By John Sarianides Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich is expected to announce his retirement today, ending his 11 year NFL career.  The 33 year old Ninkovich entered the league in 2006 and after being cut four separate times by the Saints and Dolphins, he signed with the Patriots in 2009.  Ninkovich spent eight seasons with the Patriots and during that he developed a reputation of playing with heart and toughness. Ninkovich…

By John Sarianides Comparing the Patriots 2007 and 2017 skill groups seems to be a popular conversation around these parts nowadays. Some folks think the 07 group is better, others think this current group is better.  The only common thread between these two groups is Tom Brady and he might be the only person who could settle this debate. He won’t, so allow me to settle the debate once and…

By John Sarianides With training camp off and running, here five priorities for the Patriots this summer.  1. Play Brady in Three Pre-Season Games: Tom Brady is going to be 40 next week. While I am all for a pitch count at practice, Brady needs to get as many game reps as possible this pre-season.  Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels need to play Brady in theee of the…

By John Sarianides Training camp is here and as usual, the roster is chock full of guys you have never heard of. Some of those guys will make an impression and end up with a roster spot as a result. Here are five names you should know as training camp opens. 1. Austin Carr, WR, Northwestern: The rookie wide receiver has been turning heads since he signed as an undrafted…

By John Sarianides  The Patriots bolstered their secondary this off-season by signing free agent cornerback Stephon Gilmore to a $65 million dollar contract. The move was surprising considering the Patriots unwillingness in the past to give cornerbacks long term, big money contracts. Bill Belichick opted to give Gilmore the big money contract instead of restricted free agent Malcolm Butler. The Patriots tried to trade Butler but couldn’t get a deal…

By John Sarianides The Patriots added some much needed speed and depth to their linebacking corp this off-season when they drafted outside linebacker Derek Rivers out of Youngstown State and signed veteran inside linebacker David Harris. Both should make a difference in 2017, especially Harris who brings a wealth of experience to the Patriots defense. For years, Bill Belichick ignored developing linebackers, instead opting to sign veterans who have experience….

By John Sarianides The Patriots bolstered their defensive line this off-season with additions of defensive ends Kony Ealy, Lawrence Guy and Deatrich Wise.  All four players will have the opportunity to contribute right away to a defensive line unit that has been inconsistent in recent years, particularly when it comes to rushing the passer. The Patriots only had 34 sacks last season.  Here is our scouting report on the defensive…

By John Sarianides Football season is here! NFL training camps open up this week.  1. NFL training camps open up this week. Where did the last five and a half months go? Time flies. 2. The Cowboys and Cardinals have already reported because they are playing in the Hall of Fame Game in two weeks. Is it just me or do the Cowboys seemingly play in this game every other…

By John Sarianides The Patriots offensive line was much improved in 2016 thanks to the return of long time offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia. Scarnecchia brought experience and stability to the offensive line meeting room and it paid off. It also helped that Scarnecchia settled on a starting five and stuck with them.   Some of the credit for the turnaround has to go to the players as well. The emergence…

By John Sarianides The success of the tight end position in the Patriots offense in recent years has rested on the health of Rob Gronkowski. If Gronkowski is healthy, the Patriots are virtually unstoppable offensively.  Gronkowski only played in eight games last season thanks to a herniated disk in his back. The injury isn’t career threatening but it will impact Gronkowski in terms of how he plays the position moving…