The Third Act.

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Captain Canada
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The Third Act.

Post by Captain Canada » 18 Jan 2022, 11:58

We ready :blessed: I still cannot get over that secondary
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mvp
Posts: 2632
Joined: 01 Jul 2020, 10:03

The Third Act.

Post by mvp » 18 Jan 2022, 12:12

Really like the camp storylines update. I'm excited for Perkins next season IRL.

Dude Washington looks unreal. Any thoughts of using him on the perimeter in certain sets, or going with 2/3 TE sets? Feel like he is a huge matchup problem.

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Soapy
Posts: 7011
Joined: 27 Nov 2018, 18:42

The Third Act.

Post by Soapy » 18 Jan 2022, 15:25

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NE | 3 | 3 | 17 | 8 || 31
PHI | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 || 10
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Patriots defense shines in preseason win over Eagles
New England spent a lot of money and draft capital this offseason in improving an already elite defense and on Thursday, the proof was in the pudding.

Philadelphia's offense was shutout in the second half as New England recorded six sacks, a forced fumble and a pick six to beat the Eagles 31-10 in Philadelphia to open the preseason with a victory.

Leon O'Neal's pick six was the icing on the cake as New England outscored Philadelphia 25-0 in the second half. The Eagles held a brief 10-6 lead entering the half after Jalen Hurts had led a touchdown drive and Mac Jones wasn't able to, only scoring a field goal in his two drives.

Jones finished 3 of 4 for 42 yards before Matt Ryan took over and completed the half. Ryan had the lone New England turnover of the game, throwing an interception as defensive end Jermaine Johnson dropped into coverage and appeared to trick Ryan by leaping up for the interception. Ryan completed just 46 percent of his passes, going 6 of 13 for 63 yards.

Second-year QB D'Eriq King fared better, going 6 of 8 for 100 yards and rushing for 22 yards. He hooked up for a thirteen-yard touchdown to receiver Paris Campbell for the first and only touchdown of the Patriots offense.

Graham Mertz finished the fourth quarter for New England, throwing 8 passes and completing just two of them.

The Good
1. Rookie linebacker Trez Marshall led the team with eight tackles, including two tackles for loss as well as recovering his own fumble that he forced. Outside of the counting stats, Marshall's explosiveness jumped off the screen and his ability to close in on ball carriers was very noticeable.

Philadelphia's scheme didn't force Marshall to take on blockers as they primarily ran zone plays that allowed Marshall to shoot gaps and make plays. It'll be interesting to see in the future how Marshall holds up against more downhill running schemes.

2. Another Georgia rookie that impressed was Kenny McIntosh who had a rushing touchdown and average 5.3 yards per carry while leading the team in rushing with 70 yards.

McIntosh also fielded some punts and while he did not return any, it bodes well for his chances of not only making the roster but having an impact in 2022. Braxton Berrios is the favorite to be the team's returner this season after scoring twice on kickoff returns last season but having that flexibility to put McIntosh back there in certain situations or due to injury just adds to the rookie's case.

3. The entire second unit defense played well as a whole, limiting the Eagles to very little yardage in the second half and no points. The front seven, led by Marshall, just took the game over as it went on and made the Eagles offense non-existent.

The Bad
1. The first-team offensive line didn't get much movement going and Damien Harris averaged just four yards per carry. The offense as a whole didn't look particularly crisp in the first quarter and could use some extra playing time in the next game which is likely to come.

2. Darnell Washington had three dropped passes, including a wide open in the endzone which led to New England having to settle for a field goal. Washington bounced back, finishing with four receptions for 54 yards so it was good to see resolve in the young player.

3. Before his pick six, Philadelphia seemed to be targeting 2nd-year safety Leon O'Neal Jr. in coverage, especially when he was in open space. Adrian Phillips is getting up there in age and at some point, the team will likely be looking for his replacement but if O'Neal doesn't improve in coverage, it might end up being rookie Jaiden Lars-Woodbey, who also had three tackles, instead.

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Soapy
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Joined: 27 Nov 2018, 18:42

The Third Act.

