It’s been a very long season in regards to the Patriots offense. Despite a win on Monday night in Arizona that keeps the 7-6 Pats in postseason contention, the ongoing saga regarding their collective ineptitude on offense has been and continues to be the gift that keeps giving. The problem is, that like too many Christmas gifts throughout one’s lifetime, it’s a gift that nobody wants. Thanks for the socks and tie kids…
Locally, since the onset of training camp, it has been brutally apparent that the Patriots offense was at first a work in progress and has devolved into a season long failure. Only twice this entire season, has the Patriots offense scored more than two touchdowns in one game. Both happened during the first half of the season: Week 3 vs. Baltimore and then again in Week 6 vs. Cleveland. It’s now Week 15 of the NFL season…
Now the national media and even opposing coordinators are piling onto this season-long and brutally obvious narrative. Wins like Monday night still feel like losses to some degree as the offensive problems first observed in August really haven’t improved.
I think we all know the story. So today, rather than revisit the dead horse rolodex again, I’m taking a more solutions based approach. Based on what I’ve been seeing, I think it’s time to get back to basics. This Christmas, I’d like to see the Patriots offense looking less like 80’s teeny bopper Corey Haim in the movie Lucas and more like a functional NFL product.
To do so, it’s time to get back to basics.
Inspired by the great coaches of the past like Vince Lombardi, Coach Klein in the movie The Waterboy and Dodgeball Hall of Famer Patches O’Houlihan, I’ve outlined some plays that this Patriots offense may find less confusing and easier to execute. But first, let’s take a break from that lead-based paint and gain some insights from Patches O’Houlihan…
Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive and Dodge…
For the Pats, I think we should start with Block, Run, Pass, Catch and Block…and yes I wrote block twice.
Mac Jones’ pocket has been under duress since day one. Consistently collapsing from both sides due to the ongoing physical and mental absences of tackles Trent Brown and Isaiah Wynn. The line of scrimmage has been a big problem all year but it doesn’t end there. Throughout the season, pressure has come from the inside as well, particularly when the line’s anchor, David Andrews, was off the field.
The pressure has been there all season long, but over the last few weeks it’s literally come from all angles and as a result, the Pats’ offensive boat continues to take on water. So, getting back to basics will be of critical importance this Sunday in Vegas.
Block, run, pass, catch and block.
Below, I designed a few plays to help Matt Patricia and the Patriots offense remember that they actually do know how to play football. Neither Lombardi, Paul Brown nor Patches O’Houlihan are available to help any longer sadly, but thankfully, their innovation lives on in the Jedi scrolls of text found in the book, Football for Dummies, where these plays were sourced…
Blast or dive: The simplest of carries. Usually led by a blocking fullback, the running back takes a quick handoff from the quarterback and hits a hole between an offensive guard and a tackle. The offense calls this run when it needs a yard or two for a first down. The runner lowers his head and hopes to move the pile before the middle linebacker tackles him.
Seems like something the Pats can execute.
Looking for something more innovative? How about this?
Counter: An intentional misdirection run on the part of the offense. The quarterback fakes a lateral toss to one back who’s heading right, running parallel to the line of scrimmage. The quarterback then turns and hands off to the remaining runner in the backfield, generally a fullback, who runs toward the middle of the line, hoping to find an opening between either guard and the center.
Darn. The Pats don’t have a fullback. Scratch that. How about this one?
Draw: A disguised run, which means it initially looks like a pass play. The offensive linemen draw back like they’re going to pass-protect for the quarterback (QB). The quarterback then drops back and instead of setting up to pass, he turns and hands the ball to the runner.
“Disguised.” Yes. I love the deception. The defense will never see it coming and I think I’ve seen the Pats execute this one before…
Run left. Run right. Draw play.
This feels like a good place for our beloved Patriots to restart and get their offensive cohesion back. I’m not saying it will work, but I’m quite certain it’s a simple enough plan to at least execute and right now, execution is something I’ll happily take. That feels like a win for this sputtering offense.
To bring it all together I’d like to paraphrase the immortal Bobby Boucher, the socially challenged "water distribution engineer"/defensive end for the South-Central Louisiana State University Mud Dogs after a big season clinching win… “Coach, you got your manhood back.”
For Matt Patricia and the Patriots offense, we can only hope…
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