Patriots Balanced On Offense In Two Preseason Wins; Trending For Regular Season?

"There is so much talent at the tight end position and so much depth and skill at the passing back position, that Belichick could play an entire game using nothing but a short-yardage, Jumbo package - a 23 Personnel, if you will, meaning two running backs and three tight ends.  Nothing really weird about it and a pretty easy offensive package for a defense to match up with...

...until you remember that you are playing the Patriots, who have brought out Dion Lewis and James White as their running backs and have tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Bennett split wide outside the numbers with H-back Harbor in the slot.  No wide receivers on the field, yet your secondary is doomed.  This is what happens when you mess with Bill Belichick." - Foxborough Free Press, May 30, 2016

Back in May when I was giddy with excitement over the prospects of Patriots' head ball coach Bill Belichick being able to line up three skilled tight ends in his concept-based offensive scheme, I kinda-sorta jokingly introduced a wild thought that New England could line up in a 23 personnel "Jumbo" package and steamroll opposing defenses.

That was before redshirt sophomore A.J.Derby exploded onto the scene, literally from nowhere to shove free agent pick up Clay Harbor halfway out the doors at Patriots' Place, and if Derby has another outing this coming Friday in Carolina like has had in the first two preseason games, Harbor will most likely be looking for work come cutdown day.

That was also before Tyler Gaffney, himself a redshirt, also arrived with a thump - taking turns with a rejuvenated looking LeGarrette Blount trucking folks on the second level to form a lethal "next shoe", power running tandem - which is an awesome thing in and of itself, but even more so now that it appears that passing pack Dion Lewis will continue to rehab his bum knee on the PUP list to start the season...

...leaving James White as the only true passing back in the offense, which, as we've seen the second half of last season and all through preseason, isn't a handicap on the offense at all because if we didn't have Lewis to marvel at, we'd be doing the same thing with White.

For certain, the entire Patriots' offense has a different look and feel to it this season, and is steaming towards a huge departure from the finesse, take-what-the-defense-gives-you routine that has gotten them to five consecutive AFC Title games and won them one Super Bowl to what appears to be a return to the physicality of the millennial teams that won by punching folks in the mouth and not worrying too much about repercussions.

And that's what football is about, after all, right?  That's why these guys are decked out in all kinds of padding, helmets, cups, etc., because football is a physical sport - three yards and a cloud of dust. Despite some "innovators" trying to make it about over the top speed, it still comes down to being able to take what you want, a violent game of ground acquisition in which to be successful, an offense must be balanced in their attack.

Thus far in the preseason, the Patriots have thrown the ball 53 times, completing 43 passes for an even 500 yards and a touchdown, while running the ball 56 times for 265 yards and three scores.  If that's not balance, I don't know what is.

But, as always, simple stats can be deceiving - as they are in this case.

Of those 56 pass attempts, 37 have gone to tight ends or backs - a full two-thirds of the attempts, and when combined with the touches on the ground, the most physical of the Patriots' skill position players have handled the ball an astounding 85% of the time.

Sure, the Patriots' top receivers in Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola haven't seen the field in preseason, which should account for some of that disparity, but the fact that top tight end Rob Gronkowski hasn't played at all and free agent pickup Martellus Bennett has played very sparingly, cancels that out - so with the numbers being as they are, can we expect a similar shift in philosophy during the regular season?

Of course, no one but Bill Belichick and his hair dresser knows for sure, but the odds of them running with a 22 personnel alignment - and even a 23 personnel "Jumbo" package are pretty good, given the immense amount of talent among the backs and tight ends, even now that Lewis has to undergo a second surgery on his knee and will probably not be ready until midseason.

Even so, there has been an increased emphasis on getting the ball in the hands of the running backs, with White and power back Tyler Gaffney seeing the majority of the targets, and the emergence of Derby, who is really more like a gigantic possession receiver than a traditional tight end, has opened the door for the ability to run a Jumbo package as a matter of course, rather than just as a short yardage formation.

It is not beyond the spectrum of possibility that we could see Gronkowski, Bennett and Derby lined up as receivers with any number of combinations at running back, such as White teamed with Blount or Gaffney - which opens up the entire playbook for the offense, and causes a lot of pre-snap confusion for the defense.

Will they actually do something like that?  It's a good bet that you will see it more than most people think, but just like with Gronk and Marty, it doesn't make much sense to keep Edelman on the sidelines, nor Hogan for that matter, so the predominant alignment will probably be the one back-two tight end 12 personnel...

...and even then, the Patriots will have some of the top talent in the league on the field at the same time, and isn't that what Belichick is striving for?

Initial Patriots' Roster Projection Reveals Juggernaut In The Making

Juggernaut (n); any large, destructive, overpowering force or object, such as war, a giant battleship or a powerful football team. - Dictionary.com

New England Patriots' head ball coach Bill Belichick has slowly but surely shifted his philosophies on both sides of the ball. going from his standard 4-3 alignment on defense to a safety heavy 4-2-5 "Big Nickle" formation that features a fortress for a defensive line and perhaps the best trio of safeties in the NFL that support two athletic linebackers, allowing them to flow to the ball virtually unimpeded...