Post by Soapy » 18 Jan 2022, 15:28

Captain Canada wrote:
18 Jan 2022, 11:58
We ready :blessed: I still cannot get over that secondary
I need bout six pick sixes ngl
mvp wrote:
18 Jan 2022, 12:12
Really like the camp storylines update. I'm excited for Perkins next season IRL.

Dude Washington looks unreal. Any thoughts of using him on the perimeter in certain sets, or going with 2/3 TE sets? Feel like he is a huge matchup problem.
While in-game ratings wise he could be used that way, I kind of want to initial use him like he was at Georgia as a traditional in-line blocker and also potentially placing Jonnu at FB on certain sets and having Washington and Henry be the two tight ends since Jonnu did play some fullback this past season IRL.

We about to get freaky with Darnell though, i can guarantee that.

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Soapy
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The Third Act.

Post by Soapy » 21 Jan 2022, 07:41

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'Just shut up and listen'; McCreary competitive on the field, attentive off it
Unlike most first round picks, New England Patriots cornerback Roger McCreary wasn't sure what his role would be like as a rookie. New England is notorious for bringing younger players along slowly as they adjust to a new way of preparation, a complex and demanding scheme as well as the natural adjustment of going from college football to the NFL.

An injury to Jalen Mills early in last season's training camp pushed McCreary into the starting unit and he never left, ending the season as one of the team's top defensive backs as he finished his rookie season with three interceptions.

Instead of taking a step forward for his second season, on the surface, McCreary is taking a step back with the addition of Jaire Alexander to the roster. Last season, depending on the matchup, McCreary or Jonathan Jones would be CB2 heading into the game opposite of J.C. Jackson. This year, it's clear that Jackson and Alexander will be the team's top corners.

"I just shut up and listen and try to learn as much as possible," says McCreary of his Jackson and Alexander who he calls his mentors.

McCreary credited Jackson, Jones and Devin McCourty for getting him ready to play as a rookie. With a year under his belt, McCreary is still a sponge soaking it up. It's when he gets on the field that the competitive side comes out of him.

"When we're on the field, I feel like I'm the best corner on the team. That's never going away," said McCreary of accepting his role as the team's third corner, "Obviously I look up to those guys and they're great players but when the ball is snapped, I want to be covering the best receiver and the only way to get that matchup is being the best corner on the team so I just work my way to be that and until then, I just try to help the team however I can."

Other quick hits from camp:

C Robert Hainsey placed on IR
Hainsey suffered an upper arm fracture in the opener and has been placed on IR.

With Hainsey out, who started several games at center last season while David Andrews was injured, the door is now opened for Matt Jones to make his Patriot debut. Jones did not play against the Eagles as he was dealing with a knee injury that he suffered in last week's practice.

Jones, the team's third round pick, has been back at practice so far this week with no limitations.

Patriots load up on defensive tackles as camp into full swing
The Patriots have signed defensive tackle Randy Preston, an UDFA out of USC and Texas A&M UDFA DT Kevin Childers along with veteran defensive tackle Andrew Brown.

The additions bring New England's roster total to 75 and eleven interior defensive linemen.

The team was light on true nose tackles and all three new signings can play nose. The most intriguing might be USC's Randy Preston who is six-foot-five and weighs 301 pounds. While Quinnen Williams and Christian Barmore are athletic big guys that can play inside, the Patriots could use more depth at that position with similar athletes which both Preston and Brown bring.

Fullbacks Beck and Cabinda back at practice after suffering knee injury
New England was without both fullbacks on their roster against Philadelphia with both Andrew Beck and Jason Cabinda dressed in street clothes during the game.

Both players were dealing with apparent knee injuries but have since been cleared and have been at practice. It was always going to be an uphill battle for Beck to make the roster and beat out incumbent starter Cabinda and now he has one less game to prove his worth.

