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After last roster moves and a bye evaluation time we might see some changes/new things on the field both in looks/playbook and in personnel. What could they be?
Offence.
1. On the offence the biggest change will come upon return of Dion Lewis. They might activate him this week or next at the latest. Latest reports (and videos) are saying that he looks good confirmed by RB coach as well. The question is how they will bring him in? Will he see some snaps vs Seattle? And even when they decide to use him fully .. how many and what snaps will that mean? Regardless of these questions one thing is certain: with Lewis coming back this offence is getting another dimension.
2. The second interesting thing to monitor is the distribution of TB throws. In the last couple of games the two most reliable TB targets from the past, Edelman and Gronk, became very dominant prime targets w Hogan making great use of a few long balls. Going forward it would arguably be better if the distribution is more spread around. Hopefully Bennett returns healthier. It should also be interesting to see if Danny's usage continues to rise as we approach the last part of the season and if Mitchell can earn more time on the field and gain more trust from TB.
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Defence.
3. After some key roster changes it will be interesting to see what happens to the D going forward re. both looks and personnel. The first question on everybody's mind is how will they substitute Collins. Most discussions go into direction of Roberts vs run and combination of Mingo/Van Noy in the passing game. I believe its a much more complex question. First of all I don't see Mingo and Van Noy getting many defensive snaps immediately. First they will have to earn them. In my view the 3 guys that will take on the LB duties initially - besides Hightower - will be Roberts (not limited to run D only), Ninkovich and McClellin. The other thing is they put Chung even more in the LB mix, bring McCourty closer and use more of Harmon in the backfield (or vice versa). So more of 3 S in general which makes sense also in terms of struggling CB #2 and #3 positions.
4. There were some interesting thoughts lately about the possibility of Pats moving towards 3-4 base D since their personnel right now (especially if/when they use much more of Mingo and Van Noy) might be better used that way. In any case more versatile D looks could be expected going forward and Seattle game might be a good opportunity for that (predominantly pass O with great weapons and very mobile QB). The questions of pass rush could be addressed with this changes as well.
5. Seattle game is a good chance for Pats to show their control of the LOS. It comes at good time since DL is getting healthier. The return of Valentine and possibly Hamilton will allow heavier rotation keeping all DTs much more fresh the whole game and this might result in better pressure through the middle. And this can provide more chances for Sheard, Flowers, Long and Ninkovich to step up in their pass rush as well.
6. But most of all, next game will be a perfect test for CBs. First, we will see how much they trust them with their assignments and who (Cyrus Jones was among practice players of the week so I guess he is returning to the roster) - we might see first glimpses of how they evaluated their first part of the season and what can we expect in terms of CB looks, play and personnel going forward.
EDIT: I wonder if Ebner might get into the mix on D. Id like to see him getting some opportunities there.
He is #1 ST tackler in the league.
Offence.
1. On the offence the biggest change will come upon return of Dion Lewis. They might activate him this week or next at the latest. Latest reports (and videos) are saying that he looks good confirmed by RB coach as well. The question is how they will bring him in? Will he see some snaps vs Seattle? And even when they decide to use him fully .. how many and what snaps will that mean? Regardless of these questions one thing is certain: with Lewis coming back this offence is getting another dimension.
2. The second interesting thing to monitor is the distribution of TB throws. In the last couple of games the two most reliable TB targets from the past, Edelman and Gronk, became very dominant prime targets w Hogan making great use of a few long balls. Going forward it would arguably be better if the distribution is more spread around. Hopefully Bennett returns healthier. It should also be interesting to see if Danny's usage continues to rise as we approach the last part of the season and if Mitchell can earn more time on the field and gain more trust from TB.
_
Defence.
3. After some key roster changes it will be interesting to see what happens to the D going forward re. both looks and personnel. The first question on everybody's mind is how will they substitute Collins. Most discussions go into direction of Roberts vs run and combination of Mingo/Van Noy in the passing game. I believe its a much more complex question. First of all I don't see Mingo and Van Noy getting many defensive snaps immediately. First they will have to earn them. In my view the 3 guys that will take on the LB duties initially - besides Hightower - will be Roberts (not limited to run D only), Ninkovich and McClellin. The other thing is they put Chung even more in the LB mix, bring McCourty closer and use more of Harmon in the backfield (or vice versa). So more of 3 S in general which makes sense also in terms of struggling CB #2 and #3 positions.
4. There were some interesting thoughts lately about the possibility of Pats moving towards 3-4 base D since their personnel right now (especially if/when they use much more of Mingo and Van Noy) might be better used that way. In any case more versatile D looks could be expected going forward and Seattle game might be a good opportunity for that (predominantly pass O with great weapons and very mobile QB). The questions of pass rush could be addressed with this changes as well.
5. Seattle game is a good chance for Pats to show their control of the LOS. It comes at good time since DL is getting healthier. The return of Valentine and possibly Hamilton will allow heavier rotation keeping all DTs much more fresh the whole game and this might result in better pressure through the middle. And this can provide more chances for Sheard, Flowers, Long and Ninkovich to step up in their pass rush as well.
6. But most of all, next game will be a perfect test for CBs. First, we will see how much they trust them with their assignments and who (Cyrus Jones was among practice players of the week so I guess he is returning to the roster) - we might see first glimpses of how they evaluated their first part of the season and what can we expect in terms of CB looks, play and personnel going forward.
EDIT: I wonder if Ebner might get into the mix on D. Id like to see him getting some opportunities there.
He is #1 ST tackler in the league.
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