Category Archives: Patriots News

How Will Mohamed Sanu Fit in the Patriots Offense?

Steve Balestrieri
October 22, 2019 at 12:00 pm ET

The Patriots, flush off their win over the Jets in the Meadowlands 33-0 on Monday night, have made a trade to bolster their wide receiving core. They parted with a 2nd round draft pick to bring in former Falcons wide receiver Mohamed Sanu. 

At first glance, the 2nd round price tag seems a bit high for Sanu but remember, the Patriots draft picks are generally later in the round and it is essentially a 3rd round draft pick. The other consideration is that Sanu isn’t a rental for this season only. He’s signed through the 2020 season and his cap hit is an affordable $6.5 million. 

Last year Sanu caught 66 passes for 838 yards and four TDs. So far in 2019, he’s caught 33 passes for 313 yards and a score. With Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley and the emergence of TE Austin Hooper, Sanu was becoming the 4th option in an offense that has a 1-6 record. The move makes sense for Atlanta who will be doing some rebuilding next spring. 

But from a Patriots perspective, how will Sanu fit in with the Patriots offense? Quite well actually. All you really need to know is that Bill Belichick tried to trade for Sanu during the 2019 NFL Draft this spring. But Atlanta at that time had planned on making a deep playoff run. 

Sanu is a 6’2, 210 possession wide receiver that has good yards-after-catch (YAC) capability. In Atlanta’s system, he played mainly in the slot because of the presence of Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley. But here, he has the versatility to be a movable chess piece. He can play in the slot or slide outside. 

Look for Josh McDaniels to move Sanu and Edelman inside and out depending on the matchups and to create mismatches. Sanu gives them a proven wide receiver who should fit in perfectly in this offense. He’s 30 years old which means he should have plenty of good years left in the tank. 

Sanu is a good and willing blocker for the running game or to support another wide receiver when they throw it elsewhere. And he’s been used on occasion like Edelman for the odd pass out of the backfield with the Falcons. 

Now the Patriots depth chart at wide receiver seems much deeper, especially with 1st round pick N’Keal Harry soon able to return to the team. 

  •  Julian Edelman
  •  Mohamed Sanu
  •  Josh Gordon
  • Phillip Dorsett
  • N’Keal Harry (eligible to return in Week 9)
  • Jakobi Meyers
  • Gunner Olszewski
  • Matthew Slater

Many fans were hoping that this doesn’t mean the end of Jakobi Meyers in the offense. I don’t believe that to be the case. Meyers is showing that he is gaining and earning Brady’s trust in the passing game. If anyone loses snaps it may be Olszewski. 

He’s still quite raw in the passing game although he’s working hard and has had some receptions. I found it curious last night that Edelman returned the free-kick, and if they try to slide Olszewski onto the practice squad, they may use Dorsett and Bolden to return kicks and punts. Would he make it to the PS? I’d say no right now, but stranger things have happened. 

But with two bigger guys with Gordon and Sanu, with Harry another to return soon to go along with Edelman, Dorsett, and Meyers, all of a sudden the WR position looks like a position of strength.

This was a very solid move by the team and have Sanu, Edelman, Meyers, and Olszewski locked up for the next couple of seasons. Now Sanu just needs to learn the playbook

_________

Check back with PatsFans.com for all of our pregame and post-game analysis. And if you’re a wiz at predicting the NFL slate straight up, register for our message board and then post your picks every week. We’ll see who is the top dog at the end of the season. That page can be found here: https://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/picks/

 

Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected]

Listen to our Patriots 4th and 2 podcasts on blog talk radio as the writers Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and myself from PatsFans.com discuss the latest Patriots news.

 

Another Perfect Win For the Patriots After Darnold Gets Spooked

Bob George
at 8:49 am ET

E. RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Halloween came a week early for Sam Darnold.

The second-year quarterback of the Jets was miked for Monday night’s game against the Patriots at MetLife Stadium, and in the second quarter, he dropped this timeless sound byte:

“I’m seeing ghosts!”

What Darnold actually saw was a defending Super Bowl champion coming at him with a better defense than they had last year.  The Patriot defense, which is slowly leaving legendary status and is now approaching biblical status, induced four interceptions, caused a strip sack, induced a safety, and finished the night by pitching a shutout.  The Patriots went to 7-0 on the season with a 33-0 beatdown of their hated rivals, and the Patriots have turned this “rivalry” into something that is totally embarrassing for Jet Nation.

The Patriots, undermanned on offense and having to resort to veteran retreads and graybeards for help, were in total command all game long and were literally never challenged.  Despite the offense getting stuck in neutral in the second half, it didn’t matter.  The Patriots did nothing offensively in the third quarter yet outscored the Jets 2-0.  Darnold spent the entire night going to the University of Brady, majoring in how to correctly manage a football game.

Tom Brady, minus Josh Gordon, Rex Burkhead and Matt LaCosse, didn’t break a sweat all game long and still managed good numbers.  He finished 31 of 45 passing for 249 yards, one touchdown and one interception.  His rating was 80.7, a higher rating perhaps foiled by his lack of production in the second half.  He managed to complete passes to eight different receivers; old reliables Julian Edelman and James White had seven catches each, but Jakobi Meyers had a nice evening with five catches on five targets for 47 yards.

And making his triumphant return to the team he began his NFL career with, Ben Watson, all of 38 years old, had three catches for 18 yards.  Every little bit helped.

The running game was of little help.  Despite scoring three short rushing touchdowns, Sony Michel had 42 yards rushing but only averaged 2.2 yards per carry, which was also the team average per carry.  The team’s best rusher was Edelman, who gained 20 yards on three jet sweeps.

The defense continues to carry the day for the Patriots.  Sooner or later, the Patriots will come across an elite offense, and things may turn out differently.  But against the Jets, the Patriots turned this matchup into a men versus boys deal.

Darnold was sacked once, picked off four times, and was 11 of 22 for 86 total yards and a passer rating of 3.7.  Not a typo, folks.  3.7.  Helped by a bunch of questionable penalties, Demaryius “The Patriots were a waste of time!” Thomas had a team high 42 receiving yards on three catches.  Despite J.C. Jackson being flagged for some questionable penalties especially on balls that were uncatchable and ticky tack hand checking, Thomas was no factor against the Waste of Time Patriots.

Bill Belichick dialed up lots of blitz packages against Darnold, and he was flustered all game long.  He was pressured into a lot of throws off the back foot, two of which ended up as end zone interceptions, one by Jackson and one by Terrence Brooks.  Darnold clearly needs to learn how to manage a game better and to take better care of the football.  Four sacks are less injurious than four interceptions, and when Darnold starts to learn that, his play will no doubt improve.

And to top things off for the defense, they also induced a safety.  In the third quarter, facing second down and 7 at his own 6-yard line, a shotgun snap went over Darnold’s head and into the end zone.  Darnold batted the ball out of the end zone for a safety.  Actually, a penalty was called on Darnold for an illegal batting of the ball, but the enforcement brought about a safety anyway.  The Patriot hobgoblins celebrated as the lead grew to 26-0, and you began to wonder if Darnold was thinking “Who ya gonna call?”

The strip sack took place on the second play of the second quarter.  On first down at the Patriot 49, Darnold dropped back and was chased by John Simon.  Simon stripped the ball from Darnold and Kyle Van Noy fell on the ball at the Jet 38.  Thinking he wasn’t touched, he got up and ran it in for a touchdown, but after replay, someone’s ankle touched Van Noy’s ankle while he was on the ground, which negated the touchdown.  The Patriots got a touchdown anyway thanks to a one-yard run by Michel.

