Foxboro – There were moments during this bootcamp when the Patriots’ offensive looked disjointed. Playback was not banned there. Failure to block passes often resulted in Mac Jones having to get out of his pocket or throw the ball away. The whole process seemed out of sync.
After seeing the changes made to offense, it’s clear that Jones and offense are struggling to work out the kinks of the new offensive system.
All the while, we’ve heard how the Patriots offensive has been streamlined in the wake of longtime offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ move to Las Vegas. Players said it has been “simplified” with new terms that make learning plays easier. After two days of cushioning drills, we’ve seen what the players are referring to when it comes to changes in their offensive end.
It goes faster:With new gameplay calls, the Patriots are excited about a streamlined offense
On Tuesday, Jones explained that his offense is still trying to learn new core plays. It’s not even at the stage where he changes plays at the line of scrimmage because they are in the infancy of this learning process.
“Right now we’re just trying to play our basic plays and watch them in a movie,” Jones said. “Every attack has a system where they can change the play and we do that too. When we get there, we get there, but now it’s more about the basics.”
The Patriots seem to be switching to the attacking style that Las Angeles Rams coach Sean McVeigh is famous for.
Sixth day patriots training camp:Nelson Agulor shines as defense shines in attack again
Here’s how a Patriot offense is different
When the McDaniels were running the offense, the Patriots’ offensive plays were rooted in the Ernhardt-Perkins system that emphasized a running game where bullet blockers opened specific holes in the offensive line and a passing game focused on shorter, fast passes.
With McDaniels and Tom Brady out of the picture now, Belichick seems to be taking this offense to the West Coast chart, made famous by coaches like McVeigh and Kyle Shanahan.
With rams, McVay’s running game is an area planner. This has a linear attack line in the same direction (right or left) and blocks the first defender in that area. Usually, the running is done backwards outward. It’s different from what the Patriots did in the past when they used a defensive linebacker or an offensive linebacker pulling a linebacker who attacks different holes in the line.
Jacob Johnson, the Patriots’ national quarterback last season, revealed after signing for the Raiders this season that he has not returned to New England because the Patriots told him “they won’t have my position on the roster”.
As Johnson said, Butts doesn’t have a linebacker on the roster. At camp, there was more outdoor practice and the team had been practicing wide area (or off-area) runs for the past couple of days.
It’s just a different element,” said corner back Jonathan Jones. “They are working hard. Switch things up. They are working hard to improve and get better against us. It is exciting to see something different.”
Five quick meals from the first week of camp:Patriots battle updates and more
In the scrolling game, McVay’s attack uses wide receivers lined up in groups. By stacking receivers in groups, the corresponding secondary end is stressed and makes the playback call less predictable. In theory, these team games allow receivers to get out of the line of melee faster and allow the attacker to play faster.
That’s exactly what the Patriots receivers have said is different about these new off-season game calls – as it allows them to play faster and get off the line faster. We’ve seen these plays in practice this week.
“The different teams in the league use tight groups,” Jones said. “A lot of times it is to their advantage and we try to do that a little bit more. There are different plays you can run out of. Anything different can help confuse the defense.”
Patriots aim to improve as they learn the new system
It wasn’t pretty for the Patriots’ offense during the first six days of camp. On Tuesday, Jones said there is some frustration when the defense wins today. This was the case for the last five days of the camp.
On Tuesday, Jones completed 6 of 11 passes in a full-team drill. On Monday, he went 5 of 8 with his third interception in three practices. However, the reason for the recent negative results appears to have more to do with the Patriots implementing a new system rather than having issues with talent.
“I care a lot about football and we all do that. It’s very competitive. When we lose today, it’s like a bullet in the heart. There’s a lot of that because it’s practice. You want to learn, but at the end of the day, we’re here to compete. The goal is to get more good plays compared to the other team. In this case, this is the defense now.
“I feel like we can compete more and better. It’s just doing an X and O and figuring out how to relate to each other. Better days are coming. We’re at the beginning of this thing and we have to move on.”
When we consider the Patriots executing a new offense, the hiccups we see in practice begin to make sense. For example, on Monday, there were several plays in which Bates ran backwards to the outside, but the play was blown away by the defense. We saw some improvements on Tuesday, with Ty Montgomery finding external holes while blocking the offensive line in unison.
The big positive is that Jones appears to be an improvement over last season and appears to have a better and more diverse set of receivers at his disposal. At the moment, the results are not available. The hope is that when offensive players learn this new system, the results will improve.
“Some of the plays we run, we go in there and see what it looks like first and then we try to figure it out,” Jones said. “That’s the most important thing—getting plays on screen.” Well, that’s the problem, this guy’s not banned; How do we prevent it? It’s really not rocket science. Our job is to do what they tell us, go through my readings, and go through my running themes. We will continue to grow in this field. … it takes reps. It takes a movie.”
#McJones #offense #learn #basic #plays