Which Team WIll The Patriots Beat On Sunday?

The Patriots have two games left, one versus Miami and the other versus Buffalo. Even though I think Bridgewater is serviceable, this is a game the Patriots only lose if they beat themselves. 

Rounded up, the Dolphins are allowing 4.3 yards per carry. And 9.7 yards a completion. This is a game where the Patriots need to let the backs loose and let Mac dink and dunk all over the Dolphins defense. And try to play ball control unless the backs break a few long runs and can get a two touchdown lead.

The Patriots are going to need good play from their defensive line for stopping the ball because they're gonna need to drop six or seven into coverage multiple times this game. Continue the bend don't break style defense and wait for the right moment to zero coverage. 

The Patriots have the defensive minds on the coaching staff to manage the game even with injuries. The true concern is the offense. This is a game the offense needs to dictate. It's not a question of can they, it's a question of will they. Unless the zebras get heavily involved, the Patriots only lose this game if they go out and once again, beat themselves.

I have said on more than one occasion that the Patriots are a wildcard team until someone takes their spot from them. Will they let Miami take it? I think this is a game where the players are going to go out of their way to show they belong. So Bill Belichick is going to need to calm them down and keep them focused.

Every game here on out is playoff football for the Patriots and the Patriots can only afford a loss if they get help. However, if they cannot beat Miami, I wouldn't count on them beating Buffalo even if Allen sits. Patriots Nation, how are you feeling?

Former Players Criticize Mac For Things They Would Allow Their Former Star Quarterback And Teammate To Do.

Tom Brady was the quarterback of the Patriots for 20 years. There were many occasions when Tom would be seen bitching and angry. However, the quarterbacks since his departure are not allowed to get angry according to former Patriots alumni.

This season Mac has been clear and visibly angry with the Patriots offensive staff. While the coaches have been around for a while, they're not coaching like an offensive coach would. And Vance Joseph of the Arizona Cardinals called out Matt Patricia before their victory over the Patriots.

Joseph said about the Patriots play calling, "It’s a very conservative pass game. Lots of screens … it’s like a defensive guy is calling offense. It’s how a defensive guy would call offensive plays. Let’s not turn the ball over, let’s get four yards a play, let’s burn clock..."

So Mac Jones may have reason to be upset because he may know or at least understand offensive football better than his coaches. However, here's what former Patriots have had to say.

Vince Wolfork said, "I’m tired of that, honestly. I’m tired of it. You’re the leader of this team. You’re a quarterback. So you can’t be frustrated every single week, every single play. I don’t care if you’re getting the play called in late or whatever it may be. At the end of the day, you have to show some poise because you do operate the ship. You’re the head of the ship when you’re out there. Control what you can control. That’s all you can do. But I’m tired of seeing him throwing a fit and a temper tantrum.”

And Vince's former teammate Julian Edelman said this after the loss to the Cardinals, “He doesn’t practice all the antics after plays, and waving off coaches and all these little pissy faces and stuff. He doesn’t practice that and he does it. Why can’t he make the tackle?”

And former Patriot Ted Johnson had this to say about Mac Jones, "To see a second-year quarterback show up his offensive coordinator…that’s what he was doing. Mac Jones wanted us all to see how frustrated he was with his offensive coordinator in, Matt Patricia. I mean, there’s no other real way to kind of slice it other than that. In the old ecosystem, that would just never happen.”

I get Brady won a few rings in his first few seasons but why was he allowed to get mad and publicly show frustration about the offense throughput his career and Mac Jones who is an intelligent football mind is not. It's either a lack of memory or the former players are being hypocrites.

Granted I would like to see Mac keep things in doors but with three or four weeks left in the season, if complaints are being ignored and things aren't getting better. And your pay is tied to your stats. And you're a captain who's career is in the line, especially when the fans are calling for your backup.

Then as a team leader it's time to call people out publicly or at least show frustration to alert people to a problem and make sure that upper brass knows who's at fault. And hope they step in if the next in command won't take action. What Jones is doing is warranted even if it's not the Patriots way. If Bill is gonna change, than the way is going to change with him.

Denver Could Steal Mayo But They Could Also Steal O'Brien.

The Patriots defense has been good for many years. In 2020 and in 2021 the Patriots had the number two defense. And Steve Belichick and Jarod Mayo have been the brains behind the defense. 2023 may see one of them leave.

The Denver Broncos fired Nathaniel Hackett and Mayo's name has come up as a replacement. Hackett is an offensive coach. Denver fields a top six defense but their offense isn't even a top 20. Hiring Mayo makes little since because they don't need help on defense. 

With the Broncos needing help on offense, if Sean Payton does not become the next head coach, as much as the Patriots might not wanna hear it, Bill O'Brien is a good candidate for the job. O'Brien did well as the coach of the Texans but he was not so good as the general manager. Bringing an offensive mind is needed and he's looking to get back into the NFL reportedly.

The Patriots have had some bad luck when coaches have left. Flores and Josh McDaniels robbed the Patriots staff and Mayo could do the same. The Patriots still haven't recovered on offense. And because Bill hasn't named a defensive coordinator, although unlikely, if Mayo offered Steve the title of defensive coordinator; it would be a promotion. Again, very long odds but improbable doesn't mean impossible.

The 2022 season is not finished yet, however in less than a month, Denver should start looking for their head coach. The Patriots will have to wait to see what the Broncos are planning on until then.

Bill Belichick May Be Hindering His Offense But He's Not Holding His Defense Back.

Bill Belichick gave two statements after the Raiders game about why he didn't throw a hail mary. "It's too far to throw that play in that situation." And “Couldn't throw it that far...” And now he may have some explaining to do. If not to the media, at least to the Krafts.

Against the Raiders to end the game, the Patriots chose not to throw a 55 yard pass. And you read why Bill said they chose not to. However, Mac threw a couple of bombs vs the Bengals. Two traveling at least 53 yards although one ended up being a 48 yard completion. 

The offensive line has not been consistent but it showed it has the capability to buy Mac enough time to escape and throw. So Belichick has some explaining to do because if he wasn't gonna throw it up, why did he allow Stevenson to be put at risk instead of taking a knee and heading into overtime? It's quarterback's job to kneel.

Does Belichick have faith in his offense? Does he have faith in his quarterback? Does he have faith in his pass catchers and offensive line? It doesn't look like it. Last week I thought everything that happened at the end was the players fault but Bill put them in that position.

I don't see anyone in the media with the balls to straight out ask Bill Belichick if he has any faith in his offense. Bill Belichick made a mistake by not bringing in an offensive coordinator to replace Josh McDaniels. 

Honestly, I think Bill thought with the minds he has on the coaching staff, plus Mac and Hoyer, that he had enough offensive intelligence to pull it off. He was wrong.

Let's be real, McDaniels was McVanilla because he wasn't aggressive enough and didn't mix in the right type of passes for Cam. And for Mac, he could've mixed in some as well. I'm talking about deep passes and RPOs. And the team has to understand that if they're gonna throw fifty fifty balls that turnovers will increase but they had Harry and now Parker. If you don't wanna throw picks, you avoid those passes and that's why Harry failed.

Under McDaniels, the pass catchers have seemed to struggle to get separation since 2018, when the team had to rely on Sony Michel, who fans quit on. McDaniels couldn't scheme them open.

Josh McDaniels barely tapped into the ability of his fullbacks ability to catch and had no idea how to use the H-back in the passing game. And I don't think he knew how to use Speedsters like Agholor, Dorsett or Corey Coleman either. It was a track meet for Agholor in 2021 which got guys open underneath but Josh didn't do much else with him.

There were people available for Bill to choose from when McDaniels left. It was said that Belichick didn't want to take a coach from Nick Saben at Alabama, who is a friend of the Patriots long tenured head coach. That doesn't mean other names we're available for at least a season.

Belichick could've signed former Jets and Dolphins head coach Adam Gase for a season while he waited for Bill O'Brien to become available. He could've asked Frank Reich to come in after his termination, Hell, he could've even brought in June Jones for a season when Hawaii purposely screwed him.

