Texans Win The Battles, But Patriots Win The War In Classic Shootout

For sure, the New England Patriots had been in bigger holes than they faced with time running down on them on Sunday afternoon.

The Houston Texans' defense had dominated the Patriots for the entire second half at Gillette Stadium, forcing three New England punts and surrendering just seven points and 131 total yards to what was supposed to be the most prolific scoring offense in modern history, and after being sacked six times, hit five more and fumbling twice, Tom Brady walked out onto the turf an Gillette Stadium needing 75 yards and a touchdown to beat the determined and violent Texans.

But after a holding call made the task a little taller, Brady did what Brady does and has done so many times in his storied career, pulling an eight-play drive out of his magic helmet, turning a five point deficit into a 36-33 Patriots victory that may just be a defining moment for the struggling Minutemen from Foxborough.

Ordinarily, one wouldn't call an offense that averages thirty-three points per game a struggling unit, but coming into the game, Brady had yet to develop a chemistry with newly-acquired wide receiver Brandin Cooks, and the rest of his pass catchers had been dealing with a variety of maladies that had been holding the New England offense far below their potential efficiency...

...but Brady found Cooks twice on the final drive, including the 25-yard gamer with 23 seconds left to go and the Patriots' much-maligned defense made it hold up as safety Duron Harmon emerged with the ball from a scrum in the New England end zone after a last-gasp Hail Mary from Houston rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson just missed it's mark.

Just the fact that New England is not purring along on offense and still averaging 33 points per game is both scary and ridiculous at the same time, but it becomes downright terrifying when it is considered that the line hasn't gelled as yet and the backs are spending more time picking up rogue blitzers than handling the football.

That is a trend that continued on Sunday, as James White and Dion Lewis had just four receptions between them, a direct result of the revolving door style of the offensive tackles needing two of the Patriots' most dynamic skill players to chip pass rushers coming off the edge so that the tackles can catch up to them.

That takes a critical element out of the Patriots' offense, holding it back from realizing it's potential, and the opposition knows it - but the alternative is subjecting Brady to undue physical abuse, and besides, Brady has started to develop a bond with Cooks, for which the blocking of the backs has a direct impact.

Cooks' breakout performance combined with the standard fare from fellow wide receiver Chris Hogan (4 catches for 68 yards and two touchdowns) and tight end Rob Gronkowski (8/89/1) helped the Patriots score 36 points for the second straight week - his five-catch, 131 yard performance doubling his production for the season and his two scoring grabs represented the first and second of his short career in New England...

...while Danny Amendola continues to show up in the most critical of moments to move the chains, hauling in four balls for 48 yards, none bigger than a tough 25-yard snag over the middle on third-and-eighteen to set up Cooks' gamer one play later.

A see-saw affair in which the team combined to use every inch of the new carpeting at Gillette, the contest between the two familiar rivals was an entertaining and physical main event that saw two heavyweights batter each other with haymakers, staggering each other but each unable to put the other away.

Watson was fantastic in just his second start as a professional, the zip he put on his throws when he stepped up in the pocket equaled only by his amazing Houdini-like escapability that had the New England defense on their heels all game and frustrated the pass rushers who had their hands on him several times, but ended up with nothing but thin air.

"That dude is a slippery quarterback" defensive tackle Alan Branch mused after the game, "It was really frustrating as a defensive front just seeing that we had him right our grasp and not quite being able to finish him off."

The Texans scored in combinations to keep the Patriots on the ropes most of the contest, New England scoring off the ropes like mean counter-punchers - and just like in boxing, when the hungry young fighter gives the gnarled old veteran a sliver of an opening, the veteran landed the fatal blow late in the match.

The Patriots opened the game like they usually do, marching right down the field to take the early lead on a Brady shot to tight end Rob Gronkowski, but then Houston gained control with a Fairbairn field goal and a Deshaun Watson laser to Bruce Ellington at the goal line to take a 10-7 lead in the first quarter - then after Chris Hogan found the corner of the end zone to give the Patriots the lead in the second, the Texans countered with fury...

...a Jadeveon Clowney fumble recovery for a touchdown followed another Fairbairn field goal gave the lead back to the Texans before another Hogan touchdown reception from 47 yards out gave the Patriots a one-point lead going into the room.

New England seemed to give themselves a little breathing room when Brady hit Cooks on a 42-yard deep crosser, who then engaged his thrusters to easily outdistance the coverage, but Houston's rookie quarterback took control of the game pulling Patriots' defenders to the weak side time and again and throwing across his body to complete the improbable pass.

His ability to extend drives coupled with the burden he put on both the pass rushers to chase him down and the secondary to hold contain on his receivers took it's toll in the second half, as he led drives that ate up at least three-and-a-half minutes on each, resulting in a scoring toss to tight end Ryan Griffin in the back of the end zone and two more Fairbairn field goals to put New England in the position of needing Brady to come through at the last second.

In contrast, and as much to the detriment of the defense as Watson's magic act, the Patriots' offense generated drives of more than three minutes just once in the game, more often than not holding the ball for less than two minutes, putting the defense back on the field without much of a rest.

"We (the offense) didn't do much there in the fourth quarter." Brady admitted in his post-game presser, "the defense kept holding them to a field goal and gave us just enough time."

So it is to the defense's credit that they found the intestinal fortitude to stop Texans' running back Lamar Miller short of the line to gain on the New England 18 - against a three-receiver set, no less - to force a field goal and give the ball back to Brady and the offense with a little over two minutes to play and with one time out remaining - and Brady rewarded them with a drive for the ages.

No need to elaborate further, as the old gunslinger converted on third-and-long twice to extend the final drive, eventually hitting Cooks for the toe-tapping gamer with an absolute rocket to fit the ball into the tightest of windows...

...and what great Patriots' comeback would be complete without Harmon coming down with a game-sealing interception in the end zone?

Brady channeled his inner John Lennon after the game stating, "I believe that love is the greatest thing we have. It overcomes a lot." - and so does practicing and focusing on situational football, because it was that which helped the Patriots to overcome the upstart Texans, who with sheer talent and a slippery quarterback won a lot of individual battles, but eventually lost the war.

Because, it's Tom Brady and he loves his teammates.

And because he's pretty good at what he does.

Gap Integrity, Edge-Setting Key For Patriots Defense Against Texans

The Houston Texans are an enigma.

