We've talked a lot about the Patriots' changing offensive scheme, whether or not it fits with Mac Jones, and who's calling its plays over the past few weeks.
Friday's preseason game against the Carolina Panthers finally gave us an opportunity to see what it looked like with the first-team offense on field after Preseason Week 1 seemed to feature more of the "old" New England offense with the backups.
Things got off to an inauspicious start as the first two drives went three-and-out, though that had more to do with poor execution -- dropped passes, missed blocks, errant throws by Mac Jones, etc. -- than actual play design.
But the Patriots' third drive got the ball rolling in a positive way and provided a few snapshots of what this new scheme can do when Jones and Co. get it right.
-The advent of the RPO?
The Patriots have been teasing RPO ("run-pass option") packages throughout training camp and have now given a few of these quick-hitting plays a try in game situations.
Here, Jones is reading the slot defender (Myles Hartsfield) to determine whether to hand off to Ty Montgomery or pass; if Hartsfield stays home on Jakobi Meyers, Jones gives the ball, and vice versa.
Hartsfield slides inside to blitz Jones on second down, making the decision academic. Meyers makes a man miss and picks up four yards to set up a manageable third down. (If this was a called play versus a scripted one, that’s a good one from Matt Patricia, by the way.)
It doesn’t look like much, but Jones thrives on RPOs just like this one in college. They play to his strengths, affording him one or two quick reads to make and prioritizing getting the ball out of his hands.
Though you don’t necessarily want to have an NFL offense based solely around RPOs, incorporating them more than New England did last year will only benefit Jones.
-A good outside zone run(?!)
After all the headaches with installing the fabled wide-zone scheme in practice, the Patriots finally put together a rep that showed you how it’s supposed to look last Friday.
First off, note the tight, bunched set on the right side of the formation, which includes Smith. This is a staple of a Sean McVay-esque offense in the run game especially, creating numbers advantages near the line of scrimmage for the offense.
That’s clear here as Smith is able to seal defensive end Marquis Haynes, allowing Michael Onwenu and James Ferentz to get a strong double team on the defensive tackle before Ferentz climbs to the linebacker level.
David Andrews cuts off Bravvion Roy to help open up the play's built-in backside lane, and Tyquan Thornton (with some pre-snap guidance from Meyers) reaches Hartsfield and prevents the defensive back from blowing up the cutback crease.
Cole Strange, meanwhile, lunges and semi-whiffs in space but gets just enough of linebacker Brandon Smith to gift Montgomery a few extra yards.
It’s not all perfect — looking at Strange here, in particular. But that’s an honest-to-God six-yard run on an outside zone where just about everyone did their jobs well, and no one came close to touching the running back for several seconds as a result.
-Jones, Nelson Agholor go long.
When teams throw man coverage at the Patriots, Jones must be prepared to punish them, and he typically was more willing to take shots in those situations as a rookie.
Here, he queues up a shot to Agholor on a go route for 45 yards.
The name of this game is eye manipulation. Jones holds the single-high safety (Juston Burris) at the top of his drop and teases the threat of throwing the over route to Meyers, whom teams know Jones loves to target. By the time Burris realizes Jones' intentions to throw deep to Agholor, who wins cleanly off the line of scrimmage against Keith Taylor Jr., the safety is too out of position to affect the throw.
This play is as much about Jones not giving away the game too soon as it is Agholor winning his route and getting up the field. Interestingly, it was Agholor who was streaking down the field with a step on the defense just so when Micah Hyde read Jones and swiped the young quarterback in the AFC Wildcard game.
The safety had no chance here because Jones made it harder on him both with his process and with a perfect throw. That’s growth.
