Saturday, August 29, 2015

Previewing the 2015 Patriots


Looking Ahead to the 2015 Season

Defending the crown is always the toughest thing to do for a champion as winning back to back titles is almost unheard of in a league with so much parody. But, the Patriots will try to do just that this season as many obstacles stand in the way. First and foremost, the Patriots as an organization need to get past this Deflate Gate garbage and focus on winning games. Bill Belichick is the best in the business at keeping his teams focused in the face of adversity, so I would expect a Pats team that is ready to roll over opponents. The Tom Brady suspension is still looming over the team and no one knows just how long he will be out. If it is indeed the full four games this could dramatically change playoff standing for the Pats. There's a chance the suspension is completely rescinded as well but that's more on the unlikely side, so the Pats must prepare second year QB Jimmy G to start some games this season. The positive about the suspension is since it was handed down so early; the Pats have had all off season to fully prepare Garoppolo to be the Day 1 starter. He’s shown a lot of improvement, at least in my eyes, from last preseason to this one. While possibly seeing the greatest QB ever have to sit out some games sucks, I must say I'm very excited to see what Garoppolo can bring to the table for the Pats if he is indeed needed.

Outside of the entire unknown at the QB position to start the year the Patriots also must deal with an inordinate amount of roster turnover at the cornerback position. A spot that was considered a strength of the team last season is now the glaring weakness heading into the season. Darrelle Revis left town to go back to the Jets for the money. The Pats then did not pick up Brandon Browner's option as they didn't see the need for him with Revis gone. Then, Belichick decided to complete the position overhaul by releasing Fonzie Dennard and Kyle Arrington. Both guys quickly found new homes so any chance of a reunion went out the door too. So the team lost four of its most talented corners and now the depth chart is full of question marks. The Patriots signed two guys with experience who haven't had amazing careers in Bradley Fletcher and Robert McClain. There is also the prospect of some young guys stepping up this season. The Patriots seems to be putting all their eggs in the Malcolm Butler basket, which is a bold move considering he’s never seen real starter time in the NFL. I could see both Logan Ryan and Malcolm Butler finding a niche here as starters in New England, but I could also see them fall victim to the rough history the team has with young corners progressing. Both have certainly shown flashes of good potential and then both quickly make me second guess that. It’s nice though that the safeties behind these guys are a very talented group. Devin McCourty is a top safety in the game and Chung’s career was revamped last season and hopefully he continues to build on it. Duron Harmon is still young and has potential as well. That is the bright spot in the secondary; the back end is strong and can help make up for the possible struggling corners. This group is the most important on the team in that if they come out and ball the defense could be really good with the front seven Belichick has built. If the secondary flounders, we may be in for a rough year watching teams convert long third downs all day on us. Even though the unknown at this position is scary, I’m going to cross my fingers and hope for the best when season gets under way.

There are the positives though and that would be the front seven on defense. This area was greatly improved and seen as a spot that needed to be addressed based on drafting by Belichick. The Pats signed Jabaal Sheard to a 2 year deal and there is a sense of high expectation for this guy coming in. I'm sticking with the wait and see approach, but hopefully he can come in and contribute immediately. He definitely looks the part so far and I can’t wait to finally have a legit sub for Ninko and Chandler out there at end so both don’t have to play 90%+ snaps a game. With these three possibly being able to rotate in and out keeping fresh legs, the pass rush could be potent this season. The line backing core is the most talented group on the team, health permitting obviously. We have yet to get a full season of the anticipated Collins, Hightower and Mayo combo, but if this is the season we do, we’re all in for a real treat. Jamie Collins is already a stud and only getting better, same with Hightower. Mayo is a seasoned vet who is very dependable. All three players complement each other very well and these guys should be the playmakers for the defense this season. Belichick also went out and drafted two edge guys in Geneo Grissom and Trey Flowers. The DE/OLB position is now suddenly a deep one for the team as it includes a good mix of vets and young guns. This should make for some great rotation among the defensive line during the season keeping rushers fresh. The glaring hole left at defensive tackle by Wilfork's departure was quickly filled as the Patriots got a steal in the first round in Malcom Brown who will now be the man in the middle hopefully for the next decade. The team still has high hopes for explosive Dominque Easley as well. And the depth of the position is finished out with run stuffers Branch and Siliga. The front seven is full of variety and talent which will make up for the possible weaker secondary. If this front seven can generate consistent pass rush quickly on QBs, the secondary won't be asked to do too much and the defense could flourish. The key word there is could as we haven't seen the Patriots have a consistent and potent pass rush since the dynasty days. Even last season, it was the secondary that would be so great at times it would bail out the slow pass rush because of the talent back there. That won't be the case this season. If the defense gives QBs time like they did to Rodgers in the Green Bay game this past year, we will see shades of the horrid 2011 defense back. It all starts up front with this defense. They have the talent to be the impact players on defense so it’s time for them to meet that potential.

