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Indefinite New England Patriots Thread (3 Viewers)

Here is a list of total regular season snaps played by NE players and who is no longer on the team or not playing this year . . . (includes offense, defense, and special teams). There were 39 players that played at least 300 snaps. So far, 16 of them (41%) will not be playing this season (who knows if anyone else will opt out by the end of today). That seems like a ton of holes that needs to be filled this year.

Joe Thuney G 1192
Tom Brady QB 1135
Shaq Mason G 1135
Ted Karras C 1114
Devin McCourty FS 1088
Marcus Cannon T 1069
Jamie Collins LB 1013

Julian Edelman WR 1011
Stephon Gilmore CB 952
Kyle Van Noy LB 824
Dont'a Hightower LB 809

Jonathan Jones CB 797
J.C. Jackson CB 776
Marshall Newhouse T 772
Lawrence Guy DT 691
Duron Harmon SS 672
John Simon DE 670
Patrick Chung SS 661
Danny Shelton DT 596

Adam Butler DT 571
Phillip Dorsett WR 564
Chase Winovich DE 548
James White RB 541
Jason McCourty CB 515
Shilique Calhoun LB 504
Isaiah Wynn T 502
Rex Burkhead RB 482
Ben Watson TE 467
Terrence Brooks SS 452
Sony Michel RB 435
Matt LaCosse TE 433
Jakobi Meyers WR 418
Brandon Bolden RB 416
Mohamed Sanu WR 410
Ja'Whaun Bentley LB 407
Elandon Roberts LB 403
Matthew Slater WR 349
Josh Gordon WR 322
Nate Ebner FS 319

 
Bill being Bill again. The only thing NE really has a surplus of is CB. So of course they traded for one. Moved an undisclosed draft pick for Michael Jackson from Detroit. Don’t know much about him. Let the name jokes commence. 

 
NE still has 4 open roster spots but are expected to sign TE Jordan Leggett DT Darius Kilgo, leaving 2 free spots.
At least for now, they don't appear to be making any big splashes to bring in any expensive pieces.

 
Here is a list of total regular season snaps played by NE players and who is no longer on the team or not playing this year . . . (includes offense, defense, and special teams). There were 39 players that played at least 300 snaps. So far, 16 of them (41%) will not be playing this season (who knows if anyone else will opt out by the end of today). That seems like a ton of holes that needs to be filled this year.

Joe Thuney G 1192
Tom Brady QB 1135
Shaq Mason G 1135
Ted Karras C 1114
Devin McCourty FS 1088
Marcus Cannon T 1069
Jamie Collins LB 1013

Julian Edelman WR 1011
Stephon Gilmore CB 952
Kyle Van Noy LB 824
Dont'a Hightower LB 809

Jonathan Jones CB 797
J.C. Jackson CB 776
Marshall Newhouse T 772
Lawrence Guy DT 691
Duron Harmon SS 672
John Simon DE 670
Patrick Chung SS 661
Danny Shelton DT 596

Adam Butler DT 571
Phillip Dorsett WR 564
Chase Winovich DE 548
James White RB 541
Jason McCourty CB 515
Shilique Calhoun LB 504
Isaiah Wynn T 502
Rex Burkhead RB 482
Ben Watson TE 467
Terrence Brooks SS 452
Sony Michel RB 435
Matt LaCosse TE 433
Jakobi Meyers WR 418
Brandon Bolden RB 416
Mohamed Sanu WR 410
Ja'Whaun Bentley LB 407
Elandon Roberts LB 403
Matthew Slater WR 349
Josh Gordon WR 322
Nate Ebner FS 319
I think on offense they are better than they were last year except for Brady. On defense they lost a lot but I still feel like they will at least be decent.

 
I think the main difference is linebackers. Interestingly enough Steve Belichick will coach linebackers. He was coaching safeties before. But some believe he was essentially the d coordinator last season calling plays. Belichick has a way of moving his coaches around to build there versatility. Imagine someday we hear Steve Belichick name for head coach candidate for league openings? Might be a couple years away? 

 
Details on Lamar Miller's contract. Since he was on IR last year, just like with Cam Newton, the Pats opted for the incentive route. His contract contains a lot of not likely to be earned incentives and weekly roster bonuses. (That basically give NE more cap flexibility.) He signed for the veteran minimum ($1.05). With incentives, he could make $2.5 million this season. Only $200,000 guaranteed.

This makes it really easy for the Pats to release him with very little damage to their cap. NE still has $32.3 million in cap space this year, and the most likely outcome is they don't spend much of it and roll it over to 2021.