Other than the defense, props should also go out to lead blockers in the Red Area.  On the first touchdown in the first quarter, Michel scored on a three-yard end run thanks to blocks by Watson and Marshall Newhouse.  Michel’s second quarter touchdown was thanks to a crushing block by James Ferentz, son of Iowa head coach and Belichick “slappie” Kirk Ferentz.  Michel’s third touchdown in the fourth quarter was made courtesy of a lead block by Elandon Roberts, who is vying to become the next Mike Vrabel or the next Richard Seymour (probably Seymour since Vrabel lined up as another tight end and caught touchdowns versus blocking).

The 33-0 win represents the largest shutout win against the Jets in history.  This was a worse beatdown versus the home game a few weeks back when Darnold was out with mononucleosis.  The Jets were totally embarrassed and outclassed.  The Patriots continue their near flawless play, which despite mostly coming against losing teams is still impressive at the professional level.

The Patriots will get still another young up and coming quarterback next week, as the much improved Cleveland Browns come to Gillette Stadium next week.  Baker Mayfield will try and match wits with the Belichick defense, as will Nick Chubb and Odell Beckham, Jr.  The Browns are 2-4, but they are vastly different and more potent than the team which went winless a few years back.  Mayfield will be a lot like Darnold in terms of experience, but he represents a different skill set.  Still, Belichick will be ready for him when he comes here next week.

Will Mayfield be as spooked as Darnold?  Perhaps not, but when you see all the little kids begging for candy next Thursday, think of Darnold and see if any kid has the presence of mind to dress up like him.

Patriots Boogeymen Bedevil, Whitewash the Jets 33-0

Steve Balestrieri
at 7:32 am ET

In the end, it wasn’t any more contested or closer than the first meeting. The Patriots’  defense flummoxed, frustrated, and dominated the Jets from the opening bell. They throttled the Jets in a 33-0 embarrassment in front of a national television audience on Monday Night Football.    

Just a week after Sam Darnold made a triumphant return from an illness and was the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Week, the Patriots had him literally “seeing ghosts” in the first half, forcing him into 5 turnovers. Darnold, who is one of the up and coming young quarterbacks in the NFL was left tonight looking silly and quite unprepared. 

But if Darnold was left seeing ghosts or Boogeymen in his sleep tonight, he didn’t have the worst game on the New York side. Head Coach Adam Gase was taken to the woodshed by Bill Belichick, his team looked completely unprepared and Gase made no adjustments that could be seen and left his young quarterback in far too long in a game that was decided in the first 30 minutes. 

The Patriots put a stamp on this one early. After receiving the opening kickoff, Tom Brady led a methodical, perfectly executed, time-consuming, soul-sucking drive that covered 14 plays and ate up nearly nine minutes of the first quarter. The much-ballyhooed return of MLB C.J. Mosley was nonexistent as Brady and the offense converted 3rd downs of 7, 10 and 5 yards before Sony Michel finished it off with a 3-yard touchdown on 3rd and 2. 

The Jets’ first possession took just two plays for the defense to force its first turnover of the night, one of six in total, five of which belonged to Darnold (four interceptions and a fumble). On 2nd and 8 from the 10-yard line, the Patriots overloaded a blitz on the right side and Darnold, under pressure lobbed the pass too high and it was easily picked off by Devin McCourty. 

What a difference a week makes. After Darnold picked apart the Cowboys, the confidence level was running high in New York. Darnold was talking about finding the weaknesses in the Patriots’ defense and exploiting them. He even added that once  TE Chris Herndon returns the Jets offense would be “unstoppable.” Not exactly bulletin board material, or overly cocky, but he and the Jets offense had no answers to what was to come. 

Gase, in another move that will be dissected for a long time to come, allowed his young quarterback to be mic’d up before the game, perhaps allowing himself the fleeting thought that after last week, this was to be the changing of the guard in the AFC East. Late in the first half, ESPN ran a clip of Darnold on the bench where he looked lost and admitted he was “seeing ghosts out there”. That clip, unfortunately, will follow him for a long time to come. 

What the Patriots did on defense was simple in its plan and yet brilliant in its execution. They blitzed the woeful Jets offensive line with the linebackers (Boogeymen) running free and forcing Darnold to throw off his back foot all game long. Or they would show the blitz and drop seven into coverage and give him nowhere to throw the ball. 

The Jets never adjusted, and never found an answer. While the Patriots only had one sack for 13-yards last night, the pass rush was the biggest factor for the defense. They had Darnold throwing off his back foot where the ball was continuously sailing on him. Darnold finished the game just 11 of 32 for 86 yards with four interceptions and a fumble. His passer rating for the game was just 3.6. He threw as many interceptions as the Jets were able to pass for first downs. They averaged just 2.7 yards per game.

Le’Veon Bell had a nice game with 15 carries for 70 yards including a couple of really nice runs where his patented patience allowed him to bust a few where it appeared he had nowhere to go. But in truth, he was a total non-factor. 

Robby Anderson, fresh off his big game against Dallas was once again relegated to a milk carton by Stephon Gilmore. Anderson had one catch for 10 yards while being targeted eight times. Gilmore had one of the Patriots’ interceptions. Demaryius Thomas who was chirping at the Patriots and Bill Belichick last week, made it sound like a big revenge game fell flat on his face. Targeted nine times, he had just three catches for 42 yards. 

If there was one downer on the defense, it had to be that cornerback J.C. Jackson was being singled out by the referees for flags. He was whistled for three penalties on the night.

But back to the offense. For all the hand-wringing the fans and much of the media are doing, they scored 31 points, (the defense scored two on a safety), and when the game was still in doubt, put 17 points on the board in the first quarter.

Was it a well-oiled machine? Hardly. But missing two key offensive linemen including the left tackle, two fullbacks who are key to the running game, both tight ends, their “X” wide receiver (Josh Gordon) and their most productive running back (Rex Burkhead), they did what they had to do. 

The Patriots’ two tight ends hadn’t played a snap this year but despite the lack of playing time and timing, both Ben Watson and Eric Tomlinson played a significant amount of snaps. Jakobi Meyers is building his trust factor with Brady more every day and was targeted five times and had five catches for 47 yards. He also drew a pass interference penalty on Trumaine Johnson that would’ve been a touchdown. Johnson bit on a double move and had to grab him or get burned. The usual suspects, Julian Edelman and James White each had seven receptions. 

Tom Brady had a so-so night number wise but ran the offense efficiently and utilized everyone at his disposal, completing passes to eight different receivers. His two best throws were a nice 28-yard back-shoulder throw to supersub Brandon Bolden and a beautiful 26-yard touchdown pass to Phillip Dorsett who dusted Johnson in coverage.

Sony Michel had little running room, finishing with just 42 yards on 19 carries, but added three short touchdown runs. Edelman chipped in with a few jet sweeps. And linebacker Elandon Roberts, known for his downhill run-thumping style, was pressed into service as a blocking fullback for goalline and short-yardage. He did very well. 

So while the pundits will continue to decry about the Patriots opponents or lack thereof, they don’t care. They’ve enjoyed this one for a moment and are already moving on the Browns.  After that they will face the Ravens, Eagles, Cowboys, Texans and the Chiefs. One at a time. Those games will ultimately define their season. But they are 4-0 in the division, including 3-0 in the division on the road, 4-0 on the road overall where they were just 3-5 last year. 

Sleep well Patriots fans, and even though Halloween is still 10 days away (nine since it is officially after midnight), but remember Boogeymen do exist. I think they’ll be haunting the dreams of Mr. Darnold for many nights to come.  

