Clare Cooper

It’s still early in the season but most will take the win as a win. And it was a win, Patriots 25 Jets 6.

However…

(So, if you saw Sunday’s game you knew THAT was coming.)

My biggest question to stem from the match up was this; is the offensive line really struggling or is the Jets defense actually that good? And I think, it is probably a little of both.

But I gotta say, did anyone think to tell Zach Wilson that it wasn’t the Patriots who had drafted him, and that he shouldn’t be throwing to J.C. Jackson and Devin McCourty? I jest.

There’s plenty of negativity to take away from this road game, and that’s the truth. I’m not going to sugarcoat it, there were many times that this game could have gone a bit of a different way and the Patriots still have plenty of work to do. Next week there is a good running game heading into New England and the defense has to tighten up, the offense does too!

Mac Jones did not have the best game, he still acts like a rookie a little. Well, he is a rookie, on his second ever NFL game, so I don’t know about you, but when it comes to that, i’m definitely looking at the whole journey rather than just the stop over in New Jersey.

The defense had plenty of interceptions, 4 to be exact, but should those be credited more to Zach Wilson than to J.C. Jackson, Devin McCourty and Adrian Phillips? Not to say those guys didn’t play well, as those three did, but maybe they cant take the full credit.

So, the offensive line perhaps could do with a little bit of a shuffle. Maybe Ted Karras at guard and Mike Onwenu moving over to right tackle for a while. With all due respect to Yasir Durant, he may have saved the ball following a sack on Mac but he didn’t hold his guy so good, which possibly caused the sack on Mac. 

Unfortunately, after the penalty-heavy game against the Dolphins, this trip to MetLife Stadium still had plenty of penalty calls, and disappointingly, Isaiah Wynn’s name was associated with many. One even erased a nice 8 yard pick-up run by J.J. Taylor. And I don’t mean to bore you with tight end talk, but did anyone else wonder where Jonnu Smith was? He displayed some concerning “not great” hands. But you know what, these are all things that they can work on.

What doesn’t need any work is Nick Folk’s field goal finesse. 32 straight successful field goals for Big Kick Nick! Yes, he missed an extra point, but sometimes you gotta let the small stuff go.

The offense still doesn’t light up the night sky, and plenty of fans want that WR1, but Jakobi Meyers has been playing great. His “snatch out of the air” catch towards the latter half of the first quarter was *consults notes to find exactly what she wrote* utterly delicious.

Damien Harris had himself a nice little game, 62 yards and 1 touchdown. James White was utilised and back on form with 20 yards and a touchdown.

Not only did he have fingers on the ball in a possible almost-interception near the 2 minute warning towards the end of the first quarter, but Ja’Whaun Bentley had a powerful take down at the commencement of the third quarter, holding down the Jets run.

I was excited towards the end of the second quarter when Hunter Henry had a great catch with a 10 yard gain, and then in the third quarter he was targeted again and made 32 yards. Not sparkling, I know, and I was hoping for way more, but I feel like it’s a progression.

And to be honest folks, that is what I think this whole season is about. I know as fans we want to win, we want to witness fabulous plays, aggressive defense, tonnes of touchdowns. But we are also realistic, and deep down we know this year is for Mac Jones – the first round draft pick quarterback to learn, to grow and to develop a team around him that will win championships.

Go Pats!

A win is a welcome sight, like that first cup of coffee after a sleep deprived evening watching your favourite team play.

But it is all about perspective, as I may have said before. Perception, a 22 – 20 win over the New York Giants that didn’t look easy. Concerns for the Patriots future, you bet your butt I have some.

That’s not to say they played terribly, but even after three preseason games, on the cusp of the commencement of the 2021 regular season, there are a lot of questions to be answered in New England.

I’m not really going to go into the quarterback kerfuffle because it’s the longest topic we have seen since Tom Brady had a dynasty, and even though a lot of people feel that from the way Mac Jones played (pretty decent, not great, not awful) and from how many snaps Cam Newton took, nine by the way, Cam Newton is probably going to be the regular season starter. When asked if he had decided who will be QB1 come September 12th, Coach said no.

So I shall refill my coffee mug and move right along folks!

Right now fans are wondering who is going to make the roster of 53 tomorrow, and a guy I thought maybe wasn’t as much on the bubble as he was last year is Gunner Olszewski. 

Unfortunately, his performance last night does not fill me with confidence. Now into his third Patriots year Gunner seem to struggle, and with some of the “bread and butter” of his position. A lovely throw from Mac Jones that hit his hands — the wide receiver should have caught that. 