Offensively the Patriots look to be a juggernaut again with Brady at the helm. They did a great job addressing needs in the draft as they grabbed Tre Jackson who could be a plug and play starter this season at guard. They also drafted Shaq Mason who will provide depth at the guard and center spot. The offensive line is always the key when it comes to this team. Example A would be last season when the offensive line was horrible the first four weeks we saw the "decline" of Brady at the team started 2-2. Once the OLine got its shit together and gave Brady time the team went on a tear and eventually won the Super Bowl thanks to great OLine play in January for the first time in a while. Solder and Vollmer are both mainstays on the line and I trust both to consistently do their job week to week. Tre Jackson, Bryan Stork and Ryan Wendell inside together are going to be a nice combo, and I have a lot of expectations for them. It always starts up front and the offensive line does have a solid deep group that should be able to keep Brady upright and happy throughout the year.

The skill positions for the Patriots are ever so talented. The Pats added Reggie Wayne to further bolster their receiving core. Brandon LaFell has yet to get himself off the PUP and it looks like he may head into the season on it as well, but the addition of Wayne and the depth with Edelman and Amendola should make up for his absence in the meantime. Edelman is still going to be the man of this group this season, but I am excited to see if Amendola can build on his great postseason and make this season his best yet in New England. The tight end group is deep again and by deep I mean two deep. Normally it’s just Gronk and that’s it, but now the addition of Scott Chandler makes for some nasty 2 TE sets on offense with two big boys in the middle. The red zone offense is going to be scary good with the height these two bring to the table. Obviously Gronk is going to be far and away the best receiver on the team and put up the most stats, because, well, he’s Gronk. But I expect a very under the radar but solid season from Chandler as well.

            The running back group is weaker than it has been in recent years in my opinion, but Blount will be the main work horse which I have no problem with. Blount should be in for a pretty good season if he gets the main workload week to week, but we all know how Belichick runs out random players some weeks and lets them shine. Brandon Bolden is still here and always a dependable option in the backfield. James White has shown his flashes of Vereen-type play, but those are some really big shoes to fill if he really wants to be compared to Vereen. Jonas Gray is a guy that people want to see more of after his outing against Indy, but I’m indifferent on him. All I care about is whoever is getting the carries is making the most plays with it and getting positive yards almost every time. I always hope the Pats turn to the run more and more every season and I’m still going to preach that now. If Blount comes out and balls getting the carries, the Pats should ride him as much as they can. A successful bruising run game only makes passing the ball easier and making things easy for TB means great things will happen.

            Overall the team improved at almost every position in the offseason and preseason except for cornerback. The offensive and defensive lines got some talent and depth. The skill postions are still good and the line backers are maybe the most talented group. This is still a great team we have here and the ending record really depends on Brady’s status. If Brady gets no suspension, I fully expect another division title, probably another bye week too and full on contention for a repeat. If Brady does get four games, I still expect the Pats to win the division it will just be a closer call and they may not get the bye week in the playoffs. No matter what, if the Patriots have overall good health and Tom Brady playing QB in January, this team always has a chance to win it all. This team again will be in the thick of things late in the season and this time they are defending champs looking to REPEAT. How great would that be? A repeat… It’s still early, but I can dream. Just remember one thing through it all: LETS GO PATS!!!



