One Patriot Place (M17)

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Platform: Madden 17 (PS4)
Sliders: TBA
Rosters: TBA
Difficulty: All-Pro

Synopsis: Normally, I choose teams for the following reasons -- One, a young quarterback. Two, a coach on the hot seat. Obviously, the Pats have neither. However, there will be some obvious questions to answer in the coming seasons (plus, I can't control the Deflategate suspension without controlling New England). Will Brady retire after the first season like he has in the last two Maddens? Does Belichick hang up the headset? By purchasing the game a few months earlier than normal, I'm hoping to play multiple seasons, as I'll probably skip Madden 18.

In addition; opposite from my Titans franchise that I ran on here, I'm going to go with a minimalist approach game-by-game and week-by-week to try and get as many games in as possible given the limited time that I have. Thanks for reading.

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Re: One Patriot Place (M17)

Reserved 1 - Archives

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Re: One Patriot Place (M17)

Final NFL Standings (Updated Jan 2, 2017)
NFC EAST	W	L	T	PF	PA
Dallas Cowboys (1)	13	3	0	500	310
New York Giants	8	8	0	410	447
Philadelphia Eagles	7	9	0	355	380
Washington Redskins	6	10	0	366	435
NFC NORTH	W	L	T	PF	PA
Green Bay Packers (4)	9	7	0	477	410
Detroit Lions	8	8	0	375	387
Minnesota Vikings	7	9	0	341	374
Chicago Bears	5	11	0	301	374
NFC SOUTH	W	L	T	PF	PA
New Orleans Saints (2)	12	4	0	462	390
Carolina Panthers (5)	10	5	1	394	340
Atlanta Falcons (6)	9	7	0	407	379
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	2	14	0	298	433
NFC WEST	W	L	T	PF	PA
Seattle Seahawks (3)	10	5	1	423	327
Arizona Cardinals	9	7	0	386	393
San Francisco 49ers	7	9	0	333	346
Los Angeles Rams	7	9	0	402	408
AFC EAST	W	L	T	PF	PA
New England Patriots (1)	13	3	0	466	378
New York Jets (5)	10	6	0	434	351
Buffalo Bills	8	8	0	418	406
Miami Dolphins	4	12	0	310	445
AFC NORTH	W	L	T	PF	PA
Cincinnati Bengals (2)	11	5	0	469	385
Pittsburgh Steelers (6)	10	6	0	544	409
Baltimore Ravens	5	11	0	373	438
Cleveland Browns	4	12	0	274	495
AFC SOUTH	W	L	T	PF	PA
Houston Texans (4)	10	6	0	433	343
Jacksonville Jaguars	8	8	0	347	395
Tennessee Titans	7	9	0	345	343
Indianapolis Colts	4	12	0	329	462
AFC WEST	W	L	T	PF	PA
Kansas City Chiefs (3)	10	6	0	382	312
San Diego Chargers	9	7	0	409	399
Denver Broncos	7	9	0	329	390
Oakland Raiders	6	10	0	272	370

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Re: One Patriot Place (M17)

