mideuce Blog Posts

Patriots Wednesday OTA Observation Huddle Up

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 13:38:47 PDT

PatsPropaganda.com: You had to be excited for media access day at OTAs today, but no one could’ve predicted that Wes Welker would be on the field. Of course Michael Silver had plans of his own today, deciding to turn “talks between Pats and Brady are going slowly” into “this might possibly lead to something but it probably won’t” article that of course every member of the Boston media had to hop on.

We stick to the positive propaganda here, we’ve read the recaps, and here are the non-Welker tidbits that we’ve found most interesting:

From PFW Blog:

The linebackers split up during one segment that included seven-on-seven work. Crable, Mayo, Guyton, Eric Alexander, Pierre Woods, Williams, Banta-Cain and Spikes remained on the field with the defensive backs and worked on coverage. Burgess, Cunningham and Ninkovich went to work with the defensive linemen.
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The Replace Richard Seymour Beauty Pageant

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:28:15 PDT

As we all know the Patriots still have a huge void in the defensive line left by Richard Seymour. Ray Rice is still running from holes created in the right part of the Patriots defense (see Gary Guyton Jr. and Jarvis Green fka Pass Rush Specialist) . Brandon Spikes or Tyrone McKenzie should be the run stopping fix for Guyton. But who will be lining up are our run stopping right defensive end?

Let's meet the candidates, from lightest to heaviest.

Brandon Deadrick 6'4" 287

Brandon is rookie from Alabama who likes all you can eat bbq, and playing in games a week after he's been shot. He played the same system the Patriots play in college, that could give him an advantage but he's still light. We call him The Practice Squadder.

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The Wes Welker Sports Hub Interview Transcript Leaked

Wed, 12 May 2010 14:10:50 PDT

Being the omnipotent Patriots blogger that I am I was fortunate enough to get an early sneak peek at a transcript of the Wes Welker interview with Michael Felger and Tony Massarotti that will air on the Sports Hub 98.5 tomorrow (Thursday) at 11:30am. I’m secretly posting below, some really interesting stuff….

Felger: Welcome back to the show, joining us now we’re lucky today to have Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker, last seen crying like a little baby on the sidelines of Houston. How you doing, Wes?

Mazz: Sup, Wesley!?

Welker: You know, I’m okay fellas. How are you guys?

Mazz: How do you think we are? We’re pissed off about Boston sports and their fans.

Felger: There’s a question that’s on everyone’s mind so I’m just going to ask it. Does the Patriots organization purposely try to be the worst team in football every year? Because when you look at a team like the Jets… I mean… Wow. It’s pretty clear this is an all-star team that probably won’t lose a game. And the Dolphins signed probably the greatest Wide Receiver in the NFL in Brandon Marshall. It’s pretty clear the Patriots are third place team and that’s just until the Bills find a quarterback.

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NFL Draft Viewership Already Down Under Goodells Changes

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 13:35:17 PDT

I've made no secret about the fact that I despise the new draft format. Partly because I will be sitting in my office, wrapped up in work while most of the first through third rounds take place, instead of sitting on my couch at home, relaxed with a beer, enjoying the drama as it unfolds. Yes, it's almost as if Roger Goodell has killed my off-season Christmas.

But what I hate most about the new draft format is that it's a change that was made for the sake of money, turning a blind eye towards the fans who enjoy it most.

Look, I'm just not sold that anyone outside of real football fans give two craps about the NFL draft. Sure, maybe the first five picks. But after that, does anyone care where the Dan Williams' or the Jermaine Greshmans are drafted? Do you think my wife is really going to flip over from her already packed Thursday night viewing schedule to see who the Steelers draft?

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Which New Jet Former Charger Was Worse in 2009 LT2 or Cromartie

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 17:53:07 PDT

My obsession with Pro Football Focus continues...

Cromartie only had 2 good games in 2009, with a total season ranking of -5.5. But that still wasn't bad enough to beat Tomlinson who had only 1 good game in 2009 and came in with a total season ranking of -10.8. Although Cromartie did play a little worse in the Chargers playoff loss, maybe that's why they signed him first? Wait, what?

