https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlRLVUrdouw
Step 1 of exorcising the demons that penetrated our collective eyes and hearts last Sunday night was this commercial. We all know TB can slice up a defense like a pizza pie, but this acting job had Leo DiCaprio taking notes. Just magnificent. Unfortunately, Tommy’s acting reviews were stronger than the team’s performance against Seattle. Is the sky falling? No, of course not. But is it okay to be upset with the gameplay and execution? Absolutely. And if you watched a series of Sunday’s bout, you know exactly where we have to start for this weeks’ links. Hint: it’s not on Brady’s side of the ball.
Let’s break the ice with one from boss man Mike D, who broke down the defensive effort here after an All-22 film review. It’s a very nice breakdown of some critical plays/drives, stats, and X’s and O’s. I’m not going to get deep in the weeds of how and why the Pats defense struggled like Mike did, but I want to specifically note his concluding paragraph on the Patriots’ defensive unit:
Over the bye I called for more simplification of the roles on defense to let the guys focus on winning their battles. That’s the opposite of what they did here, spinning the dial between zone and man and picking their spots with rushers. I wonder how they’d change things up in a re-match, because this wasn’t the 2014 Seahawks team. This was a spread team that did to us what we usually do, pick the right matchups and sling it.
Nail. On. The. Head. Whether it’s the coaching staff outsmarting itself scheme wise (it is), or the underperformance of expected impact players (it also is), something’s not working. Dumb it down. You’re not confusing anyone right now, so at least fly around and play loose. Hit the reset button. This is on Belichick/Patricia and the rest of the staff as much as it’s on Jabaal Sheard, Logan Ryan and others not holding their weight, and vice versa. No one as it stands now is free from blame on that side of the ball.
Speaking of Jabaal Sheard, where in the name of Tom has he gone this season? Yikes. Admittedly, coming into this season, I thought Jabaal was more than capable of replacing Jones, and even predicted his sack total would be higher than Jones’ total at the end of the season. After Chandler picked up another two last weekend, and Sheard was #4 on the depth chart, I’m going to go ahead and say I want that prediction back. Sheard should heed Tony Romo’s wise words: football is a meritocracy. You’re only as good as your last practice. If Sheard can right his own personal ship, he could be a catalyst for the (hopeful) defensive turnaround into the winter.
If you want to talk offense, this just isn’t the week for you. For the next link, we’re going to stay on the unsexy of the ball and get Kevin Duffy’s (Mass Live) two cents. Duffy opines:
The Pats need to find a way to utilize Dont’a Hightower as a pass rusher more often than they did against the Seahawks. Without question, Hightower gets to the quarterback better than anyone on the roster. And it would be nice if either Kyle Van Noy or Barkevious Mingo — one a solid athlete, the other an amazing athlete — emerged as a complement to Elandon Roberts.
Couple of thoughts: one, Hightower needs to be (and should be) a top 5 backer from here on out. Period. Pass rushing, run stopping, coverage, the whole package. Two, if Mingo and Van Noy cannot play over Shea McClellin, I have zero idea why they were traded for. We’ve seen enough in one preseason game to know Mingo can be used in some kind of niche role defensively. He’s too explosive/raw talented not to be. We’ve also seen enough of McClellin to know why the Bears didn’t blink when he was pried away this offseason. He has 5 solo tackles in 7 games. Head scratching return thus far on that signing. The jury is obviously still out on Van Noy, who will need some time to adjust.
Finally, let’s revisit the transactions and shuffling that have shaped the defense to the unit we see now that resembles the new highway toll situation in Massachusetts. Let’s take it full circle and return to another PatsPropaganda piece from Mike on the 50% discounted everything must go defensive clearance sale:
But collectively jettisoning first round picks (Jones, Easley) from 2012 and 2014 and a second round pick from 2013 (Collins) now seems even more extreme as we’re forced to watch a defense that can’t get off the field, can’t disrupt a quarterback, and looks generally lifeless when they’re supposed to be rounding into form. Why did we rationalize getting rid of them all again? Locker room cancer and was going to want too much money and freelancing? Something like those? Well at this point I’d happily take all those “problems” back since all three had more energy and life to their game than anything we’re seeing from the Patriots defense now.
Old nemesis Bart Scott was drooling at the opportunity to rub salt in the wounds as well with some no room for doubt shots at Belichick the GM this week: “Listen, if I’m a young player out there, I’m not going to play injured. I’m not going to play if I need surgery because I know that he doesn’t value me. I know that he’ll ship me out like anybody else. So, I’m not going to go out and put my career and my season on the line because I know he’ll get rid of me. He doesn’t value me. I’m expendable.”
Ouch. A bit much. Bart Scott is certainly not the brightest analyst of the bunch, but until this defense starts to perform at a competent level, it is very hard not to point the finger at Belichick in some fashion. In his “professional judgement”, the D is better off without Jamie Collins. Did anyone catch the Browns’ game last Thursday? There are a handful of plays Collins makes that may make you a bit queasy. It’s put up or shut up time for the genius, the rocket scientist and “the other side of the ball”. Tomorrow afternoon in San Francisco, close to 12’s home town, will be a great time put up and string together some momentum.
Can’t wait.
In Bill We Trust.