New England Patriots Week 8 Stock Report
It might be time to cut off the comparisons between the 2015 New England Patriots and the 2007 version of the team.
Yes, the Patriots are still undefeated through six games and technically still have a chance to finish the season with an unblemished record. That being said, the 2007 team didn't experience even so much as a hiccup until mid-November, with at least 34 points in nine of their first 10 games and a margin of victory of at least 17 points in each of their first eight games, according to Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders.
That being said, aside from a 51-17 blowout win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, we've yet to see a full 60-minute performance from these Patriots. They started hot and finished slow against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills, and started slow but finished hot against the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets.
As a result, there are some players who have rising stock headed out of last week's 30-23 win and others whose stock is on the downslide.
Stock Up: Danny Amendola
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Every offense needs at least three good-to-great skill position threats to be considered a dangerous unit. The Patriots have wide receiver Julian Edelman and tight end Rob Gronkowski, but without Brandon LaFell, they've needed someone else to step into the role as the No. 3 threat.
That's where wide receiver Danny Amendola has come into play. On Sunday against the Jets, Amendola finished with eight receptions for 86 yards and a huge fourth-quarter touchdown catch that gave the Patriots the lead. In the Patriots' past two games, Amendola has caught 15 of the 18 passes thrown his way for 191 yards and a touchdown.
The Patriots reworked Amendola's contract in March to free up roughly $2.5 million, according to Doug Kyed of NESN.com. In accepting the new deal, Amendola ensured that he would remain with the team for the 2015 season. Despite a slight pay cut for Amendola, the restructuring of his contract might have been one of the most mutually beneficial moves the Patriots made all offseason.
Stock Down: Brandon LaFell
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The Patriots need an outside-the-numbers presence like wide receiver Brandon LaFell, but they also need him to catch the ball.
LaFell finished Sunday with two receptions on eight targets and a whopping five drops, which is as many as he had throughout the entire 2014 regular season, according to Pro Football Focus.
Danny Amendola, Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski did a fine job of carrying the burden for the Patriots offense, and with three skill position players like that in the passing game, anything else is just icing on the cake. That being said, the Patriots are missing an X receiver in their passing game, and LaFell could be it if he could just hang onto the football.
"If I had to give myself a grade, it would be an 'F,'" he said after the game. "I let the ball get out of my hands too many times. Tom [Brady] threw some good balls, I should have caught them. But overall we got the win. I just have to get back to it. We have a short week. Dust the cobwebs off and come back out here and play."
LaFell made at least one difficult reception on a 20-yard strike where he took a huge hit from safety Calvin Pryor, but they need him to also make the easy catches.
Stock Up: Dont'a Hightower
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Patriots linebacker Dont'a Hightower missed most of the Patriots' Week 5 game against the Dallas Cowboys and all of the team's Week 6 contest against the Indianapolis Colts. In his return to the lineup, though, it didn't take him very long at all to make his presence felt. In fact, he made his presence felt on the Jets' very first play from scrimmage.
According to Pro Football Focus, Hightower finished the day with nine tackles, a recovered fumble and seven pressures of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Hightower was setting the edge in run defense, making tackles in space, getting into the backfield to hurry the quarterback and was generally making life miserable for the Jets offense.
He is clearly one of the team's most important defensive players. His rookie contract is set to expire at the end of the 2016 season, so the Patriots should start thinking about locking him up long term.
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Stock Down: Malcolm Butler
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No one expected Malcolm Butler to be the second coming of Darrelle Revis, but he is the Patriots' No. 1 corner, so he is going to draw some difficult matchups every now and then. Those will ultimately be the biggest measure of his ability, and while he's been great at times, he's had some down moments as well.
Sunday was not one of Butler's best performances. The second-year cornerback let up five receptions on nine passes thrown into his coverage and was flagged three times (only one was accepted) in the process.
Butler has had some strong performances, but he's also given up five or more receptions for 80 or more yards in three of the Patriots' six games.
Whether Butler will become more consistent remains to be seen. One thing is certain: The Patriots are showing a lot of confidence in Butler by continuing to put him on an island across from some very talented receivers. That being said, he has some stiff tests ahead of him, including Jarvis Landry (Miami Dolphins), Odell Beckham Jr. (New York Giants) and Demaryius Thomas (Denver Broncos).
Stock Up: Dominique Easley
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When the Patriots picked up Dominique Easley in the first round of the 2014 draft, they were hoping to add a disruptive, explosive presence to the middle of the defensive line. He didn't exhibit those traits often in his rookie season because he didn't get much of a chance to and because he was recovering from ACL surgery.
In Easley's second year in the NFL, though, he is showing the first-step quickness that made him a pass-rushing force at Florida and has the potential to make him a wrecking ball in the middle of the Patriots defensive line. According to Pro Football Focus, Easley tallied three quarterback hurries and a hit against the Jets. Over the past three games, he has eight hurries, four hits and a sack.
The Patriots defense is built on its front seven, and when those guys are getting after the quarterback and stuffing the gaps in run defense, everything else flows off of that. Easley's ability to dominate the man in front of him and to get into the backfield is an ability that will serve him well and will help the Patriots defense achieve its full potential.
Unless otherwise noted, all advanced stats obtained via Pro Football Focus. All quotes obtained firsthand.
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