White is explosive and powerful in the short area spaces

...while on offense, he finally has the jumbo package that he's always wanted, featuring a set of dominating tight ends flanking a young but improving line, and a running game that can go anywhere from a Thunder and Lightening approach to a 22 or 23 personnel formation that relies on pure heft and violent intent to shove folks out of the way and take what they want by force.

It's a beautiful thing, but maybe not so much for Belichick at this moment in time, as he has so much of a good thing at virtually every position that he has some difficult decisions to make to get his team down to just 53 players less than two weeks from now.

Obviously, there are many young players that could revert to the practice squad, but Belichick's charges are so loaded with talent that many will find themselves scooped up by other teams if they hit the waiver wire at final cutdowns.

Needless to say, the Dark Master has his work cut out for him to juggle the roster, not just to keep the best 53 players, but also to keep talented youngsters to develop on his practice squad.

It's an awesome problem to have.

Offense (25)

Quarterbacks (2)

Jimmy Garoppolo
Jacoby Brissett
(Tom Brady - Suspension)

There is really no question regarding roster spots here, at least until Brady returns from his four-game suspension.  At that point, a couple of different variables come into play, such as a market developing before the trade deadline for Garoppolo and the readiness of Brissett.

Running Backs (5)

LeGarrette Blount
James White
Tyler Gaffney
Brandon Bolden
James Develin
(Dion Lewis - PUP)

It is quite possible that Lewis starts the season on the PUP.  Fortunately for New England, the passing back position is well cared for by White, who continues to impress with his short-area burst and subtle elusiveness.  Blount and Gaffney form a power back combination not seen in Foxborough for decades while Bolden is a core special teamer and a capable emergency fill in.

Tight Ends (3)

Rob Gronkowski
Martellus Bennett
A.J. Derby

The rise of Derby to grasp the third tight end spot makes this core group even more scary than they were before, which would have been hard to imagine a couple of weeks ago.  Derby is a fluid, big and fast pass catcher who will effectively free up one of the wide receiver spots once Brady or Lewis returns to the field.

Receivers (6)

Julian Edelman
Chris Hogan
Danny Amendola
Malcolm Mitchell
Keshawn Martin
Matt Slater

Amendola and Mitchell are nursing ailments, but are expected to be part of the rotation in a largely devalued area of the passing game - devalued because the focus of the offense appears to be the big and powerful tight ends and the emerging running game, which is poised to dominate the "skill position" spots, leaving a maximum of two spots in the lineup for wide outs - and many times just one.

Offensive Linemen (9)

Nate Solder
Joe Thuney
David Andrews
Shaq Mason
Sebastian Vollmer
Ted Karras
Josh Kline
LaAdrian Waddle
Cameron Fleming

It appears that the interior offensive line is in for an extreme makeover, as Thuney has excelled at the left guard spot, pushing Mason to right guard, for which he is better suited as a drive blocker.  Stork may have fought his way out of a roster spot while Cannon still has shown no inclination of being an answer at swing tackle.  Karras is in a fight with Josh Kline for an interior spot, while Waddle and Fleming have shown enough to edge out Cannon.

If Vollmer starts the season on the PUP, which is entirely possible, one could conceivably add Cannon back to the mix.  This is one scenario which begs for attention, and perhaps should be a focus next offseason in free agency or the draft.

Defense (25)

Defensive Linemen (10)

Rob Ninkovich
Jaball Sheard
Chris Long
Shea McClellen
Trey Flowers
Geneo Grissom
Malcom Brown
Terrance Knighton
Anthony Johnson
Vincent Valentine

All six defensive ends are adept at setting the edge, and there may not be a deeper overall group of edge players in the league.  Ninkovich and Sheard  are the projected starters, though there will be a healthy situational rotation in place to keep everyone fresh - which also goes for the interior of the line, which is massive.  Brown, Knighton and Valentine are space eaters with plus-athleticism while a trimmed-down Johnson has renewed his career as the team's lone three-tech.

Linebackers (4)

Dont'a Hightower
Jamie Collins
Elandon Roberts
Kamu Grugier-Hill

In the big nickle, which the Patriots are in frequently enough to call their "base", Hightower and Collins form the best one-two punch in the league.  Collins may be the best overall talent on the defense and frequently slices through gaps caused by the bigs up front to blow up plays in the opponent's backfield, while Hightower roams the second level like a man possessed.  Roberts could find himself on the practice squad instead of the active roster, but has performed admirably.  Hill is a special talent as a weakside tweener and should be developed on the roster.

Cornerbacks (5)

Malcolm Butler
Logan Ryan
Cyrus Jones
Darryl Roberts
Jonathan Jones

Belichick kept just four corners last season, but this year's crop of pass defenders combine to make perhaps the deepest, most talented camp unit in years.  Butler, Ryan and Jones are locks, while Roberts is flexing his muscles and has taken over the race for the dime back, though there are several young greyhounds on the camp roster who could leapfrog him.  Jonathan Jones is by no means a lock as, in truth, the last corner spot is deep with young talent and it could go to anyone.

Safeties (6)

Devin McCourty    
Patrick Chung        
Duron Harmon
Jordan Richards     
Nate Ebner             
Brandon King

Only four of the six safeties see the field as part of the alignment, as Ebner and King make their bones as core special teamers, but what an incredibly talented group of blue liners Belichick has built over the years.  McCourty is a former corner who helps out as such in the big nickle, while Chung reduces down into the box where he is a force against the run.  Harmon is the key as he is as capable a centerfielder as there is in the game, running a sub 4.4 and possessing ridiculous sideline to sideline range.

