A look at Jimmy Garoppolo

Sometimes when there's disaster there is opportunity and right now we're seeing this first hand. Tom Brady's status for the first four games are questionable at best and now with Roger Gooddell making sure he's going to play a huge role in the decision making process it becomes even more of a question mark. So lets take a break from all the deflate gate talk and take a look at Jimmy Garoppolo.

Pros: He's mobile in the pocket. Probably the first thing that jumped out to me was just how mobile he was. One could maybe say he moves around too much in the pocket. However with his mobility he could gives defenders fits (as we see in the game film) Accuracy doesn't seem to be a problem either. On a number of plays he was able to put the ball in tight spaces. He loves playing in the shot gun which is big for our offense. He has a quick release and excuse me for sounding ESPNish  but the dude can make some plays. He keeps the offense at a good pace.

Cons: He needs to be a little more patient in the pocket. His delivery needs work as well, you can see there's sometimes where balls are easily being batted down. This is something that can hopefully be fixed with the right coaching. You hear about QB's improving their throwing motion all the time. Honestly I didn't see a lot I didn't like (there's not much film but from whats out there he looks promising)

How was he in college? He kind of reminds me of a Joe Flacco. A solid player who played at a mediocre program. If Joe Flacco had played at UM instead of Delaware he probably would of received double the hype coming out of college. Jimmy Garopplo tore it up at Eastern Illinois but that's the thing. It's Eastern Illinois. So he's obviously going to have to prove he can step up to NFL level competition.

It will be an interesting first four games folks, stay tuned.

Far From Finished

,Exactly as the title says, the 2015 New England Patriots are (hopefully) far from finished this off season.
There's still pieces left in free agency, and the NFL draft of course.
So lets take a look at the biggest moves made so far in Free Agency...

Revis, Browner, Wilfork, Vereen gone
Scott Chandler,Jabaal Sheard,Travaris Cadet added
 Gostkowski, McCourty re-signed/franchised

Obviously it's great to have McCourty back. I'm interested to see what Sheard will do in this defense however I am really concerned with the defensive line at the moment As of right now you have nothing but an often injured draft pick coming off injured reserve that we're depending on at DT. We have depth along the DL but little to no starters. This will hopefully be addressed. At corner you went from top 3 to huge question marks. Do we start Logan Ryan? If so who plays the opposite side? These are key factors in the 2015 campaign. It's a little scary for Pats fans to think about going from Revis and Browner to complete question marks but such is life in NFL Free Agency.

The Patriots recently hosted corner backs  Terence Newman, Tarell Brown, Bradley Fletcher and Robert McClain. Pretty interesting choices, none that particularly excite me but we'll see how it works out.

I'll be keeping you more up to date through out Free Agency

(By the way, it's good to be the champs)

Patriots Return To The Scene Of The Crime

So at the time of me writing this it's 1:13 AM (a bit of a night owl, I know) and we're officially 5 days away now from the Superbowl. And I gotta tell ya, I can't ever remember a Superbowl that has the kind of coverage this one has.

If anyone can locate ANY footage of an analyst breaking this match up down for more then 1 hour please show me because I've yet to see it. It's like the talking heads discuss the match up for 10 minutes before getting into all the nonsense. Worse yet, whenever the Patriots are mentioned so is the whole deflation issue. Yet when the Seahawks are mentioned, the media has nothing but great things to say about this team. I've never seen a media such a fan of one team and so obviously venomous towards another. We get it, you hate Belichick because he doesn't give you the fun press conferences but at this point it's simply amazing how much disdain the media has for this organization. If the Patriots win the superbowl will they show the parade or will they go over ways the Patriots cheated?

 When you look at these two teams you see such differences personality wise. The Seahawks come off as loud mouth, arrogant young guns that need to be knocked back down a notch. The Patriots are actually less experienced then the Seahawks are with Superbowl experience on their roster yet the way some of the Seahawks players are acting you'd never know. Don't get me wrong, the Seahawks are a good team. But their downfall will be their arrogance, mark my words. It seems the only players that shut up and play are Russel Wilson and Marshawn Lynch.

