Patriots Old-School Their Way To Opening Victory; Newton Keys Powerful Rushing Attack

 Giddy. Absolutely, unabashedly giddy.

And I would have been regardless of the outcome of the game between the New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins, so long as the Patriots ran the ball the way I thought they could – and it wasn’t so much that they did run the ball the way I thought they could, it was more the way they did it.

And the way they did it was to simply line up and run the ball straight down the Dolphins’ throats.

Led by quarterback Cam Newton’s 75 yards, the Patriots racked up 217 yards on 42 carries, including all three touchdowns, in a New England victory that was much more one-sided than the 21-11 final score would indicate.

Newton’s mere presence turned the Dolphins’ defensive ends into statues and opened up natural running lanes that were embellished by the Patriots’ physical offensive line and consistently exploited by their stable of excellent running backs – the result being everything that an NFL team needs to win on Sundays.

The Patriots enjoyed a nearly two-to-one advantage in time of possession, ran for over five-yards per carry and were surgically efficient in the passing game. In fact, so efficient was the offense as a whole on Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium that they gained 29 first downs on just 63 snaps – an average of nearly one first down every other snap.

All four of New England’s running backs contributed with surprisingly powerful running from both third-year runner Sony Michel and undrafted rookie J.J. Taylor, while Rex Burkhead and James White contributed their usual steady play.

In contrast, only three Patriots’ receivers combined with White and Taylor to catch 15 of Newton’s 18 offerings.

Shades of Chuck Fairbanks’ Patriots squads in the mid-to-late seventies and his Steve Grogan-led offenses that commonly featured a two-to-one balance between the run and the pass, as on Sunday, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels called a running play – including thirteen designed runs for Newton – on seventy-percent of the offensive snaps.

It was straight inside-zone power directly into the teeth of the Dolphins’ defense – and when Miami’s coaches tried to compensate by loading the line of scrimmage with ten defenders, McDaniels countered with short, quick-hitting pass plays that eventually forced the Dolphins to back off.

Running the football on offense and stopping the run on defense are the most fundamental concepts in the sport, and teams who do both successfully more often than not earn victory – and not only did the Patriots plow the row through the Miami defense, the folks in charge of stopping the opposition’s offense threw up a brick wall against the Dolphins’ running game, holding their runners to a paltry 3.2 yards per carry…

…forcing Miami quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to the air thirty times, completing twenty for 187 yards but also tossing three interceptions

The Patriots were particularly stout against the run, with the three-headed monster of Lawrence Guy, Adam Butler and Byron Cowart generally clogging the middle, forcing the play to the edges where Linebackers John Simon, Chase Winovich and Ja’Whaun Bentley mopped up the mess.

Most impressive, however, was the play of safeties Adrian Phillips and Terrence Brooks, who platooned in the Big Nickel role – typically manned by the opted-out Patrick Chung – laying some huge hits in run support and blanketing tight ends in the pass pattern, Phillips coming down with one of New England’s thefts.

All was not perfect for the Patriots – some early missed tackles and late pass interference penalties made things seem a little dicey at times, and the offense missed the opportunity to nail the Dolphins coffin shut with a costly fumble inside the one-yard line – but those are things that can be fixed.

Offensive Players of the Game: Patriots’ Offensive Guards

The Patriots’ guards dominated in the running game, pulling both inside and out, combining with Newton’s play fakes to open huge holes for the backs and in anchoring against the pass rush.

Defensive Players of the Game: Patriots’ Strong Safety rotation

The strong safety tandem of Adrian Phillips and Terrence Brooks delivered nothing but wood in run support all day long, and Phillips recorded one of the Patriots interceptions playing the “Robber” role.

It appears that the Patriots are going to be content to fill Patrick Chung’s shoes by committee, and it appears that they have two physical options to rotate in and out – with a special shout-out to hybrid JoeJuan Williams, who had sticky coverage from a safety position as well.

Patriots Sign Lamar Miller; Reaffirm Dedication To Running The Football

The reclamation projects just never stop in Foxborough.

On Sunday, the New England Patriots signed veteran journeyman(?) Lamar Miller and his surgically-repaired ACL to a one year contract – a surprise move given the strength and quality of the Patriots’ running back kennel, leaving all of us to wonder if the signing is a sign of trouble with third-year “lead” back Sony Michel.

Michel, of course, was placed on the team’s PUP list last week as he rehabs from foot surgery in the offseason, but we all assumed that second-year redshirt Damien Harris would be picking up Michel’s slack, with Rex Burkhead and James White providing a change of pace – and that most likely still is the case, despite Miller’s signing.