On defense, they possess perhaps one of the best front sevens in the National Football League, yet they can't stop the run when opposing offenses spread them out. They sport a secondary that is so injured that they are being held together with duct tape and prayers, yet they are a top five pass defense unit.

Offensively, their passing game is just plain offensive, ranking dead last in the league and averaging 104 yards per game, being barely outgained by their running game, which would also be in the toilet were it not for a nifty, long touchdown run by their quarterback last week against the Bengals.

So on paper, the New England Patriots' defense should be able to put the beatdown on the Texans in Foxborough this coming Sunday.

Wise (91) and Flowers should be able to get to Watson this Sunday

Hell, they should be able to punch them in the mouth, take their lunch money and stick bubble gum in their hair for good measure - but only if the Patriots play their game, dictating to the Texans' offense instead of falling for the inevitable trickery and unconventional approach that coach Bill O'Brien will try to cook up in order to go blow-for-blow with the powerful Patriots' offense.

Because despite their abysmal play in 2017, the Texans are built to compete against the likes of New England, and the things that they can still do well on both sides of the ball feed directly into what the Patriots struggle with both offensively and defensively.

For example, the Patriots traditionally struggle defending against mobile quarterbacks (Hello, Alex Smith) and give up a frustratingly significant number of first downs to such - and the Texans' just happen to employ a fellow by the name of Deshaun Watson, a rookie who feels pressure in the pocket whether it's there or not, and will tuck the ball and run like a like a pooch that just stole a hot dog at a bar-b-que.

His success ratio after being flushed out of the pocket is hit or miss, but he showed how elusive he can be against Cincinnati last Sunday, weaving through their secondary for a 49 yard touchdown scramble - but he's also been sacked seven times in six quarters of play.  In fact, Texans' quarterbacks have been sacked 13 times in two games, and given the fact that three of their starting offensive linemen have been out of the lineup, that's not too surprising.

New England's top two pass rushers, former Arkansas teammates Trey Flowers and Deatrich Wise, have to be salivating at the prospect of facing such a depleted line, especially given that against the Bengals, the Texans played predominantly with a six-offensive lineman set, sacrificing their tight end play (They were down to a fourth-string tight end anyway) for an extra blocker to try and keep Cincinnati's monstrous pass rush off of Watson, but to no avail as the rookie took several mean shots and is listed as questionable on the Texan's injury report.

But when Watson did find time in the pocket, he was single-minded in targeting DeAndre Hopkins on over half of his throws and used running back Lamar Miller as his safety valve.  Houston was hoping to get wide receiver Will Fuller, who has been inactive due to a broken collarbone, back this week - and he has returned to practice but has already been ruled out for Sunday's game...

...which means that Watson's targets will consist of Hopkins, Miller, tight end Ryan Griffin and wide receivers Bruce Ellington and Braxton Miller - not exactly a Murder's Row of downfield threats, though Griffin returning from the concussion protocol could spell trouble for New England's Patrick Chung, who appears to have lost a step in coverage.

While it shouldn't be a difficult task to generate pressure on Watson, the edge rushers will have to be alert to the Texans' tackles powder-puffing them, allowing them to rush upfield around the pocket, leaving the flat open for both the screen and for Watson to scamper off into.  Like they would against any mobile quarterback, the Patriots will try to keep him in the middle of the field...

...where the Patriots defense could counter by mixing things up a little in their coverages, perhaps playing in their Big Nickel alignment but with cornerback Malcolm Butler playing in the stead of Chung as an impromptu "strong safety".

Butler has benefitted in the past by teams picking on a weaker set of corners opposite him, but now that the team employs bigger corners in Stephon Gilmore and the up-and-coming Eric Rowe, Butler is being exposed by teams that have the edge in mismatches, particularly underneath where he is not always able to fight through pick plays.

Butler brings the wood against the run, is great at sniffing out screens and has elite closing burst, plus he matches up well in size with running backs and has the speed advantage over tight ends - he seems to be more in his element when he sees the play unfold in front of him, and with Jonathan Jones making a case to take over in the slot, it's going to take some finagling to get Butler involved, perhaps at the expense of Chung.

One ploy we could see from the Texans is coach Bill O'Brien taking a page from the Kansas City Chiefs' bag-o-tricks, implementing a series of shuffle passes to get the ball to receivers crossing the face of Watson, which the Chiefs were moderately successful doing.  The Texans don't have the overall talent like Kansas City does, but they will have Allen back this week and Braxton Miller could be a candidate for a little trickery...

...Ellington as well, though those are some mighty big trees for the 5' 9" speedster to have to navigate through, especially coming off of injury.  Ellington is pure smooth hell on the bubble and counter screens, however, which feeds right into the game plan that the Texans will have to employ to have any chance of generating enough points to make a game out of it.

The Texans switched from veteran quarterback and stationary target Tom Savage midway through their season opening loss to Jacksonville and inserted the mobile rookie in hopes of being able to generate offense, but it has been a work in progress, with the progress being marked with baby steps.

Given the injury situation in Houston and the likelihood that New England comes into the game relatively healthy on defense, holding the Texans down like both Jacksonville and Cincinnati did could be a big morale booster for a defensive unit that has it's doubters.

Much of that doubt comes from the communications issues the secondary had against the Chiefs that resulted in three chunk plays that turned a tight game into a laugher that Kansas City took advantage of - and even though that same secondary gave up 350 yards to Drew Brees and the Saints last Sunday, the majority of those yards came in the second half with New England leading comfortably.

So, in a nut shell, Houston must attack the Patriots' defense by establishing a running game, which would bring Chung (or whoever is playing the Big Nickel) up into the box, then targeting Miller and rookie back D'Onta Foreman in the short passing game to both spread the field horizontally and keep the heat off of Watson - then they can use the play action to pick and choose their shots downfield.

Part of the game plan should include some of the aforementioned shuffle passes, though with an emphasis on the running game being a given, having seldom-used veteran run stuffer David Harris in the middle of the defense may mitigate that type of play with his instincts and experience.

The key is for the Patriots to stay in their gaps up front, don't fall for the powder-puff approach from the tackles and keep Watson inside the hashmarks.

It goes without saying that this will be a game where the Texans' defense will have to hold the Patriots well below their 31.5 points per game average to have any chance of winning, and we'll cover that in the next piece...

Running Backs Featured For Patriots In Loss To Texans

The New England Patriots running back stable is ridiculously deep.

In fact, it's deeper than anyone thought.

