Randolph Charlotin's New England Patriots Fan Profile

A New Coach posted on 02/01/2010

Head coach Bill Belichick added Corwin Brown to the coaching staff. The former Notre Dame defensive coordinator now commands the New England secondary. It’s a homecoming for Brown, as he was a fourth round draft pick of the Patriots back in 1993.

Belichick still has some work to do to fill out his coaching staff. The team lacks a defensive coordinator since Dean Pees’ contract expired and he decided to move on. Pees will be Baltimore’s linebackers coach in 2010.

The two projected favorites to replace Pees are defensive line coach Pepper Johnson and linebackers coach Matt Patricia. If one is promoted, it will leave a hole in the coaching staff. As Belichick mulls his decisions, hopefully he extends an offer to retired LB Junior Seau to be a linebackers coach.

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Free Agents posted on 01/20/2010

Head coach Bill Belichick knows he has to make changes to the Patriots in order to reverse the sliding trend. Fortunately, two were made for him.

LB Junior Seau announced his second retirement. This time he says it is permanent. He wants to spend his days surfing. And defensive coordinator Dean Pees, whose contract expired, won’t resign and will pursue other options.

While this may slightly clear things up, there are still plenty of decisions left to make regarding New England’s free agents. The decision for the exclusive free agents shouldn’t be hard. Between Brett Lockett, Gary Guyton, and Chris Taylor, Guyton should be resigned. Some thought must go into what to do with the remaining free agents though:

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K Stephen Gostkowski – A young, accurate kicker with a strong leg and a Pro Bowl under his belt should be back. By virtue of the position he plays, he won’t be too expensive to keep.

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Pick Six: Wild Card posted on 01/11/2010

The loss was the equivalent of a mugging. The Patriots didn’t see it coming, and before they knew it, New England was on the ground, wondering what happened.

There’s no sugar-coating this. They got whipped. Baltimore came out with a fury and the Pats had no answer for the rapid flurry of haymakers.

This is easily the worst loss of the year because the expectations were, despite the difficulties over the course of the year, they would respond to adversity and put up a good fight. But the Pats couldn’t stop the freight train moving at full speed.

Now that the season is over, head coach Bill Belichick has to take a real tough look at his team and no one is spared. Players, coaches, and scouts must be evaluated and determine who’s doing a good job and where there’s room for improvement. Based on Sunday, looks like a lot.

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Hours Before Kickoff: Wild Card posted on 01/10/2010

Don’t buy it when the Baltimore Ravens say they put the week 4 loss behind them. LB Ray Lewis avoided talking about it by saying it was in the past, but it’s on his mind.

Baltimore hasn’t forgotten the game that got away. DL Haloti Ngata has a picture of his contact with QB Tom Brady’s helmet. LB Terrell Suggs will have the time of his personal foul written on the tape on his wrist. WR Mark Clayton spent extra time catching passes so he won’t drop another fourth down pass.

Playing with emotion is encouraged, but to a point. You never want to let your emotions get the better of you. It could lead to costly penalties. But when harnessed right, a team plays with high energy and aggression, without crossing the line.

The Ravens is a team that plays with just enough emotion. Always a tough and physical team, B-more will stride into Gillette Stadium with an impetuous attitude, confident the only obstacle to success is themselves.

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Line of Defense posted on 01/07/2010

The linebackers have a big challenge on their hands. Baltimore’s offensive line is big and physical with a run first mentality. The ground game, led by RBs Ray Rice and Willis McGahee, averaged 137.5 yards per game at a 4.7 yards per gain clip.

It’s going to be very important for the defense to stop the Ravens on the ground. As always, it is easier said than done when Rice averaged 5.7 yards per carry and McGahee 5.0.  But if the Pats can hold Baltimore to short gains on first and second downs, they can attack the Ravens’ pass protection.

Baltimore gave up 36 sacks in 2009. But what sets off alarms is in the last four games, QB Joe Flacco was dropped 10 times in the last three games, eight in the last two.

Now I’m not comparing New England’s meager pass rush to either Pittsburgh’s (47 sacks) or Oakland’s (37) as the Pats finished with 31 sacks, just below the NFL’s Mendoza Line in that category by my standards. But a few players are getting hot at the right time.

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