In fact, Miller may just be camp fodder unless he clearly out-performs one of the incumbents on the roster, with another option being placed on the injured-reserved list if he shows promise but isn’t quite ready to compete.

At his best, Miller is a crisp cutback runner between the tackles and has a second gear to get around the corner – and then has an extra gear once he breaks into the open field. The fastest back that came out of the 2012 NFL Draft, speed is his calling card. If his knee has fully healed and he regains his ability to cut against the grain, he offers more in the running game than Michel.

In fact, assuming Miller makes the 53-man roster, the Patriots are in better shape in the backfield than they were a week ago, and even then they were pretty stacked.

It is universally thought that the Patriots had one of the best running back depth charts in the league to begin with - even with Michel on the shelf – but now they have three similarly sized backs with decidedly different styles, plus the most effective passing back in the league, meaning that New England can now play the running game anyway you like it.

You want a slasher with elite speed, a threat to take it to the house on any touch? That’s Miller. You want a grinder who punishes linebackers and always gets the extra yard? That’s Harris. How about a guy who does a little of both? Yup, Burkhead – and even though all three are capable in the pattern, James White is dependable as they come wheeling out of the backfield.

Add all of that to the fact that they will be running behind one of the best zone-blocking schemes in the league and with a dual-threat quarterback running the entire show, what you get is a commitment to run the ball.

Of course, Newton is the catalyst with a skill set not seen in New England before. Let’s face it, Tom Brady was glued to the ground, but had decent elusiveness in the pocket - but more and more in the past couple of years, when the pass rush was closing in, he would simply take a seat and live to see another play…

…while Newton is an apparition, with the start and stop ability to leave would-be tacklers grasping at air. On reputation alone, defenders will have to account for Newton’s running ability on every play, his repertoire including RPO experience and a knack for scrambling out of trouble. But where his presence affects the running game is on the outside zone plays that Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels loves.

Newton is in his element In the outside zone. Where Brady would simply turn and hand off to his backs, Newton can and will employ elements of the double and triple options, so the need for a cutback runner with speed became paramount the moment Newton signed his Patriots’ contract – and that’s the reason Lamar Miller and his sub-4.4 speed now resides in Foxborough.

Actually, there is a lot to like about this year’s incarnation of the Patriots’ offense. Sure, there are a lot of variables in play – health and replacing players who have opted-out at the forefront – but if the universe unfolds in their favor, we could witness a renaissance of sorts, back to the days when the Patriots featured a powerful running game that sets up the passing game.

With head coach Bill Belichick being a rooted in the fundamentals of the game, I can’t wait to see how he shapes his offense when in his element – because there’s nothing more fundamental in football than running the football.

Redshirt "Sophomore" Harris The Key To Productive Running Game

30 May, 2020

There are probably many reasons why Bill Belichick is excited about this years incarnation of the New England Patriots' offense, but the most important one is that he finally gets to build the unit the way he always wanted to.

The way the draft went down suggests that he had everything he wanted to field a product that is based more on power and less on passing, needing only a tight end or two to put the whole thing together - and don't be surprised if the Patriots are formidable on offense despite not having Tom Brady under center.

Damien Harris

Because it's not a matter of replacing the greatest quarterback of all time, it was a matter of getting Brady out of his way so that he could build an offense in his own gruff image, using recent drafts to prepare for a philosophical shift that is going to mirror the early days of Belichick's tenure in New England, when the Patriots won three Super Bowl titles in four seasons with brute force.

Back in that day, a young Brady worked behind an offensive line built to run the football, handing off to the likes of Antowain Smith and Corey Dillon and riding their success to develop one of the best play action passing games in the league - but this is not suggest that second year quarterback Jarrett Stidham is going to enjoy the same success as Brady, nor that the Patriots as a whole are going to hammer their way to another Lombardi Trophy...

...but what it does suggest is that if Belichick made it work before, he believes that he can make that philosophy work again. It's not very scientific, but it is plausible, and he has the horses to make it a reality.

Starting with undrafted free agent center David Andrews and fourth-round guard Shaq Mason in 2015, Belichick has populated his offensive line with players coming from college programs where they developed into elite run blockers, adding left guard Joe Thuney the following year and left tackle Isaiah Wynn two seasons after that.

