TEAM TALKPatriots-Bills Sunday Injury Report.Andy Hart’s Keys to the Starting Lineup: Pats execution beats Buffalo emotion.Press Pass: Players on Josh Gordon adjusting to New England. (1.35 min. video)LOCAL LINKSMike Reiss shares some quick-hit weekend thoughts: Pats haven’t broken stride on one-year anniversary of Jimmy G. trade; Josh Gordon trade value; More.Steve Balestrieri (PatsFans) Sunday Patriots news Authentic Julian Edelman Jersey Salute to Service , AFC East notes: ‘Did you know? Since 2000 when losing the turnover battle the Patriots are 38-37, or slightly over .500. But the rest of the NFL when losing the T.O. battle is just 713-2765-8’.Ryan Hannable’s Sunday 7: CB Jonathan Jones explains video of three-year-old daughter that went viral.Tom E. Curran glances at the record and explains why Tom Brady’s historic mastery over the Bills is likely to continue tonight.Kevin Duffy gives us five things to watch tonight: Real measuring stick for the defense.Matt Dolloff talks up the Bills’ defense that might keep tonight competitive.Zack Cox offers his Patriots vs. Bills preview: Expect a heavy workload for James White.Andrew Callahan previews Pats-Bills: Predictions, game plans, matchups; More.Karen Guregian warns the Patriots to drop the turnover habit. /Agreed!Steve Balestrieri (PatsFans) Patriots-Bills Week 8 Monday Night Football: Players to watch.Mike Reiss reports Rob Gronkowski will travel with the Patriots, but adds Gronk stopped short of saying he’d play Monday night against the Bills as he recovers from a back injury.Evan Lazar takes a solid look at LT Trent Brown, who is happy to be in New England and proving to be a rock on Tom Brady’s blind side.Robert Alvarez (PatsFans) NFL Films profiles Danny Shelton’s path to the NFL and how being a parent to four dogs has helped him through his career.NBC Sports Boston passes along a report that the Patriots have ‘had internal discussions’ about reacquiring Jamie Collins.Ryan Hannable mentions the rumor that the Pats are interested in adding a premium WR at the trade deadline, possibly Demaryius Thomas.Rich Thompson Patriots Notebook: Gronkowski is ‘good’ for homecoming vs. Bills; Michel doubtful; Injury upate; More.Karen Guregian NFL Notes: Even without a trade, Patriots still the favorite as usual.Matt Chatham (Real Thing Patriots Podcast) Buffalo Preview: MNF mismatch, how Patriots keep Bills down. (41 min.)NATIONAL NEWSAndy Benoit (SI) Patriots-Bills preview: Can Buffalo pull the upset on Monday Night Football?Preview Team (Pro Football Focus) NFL Week 8 New England @ Buffalo preview.Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) Rob Gronkowski indicates he will play on Monday night.Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Nine Patriots are questionable for Monday night.Josh Alper (ProFootballTalk) Devin and Jason McCourty honored by NFLPA for community work.Albert Breer (SI) Monday Morning QB: Redskins rising, Rams relentless, Vinatieri on top: Week 8 in the NFL.Peter King (ProFootballTalk) Football Morning in America: On the role a Rolex played in keeping the Rams perfect.Will Brinson (CBS Sports) Sorting the Sunday Pile: Old-school Redskins could win NFC East, Cam Newton dissects top defense.Danny Kelly (The Ringer) The seven plays that explain NFL Week 8.Nate Davis (USA Today) 32 Things we learned from Week 8 of the 2018 NFL season.Rodger Sherman (The Ringer) The winners and losers from NFL Week 8.Jason La Canfora (CB Sports) Week 8 NFL insider notes: Seahawks quietly contenders with new-look offense, Steelers can’t bench Conner.Jason La Canfora (CBS Sports) Trade deadline has potential to be most active ever, with Pats, Eagles Limited Kevin Faulk Jersey , Steelers in mix.Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz (USA Today) NFL trade deadline: Seven deals that contending teams should make in 2018.Conor Orr (SI) ‘The Bill Bilcheck’ is running for probate judge, and of course he’s a Patriots fan.Robert Whitney (TheAOSN) The NFL’s scariest teams at midseason. Patriots 3rd. Brandon Thorn (USA Football) How offensive tackles keep edge rushers on their toes.Lorenzo Reyes (USA Today) NFL Week 8 winners, losers: Browns coach Hue Jackson could be in trouble.John Breech (CBS Sports) NFL Week 8 grades.Dana Hunsinger Benbow (IndyStar) Former Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano lands NFL job, has his eye on a different one. “Hated Patriots? Of course, of course, it’s a deep hatred...”Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) Chuck Pagano hopes to coach next year, beat the hated Patriots./Pats would love to see you coaching again too Chuck.Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) TNF ratings up in comparison to ’17, way down in comparison to ’15.Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) NFL keeps teasing London with the possibility of its own team.Kevin Seifert (ESPN) The NFL fires an official and opens Pandora’s box. What’s next?VIEW FROM BUFFALOVic Carucci (Buffalo News) Bills vs. Patriots doesn’t qualify as a rivalry.Anthony Gulizia (ESPN) 28 wins, 13 opposing QBs: Inside Tom Brady’s Bills dominance.Sal Maiorana (Democrat & Chronicle) Do the Bills have a Monday night miracle in them? It’s highly unlikely.Alan Pergament (Buffalo News) Bills fans should root for ‘Tess Effect’ on Monday night.Sal Maiorana (Democrat & Chronicle) The 10 most unforgettable Monday Night Football games in Buffalo Bills history.Mike Rodak (ESPN) Patriots past helps guide OC Brian Daboll in Buffalo.Football Outsiders: Will Dont’a Hightower fix the Patriots run defense? Every year, Football Outsiders