The fact is Bill has messed up the offense this season. And he deserves the blame. And it's not the first time Belichick has hindered the offense. In 2020, there were calls to bench Cam with how poor he was playing. Instead of saying of he thought Cam should be benched, here's what than offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels had to say:

"That’s Coach’s decision and I honor whatever he makes in terms of those choices. We work as hard as we can to get everybody ready to go. I’ve seen plenty of Jarrett in practice. I see him every day. I’ve seen him for two years. I’m confident that I understand where Jarrett is at in his development.."

McDaniels didn't out right challenge Bill but at the same time, he chose not to endorse starting quarterback Cam Newton and that's all one needs to know. Like Cam or not, in that situation, McDaniels didn't have his back in public. Not saying Stidham would've made a lot of difference but Bill refused to make the change. And that situation is probably one of the reasons when McDaniels was offered the Raiders job, he took it. McDaniels wanted control.

This season the offense has handicapped and regressed Mac Jones and Bill Belichick has reportedly been involved more in the game planning but how much so? And I am a big critic of McDaniels as the offensive coordinator because of play calling but how much was truly his fault?

Here's a few more questions, how much did Bill hold McDaniels back if any on play calling and depth chart moves? And how much is he interfering with Matt Patricia's game planning and play calling? How likely is it that Patricia would be doing a better job on offense with play calling but Bill is stopping him, there is a percentage, so how low is it?

I doubt either McDaniels, Belichick or Patricia will answer that, so we will never know but it's something to keep in mind because it's a possibility regardless of how improbable people might think it is.

And on the other side of the ball. Both Mayo and Steve Belichick are involved in game planning and Steve has been calling plays. So why is Mayo getting all the credit for when the defense does good and why Is Steve Belichick getting all the blame when it doesn't? And why when someone does go to praise Steve for play calling or for how well his unit is doing, people shoot it down and say it's Bill doing?

Also why is Bill getting critized for not firing Steve when there has not been a legit reason to fire his son from play calling duties? Let's be honest. The most likely reason why people want Steve fired is because he's Bill's son and Mayo is a former Patriots linebacker, that's it, there may be other reasons but the odds of them being the main reason are so small that anyone claiming them cannot be taken seriously because it's not enough to warrent Steve being demoted or fired.

Steve did a decent job as a positions coach prior to taking on play calling duties and the defense is still good with him as the play caller. Of course Mayo and Bill get credit for the defense because they're part of the staff and they do their jobs with that side of the ball.

People are scared that Steve might become the next head coach, partly because he might tarnish the Belichick name and partly because it could mean more of the same professional corporate regime and conduct for a decade after Bill leaves. And that is why they are upset about him being Bill's son.

People are tired of the winning culture, they want the disfunction that other teams have for entertainment value and they're willing to sacrifice quality football for it.

So while fans have a legit beef with Bill Belichick over the offense, they have no good reason to be upset at Belichick for not trashing his defense so that fans can have some reality TV bull crap drama to watch.

Echo Chambers And Fans

This is going to be a short article. There are a lot of stories and opinions about the New England Patriots but what I am going to say can be applied to pretty much everything.

There is talk about Belichick possibly being gone next year. Talk about Mac Jones being gone. Talk about Matt Patricia and Joe Judge being gone. Talk about Robert or Johnathan Kraft getting involved and giving ultimatums. And A few other things.

 Can anyone guarantee that anything being said will or will not happen? The answer is no. There is a difference between improbably and impossibility. Certainty and probably. Leave room for possibilities of things going a different way then your opinion. 

With sports there are echo chambers and those chambers criticize each other for being too negative or positive. It's easy to find people who agree with you but that doesn't mean your chamber is right. 

There's a saying I use, expect the worst but hope for the best. It's the same with your opinion, think what you want but keep that other opinions as a possiblity. That way you're not surprised or let down. That's it, thank you for reading and have a good holiday season.

The Patriots Line Is Holding Them Back

The Patriots beat the Cardinals to take hold of the number seven seed on Monday night. It doesn't matter how they won, the fact is they won. Like I have said since training camp, the Patriots are a wild card team until someome forces them out.

Monday night the offense was forced to show it has the talent and the ability to use that talent to be better than what they were. The problem again is their hand was forced and they tried to avoid doing so but couldn't help it at times.

Even if the stopped making penalties and shooting themselves in the foot, and wanted to utilize the talent on offense better they cannot. For one gaping reason.

Whether it's because Matt Patricia is doing double duty, I don't know. The line is too bad. It seemed like on almost every play either the line was getting beat or at least one player was going backwards on the line or letting someone bye.

The way the line is playing, to call a better game the Patriots would have to start playing with seven linemen during passing downs. That's great but it limits the play calling ability and no way they can be successful playing like that.

The Patriots are good enough to sneak into the playoffs as a wild card team but that's it. If they do that, fans should be happy. That's about as good as they can be expected to be. If that's not good enough for you, than stop watch the rest of the season. The team is not divisional round worthy. 

How Bad Truly Is The Offensive Line

Matt Cassel was on with Tom Curran and Phil Perry and was talking about the Patriots offense. He implied that the line was worse than it it, that it's handicapped the offense and that the play calling is due to the offensive line.

The Patriots have been sacked 8% of the time and have been letting Mac Jones get pressured around 40%. And Mac Jones's completion percentage when under pressure is 34%.

There are similarities between the 2019 Patriots and the 2022 Patriots. In the Marshall Newhouse year of 2019 the line was also bad. The left side was an open door. The team couldn't run to the left and Brady was sacked 27 times that season. 

Mac has been sacked 25 times and is lacking the staff that Brady had. Plus Mac isn't as experienced. Like the NBC guys said, that does fall on Belichick. 

If it's the line talent, that's on GM Bill. If it is the line coaching, again it's on Bill. Bill could be sabotaging Patricia as offensive coordinator. If the talent isn't there on the line, Patricia cannot open the playbook. Everything falls on to Bill Belichick.

what areas need improvement for New England

There are holes on the New England Patriots roster. If the Patriots went August with the current roster, here are the areas they need to improve on in no order. Side note, this will not include coaching staff.

The Patriots need a domain pass catcher that can get separation. Doesn't matter if it's a tight end or wide out. They need a guy who can get open.

Jonathan Jones is a good number two corner but he cannot shutdown the top guys. Maybe with five games left, he makes me eat my words but bringing in a number one shutdown corner slides the secondary down by one position.

Both tackle positions need addressing. I like Wynn but the Patriots moved him to right tackle and he cannot cut it and Brown is too inconsistent. They need to bring in guys that can do the job and give Mac time.

How much longer will D-Mac play free Safety? He could retire at the end of the season. Who replaces him? The team needs to get a guy who can fill the role immediately but who can also be a depth piece if McCourty plays in 2023.

Interior lineman Andrews has shown he's a valuable piece but he's also shown the Patriots don't have a starter behind him. And then when Strange is needing to be benched, the Patriots need a guy who can slide from center to guard. 

Interior defensive lineman. The Patriots have Christian Barmore but they still need a pocket disrupting run stiffer. They need a guy for when the team wants to drop into heavy coverage, can handle the line.

Speed linebacker. I like Tavai, Uche and Judon but they need to upgrade at the position with a middle guy that can play side to side. That can also go get the quarterback but also drop into coverage.

The Patriots have a few needs but how many will they address? The Patriots need to finish this season and a lot can change but I still see the same needs come may as I do now.

Patriots Made Buffalo's Job Easy On Thursday Night

The Patriots lost to the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night, 24 - 10. The problems are mainly one sided and should not be taking place at this point of the season.

I am going to start with defense. The defense's problems were simple and only one can be solved this year. The Patriots need a number one corner which would adjust the secondary and allow them to shut down guys like Diggs. Their other problem was their offense couldn't hang on to the ball forcing them on to the field.

Nick Folk missed a field goal but that wasn't a problem. I saw no issues with special teams. Which leaves the offense.

Mental errors, execution, blocking and separation were all issues against Buffalo. Play calling wasn't bad but Patricia failed to scheme up separation because the pass catchers were struggling to get open by natural talent.

Blocking was a joke and there were too many costly mistakes. Coaching needs to improve as it seems to be lapsed. Mac could've had better ball placement but most of his throws were to covered pass catchers due to separation issues.

