{"id":58812,"date":"2020-11-05T22:45:55","date_gmt":"2020-11-06T03:45:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/?p=58812"},"modified":"2021-08-30T05:05:17","modified_gmt":"2021-08-30T05:05:17","slug":"patriots-game-plan-pats-must-evaluate-current-quarterback-situation-by-seasons-end","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/patriots-game-plan-pats-must-evaluate-current-quarterback-situation-by-seasons-end\/","title":{"rendered":"Patriots Game Plan: Pats Must Evaluate Current Quarterback Situation By Seasons End"},"content":{"rendered":"

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick didn\u2019t conduct a fire-sale of his best assets as some were hoping for at Tuesday\u2019s trade deadline.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, it takes two sides to reach an agreement in a trade, and the seller’s market at the deadline wasn\u2019t robust due to future implications on the salary cap and other COVID-19 factors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With uncertainty surrounding the 2021 season, teams were reluctant to give up draft capital and take on future contracts, making it challenging to trade blue-chip players at the deadline.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Stephon Gilmore, Joe Thuney, and other win-now veterans remain on the roster, which begs the question, what exactly is the plan for the rest of New England’s season?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Football Outsiders, the Patriots currently have an 8% chance to make the playoffs, meaning Belichick is risking landing in purgatory by competing for the rest of the way.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, New England\u2019s schedule, which was the sixth-toughest to start the season, gets considerably easier with the ninth-easiest opponent DVOA in the final nine games.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although the head coach himself admits that the Patriots roster is flawed, Belichick\u2019s team does enough things well to expect at least a competitive second half of the season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Pats have one of the NFL\u2019s best rushing offenses, their pass-defense is trending upwards, and first and second-year reinforcements are potential sparks on both sides of the ball.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As crazy as it sounds, with Belichick, we cannot rule out Monday night\u2019s contest against the Jets turning the tide for a resurgent back-nine that puts the Patriots in the playoff mix.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, evaluating their roster with an eye towards the future, starting at quarterback, is at the very top of the priority list for the Patriots in their final nine games.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

New England needs to find out if Cam Newton is a part of the solution moving forward, or are they aggressively in the market for a quarterback next offseason? Jarrett Stidham could also become a factor later in the season to gain experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Pats should and probably will continue to add quarterbacks, but deciding if Newton is the bridge to the next guy or a one-year experiment should be a priority.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After struggling in three consecutive starts, Newton had his best performance since the first two weeks of the season in the Bills’ loss last week, despite how things ended.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Newton produced his highest EPA per drop-back, Pro Football Focus grade, QBR, and adjusted completion percentage in Buffalo with a much better game-plan from Josh McDaniels.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Following the loss to the 49ers, Newton said he was \u201cthinking\u201d too much on the field, something he put on himself but was more about play-calling and a failure to adapt to Newton\u2019s strengths.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Patriots called play-action 53.6 percent of the time, used bootlegs and other moving pockets, dialed up six RPOs, and seven read-options to make Newton comfortable against Buffalo.<\/span><\/p>\n

Plus, McDaniels finally got aggressive by throwing the ball on 51 percent of first and second-downs, a noticeable shift from a conservative run-first approach.<\/span><\/p>\n

If play-caller and QB can continue to merge their styles, maybe the Pats will have a future with Newton. If not, they need to move on, and answering that question is critical down the stretch.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s craft a game plan for the Patriots as they\u2019ll face the winless New York Jets on Monday night in the Meadowlands:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

WHEN THE PATRIOTS HAVE THE BALL<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n

As we mentioned, last week\u2019s play-calling by offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was a great fit for Newton\u2019s skillset and utilized their available personnel properly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n