Come on. I mean, 3-0? Sure, most fans hoped for it, but to see it happen the way it has happened has been a real trip.

Yes, here the Patriots sit after coming back to win in Arizona, outlasting the Dolphins at home, and besting the Texans in every phase of the game last Thursday night. Each an impressive win in its own right, even disregarding the players who missed time on the field.

A list of some of the topics we’re discussing this week.

Flying Coach: The game day roster had dwindled like the cast of a Hitchcock movie. The offense had more questions than a six-year-old watching a Pinter play. Who’s held in higher esteem right now than the Patriots’ coaching staff? They got their team prepared, set them off to strong starts, and beat some teams who are expected to do something in the league this season. Impressive all the way around.

The Third Man: Imagine hearing this a few months ago. Hey, listen up, Patriots fans. Tom Brady won’t play the first four games because of a supercilious, sniveling toady who wanted to clarify his power over players. Then, less than halfway through what will be shaping up as a benchmark performance vs. Miami (18 for 26, 232 yards, three TDs), Jimmy Garoppolo will hurt his throwing shoulder. So, Jacoby Brissett will start vs. the Texans. (That’s the rookie.)

Well, you might ask, who’s Brissett’s backup? Oh, nobody. I mean, Julian Edelman, I guess, but if it comes down to that, the match is more or less lost, anyway.

With 103 yards passing (11 of 19 for 58 percent), Brissett’s first start will not make the Patriots Hall of Fame, but it should stay in fans’ memories for a while. The rookie got sacked just once and ran eight times for 48 yards, including a slick touchdown run where, even if Houston had brought 13 players onto the field, all 13 would have gone for the fake handoff. Keep in mind, no opposing coaching staff knows the Patriots as well as the Texans staff does, yet Bill Belichick, Josh McDaniels and company kept Houston on their heels for much of the night during their 27-0 dominance.

Part of that game plan, of course, called for a focus on running the football.

Develin A Deep Blue Key: Donning his smart “color rush” threads last Thursday, fullback James Develin once again demonstrated his importance in the running game. After three weeks, he has compiled exactly zero yards on zero carries with zero receptions. Yet he’s one of the most important offensive players on the field. LeGarrette Blount is averaging 4.0 yards per carry (75 for 298) with four touchdowns. While much credit goes to O-line coach Dante Scarnecchia with his young charges, Develin has made a huge difference, paving the way for the Pats to run out the clock this year.

Giving Him The Bennett Of The Doubt: I must admit, I did not have high hopes for tight end Martellus Bennett coming into this season. His preseason performance seemed a bit underwhelming (seven catches in four games). Though his blocking made an impression in Week One (largely the impression of Cardinals defenders planted in the Arizona turf), he caught just three passes for 14 yards. This was why I convinced my wife to bench him for her fantasy football team (still sorry, my Love!). Bennett, of course, caught five passes for 114 yards and a TD. He continued his essential role the following week, acting as a safety valve for Brissett (two catches for 10) and pushing bodies around like a Tokyo train conductor. Also, for the first time in his career? Carrying the football. One rush for six yards on an end-around.

So, yeah, I was wrong about Bennett. Imagine what he can do playing with a healthy Rob Gronkowski alongside him.

Take The Long Way Home: The Patriots showed interest in defensive end Chris Long before the 2008 draft. Nice they kept their interest, and nice for a solid veteran like Long to experience winning on a regular basis. In his eight years on the Rams, the team never had more than seven wins (four times) and went 2-14 twice (2008, 2011) and 1-15 once (2009). Long seems rejuvenated, with one sack, two passes defensed, and numerous pressures. Here’s hoping he discovers what it’s like to go over .500 in a season.

Dont’a You Forget About Me: Important to note that New England’s defense held Houston’s offense in check without linebacker Dont’a Hightower. New England’s defensive play-caller and run-stopper managed one tackle before getting hurt against Arizona. In the meantime, battery mate Jamie Collins has turned Kraken, tallying 23 tackles in three games (14 vs. Houston), along with two interceptions. Backup Jonathan Freeny (10 tackles, one forced fumble) has pitched in, but when Hightower returns, the defense has the potential to improve. This really seems like the proverbial icing on the cake. I mean, life’s great, you’re eating cake, and someone comes along and says, “Hey, how about some icing on that?” Hells, yeah. Frost that sonofabitch.

