Fix The Trenches

[WhatJustHappened]

I personally see the Pats getting beat in the trenches, especially the defense.
I think the OL is decent, but could be better for a Pocket Passer, I saw EVERYONE get blown up during the year, not sure if they were playing hurt or not.
Barmore was a great pick, but we need MORE IMO.
Fast LBS also, but we don't know what we have in Perkins/McGrone/McMillan yet...at least I PERSONALLY don't.

Just a thought.

 

[*ChungFu*]

Yes. Defense is obvious.
O-line may have some unused gems, but draft there also as they have shown more willingness to start a solid rookie there whereas they're a little more conservative with phasing in rookies on the d-line.

 

[WhatJustHappened]

Yes. Defense is obvious.
O-line may have some unused gems, but draft there also as they have shown more willingness to start a solid rookie there whereas they're a little more conservative with phasing in rookies on the d-line.

Barmore got thrust in, and he did well once he got his feel for it.
I'd LOVE another DL Stud.
If Bill doesn't draft a LB, I will have to assume he's SEEN the young guys enough to know... I'm not sure of course...these guys were pretty impressive in college, but there's a LONG WAY to the Pats starting lineup.

 

[JayNM]

#1 Priority for me in the FA is fixing the Damn Front 7

Like, we play the ball that is handed to us, right now we need to stop Josh Allen first and everyone else comes second.

I dont know if we go heavy on the line or find an actual stud at LB. I think i prefer the latter tbh

 

[TheRazorsEdge]

Need a big boy who occupies blockers. Godchaux looks to be an 'ok' rotational guy but as the main anchor on that line he got BLOWN off the ball vs. good run teams.

Put a hog in the middle next to Barmore and it instantly helps the defense with a ripple effect.

Then comes setting the edge......that's for another day though...until then...one can only dream... ::Sighs::

 

[BTTA]

The Pats were blitzed at the second highest rate in the NFL, and had the sixth lowest pressure rate.

 

[Simpelton]

I've ranted about this before but we need to move Wino to OLB and get another edge guy. I think once he learned the ropes Wino would be a great OLB, and it would expand his role in the defense.

If you have to play to a player's talents or his skills play to his talents. Wino's a born OLB. he's got the athleticism to move to linebacker easily enough and he's simply not getting it done consistently on the edge.

 

[Stu Pidassle]

The Pats were blitzed at the second highest rate in the NFL, and had the sixth lowest pressure rate.

This is not just about the o-line. The pressure rate is low because Mac just got rid of the ball to avoid the sack. Usually for little or no gain. Teams continued to blitz because it stopped the offense even if they did not get to the QB. This is another indicator that the team needs a reliable slot receiver.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

Yep. Other than cb our absolute priority should be the front 7.

 

[DropKickFlutie]

CB, ILB, NT

 

[TheRainMaker]

Que the poster that enters the chat and says:

“What?”

“Defense needs to improve?”

“No way, they were a top 5 D and 2nd in POINTS PER GAME!”

 

[DropKickFlutie]

Que the poster that enters the chat and says:

“What?”

“Defense needs to improve?”

“No way, they were a top 5 D and 2nd in POINTS PER GAME!”

Completely fell apart without enough decent CBs. SloJuan needs to be cut. Mills and Jon Jones out resulted in a secondary that couldn't stop anyone. That plus giving up 200 yards rushing every couple weeks going right by Godchaux and Bentley. The PatsD carried this team all year via smoke and mirrors. Time to upgrade the defensive personnel.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

I've ranted about this before but we need to move Wino to OLB and get another edge guy. I think once he learned the ropes Wino would be a great OLB, and it would expand his role in the defense.

If you have to play to a player's talents or his skills play to his talents. Wino's a born OLB. he's got the athleticism to move to linebacker easily enough and he's simply not getting it done consistently on the edge.

Perkins said they are moving him to OLB in his first year. The year before last they tried the same with Rashod Berry. I am sure they have tried the same with Wino, too obvious of a move not to have tried it, especially when they regularly do it. Not sure why it did not work out.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

I think Guy has to go. Carl Davis has to go. Ekuale is a sub on passing downs. Wise did nothing on the inside. Godchaux is a good rotational guy. I think we need two DTs that plug the middle on running plays and push the pocket on passing downs without creating running lanes. I think Barmore can be used on the end to penetrate - let's plug the middle.

