE who can line up anywhere and match up with anyone I would jump and down with joy.
Veteran player you could see as a surprise cut?
Pete Smith: Marcus Cannon. He has a big contract and I don’t think anyone on the OL outside of Solder and Vollmer has job safety right now. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Patriots roll the dice on Waddle or Milton in place of Cannon.
Rick Starke: Somebody in the trenches, most likely. There are a LOT of defensive ends on the roster, and a LOT of offensive linemen on the roster. Maybe Blount.
Niko Davos: Would Aaron Dobson be a surprise cut? No? OK, I’ll do better than that… Obviously something is going to have to give with the offensive line so my attention is there. Although they probably don’t qualify as “veterans”, 2015 rookies and occasional starters David Andrews and Tre Jackson need to perform in camp to stick around. That goes for Josh Kline as well. Jackson has had injury issues throughout his short career, so I could also see him beginning the year stashed on the “PUP” list.
Adam Magnacca: Bill always has a surprise camp cut and while some might not be shocked I could see them not keeping Clay Harbor. Even though he had a signing bonus, the team doesn’t care about that at final cuts. I think the offensive positions are pretty full and I don’t know that he’s different enough from James Develin, who the team loves.
What position battle intrigues you most?
Pete Smith: Last two defensive back spots. The battle between veteran E.J. Biggers, Justin Coleman, Darryl Roberts & Jonathan Jones should be intense for what I think will be ultimately 2 spots. I’m high on Jones and hope Roberts can oust Coleman. I’m not sure Biggers is anything more than a veteran camp presence.
Rick Starke: The interior of the offensive line. Stork has lined up everywhere, so he’s not a lock at center, but definitely a lock as a starter. Between three years of trades, draft, and free agent finds, there is a logjam of players there.
Niko Davos: Running back. After not drafting a back (which I was admittedly upset by), it’s clear the Hoodie trusts what he has in-house. With Blount the only power back (Bolden is primarily special teams), Dion presumably being handled with caution coming off the ACL, who steps up in the early going? I’m a fan of James White, but he’s not a great runner between the tackles. We know exactly what Donald Brown is, and I’m not sure that’s a good thing. Can the shifty undrafted rookie DJ Foster make the two aforementioned backs sweat their respective roster spots?
Jamie Conway: D Tackle: Branch, PotRoast, Malcolm Brown and Vincent Valentine show how a free agent depth acquisition can turn a vulnerable group into a real strength.
Adam Magnacca: I’m most interested in how the offensive line shakes out. I think it’s an incredibly young and competitive group and nothing but good can come from that competition. Worst case scenario, the depth on the team is A+ and those young guys not starting are hungry for snaps.
Part II comes tomorrow!