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The Browns came to town and the Pats shut them down!

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Adam Glanzman/Getty Images

As the Patriots notch up their second home win of the season against the Cleveland Browns, they move to the nail-biting 6 – 4 for week ten.

This morning (this afternoon, this evening, whenever you take the time to read this) Patriots fans are happy bunnies, of course! And I’m not known for my negativity, so you probably won’t find much in this recap today.

However, I did want to point out one thing, fortunately, it didn’t really impact the outcome of the win for the Patriots, but they still notched up six penalties at home. Pretty much the average for a game so far this season. 

Okay, I think that brings a healthy balance of negatives so lets move it right along to the positives shall we folks?

Seriously, I’m almost lost as to where to start!

The Patriots defense against the run did have a little shaky start but they adjusted to what the Browns wanted to do and shut them down. Then the Patriots offense bullied their way through. 

The good played great: Christian Barmore with constant pressure up the middle, forcing a number of errant passes, Jakob Johnson blocking like a darn wrecking ball, and Matt Judon, well, being Matt Judon! These names make my recap every single week, and to that point I apologise for being repetitive, but these guys deserve to be mentioned every darn week!  

Kyle Dugger showed up and owned up this week being second on the defensive plays list with 5 tackles, 1 assist and an interception. Only to be bettered by Ja’Whaun Bentley with 6 tackles and 1 assist on the board. 

The ‘old guys’, and I say that very tongue-in-cheek folks, played great. Kyle Van Noy, Devin McCourty and Dont’a Hightower showed us why old guys rule baby! If only Devin could have made that one handed catch for the interception early in the first quarter, the Browns might not have even racked up a touchdown! 45 -7 is great, 45 – 0, oh my!

N’Keal Harry is a slightly controversial topic in Patriots Nation, but he brought something to the game Sunday and may be making his mark as a very effective wide receiver blocker. Going into this match-up the name Myles Garrett was the one people were most concerned about, and well, Harry said “yeah, not in my house” and he shut that guy down!

Mike Onwenu looked to be an absent with the return and line up of Trent Brown but oh no, Belichick wouldn’t take out one of his best offensive linemen. Onwenu lined up as an eligible tight end and blocked the heck out of the Browns defense. I knew I liked that guy…

The Mac-attack had himself an awesome game, throwing the ball deep to prove there was a new gunslinger in town, and his name was McCorkle Jones. That’s Michael McCorkle Jones to you Cleveland.

I know I mention tight ends a plenty, but in my own defense, this year is a bit of a year for it on the Patriots. So, whilst keeping my excitement in check, I will simply touch upon the fact that Hunter Henry had four fabulous receptions, (they were all great catches so can easily be classed as fabulous). Of those 4 receptions, 50% were touchdowns, and 100% of his targets he caught. Just sayin’…

Finally, I can report Jakobi Meyers had his first receiving touchdown and it was thrown by Brian Hoyer. Not perfect, but you know what, I think the whole of Patriots Nation will take it. Pretty much the whole Patriots team celebrated it with him in the end zone. 

And even though at this point in time I haven’t seen which players were given the game ball, mine would go to Rhamondre Stevenson. Not only did he have 4 receptions from 4 targets and 37 yards, but the kid had 20 rushing attempts for 100 yards and a total of 2 touchdowns. But, the numbers aren’t what did it for me, it was watching this guy play. Powerful, masterful and impressive! He ran through gaps that were made well by the Patriots o-line and also a few that didn’t even seem to be there! And as I can’t roll my r’s, I’ll stick with chanting STEVENSON thank you very much.

Go Pats!

The Patriots intercept a win in Carolina!

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Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

And so here we are, another victory road game Monday. They may not be clean, and they may not be pretty, the wins that is, but this is a team with a first year quarterback and more new pieces than I can count. Scrappy ain’t so bad. 

Once again the Patriots got into Sam Darnold’s head, and the poor kid threw 3 interceptions. Against the Patriots Darnold has now stacked up 1 touchdown, 9 interceptions, and zero wins. 

