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Patriots Gamplan: Week 3 at Detroit Lions

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It’s been a long week in Patriots Nation. The team got blasted on the field. Another book came out and drudged up more things from 2017, a recurring occurrence now. Even the low-risk Josh Gordon acquisition was met with controversy. Sometimes it can be exhausting being an even-keeled Patriots fan man blogger and this was one of those exhausting weeks. But with a win in Detroit over Matt Patricia the Pats can get everything back on track and shut up a lot of the noise once again.

Despite a first-game shitshow, the Lions are going to put up a good fight. Like the Patriots, they’ve shown some holes but they’ve also had their share of nice plays, especially against the 49ers in a tight three-point loss.

While I know we will see a far better Patriots squad I also don’t expect it to be perfect. There’s still too much to work through, especially dealing with potential absences of Trey Flowers and Patrick Chung. Under any circumstances, a Pats defense without those two would be severely affected and that could be even more exacerbated if everyone plays as sloppy as they did in Jacksonville.

What do they have to do to get the all-important win and return home to face the Dolphins? Here’s the gameplan.

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Pats Posits: And We’re Off…

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The Patriots got the 2018 season rolling yesterday with a 27-20 win over the Texans. For all the talk of last season and offseason drama, the Patriots very much looked like the same old Patriots that have laid waste to the league for the last 17 seasons.

Tom Brady finished with three touchdowns and one tipped-ball interception, looking nothing like an average 41-year old should look navigating an NFL pocket. The biggest difference was that he still had Rob Gronkowski, and the devastating QB-TE combo was just unstoppable.

This was nothing like last year’s maddening loss in the opener to the Chiefs. The Patriots have depth and new personnel issues, but they managed to rotate plenty of players in and showed that there isn’t any personnel problem that can’t be overcome with good coaching. Most exciting is a defense that has had an influx of improvement on a variety of fronts.

Yes, if you’re not a self-hating, self-punishing Patriots fan you should feel pretty good today. Clearly, the New England Football Machine is still firing on all cylinders and looks like they’ll once again be a formidable opponent for every team they face.

Let’s fire off a bunch of Posits and we finally get into the regular season flow!

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Film Review: It’s All There for Pats

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I know most of us came out of Friday’s preseason game with a bland taste in our mouths but after reviewing the film of the game, I’m feeling pretty good actually. That’s usually the case, especially in games that get overreacted to. My favorite example being the 2014 Chiefs blowout, which showed up in film review as just a game of bad fundamentals, something that is often quickly fixed.

It’s clear who the 2018 Patriots are now. And while there are still some questions toward the bottom of the roster, the top lines of the offense, defense and special teams have taken shape. Yes, even without adding another huge name wide receiver.

It’s impossible to know how the health of the team will hold up. So far so good. If they stay healthy no one can tell me this isn’t a Super Bowl roster. As always things will remain a work in progress but all the elements are there. Now it’s just a matter of bringing them all together under an actual gameplan and executing. There will be steps forward and steps back, but the aim of this team is the same as it’s ever been under Bill Belichick.

Here’s what jumped out in the film review against the Panthers.

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On Britt, Dez and the Remaining Patriots Receivers

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As you’ve heard by now the Pats released Kenny Britt on Wednesday, just as most of the attention was turning toward him as the x-factor in the receiver battle. I know I was focusing fully on him as recently as yesterday morning and now here we are, a third lost receiver this summer in addition to the departures of Danny Amendola and Brandin Cooks in the offseason.

Early in camp I thought the hot takes about the receiver situation was overblown and to some extent I still do, but it’s still hard to fathom losing five receivers off the roster in seven months, even if the writing was on the wall with Amendola and Cooks was more a luxury than someone to lean upon. So what are the Pats left with? Julian Edelman, who is somehow being very much underappreciated because he’s coming off an injury and will miss the first four games. He’s not dead. He’s still the all-time leading post-season receiver and one of Tom Brady‘s most trusted targets, but for some reason that’s mostly getting swept under the rug these days.

Then there’s Chris Hogan, who led the league in yards-per-catch two seasons ago and still topped his catch total in 2017 despite missing multiple games to injury. Between Edelman and Hogan there’s a very solid base to start from, so if you’re throwing yourself off the bridge now I’m not sure how you lived through 2006 or 2013.

Remember 2013? Wes Welker and Deion Branch left, Aaron Hernandez was released after being arrested and Brady’s weaponz went back to ground zero. The talking points that offseason? Edelman hadn’t done anything since his rookie year four years earlier. Danny Amendola was too fragile. After them it was undrafted Kenbrell Thompkins and second-round pick Aaron Dobson. Josh Boyce and Austin Collie made guest appearances and that was it.

The result? The Pats offense fell from 1st overall in 2012 to… 4th overall. They were third in points and 10th in yards, en route to a 12-4 record. Edelman broke 100 catches/1,000 yards.