The offense hit a few snags along the way, most notably when All-World tight end Rob Gronkowski retired before last season, followed by injuries to Andrews, Wynn and every fullback on their roster which, when combined with running back Sony Michel's sophomoric slump and Brady's distrust of any receiver not named Julian Edelman, doomed the Patriots to their worst post-season showing in over a decade.

But as bad as it was, every negative circumstance that came out of the Patriots' struggles last season provided a clear view of what Belichick needed to do going forward as he starts anew with Stidham under center and, truthfully, it isn't that much.

First, Belichick upgraded the tight end position through the draft, taking two seam-busting, rough-and-tumble entities in UCLA's Devin Asiasi and Wake Forest's Dalton Keene, both willing blockers, with Asiasi more of an inline blocker with good speed in space and up the seam while Keene is more of an "H-back" who does his best work in pass protection and as a lead blocker out of the backfield, and as a safety valve on underneath routes in the passing game.

Neither is the second coming of Gronkowski, and they don't need to be, but both offer the versatility and are perfect fits to succeed in Belichick's philosophical shift.

Secondly, and although the jury will be out until they step on the practice field - whenever that will be - the starters along the offensive line should return healthy, and Belichick chose to back them up with new blood in the draft, taking three developmental types on the third day of the draft. They will compete with last season's less-than-thrilling pool of backups, hopefully one or two displacing the veterans.

Third, and most disquieting, was Michel's aforementioned and so-called "sophomore slump" which, in reality, was nothing more that proving that Michel isn't capable of getting anything more than what is blocked for him, looking more and more timid as time wore on and being benched in a handful of games in favor of tougher runners in Rex Burkhead and James White.

But there is an answer waiting in the wings in redshirt "Sophomore" Damien Harris, whom Belichick used a third-round pick on in last season's epic draft haul, number 87 overall. Belichick kept Harris on the active roster just as he did with James White in his 2014 rookie season, which, if history holds true, means that he has a specific plan for the hard-running, shoulder-dipping load out of Alabama...

...where he shared the backfield with now-Las Vegas Raiders' feature back Josh Jacobs, both enjoying equal success on the Crimson Tide's National Championship team, but with Harris becoming one of only eight running backs in Alabama's long history to rush for more than 3,000 yards in his career.

Harris ran over folks in the 2019 preseason, and showed soft hands in the pattern out of the backfield, gaining yards after initial contact by initiating said contact and exploding through the would-be tackler - something that would have been advantageous last season as proven by both White and, in particular, Burkhead.

But Burkhead's style and apparent fragility is a poor mix, as he has spent half of his Patriots' tenure on the trainer's table, and White is too important to the passing game as a third-down back to risk injury as an every down pounder. What the Patriots needed - and need - is Harris.

As far as Michel is concerned, he is still servicable as a change of pace back in a two-back set, though his running style is more angular than sudden, meaning that he is better at attacking the line through straight ahead creases as opposed to Harris, who possesses excellent vision and a wicked jump cut that comes in handy when cutting back against the grain.

In all, the Patriots should employ four backs, with Harris, Michel and White as roster locks, with Burkhead, Brandon Bolden and whatever free agents Belichick chooses to bring in battling for the last spot - while the fullback position should fall to second year undrafdted free agent Jakob Johnson, with rookie Dalton Keene seeing time as a lead blocker as well.

So on paper, the Patriots' running back depth chart looks solid, and with a productive running game being a young quarterback's best friend, that depth chart could be the most important position on the field.

Watson Released; Pats' Fans Needlessly Up in Arms

The tight end position has been the focus of the New England Patriots' offense for so long that fans expect a certain level of performance out of that position - so it's no wonder that these same fans are mourning the loss of Rob Gronkowski and Dwayne Allen and loathe the fact that the position has lost it's luster in the offensive game plan.

They pine for what those two brought to the offense over the past several years and are quick to criticize Bill Belichick for not properly addressing the position in the wake of their losses - so it's no secret why these fans are up in arms over the release of veteran tight end Benjamin Watson on Monday afternoon.

Watson came off of a four-game suspension last week and the team had until Monday at 4:00pm to activate him to the 53-man roster, but as the deadline approached, Watson had already cleared out his locker and expressed his disappointment via Twitter. Watson's popularity with fans is due partially to name recognition, but mostly due to desperation among the fans who think the position is in need of an overhaul.

When asked about the release of Watson, Belichick simply stated that he didn't have a roster spot available for him - which is true, as they would have to release another player to make room for him. Regardless, it's not sitting well with fans and the media, but they should have seen this coming.