Seeing the Patriots get off the plane today  you could not only see it but almost feel it. This team means business. They're pissed that they've been questioned and their here to answer the call. Call me superstitious but I love the fact this team is staying where the Giants stayed before defeating the Patriots in Arizona, and I love the fact they're returning to the scene of the crime.

Before that loss to the Giants the Patriots were on the brink of cementing their legacy. Here they are again, maybe not with an undefeated season to finish but a legacy to cement.

Full Steam Ahead

In an unusual move, Bill Belichick actually called the media in for a press conference today. His goal? To make his point clear, and allow his team to focus on the super bowl.

To sum it up: Belichick made it clear that he did not have any involvement with messing with the ball pressure, throughout the week BB and Patriots teammates have also defended Tom Brady despite media reports trying to paint the picture of Belichick throwing the blame on his quarterback.

I think it's a great move that Belichick broke his silence and went out of his way to declare no wrongdoing. The league and the media has and will continue to make a circus out of this. Grown men like Mark Brunnel(an ESPN analyst) will even try to cry to show you how much it bothers him that he thinks the Patriots cheat,

However, the media can no longer act as if the Patriots are sitting in the corner like a dog who got caught chewing the couch. They have went out of their way to deny these ridiculous, overblown allegations, at this point it's on the NFL and the NFL only to have the final say. 

From here on out, it's full steam ahead. Let the media harp on the nonsense. Let the Seahawks continue to talk trash. The Patriots need to focus, because they've been challenged.

The media has questioned this team's legacy. The Seahawks think they aren't that good. People think they can't win without cheating. 

Good.

Every time the world has questioned this team they don't just step up to the plate, they charge it like a bull. I expect nothing different next Sunday. Lets put this nonsense behind us and focus on the goal..Which is Lombardi #4.

As the title says...from here on out it's full steam ahead.

The Real Cheater

Lately, Richard Sherman has been running his mouth about Tom Brady. Calling him classless, a cheater, etc.

I find it ever so funny that a guy  who has been caught using PED says this.
Oh, you didn't know or you forgot right? Because the media loves Richard Sherman..And they wouldn't possibly call him out on his bullshit for long.

In fact, the very team that the Patriots face this weekend, the Seahawks, have had 7 players caught with PEDs. Yet all the media does it go after Patriots.

On the current Seahawks roster Sherman and Bruce Irvin are big contributors for the Seahawks, yet no one seemed to care that this team uses performance enhancing drugs. I wonder why this is? It's obvious to anyone who's paying attention.

So how about instead of throwing stones while living in glass houses we focus on the game?

Just a quick thought to start your morning......

So We Meet Again

Going into this week, we have a red hot Indianapolis Colt team facing a New England Patriots squad that should be well awake from their bye week slumber after last week's epic game against Baltimore. I wanted to go over a few thoughts on the Patriots and go over specific match ups between the two teams this week...So lets begin.

The Pass Rush: I'm sure by now you've read about five articles describing the troubles of the pass rush lately. Lets be honest, Joe Flacco had enough time to paint a portrait before completing a pass on some plays. However I think some people aren't looking at things close enough.
First off, there's no defending the defense giving up two quick scores the way they did to Baltimore. That was their own fault and put them in a hole for most of the game. You see, when your down by 14 points and your offense is struggling in the playoffs you don't have the luxury of gambling the way you would in week 7. This then puts your defense in more of a read and react mode to play it safe rather then sending pass rushers and risk falling in a bigger hole. I'm not saying this is good defense, but this is where the offense is in control and its all the defense can do in that situation. Imagine if Jamie Collins was sent on a blitz that was picked up and his man becomes wide open for the touchdown? The Patriots wouldn't be playing this weekend.
 Conclusion? Don't let the opposing team get off the a quick start so that they can dictate the flow of the game. This is not only on the defense to do a better job but the offense as well. Speaking of offense..