_________

Check back with PatsFans.com for all of our pregame and post-game analysis. And if you’re a wiz at predicting the NFL slate straight up, register for our message board and then post your picks every week. We’ll see who is the top dog at the end of the season. That page can be found here: https://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/picks/

 

Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected]

Listen to our Patriots 4th and 2 podcasts on blog talk radio as the writers Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and myself from PatsFans.com discuss the latest Patriots news.

 

New England Patriots News 10-28, AFC East Notes

Steve Balestrieri
October 20, 2019 at 5:00 am ET

Good morning, here is your Sunday Patriots news 10-20 and AFC East notes this week. 

Game Day, but not for the Patriots who play the Jets on Monday Night Football tomorrow night.   

 Quick Hitters For the Pats and the NFL:

Patrick Mahomes – it seems dodged a serious injury on Thursday night in Denver. And that is a good thing not just for Mahomes and the Chiefs but for the league as a whole. Mahomes’ star is rising and he’s quickly becoming one of the new faces of the league. No one wants to see any player, let alone a star suffer a serious injury. Anyone who would do so, needs to seriously reevaluate the lives. 

However, what the heck is wrong with some media types who before Mahomes is even off the deck, turn his injury into some kind of an anti-Patriots diatribe. It was a disgusting lack of empathy. We know you can’t help the slant against the Patriots but for cryin’ out loud, have a little humanity.  His injury at the time had zero to do with NE, a horrible lack of timing there, but it has become par for the course in some places.

Andy Reid – He knows he dodged a bullet with Mahomes’ injury and he’ll return at some point this season. Hopefully, he won’t rush his QB back too soon and risk further injury. Despite the game on Thursday, they have a woeful defense, but they still have plenty enough playmakers on offense to remain competitive in Mahomes’ absence. They’ll still be in a position to carry their division with Matt Moore. They’ll get their QB back for the stretch run and go from there. 

Eric Tomlinson – had a crazy week. According to NESN, the Patriots new tight end signed and practiced with the team on Tuesday, and then jetted off to Texas for the birth of his son who was delivered by Caesarian section on Wednesday morning. He’s back in Foxboro and preparing for his former team the Jets and may see reps at both tight end and fullback.  

Two-Point for Tua? Seemed So- The Miami Dolphins scored a late touchdown last week against the Washington Redskins in the closing moments of the game and trailed 17-16.  Rather than attempt an extra point to tie the game and send it into overtime, Miami, winless like the Redskins, decided to go for the win. But their attempt seemed like they were determined to fail rather than succeed. The Redskins snuffed it out in the backfield and came away with a victory in the debut of interim coach Bill Callahan.

Trent Brown – In case anyone was wondering is a member of the Oakland Raiders. In fact, Oakland signed Brown to the highest contract for an offensive lineman in NFL history this spring. But once Brown was charged with domestic assault, Brown wasn’t a Raider at all. Several media outlets including those here in Boston led off with “Former Patriots OL Trent Brown…” Funny thing is when all of the sexual assault allegations came against Antonio Brown, I didn’t see a single headline stating “Former Pittsburgh Steeler Antonio Brown…” and yet every allegation against him occurred when he was a member of the Steelers. Coincidence? You be the judge.

Brady Rightfully Pi$$ed At Supposed Kraft Dig:

Tom Brady is livid that people who saw a clip of a new Paul Rudd Netflix film, took it to mean that it was a dig against Robert Kraft. And unless everything we’ve ever believed about Brady and his relationship with Kraft is wrong, then yes, people jumped to conclusions before bothering to research the clip and the meaning.

“That’s not what that was about,” Brady said. “I think that was taken out of context, just like you’re taking it out of context and trying to make it a story for yourself, which has a negative connotation to it, which I don’t appreciate. It was meant to be something different than that. The fact it’s a distraction or you’re bringing it up is not something I want to be talking about.”

“It was shot on a green screen,” he said, remarking it was not filmed at a strip mall. “It was agreed to a year ago. It was written four years ago. Again, it’s unfortunate that people would choose to think I would ever do something like that about Mr. Kraft. I think that’s a very bad assessment of my relationship with him. I would never do that.”

Timothy Greenberg, a fan of the New York Jets, said that he wrote the scene as a “subtle dig” at Brady, who at the time was coming off his “Deflategate” suspension. Brady, while exiting the spa is supposed to be a clone of himself, not receiving a “happy ending” at a massage parlor.

“There was this implication that maybe he’s a clone and he’s cheating,” Greenberg said in an interview. “When I wrote it, he was 37 and had won four Super Bowls. And then by the time I actually make the thing, he’s now 41 and he’s just coming off his sixth Super Bowl win. So he became even more perfect. He was our number one choice for that.”

The media ran with the clip without bothering to do due diligence in an attempt to get it out there first and tried to paint it as Brady slamming his boss when the fact of the matter is that it had nothing to do with Kraft or his situation. I’d say we’re shocked, but no…we’re not here. He’s been raked over the coals for nothing for the past several years and one has to wonder when he’ll decide it isn’t worth it anymore.

The filmmakers knew what they were doing, they filmed Brady on a green screen and then after the Kraft situation, superimposed the strip mall to make it look like the Florida spa. They did him dirty, but no worse than all of the sites who ran with the false narrative. The total a$$-covering by the rest is… not surprising.

Will Michael Bennett’s Situation Play Out? Probably Not Well:

After the Patriots suspended DL Michael Bennett for “conduct detrimental to the team”,  it naturally opened up conversations if Bennett is on his way out of Foxboro. It certainly would appear so, his snaps have been steadily decreasing and last Thursday he played in only a handful of snaps against the Giants, most of which at garbage time. That led to what Bennett described as a “philosophical disagreement” with positional coach Bret Bielema. 

Bennett was brought in to help replace Trey Flowers after he bolted in free agency. Bennett thrives in a 4-3 system as a defensive end, which is what the Patriots played in 2018. But the defense morphed into more of a 3-4 defense this season and that hasn’t played into Bennett’s strengths. Because the down linemen in the Patriots 3-4 still have the same two-gap responsibility that they’ve always had. 

Bennett has always been an attacking 4-3 end and a 3-4 defensive end is more of an interior lineman. It hasn’t been a great fit, scheme-wise. When he’s able to pin his ears back and rush the QB, he’s been pretty successful. But with the depth and the production of the linebackers, he’s been relegated to a subpackage interior pass rusher. So, now the question arises, where do they go from here?

The trade market would be very limited, given Bennett’s age and the state of the league. Few of the teams still in the hunt for a playoff spot would be willing to take on or need a player with his strengths. The Lions or the Raiders would possibly make sense or maybe the Rams who are looking for a spark defensively. If the Patriots were to trade Bennett it would free up about $2 million in salary-cap space where they’re right up against the cap.

Releasing Bennett is, of course, an option, if those philosophical disagreements get any worse or continue for that matter. That would free up the cap space and possibly rid the team of any distractions in the locker room. But then you run the risk of another rival picking him up for nothing and adding him to the mix against you down the road in the postseason. And if the team suffered an injury on the defensive front, it would leave the team thinner with their depth. 

Or they could choose to ride things out and hope that they can get Bennett to buy-in for the duration of the season. With several tougher games on the slate, a player like Bennett, especially in the postseason has the experience and pedigree to give the team some outstanding production in those game-changing moments. 

But Bennett is a proud player and in reality, not a great fit for what the Patriots are running defensively right now. And I will be surprised if he’s still with the team by the end of the season. 

Demaryius Thomas’ Tenure With NE as “A Waste of Time” :

The Patriots traded WR Demaryius Thomas to the Jets in the fallout of the signing of Antonio Brown and hindsight being 20/20 it shows that now it was a mistake. Both in trading Thomas and of course signing Brown.

