5 non-PSI related Patriots thoughts

by Dakota Antelman

As roomers, comments and opinions regarding the "Deflategate" controversy in Foxboro seem to dominate football headlines this week, here is a look at a few non-deflation related Patriots thoughts and story lines...

Patriots practicing indoors

The Patriots held their first practice of the week inside the climate controlled Dana Farber Field House. With temperatures outside perched right around 35 degrees, the move could be one made in an effort to reacclimate the team to what indoor football is like. 

Next week's Super Bowl will of course be held in Glendale Arizona's University of Phoenix Stadium, a domed venue. 

Bryan Stork practicing again 

Rookie center Bryan Stork hit the field for practice on Thursday for the first time since he injured his knee during the Divisional Playoff round vs. Baltimore. According to multiple observations by members of the Patriots media present at the indoor practice, Stork wore a brace and a medical wrap around his left knee. 

Stork was still slightly hobbled by the injury but was surely well enough to be written in as being a "full participant" in the practice.

Still with over a week to go before the Super Bowl and with "Deflategate" dominating press conference topics, no comment has been made by the team about Stork's status for the big game. His participation Thursday remains a good sign nonetheless and at first glance works to remind fans of the sizable chance that he will be ready to go on February 1.

Richard Sherman commenting on Darelle Revis

Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman spoke to media personnel this week about Patriot, Darelle Revis, one of the few CBs in football who seem to challenge Sherman's self-proclaimed title of "best corner in the NFL."

While Revis openly said that he would not answer questions regarding any comparison to Sherman, Sherman responded to a comparison question Thursday saying, "I haven’t thought about that honestly, but he’s had a great year. He’s been doing his job effectively and I’ve liked what I’ve seen from his game. I’m sure people make comparisons, they always do. But I think we play the game two different ways."

He elaborated.

"He plays it more conventional is what people would say, and mine's a little more unorthodox, which means it’s just more difficult to replicate what I do on the football field. So everyone is going to make comparisons but it’s just two different styles to compare. I play my way, he plays his way, and both of them are effective."

As many have pointed out Sherman and Revis have an intense personal rivalry which predated a highly publicized Twitter feud back in 2013 over who was a superior CB. Sherman has been cordial so far in addressing the topic of Revis though while Revis has taken the absolute vow of silence.

HOWEVER...

Richard Sherman taking shots at Tom Brady

Patriot QB Tom Brady has a long list of players who hate him. Sherman apparently is one of them. 

The two famously engaged in an on field verbal scuffle after the Patriots last played the Seahawks in 2012. Sherman and Brady exchanged trash talk before Sherman ultimately took to Twitter to post the now famous taunt "U MAD BRO?" 

This week, Sherman shed light on the moment. He in fact blamed Brady for instigating the clash.

"He was pretty much saying that we were nobodies, and that we should come up to him after they get the win. So we should take that pretty well. ‘Cool, can I get your autograph too?’"He said.

Sherman then more blatantly undercut what he believes to be a facade of professionalism that Brady has created.

"Like I said before, I think people some time get a skewed view of Tom Brady," Sherman explained. "That he’s just a clean-cut [guy], does everything right, and never says a bad word to anyone, and we know him to be otherwise. But in that moment of him being himself, he said some things and we returned the favor. Unfortunately he apparently didn’t remember what he said."

Date for Super Bowl sendoff rally set 

Earlier this week, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and the City of Boston announced that a date had been set for the Patriots Super Bowl sendoff rally. 

The rally will take place next Monday at 11AM in City Hall Plaza. Walsh will be hosting the rally while Patriot owner Robert Kraft, coach Bill Belichick and players Tom Brady, Vince Wilfork, Dan Connolly, Devin McCourty and Matthew Slater are all slated to speak. 

The Patriots will depart for Glendale following the conclusion of the rally.

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Patriots aware of Raven strengths at first practice of game week

(Photo by Matt West/Boston Herald)

by Dakota Antelman

The Patriots knew on Saturday, as the Baltimore Ravens dispatched the Stealers in the Wild Card Playoffs, the identity of the team that will be playing them in the Divisional Playoffs. On Monday, they got to work preparing for what could be a rough and/or close game.

The Patriots have a history with Baltimore facing them in back-to-back AFC Championship games back in 2011 and 2012. Those games went in two different directions for the Patriots with the 2011 affair punching New England’s ticket to the Super Bowl and the 2012 game ending in a disappointing, injury filled loss.

Though it is obvious that the Patriots would love to tap into that vein of victory circa 2011 when they play next Saturday, they are not buying into that mindset of hindsight; they are not looking at Baltimore’s unassuming six loss regular season either.

"They're well coached, they're physical, they do a good job on the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Monday. "They have explosive skill players on offense, in the return game and on defense.”

Belichick went on to say  “I think Coach [John] Harbaugh has, as always, put those type of teams out there with [general manager] Ozzie [Newsome] and their respective staffs. I think that's what they have again. That's what they are. They're tough; physically and mentally tough. They can play in tough situations and they're talented. They keep coming at you."

Baltimore kept coming at the Stealers in Wild Card Week. Their play dispelled an equally physical team with apparent ease. The running game dominated the Stealers defensive line while a set of blocking tight ends seemed to regularly clear space for the receivers; Steve Smith and Owen Daniels particularly.

Smith caught five passes for 101 yards while Daniels accounted for 78 yards.

Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco tossed a pair of touchdowns and completed passes to nine different receivers in the win, drawing praise and cautious envy from Patriots coaches and players.

“I think it’s really a great system fit for him from his ability to get the ball downfield," Patriot defensive coordinator Matt Patricia said of Flacco and the Baltimore receivers. "Obviously Joe Flacco has an extremely strong arm. [He] can really make those hard throws downfield, the deep throws downfield. Along with his mobility, this guy is a very athletic quarterback.”  

Aware of Baltimore’s strength, the Patriots went to work Monday with a traditional practice. The coaches split off with their respective portions of the team, working to either solve Baltimore’s no-nonsense defense or crack the will of their offence.

Practice was heavy on Patriot linemen like Dan Connelly and featured intense coverage drills for members of the secondary like Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner. On offense, offensive coordinator Josh McDanials stressed the need to work on having a varied attack vs the Ravens in post-practice interviews. Belichick seemed to agree. He had Tom Brady consistently spread the ball across his receivers.

The Patriots have a full week of practice ahead of them. There is no joking around in Foxboro because Brady, Belichick and company know all too well how the Ravens have had their number in the past. As we near Saturday kickoff, the Patriots are working hard to do the things they need to do to prevent 2012 from repeating itself.

Tom Brady summarized those sentiments best on Facebook, Monday morning. He posted a picture of the end zone militia looking up at a flock of birds above Gillette Stadium and captioned it, “all eyes on Ravens this week #OurHouse.”