Patricia is a bottom third to bottom fourth coordinator. If players were executing and not commiting mistakes, he might be good enough to be an average offensive coordinator at best. He clearly cannot handle doing double duty and it shows. 

If Patricia going to be the offensive coordinator, the Patriots need to hire an offensive line coach. And there has to be someone better currently available.

However, if the Patriots are doing as I suspect and holding the coordinator spot for Bill O'Brian then they may need both. And Bill would probably be better off letting Mac call his own plays for the remainder of the season.

Honestly the Patriots should've just found a way to call a more aggressive Brady offense this season. If the Patriots cannot fix their line and separation issues, the offense will continue to drag this team down and they may find themselves six and eleven at the end of the season.

To Patriots Nation, do not hold any expectations of this team for the remainder of the season. Expect them to lose out and if they win, enjoy it. Just a quick thought with how this season is going. Is this how Belichick tank's? I know most of us think it's above Bill but it's not out of the realm of possibility.

The Patriots Beat Themselves On Thanksgiving

The Patriots played the Vikings on Thanksgiving night. It was a close game and at the end of the night, the Vikings would win. The Patriots looked like a football team but they made mistakes in two areas and that is why they lost.

The Patriots failed to execute. That had chances to stop the Vikings but allowed the Vikings to go eight of 15 on third downs and three of five in the red zone. The Patriots offense would go three of 10 on third down and fail on their only fourth down attempt while going zero for three in the red zone.

On top of that they gave up a touchdown on special teams and had several critical mental errors including roughing the kicker and failing to get seven after getting an interception. The Patriots had six penalties for 55 yards but their performance on the field penalized them on their own.

This was a good game for Matt Patricia as the offensive coordinator. The players just didn't seem to be completely aware of what was going on and that's just one more example of mental errors. 

Execution and mental errors were also visible in the pass defense. There were too many catches that shouldn't of been had. The biggest one is the touchdown play in the end zone that Dugger fell on. Then there was a naked boot that Tavai didn't do enough to try and knock down, and of course the hit on the defenseless receiver.

Overall they showed up but showed they still are not ready for January football. The Patriots need some help from the Lions, Texans, Titans, Bears, Cardinals and Steelers as they currently dropped to eighth in the AFC. The Patriots are in a must win situation at home against Buffalo next week and still control their own destiny.

Jonnu Smith Is The Answer To The Power Run Game

The Patriots let fullback Jakob Johnson go in the offseason as they were getting away from the fullback position. At the time they still had Jonnu Smith and Dalton Keene. Even with going away from the position, at the time they had two guys who could fill the role if needed.

Now the Patriots have just Jonnu and have no idea what to do with their need for fullback. Before anyone says Jonnu is a tight end, Jakob Johnson was a tight end in Germany before coming to the Patriots. Furthermore Smith is an H-back which is just a more athletic fullback.

I wrote an article on how to use Jonnu in the passing game earlier in the season. I guess it's only fitting that I have to talk about him in the run blocking game.

People are trying to figure out how the Patriots utilize the power run without a fullback and it's quite simple. Either have Smith lineup as the fullback, send him in motion from the H-back spot to the fullback spot, or have Smith block inside between the guard and tackle and have the back run behind him. They should also be finding ways to have Smith as the second back on shotgun run plays.

I'm not an offensive coordinator, so I'm not gonna guess when to call plays. With Jonnu one needs to know he's an H-back and have a basic understanding of that position. And a smart play caller will utilize the play action to keep defenses guessing.

Using Jonnu Smith should not be rocket science but yet people are making it complicated. As long as the Patriots have a tight end on the practice squad they should be fine. The Patriots just have to show some signs of competence with knowledge of the H-back position.

The Patriots Control Their Fate

Here's what's being said about the New England Patriots coming out of the bi-week and my thoughts to what they addressed. This is still the Patriots. They're capable of playing poorly but so is everyone else but that doesn't mean to give up on them or does it?

Does Mac Jones have to be better? Yes but so does the entire offense including Matt Patricia. If the line is off, if the pass catchers can't get open, if Mac is hearing footsteps or if Patricia is calling the wrong plays, the team will suck. Everyone has to execute on offense. I don't put the remainder of the season on Mac.

Barmore was put on injured reserve. The Jets are averaging 116 yards per game on the ground and the Jets are ranked 19th. The Jets in my opinion are the weakest of their division opponents. The interior line doesn't need to get to Wilson but it needs to show it can disrupt the line and close holes without their star lineman.

The Patriots need to be a run first team. They need to learn how to use Jonnu Smith as a blocking back. Mac Jones is expected to manage the games but he doesn't need to become Aaron Rodgers or Patrick Mahomes. What he needs to do is to use his super computer and make better decisions when he drops back to pass. As long as the backs are getting positive yardage, there's no reason the run game cannot carry the team.

The funny thing is for the Jets, the key to victory is almost the same. The Patriots offensive line must block well and not let Mac Jones speed up his clock. The goal for the Jets is to make Mac turn it over or look like a rookie over his head. 

Would the Patriots offense be better if was McDaniels behind the helm? Yes but Mac wouldn't of taken the deep shots or aggressive plays that fans were excited to see. McVanilla would've kept things the same as they have been. The Patriots biggest mistake because we don't know who wanted the change, was getting away from the Brady offense when all they had to do was take more deep shots.

The bi-week is over and we'll see who the Patriots are. They're a wildcard team until they forfeit their spot. If they make the playoffs, they have achieved all that I have expected for this season. And that's as much expectations I would advise fans to have. It doesn't matter how they get there, as long as they do.

State Of The Patriots

The Patriots have problems, mostly on the offensive side of the ball. They have time before playing the Jets to fix them. I really don't know if the 2022 Patriots can fix them. I have thrown out the Idea of brining in the former Colts H.C. as an advisor but it's throwing darts at just one problem.

Consistency is not anywhere and it's not just from the players. Some games one phase looks good, other games not so much. The decision making has to be better on the sidelines. Dysfunction starts at the top and that starts with Bill and his staff.

Execution is another issue and it falls into the consistency problem. Players need to do their job. There have been games where the players didn't look like they were hustling. They're making mental errors or just playing bad. Then there are other games where they look competent. It doesn't matter what gets called if the players don't perform.

That leads me to my next issue and that's coaching. Yes Belichick lost a good portion of his staff to the Raiders but still, that excuse train has to go. Whether it's Jake Bailey, Isaiah Wynn, Mac Jones or one of the other 53, the recurring problems are coaching issues. They're not coaching problems away.

Then there's play calling, especially on offense. Matt Patricia is doing okay for a first year O.C. on any level but the offense should not of changed the way it did this year. The problem with McDaniels was he wasn't aggressive enough and he didn't find ways to use people to their strengths enough.

All Patricia had to do was add more RPOs, have Mac rollout more to a flooded side of the field & add deep shots to McDaniels offense. As far as Smith and Bourne all he had to do was change their spot in the progression on some plays and treat Smith like a fullback pass catcher. Instead he tried to reinvent the wheel. He showed with Zappe that he can run a basic offense. Maybe the Patriots should let Mac do the play calling with advice from Patricia or let Mac override Patricia if he doesn't agree with the call.

I said before the season and I'll say it again. The Patriots are a wildcard team until someone eliminates them. They're good enough to get to the playoffs but they're not good enough to win there. If they fail to make the playoffs, it's gonna be a team effort that cost them. 

Even if It's Mac, It's still on Bill

Mac Jones was praised for his accuracy and intelligence entering the NFL but it was said that his flaws were that he was not mobile and had a weak arm.

In 2021 Mac Jones completed 67% of his passes but still threw 13 interceptions. Not bad but the big knock on Mac was his arm strength. People were saying Mac couldn't throw deep and we know the locker room hears the noise.

Mac Jones has thrown about 20% of the passes he threw in 2021. The young quarterback has thrown 6 interceptions already. That's a huge set back for a quarterback. 

On top of that Mac Jones was heavily pressured all summer. And this season he has been hit 10 times, sacked 5 times.

So it appears what the Patriots have is a second year quarterback that is trying to prove he can throw deep while trying to get rid of the ball too quickly. If that's the case, they have to change his mindset. 

