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elandon roberts

Tweets of Note: Patriots Monday Camp Practice

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I’m winding things down on vacation in Philadelphia today, eager for a long drive back tomorrow and then full preparations for the rest of preseason and the start of the Patriots regular season.

Quick story, I’m here for a hockey coaching seminar during which the speaker asked the room, filled with Eagles SB52 fans all decked out in swag, to name some good coaches. The first, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan, and of course a Boston native. Next? Someone from the back, sadly not I, shouted out Bill Belichick. The crowd groaned but begrudgingly acknowledged the coaching ability of the hoodie. No mention of any of the bullshit, just a bunch of coaches admitting they know who one of the best ever is.

I had a big grin, and was slightly sad it was not I who called out the name.

Here are the Tweets from today that stood out.

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Tweets of Note: 2018 Patriots Training Camp Practice #1

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The Patriots kicked things off with a shorts and shells practice on Thursday and will have a similar affair on Friday before busting out the pads this weekend. Despite the lack of full contact there was still plenty that could be gleaned based on the post-practice tweets from the best beat writers who were there live, as I plan to be tomorrow and Sunday.

Here are the tweets that stood out, especially ones that answered some of my questions:

With Kenny Britt out, Dorsett is going to be one to watch this summer. Working inside is interesting, but there’s an obvious need there and if he’s versatile enough to play any receiver spot he’s going to play a big part in the offense this year. We’ll see how Kenny Britt looks as he’s expected back soon per Jeff Howe.

As expected Brown stepped into the left tackle spot and Thuney returned. I’m not sure I quite understand where all the Thuney dislike comes from. Many seem to want to replace him but I still think he’s an ascending player. Wynn working at backup left tackle is VERY interesting and a sign that after the spring where he played some guard they’re going to give him a look at left tackle now. Brown vs. Wynn is very real.

Say hello to the base defense, a three-safety nickel with a mix of Hightower and run-stopper Roberts. Malcom Brown is still recovering, swap him in for Guy when he’s back. Makes sense to have Gilmore-Rowe out there to start, experienced group to get the initial communication and calls down. Then start taking a look at the three and four cornerback packages with new faces like Jason McCourty and the rookies.

Van Noy should swap in for Roberts (and Rivers/Butler/Wise for one of the DTs) in the “sub” passing down packages. But Roberts is clearly atop the depth chart and slated to play a significant role as a top-three linebacker. I was excited about him in 2016 as a rookie when he’d come on, blow up a running play, then get off the field when they were throwing it. The defense had to rely on him more in 2017 and he lost some of the early pop he had as a rookie, often caught by play action. His inadequacies led the team to experiment more with Marquis Flowers in an effort to get more athletic in the middle of the field.

Gonna be a group effort for a season or two with Flores but I’m excited just to see a new twist on the Belichick Patriot Defense. What characteristics from Matt Patricia left? Which remain? How do they get the defense more ready to go this year than they were last year when they were shredded?

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Patriots Open Training Camp!

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Was planning on being there at the first day of camp today, unfortunately, a sick kiddo is keeping me home, but I’ll be there on Friday and can’t wait to get a first look at the 2018 Patriots.

Yesterday’s kickoff Belichick press conference was predictable as Dan Shaughnessy, claiming to speak for the fans, grilled the head coach about 2017. Of course, I saw this coming down the pike a mile away and Belichick’s parries were just as predictable. It gives rise to that group of Patriots fans out there who are eager to flush 18 years down the toilet because the coach didn’t play Butler in the Super Bowl, and won’t ever be true fans again until Belichick explains why or the Pats win another Super Bowl.

Yes, that’s how deep loyalty lies after five Super Bowl wins in eight appearances.

I stopped taking the bait from guys like Shaughnessy a while back so that’s enough about him trying to steal spotlight from what is usually the most exciting time of year — the opening of camp, when hope springs eternal and for the last time, most of the team is healthy.

