The Patriots May (just may) Be Back

Bill O’Brien got his start in coaching in 1993 as the Tight Ends Coach for the Cleveland Browns. He went on to lead various position groups at both the professional and collegiate levels before joining the New England Patriots in 2007 on the offensive staff. He called plays for the team in 2011, and despite a diverse background of coaching positions, his roots remain in the tight end position. He led the best tight end duo of all time in 2011, composed of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, before developing future NFL stalwart Jesse James at Penn State. Bill O’Brien appreciates the Tight End position.

And now, this year, it will be a hugely important task to utilize Mike Gesicki and Hunter Henry in the Patriots’ offense. Both players are vital offensive pieces in an offense that simply must look nothing like last year. Yes, the team is reliant on quarterback play, but it seems more reliant on Offensive line play. Their reliance is part of the reason New England will play so many dual-tight-end sets this year- because the offensive line could be a glaring weakness. The Patriots are plenty solid at running back, particularly after the cheap addition of former pro-bowler Ezekiel Elliot, and the wide receivers, with the expectation that 2nd year receiver Tyquan Thorton makes a significant leap, should be plenty serviceable.

The slot combo of Kendrick Bourne and Juju Smith-Schuster could be one of the best interior duos in the league. On the offensive side of the football, it simply comes down to whether or not the tackle play is adequate enough to give Mac Jones the opportunity to succeed. Jones is not a quarterback who will extend the play. He is not a quarterback who should be improvising. He is an old-school, “make a read and deliver a pass” type of quarterback. And that’s fine. I absolutely believe he can be successful and can lead a championship caliber football team.

But, and this is a huge but, O’Brien and new Offensive Line Coach Adrian Clemm must have the pass protection ready to go. Trent Brown must bounce back after his brutal season, and it’s really hard to count on that to happen. Brown’s penalties and overall mentality seem to be a major concern. The personnel at the other tackle spot, most likely occupied by free-agent signing Riley Reiff or Conor Mcdermott, just don’t feel strong enough to hold up. The interior line is fine- David Andrews with Cole Strange and Michael Onwenu alongside him is plenty solid- but the tackles will require a miracle coaching job by Clemm and O’Brien to give New England a chance. This is a unit that allowed 41 sacks last year, but the pressure numbers were strikingly worse. And, hidden to most, the run blocking statistics identified this unit as a bottom ten group in the league. The brilliance of Rhamondre Stevenson masked most of these problems, but there are miscues that can’t be slipped under the table again this season.

The defensive end of this team is simply not an issue. The Front 7 can be a top unit in the league. Pro-bowler Matt Judon and his 15.5 sacks rejoins 11.5 sack man Josh Uche on the outside to form one of the most formidable duos in the league. Lawrence Guy and Christian Barmore remain two of the most underrated interior lineman in the league, especially in run-stop situations. Ja’Whaun Bentley only continues to develop and brings elite leadership at the linebacker position, and the secondary, which struggled last year against the top wideouts in the league, have a true CB1 in first round pick Christian Gonzalaz to elevate themselves even further. In theory, his success should push Jonathan Jones and Jalen Mills into positions where they can find greater success.

The point of all of this is, I don’t care what the media is saying. The personnel in New England is plenty good enough to succeed. Mac Jones is capable of winning big games frequently. And, of course, Bill Belichick is still calling the shots, and will continue to pull the best out of his group. And the AFC East, well, feels overrated. The Dolphins defense is worse than last year and Tua Tagovailoa remains a wild card. The Bills are spiraling. And the Jets, even with an aging Aaron Rodgers, are very much still the Jets. They haven’t won against New England in 13 games, and I’ll believe it when I see it. Believe in this group. Believe in Bill. There is no reason not to.

George Lenness