Rex Burkhead shined in his Patriots' debut, hitting the hole hard in his seven carries and displaying a natural catching rhythm that will probably earn him the starting nod when the games start to count, then Dion Lewis and D. J. Foster followed up with impressive performances, but three turnovers by New England signal callers doomed New England to their second preseason loss in as many games...

...dropping a 27-23 decision to the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on Saturday in a contest that did little to clear up a convoluted depth chart at just about every position, and in some cases - particularly at running back - made the story a little more hazy.

Not from poor play, but from solid effort by all five backs that played and a breakout campaign for Foster who could find himself on the opening day roster if projected power back Mike Gillislee's hamstring lands him on the Injured List, and Brandon Bolden put himself solidly on the map with some opportunistic blasts through the middle of the Texans' run defense.

The thing about preseason games is that the game plan is usually simply to ride the waves and take advantage of each circumstance that comes along as a coaching point - heaven knows there were plenty of those in the second exhibition game for both teams - but it seemed that Patriots' head ball coach Bill Belichick's purpose for his offense was to remain as vanilla as possible, and that means mixing the running game with the short passing game.

And that means the spotlight was squarely on his running backs.

First, it seems he wanted to see how Burkhead handled picking up the blitz in live game action, then how fluid Lewis looked a full year removed from surgery to repair a torn ACL - and he got what he needed when Burkhead stoned an aggressive stunt-blitz on linebacker Brian Cushing to allow quarterback Tom Brady a chance to step into a throw, and Lewis displayed a nice combination of power and elusiveness, planting hard and exploding into the crease.

Typically, where the Patriots' backs did most of their heavy damage was through the air, however, combining for 115 yards and two touchdowns on nine receptions, though their 110 yards on the ground shouldn't be overlooked, nor should the fact that the offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels kept feeding them the ball, their 38 combined touches counting for exactly half of the plays run by the Patriots offense on the evening...

...which included just a few snaps for passing back James White, who is firmly entrenched as the Patriots' go-to guy as he played only with the first-team, then enjoyed the rest of the night watching his stable-mates go to work on the league's top-rated defense.

Quarterback Tom Brady saw his first action of the preseason, playing two series and contributing 69 yards on six completions and a touchdown before yielding to backup Jimmy Garoppolo, who played the majority of the game and had an up-and-down performance, throwing for 145 yards and a touchdown, but also suffered a strip sack and floated a throwaway along the sidelines, having it picked off in comical fashion.

Jacoby Brissett finished the game and showed much better decision-making skills than he did in the first preseason game, but still couldn't finish off a comeback for the second week in a row - and, as a matter of fact, other than the performance of the running backs and some solid work on the interior of the offensive line, the Patriots put in a relatively sloppy performance on offense.

Brady also made a poor decision on a throw to the sidelines which was originally ruled as an interception, but overturned on replay.  He recovered from his near-pick to lead the offense to their first touchdown, finding Burkhead wide open over the middle for a 22-yard pitch and catch in which the Nebraska product displayed smooth route running, soft, sure hands and enough speed to split the seam after the catch and sprint into the end zone untouched.

Garoppolo didn't get the chance to atone for his gaffe along the sidelines as he was replaced by Brissett on the next series, but did offer up an explanation.

" I avoided the D-end at first and was just trying to throw it away, but I didn't get enough on it." Garoppolo said after the game, "It was just a bad play."

Garoppolo also tried to take blame for the strip sack that gave the Texans excellent field position and led to a Houston field goal, and while it is his responsibility to protect the football, being blindsided by an unfettered linebacker has it's consequences.

"It's just my fault.  I'm the quarterback."

Garoppolo did have many more bright moments than dim ones, going 15 of 23 for 145 yards and leading the charge to the Patriots' final score, a 25-yard crosser to Foster, who showed speed and toughness, racing through the secondary after taking the short toss from Garoppolo and breaking the plane of the end zone while fighting through a big shot from safety Eddie Pleasant.

Foster may have had the most impressive night of anyone on the offense, carrying the ball six times for 23 yards and catching four balls for 52 yards and the touchdown, albeit against the second and third levels of the Texans' defense - while Bolden, normally a core special teamer, picked up 33 yards on eight stiff-looking carries.

Brissett also had the ball knocked out of his hand from behind just as he was about to fire one of his rockets into the end zone with time ticking down under one minute to play, the momentum from his throwing motion propelling the ball through the end zone for a touchback to end a Patriots comeback bid seven yards short.

Adding intrigue to the Patriots' high-class running back situation is the mystery surrounding free agent addition Mike Gillislee, whose hamstring injury suffered in OTA's has kept him from participating in practices and, obviously, from games, which is likely the reason behind the rest of the backs being focused on in Saturday night's contest...

...one in which Belichick has to be pleased with the performance of his backfield and confident that they can fulfill their role on offense as dual threats as runners and pass catchers, and may have helped him make up his mind on Gillislee's short-term future in New England.

The upside, of course, is that Belichick can safely place Gillislee on the injured-reserved list with a designation to return, meaning that he can activate the power back in the middle of November after he's had time to let the hamstring properly heal, then unleashing him with fresh legs on worn down opponents during the stretch run to the post-season - possibly opening the door for a guy like Foster to land on the roster in the interim.

When you have a running back kennel that features so much talent, you can afford to do such things.

Defensive Line, Offensive Line In Focus For Patriots Against Texans

Injuries and the natural ambiguity surrounding them makes this Saturday night's game with the Houston Texans a chance for New England Patriots' fans to see if their players in the trenches are stout enough to start the season with.

Much has been made of the depth along the defensive line since Chris Long and Jaball Sheard left in free agency, and then even more has been made of it since Rob Ninkovich retired - and now Patriots' Nation is in full-blown panic mode with the news that rookie defensive end / linebacker hybrid Derek Rivers is lost for the season with a bum knee.

Head ball coach Bill Belichick has been experimenting in joint practices with the Texans this past week, and while his Patriots recovered from a slow start on Tuesday to dominate Bill O'Brien's defense on Wednesday, a defense that is widely considered to have the best front seven in the National Football League...

...while Belichick and Matt Patricia's defense pushed around the Texans' offense in both padded practices - but to make fans feel any better in light of all of the injuries the Patriots have incurred, the lines on both sides of the ball are going to have to prove that their depth can do the job.