New England Final Regular Season Statistics (Updated Jan 2, 2017)
Passing	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	YDS/G	LONG	TD	INT	RAT
Tom Brady	318/459	3,826	69.3%	318.8	63	28	12	103.9
Jacoby Brissett	58/94	723	61.7%	241.0	58	6	4	89.0
Jimmy Garoppolo	39/75	454	52.0%	90.8	45	2	1	73.9
Rushing	ATT	YDS	AVG	LONG	20+	TD	YDS/G	FUM
LeGarrette Blount	266	1,001	3.8	74	2	11	66.7	1
Dion Lewis	72	227	3.2	33	1	1	25.2	0
James White	42	172	4.1	40	1	1	10.8	0
Brandon Bolden	44	109	2.5	10	0	1	6.8	2
Receiving	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	20+	YDS/G	YAC
Rob Gronkowski	94	1,230	13.1	12	53	10	82.0	3.7
Julian Edelman	79	1,084	13.7	7	58	9	67.8	3.2
Danny Amendola	69	675	9.8	5	46	4	42.2	3.0
Chris Hogan	34	508	14.9	2	44	3	50.8	5.0
Martellus Bennett	41	394	9.6	2	26	3	24.6	3.2
James White	29	355	12.2	4	63	2	22.2	9.1
Malcolm Mitchell	20	259	12.9	0	34	1	17.3	2.1
Dion Lewis	22	225	10.2	2	32	2	25.0	9.8
LeGarrette Blount	12	112	9.3	1	20	1	9.3	7.8
Brandon Bolden	6	112	18.7	1	45	1	7.0	10.8
James Develin	6	32	5.3	0	10	0	2.0	4.2
Matthew Slater	1	6	6.0	0	6	0	0.5	0.0
Blocking					DOWNS		SACK
Shaq Mason					1,103		4
Nate Solder					1,096		6
David Andrews					1,086		5
Marcus Cannon					1,073		5
Jonathan Cooper					694		4
Tre Jackson					364		1
Joe Thuney					66		0
Cameron Fleming					26		0
LaAdrian Waddle					20		1
Ted Karras					9		0
	Tackles			Sacks		Interceptions
Defense	SOLO	AST	TOT	SACK	TLOSS	PD	INT	TD
Dont'a Hightower			141	2	27	6	3	0
Devin McCourty			127	0	10	7	6	0
Jamie Collins			115	3	20	2	4	0
Patrick Chung			103	0	8	3	1	0
Logan Ryan			78	0	2	3	3	0
Barkevious Mingo			75	4.5	16	0	1	0
Jabaal Sheard			69	9	14	0	0	0
Jonathan Freeny			67	2.5	4	0	0	0
Malcolm Butler			63	0	0	5	3	0
Cyrus Jones			53	2	4	1	1	0
Malcom Brown			52	3	10	0	0	0
Vincent Valentine			46	4.5	10	0	0	0
Chris Long			36	1	11	0	0	0
Alan Branch			28	2.5	2	1	0	0
Shea McClellin			25	0	3	0	0	0
Justin Coleman			23	1	2	0	0	0
Nate Ebner			21	0	0	0	0	0
Duron Harmon			19	0	1	0	2	0
Trey Flowers			15	2	3	0	1	0
Elandon Roberts			14	0.5	2	0	0	0
Anthony Johnson			2	0	1	0	0	0
Rob Ninkovich			2	0	0	0	0	0
	Kickoffs					Punts
Returning	ATT	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD	RET	AVG	TD
James White	19	441	23.2	28	0	1	10.0	0
Matthew Slater	14	296	21.1	28	0	1	12.0	0
Malcolm Mitchell	7	156	22.3	26	0	0	0.0	0
Danny Amendola	4	107	26.8	35	0	20	11.1	0
Cyrus Jones	3	68	22.7	25	0	3	7.3	0
	Field Goals				Extra Points
Kicking	FGM	FGA	PCT	LONG	XPM	XPA	PCT	PTS
Stephen Gostkowski	35	39	89.7%	60	45	48	93.8%	150
Punting	PUNTS	YDS	LONG	AVG	NET	BP	IN20	TB
Ryan Allen	66	3,065	88	46.4	37.7	2	18	16

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2017 DRAFT CENTRAL

NFL Draft Round 1 Mock: Updated 04/26/2017
Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Ht	Wt
1 (1)	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Myles Garrett*, Texas A&M	DE	6'5"	260
2 (3)	Indianapolis Colts	Tim Williams, Alabama	OLB	6'4"	240
3 (5)	Cleveland Browns	DeShone Kizer, Notre Dame	QB	6'4"	230
4 (4)	Miami Dolphins	Jonathan Allen, Alabama	DT	6'3"	295
5 (14)	Chicago Bears	Davis Webb, California	QB	6'5"	235
6 (2)	Baltimore Ravens	Cam Robinson, Alabama	OT	6'6"	320
7 (7)	Oakland Raiders	Reuben Foster, Alabama	ILB	6'2"	235
8 (11)	Washington Redskins	Derek Barnett*, Tennessee	DE	6'3"	260
9 (9)	Tennessee Titans (from L.A.)	Jalen Tabor*, Florida	CB	6'	190
10 (8)	San Francisco 49ers	Mike Williams, Clemson	WR	6'3"	225
11 (6)	Denver Broncos	Malik McDowell, Michigan State	DL	6'6"	290
12 (12)	Tennessee Titans	Juju Smith-Schuster*, Southern Cal	WR	6'2"	215
13 (13)	Minnesota Vikings	Zach Cunningham*, Vanderbilt	ILB	6'4"	230
14 (14)	Cleveland Browns (from PHI)	Malik Hooker*, Ohio State	FS	6'2"	205
15 (15)	Detroit Lions	Leonard Fournette*, LSU	RB	6'1"	230
16 (16)	New York Giants	Mike McGlinchy*, Notre Dame	OT	6'7"	310
17 (19)	Buffalo Bills	Adoree' Jackson*, Southern Cal	CB	5'11"	185
18 (18)	Jacksonville Jaguars	Quenton Nelson*, Notre Dame	G	6'5"	320
19 (17)	Arizona Cardinals	Desmond King, Iowa	CB	5'11"	200
20 (20)	San Diego Chargers	Conor McDermott, UCLA	OT	6'9"	310
21 (21)	Green Bay Packers	Charles Harris*, Missouri	OLB	6'3"	250
22 (22)	Pittsburgh Steelers	Julie'n Davenport, Bucknell	OT	6'7"	315
23 (23)	New York Jets	Ethan Pocic, LSU	C/G	6'7"	309
24 (24)	Seattle Seahawks	Caleb Brantley, Florida	DT	6'2"	314
25 (25)	Atlanta Falcons	Dawaune Smoot, Illinois	OLB	6'3"	245
26 (26)	Houston Texans	Dalvin Cook*, Florida State	RB	5'11"	205
27 (27)	Kansas City Chiefs	Devonte Fields, Louisville	OLB	6'3"	245
28 (29)	New Orleans Saints	Cordrea Tankersley, Clemson	CB	5'11"	190
29 (--)	Carolina Panthers	Sidney Jones, Washington	CB	6'	185
30 (30)	Cincinnati Bengals	Roderick Johnson*, Florida State	OT	6'7"	310
31 (--)	Dallas Cowboys	O.J. Howard, Alabama	TE	6'6"	240
32 (--)	New England Patriots	Mason Rudolph*, Oklahoma State	QB	6'5"	235

