PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

Clare Cooper

Taking on the Texans, and kicking out a win!

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(AP Photo/Steven Senne)

The Patriots headed to Houston with many fans convinced it would be a shut out game – I mean it’s the Texans right? But, I have to admit I was a little wary, and the Patriots team that does have potential, has had the inconsistency of a chameleon sitting on a rainbow! 

Seriously, the first quarter may have taken a few seconds off the lives of Patriots fans everywhere, with the Texans completing a 10 minute drive – a 10 minute 6 second drive to be exact. An 18 play, 79 yard, 10 minute 6 second drive that resulted in an 11 yard touchdown pass, actually. Oof! 

Once again, penalties were a “thing,” and the Patriots racked up a further 5, giving them a current season total of 41, did I say oof already? Early in the first quarter, around 2 minutes in, JC Jackson had a rather unnecessary holding on Brandon Cooks that gave the Texans a first down when they would have been punting, and well, 10 minutes 6 seconds, that’s all I’m gonna say.

So with repeating penalties, the bad list has a few of the same candidates week-to-week. On my list this week, to my surprise, was Devin McCourty and JC Jackson. Towards the end of the first quarter, there was some serious pressure on Davis Mills. He managed to lob the ball out to a receiver covered by both JC Jackson and Devin McCourty, and he slipped through their fingers for a Texans touchdown. McCourty had some uncharacteristically poor safety play as he seemed to sail past the receiver like a kitten on a freshly polished table. Not only that, but as the second quarter wound down and the Texans were at fourth and two, McCourty had terrible coverage. Following that very play JC Jackson had a further holding penalty and gave the Texans even more easy yards.

Now don’t get me wrong folks, there’s no hating towards either of these players, they had a not-so-great game and they weren’t the only ones! Jakobi Meyers’ end of second quarter “bumble” (Clareism, translation: where the catchable ball bounces around in a players hands) was tragic, Meyers was unmarked with plenty of empty field in front of him. 

The third quarter opened with a Texan interception. I have a few quizzicals about this play: Was Nelson Agholor not on his mark? Did Mac throw to where Agholor should have been, and was it actually a catch by the Texans? 

As the game rolled along, the Texans tried to get cute with a punt that had Lawrence Guy making a great play, knocking his mark back into the punter. The ball bounced off Terrence Brooks’ helmet and down 22 – 9, the Patriots got a boost! 

And speaking of boost, let’s move onto the good stuff shall we?

You and I both know that the tight ends make my good list most of the time, but I can admit when they don’t play so great, and I have. I haven’t been shy about my disconcert over some of Jonnu Smith’s playing, but he had some great blocks this week, and a number of catches. His mid-second quarter, fingertip catch had me certain his sticky gloves had arrived in the mail!

Hunter Henry continued to block well, with him and Jakob Johnson helping to make a hole for Damien Harris and his touchdown run! Not to mention Hunter’s own playmaking, with the play action pass from Mac that had me all tingly, and then the fourth quarter touchdown! And not to indulge, but another Hunter catch came around the 4 minute mark into the final quarter, giving the Patriots a first down, just sayin’.

Jakob Johnson only played 25% of the snaps, but with a mixed up offensive line his blocking was a key dynamic of this game, and I feel like I may repeat this most weeks, but Matt Judon is earning his dollar dollar bills all day long!

Overall I gotta say I think that the offensive line didn’t look as bad as I thought they might, and that is not a mark against any player’s name. I think many fans were concerned after the only “original” starting lineman was to be David Andrews.

As usual I try not to look at the numbers, and just look at the win. The only thing I want right now is Mac Jones’ safety and to win the games. If the Patriots have to scrap, so be it. There is still so much of the season journey ahead of us, so give me the bemuse and confuse of putting Mac Jones in motion; give me the razzle dazzle of the trick plays, and most of all give me the coffee, always with the coffee.

Go Pats!

The Patriots may have lost, but the torch has well and truly been passed in Foxborough!

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(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Okay, I know Mac Jones has been the Patriots quarterback for four regular season games, now but The Return of Tom Brady and the success of the rookie makes it feel like perhaps a closure moment.

