***OFFICIAL NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS SEASON THREAD*** (13-4) - Patriots @ Broncos - Sun 3:05PM EST - Bra

If Gronk scores a TD & then squeezes the ball as if he's checking the air pressure right before spiking it, I will fall down laughing
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Pats Hotel sabotaged in the dead of the night. 

Multiple false fire alarms were set off amidst the dark witching hour.
 
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Pats Hotel sabotaged in the dead of the night. 

Multiple false fire alarms were set off amidst the dark witching hour.
As if these guys needed anything else to piss them off 
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. I also read that the team is staying in the same hotel as the Giants did in '08...
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Pats media day starts in about 20 btw
 
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Da Special Teams Gawd 
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 [h2]Mr. Special Teams: How New England’s Matthew Slater Made a Career of Covering Kickoffs and Punts[/h2]CHRISTIAN PETERSEN/GETTY IMAGES
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The first time the Patriots sent him out on punt coverage, Matthew Slater made it “maybe five yards.” He thought he could just run past the two blockers, but as Slater tried to dance around to either side, he got nowhere. That speed — he ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash ahead of the 2008 draft — didn’t cut it anymore.  

Seven years later, Slater is on his way to his second Super Bowl and is widely regarded as one of the NFL’s best — if not the  best — special teams players. He was voted into his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl this year, two away from former Buffalo Bills gunner Steve Tasker’s record of six straight, has made three of the last four All-Pro teams,[sup]1[/sup]  and has been a team captain since 2011.

Not bad for a “wide receiver” with one catch for 46 yards over an entire career.

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Slater comes from a football household, but he didn’t start playing until he was a teenager. His father, Jackie, is a Hall of Fame tackle who played 20 seasons for the Rams, but the elder Slater took caution in introducing his children to the game. Matthew and his brother, David, weren’t allowed to play organized football until high school because of their father’s fear of injury or burnout. But by withholding the game, Matthew says, his dad only fueled his desire to finally get out there.  

“I was so anxious and couldn’t wait to play after all those years of waiting,” Slater says. “Ever since I started playing, I [have been] in love with the game of football.”

He didn’t make Servite High School’s varsity squad until his junior year, but Slater eventually turned into a three-star recruit and committed to nearby UCLA, where he redshirted as a freshman. Over the next four years, he never quite made his mark as the wide receiver or safety he was recruited to be, but come senior year he was setting school records as a kick returner and earning first-team All-Pac-10 honors. Still, an all-conference nod and a handful of kicks returned for touchdowns is far from a guarantee of an NFL career.

Slater ran well at the combine, but his speed was his only clear draftable attribute. A wide receiver in no more than name in college, there was little reason to expect he’d suddenly become one at the next level. And at an inch shy of six feet and a slight 195 pounds, he didn’t have the kind of frame scouts could project some robust, filled-out future onto, either. What reason did anyone have to take this kid?  

Slater was at his parents’ house in southern California when the call came. It was the fifth round — much earlier than he had been projected or even personally expected to go — and Bill Belichick was on the line along with Patriots owner Robert Kraft. They had just exchanged a fifth- and seventh-round pick with the Tampa Buccaneers to select Slater with the 153rd pick.

“[Belichick] told me, ‘You’re going to help us in the kicking game and we will find you a position,’” Slater says.

Now, he’s the next Larry Izzo: the guy whose name you see on the Pro Bowl roster every year when you get to the end. You might not notice him once throughout the course of a season because he’s only on the field for a fraction of the time, But yeah, Matthew Slater. I remember his name from last year. He must be pretty good.

And he is. At least, you don’t get a $2 million signing bonus  from Belichick unless you’re doing something right. Slater never developed into the kick or punt returner he was in college — most infamously fumbling a kickoff against the Steelers a few years back — but he’s among the leaders in special teams tackles  every year. Pro Football Focus ratedSlater as one of the two best gunners in football this year. From a production standpoint, that’s where he makes the biggest per-play difference.

Although it’s his speed that allows Slater to get downfield and wreak havoc on opposing punt returners, he’s had to develop the skills that allow him to get to the point where he can finally kick things into another gear. Initially, a gunner’s job is much like a wide receiver’s: get off the line. Except there’s often two blockers in the way instead of one defensive back. All the years Slater spent playing wideout seem to have helped, as he’s preternaturally quick off the snap and good with his hands, able to either exploit or create creases in the opposing setup that let him open his stride and take off toward the returner. You can also see his brief safety experience[sup]2[/sup]  shine through in how he assesses and navigates the 180 degrees of field in front him.