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Rob Grokowski honored by AP crew with unanimous All-Pro selection, Revis, Gostkowski also named

(Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/Denver Post)

by Dakota Antelman

The Associated Press released its annual list of NFL All-Pro players Friday morning. Three Patriots made the list with one Rob Gronkowski being denoted as a unanimous selection.  

This is the third All-Pro selection of Gronkowski’s career and it comes following one of the best seasons of it. The Patriot tight end returned from nagging arm, knee and back trouble to fanfare and increased target totals from quarterback Tom Brady.

He played 15 of 16 total games, missing the finale vs. Buffalo only for precautionary reasons. Gronkowski caught 82 of 130 passes thrown to him and was responsible for 1,124 receiving yards. He converted on 60 first down situations and was a go-to target in the red-zone catching 12 touchdown passes.

2014 was a fun year for Gronkowski involving hard hitting, gravity defying tackle resistance and a slew of highlight reel plays.

His teammates understood that much. 

"He's, I think, when you say a kid playing the game, that's him," Patriots safety Devin McCourty said of Gronkowski. "He don't care about anything, stats, if we're up or down, he's playing one way. He's playing hard and you can tell he's just having fun with his friends on the field."

Among the other Patriots honored Friday by the AP were Patriot cornerback Darelle Revis and kicker Stephan Gostkowski. Revis received the most votes of all cornerbacks even beating out shut-down Seattle Seahawks CB, Richard Sherman. 2014 marks the fourth season in which Revis has made the All-Pro list and serves as considerable validation for a powerful effort by the 29 year old in his first season with the Patriots.

“I think I’m a better player than I was a couple years ago, just by the growth as a player, growing in this league,” Revis said to ESPN back on the 18^th of December. “Just continuing to stay consistent with my studies and what I do as a player.”

Gostkowski, unlike Revis or Gronkowski was a second team All-Pro this year. It is his second appearance as he was named as a 1^stteam player back in 2008.

The Patriots were a deep team in the 2014 regular season. Their depth and the varied nature of their roster made them a difficult team to plan for. Above all though, Gronkowski and Revis in particular, two MVP candidates, deserved recognition for what they have done to get the Patriots where they are.

The writers and football personalities involved with voting for the AP All-Pro’s understood that and obliged. 

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Patriots say, do the right things in BYE week practices, given Thursday off

(Photo by Matt Stone/Boston Herald)

by Dakota Antelman

A simple observer of this week’s Patriots proceedings might easily conclude that Coach Bill Belichick has been wholly satisfied with the effort and progress made by his team in this playoff BYE week.

Even in the wake of a low scoring loss to the Bills in the regular season finale last Sunday, the Patriot skipper has kept a loose hold on his team. At the beginning of the week he scheduled just three practices (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday).

After Tuesday practice, he decided to take the team to the movies to see Christmas debuting blockbuster “American Sniper” on Thursday morning. The next day, on Wednesday, he broke free the traditional practice format and moved the team inside Gillette Stadium to play a team scrimmage.

The Patriots were somewhat surprised by the week’s bonus team time but were happy nonetheless about it.

“It was fun to have a competitive day," said quarterback Tom Brady of Wednesday’s scrimmage. "There were a lot of situations we covered. Just a great competitive spirit out there. It was a great day.”

Practice this week was self-focused and keen on keeping/building momentum largely because of the uncertainty surrounding the Patriots playoff fate in this time before the wild card games are decided. It was not the traditional week simply because the Patriots had nobody to prepare for.

Still though, Belichick seemed almost surprised with his team’s confidence and mental poise during their BYE week work. As a result he cancelled the previously scheduled Thursday practice letting players go home immediately following team meetings and the movie screening.  

Because of their regular season dominance and in part also because of the confidence coaches have instilled in players this week, the Patriots are excited and driven as the playoffs approach.

“We always do feel like it’s our year. I think you work pretty hard in the offseason to get yourself to this point. It’s tough to do,” Brady said following on of this week’s practices. “I’ve been fortunate to be part of teams that have done it. We have a great football team. We’ll see. We have to go out there and earn it. No one is going to give it to us. You have to play your biggest at the biggest moments against the best teams in the toughest conditions [and] see what you’re made of.”

Brady was grabbing headlines a lot during the week of unorthodox practice. Of the biggest of those headlines resonated with an Adam Schefter mid-week report detailed a selfless restructuring of Brady’s contract that the veteran QB signed off on. Basically, the deal let the Patriots strip millions worth of incentives off Brady’s contract all in order to free up money to sign Darelle Revis and others this offseason.

Brady was celebrated by fans and teammates alike after the gesture, proving that he is “doing it right”, loving the team and sacrificing for the good of it.

Speaking on the subject of the restructure Wednesday, Brady said, “It’s been a privilege to play here. I love playing here. It’s just been a great experience in my life. Hopefully I’m here for the rest of my career, and hopefully I go out and play really well for this team. That matters more than anything. I’m going to try to be the best I can be. I play with a lot of great teammates, and I’ve played with a lot of great teammates over the years. I don’t take those things for granted.”

Brady and company were rolling this week. According to many reporters and players alike, practices were competitive and fast paced. The Patriots were in the right mindset with the right put-the-team-needs-first mentality ringing in their heads.

Bill Belichick, who is often cold and unwelcoming to media and fans but is never irrational, rewarded his players with a week of team excursions and deviations from the “plan” as well a day off to cap the week.

The practices were positive. The meetings had players thinking the right way and the team’s interactions with media suggested the presence of a bout of confidence swelling underneath them that could carry them to February glory.

“I think it was beneficial because it was very competitive,” Patriot corner Darelle Revis said of the practice week. “I think you’ve got to give credit to the coaches for seeing that, especially on the BYE week. It’s really an off week where we’re not playing, so I think we did a great job of just being competitive and having that competitive spirit and just trying to work on the things that we’ve talked about that we need to work on in the past.”

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2014 in 8 Days: Top Patriots Moments

(Photo by Getty Images)

by Dakota Antelman

After beginning 2014 with a loss to the Broncos that ended a vastly understaffed season for the Patriots, fans were treated to an off season roster shakeup as well as a roller coaster start to the 2014-2015 season. 

This season has featured the return of Rob Gronkowski, the departure and ensuing return of LeGarrette Blount as well as the signing of Darelle Revis. This year has at once featured some of the highest and lowest times in the career of Tom Brady and ends with Brady on top.

As we enter 2015, Patriots fans look back on what was a generally decent calendar year for their team...