On the offensive side of the ball, left tackle is the major concern, with the top three candidates for the job on the shelf with various injuries - though the issue with starting left tackle Nate Solder is shrouded in mystery, as he has not been seen nor heard from outside of the facility in weeks, and given his medical history, his absence and the ambiguity surrounding it is quite disconcerting, and not just from a football perspective.

Solder's professional football career has been marred by a torn bicep that cost him almost all of 2015, during which time he also revealed that his infant son had been diagnosed with a rare form of kidney cancer, and that after battling testicular cancer himself the year before - and while the notion of a relapse with he or his son is pure speculation, it can not be dismissed, though we hope it's simply injury related.

Whatever the case, with Solder, Tony Garcia and LaAdrian Waddle shelved with injury, the job of Brady's blindside protector falls to Cameron Fleming.  As many already know, Fleming has played the role of the "Dime" or "Gigantor" tackle, which means that he is the sixth offensive lineman, offsetting the tight end by lining up on the weak side on the outside shoulder of the left tackle...

...and usually on running plays where teams would normally be in their "Jumbo", two or three tight end package or in the four minute offense when the team is trying to run the clock.  Infrequently, Fleming will come in on passing downs if the opposing defense is showing the propensity for loading up the blind side to come after the quarterback, and he's seen limited success in that role.

The problem is, however, that Fleming is a natural right tackle, a powerful run blocker who wins in pass protection with a vicious initial punch to push the strong side rusher wide of the pocket - it's a different dynamic from playing on the blindside, and although he registered some wins over Texans' beastly rush end Jadeveon Clowney in joint practices, it will be interesting to see how he does in a real game circumstance.

We should also see rookie sixth-round pick Conor McDermott, who manned the blindside at UCLA for the past three seasons, and who was competent against average competition, but was truly dominated against the likes of Texas A&M's Myles Garrett - and while that is not uncommon (Garrett was the first pick in the NFL Draft for a reason), the way he dominated McDermott was the cause for concern.

Garrett initially put him on skates with his bull rush, pushing him right back into the pocket and moving the quarterback off his mark consistently, then after he had sapped McDermott's energy and will, Garrett put on a clinic for winning with speed - which was a little surprising since McDermott's calling card in pass protection is his agility in the his slide-step.

Clowney presents a similar skill set to that of Garrett, so if neither Fleming nor McDermott can keep Clowny off of Brady, not only will we see Garoppolo sooner than expected, but we may see a free agent tackle or two in camp next week to add other options.

On the opposite side, right tackle Marcus Cannon seems to have picked up where his 2016 All Pro season left off, stoning a fresh JJ Watt in practice several times and seems prepared to build upon his breakout season, while the interior of the Patriots' line appears to be taking the same course.

All of that said, Belichick and offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia couldn't ask for a better test for their offensive line, and we should see the entire starting unit in the game until at least halftime to take advantage of the opportunity to line up against the best in the business.

On defense, the fan base has been saturated by news of defensive end/outside linebacker hybrid Derek Rivers tearing his ACL and being lost for the season - and while no injury is good, we should collectively pump the brakes on the doom and gloom being forecast for the Patriots' defensive line for 2017...

...at least until we see how that remaining players on the depth chart perform this evening against the Texans.

But the ruckus caused in the media by Rivers' injury is somewhat overblown, considering that the Patriots' third-round draft pick hasn't played an NFL regular season down, and is considered more of an off-the-line entity along the lines of what former Patriots' strong side linebacker Jamie Collins brought to the field.

Rivers is a hybrid - too small to be an effective every down defensive end in the NFL, but a perfect candidate to pose a threat as a situational pass rusher, playing in a rotation that takes advantage of certain skill sets in certain circumstances.  It's a familiar tactic deployed by Belichick to keep his players fresh for the fourth quarter and to keep the opposing offense guessing  as to who is supposed to be doing what to protect their own quarterback.

So, as much as we all would have enjoyed seeing what Rivers brings to the defense this season, and with all due respect to his skill set, it's not as if the Patriots lost a tenured veteran that was an integral and irreplaceable cog in the New England football machine.

In fact, with the manner in which Belichick builds his defense, there are few integral and irreplaceable cogs in the Patriots' front seven, with the possible exception of linebacker Dont'a Hightower. because the focus is always on the team, as a collective, and the players are part of the roster because they can be counted on to do a specific job upwards of simple fundamentals.

That said, how do the Patriots compensate not only for Rivers' injury, but for lack of pure defensive ends on the depth chart?

They simply do what they have done since the dawn of the Belichick era, which is to morph into whatever it is they need to be - which in this case, we should see the front seven flip-flop between a 4-3 and 3-4, or perhaps the 3-3-5 Big Nickle, if Duron Harmon is suiting up for the game.

Of course, Belichick will want to limit what he is showing the rest of the world by casting a vanilla flavor over his game plan, but it will be interesting to see how all of his five-technique defensive ends - Lawrence Guy and Adam Butler in particular with Kony Ealy involved as well - function together on a three man line.

In a four man line, those five-techs would be three-tech tackles, but with Ealy, Geneo Grissom and Trey Flowers being the only 4-3 defensive ends on the team with Deatrich Wise being injured as well, we should see the linebackers with a more prominent role on the pass rush...

...which is where undrafted rookie Harvey Langi comes into play, as he is also a true Hybrid in the Collins/Rivers mode, and perhaps even more of a dynamic entity than Rivers, given that he played both linebacker and defensive end at a high level in a major college program, and could be everything we were hoping Rivers could be.

Analysis: Patriots' Schedule A Matter Of Perspective

It's good to be the king...

The National Football League released the 2017 schedule on Thursday evening, and while the fans of the New England Patriots have known for weeks who their opponents were going to be, the schedule revealed the details - and the schedule makers couldn't have been any kinder to the defending champions.

But many are viewing the Patriots' overall schedule with gritted teeth - and that because of playing five of eight after the bye on the road, including three in a row in early December and two in a row in altitude in November - and those games will be challenging for sure, but things do tend to balance out.

How? Well first of all, the two games in altitude come at a fortuitous time, coming off of the midseason bye.

After playing two consecutive home games to close out the first half of the season, the Patriots take their bye in week 9, the effective two week break giving them many options to prepare for games at Denver and at Mexico City to play the Raiders - perhaps taking off for Denver on Tuesday or Wednesday to acclimate to the thinner air in the Rockies...

