https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/tnxxe7_1.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\nHere\u2019s another example where the Pats fail to pass off a T\/E stunt by the Saints. This time, Kpassagnon takes Onwenu by surprise and muscles through him to Jones for a sack. Again, if Onwenu saw or anticipated this T\/E coming faster, maybe he braces himself for contact with Kpassagnon and doesn\u2019t lose positioning on the block.<\/p>\n
Although there\u2019s nothing Jones can do about those pressures, there were instances where the Pats\u2019 rookie made life tougher on his offensive line.<\/p>\n
“He’s part of the protection. There’s no question. We’ve always talked about it that way, where it’s not just their job to protect him wherever the heck he wants to go,\u201d Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels told CLNS Media.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey’re trying to protect him where they believe he’ll be. And then he has to move and manipulate the pocket to allow the blockers, whether they be tight ends, linemen, or backs, to block the rushers and blitzers in a manner that allows him to continue to read the play out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jones is a rookie who will learn these nuances of the game with more experience. However, as McDaniels said, Jones is part of the protection. He needs to master moving around the pocket and have tremendous spatial awareness because he is a pocket passer.<\/p>\n
Finding the soft spots in the pocket, maneuvering around rushers with his eyes downfield, knowing his tackles\u2019 landmarks, and dropping to the appropriate depths. All of that goes into it.<\/p>\n
Pocket awareness and movement is next-level quarterbacking, so this aspect of the protection issues shouldn\u2019t be overblown into some major storyline that pinpoints Jones as the problem.<\/p>\n
Still, part of the learning process for Jones is keeping himself clean and helping out his O-Line.<\/p>\n
The Patriots have the pieces to improve in pass protection, especially once Trent Brown returns as the starting right tackle; this is not a talent issue but a mental and awareness problem.<\/p>\n
New England\u2019s backs also had issues in blitz pick-up, which were physical, not mental. With James White sidelined for a while with a hip injury, defenses will attack them there.<\/p>\n
One idea to potentially cover up the backs in blitz pick-up is to use tight end Jonnu Smith out of the backfield. Throwing \u201chot\u201d to the backs to beat the blitz is another option, rather than keeping them in the protection.<\/p>\n
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick\u2019s comments that the offensive line play wasn\u2019t \u201cthat bad\u201d given the number of drop-backs for Jones, 56, is not entirely false. The pressures do add up in a hurry when you\u2019re playing from behind.<\/p>\n
However, this offensive line is capable of playing better than it has in the first three games.<\/p>\n
LEFTOVER FILM NOTES FROM PATS VS. SAINTS<\/h3>\n1. Identifying When Mac Jones is Checking In and Out of Plays<\/h5>\n
Trying to guess when Mac Jones is checking in and out of plays is a fool’s errand. Several different variables might make Mac \u201calert\u201d something or move a piece around, so we are guessing. All we can know is Jones himself admitted that he needs to stick to the play that is called more often in the red zone.<\/p>\n
2. Ranking the Issues in the Red Zone for the Patriots Offense<\/h5>\n
If we had to rank the issues for the Patriots offense in the red zone, they would be as follows: 1. Play-calling, 2. Utilizing the tight ends and 3. Lack of motion. Whether it was Jones or McDaniels, the runs to Bolden were inexcusable, as is the fact that Smith and Henry, two excellent red-zone weapons, are non-factors inside the 20. I keep harping on the motion point, but it was obvious watching Sunday night\u2019s game between the Packers and 49ers. Those two teams get their receivers and blockers advantageous angles by motioning pre-snap. Plus, when the vertical element disappears in the condensed red zone, you have to stretch the defense horizontally. That\u2019s where motion can help. Here\u2019s a stat for you from PFF\u2019s Louie Benjamin:<\/p>\n
Patriots pre-snap motion rate\/ranking in 2019: 64.4% (third-most in NFL)
\nPatriots pre-snap motion rate\/ranking since 2020: 47.7% (17th in NFL)<\/p>\n
Why does a team go from one of the most motion-heavy offenses in the NFL to the middle of the pack? The obvious answer is that Brady gave them schematic freedoms that Cam Newton and Mac don\u2019t due to their inexperience in the system. But McDaniels told CLNS Media that we were looking too much into it:<\/p>\n
“We haven’t done anything different in that regard. Some games we choose to motion more than others. I think that’s probably fairly consistent throughout the league. Maybe there’s something that you’re doing with the snap count, what have you, that precludes you from using motion a little bit more. Sometimes you want to look at the coverage or whatever. There’s a lot of reasons you could or couldn’t use it. But there’s no ulterior motive on that. We still motion. We want to motion. We try to use motion to help your team or help your skill players gain an advantage if you can. So that would continue to be the case at some point.”<\/p>\n
3. Pats Secondary Playing as a Well-Connected Unit Already<\/h5>\n
Moving over to the defense, there were two coverage busts on the Saints\u2019 first touchdown drive, but they cleaned those up as the game went along. Overall, it\u2019s impressive that a secondary with a new addition (Jalen Mills) playing such a significant role is tying things together nicely on the backend. Sure, there are one-on-one losses like any defense. But they\u2019re limiting big plays by staying connected.<\/p>\n