Thomas on Wednesday didn’t mince any words over how things played out and characterized the Patriots and Bill Belichick’s actions as “disrespectful”. 

“Like, you know, you could trust me and I could trust you,” Thomas said. “You told me when you cut me at the [final] cut, sit around you’ll bring me back. And I stayed. I could have easily become a Jet once I got cut.… I could have been here the next day after I got released. But I chose to stay.”

“Bill Belichick came up to me and was like, ‘Uh, we got too many guys. We can’t get the ball around enough and we’re going to trade you to the Jets,’” Thomas added. “And that was that…. Ain’t no reason to yell. They’ve won championships without me. I was only trying to be a part of something that was going to be good when I was there… They’re doing a hell of a job.”

Thomas’ frustration is certainly understandable but he must remember that he told the media that the Patriots were the only team who contacted him after his Achilles injury with the Texans. They worked with him all spring and summer, and in retrospect should have stuck with him. But from a pure football standpoint, the decision between Thomas at this point in his career and Brown is truly a no-brainer.

NFL Schedule Week 7, Who Are Your Winners:

How are you feeling about the games this week? We have a post on our PatsFans Forum where our readers can predict the slate of games for that week. I did it on our weekly Sunday column here and will post it up below. Here is the link if you’d care to pick your own: https://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/picks/

Last Week: 7-7
Season: 54-37-1

TNF Kansas City over Denver 1-0 

Buffalo over Miami
Jacksonville over Cincinnati
Minnesota over Detroit
Green Bay over Oakland
LA Rams over Atlanta
Indy over Houston
49ers over Washington
NY Giants over Arizona
Tennessee over LA Chargers
Saints over Bears
Seahawks over Ravens
SNF Philadelphia over Dallas
MNF Patriots over NY Jets

Bye Week – Panthers, Browns, Steelers, Bucs

Early Thursday Night Football pick Minnesota over Washington

Eastbound and Down AFC East Notes:

Bills Looking to Be Buyers at the Trade Deadline:

The Buffalo Bills currently have the second-best record in the AFC behind the Patriots and will almost certainly improve that today with a home tilt against the Dolphins. With the trade deadline approaching in less than 10 days, the Bills aren’t looking to unload talent, but bring some in to help for a postseason push where they are still very much alive in the AFC East. 

Buffalo’s defense is stacked although if they were to add a piece there, they may want a defensive end who can get after the QB. The Bills have plenty of depth there but not a ton of production. But overall, their defense is solid and the strength of the team. 

If they can use some help, it would probably be at wide receiver. A.J. Green has been mentioned as a possible Buffalo target (including here), he’d give the Bills a big, physical target who has had plenty of production in his career but has had issues with staying healthy and on the field. 

Other names that have been supposedly tied to Buffalo include the Falcons wide receiver Mohamed Sanu, Giants wideout Golden Tate, and TE O.J. Howard. Sanu has played mainly in the slot for the Falcons but can slide inside or outside and has made an average of 64 catches for over 700 yards in his time in Atlanta. 

Tate is a talented receiver but the Giants, who aren’t going anywhere this season have two young talented WRs in Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard and may decide to dangle Tate as a search for draft capital. 

Howard is a very talented tight end who is not being utilized in the Tampa Bay offense. Coupled with the young and talented Dawson Knox, he could give the Bills a huge and athletic target in the passing game. He’s also an excellent blocker.  

Dolphins Drake on the Trading Block:

The Miami Dolphins in the midst of an awful rebuilding program where the fans are either on the “Tanking for Tua” or “Bailing for Burrow” storylines won’t be surprised to see that several teams are contacting the Dolphins about the availability of running back Kenyan Drake for a possible deadline trade. 

The former 3rd-round draft pick has always somewhat under-utilized in Miami’s system under both Adam Gase and now Brian Flores. With the bad offensive line play, Drake is on par for his worst statistical season of his career. 

Drake is in the final year of his rookie deal and would be a really nice pickup for any playoff teams looking for a reliable, versatile player. 

Jets/Docs Dispute Extent of G Kelechi Osemele’s Shoulder Injury:

The New York Jets are facing some backlash over the shoulder injury suffered by guard Kelechi Osemele. He’s been out for four weeks with his injury and the Jets team doctor and an independent doctor have cleared him for play. And if he doesn’t return to practice by Saturday, Osemele is subject to fines and/or suspension for “conduct detrimental to the team.” 

The rub is Osemele is saying he needs surgery to repair his shoulder. The Jets counter that the injury is a pre-existing one that can wait until the season is over. 

“It’s been killing me,” Osemele said to the media on Friday. “I’m just trying to get this done. I’ve done everything I can. I’ve been at work every day, waking up at 5 in the morning, doing all the rehab and the treatments and stuff like that. I’m like the last dude out of here at night. I’m doing everything I can.

“I’m working with my agent. We’re communicating with the team. There’s just no communication between the team and my doctor and my agent. It’s just been butting heads for whatever reason. Hopefully, it gets resolved soon.”

There is a source who reported to the Jets media that Osemele wasn’t cleared by the two doctors and that surgery was recommended, due to a torn labrum. The same source also said Osemele was told to take the painkiller Toradol, prescribed by the Jets’ doctor, so he could play. He did and aggravated it against the Patriots a month ago. He’s making $11.7 million dollars this season (non-guaranteed) but if he’s injured, the Jets can’t cut him loose without forking over the rest of his money.

________________

“Demaryius is a great kid. I have a ton of respect for him. He’s very professional and did everything we asked him to do. Our circumstances changed a couple times in that period leading up to when he was traded, and so I felt like I was always truthful with him, but things changed, and therefore what I said was not the same as what it was – what I had said previously. So, it is what it is..” – Bill Belichick being asked about the comments by Demaryius Thomas on the “insulting and disrespectful” trade by the Patriots with the Jets.

________________

“So, how was your week?”

Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected]

Listen to our Patriots 4th and 2 podcasts on blog talk radio as Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and myself from PatsFans.com discuss the latest Patriots news and game analysis.

 

Adam Butler Has Stepped Up His Game For the Patriots Defense

Steve Balestrieri
October 17, 2019 at 7:58 am ET

The New England Patriots defense is off to a tremendous start in 2019, thru the first six games, they’re off to an unprecedented start and are playing some tremendous football. As Bill Belichick would say, “there is a long way to go”, (there is), and the true meat of their schedule lies in front of them. However, regardless of the opponents, the way the defense is playing right now is awfully impressive. 

And speaking of an unprecedented start, third-year defensive lineman Adam Butler has been playing tremendous football. In his first two seasons, the UDFA from Vanderbilt was used mainly as a third-down pass rusher. In 2018, Butler played on 36 percent of the team’s defensive snaps and garnered 3 sacks, 2 passes batted down and one forced fumble. 

Through the first six games this season, Butler’s playing has increased to 50 percent of the defensive snaps. This off-season the Patriots 4-3 base defense has morphed into more of a 3-4 base but they are very multiple and switch fronts and looks constantly. And Butler’s rise in the interior DL has given way to better production, he’s already notched 2.5 sacks, a pair of passes knocked down and 3 quarterback hits. 

Butler’s rise has been a major factor in the reason that Michael Bennett’s snap counts have decreased so much. It isn’t so much that Bennett has been playing poorly, but that Butler has played so well. 

Butler and defensive line coach Bret Bielema spoke in the spring about Butler having a bigger impact and becoming a more complete player. Bielema, it should be noted, that besides being a head coach at Wisconsin and Arkansas, he was a defensive coordinator prior to that at both Kansas State and Wisconsin. He comes from a defensive background. And he’s liking what he’s seeing from the 3rd-year lineman. 