...then after playing the Broncos on that Sunday night, they will have the option to either stay in Denver or head straight for Mexico City, depending on the availability of venues in which to prepare for the Raiders.

After that two week stretch, the Patriots return home for the Dolphins, the go for three straight at Buffalo, Miami and Pittsburgh - but then end the regular season with two straight at home against the Bills and Jets.

According to my math, those circumstances neutralize both the disadvantage of playing two straight games in high altitude by giving the Patriots two weeks to prepare, physiologically, for the thin air of Denver and Mexico City, gives them two of their three game roadie against divisional opponents, then see them closing with two straight at home against divisional opponents.

The latter means that if the Patriots take care of their business down thew stretch and secure a first round bye after playing the Steelers in Pittsburgh on December 17th, they may not have to leave Foxborough for the following seven weeks until having to travel to Minneapolis to participate in Super Bowl LII.

So stress out all you want about the schedule, but the glass-half-full perspective shows that there is nothing goofy about the schedule-making - no conspiracies, no hanky-panky.  And the fact that they play five prime time contests and also play in two late-afternoon games scheduled for National Broadcasts means that Patriots' fans around the globe will be sure to catch nearly half of their schedule by doing nothing more than picking up their remote and clicking a couple of buttons.

Thursday, September 7 (8:30pm)
Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

Raising the banner is always a special occasion, but the Patriots need to figure out where to put the sucker, as they have run out of room adjacent to the scoreboard.  But, alas, they will figure it out - and also get the opportunity to face a dangerous Chiefs' squad that won the tough AFC West last season before being scalped by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Divisional round of the playoffs.

On the surface, the Chiefs did very little to improve upon last season, re-signing a couple of core players and signing TE Gavin Escobar while giving the ax to RB Jamal Charles - so don't look for them to improve much over their 20th ranked offense and 24th ranked defense.

Sunday, September 17 (1:00pm)
New England Patriots at New Orleans Saints
The Superdome, New Orleans. Louisiana

An early test for the Patriots' defense, as the Saints finished first in total offense in 2016 - but lost a playmaker when they traded WR Brandin Cooks to New England.  The Saints still have Drew Brees chucking the ball about and they signed former Panther Ted Ginn to try and replace Cooks' speed on the outside.

They still sport a terrible defense (27th overall, 31st in scoring defense), so the first round pick they got from New England in the Cooks trade will probably go toward shoring up their secondary, which ranked dead last in the NFL.

Sunday, September 24 (1:00pm)
Houston Texans at New England Patriots
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

The Texans have a great defense - tops in the NFL last season - and they have plenty of receiving weapons on offense, but no one to get the ball to them.  Unless Houston takes a quarterback in the draft, it will be third-year man Tom Savage pulling the trigger in the passing game.  Savage will have a top ten running game to keep the heat down to a minimum, but that might not be enough for them to repeat as the "Default" champions of a horrible AFC South...but then again, the division is so bad, it just might.

Sunday, October 1 (1:00pm)
Carolina Panthers at New England Patriots
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

The Super Bowl that should have been in 2015, but the Panthers were a just a shadow of themselves in 2016 - but a play here or a play there and a little luck, and it would have been them winning the NFC South instead of the Atlanta Falcons.

The Panthers lost seven games by less than three points, and still finished with six wins.  Fighting through injuries, they were able to hold things together, and now they have almost all of their weapons returning healthy.  Don't let the Panthers' record fool you, they were nowhere near as bad as their record indicated.

Thursday, October 5 (8:25pm)
New England Patriots at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

Scary team on the rise.  The Bucs tripped over themselves coming out of the gate in 2016, losing five of their first eight, four of those losses dropping close decisions to eventual playoff teams, then went 6-2 down the stretch to make a valiant run at the post-season, but coming up just short, beating the likes of Kansas City, Seattle and Atlanta in the process.

Sunday, October 15 (1:00pm)
New England Patriots at New York Jets
MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Sunday, December 31 (1:00pm)
New York Jets at New England Patriots
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

The Jets come into this season is full rebuilding mode, and with a coach who is squarely on the hot seat.  A team with nothing to lose - especially a hated division rival - is a very dangerous team.  Unfortunately for the Jets, they come into the season without a quarterback of any note, offensive and defensive lines in disarray and zero weapons.  Tough go for the Jets.

Sunday, October 22 (8:30pm)
Atlanta Falcons at New England Patriots
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

How motivated are the Falcons going to be to cone into Foxborough and give the Patriots a taste of the whip?  This game is the crown jewel of the NFL's first half and a chance for the Falcons to gain some measure of respect after having their hearts ripped out of their chests in the Super Bowl.

Problem is, Atlanta will be fielding a team that is essentially the same as it was in February, a team that gave New England all they could handle and then some, but eventually wore down and blew a 25 point lead.  We all know the story, now the Falcons want some payback.

Sunday, October 29 (1:00pm)
Los Angeles Chargers at New England Patriots
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

The second of tow consecutive home games to finish up the first half of the season heading into their bye, the Patriots should have a decided advantage over the helter-skelter Chargers - but this team should not be taken lightly.

Playing in the toughest division in all of football, the Chargers went 1-5 in the division, but taking the Chiefs into overtime and playing the Raiders tough before dropping heartbreakers, and splitting their series with the Denver Broncos - in between beating good teams from Atlanta, Tennessee and Houston.  The Chargers have inherent talent, but not the the intestinal fortitude to finish off an opponent.  We'll see if that improves with a new coaching staff.

Sunday, November 12 (8:30pm)
New England Patriots at Denver Broncos
Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado

The Broncos may all well be the Patriots' division rivals, having played each other at least once a year since the 2011 season, New England going 6-3 against the Broncos in nine tries in that time span - with two of their losses coming in conference championship games played at Denver.

So no one has to remind Patriots' fans of the consequence of playing the Broncos.  They have a great defense and plenty of weapons on offense, but their quarterback situation took a step back last season after they let Brock Osweiller leave in free agency, as he had already proven that his skill set was a good match for what Denver liked to do with the football.  But altitude aside, the Broncos are always a tough matchup.

Sunday, November 19 (4:25pm)
New England Patriots vs. Oakland Raiders
Azteca Stadium, Mexico City, Mexico

Denver may be known as the Mile High City, but Mexico City has them beat by a full third of a mile. Playing the Broncos in Denver the previous week will act as an impromptu hyperbaric chamber for the Patriots, allowing them to acclimate to being a mile above sea level in advance of traveling to Mexico City, which one can reasonably expect to happen immediately after their Sunday night gig in Denver.

