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.