Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from all of us here at BSJ. We're all very thankful for you, and for the means you provide us to do what we do. We do not take it for granted.
Going to post the tech tips related to our update to the site, as I see more service requests coming in. I will get to them all soon.
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Hello there,
To answer many people’s questions, hopefully this will help.
We underwent a badly needed update to BSJ on 12/5. For the most part, it’s been fine.
What I was told:
- Some of your users may have to log out and back in, others may just refresh and have no issues at all. If you're not getting full articles, a log out and back in will likely solve it. Possibly a hard refresh (google hard reset with your browser and device type ... for me it's "hard reset chrome on mac")
- We have had a few instances where iOS users have to either clear their cache or just reinstall the app.
- I also noticed that sometimes the initial attempt to log in fails on the first screen, but it does go through on the next screen, so try again (it’s been added to the fix list).
- Also, someone else reported the URL changed slightly, so you may need to change your bookmark.
- For the time being, we no longer support the ANDROID app. It’s complicated - it has to do with our former tech firm not releasing ownership to me - and we hope to solve that in the offseason. Best solution is to add the page to your home screen. It's basically the same thing since our app is browser-based (and you can save your passwords). https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/15085120?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid
Thanks for your continued support of BSJ! We couldn’t do this without you.
GB
Please use our support portal to receive help
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Simply put, Christian Gonzalez did not play well against the Ravens on Sunday night. In fact, it was one of his worst games as a Patriot until he woke up late in the game.
His performance included two touchdowns from Zay Flowers and Derrick Henry, where you could make an argument that Gonzalez showed questionable effort on both. Definitely on the Flowers touchdown, where he started on the other side of the field, but, with hustle, could have made a stop before the goal line with backside pursuit. On Henry's touchdown, it appeared Gonzalez wasn't eager to take on the pulling guard, but appearances can be deceiving. So we're not as strong on that one. He also had a tough time in pass coverage a handful of times, including on a pass that dropped.
And then Mike Vrabel had an interesting comment about Gonzalez after the game, in a reply to a question that wasn't even about the third-year cornerback. It was about the two punchouts for fumbles.
"That was something that we’ve been practicing and focused on," Vrabel said. "Even just looking at Gonzo’s tackle, when it got on the edge and the stiff arm and breaking it down. Something that we talked about and practiced and tried to get it, and [he] held him to four yards. I thought there was a switch there especially from ‘Gonzo’ in a sequence where he stabs the ball out. We blitzed him. He blitzed with a demeanor. Then I look out there, because we need him, and he’s out there as the corner on the punt return. I told him this isn’t going to be a shock but those are the efforts that we need to have from him. Our best players have to play good each and every week to win."
It's games like Sunday that make you question, at least somewhat, whether Gonzalez has a long-term future in New England. There's no doubt that he has the type of talent that is right there with the best in the game. The question about his future here is complicated and multi-layered. Let's start with this: Gonzalez did not deserve a Pro Bowl nod this season. Marcus Jones was the team's best corner, and Carlton Davis was pretty close to Gonzalez. In fact, PFF has Davis ahead in total defense, but Gonzalez was better in coverage:
I have Gonzalez slightly ahead of Davis:
What's not up for debate is that Gonzalez was better last season, when the Patriots were second in the league with a 45.3% man coverage rate. This season, the Patriots are at 30.5%.
And that's where the discussion about Gonzalez starts. He's a premier man cover corner. He is not as good in zone or off coverage, which is where most of coverage issues have happened. His focus seems like it wanes a bit. He reminds me of Stephon Gilmore when he first came to the Patriots. Who could ever forget the horror show that was his performance in a zone-heavy loss to the Panthers? Later in 2017, Bill Belichick went to more man-to-man coverage, and Gilmore skyrocketed to the point he was first-team All-Pro in 2018 and '19, and NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2019.
The same thing could absolutely happen with Gonzalez ... if Mike Vrabel follows a similar path, either the rest of this season (I've been holding out how he plays his "cat" card in the postseason to bewilder an opponent), or next season.
The big question is, will Vrabel and his defensive assistants do that?
It's certainly possible that in the early stages of this rebuild, the Patriots