Plenty to talk about here on the bye week as we reset a bit. It’s a weird season because there’s not much to complain about yet and that has the Mazz’s and Volin’s of the world floundering. (Seriously Volin didn’t like the defensive gameplan that gave up 10 points that could entirely be connected to one blown play and two third-down stops that were negated by a fumble and a penalty.)
Personally I think you can be a homer and support your team but still be critical of their performances. And there’s more to be a fan/blogger etc. than being critical… there’s understanding the schemes and how the coaches are attacking and defending. So while there hasn’t been a Kansas City game for everyone to freak out about there’s still plenty to analyze.
First, there’s been plenty of can the Pats go 16-0 and as I said earlier this week I really don’t want to. I think it makes it harder to win the Super Bowl and I’d prefer to have a motivating loss that exposes some weaknesses and ignites a fire for the team down the stretch.
Again, the NFL season is as much about attrition as anything else. And unfortunately the chances are slim that the Patriots are still as robust as they are right now.
And yeah, the schedule looks manageable but think about all the losses or near losses to inferior teams over the years. The 2004 team’s loss to Miami sticks out. Not to mention near losses in 2013 to the Browns and Texans. And the Pats finish at Jets/at Dolphins. Those places are never a slam dunk regardless of what the teams are playing for.
So you won’t hear much 16-0 talk around here. We’ve been there, done that and all it taught us was that it’s only the Super Bowl that matters.
I continue to be impressed by Jordan Richards
in his limited duty against the Jags. Yeah, Mazz thinks you can’t learn anything from a game like last weekend’s but I think Richards is a prime example of learning something. He reminds me a lot of Patrick Chung
with his aggressiveness, but the big question is whether or not he has the speed to play on the back end to bump Harmon. We could be seeing more and more of him.
Speaking of rookies, can you believe we’re still waiting on Trey Flowers
to make his debut? He was possibly the best rookie in the preseason but has been under wraps the first three weeks. Defensive end depth is really good right now but sooner or later they have to get his feet wet and I’m excited to see what he can do.
My thoughts keep drifting to Dominique Easley
and just how much he could elevate this defense. His burst off the snap is back and he’s flashing the kind of disruption I’ve been dreaming of since this blog started in 2010. But what has me wondering is how to truly harness his potential. They had him in his best spot – three technique – vs. the Jags, but his burst seems most effective not when it’s clearly a passing down but when the OL is trying to stunt. That opens the gaps for him and he totally screws their entire operation up. But when he’s asked to go one-on-one and the OL gets set it seems like Easley has trouble getting free and getting to the quarterback. That could change and he’s technically still green, but it’s an area to focus on in the coming weeks.
Malcom Brown has been somewhat underwhelming out of the gate, not that it’s a cause for major concern because he has made a couple plays and looked strong in spurts, but I’d like to see a splash play sooner than later from him.
The scary thing for the rest of the NFL is how well the Pats’ drafts since 2010 have turned out. They’re on a crazy roll and the trio of Andrews-Mason-Jackson is exactly what the Hoodie ordered this year.
New podcast coming tonight as well as a some All-22 Offensive thoughts from the Jags game. And also Frenz and I will be reuniting for a podcast this weekend. Looking forward to talking to my old podmate!
