Practice / Playoff Roster Discussion Only!!!

[IcyPatriot]

Somehow the other thread changed and was too many pages into a new area.

So I made this one for this weeks practice news and the other members can discuss as they please.

 

[irishfanatic]

@Atomic Dawg and @long distance ye guys will have to do a start over for this please.
Usual high standards required please.

 

[IcyPatriot]

@Atomic Dawg and @long distance ye guys will have to do a start over for this please.
Usual standards required please.

I will do what I can to keep it on topic for you guys.

 

[PatsDeb]

Somehow the other thread changed and was too many pages into a new area.

So I made this one for this weeks practice news and the other members can discuss as they please.

Thank you.

 

[RIpats88]

how long do the patriots have to activate mitchell? I would imagine they will this week if hes good to go?

 

[PatsDeb]

how long do the patriots have to activate mitchell? I would imagine they will this week if hes good to go?

For cripes sake, if not now, then when? Mitchell returing has to be the biggest tease of the 2017-18 season. And really, I know he's young (you're young, you can adjust) but how much can he really bring to the table at this point? He'd have to play mostly as a decoy this weekend and get back into "game shape" then I guess they'd go from there.

 

[Mack Herron]

how long do the patriots have to activate mitchell? I would imagine they will this week if hes good to go?

They have 3 weeks from when he was designated to activate him. I think that was 12/27. So he doesn't have to be activated for the Titans but he could be. By my calculations if he is not activated by 1/17 Wednesday, he would revert back to IR for the remainder. Unknown complications are what they expect to get from Britt (limited exposure) and Hogan (health). My wild guess: he will be activated Friday. If so, someone needs to go to free a spot. Many unknowns.

 

[TB_Helmet]

If Hogan and Burkhead are both active and 90%+, this offensive attack is gonna be insane.

 

[RIpats88]

For cripes sake, if not now, then when? Mitchell returing has to be the biggest tease of the 2017-18 season. And really, I know he's young (you're young, you can adjust) but how much can he really bring to the table at this point? He'd have to play mostly as a decoy this weekend and get back into "game shape" then I guess they'd go from there.

he has to offer more than Britt/Dorsett right? hes a Wide receiver brady trusts. But who knows how he looks in practice.

 

[luuked]

he has to offer more than Britt/Dorsett right? hes a Wide receiver brady trusts. But who knows how he looks in practice.

Britt yes.

Dorsett is doing a good job with his role so that would require MM to actually play on the same level as towards the end of last year.

 

[maineman209]

Keeping in mind that the intermediate range of the passing attack has been significantly reduced all season from "normal" levels, it seems to me that the options are (in no particular order):

MITCHELL - coming back from a knee injury
... hasn't practiced in 18 weeks
... hadn't played in a game in 11 months
... when he last played, he seemed to be a solid, reliable tgt for Brady on intermediate range routes

HOGAN - coming back from a shoulder injury
... performed pretty well through week-8, while covering more intermediate-range routes than last season
... DNP and miss four games wk-10 thru wk-13; looked awful wk-14 @Mia after 1 week of LP
... LP, but held out wk-15 thru wk-17 (but earned Practice Player of the Week award for wk-17)

BRITT - healthy
... accomplished, though not necessarily "elite" veteran of other teams' systems
... big tgt
... only 3 weeks experience with the Pats system
... no guarantee that he's picked up on much yet, much less the intermediate-distance routes and adjustments

DORSETT - healthy
... 2 years experience in Indy
... 17 weeks/16 games experience in the Pats' system
... young, speedy, appears to have potential
... has yet to show much success running intermediate-range routes

The Pats get to pick three and cut one, unless they're sending Gilly to IR or cutting some other position.

They can either make the move Friday to have Mitchell available for the Saturday game, or they can wait until Tuesday.

 

[BobDigital]

Burkhead to me is the key guy to come back. All due respect to Hogan and Mitchell. The offense is just so much more effective when one of Burkhead/Lewis can always be on the field.

Hopefully Hogan is ready to go too. They haven't had a true #2 WR for a while and it has made things harder on Cooks. Amendola is good in a role but not a #2

 

[irishfanatic]

Having Hogan and Burkhead at 100% would be just what is needed imo and after that,MM would be a big bonus if he is good to go even on a limited work load. It sure is nice to be getting guys back (hopefully), at this time of the season rather than other way around.

