--- THE OFFICIAL NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS THREAD --- OFFSEASON THREAD

[7th Chamber]

i'm totally fine with it. also, with Brown getting cut, if we don't sign anyone, DJ Foster will likely make the team (practice squad at minimum). he's shown some pass catching ability from what i've read. i think James White is a pretty good option, though. but we def won't have that shifty RB that can shake and bake. loved that about Lewis. running him while spreading it out was a guaranteed 4-5 yards. he would always make at least one guy miss.

I'm good with James White as well. At the very least, he's catching just about everything going to him, but like you said, he's not shifty and making people miss. This kind of makes me miss Shane Vereen

What about this o-line? Cannon will be starting I assume :x

 

[DeadsetAce]

What about this o-line? Cannon will be starting I assume :x

i'm with you, man. the offensive line has me major worried. cannon played alright (based on beat writers' accounts) last game, but i don't really agree. he sucks. we don't have depth on the line so one injury to someone else and it's going to be AFC champ game all over again. sucks that we didn't address offensive line as well as we should have in the offseason. the bright spot is looks like we scored big time on that joe thuney pick. he seems pretty legit. we really need a RT though.

 

[7th Chamber]

i'm with you, man. the offensive line has me major worried. cannon played alright (based on beat writers' accounts) last game, but i don't really agree. he sucks. we don't have depth on the line so one injury to someone else and it's going to be AFC champ game all over again. sucks that we didn't address offensive line as well as we should have in the offseason. the bright spot is looks like we scored big time on that joe thuney pick. he seems pretty legit. we really need a RT though.

I felt like having Lewis and a healthy Edelman might have hid some of the deficiencies on the offensive line last season. And when they got hurt, things started to turn sour just a bit. I feel like we're good for the most part with C and G, but tackle needs to be addressed like you mentioned. I haven't really had a chance to look at Thuney play, but I've heard nothing but good things thus far.

And I'm thinking Brady will take the team over at 3-1 with a loss to the Cardinals to start

 

[7th Chamber]

And even with that offensive line, I still feel like we could have beat Denver in the AFCCG if it was in Foxboro

 

[DeadsetAce]

As the Herald reported earlier today, Sheard's recovery timetable is 2-4 weeks, so he is on pace to play in the regular-season opener.

 

[DeadsetAce]

so we cut Bryan Stork this morning along with Nate Washington.


Stork must have SERIOUS concussion issues if we cut him loose. interior line is where we actually have decent depth, so i get it from that standpoint. but he's good when healthy. so i've gotta assume they don't consider him durable enough to stay on the field given the head issues

 

[7th Chamber]

Stork was a surprise to me. I was reading that he has a hot temper though and maybe wasn't receptive to Scar. I also saw an article about him tipping his head during the AFCCG which pretty much gave away our snap to the defense

Either way, hopefully they have this o-line figured out to make that type of move.

 

[DeadsetAce]

Adam SchefterVerified account
‏@AdamSchefter
Browns are trading the sixth overall pick from the 2013 draft, LB Barkevious Mingo, to the New England Patriots, per source.

 

[rolaholic]

Drafted 6th overall and this is the first time I've heard of him

The top of that 2013 draft is looking real barren right about now :x

*Looked him up and dude was a physical specimen coming out of college

View media item 2144374
If he can work out,he might be able to compliment the dynamic duo well at LB

 

[DeadsetAce]

yeah basically he's a dude we always liked. he's cheap given his lack of production. so they're taking a flier on him in a contract year. if we get anything out of him, cool. if not, he's likely done in the league.

 

[7th Chamber]

I remember him being somewhat hyped when he was drafted, but he never really panned out.

I'm hoping that we get Hightower and Collins re-signed. It seems like Hightower is being pushed into the role of leading this defense though

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/..._new_locker_shows_how_much_patriots_value_him

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

FOXBORO — By appearance, Dont’a Hightower’s locker is no different than the 77 stalls around it.

But appearance and perception are incomparable entities in this case. Hightower now resides in Bill Belichick’s most valued real estate in the team locker room at Gillette Stadium, taking up a spot that originally was owned by 2015 Patriots Hall of Fame inductee Willie McGinest and most recently by seven-time captain Jerod Mayo.

Hightower’s new locker is about 6 feet from a set of gray double doors that serve as the most highly trafficked area for every player on the team. A left through the doors leads down a long hallway toward the players’ parking lot. Go straight through the doors and wind up in the auditorium that is utilized for daily full-squad meetings. Go right and take the route to the game or practice fields.

Each player passes through at least a half-dozen times per day, and thus must stroll past Hightower. The Alabama product is there because he is as popular as anyone on the roster, being able to relate to the 30-somethings who care solely about football as well as the rookies who prefer talking trash about Madden and NBA 2K.