However, if what we're seeing is by design, then the Patriots are ruining Mac Jones. Regardless of what it is, the problem is Bill. Bill is either forcing Mac to be who he is not or Bill is allowing Mac to play bad. And he needs to correct it. 

It's Not Mac, It's Bill.

It's been a month since I last wrote. Work has kept me busy. So I've been paying attention and I think a portion of the fan base of the Patriots needs to come back to earth around the quarterback situation.

Mac Jones was a pro bowl quarterback in 2021 as a rookie. He did that in the Brady offense under Brady's coordinator. Two things Mac Jones has not had this year. 

I get the Bailey Zappe hype. The guy lit it up in his final year of college but that doesn't mean anything. Check out Colt Brennan's college and pro career. Now Zappe played decent prior to the Bears game but what happened in that game?

Zappe showed he cannot carry the team. Although Zappe was decent prior to Monday Night, he was said not to be ready for thr NFL due to the offense he ran in college. And then with Mac, they're not running the same offense they are with Zappe. 

When Zappe was drafted, he was called a less talented version of Mac Jones. If that's true, how good would Mac look if they gave him the Zappe offense? Even if they slowly incorporated the offense they want Mac to run. 

The Patriots offense of years past was about taking what's being given and having receivers that are smart enough to read defenses. The Patriots "simplified" their offense to get (force) the ball into the hands of Jonnu Smith, Kendrick Bourne and DeVante Parker.

When I was writing for the Gillette Gazette in August, I was covering the offensive line. The Patriots in their version of the Shanahan offense couldn't stop anyone. I was told the line was fine repeatedly and that our defense was just playing lights out. 

According to player Profiler, Mac Jones's protection rate is 67.6%, 33rd in the league. There are 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL and every player after that is a back up. Meaning his line is playing like backups when he's in the game. 

I don't have the stats for the number of times Mac Jones has been hurried but he's was hit at least 10 times and sacked five times in his first 3 starts. On top of that, the line gave up 10 tackles for a loss in those games. 

Isaiah Wynn has been having a down year and Trent Brown had a bad game versus Chicago. When Mac Jones is in the game, the line is playing like Marshall Newhouse is still a member of the starting lineup. 

Fans need to put pressure on the Patriots coaching staff, not Mac Jones. They drafted a Tom Brady clone and are trying to make him into John Elway. Mac is good but he doesn't have the physical tools Elway had. And even though Matt Patricia has defensive knowledge, he's still adjusting to being an offensive coordinator.

Mac's sophomore slump is all Bill Belichick's fault, plain and simple. And blame needs to be allocated properly. 

Hoyer Looking To Get At Least One Last Start

Mac Jones is injured. The young quarterback could be out most if not all of this season. And yes, that likely means Brian Hoyer will get another start as a Patriot.

The last time we saw Hoyer was the covid game against K.C. and he screwed up big and got pulled. Many of us thought he was done.

We assume Hoyer will be an offensive coach for the Patriots in the near future but for now he's still their quarterback. And the circumstances surrounding this opertunuty for the quarterback is different.

The talent is better than it was in 2020 and he has more time to prepare. The downside is the coaching staff is worse and the OC is a rookie offensive coordinator.

If the Patriots run the offense they ran versus the Dolphins week one, they'll be fine. They probably won't win but as long as they don't make mistakes and turn the ball over, the team can hope the defense can hold and give them a chance.

I like Hoyer. I think with all he's done for this franchise that he's earned at least one more start. If the game goes south, let Zappe get some playing time in the second half just like they did with Stidham.

If the Patriots had their 2021 staff, I would be interested in Blake Bortles on a veteran minimum. However, this is 2022 and the only quarterback I would want to see brought in if any is Ryan Fitzpatrick. He's a better version of Hoyer. All the rest of the decent game managers are on teams. 

And for the fans that want quarterbacks that are washed up, I'd rather have Eli over the names being thrown around. Unless you either wanna run the ball on every down or throw Hail Marys,, the quarterback y'all want makes no sense.

Expectations For Jonnu Smith Need To Be Lowered ASAP.

When the Patriots signed Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith I said that Henry was the number one. A move tight end that can play inline. People told me I was wrong but I will die on that hill. 

All throughout the 2021 season I heard how the Patriots weren't using Smith right. How they needed to design plays / touches for Smith to get the ball.

With the exception of screen passes, designed touches are about as bad as throwing contested pass to your number one. Instead of looking for other options, your forcing the ball to one guy. That's bad football.

During the 2021 season, it became clear that Jonnu Smith wasn't an inline or move tight end but an H-back. Think Keith Byars, Rod Bernstein and maybe Larry Centers skill set. 

In two games people are still complaining that Jonnu is not getting used right in the passing game. The latest episode of Patriots Press Pass they literally say Jonnu cannot run tight end routes, regardless if it's move tight end or inline.

What that means is the Patriots have to use Smith like a fullback in the passing game. Send him out on flat, wheel and drag routes. And the best way to do that is via the quick passing game. 

If Jonnu's route tree is as bad as people say than he needs to be involved in the run game as a ball carrier, as well as a blocking back. Teams need to fear that he could get hand offs. 

The Patriots don't run the fullback and Jonnu had only nine carries in 2021. It would be in the Patriots' best interest to run him three to five times a game. 

Again that's a high risk thing and Patricia might not have the skill set yet to call the proper game to utilize Smith like that. At the moment fans and the media alike should view him as a wasted signing and eliminate expectations.

I've been wrong before but when it comes to Jonnu Smith, I've been spot on for the most part. And this is one case where as much as I wish I was wrong, it doesn't look like I'm gonna be.

The Patriots Aren't A Dumpster Fire.

Week one for the Patriots is in the books and people are freaking out. It's the media's job to criticize the team but it's when it's due. And it's not in the manner the media is delivering it.

Did the Patriots set any league records? No. Did they throw Hail Mary's on every pass attempt? No. Was every pass a gimmick play? Again, no. And before anyone asks, the running backs were not looking like Bo Jackson on tecmo superbowl. 

The defense was decent. Not great, not a sack or turnover machine but decent. The defense gave us what we expected and did enough to win. 

The team had the ball for 27 minutes 30 seconds. Miami had the ball for 32 minutes 30 seconds. The Patriots ran 54 offensive plays, five less than the Dolphins. 

There were areas the Patriots defense could improve on but we're not gonna look at those, as the media is focused on the offense. The Dolphins scored after causing two turnovers, with one of those scores being a fumble returned for a touchdown.

The three turnovers are what changed the complexion of the game.  The Patriots are tied  for twelveth in the league on third down percentage converting 44 percent. 

The Patriots averaged 3.5 yards per carry on 22 carries for 78 yards, which was only good enough to be ranked 22nd in the league but team played from behind all game. 

The Patriots threw the ball 30 times completing over 66 percent of them. They averaged six yards a completion. Now maybe my math is wrong but 3.5 plus 3.5 plus 6 is enough for a first down.

The Patriots line play needs to improve. Mac was sacked twice and hit thrice. And that's probably not including the high low penalty. 

The play calling looked like it has since the 2019 season started. I couldn't tell that McDaniels was gone. Seperation and yards after catch still seem to be an issue. And the entire team seemed to be lacking on both execution and hustle. 

The team was not out matched talent wise. However, it could do a better job at developing players during the pass catchers during the week. I've said it before and I'll say it again, all a contested pass means is the quarterback is throwing to covered pass catchers. It's bad football when quarterbacks have to make those throws. 

Was there anything about this game that said Bill Belichick needs to be fired as head coach or general manager? No. Offensively, Robert Kraft could yell at the coaching staff for lack of seperation and yards after catch but other than that, there's no reason for him to be upset unless it has to do with Kendrick Bourne. 

If Bourne is being punished like Jonas Gray for missing practice, Kraft should make that a one game punishment. If there's more behind the scenes, maybe it's time to trade Bourne. The team doesn't talk, so we won't know and will just have to wait and see how things play out.

Patriots Assist Dolphins To A Twenty To Seven Victory.