1) Patriots fall 41-14 to Chiefs in Week Four  AND "We're on to Cincinnati"

There was a time in 2014 where once loyal fans were calling for Tom Brady to be traded. Those calls were never louder than they were in Week Four following a stunning Patriots collapse against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Brady was flat in the game getting pulled due to performance issues for one of the first times in his career. Though absurd in hindsight, the general consensus was that Brady was done with the NFL.

"Trade Brady, start Garapolo!" Sounded the calls of fans.

But Bill Belichick and his team kept true. Belichick addressed his team following the loss and then turned to the media with his signature cold faced demeanor.

"Were on to Cincinnati," he said. And so they were. New England beat up on the Bengals the next week and proceeded to rattle off seven straight wins following the loss to the Chiefs.

As 2014 fades into the history books, that four word quote from Belichick will stand as a defining moment, a memoir of devotion and direction following a chaotic loss.

2) Patriots fall to Broncos in AFC Championship

Many months before the Patriots even started the 2014-2015 season they were in Denver playing in their third consecutive AFC Championship game. 

Things did not go so well for them though as a team, devoid of receiving targets, struggled to put up points against the Broncos. Without Rob Grokowski and with Wes Welker playing for the Broncos instead of the Patriots, they were beaten by a score of 26-16.

As a result, the off season began two weeks too early for Brady and company.

3) Darelle Revis comes to New England, excels

In the wake of the loss to Denver that was as much punctuated by inept tackling and defense in the secondary as it was offensive deficiencies, the Patriots went out and bought themselves a franchise cornerback. They signed former Jets and Buccaneers conerback Darelle Revis to a one year $12M contract. He came to the team mere hours after they lost former star Aqib Talib via free agency.

The Patriots definitely took a chance on Revis but the decision paid off in the end. Revis has played every game of this season. He has made two interceptions and effectively shadowed a range of receivers from Wes Welker to Calvin Johnson.

***

Agree with the Go Titletown rankings? Be sure to chime in down in the comment section or mention us on Twitter (@GoTitletown) with your own "Top Patriots Moments of 2014". 

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Darelle Revis, Patriots, not focused on Pro Bowl nomination

(Photo by Charles Krupa/AP)

by Dakota Antelman

Patriot cornerback Darelle Revis was named to the 2015 Pro Bowl Tuesday night. The nomination was the sixth of his career and the first in his first season with the Patriots.

He, Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Stephan Gostkowski and Matthew Slater were all named following stand out seasons for all of them. The team treats their Pro Bowl plans as highly tentative though as, in the event that New England makes the Super Bowl, held the week after the Pro Bowl, no-one will be partaking in the game.

As a result of that, Revis thoroughly downplayed the honor in a midweek conversation with reporters Wednesday.

"We got team goals that we want to accomplish, and the Pro Bowl is definitely not one of them," he said abruptly.

Though appreciative, there has been no second thought among the Patriots about the game since its rosters were announced.

“We all appreciate getting honored, but at the same time, collectively as a whole group, as a team, we can just throw that under the bus, because we're focused more on the team."

Revis confessed to reporters that he does not even know the logistical details about the game (i.e. date and time).

He however is grateful for the support he has been given since being signed by the Patriots in the offseason as well as the success that has resulted from that. He has made 47 tackles and two interceptions this season, shadowing many of the league’s best receivers from week one right through next week’s finale. 

"It all works together, the pass rush, the schemes that we do that the coaches draw up. I thank the coaches, as well, and my teammates for making my job easier."

As for those players, four of whom made the Pro Bowl with Revis, none commented on the Pro Bowl following Wednesday's practice.

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Pro Bowl rosters announced, 5 Patriots included

Photo courtosy of Bob Breidenbach / The Providence Journal)

by Dakota Antelman

Late Tuesday night, the NFL announced via its independent television network, "NFL Network", the 2015 Pro Bowl rosters. Included on this year's rosters were five New England Patriots players.

Quarterback Tom Brady, place-kicker Stephan Gostkowski, tight end Rob Gronkowski, cornerback Darelle Revis and wide receiver Matthew Slater were all selected. This marks the second year of the revamped Pro Bowl which features a draft like selection process and the first in decades not held at Aloha Stadium in Hawaii.

The Patriots have a long history to sending players to the game just as their players have a history of taking it very seriously. Though they had little representation last season, with just one player making the trip, 2015 is a return to a normal state.

Such has been a common theme this season as across the board, the Patriots have been playing to the best of their abilities and living up to the lofty expectations many had for them in the preseason.

Brady has put up some of his best numbers since 2011. He has his second highest completion percentage since 2007, getting back into the area of 30+ touchdowns per season after a sub-par 2013. All around, Brady has arguably been one of the best quarterbacks in football since Week Four. His accuracy has him with a better touchdown/interception ratio (3.67/1) than even the dynastic Peyton Manning (2.6/1).

As far as receivers go, Gronkowski has been above the rest of the Patriots this year. He has caught 82 passes for 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns this year.

Among the other Patriots delegates to Glendale, Gostkowski, Revis and Slater, all of them have put of numbers and fundamental chances to their games that have rightly earned them spots in the Pro Bowl. 

Gostkowski recently took over the franchise record for points-scored while Revis’ 14 passes defended and 47 tackles have negated the efforts of most every receiver who tries to go against him. Lastly, Slater has been a force to be reckoned with on the special teams unit making a case for a long term place within the Patriots in his 7^th NFL season.

If the Patriots do not make it to the Super Bowl they will have five players going to Glendale Arizona anyway the week before it. 

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Julian Edelman, Kyle Arrington, Le Garette Blount do not travel to New York, out vs. Jets

(Photo courtesy of Jared Wilkerham/Getty Images)

By Dakota Antelman

According to multiple reports, the Patriots realized the extent of several key players’ injuries Saturday afternoon before they travelled to New York for their game against the Jets. As a result, they elected to leave WR Julian Edelman, RB LeGarette Blount and CB Kyle Arrington home; ruled out for Sunday’s game.

All week, injury trouble has been a common theme and an overtly discussed topic for the Patriots. Julian Edelman had been listed as limited in each of the Patriots practices this week reportedly nursing a concussion. During that time, LeGarette Blount had participated in almost no contact drills as he is said to be dealing with a shoulder injury.

Finally, Kyle Arrington, who pulled up lame during last week’s game with Miami, has been out for much of the week with an injured hamstring.  Even though an MRI conducted Monday morning showed no major damage to Arrington’s hamstring, the CB appears to be still feeling soreness and as a result will not play.

The losses of Blount, Edelman and Arrington stand as big stories going into Sunday’s game. But against a 3-11 Jets team that has the worst passing game in football and is ranked 20th in pass defense, the Patriots ought to be able to compensate.

