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While the New England Patriots offense looked a lot better in Week 2 it doesn’t mean that the changes in the offseason worked to perfection.
With the departure of Josh McDaniels, New England’s offense got a massive overhaul. Matt Patricia and Joe Judge have been handed the keys to the offense. The installation of the Shanahan-style blocking scheme and the emphasis on more stretch runs got off to a rough start.
In training camp, the Patriots offense struggled and the same could be said of the preseason performances. Two games into the regular season, New England is headed in the right direction but that might be because the Patriots decided to revert some of the new aspects of their offense.
After the Patriots first victory of the season, wide receiver Kendrick Bourne revealed that some aspects of New England’s offense have already been “scrapped.”
“There’s plenty of things we’ve scrapped,” Bourne said. “Knowing what we do well and (the coaches) knowing us and just playing to our strengths, we’re learning that well. And (on Sunday), you could just see that. We were flowing really well, so it felt good.”
Bourne didn’t go into specifics, but NESN’s Zack Cox stated that “some concepts they emphasized during training camp and the preseason have been largely absent from their two regular-season game plans.”
The wide receiver also added that he thinks the offense has a long way to go before reaching its potential.
“We’re not even close, I think, to where we could be, and that’s the biggest thing with us,” Bourne said. “There’s so much we can do. The coaches are doing a good job of just keeping growing each week. They’re learning us as we go, and it feels good.”
Is Bourne the Only Patriot Who Noticed This?
After Bourne’s comments, Jakobi Meyers was asked about the offense and his teammate’s comments and stated that it wasn’t surprising.
“I feel like I kind of expected it, you know,” Meyers said when asked about the comment. “It was just a matter of time of showing it. I feel like we just hadn’t gotten to the point where we were showing what we could be, and I feel like definitely flashed. We’ve still got a lot to learn from, though, so there’s still room to grow. It’s exciting, but we know that we can do better, so I’m hopeful.”
How Has Bourne Performed This Season?
The 2022 season has been a difficult one for the wide receiver. In Week 1, Bourne got fewer snaps (2) than Lil’Jordan Humphrey and while his number of plays increased, he still wasn’t on the field as much as he is used to.
This season, Bourne only has three receptions for 57 yards per Pro Football Reference. His Week 2 snap count of 24, was only 35 percent of New England’s offensive plays.
With some aspects of the offense being scrapped, maybe Bourne’s role will continue to increase but the wide receiver still has a lot to do in order to climb up the Patriots depth chart this season.