The Patriots season has begun as they traveled to Miami to play the Dolphins. The Patriots seem to struggle in Miami but needed to show life after the preseason. The team showed potential is there but that wasn't all they showed.

On the Patriots opening drive they moved the ball well. Then depending on how you view things. Mac either threw a contested pass or a ball to a covered receiver. Parker was interfered with but the pass shouldn't of been thrown and turned into an interception. Which led to a Dolphins field goal. I'll say it again, a contested pass is a forced throw through a closed window.

On the Patriots second drive, the running game looked good to start but the drive went south starting from the screen pass for a loss. Agholor had a good reception on that drive but it seemed like the Dolphins figured out the Patriots offense.

The Patriots third drive was a sack and fumble for a touchdown. Nobody picked up the defender. It looked Henry was supposed to get a block and release but just ran by the pass rusher. And after the replay, it also appeared to be a blown assignment from Trent Brown.

The Patriots third drive saw the line give up ot get beat by the defense. Mac Failed to put zip on a pass to the left side but otherwise wise looked fine. Mac ran for a short gain on third down but the media didn't show the receivers, so we don't know if Mac heard footsteps or if everyone was covered.

Mac kneeled the ball on their fourth possession to end the half. The Patriots only had a 107 yards for the first half. The Pats' defense seemed to play a bend don't break style and held for the most part, although they seemed to struggle on fourth down and allowed Miami a large time of position lead. The Dolphins played smart and took what the Patriots gave them, going into the half up by 17.

The Patriots needed to make adjustments on the offensive line and needed to work on disrupting the pocket a little more heading in to the second half. 

The Patriots defense would start the second half and force a quick three and out.

The Patriots first possession of the half looked good to start. The first real mistake was a bubble throw to Parker on fourth and one, which if more accurate would've been a touchdown. It was a contested pass and the defender got called for holding. The Patriots scored a via a touchdown pass to Montgomery.

The Patriots next drive was another decent drive however, the Dolphins still took what the Patriots gave them and walked a way with three. Leaving 19 seconds on the game clock for the third.

The Patriots second possession and it appears the Patriots offensive line made some adjustments for the half but are locked in a battle and unable to open the huge holes. Mac took a high - low roughing the passer. Luckily, he got up quick. The offense would offset the penalty. Mac throws the ball for an incompletion bouncing it off the defenders back on a pass that appeared to be to another covered pass catcher.

The Dolphins answered with a dropped pass on first down and then went conservative on third down for a three and out.

The Patriots would answer by going four and out. Mac started with an inaccurate pass. Third and three the Patriots tried to run Montgomery up the gut for nothing and then on fourth, Mac threw a pass to a covered Hunter Henry that was defended well but it still should've been caught.

The Patriots forced another three and out. Myles Bryant stretched out for a pass and dropped an interception that Devin McCourty was in position to make. The Patriots were left with just under six minutes when they got the ball but Bryant cost the Patriots field position.

Mac on the insuing drive over throws Nelson Agholor on thr first play. If Mac hits that accurately, that's an easy six points. Jones followed it up with a short pass to Smith for a decent gain and then another deep pass to Bourne. Jones threw a bubble pass to Montgomery before Agholor fumbled as the Patriots appeared to finally find their rhythm.

Miami continued trying to score until they reached the minute mark. The Patriots need to finish playsbon defense as there were way too many plays where the team appeared to lack hustle. However, the Patriots defense really only broke once the entire game. 

Offensively the Patriots could run a quick pass attack but they took too long to try and get aggressive. And there were too many M.E.s by the offense. The line play wasn't great but it did appear to get better late. Unfortunately, Mac went for X-Rays after the game. The only play where he took a hit where he could've got hurt was the high - low.

Although they had a few good plays, the Patriots offense still doesn't look ready for the 2022 season. There wasn't really any issues with play calling on either side of the ball. It was just lack of hustle and execution. The game wasn't horrible but they're not a top twenty team at the moment. 

The Patriots Are Finally Down To 53

It's the annual 53 man roster cut down day for the NFL. The question of the day for Patriots Nation was which players did the team find expendable? Well we got our answer.

TE Devin Asiasi

TE Matt Sokol

TE Jalen Wydermyer

CB Terrance Mitchell

DB/ST Justin Bethel

S Brad Hawkins

OL Drew Desjarlais

OL Yasir Durant

OL James Ferentz

OL Arlington Hambright

OL Bill Murray

OL Kody Russey

OL Will Sherman

WR Josh Hammond

WR Lil'Jordan Humphrey

WR Tre Nixon

RB Kevin Harris

RB J.J. Taylor

LB Harvey Langi

LB Cameron McGrone

LB Nate Wieland

DL Jeremiah Pharms Jr

DL LaBryan Ray, 

K Tristan Vizcaino

The only guys I thought were surprises were Asiasi, Bethel and Harris. They were all depth guys that weren't going to make an impact in 2022. None of the depth battles had enough to write about and could've been written in one article. Two if one wanted to split it between into offense and defense. 

Although I wrote individual articles for Hawkins and Pharms, none of these guys and most of the depth guys weren't worth writing about once they met up for camp in late July. Now we have the question which can be answered in one article, who returns to the practice squad. I given three names that if allowed, should be on it. One thing I believe is the Patriots need to go out and get Jerreth Sterns.

How the Patriots looking after two preseason games.

Observations on the Patriots after two games. The best I can say is It's a work in progress and there are areas where the team is improving but other areas are lacking but Matt Patricia and Steve Belichick aren't the problem.

The offense is gonna have a long season if the line isn't stable. Weak Blitz pickup. Mac needs to improve on ball placement (1 deep throw doesn't make accurate). The zone blocking looks like it's getting better and the Patriots have some offensive depth pieces that they're going to lose if they cut them.

The defense is gonna carry the team early but better passers are going to make life miserable. The pass rush looks good but the secondary is a bend don't break unit. After Daniel Jones and P.J. Walker, I can say clearly that better passers, mid-tier quarterbacks are going to give the team problems.

Harris and Stevenson are good. The other running backs appear average and need the line. Montgomery and Taylor should make the final game against the Raiders interesting. Taylor looks like he's improved enough as a pass blocker and Montgomery appears to be a sparkplug for the Patriots offense.

Meyers and Agholor appear to be Jones's favorite receivers. And prior to Thornton's injury, I thought Bourne was on the trade block. Wilkerson was looking good before the concussion and could see the I.R. Humphries and Nixon looked good. Humphries needs to build off of the game versus the Panthers but all three guys are playing well enough to get swiped.

Hunter Henry is still the Patriots number one when he returns. I haven't noticed much from Jonnu but Asiasi looks like a roster lock. His blocking, route running and receiving looks improved. I think Jonnu is doing enough for the Patriots to keep a fourth around.

The offensive line looks like it's improving on the zone run but still needs work. In two games, the line needs to work on blitz pickup. Blitzing maybe the key to defeating the Patriots offense. Cole Strange is doing okay thus far. The team needs Brown, Wynn and Andrews on the field. Cajuste looks like a solid tackle finally. And the rest of the line still has like it needs to prove itself.

The front seven is getting a good pass rush. And the linebackers are getting to the ball carriers quickly. There are still holes occasionally being left open that smart car could probably fit through. Sam Roberts the 2022 six round draft pick is looking like a potential roster lock.

The secondary has played adequately against subpar quarterbacks. There were plays in both games thus far where mid tier or better passer would've dissected the secondary. Mills is a good corner but he's still an good number two but he's gonna be a bottom end number one. The second boundary corner at the moment looks like Jonathan Jones but It's probably gonna depend on the weekly match up until someome can solidify that spot.

The special teams are the special teams. Schooler, Bryant, Strong, Humphries and I believe Nixon are doing enough to make it a roster battle. Bailey and Folk have their jobs on lock and aren't going anywhere barring injury and Cardona continues to play well enough to have his career extend passed the average for long snappers.

The team is showing improvements but It's not looking ready for week one. It's not looking ready for the regular season. Belichick will continue the preseason into September as usual and it may be a long first quarter of the season for fans. The Raiders game is vital as they have a lot of areas they need to show they have cleaned up.

Patriots first preseason game of 2021 post game thoughts.