Specialists (3)

Stephen Gostkowski (K)
Ryan Allen (P)
Joe Cardona (LS)

Absolutely no drama here - as solid a group as there in in the NFL.

Patriots' Derby Tightens Grip On Roster Spot

If Patriots' fans didn't have A.J. Derby on their 53-man roster projections before the preseason schedule began, perhaps they should now.

Considered a typical "Redshirt Sophomore" by those who are familiar with the way Patriots' head ball coach Bill Belichick handles his personnel, Derby has exploded onto the scene in Foxborough with two impressive outings, totaling nine receptions in 11 targets in games against the New Orleans' Saints and Chicago Bears, for 118 yards and a highlight reel touchdown grab.

Not bad for a guy who has exactly nine college games at the position on his very limited resume.

Derby is, by trade, a quarterback.  He has been training his entire life to be a signal caller, but after spending a couple of years riding the pine at Iowa, then having been switched to linebacker, Derby left the alma mater of his descendants, attending Coffeyville Community College in Kansas in order to play quarterback at the college level...

...then accepting a scholarship to Arkansas in his senior year, but switching to tight end just to get on the playing field since the quarterback position was ably-manned, and ended up being a raw but talented tight end, who actually got to start one game at quarterback against Rutgers, going 19 for 36 against the Scarlet Knights, throwing for a score and a pick.

But his ticket to the NFL was punched as a tight end by Belichick, who knows a thing or two about elite tight ends, and saw enough in Derby to draft him in the sixth round last season, despite him missing the last two games of his college career with a knee injury that required surgery to repair.

How very convenient, as Belichick was able to expose the 6' 5", 265 pound Derby to waivers at the end of camp, then revert him to the team's IR, where the coaching staff worked with him on the playbook and his technique while the strength and conditioning coordinator helped him to both rehab his knee and to strengthen his lower body.

The result of his "redshirt" year has been on full display this preseason, and it makes Belichick look like a genius.  Again.

Though the size of a traditional in-line tight end, Derby is a hybrid pass catcher known in some circles as a "Joker" tight end, meaning that he is too fast for linebackers to cover and too big and strong for most defensive backs.

Sound familiar? It should to Patriots' fans as the team was already rich with them in the persons of All World tight end Rob Gronkowski and like-skilled newcomer Martellus Bennett, whom we have seen line up anywhere from off tackle to the slot to split wide, so it seems almost unfair that New England has introduced yet another of these rare beasts to their already loaded arsenal, but that's what the forward-thinking Belichick has done for years, at almost every position...

...to the point that his 2016 team is stacked at almost every position, making them the odds-on favorite to win their fifth Lombardi trophy.

If one were pressed to label Derby's position, it would have to be in the "move" tight end position, where you would find him more in the slot or split wide than on the end of the line, because his blocking technique needs refinement, but he has worked himself into the position for not just making the team as the third tight end, but also for significant playing time.

If Derby continues to grow as a pass catcher this preseason, it will obviously impact the roster, but more for the wide receiver corps than any other unit on the team - which is good, because besides the obvious roster locks - Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, Chris Hogan and Malcolm Mitchell - the other receivers vying for a spot on the fifty-three have done little, if anything, to distinguish themselves.

Though his separation and route running have been pristine, two plays from the Patriots' 23-22 win over the Chicago Bears stand out, demonstrating his skill set and toughness.

The first was his touchdown catch, lining up in-line and getting a clean release up the seam, Patriots' starter Jimmy Garoppolo hitting him in stride between two closing defenders, who sandwiched Derby after the catch, and the second, a hanging floater along the sideline from backup signal caller Jacoby Brissett that Derby had to climb a ladder to go get, coming down just in time to take the football equivalent of an uppercut...

...managing to stay inbounds, then bouncing to his feet and acknowledging his teammates accolades as they all went nuts in response to the play of the night.

Of course, Derby isn't going to unseat either Gronk or Bennett, but after the demonstration he's put on thus far in the preseason, there is little doubt that Belichick knew what he was doing when he selected Derby with a lowly sixth round pick in last year's draft.

Mail Call! Talking Economics, Flower Power In This Week's Q & A...

Flowers' game is power, as exhibited by this strip sack and run for touchdown against the Saints last week

How much does dead money hits figure into whether a player makes a team?  What about cap savings?

In answering this week's mailbag questions, I did a little research on those two variables and discovered that Patriots general manager Bill Belichick has pretty  much set his roster in stone for a couple of units simply by financial means.

For example, wide receivers Chris Hogan and Danny Amendola are virtual locks for the roster with dead money hits if cut or traded totaling $7.5 million and $4 million, respectively, in addition to piling millions on top of the salary cap to match guaranteed money owed both.  In fact that $11.5 million exceeds the sum of every other receiver on the Patriots' roster, combined.

The same goes for the offensive line, as Nate Solder carries a $14.3 million dead money hit if cut or traded, while Sebastian Volmer, Jonathan Cooper and Marcus Cannon carry $2 million, $2.3 million and $1.3 million dead money hits, respectively - and when you have that kind of money being shelled out for a player who doesn't even play for you any longer, that's problematic.