“He’s long, he’s athletic; he has a way to bend. He’s one of those guys that really does very seldom ever get out of position. He has very good balance; understands leverage. He’s a very intelligent player,” Bielema said on a conference call to the media. 

“He truly is a guy that really gets it, understands it, can process it and the thing this year working with him during the course of a game, he literally understands when things happen literally on the spot. He can come to the sideline, digest what just happened, what they’re trying to do, how we can combat it. He gives a lot of really good information. As coaches, sometimes you don’t get all the most accurate information sometimes, but I will say that AB really does take a lot of pride in his skill set on game day and that’s what’s really shown up.”

Butler still is playing his role as a designated interior pass rusher but has expanded his role into more of a base role and has earned his coaches’ respect. Bill Belichick spoke about him after the Buffalo game. 

“Adam’s a very intelligent player and he has very good football instincts,” said Belichick. “So you can give him a lot of information and he kind of knows when to apply it and when not to apply it. So his ability to do the right thing at the right time based on a call, or based on the way that the line blocks, or kind of the protections they use, things like that in the pass rush, even in the running game; he does a good job of recognizing those things quickly and making good decisions, which is really hard to do when you’re in-line like that.”

Belichick added, “All players get better with coaching, all players get better with experience, but his growth in three years now has really been impressive.”

Butler’s rise has been impressive in his third year. On a defense that has been firing on all cylinders, Butler doesn’t do a lot of the flashy stuff that ends up on the highlight reels but he’s been playing his role extremely well and for the 6’5, 300-pound lineman, his coaches have seen his value. And they’re rewarding him with more playing time and responsibility. 

Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected]

Listen to our Patriots 4th and 2 podcasts on blog talk radio as the writers Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and myself from PatsFans.com discuss the latest Patriots news.

 

Patriots 2019 Opponents, Week 7, Jets Get Darnold, Optimism Back

Steve Balestrieri
October 16, 2019 at 8:30 am ET

The New York Jets won their first game of the season last Sunday in the Meadowlands over the Dallas Cowboys and there was optimism in the air. Not only did they get off the schneid, but they got their quarterback, Sam Darnold back on the field, which gave their offense a huge shot in the arm. 

All of a sudden, Adam Gase, who many fickle members of the NY press corps were calling for his head a week ago, now has, as they put it, has a chance to go on a run. As Yakov Smirnov would say, “What a country” only in New York. 

So, here are our second look at the Jets this season:

Darnold Didn’t Look Like He Missed a Beat:

Sam Darnold missed three games with mono and returned to play a very impressive game last Sunday against Dallas. The Jets offense was non-existent during his absence, however, in all fairness, his backup QB was injured early in Game 2 and they were forced to go with Luke Falk who was signed off their practice squad. 

Darnold showed no signs of rust and led the Jets to a big first-half lead which they parlayed into a 24-22 win over Dallas. Darnold finished the game 23-32 for 338 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. It was one of the best games in his young career. It was highlighted by an impressive 92-yard touchdown pass to Robby Anderson in the first half. He also hit Jamison Crowder six times for 98 yards. 

In the three games that he missed, the Jets offense scored one offensive touchdown. On Sunday, they scored three. Is it possible for just one player to transform an offense? It certainly appeared that way on Sunday. He had them moving the ball well all day long.

The Running Game Has Yet to Get Going: 

The Jets got Darnold back and the passing game was clicking for the first time this season with Anderson, Crowder and Demaryius Thomas all contributing last week. But now the focus will be getting the running game with Le’Veon Bell untracked. Bell was given a four-year deal worth $52.5 million dollars this spring, but has yet to break out.

Part of the reason has been with Falk at quarterback, opponents were stacking the box and basically daring the Jets to throw the ball. Which is why Bell has had 85 rushing attempts (16th in the NFL) but only 256 rushing yards. That is only 27th in the league with a long run of just 13 yards. The Jets as a team are averaging just 64 yards per game on the ground, 30th in the league. That will have to change.

They’re going to need a better push from their offensive linemen but with the team using more play-action on first down, that should definitely help matters. Even though left guard Kelechi Osemele is having shoulder surgery, his replacement Alex Morgan is playing well and may have supplanted the veteran.

Williams on the Trading Block? Possibly As the Deadline Approaches:

The jets have a decision looming with their excellent DT Leonard Williams. He’s in the last year of his rookie contract and the 25-year old is expected to draw significant interest…as well as significant money on the free-agent market. That is if the Jets allow him to hit free agency. 

But the Jets have other options, they can lock him up with a long-term contract extension now, or wait and re-sign him in the spring. But another option is out there and that is, they could trade Williams at r before the trade deadline.

There are reports out on social media that the Jets are receiving lots of offers for Williams, and rightfully so, he is an outstanding defensive lineman who frequently draws the double teams from opponents. The Jets have said that, right now, they have no plans to trade him. But with Henry Anderson, Steve McLendon and this season’s first-round pick Quinnen Williams on the roster, they could set themselves up with a deal at the trade deadline. 

Jets Could Get Mosley, Herndon Back for Monday Night: 

The Jets are hoping that LB C.J. Mosley and tight end Chris Herndon can return and play this week against the Patriots on Monday night. The Jets signed Mosley to a huge free-agent contract this spring and he was the QB of the defense and their unquestioned leader. It was no coincidence that before Mosley injured his groin in Week 1, the Jets were beating Buffalo 16-0. After he left, the Bills scored 17 unanswered points to pull out a victory. 

Coach Adam Gase said on Monday that Mosley’s been progressing well and they believe he’s ready to begin practice. If he can practice and play on Monday night, it will be a big boost for the Jets defense. The offense could also be getting a key player back on Monday in tight end Chris Herndon.

Gase also remarked that Herndon is progressing well from his hamstring injury that he suffered as he returned from his suspension and that the team was going to be smart with it and see how it responds. Herndon can give the Jets the ability to attack the seam more and be a bigger red-zone target than his replacement Ryan Griffin. 

Bucking the Trend, Jets Looking to Erase Frustration: 

In recent years the Patriots have owned the Jets in the head-to-head matchups winning the last seven in a row. And that number could have been much, much higher as the Jets pulled out two overtime victories in the Meadowlands including the 2013 game with the bogus “pushing” penalty on Chris Jones, gave the Jets a second chance, erasing a 56-yard miss with a 15-yard penalty, where Nick Folk made his 42-yarder for the win. That penalty hasn’t been heard from since…but New England gets all the calls, right?

This week, optimism is high in New Jersey as the Jets have refound their swagger on offense, their defense has been playing solid football and with their QB and other players coming back, they are hoping to catch the Patriots at just the right time. 

New England lost Dont’a Hightower, Pat Chung, Josh Gordon, Matt LaCosse, and Jakob Johnson to injuries last week. Johnson ended up on IR, while Gordon is not expected to play. If Chung especially, and Hightower can’t go, it puts the Patriots in a much more vulnerable position on Monday night. 

Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected]

Listen to our Patriots 4th and 2 podcasts on blog talk radio as the writers Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and myself from PatsFans.com discuss the latest Patriots news.

 

Patriots Addressing Tight End With Tomlinson, Watson

Steve Balestrieri
October 15, 2019 at 7:07 am ET

 Ch-ch-changes, There’s gonna have to be a different man

The Patriots are looking to make some needed additions at tight end this week as they prepare for the Jets on Monday Night Football next week.  NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport has reported that the Patriots are signing former Jets and Giants tight end Eric Tomlinson to the 53-man roster. 