The Raiders are as high-powered on offense as any team the Patriots will play all season, though their defense leaves them scratching and clawing to score enough points to win.  The Raiders bitch-kitty is their run defense, and the Patriots have four excellent running backs to rotate in and out to keep their running game fresh...

Sunday, November 26 (1:00pm)
Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

Monday, December 11 (8:30pm)
New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

The Dolphins are always a tough draw, and the fact that they play each other twice in a span of three weeks doesn't make that any easier for either team.  Miami may have made the playoffs last year, but did so ranked in the bottom third of the NFL on both sides of the ball.  The difference between the Dolphins and most other teams on the Patriots' schedule, however, is that they have the stones to finish tight games.

Many will remember their comeback and near upset of New England in Foxborough early last season when the Dolphins scored 21 unanswered points to close within a touchdown of the Patriots, and were threatening to tie the game up with seconds to play until safety Duron Harmon picked off quarterback Ryan Tannehill in the end zone to salvage the win.

One can expect the same effort from Miami this time around as well, as the current staff seems to have the team headed in the right direction.

Sunday, December 3 (1:00pm)
New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills
Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

Sunday, December 24 (1:00pm)
Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

This is another instance when the Patriots have to play a division rival twice in a short period of time.  The first was when the Patriots and Dolphins combined to make a Buffalo sandwich in between their contests, and now the Patriots have to play the Bills twice in four weeks, with the Dolphins and Steelers on the docket in between.

The Bills have plenty of talent on offense and play an explosive brand of football, though most of the explosion comes from their dynamic running game, but in contrast, the Bills defense can't stop the opposition's running game to save their lives.  Their saving grace had been their secondary, that is until New England lured cornerback Stephon Gilmore away.

With all of the speed Buffalo has in their receiving corps, they just don't make enough plays in the passing game to keep opposing defenses honest, averaging a mere 190 passing yards per game in 2016.  But a new regime is taking over in Buffalo and, of course, when it comes to playing the champs, every team has a little more motivation.

Balance Gives Brissett, Patriots' Offense Reason For Optimism

The New England Patriots have many things going against them as they prepare to entertain the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium on Thursday evening.

After all, they are dealing with injuries to many key contributors, including All-World tight end Rob Gronkowski, scat back Dion Lewis, right tackle Sebastian Vollmer, linebacker Dont'a Hightower and defensive end Rob Ninkovich, causing them to go into games already on the second tier of depth along the offensive line, at middle linebacker and at passing back.

Brissett, McDaniels and Belichick should be able to game plan effecitively

But the major point of concern is at the most important position on offense, where the team is now working on their third layer at quarterback, preparing to start a rookie at the position for the first time since Drew Bledsoe arrived on the scene 23 years ago, against a Texans' defense that hasn't allowed a touchdown in six consecutive quarters and have sacked opposing quarterbacks nine times in two games...

 ...ranked third in the NFL against the pass and third overall in total defense, limiting opposing offenses to an average drive time of less than two minutes.

That is stout in every sense of the word, but the one way to negate that pass rushing advantage for the Texans, and also to give rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett time to find his multitude of pass catching options in the pattern is to achieve balance on offense - which thus far has been just as easily done as said in the first two weeks of the NFL Season.

Unfortunately for the Chicago Bears and the Kansas City Chiefs, they didn't stick with their running games against Houston enough to create that balance and both ended up losing close games despite overwhelming success against the Texans' run defense.

By contrast, the Patriots have the seventh-best rushing game in the league, averaging 134 yards per game and have the fourth-ranked rusher in the league in LeGarrette Blount.  Some will argue that New England and Blount achieved those rankings by running the ball more than most other teams - they are tops in the league with 69 running plays - but when compared to having 69 passing attempts, it is safe to say that New England's offense has been successful because it has achieved balance.

That's right, that seven letter word that was barely mentioned in and around Foxborough last season is front and center this year, pretty much by default as the Patriots' coaching staff seeks to put temporary starting quarterbacks in the best position to succeed - surrounding them with a Murderer's Row of skill position players...

...but the players that benefit most from the balance between the running and passing games are the offensive linemen, who performed so well in the season opener at Arizona and then again last Sunday against the Dolphins that they have been the unsung heroes of the first two weeks of the season.

That would have been hard to imagine given the fact that center David Andrews was the only true regimented starter from last season who suited up for New England in their opener, keeping then-starter Jimmy Garoppolo upright for the most part and giving the running game a fighting chance, especially on the edges where they should look again on Thursday night.

Against the Cardinals top five ranked run defense, the Patriots ran predominantly right behind tight end Martellus Bennett and right tackle Marcus Cannon and averaging four yards per carry, and also took their chances going left for five yards per carry, while the tag team of Calais Campbell, Josh Mauro and Frostee Rucker clogged the middle against Patriots' rookie guards Joe Thuney and Ted Karras...

...the former being replaced by the injured Shaq Mason at right guard when Karras struggled to anchor against Campbell. Mason, broken hand and all, and Karras rotated in and out against the Dolphins - but just as against the Cardinals, the interior linemen could not generate much push in the running game up the gut.

That shouldn't be an issue against Houston, as their Achilles heel is their run defense, which has allowed five yards per carry - third-worst in the league - and when running up the middle and around left end, the numbers are far more dismal for the Texans, as they have given up a whopping eight yards per carry up the gut, by far the worst number in the NFL.

Where the Patriots don't want to run is to the strong side, where the beastly J.J. Watt has his hand in the dirt and pocket-wrecker Whitney Mercilus lined up behind him, both stout against the run and absolutely murder on offensive linemen when rushing the passer - rather, the Patriots should test former teammate Vince Wilfork over center and on the weak side where defensive end Jadeveon Clowney and Will-linebacker John Simon are superior pass rushers, but have difficulty setting the edge.

On the interior of the second level where one would normally find middle linebacker Brian Cushing is depth reserve Max Bullough, who at 6' 3" and 245 pounds is light for the position, meaning that he can't take on the guard or center on the second level to free up second-year Joker Benardrick McKinney to stuff the run, nor can the two switch positions because McKinney isn't nearly the athlete that Cushing or Bullough are, and the results would be pretty much the same as they are now, maybe even worse...

