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Full disclosure…..I don't pay attention to college football or drafts when the Patriots don't have 1st round picks…….BUT…….I believe I have a decent understanding of team strengths / deficiencies / and mindset when building teams.
Patriot Needs:
1)………..In 2015, the offense came to a screeching halt in large part due to an injury plagued offensive line that finished the year a dysfunctional mess. Lack of tackle depth did the team in, forcing interior linemen into positional shifts they couldn't fill even marginally. And though I'm sure many will disagree, the Pats starting tackle duo of Solder and Seabass were showing chinks in their armor prior to the waves of injuries. Their sub 2 second passing attack had much to do with Solder's inability to sustain blocks beyond initial contact…IMO. Looking beyond 2016, the T position demands attention.
2)……….Prior to the 2015 regular season opener, NE secured a little known playmaker who dazzled the football world the second he stepped on the field. With just one summer to learn the NE offense, Dion Lewis bypassed Bolden and White, took snaps away from Blount, and was set to help NE challenge scoring records. But little guys don't last long in a big man's sport and Lewis' season ending injury exposed the lack of quality of NE's RB depth. And when Blount went down, game over as far as trying to bring some balance to the offense. No doubt an anemic / dysfunctional offensive line was equally counterproductive but again, lets understand how quickly BB bypassed Bodden and White…and how quickly BB relied on late season FA RB acquisitions over his back ups. And label me unimpressed with the Brown signing and the Blount resigning. I fear a healthy Lewis will once again be leaned on while their glacially slow vet RBs take a few unimpressive snaps.
3)……..In the past 4 seasons, BB has used premium draft picks to rebuild his defensive line….3 #1's to be exact…and for a variety of reasons, only #1 remains on this roster. Today a strength is now a big question mark for this team with NE not having a #1 this year to fill the void created. And with rumors flying that NE will be reconfiguring it's front 7 ( or front 6 in the new NFL), will BB want to rely on FA's to fill in these new holes?
Draft Strengths:
Mediots are pounding the table regarding the quality and depth at defensive line and given my lack of interest, I accept their word as gospel.
Aggressive Tactics:
Despite setting the NFL on fire early in the 2015 season, and despite the return of many of the team's injured gladiators, the Patriots roster deficiencies were exposed and these deficiencies were crippling when it came time to match up with Denver. And given the extreme DL turnover this offseason, I view this draft as crucial verses some years when BB used rounds 2-7 to fill out the back end of the roster. And given the lack of a #1, NE can't expect to find "starting" caliber players while waiting for the draft to come to them…..with the exception of DL given the supposed depth in that grouping.
THEREFORE……..I fully expect trader Bill to come into Day 2 with a case of Red Bull by his side and a poker hat on his head. And with so many sweetener picks available to him, I fully expect BB to make a significant jump up in round 2 to secure an offensive tackle,…and I expect a marginal move up in round 2 to secure a DL that fits his new plans on the front 7. I expect 2 RBs come next and of course the Navy QB/RB/WR will get the BB call at some point. Late flyers at G, DT, CB…..but I believe NE will emphasize the three areas above….two that helped destroy NE's aspirations in '15…. OT and RB……and one area that is now depleted but happens to be a strength of the draft.
FURTHERMORE….I think BB will succeed. We know most teams plan for the immediate rather than the longterm and therefore teams will reach for need allowing higher rated talent to drop. And given the DL depth in this draft, NE can be patient getting their DT……but not a quality OT. A Seabass quality tackle rarely falls to the bottom of the 2nd, BB will need to go get his guy……if one exists (remember I'm just keyboard GM who does zero work). In my delusion, one exists. At RB, given the low value the NFL has for this position, I expect NE can secure a starting caliber RB with 3 down skill set to supplant their glacial alternatives.
FINALLY….to paraphrase BB who recently vocalized his philosophy of team building……'don't follow the trend…..be a team opponents aren't built to handle'. We've seen BB deploy assets at TE, at multiple TEs, quick strike targets, versatile LBs and DTs….and the question becomes "what does BB see now and how will he choose to exploit it." From my lofty perch, it appears BB is not all that scared of the league's current passing attacks and given the AFC's QB garbage bin, I can understand his apparent sentiment. And with his one true nemesis retired now, it's time to be creative on his terms. Apparently, quality and versatile LBs are his new toy of choice given his recent roster decisions and the 2001 defense is back in vogue. We'll learn soon how committed he really is at LB quality once new contracts negotiations begin for Collins and Hightower. On offense, just solidifying the OL is enough to accelerate scoring once again but I do expect BB to exploit hidden value which in my mind is at RB…..an undervalued/ low cost position that can provide immediate returns…see Dion Lewis who helped create an additional 7-10 points per game when he was healthy. When drafting at the bottom of the rounds every year and starting at the back of the 2nd this year, I see no greater value play than at RB.