Many fans don’t need that, many may already have had it, and many don’t give a care either way. I’m not here to tell anyone how to feel – I’m just sharing my opinions and a bit of game recap to boot.

The loss was close. A  reasonably low scoring game that not many had predicted (I can’t quite believe my One Patriots Place tongue-in-cheek on the spot prediction very early in the week of Pats 9 Bucs 13 was almost close!) with a heart in your mouth ending. 

There were highs and there were lows, and that in itself wasn’t what many were expecting. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the recent Super Bowl champions, with the greatest of all time quarterback, but Mac Jones and the Patriots defense held them to a mere 19 points. 

Moral victory is something that’s been bandied about and there’s a bit of love and hate with it. Moral victories don’t get you titles. Yes, they are soon forgotten as Mac said. But work with me a little here, because I can make a case that they do, at least a little bit. 

Yes, yes, I hear the cries of “get this girl another coffee, she’s crazy!” And whilst that’s not necessarily in dispute, and I do really, really need more coffee, I have some logic.

Mac Jones seems to wear his heart on his sleeve on the field, and the devastation on the guy’s face after the loss to the Saints was intense. And although this is another loss, I know the numbers aren’t great at 1-3, but I genuinely believe he should be proud of his progression and his performance. And so I think going forward, a “moral victory” against the greatest of all time, could help build his strength and determination even further. 

Something I hate to say is that a lot of this is still on the offensive line and not only does this disappoint me, it shocks me too. Going into the season, the one thing that looked super strong, granted “on paper,” was the list of the o-line guys.

I’m kind of loath to say it, and not because I have anything against steady Teddy, but did anyone else feel things calmed a little on the offensive line when Teddy Karras stepped in? I’m a big Mike Onwenu fan, so it pains me to say that. I’m just hoping they get the o-line straight soon because right now I think it might be the biggest weakness. Onwenu had 33 snaps and Karras stepped in for 27. 

What isn’t a weakness is the receivers. I know many of you would still argue the Patriots need a WR1, but what they do have looked (mostly) rather good last night.

I am known for my tight endage enthusiasm, we all know this. So my relief at the Jonnu Smith catch of the short pass from Mac Jones in the middle that resulted in a touchdown is expected, but my reasoning was more from concern over the terrible game he had against the Saints more than my tight end fervour.

Jakobi Meyers had a great game, playing 56 snaps, although that elusive receiving touchdown still hasn’t arrived, I would say he’s WR1 and worthy.

I have more positives too. Christian Barmore got in Tom Brady’s face, Matt Judon continues to earn every darn dollar and has got to be the beast of the defense, and Davon Godchaux had a delicious chase and sack of TB12 early in the fourth quarter. 

Hunter Henry had some fabulous blocks and his short pass catch from Mac Jones for 11 yards and a touchdown was a thing of beauty (I may be a little biased there).

So as I sit here sleep deprived, I know things aren’t perfect, the Patriots are 1-3. But they fought last night and they have the makings of a fabulous new story with Mac Jones at the helm and some great players around him. 

So, unlike many out there, I’ll take the moral victory. And now that the “one last night, for closure” has happened with TB12, we can move on. 

Bring on the new razzle dazzle… and the coffee, please, more coffee.

Go Pats!

The Saints came marching into Foxborough and stamped out a win!

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  • Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Monday morning dawns with the recall that the Patriots are still not playing so great, and no amount of coffee will change that! There was some bad, and there was some ugly, but was there any good? Hold tight folks, I’ll answer that one in a minute.

For those of you who perhaps did not see the game, it has been commented that it was a pretty darn bad showing at Gillette Stadium, and plenty of us were really hoping that Julian Edelman would crack open that jersey case and put it on!

To be honest, many of us were hoping that, even if the Patriots had played well, we miss you JE11!

Now, I am well known for my tight endage enthusiasm, and whilst I had a little bit yesterday (a touch more on that later), Jonnu Smith did not raise any. 

Since the big tight end free agency signings, I have been a Hunter gal, whilst recognising that Smith is more of a versatile weapon, but I like me a traditional bit of tight endage. However, I am afraid last night Smith showed less tight endage than we saw in 2020 (yeah I said it folks – you know I still love me some Ryan Izzo). But in grave seriousness, Smith was not great at blocking, he had a poor block in the third quarter that would have helped Brandon Bolden power through, but Jonnu’s target got free and took Brandon down for zero gain. His “not so great hands” that I mentioned last week were still around and he had too many drops/failed catches for someone of his calibre. Sticky gloves anyone?