So when wondering why, when you see a Cannon or Cooper or Amendola on the roster, keep in mind that economics play at least a partial role in the selection process...

...now onto this week's questions:

IMO, Brissett looked pretty good and could give Jimmy a run for his money.  Do you see him starting any of the first four games? - Todd (Connecticut, via Pats Fans Pre-Belichick)

Brissett has a rocket launcher for an arm, but also seems to have a little Ryan Mallett in him. That is, potentially, a bad combination.

Mallett had two really bad habits: first, he trusted his velocity too much and was always trying to fit the ball into a window that was open just a crack - we saw that a couple of times on Thursday night with Brissett, and we also saw another of Mallett's habits of leading his receiver into trouble - but that was just Brissett's first preseason game ever.

Mallett never did correct his deficiencies, some say due to his lackadaisical work ethic, but that has never been an issue with Brissett.

Now, keep in mind that I said he had "a little" of Mallett to his game.  The things that I liked when I watched and re-watched the game was his pocket presence and the fact that he worked very well from under center, which I think Belichick would prefer his quarterbacks to do more this season, as it both promotes balance and is better for masking pre-snap intentions.

That said, Brissett will probably one day be a better option for the Patriots, but Belichick isn't going to blow his opportunity to showcase Garoppolo to other teams, as I truly believe he could be gone as early as this year's trading deadline.

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Do you think Gaffney could emerge as New England's top back this year? - Paul (Massachusetts via Pats Fans Pre-Belichick)

I'd like to see Gaffney play with the first team before answering this completely, but I will tell you that I've liked his game in college and I've been a proponent of his getting an opportunity to earn a roster spot - and Belichick has obviously kept him around for two seasons for a reason.

The one player that he has to perform better than is LeGarrette Blount, who had a miserable preseason opener, missing holes and averaging just 2.2 yards per carry .  Gaffney had that great touchdown run where he cut back against the grain and outran folks to the end zone, but gained only 20 yards in his other eight carries, a 2.5 yards per carry clip.

In all honesty, Brandon Bolden looked to be the best back on the field, followed closely by a confident looking James White.  The question may be, does Brandon Bolden get more work out of the backfield and less on special teams?  Would Belichick reverse his philosophies on special teams to accommodate more Bolden in the offense?

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Because Nate Washington can separate and get deep, do you think he will have a place on this team? - Daniel (Maryland via Foxborough Free Press)

At first, I thought he was going to go the route of Ochocinco, another in a long line of wideouts who couldn't connect with the playbook - but with the news that he's finally getting with the program, I think he has a shot...

...not a good shot, more like an I-need-an-injury-happen-to -a-guy-higher-on-the-depth-chart shot, but there is a chance.  There are two guys standing in his way: Aaron Dobson and Keshawn Martin, both of whom have good speed and can take the top off of a defense - he could beat out either or both, but he has another disadvantage, that being on the salary cap.

To cut Washington, the Patriots would absorb only a $60k dead money hit while cutting either Dobson or Martin would cost them $218k and $600k, respectively, while his cap savings would be equivalent to Dobson's but way less than Martin's.

Does any of that matter?  If it comes down to those numbers, it probably will - and a lot depends on how many receivers Belichick decides to keep.

Washington has been an iron man, playing every game for nine consecutive years with the Steelers and Titans before being deactivated for two games last season in Houston due to a hamstring issue, and then was clearly not himself in the post season due to a hip injury - so he has endurance and experience going for him, but being on the wrong side of 30, is his body breaking down from a long football career?

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How many receivers do you think we'll carry on the 53-man roster?  - Bobby (Massachusetts via Foxborough Free Press)

Five, maybe six.

The breakdown is pretty simple, as Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, Matt Slater and newcomers Chris Hogan and rookie Malcolm Mitchell are givens, so assuming that Belichick decides to keep six receivers, there will be a dogfight between six other players for one roster spot.

Of course, what dictates the actual number will be how many tight ends that Patriots keep, as it appears on first glance that there could be as many as four big fellas on the roster come final cuts, as Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett are obvious keepers, while Clay Harbor carries a $400k dead money hit if cut and sophomore A.J. Derby looks too good to expose to waivers.

On the other hand, the presence of Bennett actually gives Belichick some leverage in how many tackles he keeps on the offensive line, as the former Bear is better at run blocking than any of the swing tackle depth on the roster.

So, if keeping six receivers, the scenario in the question above suffices for who the last receiver on the roster will be.

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How important is it for New England to get Trey Flowers on the field more this season? - Daniel (Maryland via Foxborough Free Press)

As important as anything else they do on defense this season.

Flowers is a physical presence whose game has always been about power.  Forget about what is supposed to be prototypical for defensive ends in the NFL, and forget about the fact that Flowers is essentially the same size and body build as Dont'a Hightower - Flowers is a flip-flop defensive end, meaning that he possesses the skill set to play on either the strong or weak sides in a 4-2-5.

The reason being that he dominated the SEC while at Arkansas, possessing a bull rusher's frame and the lateral agility and strength to stack and shed blockers on the edge against the run.  In fact, Flowers was the top-ranked edge setting run defender in all of college football in his senior year.

We didn't see much of Flowers last season as he dealt with shoulder issues, but in one preseason game against the Saints, he reminded everyone of why Belichick was shocked when Flowers was still available in the fourth round of last year's draft, after analyst and former coach Jon Gruden called Flowers "The next Lamar Woodley".