Without Edelman, who has hawked big target numbers from Brady all season, passes could be distributed to less targeted players like Danny Ammendola or Brian Tyms. Tyms has only been targeted six times this season, catching one ball. Ironically, that catch went for a touchdown in Week Four vs. Buffalo.

In the run game mind you, the Patriots excelled earlier in the year when Blount did not even play for them. Predictions and past trends dictate that rookie running back Jonas Gray could see increased snaps while an appearance from draftee James White has not yet been ruled out.

The New England secondary will likely absorb the loss of Arrington seamlessly as, beyond cornerstone CB Darelle Revis, Brandon Browner has been on the rise in recent weeks, increasing his effectiveness and thereby decreasing the yards his opponents gain off of him. The Jets passing game, which largely consists of just two capable targets (Eric Decker, Jeremy Kerley) could be negated by Revis and Browner alone.

Las Vegas favored the Patriots to win this game on Monday and still does on Saturday night. Though a lack of Blount, Edelman and Arrington stings on paper, a Patriots team that prides itself in positional depth feels they are able to absorb the loss. 

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Patriots vs Dolphins Preview: Team Not Giving Week One Loss Excessive Weight

(Photo courtesy of Lynne Sladky of the AP)

by Dakota Antelman

The Patriots will be looking to wrap up the AFC East Sunday vs the Dolphins. A win for New England will clench the division for the 12^thtime in 14 seasons while a loss for the Dolphins will potentially eliminate them from the playoffs once again.

Needless to say, the near annual nature of their winning the division, does not make the accomplishment any less appealing as it often predates postseason success.

“It means a lot but obviously not focusing on that, it's more about winning and seeing what happens after that,” Patriots linemen Sebastian Vollmer said to ESPN’s Mike Reiss earlier this week.

One theme that rings loudly in the minds of Patriots fans going into this game is the Week One loss the Dolphins handed the Patriots back in September. The game did not go well for the Patriots as a weak running game and a mediocre start to the season for Brady immediately created much of the worry and questioning that was present for the first four weeks of the year.

However, since these two teams met in Week One, the Patriots have climbed to a sustained position where they have rained touchdowns and stunning losses down upon opponents, effectively erasing the pain of that rough Week One loss. For New England the result of that game is not as much a cause of worry but rather a reason to work even harder in practice.

“Obviously [we have] moved on from that, but there is some stuff that we're goanna try to do better, you know stuff that didn't go well, we'll work on that. Overall, we'll have to play better than we did. Loosing is not acceptable.”

Among the units that have been called upon to improve considerably on their effort last time they faced Miami is the offence as a whole. The Miami defense has given the Patriots trouble in the past. Their run game is prepared while Tom Brady is focused on dumping short passes and not tempting the secondary with deep balls.

In general though, Bilichick has been preaching about giving full effort on all sides of the ball all week.

"We need to talk about how to play offense, defense and special teams against the Dolphins a lot better than we did the last time we played them, which wouldn't take much," he said. "That's what we'll be talking about this week: what to do and how to do it.”

The Patriots defense will have to contend with a mobile quarterback in Miami’s Ryan Tannihill and a varied run game that has hit it off this year with wide receiver Mike Wallace.

Good news for New England though is that Wallace in particular has struggled to catch passes when matched up against physical corners like Brandon Browner or Darelle Revis so far this season. Also, as with almost every matchup between New England and Miami, interceptions could be favored to decide the game.

Many comparisons have been drawn this week between the Week One incarnation of the Patriots that lost to Miami and the Week 15 version that will try to beat them. But according to the team, those comparisons are meaningless. 

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Multi-dimensional Packers offense baffles Patriots: Patriots loose 26-21

by Dakota Antelman

The Patriots suffered a stinging loss to the Packers Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field. Embedded within the 26-21 final score were a whole host of takeaways, the most notable of which being the struggles that the Patriots had in their secondary.

Just one week after cornerstone CB, Darelle Revis deemed the Patriots secondary “the best in the league”, it gave up 26 points to the Packers and allowed 368 passing yards to their quarterback Aaron Rogers.

"When you play great teams, it comes down to you have to win one-on-one matchups," Patriot defensive back McCourty said. "They just won more matchups than we did."

For much of the first half in particular, the Packers were finding ways to beat the Patriots down-feild.

Though double coverage on Jordy Nelson effectively neutralized the Packers' hottest receiver, the Packers located a diamond in the rough in rookie receiver, Davante Adams. Adams caught six passes for a whopping 121 receiving yards and, for the first two quarters, was the Packers’ go-to guy in the passing game.

The Packers adapted perfectly to the Patriots’ work against Nelson and Cobb.

"They're a matchup defense so if they want to try to take away Jordy and Randall – it was basically Revis one-on-one with Randall and Browner with a little bit of help on Jordy -- so we tried to get Davante involved," Rodgers said. "And he made some big plays for us."

Of Adams’ 11 targets on the night, 7 came in the first half. His somewhat stark drop-off in the back half of the game directly correlated to the Patriots briefly taking control in the final minutes of the first half.

They came out and rattled off a blazing fast 80 yard drive that ultimately culminated in Patriots quarterback Tom Brady tossing a 15 yard touchdown pass to receiver Brandon LaFell. The score gave New England new life and greatly diminished the Packers’ then 14-16 lead.

Though, Green Bay turned right back around and scored a touchdown of its own in less than 45 seconds, New England managed to shut out the Packers in the third quarter. Furthermore, it was New England who drew first blood in the fourth quarter with yet another LaFell touchdown.

In the end though, the Packers managed to hold off a comeback hungry Patriots offence.

Most notably, they stifled the Patriots red-zone offence late in the fourth quarter, when a New England touchdown would have given them the lead, and ultimately punched down Brady for a 15 yard sack on third down.

“I just go back to our philosophy of winning. First, you have to find ways to win. Learn how to win, No. 1, but then you've got to find ways to win and you have to do it as many different ways as possible," Packer coach Mike McCarthy said generally about the win.

The Packers had to get creative to stop the dominant Patriots; four field goals, just one punt and a sudden dependency in a fourth level receiver in Adams dictate that much. But in the end, their creativity paid off. Their seemingly easy toppling of one of the NFL’s hottest teams proved to the league that they might very well be the favorite to win the whole NFC this January.

As for the Patriots, they will swallow the loss and turn their focus to next week’s meeting with San Diego where, if the past is any indication, an angry Tom Brady will be a dominant Tom Brady.

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Patriots offense comes up big on day Tom Brady does not

November 17th, 2014
by Dakota Antelman

Well removed from the Week Four loss that seemed to put their season in jeopardy, the Patriots practiced more of the same in their 42-20 win over the Colts Sunday.

The win served as New England’s third straight 40 point performance while Rob Gronkowski caught yet another touchdown pass extending his streak to three games.  