FWIW Thomas Jones came in with a season ranking of -11.3, so maybe LT2 really actually was an upgrade?

I remain unimpressed with the Jets offseason despite all the hype they're receiving. Solid additions but this isn't 2006 (LT2) or 2007 (Cromartie).

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Adalius Thomas A Blitzer Not a Rusher

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 10:58:45 PDT

I've been listening to the podcasts at MoveTheSticks.com where former scout Daniel Jeremiah gives a lot of good inside info about NFL scouting. In the latest installment Jeremiah talked about linebackers and what goes into scouting them for the transition to the pro game. Having worked in Baltimore and Cleveland, Jeremiah is familiar with both the Mike Nolan/Rex Ryan 3-4 as well as the Bill Belichick/Romeo Crennel 3-4.

Couple interesting nuggets to pass along that related to the Patriots:

When grading linebackers there are two types: Rushers are guys who can generate pressure without any schematic help. They can put their hand down and through a variety of moves beat their man one-on-one and get to the QB. Blitzers are guys who need help via scheme. Jeremiah said that while he was in Baltimore Adalius Thomas fell firmly in the Blitzer category in that Rex Ryan needed to come up with creative ways to allow AD to use his speed to get to the QB. He was not the kind of player who could line up head on and win a match-up.

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Four Different Ways the Patriots Could Go On Draft Long-Weekend

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 14:29:22 PDT

By now you're probably reaching the saturation point for draft coverage and good news, we've still got a whole month to go. As we saw a couple days ago with the conflicting reports regarding Tim Tebow wanting to say a pre-Wonderlic prayer and being shot down with a firm STFU, we're reaching the point where alot of misinformation is being released. I have little doubt the Tebow story was exaggerated by a team hoping to see him fall to them on draft day. Because no one wants a prayer-leading rookie who doesn't know when to shut up on their team, right?

So for the Pats I think at this point you're going to be in one of four camps with how you think they will attack the four picks in the first two rounds.

1. Common Sense: We can all pretty much agree that the Patriots defense the last couple years gets about as much pressure as a 90-year old man trying to squeeze out a leak wtihout his flomax. And yes there are quite a few quality outside linebacker/defensive end hybrid types in this years draft. So the conservative, common sense pick would be a Sergio Kindle, Carlos Dunlap, Brandon Graham, or Jerry Hughes. None are perfect for the Patriots OLB position, but all could potentially provide some pass rush that the Pats sorely need.

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Odrick Isnt Seymour

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:38:01 PST

The three months in between the end of the season and the draft always seem to drag out until you've done so much research and seen so many mock drafts you tend to get attached to certain guys and lose sight of who the best player for your draft slot really is.

Lately most of Patriots Nation seems to be trending toward Penn State's Jared Odrick as good fit for the Patriots at the 22nd overall slot, especially with the departure of Jarvis Green to Denver. Odrick seems to have the size and intangibles to make a good 5-techinque, a position that Jarvis Green was ill fit for when he was thrust into it following the trade of Richard Seymour.

DE is a position of need and Odrick is by all accounts a great kid who loves football and competes on every down. Sounds like a perfect fit right? As recently as yesterday he was my number one target. However last night my opinion began to sway a bit.

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Pro Football Focus Rankings of the 2009 Patriots Defense

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:38:15 PST

I came upon a website today that breaks down every play of the NFL season and awards grades to each player accordingly: www.profootballfocus.com. What you get is an expansive database, with hard numerical data ranking player performance. While fans never get to break down the game film or know exactly how the coaches are grading out the players, this is a good resource with some really interesting stuff. I won't challenge their method or their football credentials, rather I looked at each player on the 2009 Patriots defense and found their season rankings. Here's the list from best to worst:

Tully Banta Cain: 21.8
Vince Wilfork: 9.6
Leigh Bodden: 6.8
Brandon Meriweather: 5.0
Ty Warren: 3.9
Rob Ninkovich: 3.4
Patrick Chung: 1.8

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