 

[203Pat]

Que the poster that enters the chat and says:

“What?”

“Defense needs to improve?”

“No way, they were a top 5 D and 2nd in POINTS PER GAME!”

I dislike the people that live and die by stats without actually acknowledging what they see on the field on Sundays.

 

[TheRainMaker]

I dislike the people that live and die by stats without actually acknowledging what they see on the field on Sundays.

Or who they play.

 

[BTTA]

Analysis from Matthew Fairburn at The Athletic:​

What will the offensive line look like?​

The Patriots offensive line wasn’t a problem in 2021, but it still may look a bit different next season.

New England already picked up the fifth-year option on Isaiah Wynn’s contract, so he’ll likely be the left tackle in 2022. Left guard Ted Karras is scheduled to become a free agent but said he would like to return to New England. David Andrews is under contract and entrenched as the team’s center. The same goes for Shaq Mason at right guard. But right tackle Trent Brown will become a free agent in March, so the Patriots need to decide what his future is. His return from injury boosted the play of the offensive line early in the season. Brown still has plenty left in the tank based on the way he played this season. Mike Onwenu deserves a spot somewhere on the offensive line, but it shouldn’t come at Brown’s expense.

The Patriots should try to bring back as much of this group as possible. Even though opponents blitzed the Patriots at the NFL’s second-highest rate, the team still allowed the sixth-lowest pressure rate. Some tweaks may be necessary to make this group even better in 2022, but a major overhaul is not needed.

 

[*ChungFu*]

Barmore got thrust in, and he did well once he got his feel for it.
I'd LOVE another DL Stud.
If Bill doesn't draft a LB, I will have to assume he's SEEN the young guys enough to know... I'm not sure of course...these guys were pretty impressive in college, but there's a LONG WAY to the Pats starting lineup.

Barmore certainly did get right in. Whether they were desperate or Barmore just had their confidence, he delivered in a big way. He's a young stud.

 

[doesntmatter1]

Perkins said they are moving him to OLB in his first year. The year before last they tried the same with Rashod Berry. I am sure they have tried the same with Wino, too obvious of a move not to have tried it, especially when they regularly do it. Not sure why it did not work out.

We need to do the reverse. Draft lb and fatten them up to play on the line. We must have had like a 100 Berrys and Perkins that we have failed to develop. We never transitioned properly away from the 3-4 and now are stuck in a garbage limbo. We play safeties at lb instead of finding our own Lavonte Davids of the world. It is sad that Bentley, the guy I wanted cut before this season even began, is our best linebacker.

Players like Guy and Wise annoy me the most. For years now these two guys do absolutely nothing against quality opponents. Wise plays a lot of snaps and looks the part at times but it is an illusion. He is incapable of reaching 10 sacks and qbs evade him often. There is like no upside for players like him but we just keep them. Ukuale and Davis are ps guys that make more of an impact.

 

[mgteich]

Analysis from Matthew Fairburn at The Athletic:​

What will the offensive line look like?​

The Patriots offensive line wasn’t a problem in 2021, but it still may look a bit different next season.

New England already picked up the fifth-year option on Isaiah Wynn’s contract, so he’ll likely be the left tackle in 2022. Left guard Ted Karras is scheduled to become a free agent but said he would like to return to New England. David Andrews is under contract and entrenched as the team’s center. The same goes for Shaq Mason at right guard. But right tackle Trent Brown will become a free agent in March, so the Patriots need to decide what his future is. His return from injury boosted the play of the offensive line early in the season. Brown still has plenty left in the tank based on the way he played this season. Mike Onwenu deserves a spot somewhere on the offensive line, but it shouldn’t come at Brown’s expense.

The Patriots should try to bring back as much of this group as possible. Even though opponents blitzed the Patriots at the NFL’s second-highest rate, the team still allowed the sixth-lowest pressure rate. Some tweaks may be necessary to make this group even better in 2022, but a major overhaul is not needed.

OL

We need to re-sign Karras.

After that, we will have a starting 5 of Wynn, Karras, Andrews, Mason, and Onwenu.