But at the same time, the game also featured some things that fans have not seen out of this team in over a month.

Tom Brady was intercepted twice and threw just for 253 yards. His most notable interception came on a short fade out play that resulted in his lofting a high arcing pass that was quickly picked off at mid field. The Colts would eventually score and send New England into the locker room at the half with a sour taste in their mouths.

 “It was like a no-look throw and those don’t ever end up good,” said Brady. “I thought I had a good look presnap. Gronk got through there, but I just put too much air on the ball and ended up lobbing it up right to Mike. Hopefully, there are no more of those this year.”

Brady threw for fewer yards than he had since that dreadful Week Four loss in Kansas City while his two interceptions nearly doubled his previous season total. But despite that the Patriots still found a way to win in a big way.

Rookie running back Jonas Gray ran for a franchise record four touchdowns in the game adding to a 199 yard all around performance. He rushed with both power and agility jumping through scrums of players and scoring each of his four touchdowns on short, easy runs up the middle of the field.

Gray took the ball on 38 total plays, which given that the Patriots got off only 75 plays, speaks to the omnipresence of the running back in Sunday’s game.

“I think you’ve got to be able to find different ways to win,” said Brady. “Depending on the matchup that you get you’ve got to devise a game plan that you think is going to work. Then once you get in there, see if it works, and if it is you stay with it.”

Operating off of previous observations, the team also elected to favor a red hot Gronkowski. The tight end averaged almost 18 yards per catch vs the Colts and assembled an impressive array of hard blocks and stiff arm plays.

Speaking about a third quarter block on Sergio Brown, Grokonwski said, "He was just yappin' at me the whole time. So I took him and threw him out of the club. I was the bouncer, picked him up and tossed him out of the club on that one touchdown. So that was perfect."

Gronkowski, like Gray, seemed to give the Colts more than they could handle. The same could also be said for the Patriots defense which seemed to put its trust in the capable hands of cornerback Darelle Revis.

Revis was all over the field Sunday but delivered his most debilitating blow during a second corner coverage play on wide receiver Reggie Wayne. Revis was able to go over Wayne’s head and tip a pass intended for him up and back towards a waiting Devin McCourty.

The interception seemed to energize the Patriots defense who stood tall especially in similar situations where the Colts were close to being in a position where they could score.  

“We’re sharks,” Revis said, via ESPNBoston.com. “We smell blood in the water. Each game like this is another step closer to our goal.”

In a game that could have gone very differently, the Patriots stayed vigilant and hungry. Such are traits the team will need in the coming weeks as they face the Lions at home and then travel to Green Bay for a Week Thirteen battle with the Packers.

But for the briefest of moments, the Patriots remain focused on yet another convincing win against a well ranked opponent.

 “It was a great win, great win on the road, against a damn good football team. [But] they all get bigger from here,” Brady said after the game.

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Patriots vs Colts preview: Brady looks to extend streak, Luck looks for defining win

November 15th, 2014

by Dakota Antelman

Two weeks after a long awaited matchup between old and old, the Patriots and Colts will face off in a game that features a matchup of old and new.

The Patriots and Colts are two teams fresh off of BYE weeks. They are two teams with a wide array of receiving targets as well as powerful running backs that they use to move the ball up the field. But their biggest calling card is both their quarterbacks.

Tom Brady, New England’s 15^th year star has been playing brilliantly since a Week Four loss to Kansas City while Andrew Luck, Indianapolis’ third year starter Andrew Luck has been playing brilliantly since he was drafted in 2012.

The two are of great value to their respective teams and have also been compared heavily to each other. In this their 3^rd NFL meeting though, the stakes are higher as it seems that Luck is having a career year.

Patriots linebacker Dont'e Hightower glowed about Luck’s abilities after last Thursday’s practice in Foxboro.

“Luck is definitely one of the premier quarterbacks in the league,” he said. “He can do it with his arm. He can do it with his feet. He’s a smart guy, so he’s definitely again one of the premier quarterbacks in the league.”

Luck’s mobility was something that was noted almost controversially this week when Brady spoke frankly of his soon to be opponent.

"He's a great player, in his third year, and he's had a lot of success," Brady said at Wednesday’s Patriots press conference. "Their offense is doing a great job this year; they score a lot of points [averaging a league-high 32.2 per game], especially at home. He's kind of the ringleader. He does a lot of things I wish I could do."

Luck has thrown for almost 700 more yards than Brady has to this point in the season while also rushing for over 100 more.

Beyond Luck however, the Patriots will have their hands full. A vast onslaught of highly capable tight ends has the Colts positioned as the team with the most points per game in the NFL (31.8). Their last game, a 40-24 demolition of the Giants, featured touchdowns thrown to four different receivers.

Patriots corner-back, Darelle Revis recognized the huge threat that Colts tight end T.Y Hilton poses. He caught one of those Luck passes two weeks ago.

“He’s very fast and very explosive. He makes big plays,” Revis said. “I think he’s a No. 1 receiver at making big plays.”

Revis spoke similarly of Hilton’s teammate, Reggie Wayne.

“He’s just an elite receiver,” Revis said. “He’s been doing it for 14-plus years now. You never see any downfall. I never see a downfall in his game, so that tells you something.”

Beyond the receivers, the Patriots understand the need to prepare for the Colts ability to run the ball. Running back Trent Richardson has a history to beating up on the Patriots and will stop at nothing to do the same on Sunday night. 

But the Patriots are prepared and wholeheartedly willing to utilize their top talents in new ways. Earlier this week, the Patriots practiced in their domed Dana Farber Practice Facility to simulate the conditions in the similarly enclosed Lucas Oil Stadium. 

If the past is any indication, Brady will excel in the climate controlled game.

Earlier this week, CSN Patriots insider Tom E. Curren published an article detailing Brady’s supreme excellence in his 19 games played in domed stadiums. The piece revealed that Brady had thrown 39 touchdowns and an average of 284 yards per game. He is 14-5 in dome games.

“[It’s a change] to have [a week] where the weather is not a factor and we’re not talking about what the conditions may be because it seems like all season Coach [Belichick] has had meetings about what the weather is going to be and how the wind is going to affect the game and if it rains how the rain is going to affect the game,” Brady said in an attempt to extrapolate the trend to this game. “It is a little bit of a breather where you’re playing in a dome where everything is controlled. Like I said, ultimately it’s going to come down to how well you play and execute, but yeah, it’s nice to be indoors today.”

The Patriots and Colts face off at 8:30pm Sunday in a long awaited quarterback duel. Brady will be looking to extend his streak of dominance while Andrew Luck will be looking to achieve his first ever win against the long tenured Patriots legend.