All The White Moves: Some impressive plays from running back James White thus far this season, and that observation comes from a big supporter of running back D. J. Foster. Some idiot may have even figured it would have been a good idea to release White in favor of Foster. That same nincompoop feels relieved this never happened. Besides averaging a nifty 4.4 yards per carry (eight for 35), White has caught eight passes for 52 yards and shown an increase in power and elusiveness from last year. With pass-catching dynamo Dion Lewis’ expected return later this season, White might see his playing time limited. For now, though, he has provided quarterbacks not named Brady with a comfy fallback option.

All Four One And One Four All: As much as I questioned New England keeping only four receivers on their roster (not counting special teams ace Matthew Slater), it has paid off to this point in the season. Edelman (18 receptions, 180 yards) remains a central, go-to guy. Danny Amendola (nine for 119, two TDs) just seems to catch tough passes to convert third downs. Rookie Malcolm Mitchell (four for 75) has shown the potential to become the first dependable receiver the Patriots have drafted since Edelman. Chris Hogan (eight for 122) has popped up in key moments (none better than his opening TD at Arizona) and shown the willingness to block so necessary for NFL pass-catchers.

Vito, You’re Blocking: Speaking of which, check out this clip of Blount’s touchdown run, and keep an eye on Develin, Hogan and Edelman. This play reminds me of when the Naval Academy’s option offense really gets rolling: the entire offense accounts for every defender. For Pete’s sake, Edelman IHOPs his defender as Blount runs by. Houston came to Gillette as favorites, the first team to do so since the Portsmouth Spartans in 1931. (Note: This is decidedly untrue.)

You’re Wondering Now, What To Do: New England’s special teams have made such a huge difference over the past few weeks, from punter Ryan Allen dropping footballs at the Texans’ 10-yard-line, to kicker Stephen Gostkowski hitting all three field goal attempts at Arizona (including a 53-yarder), to myriad contributors forcing fumbles and making tackles (Gostkowski’s high-flying kickoffs have helped). Play-for-play, special teams contributions have the highest impact, and their ability to fluster opponents has been a key part of the Pats’ 3-0 start.

Nothing But Flowers: Defensive lineman Trey Flowers has six tackles and one fumble recovery this year; he gets mentioned here for something beyond numbers. The best Patriots teams over the past 15 years have had strong backups to help weather any injury fronts. Flowers backs up both Long and Jabaal Sheard (two sacks). Free agent athlete Barkevious Mingo and Shea McClellin back up the linebackers, including the aforementioned Freeny. This is a talented team with a deep roster that, if necessary, could make a difference in January.

The Brady Hunch: One aspect of the Patriots’ as-hot-as-could-be-expected start that no one seems to consider is opponents’ motivation factor. Are teams starting out flat vs. New England? As ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss pointed out in his indispensable Sunday notes, the Patriots have outscored their three foes 34-0 in the first quarter. Partly Pats’ preparation, of course, but also a sign that the other guys aren’t as pumped as usual? Though impossible to tell, it might make sense that a defensive player isn’t quite as focused facing Garoppolo or Brissett as he would be vs. one of the greatest quarterbacks ever.

Not saying that going without Tom Brady for a month has been good for the team, the league, or anyone else. Just looking at it from another angle.

What angles are you looking at this season? Let us know in the comments section below.

Chris Warner tweets a little more than he should @cwarn89

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Published by Chris Warner

11 thoughts on “Patriots Three-Sixteenths Through 2016 Review”

  1. Completely forgot about Develin but it’s true. He’s made a big difference. I DVR PAts games and I’ve been looking at the first three games. He has been punishing opposing defenders. Good analysis, Chris.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. I can’t wait for Brady to be flanked by White and Lewis in a pro set, with Bennett, Gronk, and Hogan. 22 personnel is going to be sick and will keep defenses guessing. Is it a run or a throw and to who?