In Sunday's throttling of the Washington Redskins, Belichick purposely displayed the potential of his young tight ends and determined that Watson wasn't a big enough upgrade over what he already has on the roster. Some of that probably has to do with the fact that Watson is nearing forty years of age, but it's mostly because Belichick has already accepted the fact that the position could no longer be the focus of his offense and has morphed it into a different entity - and has methodically been preparing for that eventuality over the past few seasons.

Talking heads have been bemoaning Belichick's supposed lack of foresight in the matter, but the truth is that Belichick saw that Gronkowski's career was on the downswing due to injury and that someone was eventually going to overpay for Allen's services in free agency - and since there is no replacing Gronkowski's beastly presence anyway, he simply shifted his focus away from the position.

Youngsters Ryan Izzo and Matt LaCosse are raw, but have expanded their skill set under Belichick's tutelage. Izzo, in particular, has flashed playmaking ability and a desire for run blocking - he's not there yet, but Belichick sees the potential in him and determined that he wanted Izzo's potential over Watson's. Same with LaCosse, who put up some numbers in Denver last season.

So in addition to Izzo and LaCosse, the Patriots have Julian Edelman, Josh Gordon, Phillip Dorsett and Jacoby Meyers at receiver, and Sony Michel, Rex Burkhead, James White, Brandon Bolden, Damien Harris and Jakob Johnson at running back. The four receivers are standard brand for the roster count, but the Patriots employ more running backs than any other team in the league - and that's for a reason.

Belichick has always said that the passing game is an extension of his running game, and given that the backfield population handles the ball on seven of every ten snaps - not to mention their excellence in the pattern - the running backs bring everything the team needs to be successful on offense.

Especially since offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has finally started calling Michel's number in the passing game, even splitting him out wide against the Redskins.

That is a staple of the Patriots' offense. White is one of the best receivers in the NFL regardless of position and he is regularly split wide or in the slot. Burkhead sees the slot at times and we saw last week that Bolden can play on the perimeter, catching a 30-yard scoring strike from Brady.

Hell, if McDaniels really wanted to, he could populate the offense in a five-wide formation with young veteran running backs and still keep a back in to block or take a handoff on the draw. That is unrealistic, given the talent at receiver, but whenever you see that five-wide stretch, there is invariably a back or two among the five.

Many are speculating that Watson was released to free up his cap dollars, which total around $2 million, in order to trade for a receiver. That may be, but then again, it may not. It is entirely possible that Belichick is saving up his cap dollars in order to have some flexibility when rookie pass catcher N'Keal Harry and left tackle are ready to come off  IR in a few weeks, which will give them yet another receiver and protection for quarterback Tom Brady's blind side.

Bottom line, the media and the fans are desperate, not Belichick. Media and the fans are reading between the lines when Brady speaks, and take his words as meaning that he's frustrated with a lack of options in the passing games. Maybe they will trade for a receiver before the trade deadline, but even if they do, it would just be gravy for their mashed potatoes.

That said, the Patriots are fine.

Michel Finds Hands, Legs in Patriots' Rout of Redskins

"The media is blaming the offensive line, but it's your play calling and the improper utilization of your backs that should be blamed. If you are not going to use Michel in the passing game, why continue to let him run into a brick wall seventeen times a game?Either include him in the passing game, or bench him. Those are your options."

Chatty letter to Josh McDaniels - Foxborough Free Press, 2 October, 2019

The New England Patriots experienced two things on Sunday that had not occurred yet this season.

The first thing was falling behind on the scoreboard, something that not only had not occurred this season, but also had not reared it's ugly head since the fourth quarter of last season's AFC Championship game against the Kansas City Chiefs...

The second and most important occurrence was that running back Sony Michel actually contributed in the passing game.

The Patriots fell behind the host Washington Redskins on Sunday afternoon at FedEx Field with just over nine minutes remaining in the first quarter on a beautifully designed end-around play that featured no less than three broken tackles along the way and instantly became to longest play from scrimmage surrendered by New England in the 2019 season by a huge stretch...

Michel runs to paydirt against Washington

...producing a lead that the Patriots' offense wasn't able to overcome until early in the second stanza. Actually, the Patriots took the ensuing kickoff and marched right down the field to score a touchdown of their own, but missed the opportunity to completely erase the deficit when newly-signed kicker Mike Nugent shanked the extra point, causing rude grumblings among Patriots' fans.

Nugent made up for his gaffe by hitting the rest of the extra points he attempted and both of his field goal attempts to likely maintain his tenuous status on the roster as the injured Stephen Gostkowski's replacement - but while Patriots' fans are breathing a sigh of relief on Nugent's performance, it pales in comparison to Michel's accomplishments in the Patriots' passing game.