Okay so the Patriots lost to the Giants in their first preseason game. A few quick thoughts.

The first half offense looked like the Patriots offense we all know. The blocking was okay but needed to be better. The line didn't completely suck but I thought in the first half they let defense win too many times. The running game didn't look that good even when they had holes out side of a few plays. And I didn't think the pass catchers did a good enough job getting separation.

Defensively I don't know if they were playing soft / loose coverage or bad but I thought they gave up too much underneath. And I still saw issues stopping the run. There was still a hole in the middle and they could do a better job stopping the runs to the outside. 

The return game didn't look anything special and the punt coverage looked like we'd expect.  Kicking game was kn point from what I saw.

If this is the offense they run in 2022 Mac should at least duplicate his 2021 statistics but I think they're gonna give up a lot of points defensively. I still expect the defense to decline this season to a middle of the past group and to rebound next year 

Jakobi Meyers, One Of The Most Underappreciated New England Patriots Receivers In The NFL In 2022.

Jakobi Meyers is an underappreciated number one. 

Jakobi Meyers went from a "priority free agent" as predicted by Lance Zierlein of nfl.com in 2019 to what the Steelers Depot in predicted in 2019, improving to be come the New England Patriots number one starting receiver "in only a couple of years." And yet he's very much still underappreciated by fans and the media that covers the NFL.

In 2019 Meyers battled his way on to the Patriots. He had good chemistry in the preseason with then Patriots quarterback Jarrett Stidham. He would eventually play in 15 games for the Patriots where he was targeted 41 times as a rookie. He caught 26 passes for 359 yards, 17 of which were first downs. All from Tom Brady, a quarterback who prides himself on not wanting to work with unpolished players.

A year with the Cam Newton experience.

In 2020, Meyers was buried on the roster at the start of the season and would only play in 14 games, starting nine. He wouldn’t get utilized properly until Julian Edelman went down. Meyers would catch 59 of 81 targets for 729 yards, 35 for first downs. This while dealing with one of the worst passers that season in Cam Newton, who rushed for more touchdowns (12) then he threw (10).

A season with a rookie and top free agents.

In 2021 the Patriots went on a spending spree and signed Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne. They also signed the top two tight ends. There was arguments over which of the two new receivers would be the number one receiver. Meyers was an after thought until the preseason, where he showed he could be the number one receiver.

In 2021 Jakobi Meyers caught 81 of 126 targets for 866 yards and 2 touchdowns, 42 of those for first downs. He played well enough that Player Profiler ranked him the 29th best receiver of 2021. This while dealing with a rookie quarterback who spent the 2021 off and preseason working with the number twos.

The 2022 off-season 

Meyers became a free agent in 2022 and the Patriots slapped a second round tag on him. The Patriots signed DeVante Parker the 70th ranked receiver of 2021, who was instantly declared the Patriots number one. You read that right. The 70th ranked receiver was declared the number one over the 29th ranked receiver.

Then talk came around that the team could use the 33rd ranked receiver of 2021, Kendrick Bourne like Deebo Samuels and turn him into the number one. Meyers and Nelson Agholor (another under appreciated receiver) became expendable according to not only the media but the fans. Even more so after the Patriots drafted Tyquan Thornton in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft. A prospect that fans are still debating if it was a reach.

Meyers would eventually sign his free agent tender in June of 2021. And Adam Schefter tweeted not to long ago that two two sides were in talks for a contract extension. Which supposedly hasn't stopped and I would not doubt he gets between seven to eight million a year if he stays.

Check out the Tweet per Adam Schefter .

Projection heading in to the 2022 pre and regular season.

Meyers has been the go to guy or the security blanket for the past two seasons being targeted 21.23 percent of the Patriots attempts. There's nothing showing any other receiver has given Mac reason to change this. While he may not be the number one on any other team, just like Edelman before him, Meyers is the number one receiver for the Patriots.

And a quick message to my fellow fans. If 80 catches and 800 yards for an undrafted receiver is a bust, then your expectations are too high and you need to stop playing Madden. Meyers was 16th in receptions and 29th in receiving yards in 2021. I'd hate to know what kinda expectations y'all put on N'Keal Harry over his career but I bet Jerry Rice and Randy Moss in their prime could reach them. Appreciate what you have before it's gone.

Joe Was Great But Brady Was Better.

I loved watching Montana play but over his 16 seasons, he did not play in 64 games including the 1991 season. Over that time Joe had a record of 117-47. He also went 16-7 in the post season, including four super bowl wins. Montana led the 49ers to the playoffs 11 times over that span.

Brady has played lower but let's compare the two.

Brady sat his first season and missed the 2008 season. The makes up for Montana's 91 and 92 seasons. Over Brady's first 16 seasons he missed 31 games.

Regular season games missed over first 16 seasons:

Montana: 64

Brady:       31

Regular season record: 

Montana: 117-47

Brady:       172-50

Post season appearances

Montana: 11

Brady:       13

Posy season record:

Montana: 16-7

Brady:       22-9

Superbowl appearances (can't win a ring if you cannot get there):

Montana:      4

Brady:            6

Superbowl record:

Montana:     4-0

Brady:           4-2

Playoff TD-INT ratio

Montana: 45-21

Brady:       56-28

MVP:

Montana: 2

Brady:       2

Regular Season Yards:

Montana: 40551

Brady:      58,028

Regular season passing TDs to INTs

Montana:    273-139

Brady:          426-150

Rushing / receiving TDs to Fumbles:

Montana: 20-53

Brady:      19-106

Fourth quarter comebacks:

Montana:  26

Brady:        31

Game winning Regular season drives:

Montana:  28

Brady:        39

Brady fumbled the ball more but he did everything better including make Superbowl appearances. It was Montana's job to help lead his team to the Superbowl and he could only it 4 times. And to those who say it takes more than one player to get there, it also takes more than one player to win a Superbowl. Which nullifies the arguements.

I'm sorry, no disrespect to Joe but Brady beat him but all on one important stat. And that was Fumbles. Give me Brady in the big game.

Stats from Pro Football reference 

Former New England Patriots Quarterback And 2015 MVP May Not Be Done

Cam Newton as a starting quarterback should be done in the NFL. Currently Player Profiler has  Newton as the 36th best quarterback in the NFL. Newton in 2021 only played in five games but did not look like he still had it. Newton had a true completion rate of 57.5 and a true passer rating of 57.1 not good numbers.

With Cam struggles as a passer, which again saw him throw more Interceptions than touchdowns, it safe to say he probably will never start again but that doesn't mean he's done. He is still a weapon for teams if he's willing to take lesser money to play that way.

In 2021 Newton ran the ball 47 times for 230 yards and 5 touchdowns.  That makes Newton a weapon. We have seen teams use backup quarterbacks like Taysom Hill or RGIII out of position. If Newton was willing to line up out of position on occasion, he could be a threat. This could extend his playing career but it could also see him get hurt.

NFL teams and Cam Newton have aot of thinking to do when it comes ro Cam. If a team wants to use Newton this way, they have to seriously talk with Newton about expectations and Newton has to realize that his big money days are done. Newton should keep the arena league open as an option. But he has the personality for an NFL sports program.

List of Unanswered Patriots questions will be updated periodically

List of questions about the Patriots 

June 21, 2022

- Why are the Patriots keeping Nordin on the IR?

- With Smith expected to be the H-back and Henry playing inline, how many tight ends will they keep?

- How much does Harry's salary impact the decision of cutting him?

- Who are the remaining top 5 big name free agents that the Patriots that the Patriots shouldn't over pay for?

- With the Patriots expected to run more nickel and dime defense then before, how many linebackers do they actually need on the 53?

- Was the Problem with the 2021 defense Steve B. , failure to get the players ready, or too many voices?

- Is Steve Belichick finally okay to be considered as a candidate to replace his dad or even though he's spent a decade on the coach staff would it still nepotism?

- Do The Patriots really need to name someone the O.C. and D.C or are those just titles for the fans to have someone to scream at?

- Are the Patriots slowly moving towards a three down dime?

- Do The Patriots have the replacements for D-Mac and Slater in waiting?

- Should the Patriots bring back Agholor in 2023 if he has the same production this season as in 2021?