 

Thursday, May 14, 2015

The State of the Celtics


The State of the Boston Celtics

            The Celtics have officially completely the teardown of what is left from the 2008 Championship by trading Rajon Rondo. The teardown really started back in 2012 when Ray Allen decided to go to Miami in free agency (still a scumbag for doing so). Then, the summer before the 2013 season we saw the real end of an era when Pierce, Garnett and Rivers all left through trade. So, the Celtics were able to build a Big 3 and sustain success for about 6 seasons. They easily could have gotten two and possibly three titles from it, but in the end finished with just the 2008 Championship. It was a fun ride to watch, but now seems like ancient history. The decision to trade Rondo to the Mavericks was a very smart one as Rondo’s career seems like history too, but it also means the Celtics traded their last legitimate asset on the team. It is now time to continue full on rebuild of this franchise. And even though the team is in the middle of a rebuild, the Celtics may not be that far away from being contenders as originally thought. The young Celtics team went on a surge in the second half of the season and found themselves in the East playoffs facing the conference favorite Cleveland. It was obvious that the Celtics had no chance in this series and were overmatched by a more talented Cleveland team. But the young Celtics team that is supposedly in a rebuild showed great promise for a team that lacks a true star and leader.

            This past summer, I was one who wanted Ainge to go after Kevin Love. My thought process on getting Love was a quick rebuild. A core of Love, Rondo and Green could get you a playoff spot in the East and from there you could try to attract another star to the mix and try to become a contender. At the time, I really thought getting Love would have been the best idea for the organization to avoid a long rebuild and possibly be contending within 2-3 years. Honestly, after seeing Love play with his Big 3 in Cleveland this season, I must say I’m glad Ainge didn’t send the house to Minnesota for him. I don’t think he’s as good as he hyped up to be. His stats in Minnesota may have just been a product of him being the only legit talent on a really bad team. Love doesn’t feel like a real winner to me, at least not yet. He is still very young and could get even better. But for now, I’m glad the Celtics did not trade away assets for him.

            So here we are. The Celtics have a really young team. They have A LOT of draft picks in the upcoming seasons and will have cap space in about two seasons. I doubt that the Celtics will be able to attract a ton of free agent talent here in the coming years so the cap space part really doesn’t matter at this point. The draft picks are important, that’s huge. The Celtics own ten first round picks in the next four seasons, which is more than enough to completely make over a team. The thing with all these picks is you can’t use them all. Well, you could, but you don’t really want to. I would think Ainge is hoping to unload a couple of those first rounder’s to acquire an already proven player that can improve the team immediately. The rumors have begun to swirl that the Celtics are ready to send the farm for DeMarcus Cousins. That is a move that I would easily get behind as Cousins is a dominant player in this league and has many years ahead of him. Also Cousins is already locked up for three more seasons at a bargain rate for a player of stature, so if the Celtics do trade for him they already have a somewhat long term guarantee.

            The Celtics were able to surprise this season and come together as a band of misfits to make the playoffs without a definitive star (Thomas doesn’t count either). This team has some of the pieces that a championship team would need. The biggest thing missing is one or two main stars or scorers that the team can depend on. But, looking at the roster, Thomas would be a great bench scorer for a contender. A guy like Jae Crowder would be a great high energy guy for a championship team as well. And guys like Smart, Sully and Olynyk are all great contributors that I can see being a part of winning teams if the Celtics can find a star to lead them. The Celtics are in great shape in terms of salary cap as well, because they have gotten rid of every big contract on the roster (Rondo, Green, etc.). Not to mention the gross Gerald Wallace contract is up soon, which will free up even more space for the team.

            The crop of free agents this offseason is deep and the Celtics can certainly be serious buyers in this summer’s awaited frenzy. Obviously the biggest issue for the Celtics has always been getting the big name players to come to Boston. I think they did a great job in recruiting Love to want to be in Boston, but the Minnesota front office just didn’t want to send their best player to Boston, again. It also helps that the Cavs offered to send the possible future of the league Andrew Wiggins in a deal for Love. Back to the point, if the Celtics are able to pull off a deal for Cousins, they would have a starting point and could sign one or two more big name guys to solidify the roster and become serious Eastern Conference contenders. The Celtics could target the likes of Marc Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, Greg Monroe or DeAndre Jordan and completely change the look of the team. Say the Celtics were able to sign any one of these players then sign a very good second option like Wesley Matthews, Draymond Green or Josh Smith then boom the team would go from a surprise playoff team in the East to a team that could contend for a top four seed and give the front runners real trouble.