Yesterday, Field Yates of ESPN reported that the team was bringing back veteran Ben Watson. Watson was signed this spring but was suspended through the first four games by the league. The team then balked at adding him to the roster, releasing him. Bill Belichick said at the time that there just wasn’t a roster spot for Watson at this time. Apparently, now there is room. 

Matt LaCosse was injured early in the Giants game and reportedly has an injured MCL that will require him to miss several weeks. He’s been dealing with nagging injuries all year. A roster spot was opened up when the Patriots placed fullback Jakob Johnson on IR with a shoulder injury. 

If the Patriots are to add both Tomlinson and Watson, another corresponding roster move must be made and perhaps it is moving LaCosse to IR. But that isn’t official, just speculation at this point. 

The tight end position has been a weak spot for the team through the first six games of the season. LaCosse has only 3 catches for 55 yards while Izzo has made 6 receptions for 114. But neither has done a consistent job in the blocking department. Which is something that has really hurt the Patriots running game. 

The Patriots were starting from scratch this year, with all three TEs from the 2018 roster gone. Rob Gronkowski retired and Dwayne Allen signed with Miami and is now a free agent, while Jacob Hollister is with Seattle and was just added to their 53-man roster. 

If there is one area that the Patriots front office neglected this spring, it is the tight end position. After losing all three including a Hall of Famer in Gronkowski, the team opted to bypass several viable tight ends in the draft and instead, signed veterans Watson and Austin Seferian-Jenkins. Seferian-Jenkins was given his release to attend to personal problems and Watson, to date, has yet to suit up in a game. Izzo returned from IR and later the team added LaCosse.

Watson is an experienced pass catcher and should immediately help in attacking the seams of the defenses. Tomlinson who has good size at 6’6, 253 has caught only 16 passes, for 193 yards and one touchdown in his NFL career but is known more as a blocker, (something Izzo has struggled with) and STs contributor. 

With injuries at WRs Josh Gordon and Phillip Dorsett as well, 1st-round draft pick N’Keal Harry is expected to be back at practice tomorrow.  While he has been active in the meeting room with the offense and wide receivers as is allowed by the NFL rules while on IR, he hasn’t practiced with the team since training camp. Bill Belichick said yesterday, he’ll have to show he can out and physically compete at practice. 

He is eligible to return to the active roster in two weeks after the Wednesday date and, if healthy enough, play against the Ravens on November 3.  

Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected]

Listen to our Patriots 4th and 2 podcasts on blog talk radio as the writers Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and I from PatsFans.com discuss the latest Patriots news.

 

New England Patriots News 10-13, AFC East Notes

Steve Balestrieri
October 13, 2019 at 5:00 am ET

Good morning, here is your Sunday Patriots news 10-13 and AFC East notes this week. 

Game Day, but not for the Patriots who are off until next Monday evening when they take on the Jets on Monday Night Football.   

 Quick Hitters For the Pats and the NFL:

Tom Brady – so much hand-wringing over a QB who completed 31-41 for 334 yards on a short week throwing the ball to two UDFA wide receivers and a seventh round tight end. Look, no one is arguing that Brady was lights out in the Giants game…he wasn’t. But despite all the missing pieces, and the scuffling of the offense, he completed 15 in a row at one point and made some terrific throws. On that subject…. 

Wright, Kellerman, Parker – who or what exactly are the Three Stooges going to make asses of themselves with every week when Brady retires. How anyone can actually watch these bobos or take anything they say remotely seriously? I see the clips every week on social media. It is the dumbing down of America. Are the haters of everything Brady and Patriots so desperate for hope that they get their pablum from these people?    

Chase Winovich – The Patriots rookie LB scored his first NFL touchdown on a blocked punt in the Giants game and then hurled it deep into the stands…oops! His boundless enthusiasm and motor got the best of him there. Hopefully, the fan with the ball will get some face time with “Thor” and return it for some Pats swag.

Matthew Slater – was quoted as not being a fan of the Thursday night games and made his point in his usual eloquent style. “You could be 22 years old — it’s [still] tough. Player safety, player health? This doesn’t fit into that as far as I’m concerned,” Slater said. “I know we’ve had a lot of discussions about it as a union. I know it’s a good product as far as the consumers are concerned, and the fans enjoy these Thursday night products. But I think when you talk about the rigors of playing in an NFL game, and then what it takes to recover and be able to do it again the following week, to do a Sunday-to-Thursday turnaround is tough. It doesn’t fit under the umbrella of player safety as far as I’m concerned. But you guys know that — I’ve said that every year.”

TNF – I’ve made it clear I hate Thursday Night Football. From the lack of preparation/rest that creates sloppy football, it is dangerous to the players as well. The Patriots suffered six injuries on Thursday night. And yes it includes those awful “color rush” monstrosities that the NFL has sold the fans on what they “must-have”…heaven knows why. “If you take the blue pill..” However, I digress.

If the league was truly invested in player safety then make TNF after the opening week wait until teams come off their bye week [Thanks Murph]. Teams coming off the bye week can play on Thursday nights, and still, have 10 days until they play again. Problem solved. It can be done but would require some work by the good folks on Park Avenue. Although we’d still be subjected to those awful uniforms…

Sunday’s Games – One of the key games to watch today will be the Houston-Kansas City game with the Chiefs being the home team. This should be as exciting a matchup as we’ve seen all season. The Chiefs are coming off a home loss to the Colts and are getting Tyreek Hill back from injury. But Patrick Mahomes isn’t completely healthy, he injured an ankle against the Colts that could the mobility that makes him so dangerous.

For the Texans, they’re coming off a 50-point explosion where QB Deshaun Watson threw for five touchdowns. This one ought to be fun to watch and may come down to the team with the ball last wins. 

But the NFL is a Passing League: You know the old saying that the NFL is a copycat league? If you think teams didn’t notice how the Patriots ran the ball in the playoffs, think again. While going to these light fronts with smaller athletic players on defense, offensive coordinators are adjusting accordingly. Look at last week…

Carolina gashed Jacksonville for 285 yards rushing including 176 for my early MVP vote Christian McCaffrey. The Colts kept the potent KC offense sitting on their hands Sunday night while rushing for 180. San Francisco’s two-headed rushing attack had 275 yards against the Browns, while Arizona ran over Cincinnati to the tune of 266 yards on the ground. Think Bill Belichick may have been ahead of the curve once again?

Issues in the Running Game Start at Tight End:

After the lackluster game by the offense in the 35-14 win over the Giants, the lack of a consistent running game has really hurt the offense. The box score of the Patriots rolling up over 400 yards of offense and over 100 on the ground belies the fact that they were struggling for much of the night, especially on the ground. 

Naturally, the abuse gets piled on the head of Sony Michel [“He sucks, he blows” ring a bell?]. But while we can point fingers at Michel’s lack of quickness in getting to the hole at times, you can’t fault him when he’s being consistently hit behind the line of scrimmage.

The offensive line hasn’t been great by any stretch of the imagination, but a big part of the issue is at tight end. The Patriots were spoiled the past few years having Rob Gronkowski and Dwayne Allen in the blocking role at tight end. They were like having an extra tackle out there. They drafted Ryan Izzo in the 7th round [250th overall] last year, and that was supposed to be his strength. But being put out on the edge hasn’t been anywhere near good enough. 

Look, comparing him to Gronkowski isn’t fair, we know that. But one stat that leaps off the page is this. The Patriots have run 18 outside zone runs this year. It is a staple of their offense…in the past. Gronkowski and Allen were outstanding at blocking in these. Those 18 runs this year have resulted in just 21 yards this year. Izzo and Matt LaCosse just aren’t getting it done. He’s constantly overmatched out there. Last week LaCosse and Izzo were better, but they took a step back against the Giants.