The offense has to get off to a solid start to avoid putting not only the defense in a hole but themselves as well. When you fall behind the way the offense did the defense tees off on not only the QB but the running game as well. Lets give the Ravens credit, regardless of the score running on that front 7 is not easy. But putting them ahead allows the defense to be in full control. It's not hard to guess what the offense is going to do when they're down by 14 compared to when their tied or in the lead.

By now I realize the Patriots strength on offense is not in their talent but unpredictable nature and I'm talking about more then trick plays. For example, look how tight end Hoomanawanui was a problem for the Ravens on a few plays. Obviously, they were looking to defend Gronkowski which created an opportunity for our other tight end to make plays. When you're defending the Patriots in a pass situation, who do you defend? Cover Gronk all day Brady goes to Edelman. Lock down Edelman and then Brady turns to Brandon Lafell to make a play. I could go on all day folks. This may not seem sexy on paper and it damn sure wont make ESPN get excited. But the playoffs are all about match ups and the Patriots are unpredictable in those key situations.

 When it comes to the Colts, you have to respect the job they've down and thinking this is an easy win is a mistake. However it is undeniable to deny that it's is not a favorable match up for the Patriots. I don't think the Pats need to pull a rabbit out of their hat this week. I think if they  just line up and play a good 60 minutes they can handle this Colts team, much like they did earlier in the season.  Obviously the problem with the Colts is Andrew Luck. He's not only got an arsenal of weapons (Reggie Wayne, TY hilton, Coby Fleener, Dwayne Allen)  But he's mobile too. So if your sitting back in coverage and Luck has time he's running for the first down. The whole entire game plan this week will revolve around containing Andrew Luck. Obviously you factor in their running game as well but without Luck this offense will go nowhere. 

Last but not least the Colts defense. People seem to be a bit more optimistic then I am on the unit. Sure they played a great against  Cincy and they controlled the Broncos. But lets take a look at a few things...
The Bengals played without AJ Green and Dalton was down to only one of his tight ends. Add in the fact you have Dalton in a playoff game and this one is barely anything to write home to write home about.
But wait did you see them shut down Peyton Manning? I saw them shut down a Peyton Manning that wasn't the same.  I also noticed the Colts horrible run tackling which kept the Broncos in the game on a couple of big conversions. Run defense has been a weakness all year for the Colts and I expect the Patriots to expose it, similar to the way they did earlier in the season. It's no disrespect to the Colts who I think are capable of winning this week. I just think this match up plays in New England's favor.

We'll see how things play out but if the Patriots come out and play their game there's no reason they sholdn't be heading for Arizona

Ravens A Tough Matchup

Lets be honest, confident or not in the Patriots this weekend you would be lying if you said the Baltimore Ravens weren't a difficult match up for the Patriots. I'm going to go over a few things inside the match up that I think will be key. But first, I just want to say something. One big reason the Ravens have been such a problem for the Patriots is because they've been strong in a lot of areas where the Patriots are weak. Even more so then any individual match up has been their style of play. They're good at running the ball, Flacoo will expose a bad secondary, and they're a very physical team.

If the Ravens win this game, their front 7 will have a big part in it. The Patriots offensive line has been a cardiac bunch this season. At times they show great potential, other times they look lost. This is why I'm nervous about this match up. Even though people are quick to point out Reed, Lewis and Rice are gone they forget to mention the players the Ravens still do have. Suggs, Ngata, Dumervil. These 3 players will cause a very long day if this offensive line does not show up. This is what it comes down to above all else. If Brady is standing upright all day, the Ravens are in big trouble. If not, the Patriots are in big trouble. The reason I point this out even though it sounds a bit obvious is because the analysts will talk about Revis, Smith, etc.
But lets be real here..The Patriots downfall has been their inability to protect Brady and get it done on defense in the post season. They have the secondary this year to get the job done. The offensive line is the unit with more questions

On defense the Patriots need to re-gain the pass rush they had earlier in the season. I'm not too worried about the DB-WR matchup. I think Revis and Browner will be OK if Flacco isn't sitting back all day. I will give the D the benefit of the doubt due to some injuries in December. Hopefully they're fully healthy and ready to go. While I am nervous about this match up, if the Patriots are fully healthy and show up as the team we saw all season, I think they can steam roll the Ravens. Where as I think the Ravens will need to play their best possible game while depending on a down day from the Patriots. Simply put, the Patriots are a better team on paper and they were a much better team through out this season. This means little once the whistle blows and the helmets are hitting come Saturday night, which brings me back to being nervous.