Here’s a quick rundown of my training camp preview articles and some quick hits of specific positions and players I’ll be watching in the early days of camp.

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Patriots Super Bowl 52 Film Review: Defense Edition

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The Patriots’ defense is correctly in everyone’s crosshairs after Super Bowl 52, but don’t lose sight of the fact that the defense faced a 4th-and-1 with 5:39 left in the game from the Eagles 45-yard line with a 33-32 lead. That’s the game right there.

Trey Flowers bursts through the line but was pushed off course just enough the he couldn’t quite get the quarterback. Instead, Foles made an excellent slide to his left and made a clutch off-balance throw to pick up two yards to Zach Ertz. Conversion. Game-winning touchdown scored seven plays later.

A stop right there and the Patriots are most likely Super Bowl champs and we’re sweeping the defensive shortcomings under the rug just like the Eagles defense, who gave up 600 yards, are doing right now. Both defenses were systematically shredded for most of the game, but one clutch play determines which got blamed for the loss and which got credited for the win.

Philadelphia’s gameplan was a greatest hits of everything the Patriots defense struggled with this season. Bunch sets, toss sweeps, some run-pass options… for an inexperienced front they just had no anticipation for what the Eagles were doing. The second level and edge players were where they wanted to target but they didn’t fear the Patriots pass rush when it came time to take some deep shots as well.

Here’s what stood out to me:

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Three Plays That Defined Patriots Defense vs. Chargers

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After yesterday’s Garoppolo spookstravaganza on Patshow I’m moving back to some analysis of the players on the team who have actually played a down this season. I know the trade will continue to dominate the conversation for much of the next week and a half, but it’s time to refocus on the second half of the season.

The Patriots sit at 6-2, and while we can talk about their flaws, the reality is the sports betting odds are still very much in their favor to make a strong playoff run this post season.

I thought the defense did a solid job against the Chargers, although there were just a couple notable breakdowns with Melvin Gordon‘s 87-yard touchdown run leading the way. They continue to make strides and while they certainly have some weak links in certain situations, they’ve continually bounced back and made the key spots necessary to help the Patriots on their four-game win streak.

Here are three plays that defined the defensive effort against the Chargers.

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5 Patriots Concerns

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It’s hard to know at the beginning of the year what problems are real and which can be chalked up to September being more of an extension of the preseason. The Patriots experiment a bit, sit guys for even a minor ailment and are just trying to figure out what they have more than anything.

Of course, that never stops the overreactions but that’s what happens when people have been waiting seven months for football and then a shitty Patriots team gets lit up by some random team who won’t make the playoffs. It’s the same thing almost every year and there’s difficulty knowing what the real weaknesses of the team are.

But here we are five games into the season and the 2017 edition, like all teams have flaws, even if the 2017 betting odds for the next Patriots game don’t quite reflect it.

Here’s a quick hit list of the things that concern me with these Pats and what the real issues they’ll have to overcome are.

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Pats Posits: Things to Fix But Plenty to Like

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Most of Patriots Nation is gushing over Tom Brady this morning and rightly so, as he delivered another last-minute comeback, the 50th 4th quarter comeback of his career, with a pinpoint end zone pass to Brandin Cooks. The game against the Texans was one where the two teams were evenly matched and for many spoiled Patriots fans, that’s cause for concern.

But it’s important to remember this is only Week 3. It’s still September. And when you look around the rest of the NFL, with 15 teams owning the same 2-1 record as the Pats and just two undefeated teams remaining, it’s clear that everyone is still figuring it out. The “figuring it out” phase is always hard for fans. It’s a roller coaster of inconsistency as teams discover what they’re good at and where their weaknesses are.

So yes, the Patriots have some weaknesses, and the defensive performances especially are concerning, especially when you see they’re giving up twice the points-per-game that they did last year (15.6 vs. 31.7).

Let’s unpack all the leftover thoughts on what we’ve seen from the 2017 Pats, including where they must improve if they’re to start their annual mid-season climb to the top of the NFL rankings once again.

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