Michel caught only three passes in as many targets for 33 yards against the Redskins, but his inclusion in the passing game had a major residual effect on the performance of New England's offensive attack.

In the 2018 season, a trend emerged that focused on the fact that in eight out of every ten snaps that Michel was on the field, the Patriots ran the ball, and ran it successfully, but this offseason New England suffered a debilitating amount of attrition that affected the quality of their run blocking...

...losing left tackle Trent Brown and tight end Dwayne Allen to free agency and All-World tight end Rob Gronkowski to retirement, then losing center David Andrews in the preseason and fullback James Develin in their second contest of the regular season - a series of misfortune that seriously impacted the running game, especially with Michel in the lineup as opposing defenses stacked the box against him.

Mostly because Michel wasn't considered a threat in the passing game, so he faced clogged running lanes that ordinarily wouldn't have been an issue, were it not for all of the Patriots' losses along the line. By comparison, running backs James White and Rex Burkhead often found running room when they populated the backfield, both averaging almost double the yards per carry that Michel had.

This isn't coincidence, as both White and Burkhead are major threats in the passing game, so opposing defenses didn't dare stack the box against them in fear of leaving them uncovered in the flat.

So offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels decided to include Michel in the passing game early in the contest with the Redskins, catching two passes for 26 yards in the first half as part of a game plan that saw quarterback Tom Brady drop back to pass 12 times in the first 14 scripted plays to start the game...

...also targeting seldom-used tight ends Ryan Izzo and Matt Lacosse, adding diversity to what had been a predictable attack, and the results were everything we thought the Patriots should be, as New England scored 33 unanswered points after spotting the Redskins the fluke touchdown run, running their undefeated record to 5-0 with an awesome second half assault that blew Washington out of their own building and cost their head coach his job.

The impact of targeting Michel in the passing game cannot be overstated. as the ploy opened up his running lanes to the tune of 91 yards on just 16 carries, including a 15 yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

Leading just 12-9 at halftime but appearing to be on the verge of breaking out into to something very proper, Michel and the Patriots opened up the second half by scoring on long drives of 75, 88 and 58 yards to break the game open, all the while the Patriots' defense completely shutting down the Redskins' anemic offense.

After allowing the long touchdown run and moderate success to Washington on a few other first half drives, New England's defense allowed just 92 yards in the final two quarters, forcing five straight punts and allowing the Redskins to cross midfield only twice, never to penetrate further than the New England 47 yard line.

In fact, if one were to eliminate the 65 yard touchdown run and the yardage gained in garbage time at the end of the game, New England's defense allowed just 132 yards on the day. As it was, Washington's quarterback Colt McCoy passed for only 70 net yards, while the Redskins' running game put together decent stats in going for 145 yards on 20 carries...

...but when eliminating the aforementioned touchdown run and garbage time when New England was in pure prevent mode, their total was a more reasonable 57 yards on 15 carries.

In all, the Patriots' defense held Washington to 1 of 11 on third down, forcing ten punts and causing turnovers on two more possessions and collected six sacks, helping them hold onto the league lead in points per game, yards per game, third down efficiency, sacks, and a myriad of other statistics that make them the best defense in the NFL by a wide margin.

The offense is still a work in progress, with "progress" being the key word.

Brady had a decent day throwing the ball, completing 28 of 42 passes for 348 yards and three scores, but another red zone interception while trying to force a ball to White at the goal line left a puzzling black smudge in his performance and marking the second consecutive game when an interception deep in enemy territory ended potential scoring drives.

Wide receiver Julian Edelman enjoyed his best day of the season with eight catches for 110 yards and a touchdown, White coming in next with six catches for 46 yards to go with 26 yards on six carries on the ground and Josh Gordon chipping in with 59 tough yards on five catches.

The lone down note, with the exception of Brady's red zone gaffe, was that he was sacked four times and suffered an immense amount of pressure on a dozen other drop backs, three of those sacks and most of the pressures coming in the first half, while the Patriots attempted to incorporate Michel and the tight ends in the passing game.

But the second half was all Patriots, much of their success thanks to McDaniels for finally flashing Michel in the passing game which opened running lanes and decreased the pressure Brady felt in the process.

Noe the Patriots have a short week in which to build upon their new-found philosophy, as they host the New York Giants at Gillette Stadium before a national television audience on Thursday night.

