19 thoughts on Patriots not named Antonio Brown
OK, so there's one thought on AB in here.
COMMENTARY
Between a dominating win over over the Steelers and what should be a not-so-daunting visit to Tom Brady’s traditional house of horrors, here are 19 thoughts on 19 Patriots:
Antonio Brown didn’t even get to formally practice with the Patriots before his name became embroiled in fresh controversy, the latest besmirching courtesy of a lawsuit alleging he sexually assaulted and raped his former trainer. Brown denies the claims, and his representation has pledged to vociferously fight them in a legal process likely to last longer than this football season. That would figure to mean these allegations won’t immediately impact New England’s depth chart, and underscores the biggest advantage the Pats had over others in reconciling the choice of bringing him to Foxborough: They don’t need him. They’re better with him, sure, but they’re a contender without him, and if they need to cut bait at any time all it’ll cost them is a signing bonus.
Demaryius Thomas said and seemingly did the right things during his short stay in New England. That good-soldier status would appear to be reflected in Bill Belichick paying him the professional courtesy of trading him to a place where he can work within a system he knows, for a coach with whom he’s familiar, rather than cut him or relegate him perpetually inactive. But you better believe that Belichick isn’t making his first-ever trade with the hated Jets, and keeping him in the division, if the coach really thought Thomas had anything left.
Josh Gordon, especially with Brown in the mix, looks like the ideal answer to the question of how the Patriots attempt to replace Rob Gronkowski’s production in the passing game. For a decade, Pats fans were spoiled by the expectation that a starting tight end should excel in both the receiving and blocking demands of the position, but that’s not reality. If James Develin and Ryan Izzo can take over Gronk’s duties in moving bodies at the line, Gordon has a body type similar to some of the thick wide receivers masquerading as tight ends across the league, and could make a major impact simply based on his size, speed, and hands. Gronkowski’s combination of those three regularly created matchup nightmares and physical mismatches — not unlike they did for Gordon on Sunday, when he bounced out of a tackle on the way to the end zone, then burnt his defender for a big gain down field when the Steelers tried to cover him with a linebacker.
Rob Gronkowski, of course, could ultimately be the Pats’ Rob Gronkowski replacement. Making the rounds to promote his CBD venture, he went to Barstool headquarters this week and on his way out responded to a question about when he would come out of retirement. “I’m gonna be in single coverage with all those receivers we have,” Gronkowski said. “I won’t even get touched. Week 14!” It was followed by the signature Gronk giggle, so you may not want to put too much stock in it. Yet.
Phillip Dorsett deserves to retain a role, another reason utilizing Gordon as a quasi tight end makes sense. In passing situations, Dorsett brings more value to Brady than Izzo or Matt LaCosse. Envision the possibilities with Brown, Gordon, Dorsett, Julian Edelman, and James White all running routes.
Jakobi Meyers isn’t likely to play much this season, presuming health. But his single flash in eight Week 1 snaps was a good sign. After appearing out of sync with his quarterback in the third preseason game, his number was called on the first play of the Pats’ third possession. He got up the field, cut in over the middle, and caught a strike that went for a gain of 22 yards. The execution appeared to be perfect — precisely the depth and angle Brady was expecting — and perhaps a good sign of how the undrafted rookie could fit going forward.
Ted Karras’s wobbly snaps are the sort of thing that get amplified when a team doesn’t have many (any?) obvious deficiencies and wins its opener by 30 points. But they may also shed light on last week’s choice to trade for, then cut, center Russell Bodine within a span of six days. Shotgun snapping isn’t a strength for Bodine, either, and at the start of the 2015 season there was speculation in Cincinnati that a few horrifying hikes might cost him a starting job with the Bengals. That all said, the Patriots spent less time in the shotgun last season than most teams, and Karras was otherwise reliable in his increased role.
Marcus Cannon’s shoulder injury is not expected to be a long-term concern, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss. That’s a relief, but, given that Cannon has started more than 13 games just once in his career, backup tackle Korey Cunningham still projects as an important part of the club.