releases their Almanac to preview the upcoming NFL season. We spoke with Rivers McCown of Football Outsiders to get the inside scoop on the New England Patriots. Click here to purchase the Football Outsiders Almanac!The Patriots run defense was exceptionally weak last year. Will Danny Shelton and Adrian Clayborn help fix the problem? Or will the return of Dont’a Hightower mean the most?The New England Patriots ranked 31st against the run according to Football Outsiders’ DVOA rankings and so I was curious to know where the team could improve and whether the addition of Adrian Clayborn or Dont’a Hightower would have a larger impact.But McCown’s point is interesting in that he considers the Patriots run defense to be a down-year for what is typically a great run defense and for the unit to regress back towards its usual high-quality self.Over the past decade, the Patriots have typically fluctuated between “really good” and “really bad” against the run. The team ranked above-average in 2008 (11th), 2009 (13th), 2012 (6th), 2014 (13th), 2015 (10th) Antonio Garcia Jersey , and 2016 (6th). They ranked below-average in 2010 (23rd), 2011 (25th), 2013 (27th), and 2017 (31st). It’s worth noting that in four of the past six years, the Patriots run defense has been good, if not great. In the years they’ve struggled, the Patriots have dealt with some serious injuries, notably with stalwart linebackers Jerod Mayo, Brandon Spikes, and Dont’a Hightower and defensive linemen Ty Warren, Mike Wright, Vince Wilfork, and Tommy Kelly missing time. So I think the return of Hightower will have a bigger impact on the Patriots run defense than the addition of Clayborn.One of the trends of the Matt Patricia defenses is how they improved over the course of the season. Do the numbers suggest any changes in styles of play (zone vs man, more blitzes, etc) Dont'a Hightower Jersey , or just an improved performance?Weeks 1-650% Man, 18.5% Blitz (5+ Pass Rush), 27.8% rush only 3 Weeks 7-12 55% Man, 22.2% Blitz, 18.6% rush only 3 Weeks 13-17 59% Man, 25% Blitz, 22.3% rush only 3 This is an interesting read into how Matt Patricia developed his defense over the course of 2017 and how he adjusted for the skill sets of his players. The Patriots didn’t have a pass rush last year, but they had solid depth at cornerback. That allowed the team to draw resources away from coverage and put them into getting after the quarterback.How will this play out in 2018? Will Brian Flores follow a similar season-long developmental strategy?I think the Patriots have the best depth on the defensive line that they’ve had in a while, so I would expect the team to rely less on blitzing to get after the quarterback. That said, I think the linebacker depth is questionable in coverage and I wouldn’t be surprised if the linebackers crashed the box in order to keep the opposing running backs in pass protection instead of running their routes.It feels like both Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung have had incredibly unique career trajectories. McCourty was an All Pro at cornerback, and then twice at safety, while Chung flamed out in his first stint in New England, busted in Philadelphia, and then has thrived in his return. Who are some historical players that have had the most similar careers?What makes Devin McCourty so interesting and unique is how he was named Second Team All Pro at cornerback as a rookie in 2010, moved to safety midway through the 2012 season Authentic Joe Thuney Jersey Salute to Service , and was named Second Team All Pro at free safety in 2013. He also earned another Second Team All Pro nod in 2016 for his work as both a free safety and as a strong safety on roughly 50% of his snaps with Duron Harmon on the field.As McCown notes, it’s not weird for a cornerback to move to safety during their career, but it’s usually at the tail-end of their career when they’re no longer physically capable of playing coverage, but they still have the football intelligence to be of value leading a defense- like a Charles Woodson. But McCourty was playing like an elite cornerback in 2012 before he moved to safety after the acquisition of Aqib Talib. McCourty moved to safety because that was the Patriots’ Achilles heel on defense and his presence on the back-end immediately solidified the secondary.Ronnie Lott is clearly a high-achieving comparable as the defensive back moved to safety in his fifth season after being an All Pro as a rookie, and then ripped off six-straight All Pro seasons at safety.Chung, on the other hand, did not have as glamorous of a start to his career in New England and was ultimately benched and cut for reasons I blame more on the coaching staff and front office than on Chung himself. Chung was never a great deep-safety, but thrived when asked to cover tight ends and to play in the box. Injuries in the Patriots secondary- injuries that also led to McCourty ultimately playing deep safety- forced the Patriots to play Chung at free safety instead of in-the-box and it was a disaster.Now, Chung has a perfect role on the Patriots defense as a jack-of-all trades, where he can cover running backs in the flat and tight ends in the slot, help stuff the run in the box, and even rush after the quarterback. He’s the perfect type of defender that allows the Patriots to play both the run and the pass while keeping the same personnel on the field.As opposing teams start to rely more on running backs to attack the lighter defenses built to defend the pass, Chung’s role will be in even greater focus, highlighting his perfect skill set for this era of football.