The game will be one stocked with talent and will likely produce a final score that dictates each team’s scouring well past 30 points. 

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Patriots vs. Broncos preview: Manning/Brady, Revis/Talib highlight key matchups

November 1st, 2014

by Dakota Antelman

When the Patriots and Broncos face off Sunday afternoon in Foxboro they will be facing a bracingly cold and windy weather scenario. Beyond that, the game will be a showcase of the skills of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

Brady and Manning enter the game with nearly identical numbers in the past few weeks. Manning only recently set the all-time touchdown record for a quarterback while Brady has recently climbed past the 50,000 passing yards milestone.  

With each milestone, the rivalry between Manning and Brady intensifies. As their respective careers reach their final days and their career statistics climb past previous norms, these meetings become increasingly spectacular.

"Peyton has been a phenomenal player -- so consistent and durable for a long period of time," Brady said. "We've had a great rivalry in the AFC East (when Manning was with Indianapolis), and this year is no different."

Supercharging this game with emotion is the fact that its winner will be granted the best record in the AFC. If the past is any indication of who will grab that positive record, the Patriots are at a serious advantage. Brady is 10-5 all-time against Manning with an even bigger discrepancy becoming evident in Brady’s record in “cold weather games”.  

If the past few games applies any direct influence on the outcome of this game however, the Broncos hold a decisive advantage. They beat the Patriots in their last meeting back in the AFC Championship while nearly beating them in last year’s regular season clash. It took the biggest comeback in Patriots history to seal that win.

Starting fast will be key for the Patriots.

"They've played from ahead, which has been a great advantage for them all season," Brady said. "Hopefully we can get off to a fast start and make them play from behind for once, because you don't want to get behind these guys too much."

Beyond Brady/Manning, this game does feature another huge clash of old and new and good and great. Darrell Revis and Aqib Talib are two of the best corners in the game right now. Revis is coming off of a shut down performance last week against Chicago while Talib comes back to his old home riding the momentum of a 7 tackle game vs the Chargers.

The big story in this game will be how Manning deals with Revis who has, in the minds of many, been much better than Talib.

"We're trying to get everybody involved," Manning said. "If you're throwing against (Revis), you better be accurate."

With bragging rights for Brady and Manning as well as the number one spot in the conference on the line, Sunday’s game against Denver will be a memorable one. 

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Patriots offense dominates in 51-23 win over Bears

October 26th, 2014

by Dakota Antelman

The Patriots grabbed a 51-23 win over the Bears Sunday afternoon. The game featured stand out performances by a wide array of Patriots stars. They also extended their win streak to four games ahead of their game with Denver next Sunday.

As with many of the team’s recent wins, quarterback Tom Brady initiated and sustained the game long onslaught of scoring.  He threw for five touchdowns, and completed 30 passes for a total of 354 passing yards. His completion percentage of nearly 86% was not only his best of the year but actually, the second best single game completion percentage of his career.

Coach Bill Bilichick was gushing after the game when asked about the play of his quarterback.

"I love coaching Tom. I've been fortunate to have him the whole career since he's been here," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "He does a great job of executing the team game plan."

Catching three of Brady’s five touchdown throws was a ferocious Rob Gronkowski.

The Patriots tight end snagged nine throws for a total of 149 yards. His longest play was a whopping 46 yard catch-and-run play in the second quarter that went for a touchdown. His two other touchdown catches were all made realities by fearsome blocks, stiff arms and victories in physical battles.

"He's a man amongst boys," said Darrelle Revis of a play on the 46 yard touchdown where Gronkowski threw aside multiple Bears in a matter of seconds. "I was watching it on the Jumbotron. I thought he was going to get tackled and he just threw the guy out the way and scored. He's a man amongst boys. He's a monster out there. I don't know what you want to call him. You can call him so many things. Megatron. I know Calvin Johnson has that name. But he does his job, and it's going well. He's doing what he's asked to do."

Gronkowski would leave the game in the third quarter with symptoms of “dehydration”. In his absence the Patriots new wide receiver Brandon LaFell staged his coming out party.

LaFell caught 11 passes for 124 total yards and a touchdown catch. His next best game in terms of yardage was the Week Four matchup against the Cheifs in which he hauled in six catches for 119 yards.

The defense would add a score in the second quarter when Rob NIncovich picked up a Jay Cutler fumble and ran it in for a touchdown. Beyond that play the secondary and safeties played decent games with Darrelle Revis holding Bears star Brandon Marshall to two catches for 24 yards.

“They had a great game plan and they executed it well,” said Marshall curtly.

The Patriots will be in action next week in Denver as they delve deeper into a section of their schedule deemed by many to be their toughest. Needless to say, the Patriots felt good after Sunday’s win and will move onto Denver with innumerable confidence.

"We're a team on a mission," said Revis of the game plan moving from the Bears to the Broncos. "This is going to be two great teams going out there."

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Patriots vs Bears preview: Jay Cutler comes to town after weak performance in Week 7

October 25th, 2014
Dakota Antelman

Coming off their third straight win since their Week Four loss to the Chiefs, the Patriots will conclude the first half of their season Sunday against the Bears.  

At 5-2, the Patriots sit in first place in the AFC East, two weeks after moving past the Bills with a pivotal win. New England has seemingly, rescued at least part of a season that was looking increasingly worrisome as the first four games played out. They have done so mainly as a result of the play of Brady.

The Patriots quarterback struggled to start the season but has turned his year around since week four. He has thrown for 9 touchdowns and 914 yards in the past three games possibly regaining the respect of Patriots fans who only a few weeks ago were calling for his head. 

Still, despite his work of late, Brady remains a mediocre quarterback in the eyes of NFL experts this season. That is shown by the fact that this week’s quarterback matchup between Brady and Chicago Bear Jay Cutler which tells of a statistical inferiority on the part of Brady.

Firing back against that numerical favoring of Cutler however, former NFL’er and current analyst Brian Urlacher, said, "You look at the guys ... the Bradys, the Mannings, the Rodgerses, the Breeses ... those guys win every year. Even with no one around them. (Aaron) Rodgers has no offensive line, he wins. (Tom) Brady has no receivers, he wins. You look at Jay, he's got Brandon (Marshall), Alshon (Jeffery), Matt (Forte) and a great offensive line ... Martellus Bennett ... and they can't seem to put it together for some reason."

Last week, Cutler threw an interception and fumbled the ball twice.

Going into this week’s matchup, major speculation has been made in regards to how the Patriots defense will work to deal with Cutler and the Bears offence. Earlier this week, Bill BIlichick spoke on how the team will need to play and aggressive game at the line of scrimmage while also throwing Revis into tight coverage against either Brandon Marshall or Alshon Jeffery.

