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Patriots: Blount Signs in Philly

May 18, 2017 by Digital Sports Desk

PHILADELPHIA – (Special to Digital Sports Desk by The Sports Xchange) – The Philadelphia Eagles agreed to a one-year contract with former New England Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount on Wednesday.  The deal is worth up to a reported $2.8 million for the 30-year-old Blount, who entered free agency after the best season of his seven-year NFL career in 2016.

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“LeGarrette Blount is a tough, physical runner who has enjoyed a great deal of success in New England and we are excited about adding him to this football team,” Eagles executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman said in a statement. “We feel good about the depth and competition that we have created at the running back position and we are looking forward to getting the guys out on the field next week for OTAs.”

The Patriots issued a $1.1 million free agent tender to Blount last week in a move that now means Blount will count toward the 2018 compensatory pick formula.

The 6-foot, 250-pound Blount rushed for 1,161 yards on 299 carries and a league-high 18 touchdowns in the 2016 regular season. He gained 109 yards and scored a touchdown in the Patriots’ three postseason contests last season, which ended with a second Super Bowl ring for the power running back.

Blount broke into the NFL in 2010 with Tampa Bay and played three seasons for the Buccaneers. The Patriots acquired Blount in a trade with the Bucs in 2013.  Blount appeared in all 16 games for the Patriots in 2013, then started the 2014 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers before rejoining New England.
In 100 career games, Blount has 5,122 rushing yards on 1,168 carries (4.4 yards per attempt) and 49 rushing touchdowns

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Filed Under: Boston Sports, New England Patriots, NFL Tagged With: LaGarrette Blount, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles

Patriots’ RB Blount Sidelined

January 13, 2017 by Terry Lyons Leave a Comment

FOXBOROUGH – (Wire Service Report) – New England Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount sat out practice for the second day in a row on Thursday due to illness. Blount was seen by reporters at Gillette Stadium but did not participate on the field. The workhorse back is expected to play on Saturday (8:15 p.m. ET) as the top-seeded Patriots host the AFC South champion Houston Texans in a divisional round playoff game.

Blount had an NFL-best 18 rushing touchdowns and team-leading 1,161 yards on 299 carries this season. The 30-year-old erupted for 105 yards and two scores in New England’s 27-0 rout of Houston on Sept. 22.

Should Blount be sidelined, Dion Lewis and James White likely would see an increase in their respective workloads while fellow running backs D.J. Foster and Brandon Bolden could also see an uptick in playing time.

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Filed Under: Boston Sports, New England Patriots Tagged With: LaGarrette Blount, New England Patriots

Patriots Steam Roll Steelers

October 23, 2016 by Terry Lyons Leave a Comment

New England 27, Pittsburgh 16
When: 4:25 PM ET, Sunday, October 23, 2016
Where: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh
Attendance: 66,009

PITTSBURGH – (Wire Service Report) – LeGarrette Blount ran for two touchdowns and 127 yards against his former team, and the New England Patriots turned to their old reliables — Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski — to hold off the Ben Roethlisberger-less Pittsburgh Steelers and win 27-16 Sunday.

Gronkowski, quiet until then, caught a 36-yard touchdown pass from Brady in the third quarter after the Steelers cut what was a 14-0 deficit to 14-13. The tight end then made a 37-yard catch to set up Blount’s 5-yard scoring run early in the fourth quarter. Blount earlier ran for a 3-yard touchdown, and Brady threw for two scores.

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LaGarrette Blount (29)

Steelers backup quarterback Landry Jones, making only his third NFL start, was more than adequate in replacing Roethlisberger, who is expected to be out three to six weeks with a knee injury.

Jones, going 29 of 47 for 281 yards, overcame a badly thrown first-half interception into the end zone, made by Malcolm Butler, to hit Darrius Heyward-Bey on a 14-yard scoring pass. His throws to Le’Veon Bell out of the backfield and Antonio Brown led to three Chris Boswell field goals.

However, Boswell also missed from 42 yards with New England up 14-7, and again from 54 yards in the fourth quarter after Pittsburgh’s 35-year-old long snapper, Greg Warren, recovered a fumbled punt at the Patriots 43-yard line.

Blount, cut by the Steelers two years ago after leaving the sidelined prematurely during a game at Tennessee, ran over and by Pittsburgh (4-3) to create enough space for the near-perfect-as-usual Brady to go 19 of 26 for 222 yards and no interceptions. Brady has eight touchdown passes and no interceptions in three games since returning from his four-game suspension — and the Patriots (6-1) have won all three.