- How secure is the Patriots interior line against the run?

- Is there anything wrong if Mac turns out to be a game managing system quarterback if he continues to be as productive as he was in 2021?

- Should the Patriots use the throw back uniforms for away games and keep the flying Elvis for home?

- Any chance we see both Smith and Keene in the backfield at the same time this season?

- Are Patriots fans undervaluing Jakobi Meyers?

- Is this Isaiah Wynn's last season in New England?

- How good of receiver's coach has Troy Brown been?

- Will Hoyer be involved in the game planning due to his knowledge of the offense?

- Will the Patriots let Hoyer finish out his contract or will they try to force him into a coach position?

- With James White back, who is plan B as the receiving back?

- Pros and cons with signing OBJ?

- Will the Patriots have a set CB1 or will they run outside corner by committee?

Tre NIxon Had A Standout Spring But With A Spotlight Comes Great Expectations.

A few weeks ago I wrote that Jack Jones would be the most impactful rookie of the 2022 class. I also wrote that the receivers and corners still had questions to answer. After the spring camp session, there is another player to keep an eye on. It's not a rookie but a practice squad guy who had a solid spring. That guy is known as the Ernie Adams pick. I'm talking about Tre Nixon.

Nixon stands around 6'1" and reportedly weights around 185 pounds. Nixon started at Ole Miss as a four star recruit but transfered to UFC for playing time. In the FBS Nixon caught 109 of 126 targets for 1,671 yards with 35 first downs and 13 touchdowns. In 2018 UFC also had Nixon field one kickoff return. In the 2021 preseason, Nixon only managed 2 catches for 11 yards.

Nixon suffered a shoulder or collarbone injury his final season which likely caused his draft stock to fall. He is a stretch receiver who should excell as a deep slot although he can play the outside as well as the X. He runs in the 4.40s and had a decent 6.81 three cone. He had the talent entering the NFL to become a depth piece, nobody argued that but the concensus was he needed development and a vertical spread offense.

Evan Lazar wrote in May of 2001, "There’s enough explosiveness in Nixon’s movements to suggest that he can separate at the NFL level, but he’ll need to finish the play more consistently to stick around."

Nixon made several plays during the 2022 minicamp sessions, including two fifty yard catches beating Jonathan Jones. And there has been a big deal made about the appearent chemistry with franchise quarterback Mac Jones.

Nixon said, "“I feel like the biggest thing is this be where my feet are at. I know training camp’s around the corner, and I like to just stay present in the moment, just try and make my own role what I can do. It’s easy to, especially in this league, compare yourself to other people or count numbers. One of the biggest things the older guys tell me is to be your own person. Try and make your own role and see what you can do beyond that.”

Nixon has put a spotlight on himself but with that spotlight is going to come a lot of pressure when the Patriots meet up later this summer. We have seen players excel without the pads before. Almost everyone fell for Maurice Harris who had a lights out spring few years back before falling off in the preseason. Nixon will have to show he's not just a spring star but a true NFL receiver.

One quick mention. Nixon’s teammate Jack Jones whom I predicted to be the most impactful rookie, showed up this spring and gave enough effort to put his name in the mix for one of the two starting outside corners. He will need to step up his game as he will have competition but so far he has lived up to expectation. If the Patriots have found their outside guy, they are better off defensively then orginally expected and that could translate into wins. Just another name to watch when the team meets up in a few weeks.

Need A New Excuse For Why Patricia Cannot Coach The Offense.

There has been concern about how Matt Patricia can coach the offensive line and call plays on game day. People have said it makes more sense for Joe Judge to do it since he'll be working with Mac Jones during the week. Mike Lombardi spoke about the subject on The GM Shuffle. While Mike is one who doesn't get it, he basically explained how to make it work.

The first issue people are having is with Patricia not being there during the weekly practice next to Jones. Saying he will not be able to find out what Mac likes or doesn't like. What Mac's comfortable with and what he's not. This problem is solved by having a small meeting with the two after each practice. It doesn’t have to be a long meeting, just long enough to have the conversations. Patricia can also have those meetings with Judge if need be. It requires more time to have these meetings but it solves the problem. 

The other issue people are coming up with is how can Patricia call the plays and coach the offensive line. The answer to that is really simple. During the week Matt would work with the line with assistant Billy Yates. Then on Sunday, Yates would handle the line while Patricia deals with play calling. Then when the opposing offense is on the field, Patricia can relay anything he sees to his line. 

People are acting like it's rocket science. It's not that hard of a concept to grasp. This is actually a really simple thing to figure out. And Bill Belichick likes intelligent coaches. I think the main thing people have an issue with is the former offensive line assistant that turned defensive coordinator is now going to be the offensive coordinator or play caller. Remember, if Matt Patricia didn't know anything about offense, he wouldn't of known what defense to field to stop it.

Ask yourself this, how many times did you see Patricia bring out the jumbo or goaline defensive versus the shotgun. If you cannot remember him doing that, it's because that's something someone who knows nothing about offense might do. Patricia has been around a while and also knows how to study offense. While he might not be a top 16 coordinator in 2022, he'll be worthy of one of the 32 positions in the league if he is indeed the play caller for the Patriots in 2022.

What does an okay offense look like for Judge or Patricia?

There does not appear to be any change on the Patriots second mandatory day of June camp. There's still talk about play calling coming from the media. Josh McDaniels left for the Raiders and before the team has played one meaningful snap in 2022, people are already being smug giving an "I told you so" response on how import McDaniels was because the Patriots didn't bring in an offensive coordinator and instead appear to be running with two former NFL head coaches.

People are saying that Patricia and Judge are bums because they failed as head coaches. That's what was said about Belichick after his stint in Cleveland. "But Belichick won rings with the Giants." Yeah, and Patricia and Judge won rings with the Patriots. Yes Matty P. is known as a defensive coach but he has coached on offense before and one has to know something about offense to stop it. Judge has also coached a little on offense and is a former quarterback. What now?

Now that we've got semantics out of the Way. Since people don't have faith in either Judge or Patricia's ability to play call, what defines a successful first year as an NFL offensive play caller for those two? In 2022 McDaniels's offense had the following stats.

489 runs for a 4.4 yard average with 138 first downs and 24 touchdowns. The passing game completed 68% of the passes for 3857 yards with 187 first downs, 24 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. 

If the running game slips to what it produced in 2019, would it be a success or failure for Judge or Patricia? In 2019 the Patriots ran the ball 447 times for a 3.8 yard average with 110 first downs and 17 touchdowns.  The Patriots running backs are the same level if not better heading into 2022 compared to what they had in 2019. I get there were other factors to that season but McDaniels is supposed to be that much better than Judge and Patricia.

If the passing game slips to where it was in 2020, again would that be a success or failure for Patricia or Judge? I get Cam Newton was the quarterback in 2020 but with how incompetent people are making Judge and Patricia sound, it should be balanced out as Cam had McDaniels and these guys have Mac. In 2020 the Patriots completed 64% of their passes for 2890 yards with 157 first downs, 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Again, I get there may have been circumstances that season but McDaniels is supposed to be superior to Judge and Patricia so it doesn't matter what happened in 2020.

People are expecting the Patriots offense to regress without an experienced offensive coordinator. Since some of the personell is the same, both stat lines I shared from 2019 and 2020 would be a regression. So what qualifies as a successful offense in 2022 for the Patriots? Where's the bar at for this offense, what should we expect?

Before anyone says Judge and Patricia will have a bad year, we need to know what an average year is considered to be for them. So tell us, what is the criteria for an okay season. Not good, not bad but okay. If you cannot do that, then it's gonna have to be drastic reduction in all aspects of the offense for those two to have a bad season. However if the offense gets the same production it had in 2021, those two would've had a great season with how bad they're being made out to be.

Mandatory Camp Is Underway For June 2022.

The Patriots met up for the first day of mandatory training. A few players weren't there but nobody for the most part was missed. Of course the media per usual was hyping up some if the players, it's kinda their job. However, some noted things other members weren't.

Zack Cox had Mac Jones with an Incredible day. Greg Bedard said there were passes Jones got off after the defense was yelling sack. It's things like that, that really make judging these stories out of camp hard. We have to remember, the defense is severely handicapped with these practices.