In the past, Revis has exercised a superiority over Marshall in particular. In four games against the heralded receiver, Revis has allowed just 120 yards in receptions intercepting at least one pass thrown at Marshall.

The Patriots recognize the threat he poses.

“Great receiver, man. This week, we got our hands full with two big wide receivers, with him and (Alshon) Jeffery, and we’re looking forward to it,”

Marshall and Jeffery have combined for 853 yards. Their danger is appreciated by the Patriots. But their teammate, Matt Forte is, logically, even more dangerous. Sitting as the third best running back in the league this year Forte has rushed for 448 yards and a trifecta of touchdowns. He will likely draw the attention of middle D-linemen, Vince Wilfork.

"He [Forte] does an excellent job of burst and explosion through the line of scrimmage," Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia said. "He has incredibly quick feet and some good quickness to get to the edge.”

The Bears and Patriots will hit the field a 1PM Sunday for a key midseason matchup. The 3-4 Bears need a win to save their season while the 5-2 Patriots need a win to keep on the track they are on.

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Patriots at Dolphins Week One Preview: With predictions daring, the Patriots kick things off in a must win

Alas the summer has ended. As our thermometers that show the searing temperatures of August are beginning to warn of opposite weather signifying that summer has finally, blissfully ended giving way to the seasons known not as fall and winter but rather as a one football season. After drafts completed and training camps ground through, the NFL season began Thursday with the Seahawks defeating the Packers 36 to 16 and most other teams logging their final practices before their respective openers. 

The Patriots, who are set to play the Dolphins at one o'clock on Sunday, were no different this week, fielding their vast array of new talent for their practices as they hope to live up to the high expectations fans have of them this year. Their first step in proving that will be staying on the field. For the past few years, this team that has been fully capable of winning a Super Bowl has only been hindered in doing so by a variety of torn ligaments, bruised brains and more. When we look at these last few years the loss of Rob Gronkowski for various periods of time has been glaring. Additionally, the sudden injuries to Aquib Talib in back to back AFC Championships could also be pointed to as reasons for early exits by this team. Basically each year since their Super Bowl loss in 2011, the Patriots have fielded an opening day roster that could easily win the NFL title. Their only problem has been depth. Finally Bill Belichick addressed that problem in blowing things up this off-season.  

Going into week one, the Patriots will have a suddenly ferocious running back squad that includes the likes of an underrated Shane Vereen, rookie James White and a finally demoted but still skilled Stephan Ridley. This wonderful improvement to the Patriots rushing game will allow Tom Brady to work in some new read option plays as well as keep the offence moving even if a receiver like Rob Gronkowski goes down again. Furthermore, it will allow the Patriots coaches to put fumble prone Ridley on a much shorter leash as even without him, the team would still have its power rusher in White and its flashy RB in Vereen. 

In an interview with Sirius XM back in August, Bill Belichick spoke on the subject of White. "He's a very interesting and versatile player," he said. "He does a good job in the passing game and in the running game -- both inside and outside. Blitz pickup -- we have a pretty extensive offense for him to learn, but he's working hard at it. We'll just let him go and see how it goes, but I think he has the ability to compete on all three downs, in both the running game and the passing game." 

Keeping with the theme of depth, the Patriots will also be rolling out a new look defense in week one with headline CB, Darrelle Revis serving as the centerpiece to their pass defense that now  also includes league veteran Brandon Browner. This week one game that features Miami wide receiver Mike Wallace will actually be a perfect showcase of the capabilities of this revamped Pats defense. Wallace who will begin his second season in Miami against the Patriots is a man who despite his up and down stats has always boasted incendiary speed off the line. Revis, the Patriot who will be tasked with matching those explosive sprints up the sideline said to ESPN's Mike Reiss earlier this week that Wallace is "probably the fastest in the league." 

All we can say about that is that Revis is a smart man to acknowledge and prepare for Wallace to the fullest extent. At the NFL Combine in 2009, Mike ran a 4.33 second 40 meter dash blowing scouts away and serving as his calling card going into the draft. 

Revis, who ran 4.38 in his 40 yard dash back in 2007 of all people is nonetheless capable of catching Wallace. Such turns out to be a theme with the Patriots as they match up against the Dolphins. 

Each season since their 6-10 2011 failure, the Dolphins have been getting consistently better as they have begun conditioning their decided starter Ryan Tannehill while grooming a vast array of linemen and tight ends through the draft and their practice squad. Though Miami in the present is not a squad that could possibly contend with the Patriots for the AFC East title which the team has sat upon for the better part of 15 years, they have given the Patriots their fair share of scares of late, actually defeating New England last season and regularly keeping even their losses close well into the 4th quarter. But as said earlier, the Patriots are still incomprehensibly better than their South Beach foes. It is almost like those Bruins vs Providence Bruins games each year where, though sometimes the affiliate wins, no one ever calls the squads equal. 

At 1 in the afternoon Sunday, the Patriots will step onto the steamy field in Miami while we all watch from home in pleasant New England. Patriots fans will watch that game from afar, hoping that by afternoon's end they will be celebrating. Furthermore, they will also be distantly fantasizing about a much grander celebration that might involve duck boats and a shiny trophy specked with confetti a little over 5 months from now. As it stands, we might have reason to believe that both those hopes and wishes will be granted.

*all statistics from ESPN.com

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One by one: A precise breakdown of the recent additions made to the Patriots via free agancy

After a week that included the resigning of Julian Edelman, the loss of Aqib Talib and eventual replacing of him with Darrelle Revis, the request for release made by Vince Wilfork, the signing of Brandon Browner, and finally the deal that brought former Panther Brandon LeFell to the Patriots, one big question has rang through Foxborugh almost without cease. That question being, amidst all this, are the Patriots better?

By alot.

Looking back to last season, a season ended by the firepower of Peyton Manning and his legion of dexterous receivers but also an incurable slew of injures to the Patriots, it was those injuries that evidently held this team out of actual Super Bowl contention. Right out of the gate, New England's most promising young running back - nimble Shane Vereen - was knocked out of his Week 1 match-up with Buffalo as a result of a broken hand. He did not return until Week 11 against Carolina. Also felled in Week One however was wide receiver Danny Ammendola who fell victim to a hip strain that between several flare ups amounted to 4 missed games and a diminished trust on the part of Tom Brady in the man who was supposed to be the replacement to Wes Welker. Averaging just 6.9 targets and 4.5 receptions per game, Ammendola was possible the biggest disappointment of the 2013 regular season for the Patriots largely because of his inability to stay healthy and therefore develop a connection with the passer. Keeping on the topic of injures, it would only be about a month before things got even worse for New England as in Week 4 against the Falcons, middle defensive lineman - Vince Wilfork - went down with a freak achilles injury. That knock took him out for the entire season. From there, the theme of injury susceptibility had been set for these 2013 Pats. By mid-season, their line backing core had been decimated and their offensive line had been compromised by a nearly constant turnover as a result of injuries to various starters.

