FOXBORO — No Mac Jones. No starters.
Talk about taking the chew out of the primary preseason recreation. The Patriots fielded largely rookies and backups in opposition to the Giants on Thursday, giving followers a wholesome dose of unknown quarterback Bailey Zappe and vast receiver Tyquan Thornton.
Granted, the starters don’t are likely to see a lot time within the exhibition opener. But given how poorly the offense has appeared normally, sending Jones and the beginning unit out for a sequence or two may not have been the worst factor.
Judging how their offense appeared the previous few weeks, they want all of the reps they will get to kind out all the problems which have plagued the unit because the begin of coaching camp. Just a few reps, if solely to assist get the system down with the communication between Jones and the play-caller Matt Patricia, who seemed to be calling the performs, may need been worthwhile.
Bill Belichick felt in any other case.
It’s potential he didn’t assume the offense was prepared for recreation motion in opposition to an precise opponent. Maybe he noticed hazard in placing Jones on the market with an offensive line that hasn’t fairly grasped the brand new scheme. Maybe he thought extra hurt than good would come of it, given how slowly the transition is taking to not solely set up a brand new offense, however grasp it with some measure of confidence.
So on some ranges, that is sensible.
But that rationalization, in itself, offers motive for pause and concern concerning the state of Jones and the Patriots offense. It lends to extra criticism and scrutiny about dumping the outdated difficult offense — which Jones mastered — in favor of a totally new scheme; one with easier language and dynamics, to assist the gamers and the coaches who’re putting in an offense for the primary time. Yes, which means Patricia, the offensive line coach and de facto coordinator, and quarterbacks coach Joe Judge.
It’s not the very best look having the replacements for Josh McDaniels additionally studying what they’re educating, to not point out transferring to a unique scheme to bail out coaches who couldn’t coach the outdated scheme. Because that’s the way it appears.
But let’s minimize to the chase.
Belichick can’t dodge the inevitable. He wants to seek out out if the brand new offense and accompanying zone-blocking scheme goes to work. He has to get a greater sense quickly if it’s going to work, or if he must scrap some or all of it.
For the document, Brian Hoyer began at quarterback with a solid of roster wannabes. The offensive didn’t look horrible on the primary sequence, however nonetheless punted nonetheless.
In any case, after taking a cross on the primary recreation, and utilizing it to additional consider among the newbies on the roster, subsequent week looms as an enormous week.
Belichick can’t disguise Jones and the beginning offense from the joint observe periods with the Panthers. He additionally gained’t give up one other preseason recreation, with simply two remaining on the docket.
We’ll get the very best thought the place that is all headed in opposition to the Panthers, and the next week within the joint practices in opposition to the Raiders out in Las Vegas. Jones mentioned final week the group was nonetheless on the level of attempting to “iron everything out.”
They are clearly behind, however the joint practices ought to assist velocity up the method. In principle a minimum of.
Belichick has lengthy been a fan of joint practices. He mentioned groups typically achieve much more from these matchups, than an precise preseason recreation. Jones, for his half, did his greatest to convey confidence and buy-in with the brand new offense, and that finally, they’d all make it work.
“I think right now there’s nothing to focus on besides watching the tape and figuring out what we can do better,” Jones mentioned Tuesday. “You can all the time assume issues, however, I’ve been in numerous offenses, and a number of guys on our crew have, and we really feel assured about it. And that simply has to come back with reps, and in-game reps, too.
“We have to see it on tape and see how it looks and — the buy-in has to be the buy-in. You have to trust it. But at the end of the day, we’re going to figure it out and make this thing work. We have good coaches that are laying the path for us, and we just have to see it how they see it, and come together and dominate together.”
On the floor, the coaches simply didn’t have sufficient buy-in to compete in opposition to the Giants within the pre-season opener. They put that off to subsequent week.
We’ll see if the technique works.
Source: www.bostonherald.com