            The fact of the matter is the Celtics have all the flexibility in the world with all the cap space and draft picks. It also doesn’t hurt that they have one of the more savvy general managers in the league in Danny Ainge who could make almost any trade happen. So I will stick to my optimistic narrative that I employed last year around this time: the Celtics will be fine, the rebuild is not going to be as long as people think. I believe the Celtics are in a spot where they can easily be contenders by next season at the earliest and they will be contending for the East sometime in the coming years. That is almost a guarantee. Ainge has put this team in almost too perfect a position to quickly reload the roster and bring a winning culture back to Boston. The big splash that was promised last off season is coming soon. Hopefully it is this off season, but the big splash is coming and when it does the Celtics will be back!
 

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Final Two Round Mock Draft


2015 Final Mock Draft

Round 1


Pick

Team

Player

1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jameis Winston

2

Tennessee Titans

Marcus Mariota

3

Jacksonville Jaguars

. Leonard Williams

4

Oakland Raiders

Amari Cooper

5

Washington Redskins

Dante Fowler Jr

6

New York Jets

Vic Beasley

7

Chicago Bears

Kevin White

8

Atlanta Falcons

Bud Dupree

9

New York Giants

Brandon Scherff

10

St. Louis Rams

Andrus Peat

11

Minnesota Vikings

DeVante Parker

12

Cleveland Browns

Danny Shelton

13

New Orleans Saints

Shane Ray

14

Miami Dolphins

Trey Waynes

15

San Francisco 49ers

Arik Armstead

16

Houston Texans

Nelson Agholor

17

San Diego Chargers

Todd Gurley

18

Kansas City Chiefs

La’el Collins

19

Cleveland Browns

Ereck Flowers

20

Philadelphia Eagles

Landon Collins

21

Cincinnati Bengals

Mario Edwards Jr.

22

Pittsburgh Steelers

Kevin Johnson

23

Detroit Lions

D.J Humphries

24

Arizona Cardinals

Melvin Gordon

25

Carolina Panthers

Cedric Ogbuehi

26

Baltimore Ravens

Breshaud Perriman

27

Dallas Cowboys

Randy Gregory

28

Denver Broncos

Cameron Erving

29

Indianapolis Colts

Damarious Randall

30

Green Bay Packers

Eric Kendricks

31

New Orleans Saints

Byron Jones

32

New England Patriots

Malcom Brown


 


Pick

Team

Player

1

Tennessee Titans  

Eli Harold

2

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jake Fisher

3

Oakland Raiders

Owamagbe Odighizuwa

4

Jacksonville Jaguars

Marcus Peters

5

New York Jets

Phillip Dorsett

6

Washington Redskins

Ronald Darby

7

Chicago Bears

Eddie Goldman

8

New York Giants

Preston Smith

9

St. Louis Rams

Jaelen Strong

10

Atlanta Falcons

Grady Jarret

11

Cleveland Browns

Jalen Collins

12

New Orleans Saints

Maxx Williams

13

Minnesota Vikings

Laken Tomlinson

14

San Francisco 49ers

Eric Rowe

15

Miami Dolphins

Tevin Coleman

16

San Diego Chargers

Jordan Phillips

17

Kansas City Chiefs

Dorial Green-Beckham

18

Buffalo Bills

A.J. Cann

19

Houston Texans

T.J. Clemmings

20

Philadelphia Eagles

Shaq Thompson

21

Cincinnati Bengals

Devin Smith

22

Detroit Lions

Carl Davis

23

Arizona Cardinals

Danielle Hunter

24

Pittsburgh Steelers

Michael Bennett

25

Carolina Panthers

Rashad Greene

26

Baltimore Ravens

PJ Williams

27

Denver Broncos

Benardrick McKinney

28

Dallas Cowboys

Jay Ajayi

29

Indianapolis Colts

Denzel Perryman

30

Green Bay Packers

Quinten Rollins

31

Seattle Seahawks

Tre Jackson

32

New England Patriots

Duke Johnson