This season I've dedicated myself to focusing on the defensive personnel and strategy that the Patriots are using. I've kept track of formations. I've charted snap percentages. And I've enjoyed every minute of it. 

It has been an education and I'm happy to share some attempted insight at just what the Patriots have tried to do on defense that has left them with a 6-2 record, yet a poorly ranked defense.

I bust out the defensive snap percentage charts and provide a break down of the three levels of the Belichick 2.0 Pats Defense after the jump...

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Earlier this week I felt like this was a huge game for the Patriots to prove that they are indeed in the conversation of Super Bowl contenders. Sure, they've beaten two very good teams since the bye week, but it's been the old school brand of Patriots football that we were more accustomed to in the early part of the decade. Playing solid football, capitalizing on the other teams mistakes, and most of all not beating themselves. But we have yet to see an all around dominating performance in all phases of the game.

You don't really know what you're getting with the Vikings this week. I remember being similarly nervous before the 2006 game against them, and that ended up being, in the words of Brad Childress "a surgical procedure".

What do the Patriots have to do to get the Vikings back on the operating table this weekend after the jump.

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The humane thing to do when an animal is suffering is to put it out of it's misery. To finish it off Old Yeller-style with a shotgun out behind the shed. The San Diego Chargers are wounded animals right now, and it's up to the Patriots to send them back to the middle of the NFL pack. However, wounded animals are often most dangerous.

Statistically the Chargers look formidable, and they're a tough team at home (unless it's the playoffs). New England will certainly have their work cut out for them.

The Pats gameplan for the Chargers after the jump...

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It's weeks like this one that make it fun to be a football fan. If you only allow yourself to truly get excited about playoff games you're really missing out. That's why seasons like 2008, when the Patriots traveled through a warm, cuddly schedule of the NFC and AFC West divisions that made an 11-5 record sans Tom Brady possible, was never really that exciting. Not just because Matt Cassel was playing QB.

This year there is no rest for the wicked young Patriots. We've already been beaten over the head with lowlights of the Ravens mopping the field turf of Gillette Stadium with the Welker-less Pats but now it is time to write a new chapter of an emerging Baltimore-New England rivalry.

If there had to be a consensus best team in the NFL right now at week six, the Ravens would be it. However they are not a perfect football team just yet.

It won't be easy, but the Patriots could pull this one off and answer a great many questions that are currently swirling around this team. The game plan after the jump...

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The most interesting storyline for me when it comes to the 2010 New England Patriots is how the defense develops in year two of the rebuild. 2009 was year zero of the Belichick Patriots Defense version 2.0, and now in the second season we've started to see some interesting trends emerging as the coaching staff gets to know their new players better and better.

With a hat tip to Mike Reiss we break down the snaps played for each defensive player and try to read the tea leaves as to what it all means after the jump...

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We knew going into this season that a fast start would be essential for the Patriots to maintain their playoff hopes. Had they faltered like Miami did, losing 2 of 3 division games, it would be a long, hard road to get into the tournament.

I doubt there are many of us that wouldn't have taken a 3-1 record if offered it before the season started. It hasn't always been pretty, but as Bill Parcells said "you are what you are" and the Patriots are still in the division race.

The next four games against the Baltimore Ravens, San Diego Chargers, Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns are a daunting task. That's three 2009 playoff teams, and a Browns team that are no longer pushovers.

Analysis of a tough 2010 quarter number two after the jump...

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As expected today was "Pile on the Patriots Defense" day by all those who seemed shocked that this group of rookies and second/third year players are not instantly a shutdown defense. Yes, letting the Bills put up as much offense as they did was a little scary, but not entirely unexpected, unless you still thought Tedy Bruschi, Rodney Harrison, Ty Law and Willie McGinest were playing for New England.

As far as all the pundits are concerned the vaunted Miami Dolphins offense is going to hang 77 points on the Patriots next Monday night, and New England's only hope of winning will be to score 80.

The Patriots defensive woes have been just one of the few storylines that we've been getting hammered with ever since we stopped beating teams by forty points. Personally I'm just sick and tired of all the lazy journalism, the uniformed opinions, and faux outrage about all things surrounding the new Patriots.

I take a Vollmer-sized swing at all the moronic analysis after the jump...

