The Patriot Way: New England Patriots News, 4/17
By Cyrus Geller
Hello, and welcome to another edition of ‘The Patriot Way’, your number one source to New England Patriots news and analysis from around the web.
Report: Unnamed Patriots ‘Leader’ Backs Easley
"A player Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald termed “one of the Patriots’ most well-respected veteran leaders” came to the defense Dominique Easley, cut by the Pats earlier this week.Easley, a defensive end and the former first-round pick from Florida (29th overall in 2014), was slowed by injuries and characterized by CSN Patriots Insider Tom E. Curran and others as not always with the program in terms of his rehab.The unnamed teammate in Howe’s story, however, praised Easley’s work ethic:"
Patriots in good position to land solid DT in draft to fill long-range need
"The draft would be ideal, Claus, because they already have two veterans in 31-year-oldAlan Branch and 29-year-old Terrance Knighton at the position. So I don’t think this is as much about experience as it is the team hoping to land a younger, high-upside prospect to keep feeding the pipeline for future years alongside impressive 2015 first-round draft choice Malcom Brown.This is a good year for teams that are seeking defensive tackles in the draft, with ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. saying, “This is probably the best defensive line group I’ve ever seen in my nearly 40 years of doing this.”"
Opponents’ view of 2016 New England Patriots schedule
"When the New England Patriots’ schedule was released on Thursday, a game-by-game projection was shared. The hope was that readers would focus more on the detail within the text than the projected outcome of each game, as there are statistical nuggets and details about short and long preparation weeks that are more notable than a projected win or loss at this time.Each ESPN.com NFL Nation reporter did the same thing for their teams (resulting in the same projected New England record), and here is the analysis about the matchup with the Patriots from their perspective:"