Chatty Letter To Josh McDaniels

Dear Josh,

Hey, me again! I'm starting to get the idea that you're never going to reply to my repeated correspondence, and since the authorities haven't shown up at my door to arrest me on charges of harassment, I have to assume that either you lost your Gal Friday or you shitcan my letters as soon as you see the postmark...

I don't need your acknowledgement, but would it kill you to pick up a pen and demand that I stop writing to you? At least call me a son of a bitch and threaten me with legal action, up to and including a cease and desist order. At least then I'll know that I'm not wasting my time.

Which is ok in anyway, because these evil things are very therapeutic for me to write - you know, to kind of get things off my chest. I do so for many things in my life, and the subject I've chosen for today is football, mostly because that game against Buffalo on Sunday brought back so not-so-fond memories of the 2015 AFC Championship game...

...a frustrating end to that season in which the Denver Broncos advanced to the Super Bowl after beating your Patriots, only to be annihilated by the Seattle Seahawks for the World Title.

I'm sure you remember. You had to game plan for the Broncos without any healthy receivers and without a lead running back to take some of the pressure off of Tom Brady - and despite Brady having only a bunch of retreads and walk-ons to throw at and despite having no running game, you almost pulled that game out of your magic hat.

It was ugly, but the Patriots' defense rose to the occasion to keep the score close, and had your boss chosen to kick field goals in three consecutive drives into the Bronco's red zone in the fourth quarter instead of going for it on fourth and short on each drive, it would have been your Patriots playing the Seahawks two weeks later.

That's a story for another time - but what brought back these memories was the way your offense looked bogged down and incapable against the Bills last Sunday, much as they did in that AFC title tilt five years ago. There certainly wasn't as much on the line against the Bills as there was back then, and you managed to pull that rabbit out of your hat with much assistance from the defense and special teams.

Brady had a better chance of completing a pass at a cheerleader than to one of his receivers, throwing balls high and low and trying to force balls into double coverages down the field, and the few that actually found their intended targets were subject to finding the turf anyway, as his normally reliable pass catchers collectively developed a case of the dropsies.

The Boston media is pointing to this performance as an "I told you so" moment, in that they've been bemoaning Brady's pass-catching corps as being inadequate since the start of training camp - which is bullshit, of course, because Brady has plenty of trustworthy help in the pattern, with names like Edelman, Gordon and Dorsett as well as an elite checkdown option in running back James White.

White led the Patriots in both targets and yardage through the air, which we've both seen before in games that really mattered, and which leads me to believe that you thought that the matchup between White and the Bills' linebackers could be exploited as a way to open up the patterns for the wide receivers.

It didn't, but the thought was well received. White is a matchup nightmare against most linebackers, but with your running game being an afterthought and combined with the aggressive approach of the Bills' defense against your receivers, Buffalo was able to shut down your offense.

White caught eight balls and accounted for a full one-third of your passing production, which isn't necessarily a new thing as your backs handle the ball on about 70% of the offensive snaps anyway - and that brings me to the point of this latest correspondence.

Your running backs are capable of so much more than what we've seen thus far in 2019, and the way they are being used is really limiting your offense. And it's your fault.

Where was Rex Burkhead? Why hasn't Sony Michel been targeted in the passing game despite your incessant assertion that he would become more involved? Why does rookie runner Damien Harris continue to be inactive?

In case you haven't noticed, every defense you've faced thus far has bought into the fact that Michel is so one-dimensional that they can stack the box when he is in the backfield to stop the run, then concentrate on blanketing your receivers when he's not - and then when Burkhead sees only a handful of offensive snaps when he could be countering that trend, it makes me wonder if you are trying to just take what the defense gives you instead of you dictating to them.

Very passive game plan, vanilla you might say, as if you were trying to use the Buffalo game to get Michel going in the right direction, but all it did for me was to further strengthen my opinion that continuing to feed Michel when the defense knows he's getting the ball can't be an oversight, rather, it is undue arrogance on your part.

Look, Michel is a fine runner and he brought a spark to the running game last season that had been missing for at least a decade, and he was able to pop off about four-and-a-half yards per carry, and performed even better in the playoffs - but that was with a healthy offensive line, a violently-intentioned fullback- and with two tight ends who brought the wood in run blocking.

I hate to tell you this, but you don't have those things right now. The media is blaming the offensive line, but it your play calling and the improper utilization of your backs that should be blamed. If you are not going to use Michel in the passing game, why continue to let him run into a brick wall seventeen times a game?