 

[PatsFan2]

Burkhead to me is the key guy to come back. All due respect to Hogan and Mitchell. The offense is just so much more effective when one of Burkhead/Lewis can always be on the field.

Hopefully Hogan is ready to go too. They haven't had a true #2 WR for a while and it has made things harder on Cooks. Amendola is good in a role but not a #2

^
This I know I have been a little hard on Cooks but the loss of Hogan hindered the #2 WR as stated we never had a true #2. Now with a Hogan and even a Mitchell sorry NFL Defenses.

 

[PatsFan2]

Have Hogan and Burkhead at 100% would be just what is needed imo and after that,MM would be a big bonus if he is good to go even on a limited work load. It sure is nice to be getting guys back (hopefully), at this time of the season rather than other way around.

This could be the most Dangerous and Talented Patriots postseason Offense ever.

 

[luuked]

Keeping in mind that the intermediate range of the passing attack has been significantly reduced all season from "normal" levels, it seems to me that the options are (in no particular order):

MITCHELL - coming back from a knee injury
... hasn't practiced in 18 weeks
... hadn't played in a game in 11 months
... when he last played, he seemed to be a solid, reliable tgt for Brady on intermediate range routes

HOGAN - coming back from a shoulder injury
... performed pretty well through week-8, while covering more intermediate-range routes than last season
... DNP and miss four games wk-10 thru wk-13; looked awful wk-14 @Mia after 1 week of LP
... LP, but held out wk-15 thru wk-17 (but earned Practice Player of the Week award for wk-17)

BRITT - healthy
... accomplished, though not necessarily "elite" veteran of other teams' systems
... big tgt
... only 3 weeks experience with the Pats system
... no guarantee that he's picked up on much yet, much less the intermediate-distance routes and adjustments

DORSETT - healthy
... 2 years experience in Indy
... 17 weeks/16 games experience in the Pats' system
... young, speedy, appears to have potential
... has yet to show much success running intermediate-range routes

The Pats get to pick three and cut one, unless they're sending Gilly to IR or cutting some other position.

They can either make the move Friday to have Mitchell available for the Saturday game, or they can wait until Tuesday.

Most likely scenario is that MM wont get activated because cutting/IRing another WR for someone who has been totally out of gameday rhythm since the beginning of the season is just one big risk.

If the team assumes that MM can be effective and somewhat healthy then Britt would be the logical sacrifice.

To be honest we have been through this so many times.. I just want it to play out so we dont have to discuss it any longer.

 

[maineman209]

Burkhead to me is the key guy to come back. All due respect to Hogan and Mitchell. The offense is just so much more effective when one of Burkhead/Lewis can always be on the field.

Hopefully Hogan is ready to go too. They haven't had a true #2 WR for a while and it has made things harder on Cooks. Amendola is good in a role but not a #2

In the second half of the season, Burkhead has been the most productive receiver in the short-range (<10yds), followed by Lewis, while White was that guy in the first half of the season. All are real run-pass threats and a critical component of this season's offense.

Cooks and Gronk have been extremely productive in deep-range receiving (>15 yds), with an occasional supplement from Dorsett.

But Amendola has been virtually the only viable mid-range (10-15 yds) tgt for the last half of the season since Hogan was injured (Hogan had been running more mid-range routes in the first half). Last season, as with most seasons, the mid-range dimension of the passing attack was dominant with Edelman, Mitchell and Bennett supplemented by Amendola. This season, there's been a hole in the middle of the passing attack with the vast majority of throws going short or deep.

I seems to me that getting Hogan and Mitchell back, if possible, would help restore quite a bit of that mid-range dimension, allow the passing attack to be much more balanced and help sustain drives.

 

[PatsDeb]

he has to offer more than Britt/Dorsett right? hes a Wide receiver brady trusts. But who knows how he looks in practice.

Not sure. We've seen guys who return from injury (Gronk included) who take a few weeks (or longer) getting into "game shape." I guess I agree on Brit, but not on Dorsett. He isn't targeted often, but is usually wide open when he is. But at this point, if Mitchell takes a few weeks to get it going, the season is over (no matter what happens) and you've potentially wasted a roster spot or playing time on him.

 

[AtomicDawg]

MITCHELL - coming back from a knee injury
... hasn't practiced in 18 weeks

I don't think this is correct. He began practicing on Wednesday, 12/27, after not doing so since 9/21, soon after he was placed on IR.

 

[AtomicDawg]