Tag: Jamie Collins

Six players limited, Shilique Calhoun misses Patriots practice for Week 17

Patriots defensive end Shilique Calhoun missed Thursday’s practice with an illness.

The New England Patriots are fairly healthy after 16 weeks of football.

New England plays the Miami Dolphins on Sunday and only one player missed practice on Thursday, with six players limited. Shilique Calhoun was the lone absent player and he was out with an illness. Calhoun started his first NFL game this year and he’s played a career-high 14 games this season. He’s made an impact as a pass rusher and in the special teams unit.

The six limited players included Julian Edelman (knee/shoulder), Ja’Whaun Bentley (knee), Marcus Cannon (ankle), Jamie Collins (shoulder), Jonathan Jones (groin) and Jason McCourty (groin). The three most important players on that list included Cannon, Edelman and Collins.

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LB Jamie Collins added to injury report in Week 16

A shoulder problem for Collins.

The New England Patriots had addition to their injury report in their second practice of Week 16 on Wednesday. Linebacker Jamie Collins is dealing with a shoulder injury, and was limited.

The rest of the injury report was the same. Cornerback Jon Jones missed his second practice with a groin injury. In addition to Collins, the Patriots had four more limited participants: LB Ja’Whaun Bentley (knee), WR Julian Edelman (knee/shoulder), CB Jason McCourty (groin) and DT Danny Shelton (shoulder).

Quarterback Tom Brady and receiver Mohamed Sanu have been on the injury report in previous weeks, but they’ve been cleared in Week 16, which is a good sign for New England.

The Patriots kick off against the Buffalo Bills at 4:30 p.m. at Gillette Stadium on Saturday.

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Kyle Van Noy reacts to Patriots’ Pro Bowl snubs

The Patriots have three Pro Bowlers this season, but some key players didn’t make the cut. 

The New England Patriots have three Pro Bowlers this season, but some key players didn’t make the cut.

Stephon Gilmore, Dont’a Hightower and Matthew Slater were the ones that earned the honor. Some players that have had seasons worth a Pro Bowl nod are Jamie Collins, Jake Bailey, Julian Edelman, Joe Thuney and Kyle Van Noy.

Van Noy is one of the most outspoken Patriots, and he expressed his disappointment with a tweet on Tuesday.

He followed up with this tweet shortly after.

He still acknowledged his teammates for the honors.

Van Noy has a history of proving people wrong and gaining fuel from situations like this. He’s sitting at a career-high 6.5 sacks right now and is a key component in this New England defense, but this won’t be the season he earns his first Pro Bowl nod.

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Looking at the Patriots’ 5 biggest Pro Bowl snubs in 2019

How did they miss Julian Edelman’s impressive season?

The New England Patriots have three 2020 Pro Bowl nominees: cornerback Stephon Gilmore, linebacker Donta Hightower and special teams captain Matthew Slater. But there were a few other deserving Patriots when considering the

5. Jake Bailey, P

His 33 punts inside the 20-yard line are second best in the NFL. His average of 44.9 (20th in the NFL) makes him a hard sell, however.

4. Jamie Collins, LB

There was a period at the beginning of the season when Collins looked like a candidate to earn Defensive Player of the Year. Now, that’s a title cornerback Stephon Gilmore is more likely to earn. Still, Collins season has been impressive with 71 tackles, three interceptions, one touchdown return, three forced fumbles and six sacks. Collins has been able to contribute well against the run and pass.

3. Devin McCourty, CB

He’s been the safety net at the back-end of the Patriots’ tremendous defense in 2019. Steelers safety Minkah Fitpatrick finished ahead of McCourty with a Pro Bowl invite. But it’s hard to see why McCourty missed out in a season when he has had five interceptions, seven pass-breakups, two forced fumles, 48 tackles and 10 for a loss.

2. Joe Thuney, G

Thuney has been one of the best offensive linemen for a struggling Patriots’ line. But make no mistake: he’s one of the best guards in the NFL. But he hates attention and would never bring it to himself.

1. Julian Edelman, WR

It’s hard to understand why Browns receiver Jarvis Landry got a nod over Julian Edelman. The Patriots receiver has the second most receptions (92) and fourth most receiving yards (1,019) in the AFC. He also had six touchdowns. Landry, meanwhile, has 74 catches, 1,018 yards and five touchdowns. Landry’s team is TK. Edelman’s team is 11-3.