Either include him in the passing game, or bench him. Those are your options.

You are using backups at left tackle and at the pivot, and while their pass protection is evolving as a whole, their run blocking with Michel in the backfield looks more like pass blocking, as the opposition are penetrating and pushing them backwards, forming a pocket and re-establishing the line of scrimmage three yards deep in the backfield.

You know better than I why this is happening. You know that Michel's single contribution to the offense is in running the ball, and without at least flashing him in the pattern, you have no way of keeping the defenses you face from stacking the box against him, hence the 2.4 yards per carry.

Burkhead is averaging 4.7 yards per carry, and White an even five, but this is because both of those guys are a threat to catch passes out of the backfield, so defenses are forced to go lighter in the box in respect for their route running and pass catching abilities.

This is not a coincidence. As much as watching your unit running the ball successfully, even when the defense knows it's coming, warms my heart. The sad fact is that the personnel you have at this point just can't pull that off - but you have the capability and personnel to go about this another way, you can be aggressive and dictate to the opposing defense with what you do have...

...and it all starts with how you deploy your running backs.

First, it's time to give Harris some snaps, and you can't do that while he's sitting in the booth wearing street clothes. Harris is a hybrid of White, Michel and Burkhead and could become your most enticing weapon. I'm just spitballing here, but I'm going to assume you kept him on the roster for a reason, and that reason is that the kid is a beast between the tackles and fluid in the pattern.

We all saw it in preseason. Granted, that was against defenses that were playing their second and third lines, but Harris dominated them. He came from a school that produces NFL-ready prospects, a school that boasts more alumni in starting positions than any other school in the country.

Harris split time at Alabama with now-Oakland Raider lead back Josh Jacobs, and ran just as effectively - and is one of only eight running backs in the history of that powerhouse to accumulate over 3,000 rushing yards in his collegiate career, practically mirroring what James White did while in a committee backfield with Melvin Gordon at Wisconsin.

Same with Burkhead at Nebraska. I'm assuming that you collected these backs because in your offense, the short passing game is used as an extension of the running game. Hell, even Brandon Bolden possesses those traits.

You don't see defenses stacking the box against any of them, with the exception of in short-yardage situations, and even then the defense is on alert in case White or Burkhead peel off and wheel out into the flat, because they are both just as dangerous in the pattern as they are between the tackles - perhaps more so.

Am I making any sense here, Josh?

Tom Brady may be frustrated with his lack of receiving options, but if he's looking for better production from the passing game, all he needs to do is look to his running backs to fill the void. White and Burkhead can both split wide, both can operate from the slot and both are adept at wiggling through the maw on screens.

Why are they not being incorporated into the game plan like this? You know better than I that if you split those two out wide, they take linebackers with them which - surprise! - lightens the box and takes away designed blitzes that get into Brady's grill, not to mention that bringing them back in motion puts those same linebackers back on their heels, not being able to anchor against the run.

Now, it could be that you are trying to coast through the cupcake portion of your schedule, serving opposing defenses vanilla creamer in their coffee and waiting until you hit the meat of your schedule to break out the hard stuff - and if that's the case, I apologize for my rant.

That would make a lot of sense, actually. I guess I'm just trying to remind you that people are watching and people genuinely care.

Best wishes,

Mike

Opinion: Time Is Now For Rookie Backs To Enter The Fray

The New England Patriots placed fullback James Develin on their Injured/Reserved list on Monday afternoon with a neck injury that he suffered last weekend against the Miami Dolphins.

Those who understand what Develin means to the offense are mourning the loss, perhaps for the season. But those who understand and watched what Johnson did in extended playing time during the preseason see a glimmer of hope for a vital position on the Patriots' offense.

During the Patriots' run to the title last season, Develin was on the field for every single rushing touchdown, plowing the row like a pack mule and knocking the chocolate out of anything in his way. Needless to say, that kind of explosive lead blocking is required in short yardage situations and for the running game in general.

Rookie running back Damien Harris

Develin also displayed soft hands for such a monstrous entity, and took handoffs from quarterback Tom Brady on a few of those short yardage situations, and no one on the opposing defense really looked thrilled to be taking him on with the ball in his hands, but those who did dealt with a bruise or three.

So the question begs, how do the Patriots reach for effectiveness in the running game without Develin leading the way?

And the answer is simple: If Jakob Johnson is the run-blocking load that he showed in the preseason, if he can ragdoll defensive ends like he did regularly, the Patriots may have a true fortuitous find in a player who was essentially forced on Belichick by the league, as the German-born Johnson was "assigned" to New England as a part of their relentless pursuit of global domination...

