{"id":18036,"date":"2018-07-01T05:00:08","date_gmt":"2018-07-01T09:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=18036"},"modified":"2018-06-30T10:53:11","modified_gmt":"2018-06-30T14:53:11","slug":"new-england-patriots-news-7-1-afc-east-notes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2018\/07\/01\/new-england-patriots-news-7-1-afc-east-notes\/","title":{"rendered":"New England Patriots News 7-1, AFC East Notes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Good morning, Here is your <\/span>Sunday\u2019s Patriots news 7-1, & AFC East Notes \u2026 <\/b>We\u2019d like to wish all of our readers a happy and safe 4th of July holiday this week. And Happy Birthday America! We may have our issues, but there is still no better place to live in the world. <\/span><\/p>\n

Quick Hitters: <\/b>
\n<\/b>Training Camp <\/b>is now just a few weeks away. The Patriots have announced the following days and times for the first few practices, which will be open to the public. ***Please Note that all times are subject to change***. From the Patriots website:<\/span><\/p>\n

July 26 | Practice Time – 9:15 AM<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>July 27 | Practice Time – 9:15 AM<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>July 28 | Practice Time – 9:15 AM<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>July 29 | Practice Time – 9:15 AM<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>*Gates will open at 8 AM each morning and the fan activities will remain open one (1) hour after practice ends.<\/span><\/p>\n

No Joint Practices? <\/b>For the first time in about a decade (there were none in 2011 during the lockout), it seems the Patriots will not be conducting joint practices with an opponent. Typically Bill Belichick lines up the opponent for the first or second preseason game (both last year) and works out a joint practice schedule. It doesn\u2019t seem like that will happen this year barring any last minute changes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dwayne Allen\u2019s <\/b>status remains a hot topic for many fans as well as media members to discuss. Much like safety Jordan Richards, Allen remains a target for criticism considering his very small production in the passing game despite having a $5 million dollar cap hit in 2018, none of which is guaranteed.<\/span><\/p>\n

But Bill Belichick likes Allen and was pleased with his blocking ability. They brought in competition this spring. Although tight ends Jacob Hollister, Will Tye and UDFA Shane Wimann are more in the mode of \u201cmove\u201d tight ends, both Troy Niklas and Ryan Izzo are considered more of the blocking type of tight ends and could provide a younger, cheaper alternative. Of course, the team could always opt for re-doing Allen\u2019s deal, which many predicted they\u2019d do in the spring and didn\u2019t. <\/span><\/p>\n

Julian Edelman <\/b>should be hearing back from the NFL regarding his appeal on his four-game suspension early in the week. If the suspension stands, the team will be without him for the first four games of the season. With that in mind…<\/span><\/p>\n

Who Will Take the Slot Snaps in Case of #11 Suspension?<\/b><\/p>\n

If indeed Julian Edelman is suspended for the first four games of the season, who will the Patriots go to in the slot for the majority of their snaps and production? \u00a0Well first off, they won\u2019t (they learned that a year ago when he went on IR), be able to plug one player in that position, it is going to take multiple players to step up.<\/span><\/p>\n