2015 New England Patriots

celticdb15

Hall of Famer
Joined
Jul 24, 2007
Messages
8,469
Pats signed Reggie Wayne.
 

Thrashen

Hall of Famer
Joined
Jun 4, 2007
Messages
5,706
Location
Pennsylvania
Pats signed Reggie Wayne.

I'm not too worried about the Reggie Wayne signing, as I believe it to be an insurance policy. Aside from Josh Boyce, all of the black WR's with an chance to make the roster (Brian Tyms, Aaron Dobson, Brandon Gibson, and Brandon LaFell) are currently injured. Tyms could land on season-ending IR and LaFell could start the season on PUP and be out 6 weeks.

Gronkowski and Amendola are injury-free. Edelman has been dealing with an unspecified leg injury (allgedly an ankle) since early August, but is set to return for the season opener. Scott Chandler had a minor knee injury and has been on the same conditioning program as Edelman and should play Week 1.

If they were ever going to re-sign Welker, this would've been the time. Too bad.
 

Leonardfan

Hall of Famer
Joined
Jul 30, 2006
Messages
22,970
I can't imagine Boyce making the roster - he is terrible. He had 3 or 4 drops in the first game. I'd rather Wayne end up here than with the Packers. It keeps the door open for Janis and Jared to try an secure roster spots.
 

Thrashen

Hall of Famer
Joined
Jun 4, 2007
Messages
5,706
Location
Pennsylvania
Just as a few positive developments occurred (RG Ryan Wendell taken of PUP, black WR’s Brian Tyms and Brandon Gibson placed on IR), New England just traded a draft pick for Lions sumo OT, Michael Williams...

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...iots-acquire-otte-michael-williams-from-lions

If they intend for Williams to make the team, white reserve OL such as Ryan Groy, David Andrews, or Josh Kline may fail to make the 53-man roster. Predictions, starters in bold…

OFFENSE:
QB - Brady, Garoppolo, Lindley
RB – Develin
TE – Gronkowski, Chandler
WR – Edelman, Amendola
OL - Solder, Wendell, Stork, Vollmer, Kline

082115%20Saints%20Patriots%2022-M.jpg

CAPTION: Amendola Looks to Mimic Playoff Success

DEFENSE:
DL – Ninkovich
LB – Morris, Fletcher (on PUP)
S – Ebner
K/P/LS – Gostkowski, Allen, Cardona

usa-today-8762220.0.jpg

CAPTION: James Morris, Top Reserve LB

I believe that LB Dane Fletcher will make the team, but will start the season on PUP. Also, either Groy or Andrews could make the squad. Still, 18-20 white players out of 53 is pretty disappointing. The Eagles are projected to have around 24-25 whites on their roster.

With starting WR, Brandon LaFell, likely headed for the PUP List (thus missing the first 6 weeks), look for Edelman, Amendola, Gronkowski, and Chandler to be on the receiving end of nearly every pass. Regardless of Reggie Wayne and Aaron Dobson eating into those reps, this will again be the most white-friendly offense in the NFL.
 

Thrashen

Hall of Famer
Joined
Jun 4, 2007
Messages
5,706
Location
Pennsylvania
Patriots fullback, James Develin, broke his tibia against the Panthers and is out 6-8 weeks. He’ll likely join LB Dane Fletcher as another white player that should start the season on the PUP list, but should return after Week #6...

http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story...new-england-patriots-suffers-broken-right-leg

Without Develin, the 53-man roster should feature approximately 19 whites…

QB – Brady, Lindley, Garoppolo
TE – Gronkowski, Chandler
WR – Amendola, Edelman
OL – Solder, Vollmer, Stork, Andrews, Kline, Wendell

DE – Ninkovich
LB – Morris
S – Ebner

K - Gostkowski
P - Allen
LS – Cardona

Ryan Lindley may not make squad as a 3rd QB, depending upon Brady's suspension. Ryan Groy could make the roster as a reserve OL, but it’s doubtful, as the Patriots are very likely to keep 4 sumos (Mason, Jackson, Flemming, Cannon). Later in the season, when Fletcher and Develin return from PUP, the squad should be feature 21 whites.