It is essential to get Flowers on the field this season as he is the logical choice to rotate in with, and eventually replace, elder statesman Rob Ninkovich on the strong side.  As we saw on Thursday night and throughout his college career, Flowers' power is just too much for most tackles.

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What are the chances that Martellus Bennett has better numbers this year over Gronk? - Chris (Pennsylvania via The Belichickians)

That really all depends on how teams plan on attacking the two gargoyles.

Gronkowski does his best work up the seam and in the flat, while Bennett is more of an intermediate zone possession receiver, who just happens to be enormous.  They are both world class run blockers who take pride in their skill.

Both deserve double teams, but there isn't a team in the NFL that can afford to spend so much coverage on just two players, so more often that not, one of them is going to be single covered, and most likely with a linebacker - particularly if the Patriots can achieve some semblance of balance in the offense, bring play action into the equation, which freezes safeties just long enough for the big fellas to get a running start.

And with the multitude of weapons the Patriots have for the defenses to contend with, it may not make any difference what kind of game plan an opponent comes up with, because short of an offensive coordinator sending eight on a blitz on every down, there may be no stopping the Patriots' offense.

So to answer your question, it does depend on which gargoyle is targeted by defensive game planners, but I think you are going to see fairly even numbers between them, barring significant injury, of course.

Bennett Comes As Advertised, Brings Nastiness To The Edge

It appears that Martellus Bennett comes as advertised.

That is, if the first half of his very first preseason game of his New England Patriots' career is any indication, as the eighth year veteran was the best player on the field for Bill Belichick's offense on Thursday night against the New Orleans Saints.

He was the best pass catcher and the best route runner, which goes to figure as he was the only veteran of any consequence on the field for New England so far as pass catchers went, but what really set him apart is that he - along with guards Joe Thuney and Shaq Mason - was the best blocker the Patriots put out on the field as well.

Coming out of college at Texas A&M, Bennett was considered a rare breed - a high school basketball star who transitioned to tight end seamlessly, so much so that he became the only tight end in NCAA history who averaged four receptions per game along with five "knockdown" blocks per contest.  His length, spindly arms and enormous hands serving him well in all aspects of the game...

...yet, being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round, he found himself a seldom-used backup to Jason Whitten, as the Cowboys' coaching staff had to endure best buddies Whitten and Tony Romo play pitch and catch, leaving not just Bennett an afterthought, but many disgruntled pass catchers.

Four years was enough for Bennett and the Cowboys, but they should have known what was up as far as perception around the league with Bennett when, in 2009, Dallas was offered a first round draft pick by Cincinnati for him, but the Cowboys refused and instead wasted his talents on the end of a bench.

Always outspoken about his skill set, Bennett jabbered constantly about being misused in Dallas and let his weight get up to nearly 300 pounds before the Cowboys decided to part ways. So it should have been obvious to the management of the Bears that if they wasted his talent, Bennett was going to speak up - only the Bears got something out of him when they decided to part ways, sending the one-time Pro Bowl selection to New England along with a sixth round draft pick, getting a meager fourth rounder in return.

But Foxborough is unlike anywhere else in the NFL, and there certainly isn't a coach in the league who knows how to get the most out of a player better than Belichick, who was on the cusp of the perfect offense when he drafted Rob Gronskowski and Aaron Hernandez in the 2010 NFL draft, planning to unleash a two tight end alignment that would revolutionize the game...

...which it did anyway, despite Gronkowski's lengthy stay on the IR and Hernandez life sentence for murder in 2013.

He was so close that it really had to sting when Hernandez got thrown into the poke for being a murderous thug, especially in light of what Gronkowski has been able to accomplish since - but multiple attempts to find a complementary tight end to the unanimous All Pro has failed miserably, mainly because the players he brought in, Tim Wright and Scott Chandler, were in a different area code than the multi-faceted Gronkowski, and they subsequently wilted and were released.

Mason looking for a victim on White's big play

So the decision to pursue Bennett probably had to be a no-brainer for Belichick.

And not just because of his pass catching ability, which has produced numbers just shy of Gronkowski's league-leading digits from the past couple of seasons, but also because he is rated as a top blocking tight end, a skill set that Patriots' fans got to take a look at on Thursday night.

Out of 31 snaps, Bennett went out in the pattern just ten times - instead, putting on a edge blocking exhibition that has to have the Dark Master giddy with excitement.

And not just your standard I'm-a-pass-catcher-but-I'm-blocking-on-this-play effort, Bennett got downright nasty, especially on running plays, his work helping to spring reserve running back Brandon Bolden a couple of times, opening holes for LeGarrette Blount on the perimeter, and leading the way on James White's 56 yard catch and run..

Blount missed his hole a couple of times, but Bolden set up behind Bennett nicely on two occasions, waiting for the big man to literally drive his man out of the gap before shooting through it.  On White's delayed screen, both right guard Shaq Mason and wide receiver Aaron Dobson laid perfect blocks to spring White, who was then escorted down the field by Bennett, who was holding off his man at the same time.

Bennett escorting White

Excellent stuff, and worth the wait to see it with our own eyes - he has been written about, his role in the offense pondered and opined on relentlessly, but until we saw him in action, he was just the "Black Unicorn", a myth.