PS….can't wait to boycott day 1 of the draft. Eff Goodell, eff the NFL Network and ESPNFL. And the less Krafty next weekend, the better. Those wounds still too fresh.
Patriot Needs:
1)………..In 2015, the offense came to a screeching halt in large part due to an injury plagued offensive line that finished the year a dysfunctional mess. Lack of tackle depth did the team in, forcing interior linemen into positional shifts they couldn't fill even marginally. And though I'm sure many will disagree, the Pats starting tackle duo of Solder and Seabass were showing chinks in their armor prior to the waves of injuries. Their sub 2 second passing attack had much to do with Solder's inability to sustain blocks beyond initial contact…IMO. Looking beyond 2016, the T position demands attention.
2)……….Prior to the 2015 regular season opener, NE secured a little known playmaker who dazzled the football world the second he stepped on the field. With just one summer to learn the NE offense, Dion Lewis bypassed Bolden and White, took snaps away from Blount, and was set to help NE challenge scoring records. But little guys don't last long in a big man's sport and Lewis' season ending injury exposed the lack of quality of NE's RB depth. And when Blount went down, game over as far as trying to bring some balance to the offense. No doubt an anemic / dysfunctional offensive line was equally counterproductive but again, lets understand how quickly BB bypassed Bodden and White…and how quickly BB relied on late season FA RB acquisitions over his back ups. And label me unimpressed with the Brown signing and the Blount resigning. I fear a healthy Lewis will once again be leaned on while their glacially slow vet RBs take a few unimpressive snaps.
3)……..In the past 4 seasons, BB has used premium draft picks to rebuild his defensive line….3 #1's to be exact…and for a variety of reasons, only #1 remains on this roster. Today a strength is now a big question mark for this team with NE not having a #1 this year to fill the void created. And with rumors flying that NE will be reconfiguring it's front 7 ( or front 6 in the new NFL), will BB want to rely on FA's to fill in these new holes?
Draft Strengths:
Mediots are pounding the table regarding the quality and depth at defensive line and given my lack of interest, I accept their word as gospel.
Aggressive Tactics:
Despite setting the NFL on fire early in the 2015 season, and despite the return of many of the team's injured gladiators, the Patriots roster deficiencies were exposed and these deficiencies were crippling when it came time to match up with Denver. And given the extreme DL turnover this offseason, I view this draft as crucial verses some years when BB used rounds 2-7 to fill out the back end of the roster. And given the lack of a #1, NE can't expect to find "starting" caliber players while waiting for the draft to come to them…..with the exception of DL given the supposed depth in that grouping.
THEREFORE……..I fully expect trader Bill to come into Day 2 with a case of Red Bull by his side and a poker hat on his head. And with so many sweetener picks available to him, I fully expect BB to make a significant jump up in round 2 to secure an offensive tackle,…and I expect a marginal move up in round 2 to secure a DL that fits his new plans on the front 7. I expect 2 RBs come next and of course the Navy QB/RB/WR will get the BB call at some point. Late flyers at G, DT, CB…..but I believe NE will emphasize the three areas above….two that helped destroy NE's aspirations in '15…. OT and RB……and one area that is now depleted but happens to be a strength of the draft.
FURTHERMORE….I think BB will succeed. We know most teams plan for the immediate rather than the longterm and therefore teams will reach for need allowing higher rated talent to drop. And given the DL depth in this draft, NE can be patient getting their DT……but not a quality OT. A Seabass quality tackle rarely falls to the bottom of the 2nd, BB will need to go get his guy……if one exists (remember I'm just keyboard GM who does zero work). In my delusion, one exists. At RB, given the low value the NFL has for this position, I expect NE can secure a starting caliber RB with 3 down skill set to supplant their glacial alternatives.
FINALLY….to paraphrase BB who recently vocalized his philosophy of team building……'don't follow the trend…..be a team opponents aren't built to handle'. We've seen BB deploy assets at TE, at multiple TEs, quick strike targets, versatile LBs and DTs….and the question becomes "what does BB see now and how will he choose to exploit it." From my lofty perch, it appears BB is not all that scared of the league's current passing attacks and given the AFC's QB garbage bin, I can understand his apparent sentiment. And with his one true nemesis retired now, it's time to be creative on his terms. Apparently, quality and versatile LBs are his new toy of choice given his recent roster decisions and the 2001 defense is back in vogue. We'll learn soon how committed he really is at LB quality once new contracts negotiations begin for Collins and Hightower. On offense, just solidifying the OL is enough to accelerate scoring once again but I do expect BB to exploit hidden value which in my mind is at RB…..an undervalued/ low cost position that can provide immediate returns…see Dion Lewis who helped create an additional 7-10 points per game when he was healthy. When drafting at the bottom of the rounds every year and starting at the back of the 2nd this year, I see no greater value play than at RB.
PS….can't wait to boycott day 1 of the draft. Eff Goodell, eff the NFL Network and ESPNFL. And the less Krafty next weekend, the better. Those wounds still too fresh.
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