...because the Patriots have the ability to drive linebackers out of the running lanes with pulling tackles and tight ends hitting the gaps before the linebackers have the time to react. For the Patriots to accomplish this they will have to run out of 22 or 12 personnel packages with Martellus Bennett and/or Rob Gronkowski pulling to the weak side to free up left tackle Cam Fleming to go after Bullough.

But what is going to help Brissett and the Patriots' offense the most is the aforementioned balance.

Brissett has become a three-step drop, rythym thrower, whose reliance on the short passing game could prove to be a fatal flaw in the offensive philosophy, as the short game allows the safeties to cheat towards the line of scrimmage, stepping into the passing lanes or plugging the running gaps that Bullough and McKinney can't get to.

To combat this, the balance achieved allows for the play action that will freeze linebackers and safeties alike, and will aid the offensive linemen in setting their anchor in pass protection - but it will also take Gronkowski or Bennett up the seam to eliminate the safety and some intermediate routes on the part of Malcolm Mitchell and Chris Hogan, requiring Brissett to change up on his dropbacks and, hopefully, getting the pass rushers to commit to poor angles.

The one thing that the Patriots don't want to do is to get Brissett in a roving pocket on the boot action, particularly to the right where both Watt and Mercilus are capable of disrupting the moving pocket, and which closes off half of the field, making coverages easier for the Texans' secondary.  The only thing that should be going outside the pocket is the pitch play to Blount.

Against the Dolphins, Blount took pitches from the quarterbacks while left tackle Nate Solder pulls to the outside to lead interference, allowing Blount to get up to full speed before hitting the line of scrimmage, the result being a lot of extra yardage and many frightened defensive backs who are rightfully wary of taking on a 250 pound running back at full speed.

Along those same lines, don't be surprised to see Brissett in the shotgun with either Blount, James White or D.J. Foster flanking him, and from where Brissett can either hand the ball off on a delayed draw, swing the ball out to one of them on the wheel route or in the flat on the jailbreak screen, or just keep them in to pick up the inevitable blitz coming from the second level.

In that formation, it gives Blount seven yards to get up to speed to hit the hole with force, and allows the vision and elusiveness of White and Foster to manifest, and even gives Brissett an opportunity to change the play out of a safe, limited set of options.

Because balance is everything.  Balance makes the defense have to defend the entire field.  Balance causes hesitation in the pass rush.  Balance opens up space at the top of routes for receivers to gain separation and balance helps the offense dictate to the defense rather than just having to take what the defense gives them.

There is enough weapons and plenty enough skill along an improving offensive line for head ball coach Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to devise a game plan to put Brissett in a position to succeed - but after that, it's all up to Brissett to make the most out of his opportunity.

The Loyalists - Mike & Jake Talking Texans, Gronkowski And The Need To Run The Ball

Every week, two of our bloggers pick each others brains like a couple of zombie baboons - today it's Jacob Bertram from Gamegents.com and Michael Hamm from Foxborough Free Press serving up questions for each other in advance of the New England Patriots' Sunday night's flexed showdown with the Houston Texans...

When the Houston Texans got blown out of Miami by the Dolphins back in late October, they stood at 2-5 and were essentially a laughing stock. To that point, they had surrendered 28 points per game while scoring just over twenty per contest themselves. As it turns out, that's not going to win many games.

But since giving up 44 points to Miami, they have given up just 13 per game, including just six points a piece to Tennessee, Cincinnati and New Orleans before laying an enormous 30-point egg to Buffalo last week.

The connection? The running game.

The pressure is on James White and the Patriots running game on Sunday

The Texans are 6-6 and tied with the Indianapolis Colts for the lead in the AFC South and have more than a decent chance of running the table down the stretch if they can just keep the opposition's running game in check. The numbers don't lie: In their six losses, Houston has been gouged for 158 yards per game, but in their six wins, just 70 yards per game.

So it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what it takes to beat the Texans: Run the ball and let their offense beat themselves.

As one might expect, the Bills, Jets, Panthers and Falcons had a ton of success running AWAY from JJ Watt, which usually means running to the offensive left - or weak side, as it were - and with a premium on executing the play action in the passing game, because the Texans are incredibly stingy with giving up yardage through the air, as evidence by the fact that they have allowed just one quarterback to top the 300 yard plateau against them...

...their last five opponents averaging a microscopic 185 passing yards a game, tops in the NFL during that period by a wide margin.

In contrast, the Patriots lead the league in passing and are third in total offense, all while being an abysmal 28th in rushing in amassing their lowest percentage of running plays versus passing plays in 13 years.

Against the Texans, that is going to have to change.

This weeks questions:

James White's had a break out performance against the Eagles with 10 catches for 115 yards and a touchdown. Did this performance finally earn him some consistent snaps going forward and not just when we are down in a game?

Mike: I think what we saw out of White last Sunday is just the tip of the iceberg.

To anyone who follows my blog, it’s of no surprise to them that I am a big fan of James White, so I feel that this breakout game was long overdue – and it really doesn’t matter that it came out of desperation for a team missing three top targets – in fact, it should mean MORE to the team that he was able to step it up with no Edelman or Gronkowski present to set the table.

When Brady pointed at him in the Pattern during the comeback in the Eagles’ game, motioning him into an empty spot in the Philadelphia zone, that showed me that Brady knew he could count on White to get there and to make the catch. White is a solid player and he should be the number one option as a passing back on the team.

The Houston Texans’ defense has allowed one – ONE – 300 yard passer all season long, which was Jacksonville’s Blake Bortles way back in mid-October. Since then, the Texans are giving up a miserly 236 passing yards per game. The thing is, there is no one player besides Watt that really stands head-and-shoulders above the rest, indicating that on this defense, each level works in tandem and feed off of the others – a true team concept. How does the Patriots’ offense attack the most balanced defense in the league?

Jake: The Patriots received great news Friday when it was announced that Julian Edelman has returned to practice. Unfortunately he has already been ruled out for Sunday’s matchup with Houston. With Gronk questionable that leaves us with the possibility that other than Danny Amendola we will be trotting out the Martin and Chandler combo again, along with recently struggling Brandon Lafell. Going against a pass defense as you described, this would seem to leave the Patriots at a disadvantage.

What needs to happen for success on Sunday is the Patriots and Legarrette Blount need to be successful on first and second down runs. They were in the first half against the Eagles, and abandoned it for some reason early in the third quarter. Give Brady some third and shorts and the ability to use play action, and he will have more than 236 yards passing. I guarantee it.