But it wasn’t all on Darnold, the Patriots offense didn’t bring the best versions of themselves to Carolina. The penalties for the offensive line-up were a little concerning, with false start calls on Jakobi Meyers, Isaiah Wynn and Hunter Henry, and an offensive holding call against Ted Karras. Not ideal.

The passer protection wasn’t as good as it has been either, still a work in progress I guess. 

But for yet another game I can compliment the blocking of Jakob Johnson and reiterate how I will forever be “in” on the fullback position. 

The Patriots defense played great, and as Bill always says, defense wins games! The interceptions by JC Jackson were delicious! He saw Stephon Gilmore’s one interception and raised him one! Two for JC and one for Jamie Collins and there was even a tip or two of the ball by Kyle Van Noy. You get an interception, you get an interception, everyone gets an interception… Halloween came a little late this year with interceptions getting given out like candy, and poor Darnold may have been seeing a few ghosts again.

Now, every week I hail the guy for being a baller, but Matt Judon is held more than a kid’s favourite teddy bear, and he still managed to get a hand on Darnold whilst being enveloped by an offensive lineman. 

A name I know that was on many peoples lips, Christian Barmore, and well, the kid had himself a GAME!

The injury list is always a cause for concern but right now it’s getting rather long, and after this Carolina game, particularly on the running back front! Rhamondre Stevenson was really letting loose until he got caught out with a head injury. Mid way into the second quarter he showed Sean Chandler who was boss with not only a stiff arm but one that threw the guy outta the club! Boom!

Brandon Bolden continues to roll up and show up, proving he is a valuable part of the Patriots offense, and towards the end of the second quarter he made a great adjustment to turn and make a difficult catch. He pulled out the stutter step to get a good run and even pulled a trick on Stephon Gilmore gaining himself a few extra yards.

Hunter Henry maintains his “Mr Consistent” badge with his fifth Patriot touchdown in six games. 

I think I gotta give a gold star to Mac Jones. He may not have had one of his best games, but he’s a rookie quarterback who not only “quarterbacks” really well, he pushes the pile, blocks, jumps on a loose ball to recover, and he pulls back his huge offensive linemen to try and make sure they don’t get into any disagreements. This kid rocks, it may be just my opinion, but he’s my quarterback baby! So hold my darn coffee, and bring on the Cleveland Browns! Woof!

The Patriots with a Jet sweep and a 54 – 13 win at Gillette Stadium!

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Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

With a win of more than 40 points over the opponent it is difficult to make any concerns of the negative nature, but I have heard the whole “well the Patriots still have some problems and the Jets really sucked” vibe.

These things are true, I have to admit I had a few not greats on my list, in particular the receiver coverage, or little lack of it, is still of a concern to me. Whilst the penalties appeared to be less, there wasn’t any of those “too many men on the field” issues, but the Patriots did still rack up 6 penalties for 95 yards. 

However, this is Victory Monday! And it was a victory! Yes, the Jets really, well, “jetted” but this is sport; it’s not an exact science, even the best teams have the worst of days, and the Patriots capitalised on the not so great Jets having a rather bad day.

But hold on there folks, I am not saying that is the only reason the Patriots won. I’m just covering what you may be thinking, some of you, possibly, and the things that may still be cause for concern. That is all. 

Me? Well, I thought the Patriots played great. Honestly, I do still have my concerns, one game a season doth not make, however, this win is soft, and warm, and glorious, and I want to grab my coffee and snuggle down with it.

National Tight Ends Day saw the two free agency shopping spree pick ups, Smith and Henry, involved! Jonnu Smith finally had a chance for plenty of passes, and his early first quarter, 28 yarder, was a powerful run, wrestling with a guy proving his athletic prowess hasn’t gone away. Unfortunately, Smith suffered a shoulder injury and left the game during the second quarter, not to return but not before putting up 1 rushing attempt for 5 yards, 5 passing targets for 2 receptions and 52 yards in just 22% of the snaps. 