DRAFT HEADLINES

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Re: One Patriot Place (M17)

Post away!

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PREDICTING THE 53-MAN ROSTER

By Riley Byrnes, NESN Staff Writer
August 28th, 2016

With the Patriots' 19-17 victory over Carolina two nights ago to push the Patriots' preseason record to 3-0, the roster appears to be taking shape ahead of the season opener two weeks from today. With the additions of guard Ted Karras and safety Jordan Richards to the practice squad, the roster now stands at fifty-nine players for fifty-three spots. However, there are still some last-minute battles going on for a handful of spots on the roster. For the sake of discussion, we'll assume that quarterback, running back, tight end, defensive tackle, outside linebacker, cornerback, and the specialists are all set. Not only will we provide an overview of the position battle, we'll also predict who wins the spot.

New England will take the field next at the Giants on Thursday night to put a lid on the 2016 preseason, and will look to go 4-0. Jimmy Garoppolo is expected to start, but Bill Belichick has stated that Tom Brady will get a "series or two" in the first half, before giving way to allow Garoppolo more snaps in the entire second half to prepare for the season opener at Arizona. The assumed starters are denoted with an asterisk.

WIDE RECEIVER (6)

In: Julian Edelman*, Danny Amendola*, Chris Hogan*, Aaron Dobson, Matthew Slater, Malcolm Mitchell
Out: Devin Lucien

Analysis: Edelman, Amendola, and Hogan are the presumed starters, with Dobson serving as the top reserve. This is a position where they may end up keeping seven receivers due to Matthew Slater's primary special teams role, but we think that Mitchell will win out and take the sixth spot due to his return ability.

OFFENSIVE TACKLE (4)

In: Nate Solder*, Sebastian Vollmer*, Cameron Fleming, Marcus Cannon
Out: Laadrian Waddle

Analysis: With Vollmer's balky hip, expect Belichick and staff to keep four active tackles on the roster. However, in a bit of a surprise, I think Waddle gets the pink slip here. Neither him or Fleming are eligible for the practice squad, and Fleming has more upside.

CENTER (2)

In: Josh Kline*, Joe Thuney
Out: David Andrews

Analysis: I'm iffy on this prediction. I have a hard time thinking they'll keep ten offensive linemen, but the staff really thinks that Andrews could be a great player with a few years. Exposing him to the practice squad may be too big of a risk. If Andrews does get relegated, then guard Joe Thuney could serve as the team's second center, having played the position some in college.

DEFENSIVE END (4)

In: Chris Long*, Jabaal Sheard*, Rob Ninkovich, Trey Flowers
Out: Geneo Grissom

Analysis: It's between Flowers and Grissom for the final spot. Flowers has a bit more polish to his game, and plays the run and pass both equally well, while Grissom is a bit more of a rusher at this point. We'll take Flowers to win the fourth DE position.

INSIDE LINEBACKER (3)

In: Dont'a Hightower*, Shea McClellin*, Jonathan Freeny
Out: Elandon Roberts

Analysis: Roberts has had a good preseason, but he's a bit of a tweener - not big enough for 3-4 inside linebacker, and doesn't have the size to play outside. He's a prime candidate for the practice squad, because the coaches do really like him. He just doesn't have a set position.