It’s also Hightower’s spot because the fifth-year linebacker is one of the Pats’ greatest leaders, and he naturally commands respect because of his fierce dedication to the team’s bottom line. Hightower, who should be voted a first-time captain in the coming weeks, can hold everyone accountable because he has the same standards for himself. So no player wants to walk by Hightower on their way to practice or a meeting or most certainly home without putting in his own honest effort.

“He is able to sit down and have a conversation with anyone,” Mayo said. “There’s not an area where he can’t communicate, offense, defense, special teams. He can talk about it all.”

McGinest, who jokingly gets referred to as Hightower’s big brother because of their resemblance, likes the fit for the younger linebacker.

“They see Dont’a as a throwback player. He just loves football, engulfs it. You can talk football with him,” said McGinest, who now works as an analyst for NFL Network. “He’s likeable. He is a great kid.”

McGinest essentially wound up in the locker by coincidence when Gillette opened in 2002, as former equipment manager Don Brocher assigned the players in numerical order. Tedy Bruschi, who wore No.  54, took the left side of the door while McGinest (No.  55) resided to the right.

Because they did such a good job of policing the room, McGinest and Bruschi remained in their locker locations through the years as the personnel changed around them, and Belichick liked the idea of keeping his leaders on top of the foot traffic.

“I kind of fell into it, and then I started to understand it. I was somebody who (Belichick) felt being responsible and accountable,” McGinest said. “And now it’s become a thing, the locker, who is in that locker and who you are. If you’re coming in late, if you’re not doing what you’re supposed to do, you’ve got to walk by those guys every single day before and after practice. Nine times out of 10, in my days there, I would say something to somebody if I didn’t feel like they were doing enough or we had issues. Plus, I was a captain. They would have to pass that locker. They’d have to deal with it right there. They couldn’t avoid those lockers.”

McGinest held the spot through 2005, but the symbolism of the stall waned until Mayo arrived in 2008. Almost by default, Mayo restored the legacy, and he commanded respect immediately upon his arrival. For example, the veterans even asked Mayo to walk into Belichick’s office to ask if they could practice without pads on days when they needed to throttle it down.

Mayo wasn’t the same type of leader as McGinest, who had some well-known altercations with unruly teammates. But there was no doubt in regard to Mayo’s standing in the locker room.

“I knew the history of the locker,” Mayo said. “The thing that makes New England so special is everyone is always uncomfortable. You have to be comfortable being uncomfortable, if that makes sense. Until you’re comfortable being uncomfortable, you can’t play in New England. Being in that locker, everyone has to walk past that area to get to the squad meeting room, so you talk to a lot of guys. You joke around a lot. You just try to lighten the mood.”

Hightower has grown into that role through the years, as far back as 2013 when Mayo’s torn pectoral muscle thrust the 2012 first-round pick into a more prominent role. But Hightower also cited that time as a key period in his development as a player.

He admittedly tried to do too much midway through the 2013 season and endured the most difficult stretch of his career.

“I learned my lesson a couple years ago when Mayo went down, trying not to be myself and be somebody else,” Hightower said. “As far as leadership goes, I lead different than Willie did, and I’ll lead different than Mayo did. I’ll approach things the way I feel they should be approached. I’m not going to step outside my comfort zone to emulate those two big guys.”

Hightower already had preferred status at Gillette, so there’s no pressure to change. His teammates cite his violent playing style as a reason to follow his lead, and they’re also impressed with the way Hightower commands the defensive huddle, takes the play calls from coordinator Matt Patricia and gets everyone into place with checks before each snap.

“He makes everything run,” five-time captain Devin McCourty said. “High is a true lead-by-example guy. He’s not a big talker. You know what you’re going to get out of him every Sunday he goes out there. He’s hitting guys. He’s always physical.”

It’s been said for a few years Hightower knows every player’s assignment on every play, and Mayo thinks he could be a coach after his playing days. The Patriots recognize his consistent chats with Patricia, either in an office or on the sideline at practice, as the means to that intrepid understanding of the entire defense. Hightower also takes the blame if a teammate misses a call or check, too, so they appreciate his accountability.

The former Alabama captain wouldn’t be such a tremendous leader if he weren’t worthy of that loyal following. As a rookie, Hightower impressed his teammates by learning from veterans’ mistakes on film rather than by needing to mess up on the field to learn firsthand.

Now, the bottom line is the Patriots’ third-longest-tenured defensive player is one of their greatest stars and toughest performers. Big-time leaders can’t be all talk and no substance, and he shined with a Super Bowl-saving tackle against Marshawn Lynch despite playing with a torn shoulder labrum. Last season, Hightower played on a sprained MCL for about two months.

