Category Archives: New England Patriots
Patriots’ Josh McDaniels looks forward to WR competition
New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has been back with the team for a few months now, but spoke with the media for the first time Friday, at the opening of rookie camp. The Patriots offense was largely a well-oiled machine in 2011, but it did lack a deep threat. Currently, New England has 12 receivers on the roster, which will lead to some competition during training camp. Every coach likes to have a little competition to keep his players on their toes and at their sharpest. And McDaniels is certainly no exception to that.
Football, a game of violence
Football is a very violent game that many of us love to play and love to watch. You have to have a strong will to play the game. Football is not a game for the weak of heart, evidenced by Junior Seau the former San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots linebacker. Injuries are a big part of the game. The injuries come along with the violence. Some folks play the game and never have a problem either physically or mentally. Then there are some players that have retired because of shots taken while playing, concussions, necks, knees, ankles, and some have even been paralyzed.
Tim Tebow isn’t the fastest QB in the AFC East but who is?
Often in the NFL a huge emphasis is placed on the 40 time of players. New York Jets quarterback Tim is one of the more mobile quarterbacks in the NFL yet his 40 time isn’t overly impressive. A fullback playing quarterback, Tebow does possess deceptive speed with the uncanny ability to beat defenders to the edge. Despite Tebow’s athletic prowess, believe it or not, he isn’t the fastest quarterback in the AFC East. So who is?
6. Tom Brady, New England Patriots: Brady is doing his best to prove that less can be more when it comes to the speed of an NFL quarterback. At his NFL combine, Brady ran an unimpressive 5.28, 40-yard dash. Many scouts and teams may have snickered but Brady and the Patriots are definitely getting the last laugh. Brady’s career record is 124-35 and he’s played in five Super Bowls. Not bad for a slow poke.
Bill Belichick knows how to play the injury report
You wouldn’t know it, but Tom Brady’s right shoulder has bothered him on most Sundays, dating back to when he took over the starting duties for the New England Patriots from Drew Bledsoe on that fateful day in 2001. One wouldn’t have guessed it just by looking at his stats and games played, as he’s never missed a start. Throw out his 2008 season as his knee was shredded only seven and a half minutes into the season. Now, Brady’s name rarely pops up on the injury report, yet he’s been listed as “probable” for what seems like half of his career.
Junior Seau, goodbye “Buddy”
Today the world found out the tragic news that the beloved and respected man known as Junior Seau was found dead at the age of 43.
Uncharacteristic for a linebacker in the NFL, it seems like everyone enjoyed Seau and the way he played. Not only his teammates and opponents, but the fans also seemed to migrate towards him. Teammates in Miami, New England, and San Diego all remember him as a great player, leader, and friend.
Most importantly, he was a ground breaker for young men of Polynesian decent. He came from a home where he and his siblings literally slept on the floor of a one car garage, to becoming one of the most talented athletes to ever come out of the San Diego area. Seau’s accomplishments at Oceanside High School, California, in football, basketball, and track earned him a scholarship to play football for the prestigious University of Southern California. After a rough start to his career at USC due to academic inadequacies, he went on to don the number 55 jersey for the Trojans (a jersey that is worn by a player considered to be a future NFL star) and become a first round draft pick of the San Diego Chargers in 1990. Since his time at USC, there have been many great players of Polynesian descent to leave their mark at the university in the wake of Seau’s greatness. Names like Troy Polamalu, Rey Maualuga, and Lofa Tatupu to name a few have all gone on to vault the program to greatness en route to promising NFL careers.
Patriots break tradition, bolster defense to help Tom Brady
The New England Patriots moved up not once, but twice in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft in order to strengthen a defense that ranked 31st in the league in 2011. Traditionally, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has traded down in previous drafts in order to stockpile picks for future use, but after losing his second Super Bowl in the past four years at the end of the 2011 season, Belichick has had enough.
Patriots will select Harrison Smith if they keep the pick
If the New England Patriots keep the 31st pick in the 2012 NFL draft look for them to select Notre Dame safety Harrison Smith.
