long distance
Pro Bowl Player
- Joined
- Dec 14, 2015
- Messages
- 10,307
- Reaction score
- 27,270
There is one important question each HC would like an answer to - What/Who we are as a team?
With half of the regular season almost gone the answer in NE might be foggier than it was before week 1.
I cant recall a BB team with less identity than this one. Nothing seems to be clear atm.
It was driving in this direction throughout preseason and it got worse:
No clear QB play or starter.
No clear running game (tried move towards zone halfway returning to gap) despite monster Mondre.
No clear offensive vision/strategy/personnel. ($30M TE combo is hardly existent with lazy 11 personnel the norm)
No clear offensive coaching leadership.
No OL depth with both starting tackles playing flag football.
No clear D personnel or identity despite some success
- corners are moved all over the place w best graded CB in the league & the only true pats man corner Jack getting 50% of the snaps or less - WTF?
Cant remember seeing CB marry-go-round like this under BB. Its hard to find continuity as a player let alone as a group.
Not to mention practice squad Bryant acting like starting NFL corner LOL. At least the Bryant starting punt returner experiment seems to be over..
- the only LB that can cover plays 10% while the two thumping LBs cant stop designed QB runs if their life depended on it. And the biggest future division rival is the best in the league at it.
It doesn't matter if you stop RB with this personnel. Half decent QB will eat you alive with all Bentley, Tavai and Bryant on the field at the same time.
All this (and more) with relatively healthy team.
The only unit that suffered significant injury was ST and it showed.
3-4 and the firm bottom of division is least of a problem.
It doesn't help though esp. since its done on the easiest of schedules - with much stronger schedule looming.
I didn't care much about results this year. What i expected/wanted was to see foundations built for a team that will emerge in 2023 (draft hits + big cap).
Instead of confirmation of Mac leadership Pats are entering QB questions with Mac losing confidence and poise.
Where will the rest of leadership come from after DMC, Slater are gone? Who are the young emerging leaders? I love Dugger but dont see it there..
Who will install clear identity to the offence and lead it?
It all seems quite dysfunctional atm and counterproductive at times as well which is the last thing i would expect from BB.
They Drafted speed (“we want to get faster“) - they play snail personnel.
It will be interesting to see how BB handles the situation, can he still build some foundations for the future till the end of the season so that he can make the most of all the cap he will have in the next seasons.
There's still plenty to be optimistic/excited about for the future - incl QB - but without identity it will be that much harder.
-.-
ps
most of this was writing itself from week1 and is not a reaction to MNF...
With half of the regular season almost gone the answer in NE might be foggier than it was before week 1.
I cant recall a BB team with less identity than this one. Nothing seems to be clear atm.
It was driving in this direction throughout preseason and it got worse:
No clear QB play or starter.
No clear running game (tried move towards zone halfway returning to gap) despite monster Mondre.
No clear offensive vision/strategy/personnel. ($30M TE combo is hardly existent with lazy 11 personnel the norm)
No clear offensive coaching leadership.
No OL depth with both starting tackles playing flag football.
No clear D personnel or identity despite some success
- corners are moved all over the place w best graded CB in the league & the only true pats man corner Jack getting 50% of the snaps or less - WTF?
Cant remember seeing CB marry-go-round like this under BB. Its hard to find continuity as a player let alone as a group.
Not to mention practice squad Bryant acting like starting NFL corner LOL. At least the Bryant starting punt returner experiment seems to be over..
- the only LB that can cover plays 10% while the two thumping LBs cant stop designed QB runs if their life depended on it. And the biggest future division rival is the best in the league at it.
It doesn't matter if you stop RB with this personnel. Half decent QB will eat you alive with all Bentley, Tavai and Bryant on the field at the same time.
All this (and more) with relatively healthy team.
The only unit that suffered significant injury was ST and it showed.
3-4 and the firm bottom of division is least of a problem.
It doesn't help though esp. since its done on the easiest of schedules - with much stronger schedule looming.
I didn't care much about results this year. What i expected/wanted was to see foundations built for a team that will emerge in 2023 (draft hits + big cap).
Instead of confirmation of Mac leadership Pats are entering QB questions with Mac losing confidence and poise.
Where will the rest of leadership come from after DMC, Slater are gone? Who are the young emerging leaders? I love Dugger but dont see it there..
Who will install clear identity to the offence and lead it?
It all seems quite dysfunctional atm and counterproductive at times as well which is the last thing i would expect from BB.
They Drafted speed (“we want to get faster“) - they play snail personnel.
It will be interesting to see how BB handles the situation, can he still build some foundations for the future till the end of the season so that he can make the most of all the cap he will have in the next seasons.
There's still plenty to be optimistic/excited about for the future - incl QB - but without identity it will be that much harder.
-.-
ps
most of this was writing itself from week1 and is not a reaction to MNF...
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