But he is hardly a myth, as more than just a couple of Saints' front seven defenders found out on Thursday night, as he was spotted discussing things with Gronkowski on the sidelines after throwing several Saints out of the club - well, maybe not throw them out of the club, but he seemed to revel in pushing them around, more times than not driving his man right out of the picture.

For sure, Belichick has revived Patriots' philosophies from a time when his teams were physical, and always more physical than the other guys.  It's how he won three Super Bowls in the span of just four seasons, and seeing his brand new tight end putting linebackers on the ground in the running game and picking up the edge as a pass blocker has to confirm - in his mind, anyway - that once he trims the roster down to 53, he will have one of the most physical teams in his tenure.

When combined with Gronkowski and the no-nonsense attitude brought by offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia that filters down to his linemen, last season's difficulties in the trenches should become just a faded memory, the running game should gain traction and the benefits to the passing game should go without saying...

Patriots Ride Dominant Defense, Flair For Big Play In Win Over Saints

Bill Belichick likes things boring.

From his demeanor to his say-nothing press conferences to his posture on the sidelines, everything about him screams methodical, particular, stodgy.  He teaches his charges at every opportunity and there is nothing that can be done so well that there isn't a coaching point to be taken advantage of.

There were plenty of coaching moments to be had on Thursday night when Belchick's New England Patriots hosted the New Orleans Saints, but the biggest lesson learned in New England's 34-22 victory was by Belichick himself, who now has the most difficult task of his team-building career ahead of him.

Trey Flowers' strip sack and touchdown return sealed the deal for Patriots

Actually Belichick already knew that he has the deepest, most talented roster in his 17 years as team architect - he's mentioned it several times in his daily pressers - and on Thursday night, the fans got to see that for themselves.

Some it was old hat, like linebacker Jamie Collins demonstrating to the football universe that he may be it's brightest rising star and running back James White picking up right where he left of last season with another subtly illusive catch and run - but the coming out party for a kennel full of young greyhounds like Tyler Gaffney, Trey Flowers, A.J Derby and Kamu "KGH" Grugier Hill does seriously task Belichick with the most difficult personnel decisions in his tenure.

It isn't uncommon to see defenses ahead of offenses in the first preseason game - and while this phenomenon was true for the Patriots against the Saints, the manner in which the New England defense took over the game was scary - scary to the Saints and scary to the rest of the NFL, and maybe even scary to Belichick and his defensive-genius protege Matt Patricia...

...their blue liners forcing four fumbles - two of them recovered, one for a Trey Flowers touchdown - picked off two other balls, one returned for a touchdown by Collins, and recorded two sacks.

Sure, they surrendered 370 yards of total offense to New Orleans, but the Patriots held the Saints' tough runners to an average of 2.6 yards per carry and just about every throw that was completed by the trio of Saints' signal callers was tightly contested by the corners.

Most impressive was the edge setters throughout the game, as Jaball Sheard was virtually unblockable coming off the blind side, Chris Long showed great lateral agility in moving down the line of scrimmage and sealing off the flat, and Flowers bullied his mirror all night long, more times than not disrupting the offensive play before it had a chance to develop.

The interior defenders did a great job of causing congestion in the middle, Malcom Brown, Alan Branch, Markus Kuhn and Terrance Knighton in an effective rotation that consistently took on double teams that allowed linebackers Collins and Dont'a Hightower to roam freely on the second level, directly leading to two of the forced turnovers and one score.

In all, the defense accounted for two touchdowns and forced two red zone turnovers by the Saints that killed scoring chances.  In other words, the unit as a whole has picked up right where they left off last season, and are only going to get better.

The Patriots' offense, besides being handicapped by having almost all of their impact pass catchers in street clothes, managed to score two touchdowns as well.

With the Saints leading 16-8 following Collins' pick-six and a couple of  Mark Ingram one yard touchdown dives, White took a safety valve screen from starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, made one subtle cut, jacked his propeller into high gear and raced 56 yards before being dragged down at the one foot line, LeGarrette Blount taking it in for the score on the next play.

The ensuing two-point conversion attempt failed, but New England kicker Stephen Gostkowski gave the Patriots the lead at the half, then Gaffney scored the eventual game-winning points on a very proper 44 yard sprint, cutting against the grain and running untouched to the end zone.

The only problem is, the big play is not what the Patriots' offense is predicated on.

Belichick's version of the Erhardt-Perkins philosophy relies on short passes and power runs to eat clock and win the field position battle, but the offense wasn't able to sustain many drives, their strongest effort coming on their final drive of the first half, a five-and-a-half minute possession that resulted in a field goal...

...none of their other possessions going for more than three minutes, including five of eleven drives that ended in the dreaded three-and-out.

Shades of last season, when the offense consistently put the defense in poor field position and back on the field without proper rest - but much of Thursday night's difficulties were a by-product of first Garoppolo - then Jacoby Brissett - having limited and untested weaponry to rely on in the passing game, with only prized free agent signing tight end Martellus Bennett and fourth-year bubble player Aaron Dobson being experienced in the pro game.

The benefit to this, however, was the aforementioned performances by White and Gaffney,as well as a breakout performance by second-year tight end A.J. Derby, who surprised many with his separation ability and concentration in traffic over the middle and his solid blocking on the weakside edge...