Michael Jackson Sr was a name I heard all over the place at camp, and in a good way. However, last night was not his night, and that’s not great when you’re a “bubble guy.” He was in a multitude of unfortunate situations and penalties such as defensive holding and too many men on the field, and that helps bring a guys stock down. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a slight on him, it always sucks when players have to get cut. My perspective is the way he played last night may be unfortunate timing. 

Defense was something that was added to considerably in the off season and with some nice big bodies. Henry Anderson was one such nice big body. However, I don’t feel I have been delivered as promised. I was really excited to see this guy but it’s been so quiet surrounding him. I’m unsure if it’s just the addition of too much depth and he hasn’t really had his chance, or if he just hasn’t sparkled. But I have to admit I am concerned that a guy I thought would be a lock, may find himself out in the cold come Tuesday night. 

But hey I’m not all full of negativity this Monday morning! And whilst I’m trying to be full of coffee, I have still plenty of optimism left in the tank. 

Speaking of coffee, a player full of beans that pleased (ha! You see what I did there? Okay… Anyway…) was definitely J.J. Taylor. I was in on this kid last year and this year he just looks explosive. Small and compact with such power, Taylor wasn’t just sparkling, he was on fire!

It’s no secret the run game is a Patriot thing, and another running back who has really shown promise is Rhamondre Stevenson. His name popped up on the call sheet significantly too this game. I think I’m going to do one of those Cam Newton nickname thingies again and dub this kid Steamerson, this kid steams through the defense!

With some uncertainty at the cornerback position (I’m not getting into all the Gilmore stuff this morning, let’s just put uncertainty there and leave it at that), D’Angelo Ross really stepped up and played for his job. His tackle on the Giants’ tight end Evan Engram for an interception was delicious. If uncertainty continues to plague the position as well as injury, Ross may have put himself in a good position with his efforts last night.

Another player that stepped up during position depletion due to injury is Devin Asiasi. I will be honest here folks, although they may call me the Empress of Tight Endage (there’s also the Queen of TE’s, the Baroness of Blockers… it’s all in good fun) but I was ready to cut Asiasi whilst pondering my own 53.

I know I know some of you will say how unrealistic that may be considering the lack of healthy tight ends we have presently and the fact that he is a second year third round drafted player. But in my defense, I hadn’t seen much from this guy to get me excited and that what I wanted to see. Perhaps he got wind of me cutting him because last night he played great. Catching a back shoulder field route from Mac Jones, 4 receptions for 64 yards over all, Devin Asiasi may just find himself on ClazzyClare’s 53 man roster.

But in all seriousness now, Asiasi had been possibly dealing with the after effects of suffering from COVID as well as not the best first season a rookie can have training camp and experience wise. Many people have many good things to say about him and I think maybe last night he finally got the opportunity to display that.

So there you have it you lovely Patriots fans, the preseason is in the bag with a nice unblemished score card too. Let’s move forward with a little perspective, there’s still a lot to do and a lot of answers to find, but its Monday and it’s time to fill up your coffee mugs and just enjoy.

Go Pats!

The transactions are usually going the opposite way but the Patriots have claimed Kehale Warring off waivers from the Houston Texans.

Drafted in 2019 with the 86th pick by the Texans, Kahalekuiokalani Michael Wodehouse “Kahale” Warring is a rather ideal tight end.

Of athletic ability, Warring ran a rather nippy 4.67 second 40 yard dash, with a 7.21 second 3-cone drill at the combine. 

Unfortunately, he spent his rookie year with the Texans on injured reserve, and only saw game action from November 2020, in the course of seven games for three receptions and thirty-five yards.

6 foot 5 and 252 pounds, Warring is definitely of the tight end stature, and is a big body the Patriots could really use in the tight end room right about now.

With Henry, Smith, and LaCosse sustaining injuries during practices, and Dalton Keene on IR for the season it left only Devin Asiasi playing the position as a true tight end last week against the Eagles. The Patriots are presently woefully lacking in what I like to refer to as tight endage. 

With the release of David Wells and Troy Fumagalli the position is a little bit of a carousel at the moment. And whilst camp bodies are undoubtedly needed, if the Patriots are looking at running those two tight end (or even three tight end) sets we have been hearing about, they definitely need more than li’l Devin Asiasi.

I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely looking forward to having a bit of a look-see of Kahale Warring.

Go Pats!

Once again I sit here yawning, wondering why my coffee cup is empty, but I am a MUCH happier Patriots fan. 

