The Patriots actually made a press release final week with their masterful fourth-quarter drive to shut out the Steelers.
It was a 13-play march that killed the ultimate six minutes of the sport and preserved a three-point victory.
Between energy runs, and some exterior zone runs combined in, the Patriots muscled their technique to a win. It was ground-and-pound at its most interesting, and showcased what the group does properly.
But does that imply the Patriots are going to be a group that depends extra on working the soccer? Will they be run-dominant in a passing league?
Doubt it.
Mac Jones will nonetheless be throwing the ball round loads. And, he’ll be supported by that run recreation. But that doesn’t imply the run recreation gained’t take cost every now and then.
They’ll run if the opponent dictates them going run-first, and so they’ll run if the sport scenario requires it. Against the Ravens, search for the Patriots to focus extra on an aerial assault.
Count on Jones to benefit from the Baltimore secondary, which collapsed towards the Dolphins final week. Based on the Ravens’ efficiency to this point, it is smart for him to air it out. The Ravens have surrendered probably the most passing yards within the NFL after the primary two video games.
They’ll present a little bit of stability and attempt to get the run recreation going towards a Ravens entrance that’s proved weak on the perimeters. They’ll run to enrich the passing recreation. And, they’ll run if they’ve a lead within the fourth quarter.
That’s why it supplied such a lift to see the Patriots shut out a recreation final week with out placing the soccer within the air.
CBS analyst Charles Davis, who referred to as the sport from Pittsburgh, was impressed with the hassle.
“If you look around the league, there were quite a few teams on Sunday that didn’t know how to close out games. But New England did,” mentioned Davis. “Teams who should have had hammer locks on their games wound up getting beat. I think with the Patriots, it’s part of their DNA, understanding situational football, and knowing how to close at the end.”
Having an efficient run recreation simply helps in so some ways. It units up the passing recreation, takes some stress off Jones, and makes it so he doesn’t need to put the ball up 40-50 instances per week.
And, in the event that they put in additional play-action, faking the run, that ought to assist receivers get open.
Davis agreed.
“The run game is vital, especially for them,” mentioned Davis. “You’re not going to go three wides, and have groups terrified at what you’re throwing at them with their receivers. Teams respect their receivers. But I don’t suppose anybody’s going to be afraid of their receivers.
“So you really don’t want Mac to go pitch it around 50 times. That doesn’t work for them. That’s not who they are. And it’s not who he is as a quarterback.”
With good blocking up entrance, Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson can run for days. And with Harris and Stevenson confidently shifting the chains, it buys time for the passing recreation to get on monitor with a brand new play-caller, new terminology and ostensibly, a brand new offense. It permits for Jones and his receivers to iron out the kinks.
But in the long term, the passing recreation must rule. It must be the first staple of the offense, with the run recreation using shotgun.
Against the Dolphins, the Patriots have been compelled to throw extra as a result of they have been behind in each quarter. Against the Steelers, the Pats ran it greater than they did towards the Fins – that final drive largely accountable – however Jones nonetheless had extra go makes an attempt total.
So the Pats aren’t going again to the stone age. They aren’t reinventing the wheel. Like all the time, they’ll go to the fastball – David Andrews’ time period for the run recreation – every time the necessity arises.
Speaking with the not too long ago retired James White, the previous Patriots third-down again believes groups can begin out being a run-first outfit, however finally, they’ll need to run and go to win.
“The best teams are able to do both,” mentioned White.
White didn’t sound too apprehensive about how issues would shake out offensively for the Patriots.
“I think they’re already a pretty solid offense,” he mentioned. “You don’t have to put up 400 yards to be a good offense. Score in a timely manner, capitalize on turnovers, score in the red zone, and win in situational football. That’s what it’s about and I think they’re extremely good at that.”
With respect to the latter, they couldn’t do a lot better than what they completed final week. They have been in a position to run the soccer, when everybody on the Steelers sideline knew they have been going to run the soccer. It was situational soccer at its most interesting.
NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger referred to as the clock-killing drive “Masterpiece Theater.”
During his media session Thursday, Stevenson mentioned that drive was a great confidence booster for the group.
He additionally mentioned he felt like he and Harris, together with the remainder of the backs within the room, have solely scratched the floor of what they’re able to doing.
“I feel like that’s safe to say,” Stevenson mentioned. “I feel like me, Damien and everybody else in the running back room has a lot more to show. It’s early in the season. I think we’re just going to pound the pavement and we’re going to have those games, we’re going to string them along and produce.”