Jamie Collins made a big, drive-destroying play in the latter part of the first half as the Patriots expanded their lead from 10 points to 20 late in the second quarter Sunday night. The linebacker completely blew up a third and 1 run play near midfield on the series preceding Dorsett’s first touchdown.
Patrick Chung had one, too, on the next series. His breakup of a fourth-down pass allowed the Pats time for a Stephen Gostkowski field goal. Belichick doesn’t have the best track record with second-round picks — but, looking at Collins and Chung, maybe the trick is letting them get a taste of life elsewhere, then bringing them back with better perspective on all sides.
Duke Dawson, speaking of second-round Pats picks, didn’t play a defensive snap for the Broncos on Monday night. His NFL debut was limited to special teams duty. Fellow 2018 draftee turned 2019 trade chip Keion Crossen did play five defensive snaps for the Texans that night, in addition to covering kicks.
Shilique Calhoun played more snaps (55) than any Patriots defender other than Stephon Gilmore and the McCourty Twins on Sunday. In fact, no other Pats lineman played more than Chase Winovich’s 38 defensive snaps. Whether his first career start was a matchup-based decision remains to be seen, but the talent is intriguing, considering Calhoun was a third-round pick of the Raiders in 2016.
Kyle Van Noy missed Sunday night’s game to be with his wife, Marissa, for the birth of their first child. Good for him. And those who were wondering how Belichick and his football-above-all persona would react to a starting linebacker choosing the delivery room over opening night should check out the video of the Patriots’ locker room postgame, when the coach welcomed young Trae Ledgend Van Noy to the family.
Rex Burkhead ran the ball on Sunday with all of the decisiveness, purpose, and vision that Sony Michel put on tantalizing display in his one preseason appearance. He wound up with 85 yards from scrimmage on 13 touches, while James White piled up 82 yards on his nine tries to carry the rock.
Sony Michel still touched the ball more, but accounted for just 14 yards. In terms of usage, Michel was only on the field for 23 snaps, but had 15 carries, meaning he got the ball 65 of the time he was on the field. As a rookie last year he touched it or was targeted 69 percent of the time he was out there. By comparison, the ball went to White 36 percent of the time he was on the field in 2018, with Burkhead at 51 percent. Might there be a correlation between Michel’s struggle to find space and the Pats predictability when he’s in the backfield?
Tom Brady posted a passer rating of 124.9 on Sunday night. With that, Brady now has 53 career regular-season games with a rating of 121 or higher — 22 of which have come since he turned 35.
Randy Moss is the first player that comes to mind when comparing Brown’s to situations of the Patriots’ past — logically so, given his position and disinterest in being a Raider. But the more recent (and perhaps even closer) comparison may be between Brown and Darrelle Revis. Both were acquired via trade, both were given a lucrative extension that the team quickly came to regret, then both begged their way out of town under suspicions that their preference was to play for Bill Belichick and the Pats all along. When they got to New England, both did so on make-good one-year deals with a team option in Year 2. Worked out for the Pats in 2014, too.
Brian Flores may prove to be a top-shelf NFL head coach, but the look of things at the start of his time with the Dolphins couldn’t be much worse. If the 59-10 loss wasn’t bad enough, it was followed up by reports of mass trade requests, his old defense gave up three points in its opener, and now here comes the Hoodie.
Joejuan Williams is the name to consider if you saw the headline of this piece and wondered if the 19 things were in reference to a potential 19-0 season. Williams was the cornerback the Pats traded up for in the second round of this year’s draft — and who was inactive in Week 1. First-round pick N’Keal Harry is on injured reserve, and third-round choice Damien Harris was inactive, as well. The only player who the Pats selected before spending a fifth on punter Jake Bailey to play Sunday night was Winovich — and he’s part of a rotation on the defensive line. In essence, the Pats are almost able to play this season as though the draft didn’t happen. That should smooth some of the early bumps that other teams will be going through. And with that, plus an easy early schedule, it won’t be surprising if their unbeaten record survives through their first bye. And maybe even their second.