I’m very interested in how LB James Morris will be utilized this season. He’s looked great during pre-season action and seems to be the top reserve for Mayo and Hightower. Belichick hasn’t permitted many white LB’s to excel during his 15-year tenure with New England and he's passed over coutless white superstars in the draft. Ted Johnson, Tedy Bruschi, and Mike Vrabel were entrenched starters, and guys like Monty Beisel, Larry Izzo, Niko Koutouvides, Chris White, and Dane Fletcher were special teamers and “emergencyâ€￾ starters.
 

Thrashen

Hall of Famer
Joined
Jun 4, 2007
Messages
5,706
Location
Pennsylvania
It's official, Tom Brady's suspension has been nullified by federal courts...

http://www.nwaonline.com/news/2015/sep/03/judge-lets-brady-play-ruling-against-nfl-deflatega/

NEW YORK — A federal judge deflated "Deflategate" Thursday, erasing New England quarterback Tom Brady's four-game suspension for a controversy that the NFL claimed threatened football's integrity.

U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell went too far in affirming punishment of the Super Bowl winning quarterback. Brady has insisted he played no role in a conspiracy to deflate footballs below the allowable limit at last season's AFC championship game.

The written decision frees Brady to prepare for the Sept. 10 season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The ruling was a surprise to some legal experts who believed Berman was merely pressuring the league to settle when he criticized its handling of the investigation and discipline over the last eight months.

The league brought the scandal to Berman's Manhattan courtroom immediately once Goodell upheld Brady's four-game suspension, blasting the quarterback for arranging the destruction of his cellphone and its nearly 10,000 messages just before he was interviewed for the NFL probe. The union countersued, said Brady did nothing wrong and asked the judge to nullify the suspension.

While the league investigation found it was "more probable than not" that two Patriots ball handling employees deliberately released air from Patriots game balls at January's 45-7 New England victory over the Indianapolis Colts, it cited no direct evidence that Brady knew about or authorized it.
Goodell, though, went beyond the initial investigation report, finding in late July as a result of testimony from Brady and others that the quarterback conspired with the ball handlers and tried to obstruct the league's probe, including by destroying his cellphone.

The commissioner said he concluded Brady "knew about, approved of, consented to, and provided inducements and rewards" to ensure balls were deflated.

Berman's ruling does not necessarily end the dispute. The league can appeal.

I almost feel sorry for anyone playing against Brady this season, as the 4-time SB Champion should have the ultimate motovation in the wake of this rediculous "scandal." Will the NFL appeal the decision?
 

PHillisFan

Master
Joined
Jan 7, 2013
Messages
2,114
It's official, Tom Brady's suspension has been nullified by federal courts...

http://www.nwaonline.com/news/2015/sep/03/judge-lets-brady-play-ruling-against-nfl-deflatega/



I almost feel sorry for anyone playing against Brady this season, as the 4-time SB Champion should have the ultimate motovation in the wake of this rediculous "scandal." Will the NFL appeal the decision?


Awesome! You don't bet against Brady! Suck it dwfs! Nfl can appeal but they won't win. It's pretty much a done deal.
 

FootballDad

Hall of Famer
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
Messages
5,134
Location
Somewhere near Kansas City, MO
Frank Schwab, one of Gayhoo's "shutdown corner" writers, has been writing about how ridiculous the league's case against Brady was. Here is his take this morning after this ruling was handed down. It's a good read:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-s...ady-suspension-in-deflate-gate-221425352.html

[h=1]Judge rules for Tom Brady, overturns four-game deflate-gate suspension[/h] By Frank Schwab 31 minutes ago Shutdown Corner












. View photo

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady arrives at Federal court in New York, Monday, Aug. 31, 2015. Even as negotiations aimed at settling "Deflategate" drag on, lawyers are seeking every legal advantage in a quest to win over a federal judge. Repeating arguments they made at a hearing last week, lawyers are sending Judge Richard Berman letters reminding him of their legal positions. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)



This was the NFL’s nightmare.





After more than seven months, several millions of dollars and big talking from the league and commissioner Roger Goodell in the deflate-gate controversy, the first time someone independent looked at the case against Tom Brady it was thrown out.