...a boon to an offensive line that struggled to protect Garoppolo initially, the third-year signal called sacked twice and nailed after the throw times-three, which was actually cured to a point by solid effort from the Patriots' running backs and by concerted balance in the play calling.

Granted, preseason games are void of much game planning, but the running game collecting  151 yards on thirty carries filtered the Saints' pass rush to a degree, allowing the linemen to get set in their stances and anchor against the rush, the protection gaining traction and giving the Patriots' quarterbacks a split-second more time to get the ball out of their hands.

Of course, the five yards per carry was aided by Gaffney's gem, but is also a legitimate representation of the efforts from White and Brandon Bolden between the tackles and the scrambling ability of Brissett, who otherwise looked every bit the rookie that he is in the passing game, forcing throws into tight windows on some throws and into the stratosphere on others, going 7 of 13 while working the entire second half.

For his part, Garoppolo was mostly solid, going 11 of 18 for 168 yards and the White pitch and run for a touchdown, though he appeared to hold the ball just a smidge too long and made a couple of questionable decisions, but overall had the type of performance that he can build upon going into next week's exhibition against the Chicago Bears...

...particularly if he has more of his impressive arsenal of weapons available to him.  Regardless, the team and it's fans can take solace in the fact that their defense is on the cusp of something very proper and appears to already up to the task.

But this is all just in one preseason game.  If this team progresses and becomes more cohesive in the rest of their exhibitions, Thursday night showed that Belichick does indeed have a monumental task ahead of him to pare this team down to 53 players - and that the rest of the NFL should be waiting to scoop up whomever the Dark Master is forced to cut loose...

Mail Call! Addressing Patriots' Fans Questions Heading Into The Preseason Opener

Welcome back, professional football!

Foxborough Free Press enters it's fifth season of covering the New England Patriots, and our readership as grown exponentially each year and is now to the point where Patriots' fans know that they will get honest reporting and honest opinion...

...so much so that we have decided to add a forum to our lineup, a weekly article that takes the best questions from our readers on social media and answers them, in-depth and with all due research to ensure that they receive the best possible information.

Heading into Thursday night's preseason opener against the New Orleans Saints, there are naturally many questions, particularly in regard to rookies and free agent pickups who have yet to perform on the field of battle with their fellow Patriots.

There are also many questions about the state of the offensive line, the status of injured players and, of course, the snap count management between quarterbacks Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo, what with Brady being suspended for the first four games of the regular season and Garoppolo needing as many snaps as he can get with the first-team players.

That said, let's dive right in with this week's questions:


Can Dion Lewis come back and be the same player after his ACL tear? - Wayne (New Hampshire)

Lewis has to feel a bit snake bitten, what with injury impacting his past three seasons - but the good news is that after an ACL tear, most athletes come back even stronger than before.  Modern surgical advances combined with decades of trial-and-error on athletes' knees has brought the procedure to the point that the toughest part about returning to the field is overcoming the anxiety that the knee will buckle again.

Lewis' case can be made by the successful return of Jamal Charles, Darrell Revis and Adrian Peterson in recent years, though none of these players carry the title of "Human joystick", not possessed the video game like elusiveness that belong to Lewis.  I would think that the team will be careful with him right up to the first regular season game, then limit his snaps from that point on, since the offense is absolutely loaded.

To answer the question, yes, I do believe he can come back and be the same player.  I don't think the ACL anxiety affects him as much because he also had to deal with coming back from a broken leg two years ago, so he'll be more familiar with the sensations and more apt to let it all hang out.

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Bill always finds one undrafted rookie who makes the roster.  I am wondering who are the 1-3 guys right now that appear they could be that guy? - Pete (California via Pats Fans Pre-Belichick)

Here's the thing: Belichick blew his undrafted load on the third day of the draft, loading up on players that may not have been drafted otherwise, and signed an enormous number of veteran free agents. So currently there are only eight undrafted free agents on the roster, but most are in positions of great depth, leaving their chances of making the squad very long indeed.

For example, there are three UFA cornerbacks competing with five veteran corners and the team's second round draft pick - that's nine players vying for five spots, at most.  Malcolm Butler, Logan Ryan and rookie Cyrus Jones are guaranteed spots, and second year man Justin Coleman is having a fantastic camp.

You see where this is going?  There are two UFA tight ends competing for roster spots that don't even exist.  The only players that have a shot at the final roster - a snowball's chance, but a chance nevertheless - are Tennessee offensive tackle Kyler Kerbyson, who was a second-team All-SEC left tackle as a senior, and Arizona State WR/RB D.J. Foster.

At this point without seeing them perform under game conditions, it's tough to say if any of them have a legit shot, but the math is not in their favor this year.

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What free agents and rookies can we expect to make an impact this year? - Warren (Massachusetts via New England Patriots Nation)

Cornerback Cyrus Jones will make an impact on defense as a second round draft pick, while Ted Karras and/or Joe Thuney will make the biggest splash on offense - because the draft was intentionally a depth draft, no one but Jones and possibly wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell projected to be more than long-range projects.

A name to watch is Kamu Grugier-Hill, a weakisde linebacker prospect from Eastern Illinois that is built like safety Brandon King and plays with a mean streak a mile wide - but as far as immediate impact, there is just too much veteran presence to really hope for much out of the rookie class.