Now, we know that it is only preseason, but I gotta say I don’t think it looked exactly “pre” to me. Granted this may be more of an emotional reaction from a sleep deprived fan in the UK, where the game didn’t start until technically today but Patriots football is back and I take the wins!

As with last week there are still some unanswered questions and there are many kinks still to be smoothed out, but seven days has made a difference. So let’s check out some of these differences, shall we?

The run game, OH the run game! Coach Bill has some serious deliberations when it’s time to hit the 53 on how many running backs he’s going to take when we have a pure smorgasbord of deliciousness! 

A steady diet of Rhamondre Stevenson was interlaced with a merry-go-round of spin moves from J.J Taylor and a very balanced-looking Sony Michel who even had four catches on four targets. Perhaps Sony heard some fans murmuring about using him in a trade but he looked really good! Don’t you just love it when players are versatile?

I know we don’t really have any healthy tight ends at the moment, but if we did, I would be hard pushed not to fill the roster with just tight ends and running backs! (I’m kidding folks.)

Whilst we are on the subject of tight endage, I gotta say I have heard a lot of good about Devin Asiasi but I haven’t seen a lot of good from Devin Asiasi. There are many reasonable reasons why, from a short first year to contracting COVID, but he was targeted once, and my tight end radar was very “meh”.

The high topic is the quarterback, so I will touch on it, but only a little bit. Both guys went out and looked good. Cam Newton had a great improvement from much we have seen, and that’s reassuring. 

Mac Jones had some serious zipping balls, hitting Gunner Olszewski and N’Keal Harry, unfortunately one to Harry resulted in a dropped pass and a plough into the ground. The way he seemed to go limp as he fell was concerning. I have no official details to confirm at the time of writing this other than the social media photo from last night of Harry with his arm in a sling. We all hope he is going to be okay. 

So he isn’t a mobile quarterback but Mac can move. He had some scrambles and the kid looked pretty good One play he had to move around plenty and he did well to target successfully, unfortunately the penalty monster rose its head again a little and Korey Cunningham undid Mac’s good work with a holding call. 

A seriously high snap by the Eagles resulted in a turn over which lead to a touchdown by Damien Harris. Continuing the night of crazy catches, the ball bounced from Joe Flacco to Justin Bethel into the arms of Harvey Langi. And the Patriots weren’t done there. The third turnover of the night saw a tipped ball off the Eagles tight end Jack Stoll into the hands of Adrian Colbert.

Like last week it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, but there was plenty of sparkle in Philadelphia for the Patriots. The dark clouds, well there were still some penalty problems and I was a bit disappointed in my defense guy Henry Anderson with a poor choice, lowering his helmet to initiate, resulting in a penalty early on in the game. Stevenson played a fabulous game until he fumbled, giving the Eagles the ball back with just a handful of minutes left. Justin Herron was called for several holding penalties. Still too much dirty laundry!

But the glaring smudge… Quinn Nordin.

I hate having to write this because I am so in on this new guy, but Nordin had some serious wobbles last night that many people are saying has cost him his roster spot. His consistency was non-existancey. Field goal miss, extra point miss. He did make an extra point later in the game, so I’m still holding out hope but it may be fruitless. I stand on my little soap box (reused from my Izzo days) and say I’m still in on this guy but this one is a time will tell. 

I want to end on a positive note. Again, its not about the 35 to 0, although 35 to nothing looks nice on the page. The back-up offensive line did some good. Blowing out holes for the run, and credit to the defence even if they weren’t playing against a full number ones starting Eagles team, they deserve a “good job!” Not to single out one guy, but I’m gonna, and its good don’t worry. With the lack of tight endage at the moment Jakob Johnson was in the spotlight a little bit perhaps and I watched him blocking and he was great. Teams may be moving away from fullbacks but I seriously hope the Patriots don’t move away from using Blockab Johnson (I’m going all Cam Newton and giving Jakob a new nickname.) 

Have a great day everyone and will someone purlease pour me some caffeine?!

Go Pats!

As I sit here blurry eyed and sleep deprived (I’m getting older folks, and the UK time difference can be brutal!) I gotta say I think I’m a happy Patriots fan. Now, if the Patriots had lost, maybe I wouldn’t be as happy, and that’s fair but it isn’t really about the 22 to 13.

It’s about perspective.

I know I know, I do like that word — but in this case it is true.

Preseason games may have been missed last year more than we thought, but the impact on the players’ development may have been significant. And so as the first preseason game is in the bag, we have had our first taste of (almost?) real football.

Now, there are still many questions to be answered, let alone asked, and there are many kinks to be smoothed out, but just to see the team out there was a pleasure in itself.