Judge Richard M. Berman ruled that Brady’s four-game suspension by the NFL will be vacated, according to the Associated Press and other reports. Brady maintained his innocence even while the NFL tried to make its most popular player a scapegoat in a scandal the league let grow to outrageous proportions, but from the moment investigator Ted Wells’ report came out it was clear that there was no evidence against Brady. The NFL, for whatever reason, didn’t want to admit that and kept trying to turn Brady into a villain. An independent judge saw it for what it was worth.


And with that, Brady will play. The reigning Super Bowl MVP will be on the field for the season opener on Sept. 10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Officially speaking, Brady is off the hook for whatever happened when the Patriots’ footballs were found to be under-inflated during the AFC championship game against the Indianapolis Colts. That’s great news for the Patriots. And — if you need one sentence to sum up how badly the league botched this entire thing — the fact that Brady will not miss any games is a horrible look for the league.


The NFL under Goodell has been criticized for becoming quite a mess, especially when it comes to player discipline, and deflate-gate sums that up. As soon as the parties got in front of Berman, he chided the NFL, asking, “What is evidence of scheme or conspiracy that covers the January 18 game? I'm having trouble with that.†There never was any.



The entire process didn’t stand up to much scrutiny. The investigation was never independent, which became clearer as the process went along. The NFL never did anything to correct false information leaked to the media, information that Patriots owner Robert Kraft said he believes came from the NFL itself, which might have showed its mind was made up from the beginning. The lack of real evidence in the report was somewhat stunning, based on Wells’ assertions and the NFL’s punishment. And Goodell upholding an appeal that basically amounted to his own verdict really looked bad after Berman ruled against the NFL.


Where does the NFL even go from here? Although it is said that Goodell has "universal" support among owners, some owners have to wonder how this entire debacle was allowed to happen. Its biggest star twisted in the wind all offseason, only to have a court tell everyone he was right all along. Goodell wants desperately to hold onto absolute power over the players, but in very high-profile cases involving deflate-gate, Adrian Peterson, Ray Rice and the New Orleans Saints’ bounty scandal, he has been publicly overturned. The NFL doesn’t seem to be too adept at the punishment business. Perhaps it’s time for the league to re-think the process because nobody would say this is working too well.
The whole issue began more than seven months ago, in the AFC championship game between the Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. The officials were tipped off by the Colts that the Patriots' footballs seemed under-inflated. The balls were checked at halftime and they were found to be below the minimum allowed under NFL rules, which is 12.5 psi.


That led to the very expensive, long and incomplete report from Wells, which didn't have any evidence of Brady's role in whatever happened, but the NFL used it to suspend Brady four games. The initial punishment had NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent's name on it, which led to Goodell ruling on Brady's appeal. With a long report, Goodell upheld the suspension. That led to both sides filing in federal court. The NFL asked the court in New York to confirm its decision and the NFLPA wanted it vacated.


Berman wanted the sides to settle but that didn't happen, and it doesn't sound like it was ever close. According to the New York Daily News' Gary Myers, the NFL never offered a settlement deal but indicated it would cut Brady's suspension to three games if he admitted guilt, which means the NFL was never serious about settling. Maybe it should have been.

Once there was no settlement, it was widely expected that whichever side lost would appeal, dragging out the controversy even further.
 

woody39

Mentor
Joined
Oct 19, 2012
Messages
1,610
Location
Great Britain
Fantastic news for the Patriots, for us here at CF and for the NFL as a whole. Watch Brady fly this year his motivation will be through the roof.
 

Don Wassall

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Sep 30, 2004
Messages
30,323
Location
Pennsylvania
Brandon LaFell was placed on the reserve/PUP list, which means he can't return before week 8. Reggie Wayne was released. Could mean that Amendola will have a big role along with Edelman when he gets healthy. Even though the Patriots have regressed notably demographically (influx of sumos, hardly any White defensive players), Gronk, Edelman and Amendola could be Brady's three main receiving targets this season.
 