The other Patriots tight end, and I’ll tell you a little secret here, he’s my favourite Patriots tight end on the team (I know, I know, you are all shocked out of your socks to hear that!) Hunter Henry made National Tight Ends Day his own by catching a short right pass from Mac Jones for his fourth touchdown as a Patriot. Not only that, Hunter’s fourth touchdown was also his fourth straight game with a receiving touchdown, and that my dear friends, is the longest streak by a Patriots tight end since the great Rob Gronkowski in 2013. Boom! (Information courtesy of Patriots .com)

There are many other delicious points to note on Sunday’s performance other than the lovely tight endage we got to witness. 

Damien Harris had himself a game rushing for 106 yards, 2 receptions for 7 yards and 2 touchdowns, not only that, but he ran faster than he ran all game (his words in the press conference) to go celebrate with him, when his teammate and fellow running back JJ Taylor completed his first NFL career touchdown. I just love stuff like that!

Taylor, whilst only racking up 21 yards rushing, had a single reception for 5 yards and totalled 2 touchdowns.

But wait, the feast continues; Jakobi Meyers took a big hit but kept hold of the ball for the gain, proving he is really becoming a great slot receiver. We saw some substantial blocking by Hunter Henry, with a run or two with opposing players hanging off him (yes, I know that’s like, one of my most favourites things). Jakob Johnson brought it with some significant blocks, and the fullback even had 2 receptions for 32 yards! Brandon Bolden snatched his first touchdown of the season and Kyle Dugger an interception! The Patriots offense used a bit of trickery and a bit of razzle dazzle, and I will lap that stuff up with a spoon! 

One more tasty morsel I have to mention, was the early first quarter, laser focused run by Miles Bryant, who seemed to lock in on poor Zach Wilson and to heck with anything else, he flattened the young quarterback on the third down, resulting in the Jets having to punt and so ending their initial first quarter drive.

So there you have it folks, my seventh regular season game wrap-up. I hope you found it tasty enough to enjoy with your coffee and that you have a great week!

Go Pats!

The Cowboys rode into Foxborough and caught themselves a win!

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(AP Photo/Steven Senne)

I sit here tired and a little sleep deprived again, as the Patriots almost won, again. 

I guess you can only cry moral victory so many times, so I’m not gonna be the girl who cried wolf and even try, but it was one more frustrating loss at Foxborough.

Yet another predicted shut out win by the visiting team, eeked out into a close scrappy game, that with just a hair’s breadth of a chance, could have seen the score sheet so very differently for the Patriots. 

It’s still early in the season, technically. There are plenty of games still to play (11 for anyone who is counting) but as they stretch out these “almost wins” the stats don’t look good, and the chances of being a playoff team are beginning to look not very feasible.

Someone said to me I wasn’t even a glass half full girl, but a glass 99% full, and in a way, I do try to be. I don’t want to be negative about the team I love, but I am when it is necessary, and as hopeful and positive as I am, I’m not unrealistic.

As per usual there is some good and some bad. So let’s get to what wasn’t so great, so that I can celebrate what was!

I have a rather general bad, and forgive me but this point is a little too general to name just one player, but the man coverage of receivers was at times, really rotten. The Cowboys’ receivers overall were too fast for the Patriots, but they seemed open just too often for my liking. 

The offensive line had a positive/negative day. They were great with the run… less so with the passing, and the offensive holding penalty by James Ferentz that nullified Jakobi Meyers’ 25 yard, and first ever, passing touchdown… *insert your own curse word of choice folks*. 

Whilst the Cowboys racked up penalties like they were notches on a bedpost – twelve – the Patriots were almost demur with five. The Cowboys’ left guard Connor Williams gets a total naughty badge with four penalties all to himself. Three for offensive holding and one for unsportsman like conduct where he had a 2-for-1 and dropped the Cowboys right back (15 yard penalty) to just about end the drive with a 49 yard field goal. 

With the exit of Stephon Gilmore, JC Jackson is the guy, whether he, or we, want him to be or not. But he continues to be in my notes with inconsistency. I find myself jotting his name down each game with something fantastic like “prevents key catch,” but then, too often, with such things as “poor marking,” “gives receiver too much room at the first down marker,” and “holding penalty”. 

