Analysis

Pats Should Keep Garoppolo Through 2017

September 28, 2016 by Mike Dussault

tom brady jimmy garoppolo This weekend will hopefully be the last time of the 2016 season that we see a quarterback not named Tom Brady under center for the Patriots. Both Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett have shown plenty of promise in limited action and it’s whipped Patriots nation into an early frenzy — “who gets traded and for how many first round draft picks?!”

Garoppolo has apprenticed for two full seasons under Brady, and against the Dolphins, Garoppolo took his game to a new level, looking calm and collected in the pocket, delivering laser passes with pinpoint accuracy. There’s still some unknowns with Garoppolo, like how he does against a blitz-happy, disguise-based defense like Rex Ryan’s, but it’s clear that Garoppolo has what it takes to at least get a shot as a starting quarterback in the NFL.

Now the discussion of Brady’s inevitable exit have begun. The Patriots still have Brady under contract through 2019. Garoppolo is signed through the 2017 season, meaning this coming offseason is the last chance the Pats could have to move him for more than a potential 3rd round compensatory pick. Now the Patriots could also franchise tag Garoppolo in the spring of 2018 as they did with Matt Cassel and then move him for significant capital, but they’ll certainly be tempted by a number of offers in the spring of 2017.

Comparing the 2016 Patriots Quarterbacks

September 26, 2016 by Rick Starke

tom brady jimmy garoppolo

The Patriots have three quarterbacks on their payroll as of this writing. All three of those quarterbacks have a win percentage in games they have started that is greater than 75% in games that count (regular and postseason). All three of those quarterbacks have been drafted by the Patriots, and played for no other professional team (actually, as of this writing the Patriots have never started a non-homegrown, non-drafted quarterback in the entire Kraft-owned era. That’s really cool and will never come up in Trivial Pursuit).

These three quarterbacks have all displayed different strengths and weaknesses to their skill sets. As of next Monday, we will hopefully only care about the skill set of one, singular quarterback from then until at least February…so, before that happens (despite how nice it would be to have one more start from to evaluate the second and/or third guys…), let’s take a look at what these guys all bring to the table.

Patriots Special Teams Report – Week 3 vs. Houston Texans

September 25, 2016 by Sam Hollister

What a win it was for the 3-0 Patriots, and this was the first time we saw the huge impact that Pro Football Focus’s second-ranked special teams unit can have on a game.

Instead of detailing one specific area, I decided to touch on several facets in which the Patriots excelled or had room for improvement because there was so much to discuss regarding special teams this week.

Of course, the work of the Patriots kickoff unit has to lead off. The Patriots were able to come up with two clutch turnovers that swung the game firmly in their favor, giving Jacoby Brissett the ball twice inside the Houston 25 yard line (both at times in which the game was still up for grabs).

The Patriots Should be Fine Against the Texans: Here’s Why

September 22, 2016 by Pete Smith

Legarrette Blount

With Jimmy Garoppolo listed as doubtful, all signs point to rookie Jacoby Brisset making his first professional start for the Patriots tonight against the Houston Texans. While that isn’t ideal for Patriots fans it also presents an intriguing underdog situation for Bill Belichick and the Patriots, and I’m surprisingly confident that the Patriots will end the night 3-0. Here’s why:

The running game has been a highlight of the offense this year, and the Patriots have had a running back on the field almost every offensive snap this season. Through two games the Patriots have somewhat returned to form in the running game averaging 130+ rushing yards per game, and averaging almost 4 yards per carry. That’s good enough to get the job done in this league for most teams.

Patriots Special Teams Report: Week 2 vs. Miami Dolphins

September 20, 2016 by Sam Hollister

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While special teams appeared to make little impact on Sunday’s nail-biter of a win against the pesky Dolphins, Ryan Allen’s struggles throughout the day had great significance in the field position battle. Miami’s average starting field position after Allen’s punts was the Miami 17, which, on paper, seems to indicate that Allen was able to flip the field successfully on several occasions.

However, Allen left a ton of “hidden yardage” on the field, meaning that the Dolphins mediocre field position could have easily been worse if Allen had been able to place his punts with better accuracy. None of his four punts landed inside the Miami 14 yard line, despite the fact that not a single one was from deep in Patriot territory. In fact, the deepest Allen was forced to punt from was the NE 41. He punted from the MIA 47, MIA 44, NE 41, and the NE 46, meaning that Allen had a relatively easy chance to back the Dolphins up to their own goal line, and failed to do so each time.

Breaking Down the Patriots Four-Drive Defensive Breakdown

September 19, 2016 by Mike Dussault

Quick turnaround this week so I’m jumping right in on the film review (before the A22 is released) to take a closer look at the last four Dolphins’ drives of the game. Miami scored three-straight touchdowns on 70-plus yard drives that ranged from five plays to nine plays, turning what should’ve been a blowout into a game that went down to the final play.

The Dolphins moved the ball with frightening ease, but it’s important to remember this is how the Patriots defense started off the game:

Punt
Punt
Punt
Punt
Fumble
Interception
Field Goal

The Patriots defense is far better than what they showed on the final four drives before the game-sealing interception.

Let’s take a closer look at what was going on:

Patriots Offensive Line Review: Week 1

September 15, 2016 by Jay Kenney

The worst thing that could have happened prior to playing week one was an injury of any type to Nate Solder. The $6 million dollar left tackle was unavailable due to a suspected hamstring injury. This unforeseen situation would mean that several young offensive lineman would be called upon to perform well immediately against the Cardinals. Sebastian Vollmer is likely out of the season and it appears that Belichick will ride out the year with Waddle and Fleming as his depth tackles.

It certainly didn’t appear that the outlook was promising for the Patriots in pregame. News broke that Rob Gronkowski would not play Sunday. His skills as a blocker would be sorely missed, especially with a new quarterback under center. Shaq Mason had a broken hand but played with a club. This is certainly a testament to his toughness as a player.

Snaps

Top Patriots o-line in 11-on-11 warmups: LT Cameron Fleming, LG Joe Thuney, C David Andrews, RG Ted Karras, RT Marcus Cannon

— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) September 11, 2016

There would be a total of 71 offensive snaps in the unbelievable victory against Arizona. Four lineman stepped up and played every single down week one: Cam Fleming, Joe Thuney, David Andrews, and Marcus Cannon. Rookie Ted Karras and Shaq Mason saw less reps in the game. Karras totaled 57 plays and Mason 14.

The Patriots pulled it off with a solid performance from their offensive line. Fleming, Thuney, and Karras have never seen/had limited NFL reps. Shaq Mason and David Andrews are both second year players. The only veteran on the line was last season’s biggest disappointment in the trenches: Marcus Cannon.

The concern before this past game centered around giving the rookie quarterback an early boost of confidence. Belichick kept the pocket moving through play action and a variety of misdirection plays centered around Julian Edelman. This helped to keep the edge rushers honest and eliminated some of the pocket pressure. They also lined up in heavy sets and ran the ball consistently to keep Arizona honest. This opened up longer plays downfield like the 37 yard heave to Chris Hogan.