Gronkowski caught four passes for 93 yards, and Julian Edelman finished with nine receptions for 60 yards. Blount, who had 24 carries, added one catch for 7 yards.

[Read more…]

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Filed Under: Boston Sports, New England Patriots, NFL Tagged With: Bill Belichick, LaGarrette Blount, New England Patriots, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers

Patriots, Brady Report Card

October 10, 2016 by Terry Lyons Leave a Comment

FOXBORO – (Wire Service Report) – Tom Brady’s triumphant return to the Patriots in Sunday’s 33-13 win over the Cleveland Browns was pretty much everything a New England fan could ask for. But, even with Brady notching his eighth career 400-yard passing day in Cleveland after missing the first month of action because of his four-game Deflategate suspension, the quarterback’s insatiable drive for football perfection left him wanting more.

“I think there was plenty of rust out there. I could do better in a lot of areas,” Brady said after the victory that has the Patriots tied for the best record in the AFC.

“I think it was a good win today. It was one game, and like I said, 4-1 is a good point to be at for us. We have a long road ahead so we have to stay focused.”

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Tom Brady

Brady drove the Patriots 80 yards in seven plays on his first drive of the year to take a 7-0 lead, completing four of five throws for 65 yards on the march before LeGarrette Blount’s 1-yard touchdown run. The tone was set and New England never looked back.

By the time Brady was pulled in favor of once-again-healthy backup Jimmy Garoppolo, Brady had completed 28 of 40 throws (70 percent) for 406 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions for a 127.7 passer rating. He also ran twice for 14 yards, including a first-down run that ended with Brady’s emphatic celebration/first down signal on the Browns sideline.

The performance was pretty much what is expected of the future Hall of Fame quarterback, even if he is now 39 and coming off the circumstances of the scandalous suspension. All the paparazzi photos aside, Brady embraced the normalcy of returning to his job last week and the field on Sunday.

“I was trying to focus on my job and what I had to do. It felt like a normal week for me once I got into it. It’s fun to come out and play and come out and win,” Brady said.

Maybe the only thing that Brady was not able to do, or at least not willing to do, was address the conclusion of his Deflategate suspension or what the two-year debacle really meant.

“This isn’t the time for me to reflect. I’m just happy we won today and I’m happy when we win anytime we play. I have a job to do and there is no point in looking back at anything, whether we won Super Bowls or lost championship games. The last four weeks, none of it matters,” Brady said.

What matters is that Brady is back doing Brady things in New England. Despite what he said, the quarterback looked far more rested and ready than rusty.
And with Brady hitting newcomer Martellus Bennett with three touchdown passes and Rob Gronkowski and Chris Hogan getting for 100-plus receiving yards each, the Patriots’ passing attack is rounding into its potential heading toward the midpoint of the season. The quarterback queries of the first month of the season are in rearview mirror along with the veteran quarterback’s suspension.

–Tight end Rob Gronkowksi had just one reception in the two games he played with Patriots rookie third-string quarterback Jacoby Brissett. After missing the first two games of the year to a hamstring injury and then easing his way back into action for two weeks, the return of Tom Brady brought the return of big production for New England big, All-Pro tight end.

Gronkowksi had a pair of catches for 53 yards on the Patriots’ opening drive to a touchdown. He finished the day with five catches for 109 yards, while also drawing coverage from the Browns at times that helped fellow tight end Martellus Bennett score three times.

“I felt a lot better out there this week and now I’m getting back to my old self, so I feel great,” Gronkowski said after his breakout day. “I love going out there and love playing football when I’m back to myself.”

It also helped getting his old quarterback back.

“Everyone was intense today. Everyone was amped up. Tom always brings the ampness,” Gronkowski exclaimed, coming up with his own word to describe the day.

REPORT CARD VS. BROWNS
PASSING OFFENSE: A — Tom Brady returned and so did the Patriots offense, improving on everything it accomplished with either Jimmy Garoppolo or Jacoby Brissett filling in. Brady’s first throw of the day went for 10 yards to Julian Edelman. That was followed by a 19-yard toss to Rob Gronkowski and the unit was off and sailing. Brady completed 28 of 40 passes (70 percent) for 406 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions for a 127.7 passer rating. He completed at least two passes to seven different targets, led by six connections for 67 yards and three touchdowns to tight end Martellus Bennett. Rob Gronkowski (five catches for 109) and Chris Hogan (four catches for 114 yards) each topped the century mark, while Bennett (37 yards), Gronkowski (37), Hogan (63) and running back James White (36) all hit for big plays. Brady was only sacked once and the Browns could do little to slow down the invigorated Patriots passing attack before the veteran quarterback called it a day midway through the fourth quarter.

