New England Patriots

New England Patriots Musket Fire Roundtable: Week 1

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 5:43 p.m. ET

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Sep 1, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Eric Rowe (32) Philadelphia Eagles – Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Hello and welcome to the first Musket Fire New England Patriots Roundtable Discussion of the 2016 regular season.

Connor Fulton: I’m a big defensive backs guy, so naturally I was interested when the Patriots traded for Eric Rowe. How do you see the sophomore pro factoring into the secondary this season?

Hal Bent: There is usually a significant learning curve in the Patriots’ defense in the front seven due to tapping and run lane responsibilities with linebackers and defensive lineman on the same page. In the secondary the safeties set coverages and communicate with the linebackers for tight end and running back responsibilities. At cornerback, however, the system and responsibilities are much simpler. Justin Coleman walked into the field last year with little prep and played well. Alfonzo Dennard, Aqib Talib, Sterling Moore, Ras-I Dowling and more have stepped in at cornerback with the Patriots and played with little or no time in the system. If Rowe is playing cornerback, he could (and should) be contributing playing in the dime defense (10 to 20 snaps) immediately in week one against Arizona.

James Caughlin: He probably won’t do much for the first month but I can see him getting into the safety rotation as the season goes on. It feels like this trade is being done with an eye on 2017 as the team will potentially be losing Duron Harmon in free agency and he could be getting groomed as a replacement for that role. I am intrigued by his size though and he might be able to get up close and personal with some receivers and play the help role.
Zac Blackerby: I think he’s a reserve guy for at least the first half of the season. He’s still raw and used to a losing culture. I think the Pats like him for his ability to play corner and safety but I don’t know if it’s at a high enough level for him to see the field outside of special teams for a while.

Rob Gronkowski (87) New England Patriots – Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Hal Bent: Rob Gronkowski has indicated in the media that he is still not 100% due to his hamstring injury which occurred almost 4 weeks ago. Do you think Gronk is good to go in Week 1? Is there a chance he does not play? How do think he will do without Tom Brady at quarterback and facing safety/linebacker/athletic freak Deone Bucannon (if he plays in Week 1 against Arizona)?

Connor Fulton: It was a bit unusual of Gronk to reveal his injury status to the media, which can only indicate that he is indeed up in the air for Week 1. Even if Gronk suits up in Week 1, this writer is doubtful he will factor into the offense as much as he would if Tom Brady were under center. Rather, it will be Julian Edelman who acts as Jimmy Garoppolo’s go-to target. As for Deone Bucannon, his 210 pounds don’t stack up well against Gronk’s 265 big ones, but he will still probably cover Gronk better than most hybrid linebacker/safety types.

Malcolm Butler (21) New England Patriots – Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

James Caughlin: Who do you think will lead the team in sacks and interceptions this year and how will they rank compared to the league leaders?

Zac Blackerby: Sacks: Jabaal Sheard. Interceptions: Cyrus Jones. I loved Sheard’s work ethic and motor last season. If not for injuries, I believe he could have generated pressure all season long. As for the Jones prediction, I’m stepping out on a limb a bit but I see him making a lot of plays for the Pats this year. Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan won’t get thrown to as often as I predict Jones will.

Connor Fulton: Sacks: Going to take a chance with this prediction and say Barkevious Mingo will lead the team with 7.5 sacks. I don’t think that the Patriots’ pass rush will be dominated by one player; rather, four or five guys are going to step up and the Patriots will differentiate themselves by having a bunch of threatening pass rushers. Jabaal Sheard, Chris Long, Trey Flowers, Jamie Collins and Rob Ninkovich will all have over five sacks in addition to Mingo’s mixture of power and speed delivering 7.5 for the team lead.

As for interceptions, look no further than rookie Cyrus Jones, who will lead the team with six picks en route to being a frontrunner for Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Hal Bent: Chris Long: 8 to 10 sacks. If he is healthy, he should benefit from Jabaal Sheard getting most of the attention. No Patriot is getting near the J.J. Watt numbers in sacks, though.

Malcolm Butler: 6 interceptions. Butler had so many opportunities for a pick slip through his fingers last year that it almost became comical. Every team early on is still going to test Butler early on if the preseason was any indication. A couple of INTs in the first few games should set the tone for a strong season. He should be close to the league leaders in INTs considering his opportunities.

Sep 1, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants cornerback Michael Hunter (39) fumbles the ball while being tackled by New England Patriots Barkevious Mingo (51) during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

Zac Blackerby: Which Patriot has the best chance of having a Pro Bowl season for the first time in their career?

Connor Fulton: Good question. Echoing my prediction of Barkevious Mingo leading the Patriots with 7.5 sacks, I’ve got Mingo making his first Pro Bowl. Again, his blend of power, size at 6-foot-4 and pure speed is very promising. Mingo won’t be counted on to have a leading role in the Patriots’ defense, which will allow him to roam more free than he did with the Cleveland Browns. With so many strong players around him, Mingo will be able to exploit favorable matchups.

Hal Bent: Let’s go out on a limb and make an out-of-left field pick and go with left tackle Nate Solder. Solder–as his absence last season showed–is vital to the team success and is often overlooked when there is discussion about who is among the most valuable players on offense. Solder should be back to full strength and being reunited with Dante Scarnecchia should get him back to playing at a high level. While left tackle can be the most difficult position to snag a Pro Bowl nod with so much high-level competition, a strong 2016 season from Solder and the further influence of advanced blocking statistics for offensive linemen (ProFootballFocus.com and FootballOutsiders.com) could open eyes around the NFL.

James Caughlin: If he can stay healthy it has to be Jabaal Sheard for me. He’s going to be the number one defensive end for the team and in all honesty, I loved what he did last year. Of course with an increased snap count his effectiveness could be reduced but either way I’m excited to see if he can live up to his potential.