NEPD Staff Writer: Mike Gerken

With one preseason game in the books and another just around the corner, we start to get a look at the makeup of this team. We have only peaked through the keyhole, but we can see players who are excelling and some who are struggling. Things can change in the next three and a half weeks, but for the guys who are struggling, it is tough to get past that first impression. One position that still has question marks and may be the biggest concern going into the season is the Defensive Line, so it seems appropriate that we take a look at those players today to see what the team looks for, if they have enough to be competitive this season, and who they might look at next draft if they need to reload at the position.

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NEPD Staff Writer: Mike Gerken

With the first preseason game just a few days away, there is a feeling that football is really back. I know I have been glued to the internet looking for any and all the nuggets from practice that I can find. While that is great, it is nothing like seeing things with your own eyes. I know preseason games can get ugly fast, but I find myself very intrigued to watch beyond the starters this year. This roster is loaded with talent, but there are probably a few spots up for grabs at the back end of the 53 man roster, and it is those battles I look forward to watching on Thursday. Before we get to the game though, we can fill our free time with some light reading on the Offensive Line.

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NEPD Staff Writer: Mike Gerken

While training camp is only a few days old, the Patriots have had their fair share of headlines already. The team has had two players retire within days of each other and while the Hawkins announcement is not a big deal, the announcement by Rob Ninkovich certainly is. Today however, we focuson the final offensive skill position, the Tight Ends. When doing research for this article, this is a position that Belichick puts a lot of focus into and has had mixed results throughout the years.

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NEPD Staff Writer: Mike Gerken

With camp just a few days away, it is fitting that we look at one of the most crowded and talented positions on the roster. With this group, Tom Brady and the Patriots offensive have a chance to put up some record breaking numbers. The real question is whether or not there will be enough passes to go around to keep everyone happy.

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NEPD Staff Writer: Mike Gerken

After going the QB’s, I realized it might be better to put all my information into one post rather than three, so that I thought I would give it a shot with the RB’s. In this post I will look back at the Patriots draft history at the position, what the team can expect from the current players on the roster, as well as what college Seniors to keep an eye on this fall.

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NEPD Staff Writer: Mike Gerken

Can you believe that football is almost upon us once again. I just picked up 2 new notebooks for notes on the upcoming draft and am ready to go. Before we can do that though, we need to know who to watch. Over the next several weeks, I will be giving you a list of SENIORS that I will be keeping an eye on this fall. I have been burned in the past by focusing on some underclassmen that I was sure were going to come out early, so during the season, I keep my focus on just the Seniors and wait for the official list of underclassmen to declare before diving deep into their games. This also helps from keeping the list manageable. It can be overwhelming when you factor in players who might declare early. These list will also be in no particular order. I have not studied any of these guys enough to rank them and even if I did, their play this year will most likely change where they grade out for me anyways. So, without further adieu, here are the Senior QB’s I will be watching.

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NEPD Staff Writer: Mike Gerken

Despite this being the slow period of the NFL, I have a lot on my mind today and I want to share some of that stuff with you today. First off, I will be starting a new series for those who want to get an early start on scouting for next years draft. I will be putting out a watch list of the top Senior players at each position with QB’s up first. With that drop, it gave me the idea of going through the Patriots depth chart position by position to get a better sense of camp battles and who to watch when the pads are finally put on. The final thing I wanted to talk about was starting up a fantasy football league. I got into my first dynasty league a couple of years ago and found it to be very enjoyable and wanted to see if there was interest in starting one up with members from this site. If I can find 11 other wanting to do a free dynasty league, I will do so. Just let me know in the comments area below.

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