 
Perillo was saying Uche was doing more at inside lb than he would have expected since every had Uche as an edge guy. He also was impressed with Phillips and Dugger at safety. Mentions Phillips is hybrid lb safety. Also the only FB on the roster is Jacob Johnson. But I think Keene should also count as one since he was Hback in college.

 
elguapo07 said:
Looks like the post draft/pre Cam love affair of Stidham is beginning to wane just a bit.
Seems like more than a bit. In this article it states that Stidham did not take a snap with first team. Newton got the work. It seems they are now interested in getting Newton as much work as he can get heading into the season opener. So there is your competition won. https://sports.yahoo.com/patriots-training-camp-cam-newton-183733374.html

 
Someone may have had a few too many drinks at the bar last night . . .

Patriots Are The Most Complete Team In The AFC - Will Represent The Conference in The SB
Yeah I’m not sure when you lose six starters on defense and the guy with the most Super Bowl rings and appearances you should feel confident in saying the Pats win afc. 

I would think winning the division would be a major accomplishment given all of the things mentioned about. A lot of national types have been saying Buffalo has a better defense and were better down the stretch and they added Diggs. I do think Patriots will be right there since Belichick can probably coach a college team to some wins in afc East.

 
Someone may have had a few too many drinks at the bar last night . . .

Patriots Are The Most Complete Team In The AFC - Will Represent The Conference in The SB
Would I be correct assuming that the top 3 issues facing NE are, in order,

1. Rolling out an unproven fullback after one retired and another opting out due to covid?  Sony Michel can't function without a lead fullback.

2. An uproven linebacking corps.

3. Cam's passing limitations.

Do you anticipate a foundational change in the offensive approach?

 
SeniorVBDStudent said:
Would I be correct assuming that the top 3 issues facing NE are, in order,

1. Rolling out an unproven fullback after one retired and another opting out due to covid?  Sony Michel can't function without a lead fullback.

2. An uproven linebacking corps.

3. Cam's passing limitations.

Do you anticipate a foundational change in the offensive approach?
The one that retired broke his neck and didn’t play the entire season. His replacement was Jacob Johnson and is still on the roster and reports were positive last I heard. Additionally Dalton Keene has been practicing as a H back at fullback and TE. 
 

Evidently there are no limitations on Cams arm according to the reports on patriots unfiltered. His should was said to be the problem, but haven’t heard and limitations on his throwing. I heard at first he was dumping down a lot but that was due to lack of comfort ability of playbook. So I don’t think we have a Cam throwing limitation.

The linebackers are a big deal. Essentially none from last years starters are playing. Unless you count Winovich. But he’s more edge rusher and not off the ball. They are very young there. But have heard great things about Uche and Jennings from Lazar at CLNS. But to me of the three things you mentioned this is the biggest concern. Not sure about the replacement of Danny Shelton either. I’m worried the Pats might struggle against the run. Adrian Phillips could have a big year just being extra help in the box as a hybrid linebacker.

 
Any information on a Damien Harris undisclosed injury? It's something that CBS Sportsline threw up in their leagues when you look at Harris's fantasy profile.

EDIT: A thin link.

 
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I heard a segment on the radio with Paul Perillo from Patriots.com. For those that don’t know him, he generally is a little negative leaning but not quite the sky is falling type as others. 

He said the offense looks ragged. He went to 16 practices and the offense looked bad in all of them. He said the defense dominated the offense throughout camp. Cam looks lost and looks the part of a late addition struggling to pick up the offense on the fly. But he did say Newton has started to look less lost. No problems with his shoulder or foot. Everything a go health wise. However, when he did make the right reads, he struggled with accuracy. 

Didn’t look like they were running a different system or playbook. Perillo felt Edelman may have issues with Cam on timing routes that TB had down to a science. Cam could get Edelman killed with throws that are not on point. Said Harry made several spectacular plays but can’t get separation or make basic plays. Other receivers are all along for the ride (although Sanu looked decent this week).

The defense looks ungodly good, but that is probably because the offense looks so inept and has been running the same basic plays until Cam learns more plays. Secondary could be better than last year but lots of questions on the front 7.

I missed any detailed discussion on the RBs other than Michel lost weight and has a lot more spring in his step. Overal, the backs didn’t stand out to Perillo. 

His problem with the offense is major questions still at QB, RB, WR, and TE . . . not where you want to be with 10 days or so until kickoff. 

Big picture, a week before the season starts, he said the team looks like it would normally look at OTA’s. Since he hasn’t seen other teams, he could not tell how other teams look in their development. Called everything a work in progress, with some elements needing a lot more work than others. That coming from someone that has been at every practice.

 
Per Schefter, NE gifted DPOY Stephen Gilmore $5 million in the wake of the recent wave of big contract extension announcements. His 2020 salary will increase from $10.5 million to $15.5 million with another $2 million available in incentives.

 
I think Julian Edelman will be the go to guy in this Cam offense, very underrated in fantasy circles this season.
My concerns for Edelman . . .

