figured something out while watching him in Cleveland? That certainly would explain why Collins is back with the Patriots. Collins was also cut with two years left on his deal. He had signed a 4 year, $50M contract wit

Sony Michel ran for 931 yards in his first NFL regular season with the Patriots and then had six rushing touchdowns in three postseason games to help the team to a Super Bowl title White Kyle Van Noy Jerseys , so it’s hard to find much reason to complain about his rookie performance.If one did want to find an obvious area of improvement, it would be Michel’s work in the passing game. Michel only caught seven passes last season and the Patriots skewed heavily toward the ground game when he was in the backfield, so defenses could predict what was coming even if they weren’t able to stop it often enough.Patriots running backs coach Ivan Fears doesn’t think they’ll have that luxury this year. Fears said Michel is “much improved” in the passing game and that the offense will reflect that once the regular season is underway.“The whole key to make it so we’re interchangeable, everybody looks at us saying they can do both. We like to be in that kind of mode, they got to worry about Sony catching the ball as well as running the ball,” Fears said Kyle Van Noy Jerseys 2019 , via Mac Cerullo of the . “I think you’ll find Sony is going to do very well in the passing game, and I bet you’ll find James White and the rest of the guys doing very well in the running game also. We’re going to try to keep that going.”Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said that the Patriots’ offensive identity is still taking shape. If Fears is right about Michel’s strides in the passing game, he’ll be at the forefront of whatever identity winds up ruling the day in New England. There are multiple connections between the former second round picks."While they are obviously different players who play different positions, there are definitely more than a few parallels between Jamie Collins and Patrick Chung. While they were both second round picks who had a lot of potential coming in, Collins had three very productive years with the Patriots, one of which ended in a second-team All-Pro nomination and a Pro Bowl berth. Chung White Shaq Mason Jerseys , on the other hand, was not very good the first time around with the team.The team, and fan base, however, had soured on both before they left the team the first time. That is something they most definitely have in common. The question I can’t get out of my head is: Why bring Collins back at this point? The most logical explanation is one that brings us back to Chung’s situation. Cut with two years left on his deal with the Eagles, the Patriots decided to bring Chung back on a one-year deal. Keep in mind Shaq Mason Jerseys 2019 , he was only gone for one season. But in that year, the Patriots figured something out. Instead of using him as a prototypical safety, they needed to move him into the box and around the formation. Chung has turned into a master and covering tight ends, and has become an incredibly important part of the defense.Why is this relevant? I think the Patriots are going to do something similar with Collins. Think about it, he was traded from the Patriots around reports that he was “freelancing” and not doing what he was supposed to be on defense. What if the coaching and scouting staff figured something out while watching him in Cleveland? That certainly would explain why Collins is back with the Patriots. Collins was also cut with two years left on his deal. He had signed a 4 year, $50M contract with the Browns White Chris Hogan Jerseys , and they decided, since the guaranteed money was gone, they didn’t want to pay his $10.5M salary this year. The Patriots certainly took their time making it official, but bringing him back should be a clear message: They think this time will be different.The only reason to think that is because they have figured out exactly how he fits in. Maybe he’s not a prototypical linebacker, and they are going to be playing him in specific situations. Whatever they have planned, you should be excited. When is the last time the Patriots had so much talent and athleticism on defense? They’re going to be a fun team to watch Chris Hogan Jerseys 2019 , and something tells me Collins is going to play a role in that. Pat is a host of The Patriot Nation Podcast Interact with him on Twitter @plane_pats