Still, being a special-teams specialist seems a precarious way to carve out a spot in the NFL. It’s often looked at as a way to make a team — watch any season of Hard Knocks  and you’ll hear coaches telling lower-round picks or undrafted free agents that they need to contribute on special teams if they want a roster spot  — but not as a way to make a career. With kickoffs and punts occupying such a small portion of gameplay, it’s tough for players to create any kind of obvious, consistent, long-term value. But as Slater has risen to widespread end-of-the-season acclaim over the past four years, New England has also been the only team in the top five of special teams DVOA every season during that span.

“Putting the team first and myself second has allowed me to stick around here,” Slater says.

When you consider all the issues New England’s had filling out its wide receiver corps over the past five or so years, its investment in Slater — who’s listed as a wide receiver but was targeted with a grand total of zero passes this season — takes on a more improbable hue. At the same time, though, wouldn’t Belichick and the Patriots be the ones to prize the consistency that comes with a hardworking special teams dynamo who says things like this?

“I really think this was the absolute perfect place for me to end up with the way my college career went,” Slater says. “The motto around here is: the more you can do. And with that it gave me a chance to develop my skills in the kicking game, but also to find somewhat of a positional home.”  

When Slater signed his contract extension in November, Belichick offered up the classic coaching platitude: “I’d love to have 53 guys like him.”

Come Sunday, Slater will be on the field for somewhere around 20 plays. But watch out for him whenever New England readies for its first punt. He’ll be lined up on the left side, waiting to get after Seattle’s Bryan Walters. Smart money says Slater makes it more than five yards.

Kevin Koczwara (@kkoczwara) is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared on SBNation, the Boston Globe, and Howler.
 
Slater 
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,his consistent contributions on ST and his leadership has been much appreciated over the last few years.
 
Jeff Howe ‏@jeffphowe 26s27 seconds ago
Gronk was asked why it's a bigger deal when he parties compared to others: “Because I’m a baller? Is that a good answer?”

:rofl:
 
So Jason Cole is saying Revis contract talks haven't really went anywhere and his sources (some close to Revis and 1 in the Pats organization) are saying they're prepared to come off that 20 mil for the 1 year left on his deal 
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Gronk 
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That smoothie vid is hilarious too 
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So Jason Cole is saying Revis contract talks haven't really went anywhere and his sources (some close to Revis and 1 in the Pats organization) are saying they're prepared to come off that 20 mil for the 1 year left on his deal 
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I kept hearing that they're waiting for after the season is up to begin serious talks but according to various sources as you mentioned,the fo is open to picking up his option.
 
let's hope Greg is on the money again....

Why the Patriots Will Win
January 29, 2015 by Greg A. Bedard

PHOENIX – Since the league championship games were determined, I have been obsessing about this Super Bowl matchup between the Seahawks and Patriots. It’s the one I dreamed of with my prediction before the season, and it has become a reality. It’s good for the game because it truly is the two best teams in the NFL.

This is as difficult a prediction that I’ve had to make in a Super Bowl. Last year, I thought the Seahawks would beat the Broncos fairly easily (not 43-8). Super Bowl XLIX, conversely, is a coin flip. The bounce of the ball and one or two fluke plays likely willl determine the winner.

That’s how close these two teams are. In fact, they are nearly mirror images. Both hybrid 4-3/3-4 defenses have some softness against the run, but good luck trying to throw the football as the main vehicle for moving the ball. Offensively, both teams have been covering for average offensive lines all season. They feature power running backs, but have speed in reserve at the position as well. Their weapons are mostly anonymous gamers, save for Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. Russell Wilson is, basically, an athletic Tom Brady from the Patriots’ first three title runs: his team is powered by defense and running the ball, and the quarterback has to be special when needed.

One thing I feel fairly confident in saying: this should be a low-scoring Super Bowl. Unless there are special team scores or the game goes to overtime, this game should be played largely in the teens, like the Patriots two Super Bowl losses to the Giants (17-10, 21-17). The matchup between the Patriots and Seahawks could be the lowest scoring Super Bowl since 1973, when the Dolphins beat Washington 14-7 in Super Bowl VII.

Before the season, I predicted a score of Seattle 13, New England 10. I still believe we’ll see a score somewhere in that area. But I’m going to go against the grain and switch my pick to the Patriots.

Here’s why.

For starters, when I picked the Seahawks before the season started, they had Percy Harvin. The added dynamic that he brought to the offense was on full display in the opener against the Packers. The Seahawks now are a bit limited on offense. Harvin widened the field for the entire offense and allowed them to “steal” about six marginally big plays a game. When he was traded to the Jets on Oct. 17 to save team chemistry, it was a necessary move, but there’s little doubt it took away a weapon offensively. So did the injury to talented young receiver Paul Richardson.