But make no mistake, this Patriots team is better on paper then anything the Ravens have faced since 2009. In those years the Ravens faced horrendous defenses, and luckily had Rob Gronkowski along with Akib Talib go out in the 2013 AFC championship game. IF the Patriots play their game, they should win.

Often in the NFL what should happens and what does happen are different things. However when good teams show up, they handle business. I expect the Patriots to be no different this weekend.

BETTING LINES THIS WEEKEND  Patriots -6.5(favorites) Ravens +6.5(dogs)

Over Under = 48

The Jets wont go quietly

Look, I hate the Jets as much as the next Patriots fan. But too many times I've seen an inferior Jets team give the Pats trouble. Remember the 2007 "revenge" game against the Jets? Not quiet the beat down folks thought it would be.

I fully expect the Patriots to defeat the Jets, but I'd be surprised if the Jets and Rex Ryan who knows this will probably be the last time facing this team, will go quietly.

Patriots Aggressively Changing Their Style

As the New England Patriots watched the Seattle Seahawks toy with a Broncos offense that just two weeks before steamrolled the Patriots for 60 minutes something was clear. The day of the read and react defense was behind them. If this team wants to win Lombardi number Four they need to become an aggressve, attacking defense. So far Bill Belichick seems hell bent on doing that. The past few season he had made additions among the defensive front, and this season with first rounder Dominique Easley, free agent Will Smith just to name a few. In the Secondary the Patriots added Revis and Browner, giving them the ability to play more Man Coverage which will give the front 7 more change to attack.

 The thought of all this should make any Pats fan ooze with anticipation as we wait for the season opener. Tom Brady's time is coming folks, in case you haven't noticed. It would be nice to see him go out with a top defensive unit in his last years. He could use another Super Bowl, or two.

 I also like what the Patriots have done to add depth to the defensive line. Going into last season the thought of losing both Wilfork and Tommy Kelly would make me think we were finished. But with Chris Jones and and Joe Vellano doing an admirable job filling in the Defense survived. Just think about that...Five big bodies ready to sub in and out for each other. Last but not least, If he makes the squad James Anderson should be a valuable piece in coverage for the line backing core.

 This Defense has the potential to be better then it ever has, I truly believe that. It's time for Belichick to make that happen.

Josh Boyce showing signs of life?

According to espn Josh Boyce is making progress, http://ow.ly/3lJbIc

As the article says while it's way too early to get excited over an ota session it's encouraging to hear of Boyce's progress.

 We did see signs of Boyce making plays last year, he seemed to catch on later in the year before he was hurt. If the pats can get a true 1-2 punch out of Dobson and Boyce this offense could truly be explosive once again. 

 

Update on Wilfork, Gronkowski and Mayo

To think the Patriots lost these three players in one season and reached the title game truly impresses me. Here's the latest updates:

According to the Boston Globe, Gronkowski has been running around at OTAs making the needed cuts, plants, etc. Coming off his type of injury one cannot help but be encouraged by this news

 Vince Wikfork has been probably the biggest question mark due to his age. But according to multiple sources he's participated in half of the OTAs and plans to increase his work load throughout the summer. No one is quite sure one about  their status for training camp but it does look possible that both could be ready to go for the season opener.

  Jerod Mayo has also been a full participant in OTAs. The fact that these guys are up and running right now is very encouraging. I'll be keeping a close eye on this so ill definently keep everyone posted.