JJ Watt broke his hand in practice this week but reportedly is still going to play. Rob Gronkowski has started practicing this week as well, if both play which injured player will have more of an impact on the game?

Mike: This is kind of like the MVP question, where the criteria is solely a question of which player is most valuable to his team.

Watt is perhaps the most disruptive force in the game today, while Gronkowski is the preeminent tight end. This comes down to which team is more in need of the spark that each player provides. On one had you have Watt, who is indisputably the best all around defensive player in the league and is annually a legitimate candidate for the MVP award. The most daunting number as it pertains to Watt is that he leads the team with 13.5 sacks, while his teammates have accounted for just 16.5.

In other words, without Watt, their pass rush essentially drops to bottom of the league numbers. On the other hand, Gronkowski, despite missing two games, leads the team in pass targets, yardage from scrimmage, touchdowns and yards after the catch – but besides all of that, New England has still put up 28 points on Philadelphia, which would have been a lot more without Brady’s two red zone interceptions.

Bottom Line: The Patriots can still score without Gronkowski, though it would be infinitely easier with him dictating double teams, while the Texans are toast without Watt bringing strong side pressure. Watt will have more of an impact.

The Texans under Bill O’Brien are winless when their opposition scores 21 points or more, which suggests that their offensive output is hardly prolific. What should be their game plan on offense to ensure they can score more than 21 points?

Jake: To be successful on offense Sunday it comes down to a few things for the Houston Texans. 

I'm sure Billy O is aware that Bill Belichick will attempt to take DeAndre Hopkins out of the game. So, repeatedly looking in his direction Sunday might not be to beneficial. Brian Hoyer needs to find the matchups that don't include Malcolm Butler, Logan Ryan and Devin McCourty regularly to have success. 

Hoyer should look to the Patriots third corner often played by a safety, or to linebackers matched up with receivers or tight ends. If Hightower plays along with Collins the Texans will struggle to run, putting more of the load on the arm of Hoyer. Houston need success early on the ground, they also need Brian Hoyer to make good decisions if they want to score in the upper 20's Sunday night. Of course the Patriots need not help them by making mistakes similar to the ones in the Eagles game.

Do you think Billy O's knowledge of our offense system along with Romeo Crennel and Mike Vrabel combined defensive knowledge gives the Texans any kind of an advantage or is that all hocus pocus?

Mike: Four years removed from prowling the Patriots’ sideline, enough time has passed where O’Brien probably doesn’t have intimate knowledge of the Patriots’ offense as it stands now, simply due to personnel changes and the fact that Belichick’s offense evolve to take advantage of mismatches, usually on a game-to-game basis.

Crennel and Vrabel have been gone for centuries, but both learned under the Dark Master.  What they should have also learned is that you don’t get to be the best in the biz like Belichick if you don’t understand how to compensate and to attack the oppositions weaknesses. The issue for Belichick is that the Texans are a top three defense against everyone, not just New England.

Familiarity in this respect doesn’t really count, given that the Texans coaching staff are years removed from Belichick’s round table.

The Patriots’ running game has come under scrutiny in the past few weeks for not being all that the fans think it should be. Most are blaming running back LeGarrette Blount for not being the hammer through the middle of the line that he has been in the past, while still other blame the play calling of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who has the offense on pace to have the lowest number of running plays in a season since the 2002 season. In reality, is there even an issue with either of these guys, or have injuries along the line and at receivers negatively impacted the running game?

Jake: I think when it comes to the Patriots running game, it all comes down to situations. There is something to be said about Blount's dancing behind the line, and the offensive line being staffed with rookies at guard. However, I think the biggest problem is when they choose to run and when they choose not to. The last couple weeks have seen the Patriots run at times when aggression was needed and then throw when a more conservative approach would have made sense. 

I am all for letting Brady air it out because most of the time that is the right decision. Yet with how our offense currently stands with his most prolific weapons on the sideline, a more dedicated approach to running might be in order. I've been saying all week I don't want to run in an attempt to gain massive yardage, I just want to run so Brady isn't forced with 3rd and longs repeatedly. Let Brady throw, but put him in the best position to do so with an effective run game

To read all about the Patriots from an old-school twist, be sure to follow us on Foxborough Free Press and on twitter at @ffpblogger, and for a fresh, modern view of the team go to Gamegents.com and follow Jacob on twitter as well at @gamegentsdotcom !

Patriots deal Mallett to Texans, claim DT Quarles amid roster shuffling

New England Patriots' quarterback Ryan Mallett is now ex-Patriots' quarterback Ryan Mallett, as the fourth year signal caller has been dealt to the Houston Texans for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

According to numerous sources, the Patriots' worked right up until the 4:00pm cutdown deadline on Saturday in trying to work a deal with one of three teams - reportedly between the Texans, Cowboys and Bills - and when the proper compensation package failed to materialize, coach Bill Belichick stashed the Texas native on his active roster, forcing him to cut long snapper Danny Aiken to make room...

...the reason being that Belichick didn't want to just waive Mallett and receive nothing in return, especially with three teams bidding on him, though he ended up with next to nothing in the long run.

In a corresponding move, the Texans waived quarterback Case Keenum, leaving their depth chart with Ryan Fitzpatrick, Mallett and rookie Tom Savage.

As the news broke, many were expecting that the Patriots would re-sign Aiken, whose cut left the team with just hybrid defensive end / outside linebacker Rob Ninkovich as their long snapper, but instead New England claimed rookie three-tech defensive end Kelsy Quarles off waivers from the New York Giants.

So in the spirit of killing two birds with one stone, the Patriots relieve themselves of the Mallett albatross while picking up much needed depth on the defensive line behind rookie Dominique Easley, Joe Vellano and Chris Jones - the undrafted Quarles losing out in a numbers game on the Giants' line after outperforming two recent high-round picks, the Giants probably hoping to stash him on their practice squad.

Quarles, a 6' 4", 295 pound South Carolina product, owed some of his sack production last season - nine-and-a-half sacks to rank second among defensive tackles in the NCAA - to the presence of the Texans' first round pick Jadeveon Clowney rushing from the outside. and may benefit from the excellence of Chandler Jones rushing from his outside linebacker position.

New England also signed two of their final cuts to the practice squad on Sunday, inking linebacker Ja'Gerad Davis and running back Jonas Gray.

Much more forthcoming on all of these transactions...