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The takes are harsh on the New England Patriots these days.
After the team was beaten soundly in every facet of American football by the Las Vegas Raiders 26-3 in the preseason finale, there was no shortage of hot takes themed with doom and gloom reactions and projections for the upcoming 2022 campaign.
ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky and the Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard performed their tag-team finisher on the Patriots in reaction to one play. Neither man could resist stating how unfavorably the current Patriots compare to the teams from better years in franchise history.
Bedard’s quip: “don’t know who these guys are anymore” was especially noteworthy.
Is this an indication of what the Patriots will look like during the regular season? Is this also just a preview of the season-long beating Bill Belichick and Co. will take from media members if things continue heading downhill?
Can the Patriots Turn These Around in the Regular Season?
The easy answer to that question is yes, anything is possible. However, that doesn’t mean that the turnaround is likely. Most aren’t simply overreacting to preseason failure.
Experienced followers of the pigskin understand the final results of preseason games aren’t all that important. For the Patriots, the way they’re failing has many worried.
Candid Criticisms of the Patriots’ Offense
Bedard pointed out in great detail how confused and uninspired the Patriots’ offensive line looks after an entire training camp and three preseason games. Here are a few of his assessments on key O-linemen.
“Mike Onwenu: Having a tough time with the zone blocking,” Bedard wrote. “He’s a power blocker.”
After a stellar rookie season and a solid sophomore year, the third-year guard suddenly looks more lost than he has in any of his previous two seasons. Is that on him, coaching, or a combination of both?
“Trent Brown: On some plays, you wonder what he’s doing and if he’s really trying,” Bedard wrote.
Questioning a player’s effort is always an eye-popping assertion. It is even more noteworthy when the player is as popular and respected as Brown.
“Isaiah Wynn: Lack of attention to detail in his craft,” Bedard wrote. “Same thing for multiple years.”
Considering that these assessments are connected to three players slated to start on New England’s offensive line is cause for concern.
Orlovsky went in deep into the audio from the tweet linked above.
“The Patriots better get some stuff together, offensively. I know it’s the preseason, but they look rough to watch,” Orlovsky said. “They called the same pass concept five times in like the first 20 plays of the game. A go route up top with a drive at the bottom – it was relatively the same concept. This is basic stuff that they keep missing on. I talked last week that their offensive line played poorly. Their offensive line played worse this past game.”
Orlovsky’s criticism isn’t even aimed at the offensive line as much as they are at the coaching and perhaps the team’s lack of preparedness. Orlovsky’s assessment accuses the Patriots of a lack of the necessary diversity to confuse an NFL defense.
Conventional wisdom suggests the Patriots won’t be able to get things cleaned up in time for their Week 1 clash with the Miami Dolphins on September 11. The Patriots don’t have the luxury of a veteran quarterback to help smooth things out.
Mac Jones is as hard-working as they come, but he’s still a second-year signal-caller with questionable arm strength. Furthermore, the issues could last throughout the regular season, meaning New England could find itself out of the playoffs this season.
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