And the reason for this was simple: Belichick simply went off in free agency, loading up with starting quality talent. Tight end Martellus Bennett was the biggest signing, and he will team with Rob Gronkowski to scare the bejesus out of defensive coordinators.  Defensively, tackle Terrance Knighton and hybrid edge setter Shea McClellin will find a niche and rush tackle Markus Kuhn could surprise.

As with everything else heading into the first preseason game, there is much that is unknown about many of the players, but we should know a lot more after the first two contests.

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Brady, as we know, is suspended for the first four games of the season.  How does BB use the quarterbacks?  It's important to get Jimmy G. his reps, especially with the first team.  How much does he play Brady, and do you risk his health playing him with the second string? - Ken (New Jersey via Pats Fans Pre-Belichick)

Is Tom Brady playing in any of the preseason games? - Denise (via New England Patriots' Nation)

Most assuredly, Brady will play, but not tonight.

The issue that is unique to the Patriots' preseason games is that Belichick has to find a way to get both he and Garoppolo snaps with the first team players and playing behind a cohesive offensive line.

What is also unique with the Patriots in the preseason, however, is that they have so many quality players in the skill positions that both quarterbacks will get snaps with all of them at some point - and it's really not going to matter who starts.  Belichick could run a pro set, 11 personnel offense, splitting reps between Gronkowski and Bennett, one of several backs (Gaffney being the man I want to see run) and three wide receivers.

The line will be the only question mark, and that is just because they may not have enough healthy bodies to rotate in and out, and the players who start will most likely play deep into the games.

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Who most likely steps into Rob Ninkovich's role on the defensive line in Week 1? - Jake (Texas via Pats Fans Pre-Belichick)

I think that it's going to take a team effort to fill Nink's shoes.  As we've outlined many times, Ninkovich is essentially the soul of this defense.  When Belichick says do your job to Nink, that means to pressure the quarterback, but to also use his veteran guile and natural intuition to know when to break off his pass rush to disrupt the screen game and to set the hard edge in the running game.

So I can see Shea McClellin filling in on the early downs, with Chris Long playing the situational pass rusher.  Both players have their weaknesses, with Long being the most limited of the two, as he has had difficulty in setting the edge.

It's really too early to make this call, but I'm sure Belichick would love to see Trey Flowers snatch that role away from the veterans.

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What is the word on injuries with Edelman and Gronk? - Lynn (Maine via Pats Fans Pre-Belichick)

Edelman is day to day with some phantom numbness and pin-and-needle sensation related to his foot surgery, while Gronk is full speed ahead.

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Brady and Clipboard Jimmy have a lot of weapons to move the ball, but those weapons are useless without an O-line to give them time to pass or open running lanes. How much of an improvement will we see in the line this year with Dante Scarnecchia back as the line coach? - Scott (Rhode Island)

What have we learned about the offensive line thus far? - William (Massachusetts via New England Patriots Nation)

Well, we've learned that in camp there have been no starters from last season who are working with the first team, with the exception of David Andrews.  Much of that has to do with lingering injuries, but it is also to be remembered that Dante Scarnecchia prefers his interior linemen to be tough, mean and, seemingly, undrafted.

Players like Josh Kline, Shaq Mason, Ted Karras and Andrews are Scar's type of players - dirty street fighters. He's trying to get way from the finesse of the zone blocking scheme and go to a more physical drive or wall blocking scheme, for which he needs tough guys that like to mix it up.  He has that in Sebastian Vollmer at right tackle as well, but what we are going to see on Thursday night is a rag tag group of players that may be considered depth now, but may end up with roster spots.

In the end, we may see something along the lines of what the team had when Mankins, Wendell and Connolly shored up the middle, especially if Mason lives up to his enormous potential.

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We lost Chandler Jones, who has led the team's pass rush the last few years.  We also lost Akiem Hicks who provided a boost down the stretch.  We gained Chris Long and Pot Roast among others. How do you feel that the Patriots will attack the opponent's offense this season? Will they lean on the linebackers more? Will they look to attack more from the inside? - Rick (New Brunswick via Pats Fans Pre-Belichick)

You hit the nail on the head with the last two questions.

The role of the defensive ends in the Patriots' defense has always been to set the hard edge in the running game first - Chandler Jones couldn't do that, but now Belichick has a virtual plethora of players on the edge who can, and the presumptive starters, currently injured Rob Ninkovich and rising star Jaball Sheard, can do it all.

But their jobs will be to funnel everything the opponent throws at them in the running game to the inside, where the bigger bodies await.  There has been speculation that the Patriots are dumping their traditional three-tech defensive tackles in favor of bigger bodied nose tackle types who will both occupy double teams in the Patriots four man front, keeping the guards off of the linebackers.

This is the key to the entire defense.  If the guards are kept off of the linebackers, and the tackles occupy double teams, it allows the linebackers to flow to the ball, in many instances, blowing up the play before it gets a chance to develop.  I seriously doubt you will see a dominating pass rusher with double-digit sack totals, rather, you are apt to see a couple of players hammer out seven or eight sacks and a bunch more between two and six.

In other words, in this defense dominated by the 4-2-5 Big Nickle alignment, the pressure on the quarterback could come from anywhere - and judging from how the alignment performed down the stretch last season, we could see a dominating defense that masks their coverages and intent so as to confuse protection schemes.


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