The Seahawks also had nose tackle Brandon Mebane and three-technique Jordan Hill. Certainly, Kevin Williams has done a good job replacing the underrated Mebane, and Tony McDaniel is a solid player, but the Seahawks are razor thin at defensive tackle. Former 49ers castoff DeMarcus Dobbs and former Patriots part-timer Landon Cohen are receiving meaningful snaps. As opposed to last year’s Super Bowl winner, which had Mebane, McDaniel, Red Bryant and Clinton McDonald (Bryant and McDonald left via free agency), this group can be taken advantage of by an opponent who is disciplined enough to continually run the ball.

And I think the Patriots, who have only lost linebacker Jerod Mayo (ably replaced by Donta Hightower) and running back Stevan Ridley (LeGarrette Blount), will do that. They also will be smart enough to take advantage of whomever Seahawks nickel back Jeremy Lane is lined up on, whether that be Julian Edelman or Danny Amendola. Look for the Patriots to also spread Gronkowski out wide to not only try to win against top Seattle cornerbacks Richard Sherman and Byron Maxwell, but also to work advantageous matchups against Lane.

But the key will be the interior running of LeGarrette Blount, who had one of his finest games as a Patriot against the Colts because he showed more vision and agility. His power can match or win against Seattle’s excellent defensive speed. Like Chip Kelly once said, “We want taller, longer people because bigger people beat up little people.” I expect the Patriots to endorse that philosophy with many extra tight end sets, including tackle eligible Cameron Fleming.

This is all well and good, but the Patriots still have to execute against the most dangerous player in this game: Seahawks end/tackle Michael Bennett. If there’s any player on the Seahawks that can ruin another Patriots’ Super Bowl like Justin Tuck did twice for the Giants, it’s Bennett. He will find advantageous matchups against both Patriots guards (Dan Connolly and Ryan Wendell). If the Patriots don’t account for Bennett on every play, they will be in trouble offensively.

And I don’t expect the Patriots to be very effective offensively unless they can get some short fields with turnovers. If offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels thinks he can spread the Seahawks out and throw against them, good luck. The Patriots, with both their running and passing game, are a scheme offense. They don’t have anyone outside of Gronkowski that can break the game open, so they use motion, personnel, formations and Tom Brady’s pre-snap adjustments to get guys open. That’s fine against most of the other 30 teams, but it won’t work against the Seahawks. They are the anti-Patriots. There’s nothing fancy about their defensive scheme. They’ll line up in either Cover 3 (deep safety and two deep cornerbacks) or Cover 1 (one deep safety on top of press man coverage) and basically say, “You go ahead and do all those motions and substitutions, we’ll be here waiting for you every snap.” Seattle’s defense is the only unit in the NFL that can do that against a quarterback as good as Brady because the Seahawks are that talented on defense. They are better than the opponent at almost every spot.

The Super Bowl matchup will hinge on the Seattle offense against the New England defense, and this is why I’m giving the Patriots the edge. They are probably the most disciplined unit in the NFL, maybe moreso than Seattle. They will limit Lynch’s effectiveness, even if Seattle uses more read option (as I expect them to) and they will stay in their rush lanes to keep Russell Wilson in the pocket. Patriots ends Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich occasionally will give up the end to mobile quarterbacks. But that’s during the regular season. With two weeks to prepare for this game, I have a hard time seeing them doing that Sunday since Bill Belichick has been harping on it 24 hours a day. Plus, they should hold a decided advantage against the run and pass against Seahawks tackles Russell Okung and Justin Britt. Vince Wilfork will plug the middle and keep Wilson’s running avenues limited there as well.

In the pass game, expect Darrelle Revis to shadow Seattle’s best in Doug Baldwin. New England knows Seattle will target the weaknesses of former Seahawks cornerback Brandon Browner, so I would expect Belichick to put Browner on tight end Luke Willson, who has developed into a solid receiving tight end. That leaves Seahawks receivers Jermaine Kearse and Ricardo Lockette against Patriots corners Kyle Arrington and Logan Ryan. This is where Wilson must do most of his damage, and the key for Seattle offensively.

But the Patriots can do what the Packers did by limiting Wilson and Lynch during much of the NFC Championship Game. This Patriots’ unit is better than the Packers, and New England has the mental toughness and situational awareness not to let the game slip away like Green Bay.

It’s going to be a great Super Bowl matchup that features the two best teams and coaches in the game. In the end, I’m giving a slight edge to the Patriots.

Final score: Patriots 16, Seahawks 13.

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