And so my sleep deprived, caffeine requiring brain, moves on to some of the glimmers of hope we can have as Patriots fans.

Damien Harris is, in short, a beast. The direct snaps and power throughs of his are rather delicious. Ted Karras had a great assisted block about five minutes into the fourth quarter, Harris running like a beast twice to gain yardage, that then saw Rhamondre Stevenson power over the line for his first career touchdown. Yummers.

Justin Bethel had himself a game with some serious pressure on the punter at the beginning of the third quarter only to round it out with the take down of the punter towards the end of the third quarter. Not to mention Kyle Dugger’s rebound interception was tipped by Bethel. A “nice job” badge for him this week.

Matt Judon is a name that I put down so often on these recaps I am super glad I do not have to pay for the usage! I have images of John Harbaugh gazing at a photo of Mr Red Sleeves himself wondering why he ever let him go, but boy are Patriots fans glad he did! I’m pretty sure the only way an offense can stop Judon is by over the top holding that should get a penalty call but quite often doesn’t!

Another name I put down a little regularly is Hunter Henry. And before you start on me because I like tight ends (we all know I do, I don’t deny it) just hear me out. He is Mr Consistent in a sea of inconsistency at the moment. Mac Jones with a deep left ball, Hunter with the catch and a touchdown. Do I need to say anymore? 

Yes? Okay, how about the blocking that he carries out, and he may have only been targeted twice, but two targets for two receptions, he received all that he was targeted with and it’s not the first game that has happened either. Finally, to conclude the tight end enthusiasm, it took four guys to take him down on this short pass reception towards the end of the third quarter. Oh boy!

But seriously, there is still plenty wrong with this Patriots team, and I’m not denying that, as you can see from above. But I just try and shed light on a bit of the positive too. Whilst also helping those that were unable to watch the game, catch up from my perspective, for what it’s worth of course. Besides, I know you all come for the tight endage coverage really, admit it.

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!

Succession Planning: Who takes over as coach after Bill Belichick?

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Source: sgbonline.com

In an ideal world Bill Belichick would continue to coach forever. The man is in my humble opinion the greatest to ever roam the sideline in any professional sport. Not only does he hold an incredible career as a head coach, but he also doubles as a Hall of Fame caliber General Manager. Some things only live as dreams and with Bill Belichick now being 69 years young he is at the tail end of his career. Including this season, I think he has 3 to 5 years left in him to chase Don Shula’s all time win record of 328. Bill currently sits at 280 wins and if he averages 10 or so wins per season this should get him there. I believe that he cares about breaking the record before hanging them up and will stick around to do so. It is the last remaining accomplishment to cap off a historic career.

There is also another aspect of continuing to coach into his early 70s that is not talked about enough. Not only does he get to do what he loves and is great at every single day, but also he gets to do it with his two sons. Brian and Stephen both serve on the Patriots coaching staff as the Safeties Coach and Outside Linebackers Coach respectively. This has turned into a family business of which is located in the area that all of his family lives. Even more reason for him to stick around.

With that being said, succeeding Bill Belichick as Head Coach of the New England Patriots is an impossible task. Similarly to following up Brady at Quarterback there is just no one that can ever live up to what they accomplished. Being the second person to succeed him after the first one is relieved of their duties, sure. However, being the first is a death sentence from the start.

Let us take a look at some potential suitors:

Josh McDaniels

This is probably the second most likely scenario but I truly do not think Josh sticks around long enough to see this play out. Every year his name is tossed around as a potential head coaching candidate. He still has some stank to him from the whole Indianapolis Colts debacle, but his resume speaks for himself and every passing season is another mile between his prior blunders (Broncos HC and Colts Houdini). When Josh wants another chance at the driver’s seat then he will have options to choose from. I suspect Josh hangs around for 1-3 more years (this season included). If for some reason the Patriots job becomes available during that frame then that is a different story.

A less likely possibility, but one still worth mentioning is that Bill steps aside as either Coach or GM to focus solely on the other role. Josh picks up whatever one Bill steps away from.

