Film Review: Why the Patriots’ Offense Struggled this Preseason

The Patriots’ offense is not in a good place. At least that’s how it looked when we last saw them perform live.

After getting dominated for the majority of joint practices in Las Vegas, the Patriots’ starting offense needed multiple drives to find any sort of rhythm against the Raiders’ backups.

This punctuated a preseason where the offense has looked oddly disjointed following overhauls to the coaching staff, terminology, scheme.

Bill Belichick’s resume has afforded him the benefit of the doubt so it is reasonable to reserve judgment on coaching and terminology changes until Thanksgiving (or when they become impossible to ignore).

Though we can’t predict the future, preseason tape has provided a glimpse into what’s ailing the Patriots’ offense from schematic and personnel perspectives.

After reviewing all of the tape from New England’s starting offense through the final two weeks of the preseason, there are some clear causes for the offense’s early inefficiency.

Disclaimer: Everything in this article must be taken with a massive grain of salt. No team enters preseason ready to play a real game, and some take longer to gel than others. Preseason is also a time to try things, make mistakes, and learn what kind of team you have. One way or another, the team we have seen will not be the team that finishes the season.

Namaste.

COLE STRANGE

The Patriots’ 1st-round pick in this year’s draft, Cole Strange’s selection caused an uproar on draft night due to concerns over positional value, pedigree, and a lack of name recognition. But the guard’s college tape shows a supremely athletic player who dominated competition with prejudice, reveling in burying linemen and bullying backers. Despite lacking the thick lower half to drop anchor against power, he shows the flexibility and effort to recover when jolted.

Strange had his struggles against veterans in training camp, as should be expected of any rookie. But the first-year showed resilience, bouncing back from rough reps and showing consistent improvement.

Strange was exceptional in the preseason, blocking backups with ease and, for the most part, holding his own against starters. But there were also glaring losses that must be addressed. Two appeared to be communication errors, while another pair were individual losses.

The first miscommunication was a play-fake off of outside zone action that resulted in a brutal hit on the quarterback. David Andrews seemed to expect help from his left while sliding right, but Strange peeled off to assist backup tackle Yodny Cajuste and cleared a path into the backfield.

On the second mix-up, the Patriots were in a half-slide protection with Strange and Brown man blocking. Strange’s assignment attacks with an aggressive outside rush, hinting at a twist coming inside, but the guard sticks to his assignment. Brown can’t compensate to cut off edge pressure and Jones breaks the pocket for a first down. Linemen with history might have the awareness to exchange rushers in this situation, but New England’s unit is still growing with a first-year player.

Though it’s impossible to know assignments without knowing the play-call, Strange’s place between system veterans David Andrews and Trent Brown heavily suggest the rook was behind these breakdowns.

All that said, Strange did not look out of place with the starters and should make strides as the season progresses. 

 

ISAIAH WYNN

RT Isaiah Wynn had an interesting exhibition game against the Raiders. He received unfair criticism for some protection issues while flying under the radar for plays that probably deserved critique.

On the Patriots’ first 3rd down against Las Vegas, Wynn’s defender got into his chest, with the tackle possibly expecting more inside from Mike Onwenu, and allowed a flash of inside pressure. 

Jones saw this and tried rolling out toward his route progression, but Onwenu’s assist pushed the defender right into the passer. Wouldn’t put the blame for that play on any individual player. Just a whacky rep.

On the offense’s final drive against the Raiders, Wynn managed to push his edge rusher around the pocket after an initial loss. But Onwenu gets pushed so far back into the pocket that Jones had nowhere to step up.

Though Wynn wasn’t the main culprit behind either pressure, there were a pair of tough reps where he was walked back deep into the pocket. 

He may have also been responsible for a quarterback hit off a slot blitz, but tough to know for sure without knowing the protection.

OUTSIDE ZONE

If you take anything away from this article, understand that the Patriots may not begin to excel at outside zone until a month or two into the season–and that’s okay.

Most teams who run outside zone consistently are built specifically to run that scheme practice it more than anything else. High-level execution requires reps, chemistry, and constant communication. 

The Patriots were fortunate to keep their interior offensive line generally intact for over half a decade. But with Shaq Mason in Tompa Bay, Teddy Karras protecting the King of the North a.k.a. Joe Burrow, and a rookie starting from day one in Cole Strange, immediate impact isn’t realistic. 

Furthermore, Mike Onwenu isn’t a great fit for an outside zone scheme. Onwenu has been one of their best players since being drafted, but his uncommon athleticism is better served pulling on tosses or gap runs than trying to cross defenders’ faces on reach blocks.

It’s far too early to doom the outside zone experiment, but don’t expect success overnight.

(LACK OF) SEPARATION

“The Patriots can’t separate” narrative has been discussed ad nauseam, so I’m not here to beat a dead horse. New England also made moves to address their receiver issues in trading for DeVante Parker and drafting Tyquan Thornton. 

Thornton wasn’t expected to have a significant impact right out of the gate. But the rookie quickly earned first team reps, giving the offense a much-needed spark with his infamous speed and underrated quickness. Unfortunately, a collarbone injury has landed him on short-term injured reserve, likely until October.

His absence, exacerbated by Jakobi Meyers suffering his own injury against the Raiders, appeared to limit the offense’s potency. The only consistent elements of the passing offense were quick hitters with minimal yards after catch. 

Rhamondre Stevenson has been vocal about his goal to become the team’s new receiving back, but he’s also been slow to present himself out of the backfield in some crucial moments.

Kendrick Bourne caught some nice passes in tight coverage and big moments, but we have yet to see the fire he showed in a niche role last season. 

Issues with route spacing also popped up, with players breaking in such proximity they essentially covered themselves.

On the bright side, Nelson Agholor could have a rebirth after being freed from the on-ball boundary receiver role. Agholor’s deep reception against the Panthers was a rare preseason highlight for the starters, and he showed flashes as an underneath receiver.

DEEP BREATHS

Once again, it’s important to emphasize that we are working with a minuscule sample size. I have have yet to see what New England truly has up its sleeve; and an off-season of turnover was bound to rock the boat. 

Time will tell how the Patriots adapt to change and respond to what currently feels like overwhelming adversity.

So until Thanksgiving, in Belichick we trust.