Thrashen

Hall of Famer
Joined
Jun 4, 2007
Messages
5,706
Location
Pennsylvania
Brandon LaFell was placed on the reserve/PUP list, which means he can't return before week 8. Reggie Wayne was released. Could mean that Amendola will have a big role along with Edelman when he gets healthy. Even though the Patriots have regressed notably demographically (influx of sumos, hardly any White defensive players), Gronk, Edelman and Amendola could be Brady's three main receiving targets this season.

There are 5 WRs on the Patriot roster, one of whom is black special teams ace, Matt Slater, who doesn't play at WR. Julian Edelman and black bust, Aaron Dobson, are likely the #1 and #2. Amendola is the #3. Chris Harper is unlikely to receive many offensive snaps.

The game's best offensive player, superstar TE, Rob Gronkowski, will be paired with the equally-gigantic #2 TE, Scott Chandler. Chandler flashed in the 3rd pre-season game and is allegedly slated for tons of playing time, particularly with LaFell's injury...


http://nesn.com/2015/09/patriots-skill-position-preview-dion-lewis-could-steal-third-down-role/

When was the last time that a team's top 4 receiving targets were white? It should be one of the most pro-white offensive teams we've ever seen, even after LaFell's return.

There's also a rumor that Josh Kline and Ryan Wendell will be the starters at guard, not rookie sumos, Jackson and Mason.
 

Thrashen

Hall of Famer
Joined
Jun 4, 2007
Messages
5,706
Location
Pennsylvania
By a very considerable margin, the New England Patriots are the most popular, most scrutinized, most dissected, most beloved, most detested, and most “talked about†club in the league. From the ingenuous absurdity of “Deflategate,†to their dramatic Superbowl victory over the would-be “black dynasty†(Seattle Seahawks), to Tom Brady’s successfully overturned 4-game suspension, to the newest “Spygate†accusations, to recent television specials/documentaries (“America’s Game: 2014 New England Patriots†and “Do Your Jobâ€) relating to the team, the mantra of the ESPN, NFL Network, Fox Sports1, and the dinosaur networks seems to be: “All Patriots, All the Time.â€

The one-hour version of “America’s Game: 2014 New England Patriots,†debuted last night…

[video=youtube;uHpVcJl9ZG8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHpVcJl9ZG8[/video]

The “Do Your Job†documentary airs tonight on NFL Network.

It makes me wonder…if the franchise wasn’t annually overflowing with white superstars, would it receive even a fraction of the media coverage or fan discussion? I think the sheer magnitude of discourse (positive and negative) surrounding the Patriots proves that an NFL franchise that is more “racially relatable†to the media and fans could be far more lucrative, relevant, and compelling than the archetypal NFL squad…a tar-hued, thug-laden plantation devoid of whites. But why? Do the racially-insensate white male NFL fans secretly long to follow white players, especially ones who play for a dominant team? Do white women enjoy watching the Patriots because they (despite decades of propaganda) subconsciously find the white players to be more handsome/attractive than the grotesque-looking Negroes perpetually littering the league? Does the mainstream sports media enjoy endlessly analyzing the Patriots because they know that white viewers are more interested in hearing about a “white†team? Is everyone more socially comfortable criticizing a “white†team?

This year’s installment of the New England Patriots features 17 whites (down 3 from last year’s 20 whites) on their 53-man roster, however, the team should start 10-11 whites out of 22 (Brady, Solder, Wendell, Stork, Vollmer, Gronkowski, Chandler, Edelman, Amendola, and Ninkovich of defense). Starting FB, James Develin, would’ve made the squad, but he broke his leg in pre-season. The roster…

QB – Brady, Garoppolo

TE – Gronkowski, Chandler

WR – Edelman, Amendola

OL – Solder, Wendell, Stork, Kline, Vollmer, Andrews

DE – Ninkovich

DB –Ebner

K/P/LS – Gostkowski, Allen, Cardona

At present, the RG position is occupied by rookie sumo, Tre’ Jackson, but white reserve, Josh Kline, started in the playoffs last year (against the Ravens and Colts) and looked great. Even if he isn’t the starter, he should be featured heavily this season. LB Dane Fletcher is currently on the PUP list and is slotted to return in Week #7. Also, LB James Morris could be brought back at some point, barring injuries at LB.