Okay, so the hot topic; the quarterback battle still reigns supreme as we all drink our coffee this morning (please someone pour me some more) and from the limited amount we got to see Cam Newton, 12 snaps over two drives, I’m guessing whichever side of the fence you are on, you haven’t changed your mind, at least very much. Whilst Mac Jones had some shaky moments, he had glimmers of a really good quarterback too and this is so encouraging to see. Significantly, Mac was professional, he was efficient, primarily accurate with a fast tempo. Whether Mac Jones has this 2021 season as a starter over Cam Newton or not, I think we are seeing the Patriots future when it comes to QB1.

But it isn’t ALL about the quarterback, there’s so much more.

Not to use such a general sweeping statement, but I’m gonna, the rookies did good last night. Rhamondre Stevenson with 127 rushing yards on 10 carries for starters! 

The solo undrafted free agent, kicker Quinn Nordin, there is no doubt that this kid has a leg, and he knows how to use it, baby! Three field goals and an extra point, yes please and thank you very much. Quinn did miss on another extra point, so he needs to be wary of consistency, but hey it was his first NFL game…hopefully one of many in Patriot blue.

Now don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, and i’m not trying to sell to you that it was. I think that the defence looked shaky in the first quarter, and I’m fearful that the key to some lacklustre showings from the secondary was the absence of Stephon Gilmore. However, the free agency signing of Matt Judon showed to pay dividends and that injury scare probably had most of us on the edge of our seats.

A glaring issue that we aren’t used to seeing from the Patriots so much is penalties, nine to be exact and false starts more than once. And whilst this will take a bit of time and work, that’s all that really needs, time and work.

And of course the Patriots have some! Whilst football is sort of back, there is also plenty of preseason and joint practices still to come. So whilst September 12th seems near and far, it’s a good thing coffee was invented.

Go Pats! 

It’s so easy to make player comparisons especially on a team that has had some of the best that ever were but the signing of the two tight ends, Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry, in free agency really ramped up the mentions of a Gronkowski and Hernandez duo, and it had already been whispered about when the Patriots drafted two tight ends back in 2020, Dalton Keene and Devin Asiasi.

Now it’s fair to say that Hunter Henry is not Rob Gronkowski. He is a sizeable and talented traditional tight end but there will only ever be one Gronk. That’s not to say Henry isn’t good, as most of you know, he’s my favourite going into this season!

The versatility of Jonnu Smith is already shining through in training camp within the different formations in which he is being placed, and the comparison with the athleticism of Aaron Hernandez is difficult to ignore.

The 2011 AFC Divisional game against the Broncos saw a slew of two tight end sets, and at one point Hernandez, and Gronk lined up on the same side, next to one another, Hernandez with his hand in the dirt and Gronk in a more H-back like position. On the snap, Gronk provided pass protection Hernandez ran out and became the pass catcher for a touchdown.

And that’s just spotlighting one single play. The Patriots utilised Hernandez in several other positions such as running back, a traditional ‘I’ formation fullback, a blocker as well as a receiver. And the exciting thing is Jonnu Smith may be able to tick all these boxes. 

Okay so that’s putting a lot on the shoulders of this 25 year old but the Patriots team was phenomenal with this kind of tight end set up and there may be hints that it can happen again. 

I know I know, I’m a tight endage enthusiast, but I bet there are plenty of fans out there who are excited to see this kind of dynamic tight endage sparkle in Foxborough!

Whats more, there is depth at tight end at the moment. It appears that Matt LaCosse and Troy Fumagalli are working hard at securing their own spots. LaCosse had a pretty rough start proving himself in New England after a year (2019) plagued with injury and then a covid-19 opt out year. Fumagalli, whilst experienced in the NFL, has always seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and not had much chance to shine, but is definitely a name I’ve been hearing dropped around training camp this past week.

Further depth, but with a little less sparkle is David Wells who has been utilised mostly as a blocker. Devin Asiasi is (at the time of writing this) currently on the covid list following a positive test, and Dalton Keene who too is on a list, PUP to be precise. Whilst dropping a third round draft pick is highly unlikely, neither Asiasi nor Keene have had a full training camp or preseason since their drafting due to covid restrictions and now injuries.  Whilst Keene may see the wrong side of the PUP list for a while, Asiasi could return soon. The greatest concern may be the after effects of suffering from covid, stacked upon a large chunk of time missed from yet another years training camp. 

With just a week until the first preseason game against the Washington Football Team, tight end expectation and excitement is peaking!

Go Pats!