Malcom Brown:

The talk of trading Jimmy Garoppolo has been broached by several writers recently and while it’s an interesting topic, until the battle against the league is ultimately put to bed between Tom Brady and the NFL, it’s just too risky of a move.  

Siliga is one of those big bodied guys who are invaluable as run stuffers. One of the indelible moments of training camp was his crunching hit of Tyler Gaffney on August 1, shooting across the gap and leveling the runner as he was trying to get to the second level

The big 6’4, 325-pound lineman is versatile, a Bill Belichick staple and can play anywhere from 0-technique to a 5-technique. His ability to stop the run and collapse the pocket were big parts of the Patriots defense down the stretch.

Bill Belichick and Matt Patricia had plans to beef up the front seven and trust in some young players in the secondary to carry the team this season.

It was a total group effort with the interior players pushing the pocket and the edge rushers bringing pressure outside.

The Patriots trade for DL Akiem Hicks was a good one. He brings depth to the interior DL and has the opportunity to be a nice role player on the front seven

The Patriots defense is still very much a work in progress after three games. But with a nice blend of youth and experience, the unit will improve each week

Thursday night’s game against Green Bay saw some players have a strong performance, while some others still have some work cut out for them in the weeks ahead as the Patriots preseason continues.