Get the latest Boston sports news
Receive updates on your favorite Boston teams, straight from our newsroom to your inbox.
9 thoughts about the Patriots, starting with their rediscovered athleticism
The Patriots had a plodding team just a couple of years ago. No more.
A couple of words scribbled on a scrap of paper on the desk, a voice memo or two left for myself on the phone, collected and accumulated into scattershot thoughts on the Patriots right here …
· One preseason game into their careers, and there is one conclusion that we already can draw from the 2023 Patriots draft class: Bill Belichick has added a breathtaking influx of athleticism to his roster.
First-rounder Christian Gonzalez took a pop on his first play but otherwise looked like a Day 1 starting cornerback. Second-rounder Keion White was giving me Willie McGinest flashbacks, and in a couple of years, that sentence will not look like hyperbole. Sixth-round receiver Demario Douglas’s quickness has stood out so much that he got the veteran treatment during the opener, and seventh-rounder Isaiah Bolden nearly broke a kick return.
Advertisement:
And that doesn’t even include undrafted free agent Malik Cunningham, who might be the best athlete of the lot.
The Patriots overall had a plodding team just a couple of years ago. No more.
· Even with the Ezekiel Elliott signing, I do find myself wishing Belichick had added just a little more dynamism to the offense. Rhamondre Stevenson is a force, and Elliott will help, but the franchise’s run of exceptional third-down receivers out of the backfield seems to have ended at least for now with James White’s retirement before last season.
Tyquan Thornton is the Patriots’ fastest player, but it feels like he’s still a step behind where he needs to be. DeVante Parker is a jump-ball threat who doesn’t get separation. Kendrick Bourne is an enigma. JuJu Smith-Schuster is a No. 2 who may be asked to be a No. 1.
Advertisement:
Perhaps Douglas will emerge. They’re kind of counting on it.
· Jabrill Peppers, perhaps my favorite under-the-radar Belichick pickup in recent years, looks ready to thrive in a bigger role in the secondary after the retirement of franchise stalwart Devin McCourty.
Thought it was interesting that McCourty said on the excellent “McCourty TwinCast” during the Patriots preseason opener that Kyle Dugger was a more consistent hitter, but that no one could deliver a harder one-time wallop than Peppers.
· You probably remember that Michigan’s Charles Woodson became the only primarily defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy when he beat out Tennessee’s Peyton Manning (not sure what happened to him, maybe went to the CFL?) in 1997. But did you remember how close fellow Wolverine Peppers came in 2016? He finished fifth, behind Louisville’s Lamar Jackson, Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, and Oklahoma receiver Dede Westbrook.
· The hunch here is that Malik Cunningham’s increased reps at quarterback — he reportedly had 10 total over the past two practices through Monday — has a little to do with preparing for Jalen Hurts in Week 1 and a lot to do with finding out if it’s worth putting a specific set of plays into the offense to take advantage of his breathtaking athleticism.
Advertisement:
· Still chuckle when thinking about the absurd Zappemania! last season, when the irresistible local comparison for Bailey Zappe was Doug Flutie, and then having Troy Aikman get a look at him on “Monday Night Football” and decide that he reminds him of … Bill Musgrave. Bet the traffic on Musgrave’s pro-football-reference page was an all-time high that night.
· Rodney Harrison popped up in the first episode of “Hard Knocks,” congratulating Jets legend and Patriots champion Darrelle Revis on his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. If you happened to watch that scene, I suspect your reaction was similar to mine: It’s a joke that Harrison isn’t already enshrined himself.
· A nod of admiration for Sony Michel, who called it a career at age 28 when he informed the Rams he was retiring at the end of July.
Yes, the Patriots should have instead taken his Georgia teammate Nick Chubb with the No. 31 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. But as uneven as Michel’s career ended up being — he seemed to have left his burst behind in Athens — he came through when the Patriots leaned on him the most, running for 336 yards and six touchdowns in three postseason games for the ‘18 champs.
Advertisement:
· Glad the Patriots signed Elliott, even if he’s no longer anything close to a dynamo. He can catch a pass, pick up a blitz, and give Stevenson a breather. He’ll help.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com