The Patriots moved around the line switching Wynn and Brown. There was some confusion as to why, with several speculating that it was because the Patriots were trying to move Wynn. NBC Boston's Perry and Curran suggested it was to "bring balance to the line." Either way it was different and was noticed.

Matt Patricia may or may not be the head play caller. The guy was a defensive coordinator. So he has to know something about offense. I mean, we don't really think he was paid for years to be a defensive coordinator with no idea how offenses worked, do we? I get calling an offense and knowing how to prepare to stop one are different but if he knows what teams call in specific situations, he should be able to make those same calls. So we shouldn't be too worried.

Tre Nixon appears to be this year's Maurice Harris or N'Keal Harry. He looked good today against the handicapped defense. We'll see how he looks come the preseason. For now, he made his name known. Other than that, Jake Bailey showed why he's worth 4 million dollars and showed he's leaps a head of the other guy on the team. Really wasn't much to write home about for this day of practice. And it probably will stay that way until they break.

Receiver and Corner Still Have Questions To Be Answered.

There are three positions I still think we need to pay attention to. The stretch receiver role and both outside cornerback spots. The Patriots have pieces but they have just as many questions about those positions. The good thing is we should get to see them at the same time. So making the evaluations should be that much easier. Hopefully answers come sooner than later.

Cornerback 

J.C. Jackson is gone but Myles Bryant and Jalen Mills are still with the team. On top of that The team brought in Malcolm Butler and drafted Jack Jones. I have not seen Mills's or Bryant's name talked about a lot yet but Butler and Jones's name have been brought up as possible starters in either the number one or number two corner role.

With mandatory camp coming, the media will get a picture of what's going on. Will it be like 2021 where they ignored Mac's training and only saw Cam with the first string or will they see the entire picture? Honestly, the Patriots had a number two corner by committee in 2021 as nobody truly stood out and both outside corner spots maybe by committee in 2022.

Stretch receiver

Nelson Agholor was brought in with big expectations from the media and fans. Some thought he would be a thousand yards receiver and were disappointed in Agholor's production. People failed to see that Agholor's production also came by running sprints and drawing coverage away from the underneath guys. The most of the few who do recognize that think anyone can lore the safety into coverage. As Patriots fans, we know that's not the case.

The Patriots had Philip Dorsett who ran a 4.33 forty time, just a hair faster than Agholor and Dorsett didn't draw coverage the way Agholor does. People assume that Tyquan Thornton can just be a plug and play will do that. We have not seen what Thorton looks like in an NFL uniform. And a lot of players with speed look good in college. If the Patriots get rid of Agholor and Thorton turns out not to be the downfield threat fans want, then defenses are going to come up like they did in 2020. 

The other thing to consider is some believe Thorton to be a deep slot guy and not an X receiver. Yes, the Patriots have parker but is Parker going to be flanker or the X in the Patriots system? IF Parker is a Z receiver and Thorton turns out to be a deep slot, who's playing the X if Agholor goes, Harry? Bourne? Meyers? Henry? At the moment, It makes sense to keep Agholor for the 2022 season or at least until the trade deadline.

Where is Mac Jones Ranked?

Mac Jones was said to be the most NFL ready quarterback entering the draft. There were disputes on whether he was a first or second round prospect, with those who said he was the latter saying "Mac's only going in the first due to lack of talent." The way he was talked about it was reasonable to think Mac would be a bottom of the barrel starter, someplace in the 25-32 range. Mac exceeded that tier.

At the end of the season, depending on what site was looked at, Mac Jones was ranked as an average quarterback. Some place between 14-18. Looking at NFL.com on February 16th, they had Mac as the 16 ranked quarterback. The dead average position for a starter. That's not bad after a rookie season and it shows that when it's said that his ceiling is low, it's because he's so much closer to it than the other guys that came out with him. 

Mac Jones's 67.6 completion percentage was the 8th best a starter, he was 13th in yards with over 3800. Mac's 4.2 touchdown percentage was 16th among starters. He only had a 2.5 interception percentage which was 20th. Now some of these areas are tied to his talent around him, I get it but the Patriots did improve that talent this off season.

Mac only had one 4th quarter comeback and that was his only game winning drive, which had him ranked for 21st. That is one of the best ways to determine how good a quarterback is. The problem is not every quarterback that is good or elite finds themselves having to pull their team out from a loss. Not every good quarterback has to have game winning drives or 4th quarterback comebacks.

So we're forced to go off stats and opnion based off what is seen. Mac doesn't have the experience of other quarterbacks, so that may influence some of what we see. I am going to put the quarterbacks into three tiers. Those that are better than Mac, those that are close to equal and those that are worse. Since modern quarterbacks rely on their legs, some quarterbacks maybe ranked better then expected. This will be my opnion based off of 2021.

Brady, Allen, Rodgers, Stafford, Herbert, Burrow, Mahomes, Murray, Hurts are better than Mac. I have seen people knock Murray but he ran for 429 yards and 5 touchdowns. NFL.com has Murray ranked as the 8th best and he should definitely be a top 10 due to his legs. The same with Hurts. Watson is not being added until I see that he will be cleared to play but, he would be in this tier.

My first tier only had 9 guys excluding Watson, meaning some of these guys are borderline top 10 and some are borderline basement guys. Prescott, Carr, Wilson, Tannehill, Cousins, Jackson, Ryan, Bridgewater, Wentz, Garoppolo, Golf are all equivalent to Mac Jones as of the end of the 2021 season. Some of those guys again were products of their team or talent around them, I get that but based off of everything, this is the group Mac finds himself around. These are average guys. They are above average to average game managers. These are system quarterbacks.

Winston, Tagovailoa, D. Jones, Mayfield, Heinicke, Fields, Hill, Mills, Lawrence, Lance, Darnold, Newton, Dalton, Taylor, Rudolph, Wilson, Trubisky, Pickett, Mariota, Fitzpatrick. These are the below average game managers. They can barely do what's asked and cannot carry a team. Some are in development and others are on the way to holding a clipboard. There maybe some other's I've missed that belong with these guys.

NFL.com had Mac Jones ranked 16th, I think that's a fair spot to start the 2022 season. With the coaching situation, Mac is going to have to be extra to improve from that rank. Mental breakdown is the only way I see Mac digressing. Mac is in development still, so middle of the pack is where he should start and a fringe top 10 is where I expect him to crack by season end. I don't know if he'll ever crack the top 10 but the fringe should be reachable for him. 

Where do the Patriots rank?

The NFL released the league power rankings. I'm a believer that one has to start where the team finished and then add in additions and departures to determine ranking. I don't factor in the schedule because that's another subject. There have been countless seasons where teams that were good on paper had a bad schedule and fell off for one reason or the other.

Dan Hanzus of NFL.com listed the power rankings. The Buffalo Bills were given the top spot and the defending superbowl champions, the Los Angeles Rans were bumped down to number two. And the defending AFC champions were knocked down to fourth. The Patriots were twelveth in 2021 winning the sixth seed but got blown out to the Buffalo Bills.

Hanzus has the Patriots ranked seventeenth in the league and tenth in the AFC. Before the draft people were talking about expectations for the team and some were saying the Patriots over achieved for a team in a rebuild. Typical if a team is in a rebuild. They get better every advancing year or that's the theory. So early in the offseason, Vicariously Patriots wrote that they expected the Patriots to finish with at least a wildcard birth.

The Patriots lost a good portion of their staff, along with their top cornerback. They also have an uncertainty at linebacker but they did trade for DeVante Parker. And it's too early to tell how they did with their draft. It's one thing to expect them to win the seventh seed in the AFC, which is very well possible. However, expectations and initial power rankings are two different things. 

This writer believes fourteenth to sixteenth was a fair ranking. Seventeenth is only a spot off but still middle of the pack. That's not bad granted they're the tenth AFC team listed. All four AFC West and three of the AFC North teams are ranked above them. So being a middle of the pack team should work in their favor, as the other teams are going to beat up on each other. With that, if the Patriots are ranked correctly, fans should be happy when they look to determine the Patriots record predictions in the coming weeks.