The Patriots starting offense struggled mightily in their preseason finale loss against the Raiders Friday night. Worst of all, they couldn’t even execute simple passing or running plays.
ESPN NFL analyst and former quarterback Dan Orlovsky pinpointed the most worrying sign from the Patriots’ sorry performance in their 23-6 loss.
“The Patriots better get some stuff together, offensively. I know it’s the preseason, but they look rough to watch,” he said, via Boston.com. “They called the same pass concept five times in like the first 20 plays of the game. A go route up top with a drive at the bottom – it was relatively the same concept. This is basic stuff that they keep missing on. I talked last week that their offensive line played poorly. Their offensive line played worse this past game.”
The offensive line has arguably been their biggest weakness all training camp, with the Patriots changing out personnel and lacking a traditional coach. Matt Patricia, who’s been assigned the offensive line, is also the offense’s primary play-caller.
Orlovsky pointed out one play in particular — Jones getting crushed from the right side after unleashing a deep pass — that shows the Patriots just aren’t ready upfront.
“No one even looks at the nickel blitzing,” said Orlovsky. “These are their starting offensive lineman. This is a good group that’s played a lot of football. The quarterback takes a shot on a go route. He goes 1-2-3-4-5, hitch, ball out and he’s getting hit.”
While Jones finished Friday’s game completing 9-of-13 passes for 71 yards with an interception, most of his success came when he was working out of the shotgun, just like the previous week against Carolina.
In other words, it came when the Patriots weren’t trying to implement their new offensive scheme. It’s also easier for the O-line to pass protect when a quarterback is standing in shotgun.
Orlovsky emerged as one of the Patriots’ leading critics this offseason, rightfully questioning their bizarre coaching setup. The offensive line needs serious work, but they may not have the coaches who can coach them up.
Please come back, Dante Scarnecchia!
