Patriots Secondary

After recent signings of Bradley Fletcher and Robert McClain the patriots head into the season with the following players at the CB position

Alfonzo Dennard

Kyle Arrington

Logan Ryan 

Malcolm Butler 

Chimidi Chekwa

Justin Green 

Robert McClain

Bradley Fletcher

Kyle Arrington- Kyle has been with the Patriots for several years now and has seen the secondary transform before his eyes. Arrington is great slot corner and can shutdown small speedy receivers as seen by Ty Hilton. As far as lining up on the outside against bigger bodies he struggles although being in the right position. When asked to in 2011 to be a number 1 number 2 corner he did intercept a league lead 7 passes. 

Alfonzo Dennard- A season ago many would have thought that Dennard was the next best corner for the Patriots playing very well in his first two seasons. With additions of Revis and Browner last off season he fell off the chart and never worked his way back up. Dennard  does have a great skill set with the ability to press at the line and play at the number 2 spot other than that he's not very good in the slot and can be caught out of position. 

Logan Ryan- Ryan a year ago picked off 5 passes and looked great all season long. Many would think he'd be even better this season, not so much. Although Ryan wasn't bad he wasn't great. In his second year he showed very inconsistent play at times looking like a premier corner and other times looking like a struggling rookie. Ryan shows great speed and is in good position for the ball, he has good ball skills and should improve heading into his third season. 

Malcolm Butler- The super bowl hero as many know him as. Throughout his rookie year Butler played heavy snaps in a few games showing great physicality and a nack for the ball. Butler is raw and could develop into a good if not great corner under BB. Expectations will be high for the super bowl hero heading into his second season. 

Chimidi Chekwa- Recently acquired Chekwa struggled on the field with the raiders playing high snaps. I believe Chekwa was brought in for completion and if he plays well enough could make the roster. 

Justin Green- Green was mostly on the practice squad this season for the Pats so he knows the system and could battle for a roster spot. 

Bradley Fletcher- Fletcher has had an up and down career a few years ago he looked great ranking high in PPF for corners. Last season Fletcher struggled in the Eagles cover 3 system letting up 9 touchdowns for 1000 yards. Confidence is an issue with Bradley and if he can capture that back he could perform well in a much similar situation to Patrick Chung. 

Robert McClain- McClain brings  great depth. He is a solid corner and plays exceptionally well in in slot which the  Patriots lack outside of Kyle Arrington. Look for Robert to come in and compete right away regardless of role whether it's outside or in the slot. 

3rd Down back New England?

For years and years the Patriots have always came into every season with atleast two pass catching Running Backs. Year after year it was Kevin Faulk who handled the duties then soon after he retired the Patriots brought in Danny Woodhead who starred in the 3rd down role at RB for 3 seasons till he left his way to San Diego for more money. Once he was gone the Patriots drafted Shane Vareen and slowly but surely he caught on and thrived in his role. During his time in New England he caught several passes and has several stand out games. Including a 6 catch performance in Super Bowl 46 with a touchdown and this year featuring a 11 catch performance in Super Bowl 49 which ultimately led to his departure to the New York Giants. Which has led the Patriots in need for a 3rd Down back. Many thought Reggie Bush was going to sign in New England but he ended up signing with the 49ers. Heading into the 2015 season as of right now the Patriots just have James White on the roster who could fill the role. As far as White goes he was drafted last season out of Wisconsin and spent much of his time as basically a red shirt rookie. Pierre Thomas a veteran RB could be a big possibility as NE loves to bring in veterans.

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Should the Pats bring back Vince Wilfork?

Where to start?? Big Vince the constant main stay of the New England Patriots defense. Since 2004 Wilfork has been the key cog for the Patriots clogging up holes stopping running lanes and disrupting Quarterbacks.