- NE should be much more run centric than in the past, probably 10-15% fewer passing attempts. 
- Cam 10% or more less accurate than Brady completion wise. 
- Edelman insane chemistry with Brady. Who knows what JE and Cam could cobble together in 3 weeks.
- Brady and Jules had all sorts of hot reads when the two of them knew exactly what to do. I doubt Cam will have the ability to read and react to that this early. At least he didn’t in training camp. 
- Edelman getting old and still frail. 
- Cam historically relied more on TE and RB in Carolina.
- Edelman averaged around 10 targets a game with TB12. I would not be surprised if that dropped by a third.
- NE has no other established WR or TE, which should get Edelman bracket coverage and very tight windows to throw into. 

Blend all that together, and I would expect a season in the range of Jamison Crowder last year (78-834-6). That ranked WR26 in PPR leagues last year. His ADP in expert leagues is WR33, so he should still be considered undervalued but I doubt he approaches his numbers from last year. 

 
X factor is Harry and the young TEs...if they are legit then Edelman will get more breathing room...if not then Edelman will be covered by 7 guys on every play.

 
X factor is Harry and the young TEs...if they are legit then Edelman will get more breathing room...if not then Edelman will be covered by 7 guys on every play.
From what I have seen and heard, Harry hasn’t shown much improvement from last year so far. Still struggling to get open and dropping too many passes on the occasions when he does. Byrd said to be a surprise with more speed than they’ve had. Remains to be seen if he is Dorsett v2.0 or if he could be more valuable. Could be a Ted Ginn type. 

I did hear an interesting discussion that in 2018, the Panthers had the highest YPC and highest total yards per play against 7 men in the box with Cam. I don’t know if that had more to do with CMC or other Panthers personnel, but the discussion theorized that Cam was the reason. 

I also found it interesting that Cam’s second most targeted player in camp after Edelman was Burkhead. I am not sure what that means (if anything) or if that is a sign they may use Rex as a slot receiver more. 

 
From what I have seen and heard, Harry hasn’t shown much improvement from last year so far. Still struggling to get open and dropping too many passes on the occasions when he does. Byrd said to be a surprise with more speed than they’ve had. Remains to be seen if he is Dorsett v2.0 or if he could be more valuable. Could be a Ted Ginn type. 

I did hear an interesting discussion that in 2018, the Panthers had the highest YPC and highest total yards per play against 7 men in the box with Cam. I don’t know if that had more to do with CMC or other Panthers personnel, but the discussion theorized that Cam was the reason. 

I also found it interesting that Cam’s second most targeted player in camp after Edelman was Burkhead. I am not sure what that means (if anything) or if that is a sign they may use Rex as a slot receiver more. 
The constant word I hear about Harry is inconsistency...one day he looks like the real deal and the next day he doesn't...if he is not legit that is a huge blow not just for this year but for the future...this is not a strong unit with Harry being good and without him playing well it could be competing for worst in the league.

 
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From what I have seen and heard, Harry hasn’t shown much improvement from last year so far. Still struggling to get open and dropping too many passes on the occasions when he does. Byrd said to be a surprise with more speed than they’ve had. Remains to be seen if he is Dorsett v2.0 or if he could be more valuable. Could be a Ted Ginn type. 

I did hear an interesting discussion that in 2018, the Panthers had the highest YPC and highest total yards per play against 7 men in the box with Cam. I don’t know if that had more to do with CMC or other Panthers personnel, but the discussion theorized that Cam was the reason. 

I also found it interesting that Cam’s second most targeted player in camp after Edelman was Burkhead. I am not sure what that means (if anything) or if that is a sign they may use Rex as a slot receiver more. 
If Cam still has his cannon of an arm, things will open up for the run attack.  Byrd could be a huge surprise.  Gina was definitely FF relevant with Cam.

 
This is like old school Pats, I have no idea how they will be this season...could make a case for anywhere between 11-5 and 5-11...if they are gonna be a playoff contender today is real important...home against a Division/AFC opponent that is not one of the iron their schedule...a loss today would really hurt in the playoff tie-breaker area.

 
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The constant word I hear about Harry is inconsistency...one day he looks like the real deal and the next day he doesn't...if he is not legit that is a huge blow not just for this year but for the future...this is not a strong unit with Harry being good and without him playing well it could be competing for worst in the league.
Harry inactive today. 

Edit to add: heard conflicting reports. Can someone confirm one way or the other?

Weird. I got a notification that Keene was an active and Harry inactive and one where those were flip flopped. Looks like Harry will play. 

 
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Harry inactive today. 

Edit to add: heard conflicting reports. Can someone confirm one way or the other?

Weird. I got a notification that Keene was an active and Harry inactive and one where those were flip flopped. Looks like Harry will play. 
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2020/09/13/week-one-early-inactives-10/

Harry not listed here...wonder what is up with Uche...heard he was one of the stars of camp.

https://nesn.com/2020/09/patriots-inactives-reaction-third-string-qb-jarrett-stidham-josh-uche-out/

 

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