Shockingly, plenty of negative reports can be handed out towards special team. We saw poor punt coverage, two special team penalties, a blocked punt, and surprisingly, for the second game in a row, a Jake Bailey kick out of bounds. 

The word of the day, the week, maybe the season, is inconsistent – and not really any of the team hasn’t fallen foul of this.

Whilst Matt Judon brought it in beast mode again with two and a half sacks, two tackles for losses, and three quarterback hits, veteran Kyle Van Noy had two solo tackles, and Dont’a Hightower… one.

The front defense weren’t actually too bad but the same cannot be said for the offensive line as Mac Jones took 11 hits. 

But before you decide to drown yourself in the last bit of coffee in your mug, hear me out.

Now, I’m not going to try and sell you sunshine and rainbows, sure I’m bubbly and a little bit crazy, but I am realistic, and Sunday’s display was not good, not good at all.

However! (Ah yes, there it is!) There were some glimmers of hope amongst the “dumpsta fiyah” some are branding the game.

The front defense wasn’t bad, it has improved a teeny amount, and that is good! They had some containment of Alvin Kamara, not all the time, but Davon Godchaux showed his prowess. Ja’Whaun Bentley and Adrian Phillips definitely showed up, whilst Deatrich Wise had a lovely clutch defense play taking Jameis Winston down towards the end of the second quarter.

So, Smith may have put his gloves on the wrong hands yesterday morning, but Hunter didn’t and he was undertaking some good blocking, playing 52 of the 72 offensive snaps. There was a beautiful throw from Mac Jones that resulted in a catch where Hunter powered through with a guy hanging off him. I have put in a formal request for more of this but am still waiting to hear back from the Coach.

Kendrick Bourne attended the party with a lovely 31 yard catch, playing 55 of the snaps. A glorious little quarterback rush by Mac was followed by a long ball to Bourne who orchestrated great body positioning for the touchdown. Nice.

The two things that I take away from this game are: 

  1. The surprise at how much I’m not concerned about the one thing I thought would be at the forefront of my mind for this 2021 season, worries over Mac Jones (other than his literal safety after all the hits the kid has taken).
  2. How we are on a road not very well travelled. 

This team isn’t looking like the Patriots of old. Of course it isn’t, it isn’t the Patriots team of old and not just because of the quarterback. Things are different now, and things are changing. And good or bad we are in it for the long haul. 

A phrase I am sure I will use far too much early on in this season, but is so apt and I am rather proud of it is, the journey is long and we are still at the beginning. There may be trouble ahead, but there will be moonlight and music so let’s grab the coffee and just love! 

Go Pats!

Mac Jones – The New England Patriots Quarterback

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(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Mac Jones. Mac Attack, Mac the Knife, Mac and Cheese – please!

He may have only played two games in the regular NFL season, but the 23 year old quarterback, first round pick to the New England Patriots, has already had plenty of nicknames and rather lot of comparisons with the legend that is Tom Brady.

But comparisons are the name of the game in this industry, and Doug Flutie recently gave an interview to discuss the quarterback he would compare himself to in the NFL for 2021.

Although obviously not actively encouraged, Mac hasn’t shot those Brady comparisons down, and why should he?

The kid has been modelling himself on the greatest quarterback of all time for years and although only having 17 college starts under his belt, he came out with the cool, calm, collectiveness of a player with much more.

Now, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. The loss against the Miami Dolphins and even the win against the New York Jets had Mac Jones displaying some of his rookieness.

But, he showed his willingness to just throw down and be part of the team, even if it did make a few people nervous, when during the recent game against the New York Jets, he dropped for a block to help spring Kendrick Bourne for 16 yards. And then there was the pile up with the group, pushing Damien Harris for a touchdown.

His team-first mentality has been on display even earlier, during joint practices with the New York Giants, he ran laps with his offensive linemen when they got into a bit of a scuffle with the opposition.