Despite missing the entire season in 2013 with a torn achilles many thought Wilfork would never return the same and his career was over. He proved doubters wrong and took a pay cut to return to the Patriots in 2014 and played yet another great season leading the way on defense to New England's 4th Lombardi in 15 years. Fast forward and here we are, the beginning stages of the 2015 season.

The Patriots front office decided not to pick up the 33 year olds $8 million option, Wilfork left heartfelt letter saying his goodbyes to the Patriots and their fans. But is this really the end to Vince Wilforks time in in New England?

Of course many teams have been interested in picking up the Defensive Tackle but Wilfork and his agent have yet to make a move. According to several sources including  Patriots representative of ESPN Mike Reiss the Patriots are much interested in bringing back Wilfork on a new deal. With the recent resigning of Alan  Branch on a 2 year deal worth $6.6 Million how far will the Pats go for Wilfork? Can the two sides come to an agreement and have Wilfork start and finish his career with the Patriots? Leave a comment, what do you think will happen?

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With Revis gone whats next?

So hopefully many of you Patriot fans out there already knew that Revis was not going to be a Patriot for the 2015 season. There was just no way we could have afford him. Only way he would have remained was on a hometown discount. Revis proved yet again that he is a business man returning the New York Jets on a whopping 5 YEAR $70 MILLION DEAL. Including $40 MILLION GUARANTEED over the first 4 years of contract. Well enough talking numbers lets take a quick take on whats next for the Patriots and how they plan to address the corner back position.

Free Agency-

After the recent signing of Chris Culliver to Washington there is not much on the market. Those who stand out among others are recently released former Saint Corey White and Perish Cox a former 49er. I don't expect the Pats to push for neither of these guys but could sign someone else in the market.

Trade-

If the Patriots were to make any big moves at the corner position it would be through trade. I don't exactly see what exact teams would the Patriots be interested in but veterans on teams on likely a target of New England. It is New England though to expect anything as far as trades.

As far as the draft which is approaching soon I'm not sure the Patriots will target corners as the class seems rather weak at the position.

 

Best Dynasty in NFL History?

Since 2000 many would argue the New England Patriots could very well be the best dynasty in NFL history. 


New England Patriots of the 21st Century

Vince Lombardi’s Packers won 5 championships and the first two Superbowls, leading to the Superbowl trophy bearing the Hall of Fame coach’s name. The ‘70s Steelers have 10 members in the Hall of Fame and four Super Bowl wins. The 49ers had the best offensive tandem in the history of the game with Joe Montana and Jerry Rice and have also won four Super Bowls. The Cowboys were the first team ever to win 3 Super Bowls  in 4 years, and have their own players in the  Hall of Fame featuring Michael Irvin, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Larry Allen. 

In the year of 2000  a legacy and dynasty was born. Roberty Craft who bought the team in 1994 hired Bill Belichick as head coach. Weeks later, the new coach and his staff selected the little known Tom Brady, a quarterback from Michigan and the 199th overall pick of the 2000 NFL Draft. Since then the Patriots have been nothing short of dominant. 

The Patriots began a journey that year that has so far culminated in 6 Superbowl appearances, four Superbowl championships and 12 divisional championships in the last 15 years. They were and still are the most  dominant team in the NFL. 

Tom Brady has one ring shy of a whole hand and six appearances which is most ever by a starting Quarterback. 

 I want to address “spy-gate”. In 2007, The Patriots were found to be violating NFL rules by videotaping the New York Jets’ defensive signal calls. The Patriots were fined by the NFL for $500,000 and lost a first rounder draft choice.

The Patriots went 70-26 before spy-gate appearing in four Super Bowls winning three of them. Since spy-gate and being fined the Patriots have gone 94-28 appearing in two Super Bowls and winning one of them this past year against the Seattle Seahawks. 

12 Division Titles, 6 Super Bowl appearances 4 Super Bowl wins, 9 AFC Championship game appearances including 4 straight since 2011, 28 playoff games 20 Playoff victories and over 150 regular season wins in the past 15 seasons has been nothing short of dominant and no other teams has been close.