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Lingering Questions For Patriots Preseason Week 3

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Clarity comes quickly when training camp opens. We instantly get at least a partial picture of who’s hurt, who’s in the mix for playing significant roles on offense, defense and, most often ignored, special teams. Now we’re closing in on a month of practices with two games already in the bag, but there remain some lingering questions that could have significant implications for the 2018 Pats.

Let’s run them down as we get ready for a week three preseason game in Carolina that should provide even more of that clarity.

  1. Who’s returning punts weeks 1-4? Even after Julian Edelman returns from suspension I don’t think anyone wants to use him full time returning punts when he’s so critical to the offense. They were lucky to get by doing it with Danny Amendola last year. Thus far we’ve seen Riley McCarron as the primary punt returner and he’s done little to prove he’s anything more than a guy who can catch punts and get tackled. The favorite could be Cyrus Jones, but with a logjam at cornerback, he’s got a lot of ground to make up. Could McCarron or Jones win a roster spot solely to return punts? Just one solid return against the Panthers could make the case.
  2. Can Marcus Cannon stay healthy? I hate asking if anyone can stay healthy because this is football and a career can end in one snap due to one weird play. But Cannon missed the last nine games and playoffs last year and has been MIA at camp for a couple weeks now. I do love the idea of what the Brown-Thuney-Andrews-Mason-Cannon line can do, but I’m starting to wonder if and when we’ll actually see that group. LaAdrian Waddle is once again a guy to lean on and Ulrick John, the best of the rest, could be making a roster push.
  3. Dorsett, Britt or Decker? Anyone? We know that when the games get meaningful that a core of Edelman, Chris Hogan, Rob Gronkowski and James White is going to be very hard to stop. Mix in some Cordarrelle Patterson with gimmicky stuff and the Pats have a good core that tops most teams in the NFL. But the true ceiling of the offense, especially in the first month will depend on one of the Dorsett, Britt or Decker trio stepping up and making plays. Thus far all three have been quiet (or injured in the case of Britt) and time is running out. I kn5ow Dorsett’s going to get a ton of snaps, but I remain unconvinced he’s going to be a game-changer. Britt’s the better outside fit for the offense in my view and Decker is much needed in the slot. These last two games will tell us a lot about the direction of the offense.
  4. Roberts vs Bentley? Both Elandon Roberts and Ja’whaun Bentley are going to play this season, but whether Roberts makes a third-year leap or Bentley translates his preseason play to the regular season will determine if the Patriots have solved their middle field athleticism problems. The thinking man’s analysis of how to attack the Pats centers on the middle linebacker spot, a position Mike Lombardi wrote defines the speed of a defense. Last year, they were undermanned and slow and got exposed by the Eagles.
  5. Second-Year Defenders Lead the Way? Last season the pass rush was devastated, losing Rob Ninkovich, Chris Long and Jabaal Sheard. Injuries didn’t help and forced Dietrich Wise and Adam Butler into significant roles. Now, with Derek Rivers back and looking like the top pick he was, these second-year players must ignite the pass rush. Potentially aided by a more aggressive attack under Brian Flores, along with the disruptive Adrian Clayborn and contract-year Trey Flowers, this is the group that must get after opposing quarterbacks. How well they do will have a huge impact on how good this defense is for this year and into the future.

Sunday Pats Posits: Preseason Week 3

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We’re a mere three weeks away from the start of the Patriots 2018 regular season and with most of training camp done and two games under their belt the team has very much started to take shape.

Two significant injuries have befallen the two first-round picks, but since neither were really needed to immediately step in and start, the impact of both isn’t all that significant. Unfortunate yes, but neither constitutes a critical blow like losing Julian Edelman was last year.

What else have we learned about this version of the Pats? How much can we take away from their two preseason games? How might the team evolve this season? Let’s dive in on this Sunday morning with a bunch of Posits.

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Film Review: Patriots vs Eagles Preseason Week 2

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As always, I never feel like I’ve actually watched the game until I can sit and study it with easy pause and rewind abilities. Once again that was the case with this preseason game, where the 2018 Patriots continue to come into clearer view. Rookies and young guys continue to get auditions with the top defense, but who is actually making the most of those opportunities?

Here are my film review notes from the first half of the Pats-Eagles.

— Opened in 3-CB nickel with Gilmore, Rowe, Crossen. Van Noy, Bentley. Davis, Shelton, Brown, Clayborn. Third down – Harmon, Rivers, Butler in, Shelton, Brown, Bentley out. Clayborn stood out with disruptive pressure on third down.

— The offense opened in a spread with James White who was clearly the centerpiece of the attack. This was the offense they opened with many times last year and if often sputtered out of the gate. Jacob Hollister got a full audition as the primary “Y” tight end. He struggled blocking defensive ends which isn’t all that surprising.

— The Hogan, Edelman, Dorsett trio looks like the go-to guys at this point. Dorsett continues to not impress me. Brady’s pocket movement on Hogan’s touchdown was impressive and as good as it’s always been.

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