Harrison Smith exhibits great ball skills, takes proper angles towards the pass, has the ability to adjust to make a play and fills a glaring need for the Bill Belichick and the Patriots.
He has the idea size for a safety and has the ability to assist in run support as a solid tackler.
Maybe the best thing he has going for him entering the 2012 NFL draft is that he is consistent and has the ability to play both safety positions.
New England Patriots helmet concept design
Charles Sollers, a photographer from Missouri for Rivals.com has created a new concept design for the New England Patriots helmets.
By now you have probably seen some of Sollers work as he also has provided images of college team helmets and uniforms.
As Nike takes over the NFL uniforms there were little changes made, but could you imagine Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Wes Welker wearing helmets looking like this?
Rob Gronkowski: Player profile
It’s sometimes said that certain people are born to do a certain job. That may never be more fitting than in the case of New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. Gronkowski was born in Amherst New York on May 14th 1989. He was 11 years old when Tom Brady and the Patriots won their first Super Bowl against the St Louis Rams. and Jermaine Wiggins was the Patriots’ TE back then.
2012 NFL draft: Possible selections for the New England Patriots
It’s hard to say that Tom Brady and the 2011 New England Patriots fell short of expectations. The AFC Champions took a questionable defense into the Super Bowl and many have said that their lack of wide receiver talent and more importantly a speed rusher on the edge hurt their chances of beating the Giants.
I think it’s fair to say that if you replayed the Super Bowl 10 times we may have a 50/50 split, but the Patriots are stacked with early draft picks once again and this year could be the year Bill Belichick chooses to use those picks.
Mel Kiper of ESPN.com has the Patriots selecting;
Vinny Curry, OLB, Marshall
Vinny Curry
Curry is a really good pass-rusher for a team that needs to find some help in that area. I’m not sure he’s the best candidate to play OLB in a 3-4, but Bill Belichick can scheme around his personnel as well as anybody, and if he loves a pass-rusher, he’ll find a way to make it work. Curry has violent hands and can really get a tackle off-balance. He can also swim to the inside. The Patriots need to add talent to the front seven, and Curry is a start.
We’ve seen the value of Vince Wilfork, and while Reyes isn’t the size of a city block, he certainly has some of the traits of a guy who can help a defense similarly. When he gets good leverage (which he usually does), Reyes is really strong and will get offensive linemen up off their feet as he pushes them into the backfield. He’s not going to shed blocks as a brilliant pass-rusher would, but Reyes can develop into the guy who makes everybody else a better pass-rusher because he demands so much blocking help.
Wes Bunting of the National Football Post has the Patriots selecting;
Fletcher Cox, Defensive Tackle, Mississippi State
Lamar Miller
“He’s a tall, long-armed defensive lineman with an explosive first step, can penetrate and possesses some scheme versatility. Seems like an ideal late first-round Patriots type pick,” Bunting writes.
Mark Barron, Safety, Alabama
“New England has had to piece together their secondary this year, but in terms of talent they could certainly use an upgrade at a number of spots,” Bunting writes. “Barron is a smart, instinctive safety with good ball skills, can play in the box and be effective bumping/running with tight ends underneath.”
The Penalty Flag’s Mike Presley has the following players selected for the Patriots in the first two rounds;
Round 1, Pick 27(via NO): Vinny Curry DE/OLB Marshall: Patriots defense was horrible last season, at least until they got some players back who were injured. The way the defense played when they got healthy shows what kind of defense they truly have. The Patriots improve their pass rush with Curry and add more youth to their defense.
- 2012 NFL Draft: Vinny Curry DE Marshall (college-sports-university.com)
Jared Crick
Round 1, Pick 31: Lamar Miller RB Miami: Make no mistake about it, one of these first round picks will be traded. Right now I don’t project trades even though my 32 team Mock will feature trades. Miller is too good to pass up here at 31, and gives them another weapon on offense to work with.
- 2012 NFL Draft: Lamar Miller RB Miami (college-sports-university.com)
Round 2, Pick 48: Harrison Smith SS Notre Dame: Patriots once again go defense. Things didn’t work out with Meriweather so they will need another safety. When Mike Mayock praises a player, it’s always a bonus. Smith has nice size(6’2) and has played great for Notre Dame the past two seasons which warrants him as a second round pick.