When the one rock left on that unit - Nate Solder - suffered concussions in back to back weeks towards the end, many Patriots fans partially expected it solely because when it came to injury, everything that could possibly go wrong last season did. But Solder was not even the best example of that. After missing the first 6 games of the season as a result of a slew of off-season surgeries, star tight end - Rob Gronkowski - returned in Week 7 against the Jets only to be taken out at the knees 6 games later. As a result of the low blow, Gronkowski tore both his ACL and his MCL and did not return to action before the season was over.

If one were to try to pinpoint the cause for the Patriots short comings last season, injuries would be a viable pick. You see, the Patriots had enough skill under contract to win the Super Bowl only when it came to the sideline, many of those talents were simply not there. Knowing that success in 2014 would be gotten by health, the Patriots went into free agency looking to replace those who are prone to injury with those who are not. That theme was evident right from the first sequence of transactions we saw this week.

Though he was one of the best corner backs in years for the Patriots, the 5 interceptions in 19 regular season games, Aqib Talib made were overshadowed by the back to back injuries in AFC Championship games to Talib as well as the 3 regular season games he missed in 2013. After 23 games in New England, the Aqib Talib experiment was concluded when the team allowed him to walk and sign a 57 million dollar contract with Denver. But the importance of having a shutdown corner in New England did not leave with Talib.

Less than a 24 hours after the Talib contract was signed, the Patriots inked a 1 year 12 million dollar contract with former Jet and Buccaneer Darrelle Revis effectively replacing Talib with someone even better. Through 7 seasons, Revis has missed games due to injury in just 2 seasons. During the 95 games he has played, Revis has defended 108 passes, made 21 interceptions and 284 total tackles. Solely on the basis of playing time, Revis has made the team better than they were with Talib.

Also coming into the system is 4th year, hulk of a human corner back, Brandon Browner. Standing at 6 foot 4 inches and 221 pounds, Browner was a key name within the Seattle Seahawks' Legion of Boom that won them the Super Bowl this season. He defended and average of 1.25 passes in the 8 games he started this season keeping true with a theme of consistency he has built himself in Seattle. He defended 23 passes and picked off 6 more in his rookie year and dispite suffering a bit of a drop off 1 year later piled in 35 tackles with 3 more interceptions and 3 powerful fourced fumbles.

It seems that the only drawback about Browner is the big black mark next to his name that cost him the last 8 games of the regular season, the 3 playoff games the Seahawks won en route to the Super Bowl and the first 4 games of this coming season. Midway through December is was announced that Browner was facing a drug suspension as a result of failed tests from earlier in his career and on December 18th, he was suspended indefinitely from the league. During the offseason however, he was told he would be allowed to return in Week 5 of this coming season.

Now I know what you are thinking. You are thinking 'hey, haven't we already had our fair share of bad character signings in Boston?'. The answer to that is yes but here me out. While Browner was dealt a pretty sizable deal when it comes to the cap, not much of the deal is guaranteed. In fact just 4.8 million of the 17 million dollars Browner is eligible to receive will come guaranteed. The remaining 12 million plus will only be earned if Browner can meet a wide array of statistical milestones, namely 250,000 dollar paydays if he can appear in 75% and then 85% of the team's plays in years 2 and 3 of the contract.

Fact is with the Browner deal, if he works out, the Patriots will have a booming, ball hawking hulk covering an opponent’s secondary targets on the large majority of plays. And yet if things go badly and Browner does not reform himself, than the Patriots will get out without much financial lament.

Finally, we cannot help but recognize the work of Julian Edelman and how much he absolutely deserves the contract he was dealt. But nevertheless, even after the Patriots locked down Edelman with a 4 year 17 million dollar contract, they looked to add one more target for Tom  Brady. Late Saturday night, they signed, former Panther, Brandon LaFell to a 3 year 9 million dollar contract therefore locking down a durable target of healthy Amendola skill for the reminder of Brady's productive career. In 5 years with Carolina, LaFell has made just 167 receptions but has miraculously averaged almost 14 and a half yards per reception. Additionally, in each of his 5 seasons, LaFell has improved upon his yardage totals from the year before. In each of his last 3 seasons, he has logged 600+ receiving yards. 

Fact is every team will have its weaknesses only the good ones are better at makeing up for those weaknesses elsewhere. In 2014, the Patriots will likely be a team with weak linebackers and safety but that will not matter because their corner backs and downfield receivers will be without refute.

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Patriots hand Darrelle Revis 1 year 12 million dollar contract just 1 day after loosing Aqib Talib

After assembling a season stat card that reflected his being one of the best corner backs in football, Aqib Talib was lured away from New England by the promise and eventual signing of a 6 year, 57 million dollar deal with Denver. That loss however worthy of the pay Talib was, left the Patriots sans their strongest defensive talent last season and put them in a place where, as rumors of a Wilfork departure continue to run rampant, they might not want to be going into next season. 

New England recognized this and in a move that went against much of the talk that has circulated this offseason, signed former Jet and Buccaneer pro bowler, Darrelle Revis to a 1 year 12 million dollar contract that makes him the highest paid defensive player on the team next year.  

Revis has logged 8 years of NFL experience with the Jets and Buccaneers respectively. He made 43 tackles and defended 11 passes in 16 games last season in Tampa. 

It is that last stat that might be what actually makes Revis better than the man he is replacing. Though Talib made more interceptions, defended passes and tackles last season than Revis did, Revis played 16 games, a truth that cannot be stressed how valuable it is. The way New England plays defense, the presence of a shutdown corner to go against the opponent's best receiver on every play is something they rely on greatly. While Talib was that shutdown corner, he was not there every week missing 3 games in the middle of the year this season and getting knocked out of both AFC Championships he was in New England for. Revis however has played 16 games in 6 out of his 8 seasons in the league. He has not once raised any sort of question regarding durability.

All and all, former Patriot Ty Law agrees with the premise that Revis is an upgrade from Talib

"The Patriots were only a few pieces away from being a Super Bowl team again -- now that you have Darrelle, hey, why not?," Law told USA TODAY "Darrelle is an upgrade. No disrespect to Aqib, who is a great corner in his own right. But outside of Denver in the AFC, who else do you see besides the Patriots?

"That is what was so appealing for Darrelle." 

After being the face of the New York Jets defense for 6 years to start his career, Darrelle Revis will come to New England looking to vault the team to one final Super Bowl in the Tom Brady era. In this case, it is safe to say that the Patriots will likely get their 12 million dollars’ worth for this deal.

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