Matt Patricia

I truly have no confidence for Matt Patricia being a head coach. Some people are just made to be coordinators and are very good at it. There is no shame with that. Nothing that I have read from players, coaches, or management regarding Patricia in Detroit is good.

I foresee Patricia sticking in New England as an Ernie Adams type assassin. The man knows New England’s system very well and is a game planner. He will use his rocket science collegiate studies to dissect film of offensive and defensive game plans of future opponents. This will parlay nicely into finding NFL draft picks that fit what the Patriots do. Pencil in Patricia as the new Ernie. It seems as though Bill and Matt have a friendship off the field as well and genuinely enjoy working together. This should help Matt’s case to sticking around for at least the next 2-4 years (this season included) and potentially beyond.

Jerod Mayo

Jerod Mayo is the next Brian Flores. The man is a stud and a hot name as far as future head coaches go in the NFL. All of the Patriots players have rave reviews of Mayo. I think Jerod gets head coaching interviews at the conclusion of this season. He could opt to stick around if nothing tickles his fancy, but I think we only see Mayo on the New England sideline for one additional season after this year at most before he gets his shot.

Bill O’Brien / Brian Flores / Joe Judge / Mike Vrabel / Another former assistant from the Patriots system

It is likely that one of the former Patriots assistants is looking for work when Bill is thinking of stepping down. I do not necessarily think that any of them made a drastic impact or were here long enough to be considered a top-level candidate for the future opening. It all depends how their coaching careers develop between now and then but I would not expect any of these names to be the successor.

Other former assistants left off this list for obvious reasons:

Saban – He dies in Tuscaloosa

Romeo Crennel – Too old

Eric Mangini – No chance

Jim Schwartz – No chance

Outside candidates not listed

Always a possibility, but the New England Patriots is a tight knit family from top to bottom. I think for this important of a role they stay within the circle of trust.

Brian Belichick / Steve Belichick

This is where the future lies and is my pick as the most likely succession plan to Bill Belichick. As I stated earlier, the Patriots is a family business. The most likely succession plan with family businesses is to pass them down to the next generation. This will also motivate Bill to keep the franchise in pristine condition before he hands over the keys. Also, this will hinder either son from leaving the Patriots until their Father retires. I believe that Bill wishes he could have coached alongside his own father, also named Steve Belichick, but is now getting to live out a different side of that dream by coaching alongside both of his sons.

Steve will be the head coach due to his experience and high praise from Patriots defenders. The oldest son will get the reigns while Brian transitions to a co-head coaching role or coordinator position. The two will work in tandem in an attempt to create the next Patriots dynasty.

Bill does not strike me as the type to sit on the beaches of Florida for 10 months out of the year sipping daiquiris and enjoying retirement. The man quite literally eats and breathes football. He needs football just as much as football needs him. I fully expect him to be around the Patriots for 3 to 5 more years before he retires.

Have the Patriots lost their identity?

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Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports


Patriots fans saw a season without Gronk, then one without Gronk and Brady. Well now there will be one without Gronk, Brady and Edelman. Three of arguably the best Patriots of the last decade. 

As a tight end enthusiast, losing Rob Gronkowski was harsh for me but Tom Brady was our leader, our quarterback, he drove the team. And now Patriots fans, now maybe it’s the heart…

Julian Edelman is small and tough, focused and driven… He is passionate. A passionate Patriot, there’s not much better. 

He wasn’t THE best wide receiver in the league if you go by statistics. But who cares about statistics right now? This guy is fearless. He is simply put… Awesome. 

And now Patriots fans, have we lost our identity? 

Who remains from the Patriots way? 

WE DO!!

Sure, we’ve loved and lost. We will never forget those that fought passionately. Gave themselves on the field. Six Super Bowls baby!!

We have bore witness to greatness, over and over again. And it’s difficult sometimes to not look at the past, the future is so unknown. 

Now it’s fair to say the stock of passionate Patriots isn’t fully depleted. There’s plenty of love for the defence, the offensive line and the secondary. David Andrews, Matthew Slater and James White to just kick off the list. 

But! Players will come and go. We will cry, we will cheer, we will be here. We are Patriots Nation and we will go on!