Cabinda, who had some blunders in blocking last season, is also fighting for a roster spot. New England is likely going to carry at least three tight ends on the roster in Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith and rookie Darnell Washington. Devin Asiasi started at fullback in the opener and wasn't awful while Dalton Keene is probably one of the team's better receivers at tight end, excluding Henry and Smith.

Keene and Asiasi are both former third round picks that the team could decide to stick with. If they end up carrying five tight ends, they might opt to not have a fullback on the roster after having one consistently for the past few seasons.
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mvp
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The Third Act.

Post by mvp » 21 Jan 2022, 09:19

Would love to see Asiasi pop eventually

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Soapy
Posts: 7011
Joined: 27 Nov 2018, 18:42

The Third Act.

Post by Soapy » 21 Jan 2022, 12:55

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NE | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 || 24
DET | 0 | 3 | 7 | 14 || 24

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Lions complete comeback effort to force draw with Pats
In their encounter last season, the New England Patriots completely dominated the Detroit Lions as Detroit was on their way to earning the top pick in the draft. A few months later, Detroit was able to keep it close and eventually tie the game in their 24-24 draw with New England.

First overall pick Tyler Van Dyke was impressive in his outing, completing 15 of 19 passes for 150 yards in a half of football. A blocked kick and New England's front seven in the first half was able to keep Detroit out of the endzone as it was the second team that scored 21 points in the second half including fourteen in the fourth quarter.

Mac Jones played the entire first half for New England, completing 64 percent of his fourteen passes for 109 yards with a touchdown and interception apiece. D'Eriq King finished the game for New England, throwing two interceptions and fumbling the ball which led to Detroit being able to tie the game as Jared Goff threw three second half touchdowns.

The Good
1. Charleston Rambo only had two catches but one of them was a beautiful snag in the corner of the endzone from Mac where the ball was thrown before Rambo was open and Rambo caught it over his shoulder for the touchdown while keeping his feet in bounds.

The duo seem to have a chemistry that date back to last training camp and it will be needed as Jakobi Meyers left the game with an injury and did not return.

2. New England's front seven, especially the front four/five, was dominant. Trez Marshall had three tackles for loss while DeAngelo Malone and Matthew Judon each had two sacks. Ronnie Perkins and Christian Barmore also had a sack while Quinnen Williams was also active and impactful. A lot has been invested in that front seven and while its just the preseason and just the Lions, it was an encouraging outing.

3. First round pick Malachi Moore finished the game with five tackles and a sack, which came off a perfect blitz where Moore was untouched. Moore played a bit with the first team after spelling starter Jordan Poyer.

Moore was good against the run and also got some snaps with the second team as a nickel corner, which showed off his versatility to both play in the box, as a deep safety and also at nickel.

4. UDFA rookie cornerback Tyler Thorpe showed some flashes but he allowed a big play in the passing game while Shaun Wade was excellent in coverage throughout the game and had a blocked kick that was returned for a touchdown by Kyle Dugger. One play rarely is the sole reason why a player makes the roster but if Wade makes the final 53, the play surely will be a factor.

5. Darnell Washington led the team with six receptions for 59 yards and a corner endzone grab.

What he's able to do at his size is breathtaking and keeping him off the field is going to be harder and harder if he can improve his consistency as a pass catcher.

The Bad
1. The counting numbers were there with eight tackles and three tackles for loss but some of Trez Marshall's weaknesses and concerns were on display as well.

Marshall took some bad angles early on in the game and got manhandled a few times by interior linemen on his run stuffs and then got beat for a touchdown in the second half.

2. Van Dyke looked a little too good as a rookie going up against that expensive secondary. There weren't a lot of coverage busts or guys running wide open but just enough separation that Detroit was able to move the ball up and down the field with relative ease if the front wasn't getting pressure.

3. The second team defense struggled and all were on display during one of the touchdowns where DeAngelo Malone got beat in coverage, missed the tackle which led to him stumbling and taking away the angle that Shaun Wade had on the ball carrier and then Jaiden Lars-Woodbey completely whiffed as he made it into the endzone.

4. It started with some bad drops by Parris Campbell, who had two on the game but the second team offense, especially when King took over, was incredibly bad.