White excessive on his replacements
Ty Montgomery had just about taken over White’s function because the third-down again, however was positioned on injured reserve previous to the Steelers recreation.
Last week, each Harris and Stevenson have been on the sector at totally different instances, serving that function.
“Both guys can do it. I just think whoever’s out on the field, is going to stay there,” mentioned White. “They both have improved dramatically since their rookie seasons as far as being better overall players, and not just being out there on first and second downs. They’ve improved when it comes to learning the protections, blocking guys up and being able to catch the football.”
White, who’s now serving as a radio analyst for Sports USA, famous that Jones appears to be like for each Harris and Stevenson in a pinch, and so they’ve transformed by turning quick passes into first downs. They’ve additionally completed properly with blitz pickup.
On Stevenson: “He’s just scratching the surface. He’s still learning. But I think he can turn into a special, special player.”
No panic in Cincinnati
During his media availability on Wednesday, Joe Burrow did his greatest to get Bengals followers off the ledge.
The Bengals quarterback says there’s no want for anybody to be in panic mode given the group’s 0-2 begin, shedding to the Steelers and Cowboys. He’s assured that the group, losers in Super Bowl LVI to the Rams, will rebound.
“Everyone is frustrated, but we aren’t panicking,” Burrow mentioned. “We are two games in. We’ve got 15 games left. Let’s all just take a deep breath and relax. We are going to be fine. We aren’t worried about it.”
The Bengals just about revamped its whole offensive line after Burrow was sacked an NFL-high 51 instances final season. Thus far, the modifications haven’t helped, because the franchise quarterback has been sacked a league-high 13 instances via the primary two video games.
Asiasi to debut
Former Patriots tight finish Devin Asiasi, who was claimed off waivers by the Bengals, is anticipated to make his debut with the group towards the New York Jets.
Tight ends coach James Casey, who favored Asiasi in the course of the 2020 draft, is assured the previous UCLA star will fare properly.
“He’s one of those well-rounded guys I like. He can run routes and catch it as well as block. You can put him in the game and he can do more than one thing,” Casey mentioned, through Bengals.com. “He’s smart and he cares about it, which is the biggest thing. I think he’ll surprise some people with his speed and movement.”
Asiasi, in the meantime, has been impressed by Burrow and the general tradition within the Bengals locker room.
“Good kid. Confident kid. All these guys rally to him, so that’s a real good thing,” Asiasi mentioned of Burrow. “The thing I really like about these guys and this team is they all seem to look out for each other, help each other, in the tight end room, the special teams room, whatever it is.”
Vrabel helps workers
The Titans are one other shock 0-2 group. There’s been an outcry from group observers to have offensive coordinator Todd Downing canned.
The offense has scored simply three touchdowns. Even with Derek Henry, the run recreation has struggled whereas the passing recreation hasn’t been a lot better.
Head coach Mike Vrabel, nonetheless, doesn’t really feel any strikes must be made. Last week, he spoke out in help of Downing, and careworn that he had no intention of constructing teaching modifications.
Vrabel mentioned firing Downing, or some other coach, is “not something that’s going to happen right now.”
“I have confidence in our staff,” Vrabel mentioned, through the Tennessean. “I have confidence in the guys that we put out there. We have to continue to coach and execute better. … I appreciate everybody’s opinion, but I have to make sure that everybody here – players and coaches – are all aligned and I know that they are. That’s how you get things fixed and you win a game.”
“We have to understand who we are and what we believe in and what we’ve had success in in the past. This isn’t all of a sudden a time for wholesale changes,” Vrabel mentioned. “This is about getting back to basics and what we believe in and what we’ve had success in and making sure that everybody sees it the same way that I do . . . Now is not the time for self-preservation. This is the time for rallying around each other, getting with people that you believe in and people that you trust.”
Jimmy G lauds QB coach
Interesting to listen to Jimmy Garoppolo, who returned because the 49ers starter final week after Trey Lance left with a damaged ankle, speak about first-year quarterbacks coach Brian Griese, a former NFL quarterback.
“He sees the game as a quarterback. He sees the game similarly and it’s nice to have him in the room,” Garoppolo mentioned throughout his media session Wednesday. “It’s tough to coach a quarterback. You’ve got to see it the same way as him, which a lot of guys think they do, but they don’t, maybe. He has the experience being on the field, being in those moments. It’s nice to have a guy like that around.”
Naturally, it’s straightforward to consider Patriots quarterbacks coach Joe Judge, who works with Mac Jones. Judge was a backup quarterback at Mississippi State. Not fairly the identical expertise quotient Griese brings to the desk.
Source: www.bostonherald.com