At the halfway point of the Patriots season, it’s a good time to perform a little bit of self-scouting and evaluate what has been an eventful last two months. Despite the suspension of Tom Brady for the first four games, the team is positioned very well at the head of the AFC with a 7-1 record. It has come on the back of some impressive offensive displays and since the return of Brady, it has gone to a whole other level.
Quarterback
Good
Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
For the first time since 2001, a guy not named Tom Brady was set to start the season opener and for three of the four games he was out, the play was certainly good enough. It was highlighted by Jimmy Garoppolo tearing the Miami Dolphins secondary before he was forced out with a shoulder injury. Nerves were put to the test as rookie Jacoby Brisset had to start the next two games before winding up on IR with a thumb injury, just in time for Brady’s return. Despite only playing in four games, Brady’s play has been good enough to put him in the mix for another MVP award. The most surprising thing to come from his play so far is the addition of a competent deep ball to his repertoire.
Bad
As well as the entire quarterback unit has played, the management of the injuries suffered by Garoppolo and Brissett was less than ideal, particularly in the lead up to the week four game against Buffalo. Putting out a clearly injured Brissett against Buffalo certainly forced the team to play shorthanded and was a big factor in the loss as he could not avoid the critical mistake two weeks in a row.
Improvements
With Brady’s current form, there is not a whole lot that can be improved at the quarterback position. Perhaps all they can hope for is to make sure Brady does not take too many hits between now and the end of the season.
Running Back
Good
With their starting quarterback out, the team opted to lean more on the running backs in the first half of the season. After a poor 2015, LeGarrette Blount has been a vital part of the offensive production so far. His production is not at that elite level and probably will drop further away from the leaders as the season progresses, but when the team has needed a guy to help grind out the clock, he has been there more often than not. His co-lead back has been James White, who has provided a reliable outlet from the backfield for three receiving touchdowns.
Bad
As effective as the running backs have been, there have been a handful of games where they have been unable to get things going. Most notably against Buffalo last week, although that wasn’t a big deal as Brady did more than enough that day.
Improvements
The presumptive return of Dion Lewis from his torn ACL twelve months ago will bring an extra dimension to the backfield. The only concern from that is the team counting on a player that has never been able to stay healthy. If he falls through, it would be good to see preseason sensation DJ Foster step up to be a more competitive player against NFL level competition. The primary goal for this group for the rest of the season is to be able to produce on the ground when the opponents are doing everything they can to stop Brady passing the ball.
Wide Receiver
Good
So far the description for the Wide Receivers group is ‘alright,’ in that they have not been great but they, like the running backs have been inconsistent so far. The highlights to come from this group come from Danny Amendola and Chris Hogan so far. Amendola has the best targets to receptions ratio at 16 catches from 20 passes thrown his way (per Pro Football Reference). Hogan on the other hand has come over from Buffalo and been a deep threat for Tom Brady as he is averaging over 20 yards per catch from his 19 receptions. His ability to get open deep on broken plays and have the quarterback find him has added an extra dimension to the passing game.
Bad
Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Despite leading the team in receptions, Julian Edelman has not looked like himself so far this season as he recovers from offseason foot surgery. His 41 catches have come for a disappointing 358 yards and just one touchdown as he has not had that same burst as in previous years. Maybe it is injuries or maybe he is just starting to feel the impact of a brutal position to play, he is somebody that needs to step up.
Improvements
Throughout the bye week, the key for the Patriots receivers coach is to work out if Edelman’s poor production is something that can be fixed by rest or by scheme. If it is simply an injury thing a week of rest without getting tackled by big linebackers will do him a world of good. Otherwise they may need to think up some new ways to get Edelman into the open with a bit more space to gain yards after catch instead of being forced to make a defender miss. Another area to keep an eye on is whether or not rookie receiver Malcolm Mitchell can get more involved in the offense having brought in just six catches so far.
Tight End
Good
Far and away the strongest position group with two All-Pro caliber players on the roster with Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett. In the opening two weeks Bennett endeared himself to the Patriots faithful with two impressive but very different performances. In week one in Arizona, he helped the offensive line against a talented Cardinals pass rush with a masterful blocking display before showcasing his receiving skills against Miami. His highlight came against Cleveland however when he caught three touchdowns in Brady’s return. Gronkowski meanwhile has recovered from a preseason hamstring issue to come back and look like his old self in the past month.
Bad
There are not a lot of negatives to take out of the first half of the season with this group, perhaps the only real concern is the fact that both Gronkowski and Bennett have injury concerns of differing levels hanging over their heads. As important as the next eight games are, the near certain playoff games are where these two need to be fit and healthy
Improvements
These two need to spend the next two months finding out how to best to get themselves as healthy as possible so the team can play with their strongest position groups on the field.
Offensive Line
Good
After a few seasons of rotation among the offensive line, the return of Dante Scharnecchia has
Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports
seen the team return to a stable group of five players. Nate Solder, Rookie Joe Thuney and David Andrews have taken over starting roles since last year’s AFC Championship game and provided a measure of stability. When the team wants to go power run they will do it behind that left side more often than not. For the most part even the much maligned Marcus Cannon has performed above expectations so far.
Bad
While the unit as a whole has been playing well, they have not been immune from an individual bad performance and each of the players have struggled from time to time. Even their best player in Nate Solder found himself wanting from time to time in the passing game at times.
Improvements
These five players appear to be the group going forward so like the rest of their team, health is paramount to their success. Their two biggest remaining tests come in the Seattle and Denver defensive lines, both groups more than capable of getting through a blocker.
That’s it for this week, stay tuned for the defensive scouting notes.
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