The Patriot Way – New England Patriots News 11/12

Oct 27, 2013; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) talks with New England Patriots wide receiver Aaron Dobson (17) during the third quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Now that bye week is over, attention is turning to the matchup between the Patriots revitalised offence and the Panthers stifling defence. You can find our initial thoughts on the game here and then take a look at some of the other Patriots news this Tuesday.

Over at the Nashua Telegraph they make the case for locking the Patriots into the playoffs after the 7-2 start and with both sides of the ball having the potential to make plays. One of those playmakers is cornerback Aqib Talib, described by Mike Reiss at ESPN as a ‘singular talent‘, and if he plays against Carolina could be vital to stopping Cam Newton’s passing game. As for stopping the running attack, nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga, whose childhood is the subject of an interesting piece from the Boston Herald.

Rant Sports have gone into more detail about how to stop the Carolina offence, especially the duel threat that Newton offers. On the other side of things, they’ve been looking at the matchup between Aaron Dobson and the Panthers secondary. If the rookie can get himself open, he’ll see plenty of action.

Then of course there is an added wrinkle to the Pats offence in practice that will no doubt keep defenders in Charlotte up all night: Josh McDaniels discussing how to fill the no. 4 wide receiver spot (ok, so I might have oversold that a bit, but it’s still worth looking at – even just to see how far down the depth chart Kenbrell Thompkins has fallen).

MassLive have been focusing on another part of the Pats offence: the return of running back Shane Vereen from injured reserve.  Now that Gronkowski has returned to the fold, getting the versatility of Vereen on the field will add another weapon, especially if he can produce at the same level as before he got hurt.

In ‘not-quite-Patriots-news’, Tim Tebow has got himself a broadcast agent, and looks like he might be going into calling college games.