Who are you amped about?

[Ivan]

no one/nothing to get amped about. this was a dead team last year that turtled against every good opponent. They added Schuster and Gesicki, 2 jags, and drafted a bunch of special teamers and guards. they drafted a corner first, who last I checked, doesn't help the offense move the ball, convert third downs, and not kick 3,000 field goals.
If the defense sucks vs quality opponents they're in for another disappointment of a season. We'll know soon enough bc the first four games are against competent quarterbacks and/or coaches and offenses.

You are one miserable person. I feel really bad for anyone who has to spend time around you, because I’m sure no one does it willingly,

 

[TheRainMaker]

Has anyone even mentioned that the AFC East actually being competitive again is exciting? The late 90's was awesome and games against Miami, Buffalo and NYJ felt like heavyweight fights which died off during the Brady years. You've got the reigning AFCE Champ in the Bills and the high powered (at times) Miami offense and now the addition of Aaron Rodgers. The AFC East will be fun to watch.

All eyes on Mac Jones. Big year ahead.

Looking forward to seeing Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris year 2. The Pats running game will be a major strength.

Can Uche duplicate 2022? I think he can. I could see a passing down package of Judon, Uche, Barmore and White rushing.

Speaking of, how does Keion White fit in to the rotation? Will we see less of Guy?

Can Barmore play a full season? Another reason why White was possibly drafted.

Gonzalez and Jack Jones on the outside. They will have big tests early in the season. Will this mean Jon Jones stays in the slot and bumps Bryant off the field?

Thornton in year 2. I hope he's put on at least 10 pounds which is not much to ask. I want to see him emerge as a viable starter on the outside.

Where does Marte Mapu play? He is my guy to watch. Any significant play in the middle will help out a very slow part of the field. and transform the defense drastically.

 

[n6249c]

no one/nothing to get amped about. this was a dead team last year that turtled against every good opponent. They added Schuster and Gesicki, 2 jags, and drafted a bunch of special teamers and guards. they drafted a corner first, who last I checked, doesn't help the offense move the ball, convert third downs, and not kick 3,000 field goals.
If the defense sucks vs quality opponents they're in for another disappointment of a season. We'll know soon enough bc the first four games are against competent quarterbacks and/or coaches and offenses.

Pump the brakes. Curb your enthusiasm. Don’t get giddy and carried away. It’s early, they haven’t shown anything yet. They haven’t even had pads on to look the part. Much better to wait until the real hitting begins and we can see if they’ve got anything to show us. Ok, I know the hitting already started in that little dust up last week, but let’s ignore that. It just shows an excess of competitive spirit and that’s not what we’re talking about.

 

[scott99]

Amped about Gesicki, Gonzalez, Thornton & Strong. I think Gesicki was a brilliant signing, the ONLY thing I dislike about it was it was only for 1 year. He wasn’t used correctly by the Dolphins last year, the prior two years, he had 126 catches combined. He is a weapon and a mismatch. If they use him correctly, he could be a beast.

 

[40yrpatsfan]

I'm amped to see the 3 impact defenders - Keion, Martu, and Gonzo, one for each level of the defense - who I think are going to be here for the next 8 years.

 

[Sicilian]

A lot of great answers already here, but I'm amped to see a coaching staff that has some serious experience. And I don't just mean O'Brien and the offense, though the additions of him, Klemm, and the new TEs coach whose name is escaping me are exciting. There was some crazy brain-drain on that side of the ball when McDaniels left, so replenishing that should be fun to watch.

But on defense we've had continuity for years now, which is something I felt hadn't happened in a while. We went from Patricia, to Flores, to an inexperienced Mayo-Steve duo, but they've had a chance to grow and find their rhythm now for multiple years. That's extremely valuable IMO, and now you can add a little more BB attention since O'Brien is taking point on offense.

You can add Judge's return to ST (where he belongs) as a boon as well, though I know that's not a universally agreed upon subject.

My hope is that this all culminates in some really creative looks, both offensively and defensively.