Of course, I’d love nothing more than to see this team win another Championship this season. Their performance in last year’s playoffs was masterful and their Superbowl victory against the “Blackhawks†is my fondest memory as a sports fan. I’ll never forget my wife and I watching the game with like-minded friends and loving the great success of all of the white Patriots. The game couldn’t have played out any more perfectly for out cause...

gronktd.nocrop.w529.h316.gif


amendola-td.nocrop.w529.h316.gif


edlemantd.gif
 

Romulus

Newbie
Joined
Feb 27, 2015
Messages
70
Looking forward to seeing Brady, Gronk, Edelman, Chandler, and Amendola tear up the tar-hued Pittsburgh defense tonight! It's another big caste matchup, with the NE "White Stars" likely on a rampage against one of the most odious teams in the league.
 

Thrashen

Hall of Famer
Joined
Jun 4, 2007
Messages
5,706
Location
Pennsylvania
Bad news about Patriots starting center, Bryan Stork. He was placed on short term IR with a concussion, meaning he can return Week #9…

https://www.bostonherald.com/sports...ace_bryan_stork_on_short_term_injured_reserve

With Ryan Wendell likely moving to center, it’s highly probable that rookie sumo, Tre’ Jackson, will indeed be starter at RG. Solder, Kline, Wendell, Jackson, and Vollmer will likely be starting against the Steelers tonight. The only scenario in which a 5/5 white offensive will be maintained is if Andrews moves to center, Wendell plays RG, and Kline plays LG.

The Pats also signed white LB, Alex Singleton, to their practice squad. He’s a former tackling-machine from Montana State. A little good news after James Morris was inexplicably released...

Alex%20Singleton%20decleat%20copy.jpg
 

Ambrose

Master
Joined
Feb 23, 2013
Messages
2,630
Location
New York

Thrashen

Hall of Famer
Joined
Jun 4, 2007
Messages
5,706
Location
Pennsylvania
With RB Dion Lewis on IR, one would imagine that the Patriots would lean even more heavily on the passing game, directly benefiting our guys. The less-dynamic James White started in place of an injured Lewis in Week #7 against the Jets and Brady threw 54 passes...the top 4 statistical receivers in that game were white (Edelman, Amendola, Gronk, and Chandler).

Guard Ryan Wendell unfortunately joined tackle Nate Solder on IR this week, so hopfully LB Dane Fletcher returns from the PUP list, adding another white player to the squad. Given the sickening influx of sumos over the past 2 years and with so many white players on IR/PUP (Develin, Wendell, Solder, Derby, Fletcher), the Pats only have 15 white players on the 53-man roster. Thankfully, with Bryan Stork returning from short-term IR last week, the OL should still feature some 4/5-white combination of Vollmer, Kline, Andrews, and Stork.

This team is starting to resemble the 2012 Denver Broncos...many white starters, but few white reserves.
 

Thrashen

Hall of Famer
Joined
Jun 4, 2007
Messages
5,706
Location
Pennsylvania
Edelman undergoes foot surgery today, out 8-9 weeks and likely to return for the playoffs. Dez Bryant had the same injury earlier this season and returned after 6 weeks…

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/11/16/surgery-monday-for-edelman-season-may-not-be-over/

One silver lining is the fact that with 7 games remaining, it’s conceivable that the once-detested Danny Amendola could achieve his 1[SUP]st[/SUP] 1,000-yard season in Edelman’s stead. He’ll need to average about 85 yards per game. When the chips were down in the 2014 playoffs (particularly against Baltimore), it was Amendola that saved the day for the Pats on multiple occasions.
 

Leonardfan

Hall of Famer
Joined
Jul 30, 2006
Messages
22,970
Losing Edelman for the balance of the regular season really stinks. The patriots lack of any white depth is really begining to irritate me as well.

Amendola was superb yesterday and will have to continue playing at a high level for the rest of the season, Gronk will be reliable as he is easily the best tight end in the league (jimmy graham has been exposed as a product of the saints system - he refuses to do anything except be a receiver). Chandler will need to step up when his number is called - I would love to see the pats heavily employ a two TE offense.

The black wrs are pretty unspectacular. It would be nice to see them sign Kris Durham to give Brady another big target on the outside.
 