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We've all had it pounded into our heads this week that the Buffalo Bills "are just what the Patriots need right now", with constant reminders that the Pats have beaten them thirteen times in a row. No one is giving the Bills a chance, and that's a little scary.

On paper the Bills look like one of the worst teams in the NFL and will be starting a new quarterback (Ryan Fitzpatrick). All signs do seem to point to a Patriots blow out, but for some reason I can shake this nervous feeling about the game.

Maybe it's because the Patriots laid a collective team turd against the Jets that brought back memories of second halves death plunges in 2009. And let's not forget the Bills did beat both the Dolphins and Jets last year. Really, the Patriots dominance over the Bills has been a big reason why they've also dominated the AFC East. That cannot be taken for granted.

The truth is that if somehow the Patriots lose this game it would be devastating, especially with Miami on deck. The game plan for how to avoid that after the jump...

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Upon scanning the internets this morning I found a general state of panic and doom amongst many Patriots fans over the loss of Kevin Faulk. Of course, that's to be expected with New England fans.

Make no mistake, we all know that Faulk was the unsung hero of the Patriots dynasty, but I believe his loss will force the Patriots offense to evolve in a way that will greatly benefit them down the road.

Find out why after the jump...

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Alright folks, this is the one we've been waiting for all off-season. Yes, we all knew the Bengals would be a good week one test, but it was week two at the New York Jets that everyone had circled.

A month ago I wrote a quick blog about the four possible options for when the Pats - Jets met, and here we are at the "Guns Blazing" option. I fully expect the Jets to come out and play solid football, at least for the first quarter. This is a huge test for a Patriots team that could not win on the road last year, and this will be the most hostile stadium they play in this season. 

The good news is that the Patriots are healthy and confident, and appear more than ready to take on the team that was the talk of the off-season.

The game plan after the jump...

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On Tuesday, upon hearing Laurence Maroney had been traded, I took my usual positive spin to the transaction by tweeting that the Patriots now had seven picks in the first four rounds of the 2011 draft. I characterized this wealth of picks as "scary".

The Patriots have had back to back excellent drafts, and another year of multiple high picks makes the odds pretty good that they will continue to add even more young talent to a team that is quickly becoming recognized as one of the youngest and most talented in the NFL.

To my surprise Tim Graham, the ESPN beat writer for the AFC East, tweeted back at me something to the effect of "maybe they'll draft another Laurence Maroney".

Thus started a twitter debate of epic proportions. On and on it went for over an hour, to the delight of many "twit-nesses", as we argued about the Patriots draft philosophy. Credit to Tim, who continued to fire back at a mere Pats fan-blogger like myself.

It's hard to make a quality argument 140 characters at a time, though I think I did a pretty good job sticking to my guns, so I felt this was worthy of an expanded analysis. Plus I've heard Felger/Mazz, aka the Abandon Hope All Ye Who Listen Show, were railing against the Pats for their '06/'07/'08 drafts today.

So let's set aside our fan loyalty and look at the NFL draft as rational business people and figure out if the Patriots really are bad drafters as the "pundits" would have you believe they are...

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Patriots Nation is probably feeling pretty good about itself today, perhaps even bordering on overconfident. The Jets looked horrid and lost Kris Jenkins for the season (not saying I am glad he's injured, but it is a major blow to their defense), while the Patriots are being collectively praised again as a Super Bowl contender, even by the likes of Rex Ryan! It also helps that the Colts and Chargers, perennial AFC power houses, both lost as well.

But the Jets are not a team, or even an offense, to be taken lightly.

Why the Pats and their fans still need to take this weekend's game very seriously after the jump...

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It is often said by Patriots players current and past that Bill Belichick likes to give the team just a few things to focus on that they'll need to do in each game to be successful. Each week this season we'll bring you our own version of what we think the Pats need to do to win the game.

I'm not an NFL head coach, though I have won multiple Super Bowls and had multiple undefeated seasons in Madden, so this is meant to start discussion. What do you think they'll do? How will Cincinnati attack the Pats? Let's hear your thoughts too.

Our Patriots game plan for the Cincinnati  Bengals after the jump...

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Sadly Hard Knocks with the New York Jets is over. No more will we get an inside look at what has to be the most entertaining NFL franchise east of Oakland.

If there was a way to keep the series going through the season I think we'd have a mega-hit on our hands. Especially if things go the way I think they're going to go, which is down. We had laughter, cussing, big hits and more laughter and cussing.