 

[patsinthesnow]

Fans can dispute how good the defense was last year. What cannot be disputed is the pass rush. Some of their best performances include:

• • 21 pressures & 2 sacks vs. the lions. They dominated a top 5 OL in football
• • 25 pressures & 4 sacks @ the browns. Another elite OL
• • 22 pressures & 5 sacks @ the raiders. A pretty good OL with the Uche having 5 pressures vs. Kolton Miller
• • 26 pressures & 2 sacks vs. the dolphins. Even with Teddy Bridgewater starting the only way the pats were winning was with a dominant performance up front with mills, jack jones & marcus jones not playing
• • 26 pressures & 2 sacks @ the bills. This performance is continually ignored due to 2 kickoff return TDs & Josh Allen taking advantage of long TDs vs cover 3 zone
• 
  
• Judon, Uche & Barmore played together in all these games. Uche was the only pass rusher in the NFL with 6 straight games with atleast 5 pressures. Barmore was dominant in his last two games with 11 pressures. This group performed as well as anyone in the league & they didn't have big leads either.

Hearing about Keion White's first step already at OTAs has me excited thinking about him as the 4th pass rusher in this group. I'm amped up in general about the defense & having man coverage behind this unit as opposed to jonathan jones, marcus jones & bryant in zone will make a big difference IMO.

 

[Real fan 02]

Has anyone even mentioned that the AFC East actually being competitive again is exciting? The late 90's was awesome and games against Miami, Buffalo and NYJ felt like heavyweight fights which died off during the Brady years. You've got the reigning AFCE Champ in the Bills and the high powered (at times) Miami offense and now the addition of Aaron Rodgers. The AFC East will be fun to watch.

All eyes on Mac Jones. Big year ahead.

Looking forward to seeing Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris year 2. The Pats running game will be a major strength.

Can Uche duplicate 2022? I think he can. I could see a passing down package of Judon, Uche, Barmore and White rushing.

Speaking of, how does Keion White fit in to the rotation? Will we see less of Guy?

Can Barmore play a full season? Another reason why White was possibly drafted.

Gonzalez and Jack Jones on the outside. They will have big tests early in the season. Will this mean Jon Jones stays in the slot and bumps Bryant off the field?

Thornton in year 2. I hope he's put on at least 10 pounds which is not much to ask. I want to see him emerge as a viable starter on the outside.

Where does Marte Mapu play? He is my guy to watch. Any significant play in the middle will help out a very slow part of the field. and transform the defense drastically.

Great post! Don't forget D.wise he is great off the edge as well. I've touched on barmore all off season.. he came into the league managing a knee issue at Alabama.. when you come into the NFL with injury issues you sure as heck don't become healthier. I truly hope he can stay on the field his potential is a chris Jones type.

 

[The Pylon Pleaser]

So I don't see the "get claimed by your binkie" thread, which I believe comes closer to camp.... but who's got you amped - wide open question. BoB's return? Existing players? Draftees? Smith-Shuster?

I have a lot of activity born of boredom I'll generously call "thoughts"

- The Company Run Game... yes, you can call the RB Rhamondre Stevenson if you want, but he'll be one of a committee, and he won't take over the league. I root for all Patriots backs together to be among the top collections of backs in the league. Let's keep it up and even ramp it up some. Fun to watch the old-school chunk of the attack.

- A Defense you do not want to see on your schedule. Including hit after hit from this year's draft. Wouldn't you love seeing a D that can take over games? We always show flashes of a defense for the ages, then end up with "hey, not bad, but come on. Defenses aren't great anymore..."

- Oh what the hell I'll say it - I think it's a drain to go all in on would-be "great receivers" and "True Number 1s" and stuff. I think we way over-value them. But I see where some mediot or the other puts us getting ahead in the Hopkins sweepstakes... okay tell me more

- The guilty pleasure above aside, I would be HAPPIER to see our potential speed attack at WR come to fruition. Nobody even seems to know it's (potentially) there, Tyquan and Parker ftw...

- Schroedinger's BoB. I believe and love the idea that BoB is THE savior on offense (more like a competent offensive coach of any kind is the savior) and that right there is worth 2 or 3 additional Ws. But it ain't proven till it happens. HAPPEN.