And now LaCosse is hurt again. He has been snakebit by injuries this season. The runs inside, between the tackles, have been much better, Michel’s big runs against Washington and his final big run against the Giants come to mind. Brandon Bolden has chipped in here as well. 

While everyone is clamoring for the Patriots to trade for a wide receiver [and with the injuries it may happen, more to that below] bringing in a blocking tight end, and yes, Dwayne Allen is available, maybe in the cards. They could still trade for one too.  

Wide Receiver Depth, Becoming a Show-stopping Issue:

The Patriots have a little bit of time to do some self-scouting they normally do during the bye week, but thanks to the TNF schedule have some time to do so again.  Julian Edelman has been banged up for the past few weeks but has toughened it out Phillip Dorsett has a hamstring injury where he missed nearly all of the Redskins game as well as this week. Josh Gordon injured his knee on Thursday and although it looked ugly, we’re told he didn’t injure it “significantly”. 

This left the Patriots with a hurting Edelman and two rookie UFDA wide receivers [Jakobi Meyers and Gunner Olszewski] as the only wideouts remaining. With the Monday night game coming in eight days, we still have no idea about the availability of either Gordon or Dorsett, but smart money suggests Gordon won’t be ready. 

And if both are out, that leaves the cupboard dangerously thin. One injury to any of the three listed above and they won’t have enough WRs to fill out their “11 personnel” package. They need to get healthy and still get some help there. 

The rumor mill has beaten the Stefon Diggs story to death and while others are beating the AB return to New England, that has a less likely chance of happening than the Patriots bringing in an Army guy. Rumors continue to swirl around A.J. Green and Emmanuel Sanders. Of those, Sanders would be the best, most logical choice. The Patriots liked him enough a few years ago to sign him to an offer sheet. He’s in the last year of a contract with a team with a real chance of being 1-6 by Thursday. He’d be a seamless fit in the offense if they can pry him away from Denver. But John Elway knows they need help and he’ll try to squeeze them for everything he can. 

However, help IS on the way. N’Keal Harry the Patriots 1st-round draft pick can begin practice on Wednesday. And he’s eligible to return two weeks hence. If Dorsett and Gordon can return soon, the coaches may opt to wait it out and have Harry help out the passing game. We’ll see how this plays out. 

Jakob Johnson to IR, Another Big Blow for the Offense:

Wait! What? Did I just hear myself say that? If I said back in June during minicamp that losing Jakob Johnson in early October would be a big blow to the Patriots offense, I can only imagine what my timeline would like. “You’re outta yur mind, you loosah!” But here we are.

After losing James Develin to a neck injury, the Patriots turned to Johnson who has looked good thus far but in the Giants game, he suffered a shoulder injury, that, according to Jim McBride of the Globe will put him on IR. The team is now lacking a fullback. And that is a big blow. 

No team relies on their fullback as much as the Patriots do. They rely on their fullback to open holes in the running game. So, what do they do from here? Well, they can sign one, and while there aren’t a ton of fullbacks out there, I’m sure they could bring one in for him to learn the offense. Or the answer may be internally answered. 

The team used Izzo a few times in that role on Thursday night. His size would lend itself well to that role…plus he already knows the offense. But with tight end bare already with LaCosse always hurt it may require more help. Enter Brandon Bolden. While he has nowhere near the size of a Develin/Johnson-type, he can add more in short-yardage as a ball carrier and pass receiver than those two plus he’s already on the roster and there isn’t much he can’t do.  

NFL Schedule Week 6, Who Are Your Winners:

How are you feeling about the games this week? We have a post on our PatsFans Forum where our readers can predict the slate of games for that week. I did it on our weekly Sunday column here and will post it up below. Here is the link if you’d care to pick your own: https://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/picks/

Last Week: 8-7
Season: 47-30-1

TNF New England over NY Giants 1-0 

Carolina over Tampa Bay [London]
Washington over Miami
Philadelphia over Minnesota
Kansas City over Houston [Mahomes isn’t 100%, shootout]
New Orleans over Jacksonville
Seattle over Cleveland
Baltimore over Cincinnati
LA Rams over San Francisco
Atlanta over Arizona
Dallas over NY Jets
Tennessee over Denver
SNF LA Chargers over Pittsburgh
MNF Green Bay over Detroit

Bye Week – Buffalo, Chicago, Indy, Oakland 

Early Thursday Night Football pick Kansas City over Denver

Eastbound and Down AFC East Notes:

Bills on the Bye, A Likely Landing Spot for A.J. Green? Maybe:

The Buffalo Bills are 4-1 and on their bye week. They’ve had an impressive start to the season, with their only loss to the Patriots at home. Their defense has been top-notch and impressive but offensively, they’re in need of some help, as their division rival Patriots at the wide receiver position. While many people have A.J. Green on the Patriots radar, he could also be on the Bills’ and even more so. 

Buffalo has two good wide receivers in Cole Beasley and John Brown but lacks a viable third option. Beasley is the Edelman of the Bills offense but they lack that big wide receiver on the outside, [Beasley is 5’9, while Brown is 5’10,180]. They traded away Zay Jones this week. 

Green, if healthy, would give them a big, viable target who would instantly upgrade the offense. And, if the rumors of New England being interested are indeed true, it would keep him away from the Patriots while helping Josh Allen.  

Dolphins Take on the Redskins in the Tua Bowl:

When the Miami Dolphins take the field against the Washington Redskins, the fans for both teams will be torn in their loyalties. While both are winless, Washington is 0-5 and Miami is 0-4, their fans will balance their desire to see their team win with the knowledge that the worse record will result in a better position to draft the next big QB prospect, in this case, Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa.

Miami, coming off of a bye week, is reeling with 11 players listed as questionable. Cornerback Johnson Bademosi, [ankle]; running back Kalen Ballage, [foot]; guard/tackle Jesse Davis, [elbow]; wide receiver Jakeem Grant, [hamstring]; linebacker Trent Harris, [foot]; cornerback Xavien Howard, [knee]; safety Reshad Jones, [ankle]; cornerback Chris Lammons, [toe]; safety Bobby McCain, [hamstring and shoulder]; wide receiver Albert Wilson, who is hoping [calf and hip]; and cornerback Jomal Wiltz, [groin]. 

The Redskins are beat up as well and have already ruled out several players. Tight end Vernon Davis is out of the game [concussion]; safety Deshazor Everett [ankle]; linebacker Josh Harvey-Clemons [hamstring]; guard Wes Martin [chest injury]; and tight end Jordan Reed [concussion]. The team also listed tackle Donald Penn on the report, listing him as questionable, with a hamstring issue.

The big question is…other than the fanbases, will anyone be watching this one?

Jets Facing the “Laughably Overrated” Cowboys:

Leave it to Manish Mehta, the Jekyll and Hyde beat writer for the Jets, who proclaims every spring that the Jets will unthrone the Patriots in the AFC East, then calls for the coach to be canned in his next tweet. The 0-5 New York Jets face the 3-2 Cowboys who Mehta calls “laughably overrated”. 

Mehta was saying that “back-half of the 2019 [Jets] schedule is cupcake city.” If there is something the Jets and Adam Gase shouldn’t be doing, it is considering any of their upcoming opponents as cupcakes. 

But that never stopped Mehta from bloviating his usual tripe. He’s putting this one as eminently winnable despite the fact that the Jets rank near the bottom of every offensive category. If the Jets do pull the upset today [don’t hold your breath], then Mehta will go over the top with the Jets-Patriots predictions next week.