At the start of the year we all began to get excited for the draft, and Mac Jones wasn’t even projected as being taken in the first round. But, he has been hailed as the only real NFL ready quarterback to be selected because of his mind, his ability to read defences, and getting the ball out quickly and accurately.

Now, it has been said that Mac Jones is not an athletic quarterback. The kid can move, but he isn’t ever going have the nippiness of the likes of Kyler Murray, not at six-foot-three anyway! But, with such a “football head” on those shoulders, with a team-first mentality, he is a guy that will throw blocks, push the pile and even refuse a touchdown ball because it’s more about the team win. He is definitely a Patriot looking QB.


The Patriots intercept a win in New Jersey!

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Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports

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!

The Dolphins increased the tempo to add extra heat in New England

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(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

As I accidentally take a sip of my now cold coffee (okay ew!), I mull over how I feel as a Patriots fan about the first regular season game being a loss.

In my preseason wrap-ups I urged you to not look at the numbers, meaning mostly the scores, and as cliché as it may sound, I would urge you still not to.

Instead, maybe look at this big picture as a whole. For starters, the defense put down numbers that would make them look better than they really were, and perhaps the scores on the board made the offense not look quite as good as they performed.

The game day surprises came early with the release of the inactive list. The addition of Nick Folk over Quinn Nordin didn’t shock many; disappointed a few – maybe, but the inclusion of Devin Asiasi and J.J. Taylor on the list had many of us fans somewhat stunned. Taylor’s beast like efforts in the preseason were expected to make him a game day lock and with the niggles of injury between the two free agency signing tight ends, Asiasi was a name fans were perhaps expecting to be featured in the first regular season game, at least a little.

But the confidence in Hunter Henry’s fitness, who hadn’t featured in any preseason games due to a shoulder injury, must have been high because he lined up for 54 of the snaps (72%) and was utilised as an excellent blocker. Hunter was even targeted 3 times for 3 receptions and 31 yards.

And Hunter wasn’t the only tight end to show up to the Boston TE party, Jonnu Smith was featured here, there, and everywhere with 55 snaps.  Undertaking blocking, 1 hand off with a rush for 6 yards and 5 receptions for 42 yards. Smith did fumble (more on that later) but fortunately the dependable David Andrews moved like lightning and had his body on that ball to keep it safe, and save Smith’s butt.

That’s not to say the tight endage was sparkling and amazing, but it was there, and it was seen, and I will take that, thank you very much!

Now, I mentioned Smith’s fumble, and as much as David Andrews saved it, that wasn’t the only one. Thanks to Damien Harris and the call on Rhamondre Stevenson too, the Patriots racked up 4 fumbles during this 1 game, and the amount of penalties was equally as concerning. 

I know I know, I asked you not to get hung up on the numbers, and I assure you I am not, but some things you just can’t gloss over.

Although my score prediction was incorrect, I had the Patriots winning 22 to 18, I predicted the game would be messy for both sides, and I think I got it right (for once!). But I’ve gotta admit the Patriots’ Alabama rookie quarterback looked better than the Dolphins’ one — and if you watched the game you’d know I’m not being completely biased there.

But, the Patriots defense didn’t hold the Dolphins the way that I predicted. Whilst Matt Judon definitely earned his dolla dolla bills, the majority of the secondary was rather inconsistent. J.C. Jackson had some beautiful coverage with a knock away in the middle of the second quarter but he, along with Jonathan Jones, displayed plenty of instability during this first game. And at times, it appeared to me as though the Dolphins receivers were coated in butter, they were so slippery. 

Still, there were plenty of positives as well as negatives to take away from this match up and perhaps the most important one was how Mac Jones performed. This young guy, just turned 23, is the first rookie signal caller to start for the Patriots since Drew Bledsoe in 1993, and I don’t think I am out of order to say most of the time he didn’t look it. What I mean is Mac was cool, calm, and collected. He had some pocket presence awareness, he was decisive and in command, throwing 39 times for 29 completions and 281 passing yards. 

Okay folks, Mac isn’t perfect, he has a way to go. As does the defence, and I guess the team as a whole. But the show isn’t over yet, in fact it is literally only just beginning. So don’t get swept up in the loss, get excited for the next win!

Go Pats!

Preseason closes as the Patriots head to the Big Apple and take a bite!

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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!