CORNERBACK (6)

In: Malcolm Butler*, Logan Ryan*, Cyrus Jones, Justin Coleman, Cre'von Jenkins, Darryl Roberts
Out: Jonathan Jones

Analysis: Belichick loves big, physical corners. Roberts fits that mold over Jonathan Jones, although Jones has had a nice preseason.

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PRESEASON WEEK FOUR PREVIEW

By Riley Byrnes, NESN Staff Writer
August 30th, 2016

New England travels to the Meadowlands Thursday night to face the New York Giants in the two teams' final preseason tuneup. Jimmy Garoppolo will start the game for the Patriots, and Bill Belichick has stated publicly that Tom Brady will get some playing time in the first half, though it is unclear how much. Belichick also said that rookie fourth-round pick Jacoby Brissett will only play in an emergency situation. As we reported on a few days ago, the roster stands at fifty-nine players, and it figures to be the last chance for a handful of roster hopefuls to make their mark. Here are four things we're watching for tomorrow night.

How will the offense look? The offense has been remarkably vanilla the entire preseason, and it's not expected to deviate from that as Garoppolo will start and take the majority of reps. James White and Brandon Bolden will split snaps at running back, and other offensive standouts like Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, and Danny Amendola will not play in the game. The only projected starter that is expected to play along the offensive line is Jonathan Cooper, as he, rookie Joe Thuney, and second-year pro Tre' Jackson appear to be locked into a heated battle at right guard. All three of those players are expected to make the final cuts, but that is the only position along the line that is not sewn up at this point.

Other position battles. In addition to the aforementioned competition at guard, other positions are going through some last-second battles. The ones to watch for on each side of the ball are at receiver and defensive end. We've projected that they'll keep six receivers, which also includes special teams gunner Matthew Slater, who is listed as a receiver. So in reality, six receivers on the roster actually means five. Rookies Malcolm Mitchell and Devin Lucien could both end up earning roster spots. If Lucien has a nice performance, it's not out of the question that both he and Mitchell find themselves on the 53-man to begin the season. At defensive end, you assume that Rob Ninkovich, Jabaal Sheard, and Chris Long will get 90% of the snaps. Geneo Grissom is the better rusher between him and Trey Flowers; but Flowers has a better all-around game at the moment, which is why we originally picked him. They're both practice squad eligible, so I'm not sure they can lose with either one at this point.

Alan Branch's playing time. In a recent bizarre twist reported by FOXSports, the veteran defensive tackle had his team-imposed indefinite suspension for violation of team rules reversed without much reason as to why; and will figure to push fellow veteran Terrence Knighton, who has struggled in his limited duty this preseason, at nose tackle in the final preseason tilt. Knighton is one of the few projected starters that will start Thursday, and Branch will see some action in the first half as well. The staff is also high on youngsters Malcom Brown, the team's first-rounder in 2015, and Vincent Valentine, whom they took in the third round this past April. With four defensive tackles on the roster, expect some four-man looks up front defensively in 2016, deviating from the predominant 3-4 look of recent years to compensate for a lack of depth at linebacker.

The team's top 2016 pick, Cyrus Jones. Neither Logan Ryan nor Malcolm Butler will play in the game tomorrow, which means that they'll get an extended look at their top draft pick from last April at one of the corner spots. Belichick stated that he'll play the entire first half before giving way to others; but he'll draw a pretty tough assignment out of the gate, as he'll presumably be matched up against Odell Beckham for most of the first quarter. Giants first-year head coach Ben McAdoo has stated his starters will get about a quarter of work in anticipation for their season opener at Dallas.

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PATRIOTS RELEASE STORK, KNIGHTON

By Riley Byrnes, NESN Staff Writer
August 30th, 2016

Not shockingly, the Patriots announced via Twitter that they have released nose tackle Terrence Knighton and center Bryan Stork. Knighton had seen his playing time dwindle in each successive preseason game to this point in favor of both Malcom Brown and rookie Vincent Valentine, and the reinstatement of Alan Branch seems to be related to this development.

Stork was traded to Washington last week for a fifth-round conditional pick, but the trade was reversed after Stork's physical with the Redskins failed. He arrived back in Foxborough yesterday, and was subsequently released by the team. Despite a history of concussions, it won't be difficult for him to find a team, but he wasn't expected to win the center job over Josh Kline or David Andrews this year regardless.

