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he New England Patriots spent a week in Las Vegas and some former players who have found a new home gave their take on New England’s new-look offense.
After spending seven seasons with the Patriots, safety Duron Harmon has found a new home with the Raiders. After spending one season a piece in Detroit and Atlanta, Harmon is now in Las Vegas alongside Josh McDaniels.
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Harmon played in over 100 games for New England and tallied 175 tackles and 17 interceptions. He won three Super Bowls and was a key part of the Patriots secondary.
But now opposite New England, Harmon noted one difference he saw in the Patriots new offense when speaking with the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan.
“The stacks and motions, we all know that’s big in Josh’s offense. We get that every day when we practice here. Their empty (formation package) is the same. I would just say it’s more so how they’re attacking,” Harmon told the Herald. “They obviously can run the ball, and I think they’re making a big emphasis on being able to run the ball because they’ve got really good backs, and they want to get them the ball.
“And that’s the main difference. Really sticking to bigger personnel, and then when they want to throw the ball, they can go to lighter personnel.”
What Else Did Harmon Notice?
The former Patriot also noticed a certain mentality among players in New England which should suit the team considering their roster.
“Physical team. I’d say that’s the main thing. Physical team, they want to run the ball, and do their job, and make plays,” Harmon said. “They want to make plays on the outside. They want to be a physical offense, and they have the personnel to be a physical offense. They did a good job of making us have to stand up to them.”
What Did McDaniels Have to Say?
With McDaniels becoming the head coach of the Raiders, a massive hole was left on New England’s sideline. Joe Judge and Matt Patricia will be doing a lot of heavy lifting on offense in terms of coaching.
McDaniels gave his thoughts on his replacements when speaking with the media out in Las Vegas.
“I think at the end of the day, Bill has a plan for whatever he wants to do,” the Raiders coach said when asked about how the Patriots are succeeding him. “That plan sometimes — he has foresight that some of the rest of us don’t have. I didn’t have it when he pushed me ahead and helped me do that. I’ve got a lot of friends over there, I’ve got a lot of people over there that I have a tremendous amount of respect for. Coaching is coaching. You learn something new every day. I don’t have every answer on offense. I don’t have every answer on defense or in the special teams area. That’s why you have a staff: So you work together and try to produce the best result you can.”
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Former Patriot Explains ‘Main Difference’ in New England’s Offense