- 2012 NFL Draft: Harrison Smith SS Notre Dame (college-sports-university.com)
Round 2, Pick 63: Jared Crick DE Nebraska: 4 picks within the first two rounds, did the Patriots win a lottery or what. They should be able to improve their team with the early picks they got and again they go defense as Crick adds more talent to what was a weak defense for the most of 2011.
- 2012 NFL Draft: Jared Crick DE Nebraska (college-sports-university.com)
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Kim Kardashian
Cedric Benson: The next imperfect Patriot?
It’s often said that history repeats itself and if Cedric Benson joined the New England Patriots in 2012 the statement would again be true.
Possible Destinations For Mike Wallace
Mike Wallace has emerged as a rising star for the Pittsburgh Steelers ever since being drafted in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. It seems that he would be the new receiver for Ben Roethlisberger to grow with but things aren’t exactly going the way Pittsburgh wants it to. As if the playoff loss to the Denver Broncos seemed bad, it will only get worse in a couple weeks when there is a real possibility that Pittsburgh could lose Mike Wallace. The Steelers are $11 million over the cap currently and are working hard in trying to get under the cap for the 2012 Season. They do not have cap room to slap the Franchise Tag on Wallace while tendering him will leave him vulnerable to a team willing to give up their first round pick to take Mike Wallace away. Now who would be willing to part with their first round pick to take Mike Wallace away, here are some possible destinations for Mike Wallace.
New England Patriots: If there was any team wanting to give up a first round pick it would be a team with two first round picks at their disposal. The Patriots are one of the few teams who do have two picks in the first round. Wes Welker is a Free Agent and even if they put the Franchise Tag on him, it would only be a one year deal. Mike Wallace meanwhile is young and fast who can contribute to helping the Patriots get back to the Super Bowl.
San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers want to upgrade at receiver in free agency and the draft. Why not essentially use the 30th pick in the 2012 Draft on a proven Mike Wallace rather take a chance on a late round receiver. Not only would they have the pick to give up, but the money to give Wallace a long term deal, something the cap tight Steelers can not do. They are $35-40 million under the cap, plenty of room to not only re-sign Alex Smith but give Mike Wallace the money he would be looking for.
Houston Texans: The Texans desperately need to upgrade across from Andre Johnson. Why not use it on speedy Mike Wallace? The Texans offense would be even better than it has ever been with teams having to decide between double covering Andre or Wallace. They would instantly become Super Bowl favorites and once again be a top contender in the AFC.
Denver Broncos: If the Broncos ever want to take my advice on how to build around Tim Tebow, using their first round pick on Mike Wallace would be a good start. With the exception of Demaryius Thomas, the Broncos have nothing at receiver. Tim Tebow, whether you want to admit it or not, is improving as a quarterback and if he is to improve even more, he’ll need the receivers to do so. The Broncos know first hand what Wallace can do when they played the Steelers in the wild card round and would do wonders for Tebow.
Baltimore Ravens: In my AFC North mock, I gave the Ravens Rutgers Wide Receiver Mohamed Sanu with the 29th pick in the 2012 Draft. Like other receiver needy teams in this article, why not use a late round pick on a proven player. Baltimore is probably already enjoying the fact Pittsburgh is over the cap and they will have little room to improve on while Baltimore will have cap room to make improvements. So why not one up Pittsburgh by taking their young star receiver away from them. I know Ray Rice is a free agent but he is likely to be Franchised and Anquan Boldin is 32 and isn’t getting any younger. The combination of Torrey Smith and Mike Wallace would help Joe Flacco out tremendously and since they got over the hump of Pittsburgh last season, adding Mike Wallace may be the ingredient needed to get them over the most important hump and into the Super Bowl.
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Mike Presley is a NFL Featured Journalist for The Penalty Flag. He is a graduate of the Carolina School of Broadcasting and hosts a weekly NFL show on the schools radio station 89.3 The Storm entitled “The Front Seven.” Mike also writes for the racing website www.hardcoreracefans.com. Follow him on Twitter @mikepresley64.