Also, the team re-signed tight end A.J. Derby off the practice squad to replace Stork on the roster. Derby was waived after the second preseason game, but with Rob Gronkowski inactive for the team's final preseason game, they would like a second look at the former Iowa Hawkeye. With Derby's reinstatement to the active roster, the roster is back to fifty-nine players going into Thursday night's game.

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Re: One Patriot Place (M17)

New England Patriots at New York Giants
Sep 1, 2017	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
New England Patriots (4-0)	14	10	2	3	29
New York Giants (1-3)	0	3	0	15	18

PATS CAP OFF PERFECT PRESEASON

By Riley Byrnes, NESN Staff Writer
September 2nd, 2016

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- By building a 24-3 lead at the break, thanks to four consecutive scoring drives to close out the first thirty minutes of play, the Patriots used that advantage to coast to a 29-18 win over the host Giants in both teams' final preseason tilt. The Giants' offensive starters only played the first series with Eli Manning going 2-of-3 for sixteen yards, and the lone incompletion was an interception by Jonathan Freeny. New York finishes the preseason at 1-3, while the Patriots capped off a successful preseason with a spotless 4-0 mark.

As expected, Jimmy Garoppolo drew the starting assignment at quarterback; but struggled on the team's first drive, going 1-for-4 and nearly tossing an interception. He came back and was 3-for-3 on the team's next drive, capped off with a one-yard run by reserve halfback Brandon Bolden to draw first blood.

Things got rolling offensively from there, as Matthew Slater took a screen pass from Garoppolo and found paydirt on a fifty-seven yard touchdown. He got a few nice downfield blocks and put the Patriots up 14-0. Meanwhile, the second-team defense was making life rough for Giants backup Ryan Nassib; as he was intercepted once by rookie Cyrus Jones, and hit several other times in the first quarter. They had just one first down on their first three drives of the game between both quarterbacks.

"Overall, I was pretty pleased with how things went," said Bill Belichick in the post-game press conference. "We got off to a good start offensively, and then we were able to work on some things defensively in the second half."

The two teams traded long field goals early in the second quarter, with Tom Brady leading the Patriots' field goal drive that was capped off by Stephen Gostkowski's fifty-one yard kick. After forcing another Giants' punt, Brady led a twelve-play drive that ended in an eighteen-yard pass to James White with just under twenty seconds remaining in the half.

"Tom had command of the offense, as he normally does," Belichick deadpanned when talking about his veteran quarterback. "At this point, it's about keeping him sharp, but also we didn't do anything real complicated. Lots of quick passes, and quick-hitting running plays."

Brady was also pleased with how the offense was on Thursday night.

"It was good to see us execute in some big spots," he said. "We just have to make sure that carries over into the season."

Garoppolo started the second half, and both offenses struggled to do much of anything in that quarter. The only points came on a safety after punter Ryan Allen backed the Giants figuratively into a corner at their own two-yard line, and two plays later, Shea McClellin and Jones sacked Nassib about five yards deep in the end zone to put them up 26-3 about three-fourths of the way through the third quarter.

However, the Giants showed some late life in the fourth quarter. Nassib pulled New York to within seventeen on a fourteen-yard strike to tight end Will Johnson, and then converted the two-point conversion on a zone-read keeper to cut the lead to fifteen, 26-11.

New England seemingly put the game back out of reach with a Gostkowski field goal with just five minutes remaining, but Nassib and the Giants weren't finished yet. With just under a minute to go, Nassib threw his second touchdown of the quarter, a two-yard pass to Shane Vereen, who had snuck out of the backfield and caught the pass near the back of the end zone.

"I liked how we fought back and made the game respectable, but we just dug ourselves too big of a hole with dumb mistakes and penalties," Ben McAdoo, the first-year Giants coach, stated. "I'd like to see us clean that up before we head into the season."

Nassib finished 22-of-35 for 202 yards with two scores. Garoppolo started off slow, but was 11-of-20 for 174 yards and a touchdown. On his two drives in the first half, Brady was 6-of-8 for forty-three yards, and the offense seemed to flow much smoother with him at the helm.

"I'm not going to lie, the offense was a lot better with him in there," said Garoppolo of Brady in the post-game. "But he's been doing this a long time, and the track record speaks for itself. I know that I have to do a better job, and we're going to get tested pretty well right after the jump, with going to Arizona."