Okay you guys do yours

I am excited for the for the rise of the 22 offense under Billy OB. Mack hasnt targeted TEs that often. This could change for the better under BOB and would drastically help our dreadful 3rd down conversion rate.

I also think Robinson catching passes out of the backfield is going to be another potential factor in an improved offense. We know what Rhamondre can do but we've have yet to find a consistent pass-catching RB since White left. I think Robinson can be this guy and will likely get more looks than Ty Montgomery. Giving Mack a reliable pass catching back with good YAC along with an additional TE that can get sepration and fine holes in zones would take a lot of pressure off of Mack, Juju and company.

On the defense, I am excited to see if the Linebacking core takes another step up. Will Uche and Judon stay reliable or fade in big time situations.

 

[TheRainMaker]

Great post! Don't forget D.wise he is great off the edge as well. I've touched on barmore all off season.. he came into the league managing a knee issue at Alabama.. when you come into the NFL with injury issues you sure as heck don't become healthier. I truly hope he can stay on the field his potential is a chris Jones type.

Yes, I goofed on him. He had his best season last year.

Judon, Uche, Wise and Barmore will be the passing down front with White in the rotation.

 

[Real fan 02]

Yes, I goofed on him. He had his best season last year.

Judon, Uche, Wise and Barmore will be the passing down front with White in the rotation.

Yes another guy who worked hard, committed to the process earned himself a nice contract and hasn't let up.. he's one of the leaders on defense. Uche is likely going to be an every down player.. he's gotten much better playing the run..

White and wise are the ends
Uche and judon the OLBs
Barmore, guy, godcheaux inside
That's a potent rotation!

 

[State]

DJ Fluker coming here, becoming the starting RT, and talking and acting like Mr. T.

 

[Brotherblues]

I also think Robinson catching passes out of the backfield is going to be another potential factor in an improved offense. We know what Rhamondre can do but we've have yet to find a consistent pass-catching RB since White left. I think Robinson can be this guy and will likely get more looks than Ty Montgomery. Giving Mack a reliable pass catching back with good YAC along with an additional TE that can get sepration and fine holes in zones would take a lot of pressure off of Mack, Juju and company.

This post aged quickly

 

[Jim Beankie]

I'm amped to find my next Beankie. Jakobi's been mine since 2019, and that died a horrible death during the Raiders game. Hopefully one of DigDoug or ChumLee gets it. Maybe Badinkadunk.

 

[The Pylon Pleaser]

I am excited for the for the rise of the 22 offense under Billy OB. Mack hasnt targeted TEs that often. This could change for the better under BOB and would drastically help our dreadful 3rd down conversion rate.

I also think Robinson catching passes out of the backfield is going to be another potential factor in an improved offense. We know what Rhamondre can do but we've have yet to find a consistent pass-catching RB since White left. I think Robinson can be this guy and will likely get more looks than Ty Montgomery. Giving Mack a reliable pass catching back with good YAC along with an additional TE that can get sepration and fine holes in zones would take a lot of pressure off of Mack, Juju and company.

On the defense, I am excited to see if the Linebacking core takes another step up. Will Uche and Judon stay reliable or fade in big time situations.

wow, talk about a jinx, just saw Robinson was Released within a few hours of posting I was excited to see him play

 

[Jim Beankie]

wow, talk about a jinx, just saw Robinson was Released within a few hours of posting I was excited to see him play

Feel free to get excited about seeing a new and improved Myles Bryant play this year.

 

[n6249c]

Feel free to get excited about seeing a new and improved Myles Bryant play this year.

I see what you’re doing there….

 

[The Pylon Pleaser]

I see what you’re doing there….

In that case I'll get excited about Trent Brown

 

[n6249c]

In that case I'll get excited about Trent Brown

Please don’t. OL needs all it can get. Trent has been good for us in the past. Give him the chance to return to form. If you’re going by last year you need to get equally excited about Mac and the whole offense as well.

 

[Jim Beankie]

In that case I'll get excited about Trent Brown

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