What’s more, Edelman has almost single-handedly powered the Patriots passing attack. He’s been New England’s primary source of receiving yards, with almost double the next-best pass-catcher (RB James White with 588 yards) and almost triple the next-best receiver (Phillip Dorsett with 347 yards).

Edelman should’ve been a shoe-in. You can squint and understand why the others on this list missed the cut. That’s pretty hard with Edelman.

Winners and losers from Patriots’ defensive win over Cowboys

The defense was brilliant. The offense, however, put together was erratic.

Here are the winners and losers from the New England Patriots’ 13-9 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 12 at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.

Winner: Jamie Collins, LB

The linebacker was all over the field, with nine tackles.

There was a striking reminder of his impressive athleticism when he lined up in press coverage on receiver Randall Cobb. Collins was in charge of simply jamming Cobb at the line before dropping into zone coverage, but calling it a “jam” would be an understatement. The linebacker threw the receiver five yards in the wrong direction, which completely disrupted the route. On the stat sheet, Collins won’t get credit for the play — but it was a nice demonstration of how athletic linebackers can contribute in pass coverage.

But of course, his work in the run game was of the utmost importance. Ezekiel Elliott managed 4.1 yards per carry and 86 rushing yards, which is slightly down from his 4.3 yards per carry entering the game. Considering the Patriots defense looked vulnerable against the Ravens, they’ll take that small dip in production from Elliott. Collins also helped out to keep Prescott from scrambling. It was a well-rounded performance for the linebacker.

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Loser: Tom Brady, QB

During the third quarter, Brady left the field after a stalled drive, and chucked a ball at the ground on the sideline in frustration.

The Patriots quarterback started last week on a low note, with a sullen postgame press conference on Sunday and a frustrated conversation with WEEI Monday. Brady may not be much happier with his offense’s performance in Week 12. He wasn’t stellar, but he also got very little help in a game where the Patriots were without Mohamed Sanu and Phillip Dorsett. Even one of the most consistent men in the offense, James White, had issues with three targets and one reception for -6 yards. Julian Edelman, N’Keal Harry and Jakobi Meyers all logged at least one drop.

Brady finished 17 of 36 for 190 yards and a touchdown. And the Patriots’ passing attack will need to keep tweaking their plan of attack to get more out of their star quarterback.

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Eagles vs. Patriots: 4 things to watch on offense

Eagles vs. Patriots: 4 things to watch on offense

The Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots will square off Sunday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field in a Super Bowl LII rematch and a huge contest that could go a long way towards solidifying the Birds playoff chances.

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It’ll be the first and possibly the last matchup between Carson Wentz and Tom Brady. With Bill Belichick being one of the most brilliant minds in the sport, here are four things to watch when the Eagles have the football.

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1. Miles Sanders vs. Dont’a Hightower

The Eagles need a big game out of Sanders and if this season has been any indication, it’ll likely happen in the passing game. The Patriots are stout on defense but can be had with the right formations or matchups. Sanders on any of the Patriots linebackers makes for a matchup that favors the Eagles. In the running game, if Jordan Howard can’t play, look for the Eagles put Sanders in positive situations as a runner, especially after the Ravens averaged 5.96 yards-per-attempt on the ground in their win over New England.

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Watch: Jamie Collins casually does extremely impressive backflip in practice

Jamie Collins continues to showcase his incredible athleticism.

The New England Patriots added one of the most athletic linebackers in the league this offseason with Jamie Collins.

Collins has been widely known as one of the most athletic players in the league and his acrobatic moves have been seen throughout his career. He does things that a 6-foot-3, 250 pound linebacker shouldn’t be able to do.

He showcased his amazing acrobatic abilities at New England’s practice on Wednesday.

This isn’t as impressive as his eight consecutive back handsprings, but it’s a close second.

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All I know is fun. #GettinTooFatThough 😎

A post shared by Jamie Collins (@j_collins91) on

Collins’ freakish abilities have often translated to the field when it comes to coverage, and also jumping over offensive lineman.

Collins has been playing out of his mind in his second stint with the Patriots and he’s in conversations for Defensive Player of the Year. He’s an integral part of ‘The Boogeymen’ — showing that Bill Belichick made the right move in re-signing him.

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