It’d make sense for Hightower to join McCourty and Rob Ninkovich as defensive captains when the Patriots vote in a couple weeks. After all, Belichick has already tabbed Hightower as the anchor of the locker room, just like two great leaders before him.

“I think it’s cool what Bill Belichick did to putting guys into positions of leadership and anointing guys after all the hard work and sacrifices,” McGinest said. “He created that. He created the atmosphere within the locker room.

“And now it means something to the guys who are in that situation. I think it’s pretty special.”

 

[DeadsetAce]

^ word. i 100% believe Collins and Hightower will be resigned. no doubt in my mind. they have to.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

which means one of them will be traded

 

[rolaholic]

Hightower though ,stepping into that Mayo/McGinest leadership role nicely

 

[jham15]

Positive is defense looked great. Made cam look terrible.
Offense looked sluggish tho. Jimmy's gotta play better.
Bradys td pass was a beauty. No major injuries which is the best news

 

[DeadsetAce]

man the offense is just very blah. i'm not too concerned, though. think it'll be fine when the games count. defense looks flat out awesome. hoping they bring the same performances into the regular season.

brady's TD pass

gostkowski has me concerned a bit. these are zero pressure kicks

 

[DeadsetAce]

Jabaal Sheard increases workload, Jonathan Cooper appears at practice
Jeff Howe Monday, August 29, 2016

FOXBORO -- Defensive end Jabaal Sheard participated in positional drills during today's practice for the first time since spraining his MCL on Aug. 11 against the Saints. It appeared Sheard was going to be available for team drills as the media session ended early in the workout, which was held in shells.

Right guards Jonathan Cooper (foot) and Shaq Mason (broken right hand) returned on a limited basis but departed for the lower field to work on their conditioning after the walkthrough and stretching periods. Cooper went down July 30, and Mason hadn't practiced since Aug. 17. He had a cast on the hand.

Special teams captain Matthew Slater missed practice for the first time this summer. Linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill was also out, but he was held out of Friday's game against the Panthers due to a reported illness. He was at Gillette Stadium yesterday, for what it's worth. Running back Dion Lewis (PUP, knee surgery) and right tackle Sebastian Vollmer (PUP, hip surgery) were also out.

Wide receiver Danny Amendola (PUP, knee and ankle surgeries) and guard Tre' Jackson (PUP, knee surgery) were present for the walkthrough and stretching periods before departing for the lower fields along with defensive end Rob Ninkovich (torn triceps muscle) and wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell (dislocated left elbow).

Tight end Rob Gronkowski participated in positional drills before he also departed for the conditioning field. Gronk was wearing a hoodie under his practice jersey, so it looked like that was the plan all along.

Trade acquisition Barkevious Mingo worked with the linebackers during positional drills, not the defensive ends. Mingo practiced pass drops in a 3-4 outside linebacker capacity.

 

[DeadsetAce]

Pot Roast cut. Couldn't learn the 2 gap system, apparently

 

[7th Chamber]

Stork byke?!



I wonder what's going on with that situation.

 

[DeadsetAce]

he's gonna end up retiring. his head has to be completely ****** if he's failing physicals

 

[jham15]

View media item 2151916

Haha

 

[DeadsetAce]

^

all things considered...good preseason. key guys stayed healthy.

from tonight:
- defense (and we knew this) is GOOD TO GO. they look pretty ******* good
- Mingo was ALL OVER the place. wow. if that's a sneak peak at what we're getting...defense is going to be STACKED up front. easily the best LB corp in the league if that's what we're getting from him
- DJ Foster looked great aside from the fumble
- Brissett and Derby...these guys have been pretty solid all preseason. i like what we're getting from them.
- offensive line remains the big question mark and achilles heel

 

[7th Chamber]

So realistically, what we looking at through the first 4 games? 3-1? 2-2?

I feel like we have enough on offense for Jimmy to work with and our defense will come through, especially with three games at home. Even with a questionable offensive line, I can't see anything worse than 2-2.

 

[DeadsetAce]

with the way the defense looks...3-1 is my guess and 4-0 isn't impossible

 

[DeadsetAce]

Aaron Dobson one of the first 4 cuts of the day. i'm surprised but i'm not surprised. thought he did well to earn that last WR spot. especially with Amendola recovering

 

[DeadsetAce]

Aaron Dobson one of the first 4 cuts of the day. i'm surprised but i'm not surprised. thought he did well to earn that last WR spot. especially with Amendola recovering

adding to that...keyshawn martin also released

so is Amendola good to go? or are they making a move


Gaffney also gone. so DJ Foster should be safe?