RUSHING OFFENSE: D — As good as the passing game was, New England’s rushing attack never got on track in Cleveland. Aside from LeGarrette Blount’s 1-yard scoring run to close the opening scoring drive, there was little production. Blount had a game-high 18 carries for just 37 yards (2.7 average), and that included a 13-yard long. Overall New England ran it 33 times for 101 yards for just a 3-yard average when removing kneel-downs. James White was the long bright spot on the ground, running five times for 26 yards. Otherwise Blount getting stuffed twice from the Cleveland 1 on third and four down, failing to punch in the score, was symbolic of a lackluster day from the Patriots’ runners and their offensive line.

PASS DEFENSE: C — With Cleveland starting rookie quarterback Cody Kessler and then turning things over to veteran backup Charlie Whitehurst, the Browns aerial attack wasn’t an immense challenge for the Patriots’ pass defense. Kessler did lead a drive that ended with Andrew Hawkins’ touchdown while notching a 126 passer rating before leaving to injury. But overall, New England’s defense was good enough considering the competition and the lead it had. Overall the group limited big plays — Cleveland had just three completions over 20 yards — and was better getting off the field on third down as the Browns converted on just five of 13 chances. Patrick Chung hauled in his first interception of the season. Second-year defensive tackle Malcom Brown recorded a pair of sacks. Utilizing a variety of personnel in the back end that included rookie cornerbacks Cyrus Jones and Jonathan Jones, the Patriots’ secondary was competitive all afternoon, even if there is clear room for improvement.

RUSH DEFENSE: A — The Browns entered the game averaging nearly 150 yards per game on the ground, the top rushing attack in the NFL. Stopping that was the clear focus of the New England defense and they achieved that goal. Cleveland ran it 22 times in the losing effort for just 27 yards, a 1.2-yard average for a team that came in averaging 5.7 yards per carry. The Patriots used a lot of fronts with three defensive tackles — Malcom Brown, Alan Branch and undrafted rookie practice-squad call-up Woodrow Hamilton — that helped hold Isaiah Crowell to a mere 22 yards on 13 attempts, just a 1.7-yard average for a player who had been averaging 6.5 per rush on the season. New England linebackers also tackled well, including sixth-round rookie Elandon Roberts, who had a team-high seven tackles in his most extensive playing time of the young season. Branch also continued his impressive start to the year with a pair of tackles for a loss on a dominating day for the Patriots defensive front.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C — A year ago Stephen Gostkowski missed three field goals all season, his first miss coming in late November. Sunday in Cleveland the All-Pro missed from 50 yards out, his third miss in just five games this fall. Though he also hit from 31 yards later in the win, the veteran’s early-season struggles are a growing concern, especially dating back to a shaky summer and a missed PAT in last January’s AFC Championship Game loss in Denver. Punter Ryan Allen also didn’t have his best day after two really impressive weeks, this time notching a 36.8 net average on five punts with just one kick downed inside the 20. New England got just a pair of 9-yard returns on kickoffs from Julian Edelman and Devin McCourty, although the former did have a 12-yard punt return. Punt and kickoff coverage was solid, as has come to be expected, but overall it was a lackluster day that included yet another missed field goal.

COACHING: A — Bill Belichick was tough on his team all week after the ugly loss to the Bills and also made it clear internally and through the media that Brady’s return wasn’t the cure-all some would make it out to be. While the last part is up for debate, New England certainly came out ready to play on both sides of the ball in Cleveland. Offensively Josh McDaniels’ game plan got back to more of the spread looks that Brady has utilized so successfully over the years and took full advantage of the personnel mismatches at tight end. Defensively Matt Patricia’s unit was tasked with stopping the run and did just that on the way to a solid day, even if the pass defense could have been better. Belichick made sure his team had the right mindset in what could have been more of a circus-like week for Brady’s return, one of the real strengths of the New England coach’s success leading the Patriots.

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Filed Under: Boston Sports, New England Patriots, NFL Tagged With: Bill Belichick, LaGarrette Blount, New England Patriots, Rob Gronkowski, Tom Brady

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