Team Stats Comparison
	NWE	NYG
Total Offense	317	329
Rushing Yards	127	119
Passing Yards	190	210
First Downs	18	20
Punt Return Yards	32	9
Kick Return Yards	28	22
Total Yards	345	351
Turnovers	0	2
3rd Down Converstion	6/15 (40.0%)	6/18 (33.3%)
4th Down Conversion	0/0 (0%)	0/0 (0%)
2-Point Conversion	0/0 (0%)	1/1 (100%)
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2/0/100%	2/0/100%
Penalties	5/34	6/45
Posession Time	31:03	28:57

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		NWE	NYG
	Brandon Bolden 1 yard run (Stephen Gostkowski PAT)	7	0
	Matthew Slater 57 yard pass from Jimmy Garoppolo (Gostkowski PAT)	14	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		NWE	NYG
	Josh Brown 48 yard field goal	14	3
	Gostkowski 51 yard field goal	17	3
	James White 18 yard pass from Tom Brady (Gostkowski PAT)	24	3
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		NWE	NYG
	NE Team Safety	26	3
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		NWE	NYG
	Will Johnson 14 yard pass from Ryan Nassib (2-pt Good)	26	11
	Gostkowski 50 yard field goal	29	11
	Shane Vereen 2 yard pass from Nassib (Brown PAT)	29	18

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Re: One Patriot Place (M17)

FREENY, PATRIOTS REACH EXTENSION AGREEMENT

By Riley Byrnes, NESN Staff Writer
September 3rd, 2016

Patriots linebacker Jonathan Freeny now has a little bit more financial security, as he inked a two-year extension with the club following the team's 29-18 win over the Giants to close out the preseason. The sixth-year linebacker had four tackles and an interception in the contest.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Freeny is set to make right around $1M in 2016. Last season, between special teams and playing part-time on defense, Freeny recorded a career-high fifty solo tackles (seventy-three total). He also recorded one sack, a forced fumble, and one pass breakup.

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Re: One Patriot Place (M17)

PATRIOTS SET 53-MAN ROSTER

By Riley Byrnes, NESN Staff Writer
September 3rd, 2016

With the practice squad announcement set for tomorrow, the Patriots have announced that they have trimmed their roster down to fifty-three players for the upcoming season, according to a team spokesman. Among the final cuts was veteran receiver Aaron Dobson, which was a bit of surprise to most, as he played in all sixteen games last year and was fourth on the team in receptions. Veteran tight end Clay Harbor was also released, which shouldn't be all that surprising given they brought A.J. Derby back. Dobson has to pass through waivers first, and all indications are that he will get picked up by someone. With Dobson gone, that leaves just three experienced receivers in Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, and Chris Hogan. Special teams ace Matthew Slater is listed as a wide receiver, and received some receiver reps in the preseason, but he is not expected to play a big role there unless disaster strikes in the receiving corps. However, the staff has high hopes for Mitchell, who gives the team some shiftiness in the slot.

A pair of 2016 draft picks were also among the final cuts announced today, as sixth-round pick Kamu Grugier-Hill, a linebacker out of Eastern Illinois; and Arizona State wide receiver Devin Lucien, a seventh-rounder, were released. However, it is widely thought that they will be stashed on the practice squad. All three rookie offensive linemen from this class will remain on the active roster, as guards Joe Thuney and Ted Karras, and center David Andrews all made the cut. The staff is high on all three of them, and they are all expected to play minor roles this upcoming season.

OFFENSE

QB: Jimmy Garoppolo, Jacoby Brissett
RB: LeGarrette Blount, James White, Brandon Bolden, James Develin (FB)
WR: Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, Chris Hogan, Malcolm Mitchell, Matthew Slater
TE: Rob Gronkowski, Martellus Bennett, A.J. Derby
OT: Sebastian Vollmer, Nate Solder, Marcus Cannon, Cameron Fleming, Laadrian Waddle
OG: Shaq Mason, Jonathan Cooper, Joe Thuney, Ted Karras
OC: Josh Kline, David Andrews

Out: Tom Brady (Susp.), Tre' Jackson (PUP), Dion Lewis (PUP), Michael Williams (IR)

Obviously, Brady will start beginning Week 5 once he comes off the suspension list. We're also running off the assumption that Vollmer will stay off the PUP list; but even if he is on it to begin the season, Marcus Cannon is a capable fill-in. Dion Lewis, however, is almost certain to end up on it according to sources, so we'll go with that distinction. Guard Tre' Jackson is also reportedly going to end up on the PUP list as well, via the same sources.

DEFENSE

DE: Jabaal Sheard, Chris Long
DT: Malcom Brown, Vincent Valentine, Alan Branch, Anthony Johnson
OLB: Barkevious Mingo, Jamie Collins, Jonathan Freeny, Elandon Roberts
ILB: Dont'a Hightower, Shea McClellin, Jonathan Freeny
CB: Malcolm Butler, Logan Ryan, Cyrus Jones, Justin Coleman
FS: Devin McCourty, Nate Ebner
SS: Patrick Chung, Duron Harmon

Out: Rob Ninkovich (Susp.)