________________

“No, we’re trying to cover the receiver, and when he tries to catch the ball we use technique. Jon [Jones] did a pretty good job of that. He got his hands on the ball, but it just popped up in the air and went to Tate. I thought he played the ball well. It’s the National Football League. It was a good throw and they got a favorable bounce on it. We could’ve certainly played it better and done some other things better but Jon was in good position. He did what he was coached to do.” – Bill Belichick being asked about the touchdown pass allowed this week and specifically if Jonathan Jones played it correctly

________________

“So, how was your week?”

Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected]

Listen to our Patriots 4th and 2 podcasts on blog talk radio as Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and myself from PatsFans.com discuss the latest Patriots news and game analysis.

 

Again, Put The Patriots Win Over the Giants On the Defense

Bob George
October 11, 2019 at 12:36 pm ET

FOXBOROUGH – The Patriots won by three touchdowns, but it sure doesn’t feel like it.

Tom Brady was 31 of 41 passing for 334 yards.  But he threw no touchdown passes, got picked once, got sacked three times, and had a passer rating of only 88.9.  One of the sacks was a strip-sack that went for a defensive touchdown.

Julian Edelman led the Patriots with 113 receiving yards on nine catches.  But he was targeted 15 times, meaning that six plays that went to him misfired.  All other receivers were at or near perfect on targets/catches.

The Patriots opened the third quarter with a 16-play, 60-yard drive that consumed about nine minutes, but came away with no points.

And yet, the Patriots mauled the New York Giants, 35-14 on Thursday night at Gillette Stadium.  Bill Belichick, playing the first of two straight games against his former teams, is now 12-1 on Thursday night football.  The Patriots are now 6-0.  The only other undefeated NFL team has Jimmy Garoppolo as their quarterback.

Put this win again on the defense.  Special teams too, but mostly the defense.  Rookie quarterback Daniel Jones threw three interceptions.  The defense forced a fumble and returned it for a touchdown.  The Giants were held to 213 total yards, were only 2 of 10 on third downs, and had only 10 first downs for the entire game.

Yet the game was 14-14 until late in the first half, and the Patriots seemed totally out of sync on both sides of the ball.  They led, 14-0, but then surrendered two Giant touchdowns in 87 seconds in the second quarter.  What should have been a Patriot blowout was looking more like another Pats-Giants Super Bowl.  Instead of Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul, you had Janoris Jenkins and David Mayo.  This game strongly resembled last week’s win at Washington; start slow, the underdog opponent hangs around too long, but then the scoreboard says “blowout” at game’s end.

Brady’s numbers belie the difficult evening he had most all game long.  He again was on the run more than he would like, and doesn’t look comfortable out there most of the time.  Perhaps the most ironic stat of the game was that Brady did get two touchdowns, but both of them were one-yard sneaks.  It marked the first time since 2011 that he had two rushing touchdowns in a game.  But he also threw still another interception; in trying to hit Edelman on a deep post pattern, he threw the ball outside instead of inside and Jenkins made the interception.

Still, the Patriots were able to stifle the Giants on both defense and special teams.  The first Patriot touchdown was scored on a first quarter blocked punt, as Brandon Bolden rushed in to block a Riley Dixon punt, and rookie linebacker Chase Winovich picked up the ball and ran it in six yards for a touchdown.  In the fourth quarter, Jones tried to hit Jon Hilliman in the right flat with a screen pass.  Hilliman was clobbered by Jamie Collins and fumbled the ball.  Kyle Van Noy picked it up and rambled 22 yards for a touchdown, diving for the pylon for the score which had to be granted on replay after the officials marked him out of bounds at the Giant 2.

Jones finished 15 of 31 passing for 161 yards, one touchdown, three picks, and a 35.2 passer rating.  Belichick once again showed how well he coaches against rookie quarterbacks.  Jones’ lone touchdown was on a 64-yard bomb to Golden Tate in the second quarter, a juggling catch despite good coverage by Jonathan Jones along the right sideline.  Tate took off for the end zone and shook off a tackle by Duron Harmon on his way to the house.

Tate led the Giants with six catches for 102 yards, but take away the 64-yard bomb and he had only 38 yards otherwise.  That still beats Darius Slayton’s 32 yards which was second best.  With Saquon Barkley still on the shelf, Hilliman led the Giants with only 38 yards rushing on 11 carries.  The turnovers helped, but these numbers still fall on the great play of the defense, albeit against a depleted Giant offensive unit which is only somewhat better with Barkley in there.

Sony Michel led the Patriots with 86 yards rushing, but most of that yardage was against a tired second half Giant defense.  The Patriots did manage 114 yards rushing as a team, with Bolden picking up some of the slack thanks to Rex Burkhead being an injury scratch.  Bolden had the other offensive touchdown, a one-yard rush early in the second quarter.

Twice the Patriots went for it on fourth down, and twice they were denied.  Two reasons for this were the wind, which was blowing north to south all game long, and the fact that Belichick obviously does not trust Mike Nugent, the replacement for the injured Stephen Gostkowski.  Nugent attempted one field goal, a 40-yard attempt into the wind in the third quarter at the end of the aforementioned 16-play drive.  From the right hashmark angled to the left, the ball sailed left and doinked off the left upright.  Holder Jake Bailey failed to get the laces in the right direction which contributed to the errant kick, but that won’t make Belichick feel any better or any more secure with his placekicking game right now.

The Patriots get a week and a half break before another match with the Jets a week from Sunday.  Sam Darnold, who has been bedridden with mononucleosis, might actually play in that game.  Two straight games against New York teams for Belichick will always get the coach’s attention, so the Patriots won’t go into this game unprepared.

Belichick gets emotional when he reminisces about his days as Giants defensive coordinator under Bill Parcells.  He credits that time with learning the game, learning the coaching element, and his love for the Mara family and giving him the chance to become the coach he is today.  But the Giants hung two heartbreaking Super Bowl losses on the Patriots, and of course, Belichick still hates the Jets with a passion.  7-0 will be terrific, but Belichick will be very dialed in over the next ten days.

So, as the Yankees continue their march towards the World Series, the New York football teams still look far inferior to the Super Bowl Champs.  Patriot Nation will take that, for sure.

Calling All Pats Fans, Kyle Van Noy Needs Your Help Designing A Shirt For “The Boogeymen”

Robert Alvarez
October 9, 2019 at 1:00 pm ET

Are you a graphic designer and love the New England Patriots?

Well, Kyle Van Noy wants your help, and he has an enticing reward for a job well done.

On Twitter Tuesday, Van Noy fired off a few recruitment tweets seeking a shirt/sweatshirt design for “the boogeymen”, a nickname for the Patriots linebacker corps coined by Dont’a Hightower.

If you think you have what it takes to win over what currently stands as the NFL’s best linebackers, get to work and send your shirt designs over to Van Noy before the weekend.

Through five games the defense has 24 sacks and is on pace for 77, a mark that would break the NFL record of 72, set by the 1984 Chicago Bears.

For even more perspective, the Patriots had 30 sacks total in 2018 and the team record sits at 57 which was set in 1979.

The Patriots also have 11 interceptions to lead the NFL.

Hightower voiced his praise for the defenses record setting start following Sunday’s win.

“We compete. It’s a great group not just in the linebacker room but the defense, we all want to compete. … We’re trying to get more picks, more forced fumbles. It’s a great defense”

The “boogeymen” meanwhile, will look to add to the record setting defensive numbers on Thursday night against a banged up Giants team, and perhaps celebrate another victory in new shirts.