Before the series we all knew the Jets talked a big game, but after seeing the inner workings of the team it's clear that there are a lot of major question marks, any number of which could mean disaster this season. Nowhere is this more true than with a suspect offense and a frightening lack of depth in key areas.

Our episode five and series wrap-up after the jump...

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In about twenty-four hours this whole thing will be blown to bits by trades, poachers and breaking IR reports, but here's one last shot of how I'd do it if I was running the show.

When you sit down and map it all out you realize how hard the decisions must be. The Jets have it easy, they only have 48 guys who are any good anyway.

A soon-to-be totally wrong 53-man roster after the jump...

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After a down week comedy-wise with episode three, episode four came back with a vengeance, topping the unintentional comedy scales multiple times. Maybe it's because the Jets looked pretty bad all preseason, especially on offense, and it seems that the cracks are starting to appear.

De-constructing episode four of Jets Hard Knocks after the jump...

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If you're a Patriots fan you're probably sick of hearing about their biggest problem being their inability to generate pressure on the quarterback. Many seem to think that all the Patriots need to do is add a Demarcus Ware-type and they'll be back amongst the elite defenses in the NFL.

After some significant research I've found that is actually the opposite of the truth. My findings after the jump...

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Though there's still a single preseason game left the Patriots have broken training camp and moved on to more of a regular season type schedule. The fun of training camp, of two-a-days and practice reports is over.

With that in mind we proudly present our awards and superlatives for Patriots Training Camp 2010, brought to you by Comcast Xfinity.

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The unintentional comedy was pretty low on Hard Knocks this week, and left me with a foreign feeling. I actually started to like some of their players and coaches. Eeek!

That doesn't mean I've suddenly been turned around and think the Jets are going to be the Super Bowl contending football team they're making themselves out to be.

My Patriots-skewed recap and thoughts after the jump...

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Mike Reiss is reporting that the Patriots have reached what is believed to be a four year contract extension with kicker Stephen Gostkowski. Terms of the deal have not been released.

Gostkowski was a restricted free agent this past off-season but did not miss any time in the spring. Of course it's easier to sign a kicker than it is a top flight guard, but this has to send a message to fellow RFA Logan Mankins. Gostkowski handled the situation professionally and was rewarded.

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If you're a Patriots fan you're probably feeling pretty good today. Your offense mauled the Falcons line without Logan Mankins, while your defense played text book Hoodie-style (at least the first team did). Now all of a sudden the Patriots are a dark horse to win the division that they've won seven of the last nine years. What?

Glad to see everyone else catching on to what we've known all off-season.

A bunch of Peter King-style Things I Think after the jump...

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If you're in anyway feeling a little bit worried about the New York Jets I highly recommend you check out the epic second episode that culminates in Rex Ryan calling out his second team defense. It will put your nerves to rest.

The Jets new image has been carefully crafted by Rex Ryan from the start to be the big scary bully who's gonna beat you down and laugh while he's doing it. The entire NFL universe has collectively fallen for it. Pundits are picking them to win the AFC and even the Super Bowl, but as we get a better look inside the inner workings of this football franchise you see the cracks in their projected image. 

I was left after this episode thinking I will be surprised if they beat the Patriots once this year. And I don't think either game will be close.

Episode one was just a small glimpse, my review of episode two after the jump...

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Today while the media was either tracking Brett Favre or passing out A's all around to the Jets for their 31-16 loss to the Giants, the Patriots were practicing against Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons. This one isn't receiving the same fanfare that the two days of practice with the world champion Saints got, but this is another two days of practice and a game against a solid team that runs different schemes and plays, like one that left Jerod Mayo asking:

"The way they blocked that screen was crazy. How they do that?"

While almost everyone seems to agree there should be fewer preseason games, the Patriots have gone in another direction and are actually increasing the amount of competition their team faces before the games start to really count.

Why?

My attempted insight after the jump...

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If you're a Patriots fan like me but couldn't bear to watch episode one of Jets Hard Knocks, I've taken one for the team in an effort to supply you with only the comical and anti-Jets moments. We'll spare you of all the Jet propaganda, brashness and actual highlights that we're led to believe actually happened in the last week.

What we learned after the jump.