King had two interceptions and a red zone which really was the nail in the coffin of New England trying to win the game. On the last drive of the game, King had a potential long gain to Manny Davenport which was dropped so all around, bad performance by the offense.

Topic author
Soapy
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Joined: 27 Nov 2018, 18:42

The Third Act.

Post by Soapy » 21 Jan 2022, 13:03

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New England Patriots C David Andrews traded to Las Vegas Raiders
The New England Patriots have traded center David Andrews to the Las Vegas Raiders for a 2024 third round pick and a 2025 fourth round pick.

Andrews, 31, was a member of two Super Bowl winning teams with New England in 2016 and 2018. He's been the team's starting center since being signed as an undrafted free agent in 2015 and has been a team captain for the past several seasons.

The former Georgia Bulldog struggled with injuries last season, missing several games which led to New England drafting Ohio State center Matt Jones in the third round of this past spring's draft.

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Soapy
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The Third Act.

Post by Soapy » 21 Jan 2022, 16:36

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Pats C Andrews trade to Raiders nixed by failed physical
New England Patriots center David Andrews will remain just that, a New England Patriot, for the foreseeable future.

Andrews, 31, failed his physical with the Las Vegas Raiders after both teams had agreed on a trade that sent the veteran center to Las Vegas in exchange for draft picks. Andrews is reportedly on his way back from Las Vegas although the expectations are for Andrews to rehab his injury away from the team and for New England to 'reassess the situation' once Andrews recovers from an apparent abdominal tear.

NFL Network's Ian Rappaport reported that Andrews' return to New England is not out of the question but that the most likely scenario is for Andrews to be traded following his recovery.

With Andrews out and backup center Robert Hainsey already on IR, New England is currently down to just one healthy center in Matt Jones and so far haven't signed any more to their roster. Jones, who if Andrews were to be traded would be the de-facto starter, can expect a heavy workload in the upcoming days which could help New England solidify their evaluation of him as an NFL starter.

As expected, players have shied away from commenting when asked about the situation by the media during press availabilities this week.

Other quick hits from camp:

Should veterans be worried about low snap counts?
The suddenness of the attempted Andrews trade, a key leader of the team, is bound to have a ripple effect on the rest of the roster, especially veterans that might have once thought to be safe from the cutdown to 53.

Veteran linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley has played 23 snaps, interior defensive linemen Deatrich Wise has played 21 snaps while Dont'a Hightower has played just 12. All three were productive last season and a key piece of a very good defense.

It could just be a case of the team saving their legs for the games that matter but with just one game left in the preseason, low involvement in the finale could prove worrisome to some of these veterans although too high of a workload in the finale could also mean that the team is indeed evaluating them and seeing if they deserve a roster spot.

Nordin and York neck and neck through camp so far
Quinn Nordin started 2022 strong before faltering towards the end of the season and was an unreliable kicker by the time the playoffs came around.

New England signed UDFA Cade York to push him and so far, they've been about even. Nordin has made all three field goals so far and two extra points while York has made one field goal, from 46 yards out and all two of his extra point attempts.

It's decision time soon, will anyone pull away?

Meyers prognosis positive but puts season opener in jeopardy
New England Patriots receiver Jakobi Meyers will not require surgery on his shoulder injury that he suffered last week in the game against the Detroit Lions.

This is good news for New England as Meyers can now most likely return within the next two to four weeks but it could mean that they'll be without their top receiver for the opener against the Miami Dolphins.

A name to watch in Meyers' absence is Braxton Berrios whose workload increased last season as the season progressed and he got more acclimated in the offense after spending the previous seasons with the New York Jets.

Berrios had a really strong offseason and start to camp and at times looked like New England's best slot receiver.

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Soapy
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Joined: 27 Nov 2018, 18:42

The Third Act.

Post by Soapy » 21 Jan 2022, 16:41

mvp wrote:
21 Jan 2022, 09:19
Would love to see Asiasi pop eventually
its over for that boy tbh

We'll always have that TD against the jets though
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