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i feel another issue that isn’t talked about right now is the complexity of scheme/coaching, as difficult it is to pick up, why don’t the pats make it more simplistic and allow player skill sets be optimized. IE josh boyce, activate him and make him run slants/ crossers or the go and make his speed an asset? If trust is an issue for Brady/WRs why not make reads simpler (Madden play calling lol not the million route options). A little backyard football is what the pats might need to get rolling!

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Ah yes, the “Remedial Offense Theory”. 

I think the problem is that between Belichick/McDaniels/Brady there’s too much pride, too much success and too much belief that this is the best kind of offense to run to ever regress to a simple offense so the wide receivers can figure it out.

It’s pretty simple why this offense is the best, because it adjusts in real time to whatever the defense does. There simply is no substitute for that, especially not relying on pure physical size/speed to win.

And when you look at the problems right now, in 2014, it’s not that LaFell/Amendola/Thompkins (i.e. anyone outside of Gronk/Edelman) don’t know what they’re doing – it’s the protection and the entire rhythm of the offense that is off.

That’s what is making everything look bad. They’re not run blocking well so they’re getting into long down-and-distances, and then they’re not pass blocking those situations well.

It wouldn’t matter if Josh Boyce was running free 40 yards down the field, Brady would never have the time to hit him. 

I do think the offensive game plans could use a little tweaking. The first possessions of both the first and second half were atrocious last week.

If the offensive line starts executing, the trickle down effect will improve the entire offense. Then we’ll see exactly what we have.

Do you think the mankins trade so close to the season and not having enough time to really set the offensive line is why they are having so much trouble compared to if this had happened in June with time to adjust

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Honestly, I don’t think Mankins would make much of a difference. The biggest problem right now is that the guys they need to be the leaders and best players are playing the worst. I can’t get over how bad Solder was, and it was just basic stuff, and Vollmer wasn’t too far behind him. 

Cannon/Devey certainly had their problems, but those would be manageable if Solder and Vollmer were the stalwarts they need on the edges.

I do think they should’ve been better prepared for this. One of the main focuses of the offseason as I saw it was upgrading the interior of the line. They had to know Mankins might not want to restructure his deal and that they’d have to jettison him. 

They did look at some interior OL but didn’t sign anyone of note. So now they’re left with essentially a four tackle offensive line and that has severely limited what they can do.

Wish I could find some numbers to back this up but it seems that the screen game has been severely impacted, not to mention neither guard has the quickness to get to the second level blocking in the run game.

I think the first step is just going for it with Stork. It might not be perfect but at least we know Connolly is a solid and experienced right guard. I’d expect Solder and Vollmer to turn it around. They’re too experienced and talented not to (though I am starting to have legitimate long-term concerns about Vollmer given his age and health history – we might’ve already seen the best he has to offer).

That just leaves Cannon, who hasn’t been a total disaster. If he can’t get it going there’s still Josh Kline, who did okay against the Ravens last year.

I still believe they can turn it around, even if they have to go back to Wendell at center over Stork for the time being. But this four tackle offensive line has to go.