Brent Schwartz

Monster season led to a much-deserved contract. Allen seemingly spent a lot of time as either a 5-tech or 4T/4i over the tackle, or inside as a 3T in Vance Joseph's 3-4 Under and Nickel looks. Boston College grad is a versatile player who fits in a lot of fronts.

Yeah, we'll see if they bring someone in, too.

I'm bummed. I'd still like the Fullback position to be part of the offense this season for the #Patriots. A Josh McDaniels staple. Such a plus/underrated facet of the running game.

A great read here. I'm interested to see what the "base" defense will be. Yesterday there were 3-4 fronts, 4-3 fronts, 'over' looks, 'under' looks and different types of Nickel (4-down, 2-4-5). Seems like Milton Williams is set as the "under tackle" (3-tech) in an aggressive gap-shooting role.

Famously, this same 2018 #Patriots unit then shifted to 6-1 fronts (h/t Vic Fangio, Matt Patricia) to hold Sean McVay's outside zone/motion/bootleg scheme to 3 points in Super Bowl 53. "Rams 54, Chiefs 51" was the defining game of the regular season. NE beat both en route to a 🏆

Sunday #Patriots film. 2018 AFCCG win in KC. Mahomes armed with prime Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce and others (Sammy Watkins, etc). New England opts to run single-high, in-your-face man coverage across the board on first three snaps (DMac help w/ Hill). Legendary defense & DB room.

Defensive scheme/personnel at #Patriots camp today:

-Diverse mix of fronts; 4-3, 3-4, over/under, Nickel (4-down, 2-4-5)

-Milton Williams exclusively at 3-tech. Barmore playing anywhere from 1T to 5T. Tonga the NT in 3-4 looks.

-Spillane/Ellis top LBs. Peppers 🌶️ at LB in sub looks

“Leading with violence is my type of style.” — DL Keion White, on the Patriots’ defensive scheme

Blurring the lines between 4-3 and 3-4 'Under' fronts here with a look at an #Eagles 3-4 Under look vs the #Ravens last season. Compare this to 4-3 Under look below.

Weak side EDGE standing up vs. hand in the dirt only major difference.

Landry assumes his usual role in TEN here on screen, and peep new Patriot LB Jack Gibbens (50) also involved.

Here's a '4-3 Under' look with 3-4 personnel (3 DTs) from Vrabel/Williams's Titans in '23. You can easily envision how the #Patriots would deploy this:

OLB: Harold Landry
5-tech: Christian Barmore
1-tech: Khyiris Tonga
3-tech: Milton Williams
DE (wide): Keion White

I think you'll see Mike Vrabel, Terrell Williams and the #Patriots use Keion White similar to how they utilized Denico Autry in Tennessee – LEO role in 4-3/3-4, standing up, hand in the dirt, can pass-rush from 4i/3T in sub packages...They're also the same size (6-5, 285).

New England Patriots Hidden Gems: 3 secret superstars on the 2025 roster Can the new-look New England Patriots become the NFL’s next worst-to-first team? Here are three secret superstars who could help this actually happen.

Must-read from @dougfarrar.bsky.social this morning: 3 secret superstars on the Patriots' 2025 roster.

Measuring defensive line alignment versatility: A potential edge for NFL defenses Shuffling defensive linemen isn't necessary to achieve pressure, but defenses are more often doing so to create favorable matchups.

Excellent piece. From a #Patriots perspective:

-Keion White ranked 2nd among DL in '24 in alignment versatility/entropy, moving all around the formation. Eager to see his utilization in the new scheme.

-Khyiris Tonga had 2nd-most static usage. 57% of snaps at 0-tech. www.pff.com/news/nfl-mea...

my time to shine

For contrast, here's Matt's example of a 3-4 'Okie' look with two-gapping principles from the Bill Belichick years.

The #Patriots are reportedly switching to a more attacking 3-4 Under defense this season. Two photos here to help illustrate. First is neat visual from an older piece by Matt Bowen. Second is a 3-4 Under look from the #Eagles last year with Milton Williams lining up at 3T on outside shoulder of LG.

Socci's View: How Georgia's David Andrews became all-New England Throughout his Patriots career, right to the very end, there was nowhere else David Andrews would rather be.

Despite his Georgia roots, his drawl & his unbinding love for Atlanta’s Braves, David Andrews fit New England as well as any pro athlete of the past decade. 

He’s repeatedly shown there’s nowhere else he’d rather be.

As a Patriots captain. And now in retirement. 985thesportshub.com/2025/06/06/s...

@pffnatejahnke.bsky.social does great work for PFF and is a great follow. I like to screenshot relevant data points that tell a story. This is during the #Patriots loss in London last Oct. Biggest issue after O-Line was both lack of a perimeter/deep threat + high-volume WR who can play in 2-WR sets.

NFL is the ultimate 'copycat league.' So what trends will we see in 2025? What's old is new again with one offensive wrinkle. Another is taking advantage of how defenses have evolved. And the new kickoff rules have affected much more than just special teams.

What’s in vogue in the NFL quickly changes. Sometimes it’s a twist on a staple, sometimes a classic concept is dusted off & reintroduced.

I looked at scheme, personnel, and miscellaneous trends happening around the league. And what’s old is new again.

sports.yahoo.com/nfl/article/...

Patriots player profile: Drake Maye’s development is the story of the season Previewing the Patriots quarterback heading into his second season in the NFL.

The most comprehensive Patriots scouting report yet from @tkyles39.bsky.social and myself: Drake Maye, whose development is the biggest story of New England's season.

Potential 'Base' Nickel in #Patriots 3-4 Under scheme:

1T/Nose (shaded): Barmore/Williams
3T: Williams/Barmore
5T: White
EDGE (stand-up): Landry

There's a ton of alignment versatility here between Barmore and Williams. Each could play 1T/3T/5T in most setups.

Remembering Patriots DE Marquise Hill: ‘A Hero Until the End’ While the 2007 NFL season is largely remembered for the dominance with which the New England Patriots won 18 of their 19 games, it will always maintain a deeper

Remembering #Patriots DE Marquise Hill: ‘A Hero Until the End’

18 years ago this weekend, Hill’s life came to a tragic end off the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain.

A look back at a man whose spirit and selflessness still serve as examples to us all.

www.si.com/nfl/patriots...

Sorting out the the 2025 New England Patriots WR Group The New England Patriots will enter the 2025 season with a sense of renewed hope and optimism that has been absent over the past few years. In just the first offseason under new head coach Mike Vra…

I took a stab at breaking down the #Patriots WR depth chart and projecting roles for this season:

- X, Z, Slot
- 2-WR sets vs 3-WR sets

Here's a little glimpse of the breakdowns I do. Kyle Williams is EXPLOSIVE

There were more kind words about Around The Horn in this piece than there were in the entire first year of the show.

www.sbnation.com/2025/5/22/24...

Thank you,

@jamesdator.bsky.social

Sorting out the the 2025 New England Patriots WR Group The New England Patriots will enter the 2025 season with a sense of renewed hope and optimism that has been absent over the past few years. In just the first offseason under new head coach Mike Vra…

I took a stab at breaking down the #Patriots WR depth chart and projecting roles for this season:

- X, Z, Slot
- 2-WR sets vs 3-WR sets

Proud of this Celtics team. What an awesome performance. The Luke Kornet game! ☘️

Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games. Few athletes in the 21st century have many more iconic moments/memorable performances in championship games than Edelman. Gritty. Tough. Clutch. Patriot.