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    1. 22 is typically run from an I formation. I would have Develin in there over Lewis. Also consider Mitchell wide for the potential separation and height over Hogan.

      Safety will usually invert on a 22. Unless motion which may make him drop back.

      Nice post TM.

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      1. That’s why it could be very effective, both backs can catch or run. Both TE’s can block or catch. And I went with Hogan as he’s been doing some solid work in down field blocking so far this year.

        I like the Devein/Blount combo. And I know it pretty much telegraphs what the offense is looking to do, but we’re seeing a big difference in Blount this year and a lot of it has to do with Develin’s return.

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  3. Great line: “The offense had more questions than a six-year-old watching a Pinter play.” I laughed, as I could imagine that being a disastrous family outing to the theater.

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  4. As someone here mentioned last week, Hubbach is back on Twitter. He tweeted a doozy of a trolling post yesterday, too; something about Belichick’s only innovation as a coach being “illegally spying on opponents with video cameras.”

    Too bad the statement is mostly false: 1–It’s not “spying” if you do it in full view of 70,000 people while wearing Patriots gear, and coaches from other teams are aware of it (e.g., Herm Edwards waving to the camera on the Matt Walsh tapes); 2–BB did not invent filming signals, so it’s not his “innovation.” According to Jimmy Johnson, it was going on when he entered the league in 1989, two years before BB became head coach in Cleveland. To think it wasn’t going on before ’89 is also incredibly naïve; and 3–Was it illegal? I know that Goodell and his minions on Park Avenue said it was, but the rulebook is extremely unclear about the practice, and nowhere in the rulebook or the league’s Game Operations Manual from that era does it state that filming signals is not allowed.

    Would love to see someone Tweet back these facts to that effing idiot. I’m not on Twitter, and I’d never get down into the mud with a biased, clueless, immature, troll-ish pig like that anyway, because I’d just get dirty.

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    2. Taping, ‘stealing’ or decoding hand signals has never been against the rules and still is not. The decoding of signals has always been a part of the game. The spirit of the rule about cameras on the field is that they not be located in a place ‘accessible to the staff during the playing of a game’. So, reading that, you’d be forgiven for thinking that as long as you didn’t use or view the tape during the game, you’d be within the rules.
      The famous memos about this tried to effectively change or re-emphasize the rule to mean that you could not have a video camera on the field AT ALL, regardless of whether or not you were using viewing the tape during the game.
      So that was the violation – the location of the camera. The whole thing about taping signals was kind of a PR thing – people were shocked that this kind of thing was going on, so the NFL rode that wave of indignation and never explicitly stated why or under what specific rule the Patriots were being punished. They just noted a ‘violation of the rules meant to insure fair play’ or some other nonsense. It would have weakened their case dramatically if the league had come out and said that the taping itself was legal but the location was not – so they were happy with the public perception. You know, kind of like the 2 PSI under thing – there was no reason for them to correct that either.

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      1. As infuriating as the whole DeFAME-gate saga was, at least it finally, finally, FINALLY prompted Belichick to pushback against the Spygate narrative after a moronic mediot’s comment that “you didn’t follow the rules about taping signals” during the Mona Lisa Vito press conference. And, his answer did not disappoint: It was hardly a secret since they were doing it in full view of 70,000 people (and the opposing coaches were sending in their signals in full view of those same 70,000 people); and, “other teams were doing it, too.”

        I just hope he pens a tell-all book after he finally retires. I can’t even imagine the level of vitriol he will spew at the agenda-driven hacks in the media, and at the moronic league office in the post-Tagliabue era — and at the rigged Competition Committee, for that matter, since they’ve now targeted the Patriots, specifically, at least twice since this dynastic run began (first with The Polian Rules on playing pass defense in 2004, and then with outlawing the “illegal formations that were really legal” after Harbaugh’s whine-fest in the aftermath of the 2014 divisional playoff game).

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        1. That’s one of the reasons I want to stay alive as long as possible – to get to read Belichick’s (and hopefully Brady’s) side of these fights with the league. 🙂

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