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On a team with so many unproven players about to be thrust into key roles it's hard to narrow it down to just five who we're most interested to see when the Patriots kick off their preseason against the New Orleans Saints. The Patriots will undoubtedly need contributions from a great majority of the twenty-four players they've added over the last two drafts, plus the handful of veterans they added this past off-season, but which five have the most pressure on them to impress immediately?

Our thoughts after the jump...

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Seems like the Pats have a habit of sneaking bad news out late Friday nights. If you groaned at Tedy Bruschi's 2006 wrist injury, you're getting a minor stomach punch in the form of Nick Kaczur's (in the words of Mike Reiss):

 "Significant back injury that could sideline him indefinitely, potentially threaten his season"

Sweet. Somewhere Logan Mankins probably has a smile on his face. How big of a smile depends on how much he likes Nick Kaczur. But Mankins should be expecting his phone to ring if Kaczur is indeed done for 2010. Of course whether the Patriots call depends on how much they like Dan Connolly.

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Adam Schefter and Chris "Mort" Mortensen are taking their act on the road this summer, stopping by training camps and providing their insight (in Schefter's case) and lack of insight (in Mort's case).

At yesterday's stop with the New York Jets, Rex Ryan signed the Jets decal on the side of the Schefter-Mort Mobile and below it wrote "Soon to be Champs."

One thing about Rex, he sure is consistent. I love what Rex brings to the rivalry, but at some point shouldn't he realize that every team they play is going to be fired up to beat the arrogant bunch of a-holes who don't shut their pieholes? Oh well, good luck with that Jets.

Today the Shefter-Mort Mobile stopped by Foxboro and Wes Welker climbed aboard to chat. After Schefter asked him if he really was crying on the sidelines of Houston after being injured last year (seriously), it was Wes' turn to sign the bus.

If you've got NFL Live on DVR I highly suggest you watch this part. Wes clearly does a double take when he sees what Sexy Rexy wrote. He thinks for a second then writes "One Game at a Time".

Nice job, Wes. This is the Patriot way.

The Patriots finished up their fourteenth practice of training camp today and will back on this fields this afternoon. Some of the highlights included Jerod Mayo drilling Wes Welker twice (best thing for him), Tom Brady getting fired up, and Julian Edelman spending some time with the running backs (should I not mention that?).

Training camp has been open for a week. Through the personnel groupings, injuries, and performances what exactly have we learned so far? 

Our observations after the jump...

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It's not often that Patriots uber-beat reporter Mike Reiss tells the Patriots what they should do, but today Reiss laid out a great argument for bringing in Tom Brady's nemesis. It's hard not to agree that this move seems like a slam dunk.

Schobel was solid in 2009 with some ups and downs but the kind of player the Patriots would seem desperate for , i.e. someone who will get to the quarterback. 

Regardless of Schobel's age, you cannot disqualify the effect of playing on a good team could have on him. Clearly he's at a stage in his career where he'll want to go to a team that can win the Super Bowl in the next season or two.

The Patriots could extend his career by using him in the role they used Derrick Burgess in last season. Mostly hand down pass rushing, which Schobel is used to, with a sprinkling of linebacker or defensive end when needed and as he picks up the defense.

The only question that matters is whether or not the Patriots are even interested. But if they were (and they probably should be), the question becomes if Schobel sees the Pats as contenders, or if he'd prefer to be closer to where he grew up, i.e. the Houston Texans.  I'd have to put the Pats as better Super Bowl contenders than them.

What do you guys think?

Throughout the 2009 preseason Patriots fans and observers were surprised to see the team playing more of a 4-3 base defense, and this was even before Richard Seymour, a prototypical 3-4 defensive end, was traded. Bill Belichick has been using a 3-4 base defense long before the trend took over the NFL in the last five years, so this marked an interesting switch in philosophy.

Injuries and inexperience forced the Patriots back to the 3-4 defense in 2009.  Of course Belichick has always run multiple fronts and in reality, you're only going to be in your base defense around fifty percent of the time so we don't want to make this seem like it's some kind of revolution. In fact, Albert Breer reported today that the Pats have still been running  a majority of 3-4 defense in camp thus far.  But with potential 3-4 OLB Shawn Crable cut and mini-camp's 3-4 OLB starter Derrick Burgess contemplating retirement might it be time for the Patriots to make a significant shift in base defense this year?

My thoughts after the jump...

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