Patriots Quarterbacks Avoiding The Fifty Fifty Passes.

Last season the Patriots pass catchers overall had a high true catch percentage rate. They also were ranked third in separation. I know, it's not what we saw on television but those who paid for coaches tape saw it and reported it. Cam Newton threw what was considered an uncatchable ball around thirty percent of the time. So what am I getting at with this?.

What I am getting at is something Alex Barth and Evan Lazar kinda touched on but didn't really. Last nights game, N'keal Harry had one target. They called Harry a "fifty-fifty" guy and said the quarterbacks would rather make a "higher percentage" throw, than throw to Harry. Last night when watching the game, all I thought Harry did was block, and that's not the case.

After watching several post games live streams and videos, along with a few highlights, what I saw was guys getting open, including Harry and the quarterbacks went elsewhere. Being a "fifty-fifty" guy if another guy is wider open, you're not getting the ball. I don't like "fifty-fifty" throws because it means throwing into coverage. At one point even Tom Brady said he didn't like making those throws.

Throwing into coverage requires two things, a receiver who can catch and a quarterback who can put the ball where that pass is maybe tilted sixty-forty in favor of the pass catcher. Mac Jones is accurate but he strikes me as a guy who doesn't want to throw that kinda ball unless he has to. That's not a knock on Harry, it's intelligence and or caution by Jones.

Newton however is a guy who throws an uncatchable ball about thirty percent of the time and that's to an open target. Now you want Newton to throw a catchable ball to a covered pass catcher, who if Newton throws it accurately has only a fifty percent chance of catching it? Newton's a bubble thrower and is likely to throw an interception. He knows this and I'll bet he's scared to make that throw. 

Mac Jones is a cerebral quarterback. He's a timing and accuracy quarterback. Where as Cam is a mobile gun slinger. Newton is the guy one would expect to throw passes into N'keal Harry's direction with reckless abandonment. However, Newton is playing for his job. He has to make smart decisions and protect himself. That hurts Harry because even if Newton's doing well, Harry's not getting passes he normally would.

If I am correct, Harry may shine in practice where the quarterbacks aren't afraid to throw to him because turnovers don't matter but on game day, he's not gonna see many balls. This hurts Harry drastically,  I mean what value does a receiver have that doesn't get targets? The Patriots quarterbacks are not going to allow Harry to be used again as the way he should be. I agreed with Harry that he wasn't getting fifty-fifty passes thrown his way in 2020. Because After Edelman went down Newton basically stopped throwing to him. 

And Harry was still open twenty five percent of the time he was on the field but didn't get twenty five percent of the targets. That there shows even when he was open the ball was going elsewhere. That's all one needs to know about 2020, when it comes to N'keal Harry. Either the quarterbacks didn't have faith in him to get open, or they weren't looking in his direction on passing plays.

Add to that, his bread and butter is supposed be catching fifty-fifty balls, even if they're from the slot. And he wasn't getting those passes either, Harry is in my opinion only about thirty five percent responsible for his lack of production in the Patriots offense. Harry needs to be moved because the Patriots are going to waste him because the quarterbacks are more worried about incompletions and career longevity, over throwing it to a guy who makes his money catching passes in coverage.

Feel free to tell me I'm wrong but I'm just saying what logic dictates.