This is a scary-thin roster on the defensive side of the ball (especially in the front seven), and is even worse with Ninkovich out for the first four games. Branch will play over the center in three-man front looks, but when the Patriots go 4-3, Valentine, Johnson, and Brown will man the middle, with Long, Sheard, and Jamie Collins and Barkevious Mingo coming down and rotating at end. Brown and Valentine will also play a lot in three-man looks as ends. Also, I'd look for Sheard to play about 25% of his snaps as a rush linebacker, and McClellin will play starter's reps. Injuries are never welcome on any team, but especially this year at linebacker. They're an injury to a starter away from being very thin at the position. There's some great talent here, but it's going to take some pretty creative coaching and scheming to get the most out of these guys they can without running them ragged due to lack of depth.

SPECIAL TEAMS

PK: Stephen Gostkowski
PN: Ryan Allen
LS: Joe Cardona
HL: Ryan Allen
KR: Danny Amendola, Cyrus Jones, Malcolm Mitchell
PR: Cyrus Jones, Danny Amendola, Malcolm Mitchell

Out: None

The first four are set with no issues in the preseason. The return specialists could be a little more fluid, though. Jones had just four punt returns, but averaged over thirteen yards per return. He showed good judgement in deciding which to return, and which ones not to. Mitchell may get the nod over Jones as a kick returner, since that is more of a pure speed position. Jones has excellent shiftiness, but that doesn't immediately translate to returning kickoffs. Edelman could also get looks here if both rookies struggle, but they would prefer not to use him on special teams if they don't have to.

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Re: One Patriot Place (M17)

NEW ENGLAND FINALIZES PRACTICE SQUAD

By Riley Byrnes, NESN Staff Writer
September 4th, 2016

With the additions of center Shane McDermott, linebacker Dillon Lee, and tackle Clay DeBord, the practice squad is set for Week 1 of the fast-approaching season. None of those three were on any active roster or practice squad at the time of their signing. DeBord and Lee are rookies, while McDermott is in his second year in the league.

The aforementioned players join halfback D.J. Foster, wide receiver Devin Lucien, defensive backs Jonathan Jones, Jordan Richards, and Brandon King, and defensive ends Geneo Grissom and Trey Flowers to complete the ten-man squad.

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Re: One Patriot Place (M17)

AFC EAST PREVIEW

Tyler Shelvin, ESPN.com
September 5th, 2017

1. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
Synopsis: The key for the Pats to repeat as division champs for the eighth straight season is to go 2-2 in the first four games with Jimmy Garoppolo starting. Arizona is a double-digit favorite by some sports books; and rightfully so. If they can win at least two of Miami, Houston, and Buffalo (all at home) in Weeks 2 through 4, they're set up pretty well when Brady returns in Week 5 at Cleveland. A silver lining to the four-game suspension may be that Brady saves a little wear and tear to his body, especially if he's still intent on playing into his 40's. On the other side of the ball, it may not be the best defense that Bill Belichick has ever fielded in Foxborough, but it's certainly the most versatile and athletic. After years of being predominantly a 3-4 defense, they're going to be able to show multiple fronts with guys like Chris Long, Jabaal Sheard, Malcom Brown, and Barkevious Mingo to name a few. Jamie Collins at linebacker is criminally underrated again, and the secondary is bordering on elite. Cyrus Jones makes them a deeper unit back there, as well. They're not deep at linebacker, so injuries could be a factor if one or two go down.

2. BUFFALO BILLS
Synopsis: There's legitimate reason for optimism around Buffalo for the first time in nearly a decade, as they may have their quarterback in Tyrod Taylor, and a young, hungry defense that upgraded their speed and athleticism at linebacker with the addition of Zach Brown. This actually could the first season where Rex Ryan sports a top-ten offense. Did I really just type that? But look at what they have. Taylor, LeSean McCoy, a solid receiving corps led by Sammy Watkins, and a young offensive line that has now played together for several seasons. It's a bummer for the defense that Marcel Dareus is going through a rough patch, and Shaq Lawson isn't 100% healthy heading into the season. But for the first time that I can remember saying, a Rex Ryan-coached offense could make up for any defensive shortcomings in the short run. Will they be good enough to win the division? I don't know. A lot of that depends on the first four games of the season for New England (that Week 4 road matchup with the Pats looms large). I'm not sure that ten wins is enough for a wildcard berth alone this year, so winning the division is the best (and maybe the only) way.