Don Wassall

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Sep 30, 2004
Messages
30,323
Location
Pennsylvania
The Patriots released safety Ross Ventrone. He has now been signed 14 times and released 12 times, just by the Patriots (he was recently with the Steelers as a WSTD and was cut by them also). Given that the Pats seem to be following the Packers model of purging White backups, this may be the last time Ventrone goes through this time-honored Caste System ritual with New England.
 

Thrashen

Hall of Famer
Joined
Jun 4, 2007
Messages
5,706
Location
Pennsylvania
The Patriots released safety Ross Ventrone. He has now been signed 14 times and released 12 times, just by the Patriots (he was recently with the Steelers as a WSTD and was cut by them also). Given that the Pats seem to be following the Packers model of purging White backups, this may be the last time Ventrone goes through this time-honored Caste System ritual with New England.

To make his shabby treatment even more cruel, Ross' equally-tortured brother, Ray, is an assistant special teams coach for the Pats.

In other news, if LB Dane Fletcher (who has been practicing for several weeks) isn't activated from the PUP list by November 24th, he'll be placed on IR. Given the sudden de-whitening of the Pats roster, I hope he returns, even if merely as a special teamer.

OT Sebastian Vollmer (concussion) is slated to return for MNF, likely making the Pats OL 4/5 white once more.
 

Leonardfan

Hall of Famer
Joined
Jul 30, 2006
Messages
22,970
According to weenieworld Fletcher won't be activated:

Dane Fletcher - LB - Patriots

The Patriots will not activate LB Dane Fletcher (knee) from the reserve/PUP list, ending his season.

A core special teamer, Fletcher is headed for free agency. He turned 29 in September.




 

Thrashen

Hall of Famer
Joined
Jun 4, 2007
Messages
5,706
Location
Pennsylvania
With endless injuries to New England's white offensive starters this season, it's nice to hear that OT Sebastian Vollmer will return for the playoffs after sustaining a sprained ankle (it looked like a broken ankle) in the first quarter of last week's contest. Starting OG, Josh Kline (shoulder), will likely play this week against the Dolphins. Great news for an offense struggling mightily due to a 4/5 black OL...

http://www.si.com/nfl/2015/12/29/new-england-patriots-sebastian-vollmer-injury-update

Just how many white players have been placed on IR or injured for the Pats in 2015?

Six were placed on IR...

1) FB James Develin placed on IR
2) C Bryan Stork placed on short term IR
3) OT Nate Solder played on IR
4) TE AJ Derby played on IR
5) LB Dane Fletcher placed on PUP/IR
6) RB Tyler Gaffney placed on IR

Gronkowski, Edelman, Amendola, Kline, Vollmer, Chandler, and Stork have all missed at least one game due to injury.

Ideally, the "Playoff Version" of the Pats' offense should include 3 or 4 white O-lineman (Vollmer, Kline, Stork, possibly Andrews) with Gronkowski, Edelman, Amendola, and Chandler all at full strength.

In other news, the Pats signed former Rutgers LB, Kevin Snyder, to their practice squad. Best of luck to him eventually cracking the roster...

http://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/i...s_linebacker_kevin_snyder_signs_with_new.html

[video=youtube;2CzcxllStSA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CzcxllStSA[/video]
 

Thrashen

Hall of Famer
Joined
Jun 4, 2007
Messages
5,706
Location
Pennsylvania
Good news concerning Mayo, however, the only two white LB's on the roster that could benefit (Dane Fletcher and Kevin Snyder) seem unlikely to make the squad in 2016, let alone become starters. The Pats haven't had a white LB start on a regular basis since Monty Beisel started for the majority of the 2005 season...

Monty_Beisel_Patriots.jpg


In the 10+ years since, Dane Fletcher also started a handful of games in 2011. Perhaps the Pats will surprise us and actually draft and/or trade for a white LB this off-season? I'm expecting another all-black draft in 2016, with possibly a white FA signing or two.

The Pats have three white free agents (SS Nate Ebner, C Ryan Wendell, and FB James Develin) that will hopefully be re-signed. I'll try to keep everyone updated on their status.
 
Top