3. NEW YORK JETS
Synopsis: Ryan Fitzpatrick begrudgingly re-signed for another year with the Jets; and he returns to an offense with some talent around him, including running back Matt Forte. New York controlled their own playoff destiny last year, but a Week 17 loss to their old boss, Rex Ryan, kept the Jets out of the playoffs. One has to wonder, though -- how longer can they sustain the roster in its current state? Forte, Fitzpatrick, tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson, and cornerback Darrelle Revis are all on the wrong side of thirty. Sheldon Richardson is an immense talent, but a Grade-A knucklehead (although, his camp demeanor and attitude have done a complete 180, so maybe there's hope yet). Todd Bowles has talked about Eric Decker needing to be more of a deep threat, but I'm not sure he's suited to be that kind of player. My guess is, the Jets likely finish around .500; and continue to think they're on the cusp, when they really need to blow this thing up and start from scratch.

4. MIAMI DOLPHINS
Synopsis: Miami hasn't reached the playoffs since 2008, where they were beaten 27-9 by Baltimore in a game that wasn't even that close. For that matter, they haven't won a playoff game since 2000, the fifth-longest drought in the NFL currently. Only Cincinnati, Detroit, Buffalo, and Cleveland have gone longer. We keep waiting for the turnaround, but where is it? Adam Gase is known for his work with quarterbacks, but what has Ryan Tannehill shown that would convince you he's been worthy of the eighth-overall pick? Laremy Tunsil improves the offensive line, but Lamar Miller is also gone, which won't help matters when you're trying to improve an offense that ranked 26th in yards per game, and 27th in points from last season. Jay Ajayi is the projected starter in place of Miller, but they were apparently so unimpressed with third-round pick Kenyan Drake that they cut him, and backups Daniel Thomas and Isaiah Pead don't inspire confidence. Their defense still has enough parts to be dangerous; but absent any improvement offensively, the Dolphins have little chance of getting out of the AFC East basement.

[artoodeetoo]

Re: One Patriot Place (M17)

2016 TEAM PRIMER

By Riley Byrnes, NESN Staff Writer
September 5th, 2016

ALL EYES ON: This one is quite obvious. Can it be anyone other than Jimmy Garoppolo? He was officially named as the Week 1 starter prior to the team's final preseason game, although it really wasn't a shocking development to those close to the franchise. He'll get tested right out of the gate while filling in for Tom Brady for these first four games; as New England travels to Arizona to face one of the league's top three or four defenses talent-wise, and then they'll follow that up with three straight home dates against Miami, Houston, and Buffalo, with the former two expected to have especially salty defensive units. These four games also might serve as a 'dress rehearsal' of sorts, as Brady doesn't appear to be intent on retiring any time soon, and some scouts across the league feel that Garoppolo has enough natural skill and ability to be a solid NFL starter somewhere, if not New England eventually.

THE X-FACTOR: Martellus Bennett. I wanted to go with Barkevious Mingo originally, but having both Gronk and Bennett on the field at the same time could pose some serious matchup issues for teams. He has 146 receptions the last two years, fourth to only Gronk, Travis Kelce (Kansas City), and Delanie Walker (Tennessee) in the same timeframe. He doesn't need to catch 73 passes, which is the average of the last two years, but his mere presence could open up more opportunities for the wideouts to make an impact.

ROOKIE IMPACT: Cyrus Jones was graded out as a first-round quality talent by most experts last spring, but fell to the second round, where the Patriots grabbed him pretty quickly. In fact, some said he could have a Marcus Peters-like impact on a defense, but he'll be relegated to the nickel position as a rookie, playing behind seasoned veterans in Logan Ryan and Malcolm Butler. However, if one of the two were to go down for any reason, the staff has said publicly that they feel like there would be little drop-off in production.

THE FINAL VERDICT IS IN: If they can manage to split the first four games in any fashion with Garoppolo leading the offense, that should set up the Patriots to manage the rest of the schedule when Brady returns. Four of their first six games are at home, but then four of the following five are on the road, with trips to Pittsburgh and Buffalo (always tough no matter the time of season), and also to San Francisco and the Jets. Sandwiched in between those is a home date with Russell Wilson and the Seahawks in a rematch of the Super Bowl a few years ago that figures to be a great game. It eases up after that stretch, as they get the Rams, Ravens, and Jets at home, and an offensively-challenged-on-paper Broncos team on the road before finishing out at Miami. The division is a bit tougher, but 10-12 wins should be attainable and will likely win the division for an eighth straight season.