...trying to get football (soccer)-mad Europe to love their brand of football by making training camp exemptions to the roster limit of teams who accept European-born players into their camp as part of the league's "Pathway to the NFL" program.

Johnson's chances of making the team were slim-to-none before he arrived in Foxborough by way of North Carolina State University, and as camp wore on and as the intense German kept staggering defensive linemen and linebackers during practice, scrimmages and in preseason games, his chances of making the team really didn't increase all that much due to Develin having a stranglehold on the fullback spot, but his chances of hanging around on the practice squad increased exponentially.

And if you're on the practice squad, you are one injury away from being on the active 53.

Go ahead and YouTube the lick he put on a Carolina Panthers defensive end on a Brandon Bolden touchdown run, then while you're at it, watch the video of him catching offerings from Jarrett Stidham in the same game. If that small sample size is the real Jakob Johnson and if he can come close to replicating such against starting NFL defensive fronts, the Patriots will be ok.

Just ok? Truth be told, that would be better than what we've seen of the Patriots' running game so far this season.

New England Patriots' fans breathed a collective sigh of relief on Sony Michel's first quarter touchdown run against the New York Jets this past Sunday, thinking that the real Michel had emerged and whatever imposter had been wearing his uniform in the Patriots' backfield had been tarred and feathered and run out of town on a rail, in the best of New England judicial tradition.

But when Michel reverted back to his early-season funk on his next run, and his next and his next, one thing became painfully clear: Michel still possesses only two tools in his toolbox, running the ball and picking up the blitz in pass protection, despite the team's off-season assertion that he would be used more in the passing game.

But he hasn’t been, targeted out of the backfield just once in three games - not nearly enough to put a scare into defensive coordinators, who obviously have caught on to the fact that when Michel was on the field last season, almost eighty percent of the time, the play call was a run.

How this impacts the overall effectiveness of the offense is two-fold. The opposition will key on Michel, knowing that they will be right eight out of ten snaps. That brings the residual effect of the opposition bringing run blitzes to overwhelm the offensive line, which re-establishes the line of scrimmage two or three yards deep in the backfield.

The result? How about 2.4 yards per carry. Ouch.

That average places the Patriots' running attack third from the bottom of the league, and this despite having more rushing attempts than all but five other teams - not the performance anyone was expecting, based on how the Patriots dominated teams on the ground at the end of last season and how they performed in the preseason.

But in the preseason, rookie third-round pick Damien Harris handled the majority of the load and was impressive in doing so, bringing a bit of a fullback mentality in powering through contact between the tackles while displaying elusiveness with a wicked jump cut when running in space.

In other words, he gets more than what's blocked for him. Add to that his sharp route running and soft hands out of the backfield and what you get is what the Patriots need to counter the aggressiveness that opposing defenses are enjoying on early downs.

It's no secret that I've been critical of Michel, not because of anything other than his motivation seems to melt when he doesn't have room to run. He looks disinterested after a negative run or two and has been replaced in the lineup by Rex Burkhead in each of the first three games.

Burkhead is running at a clip of 4.7 yards per carry, and while not elusive at all, he gets more that what's blocked for him by sheer determination. James White is averaging 5.1 yards per carry with his short-area elusiveness and despite the fact that he's not going to power through many tacklers in the box.

Why the disparity between Michel's production and the other backs on the roster? Simply, Michel's one dimension allows opposing defenses to stack the box with confidence, while Burkhead and White offer passing game versatility, which forces defenses to play a lighter box which poses less resistance between the tackles.

It's as simple as that. Having a versatile back in the lineup lightens the box, which allows the offensive line to dictate to the defensive front instead of being bull rushed into the backfield. It got so bad against the New York Jets on Sunday that the Patriots' offensive line looked like they were pass blocking on running plays...

...the Jets' forcing a pocket to contain Michel as if he was a quarterback dropping back to pass. Even when the Patriots tried running wide, the aggressiveness of the defense overwhelming the offensive line allowed their edge-setters to force the play back inside.

So it's no mystery why Burkhead has replaced Michel in all three games. In fact, both Burkhead and White are skilled enough in both phases of the offense that they can be split wide, pulling a linebacker or safety to the perimeter, helping the offensive line, which is starting two backups and has little to no help from the tight end position without the retired Rob Gronkowski or Dwayne Allen.

But the best of both worlds rests in the hands of Harris, who is a hybrid of White and Burkhead.

Harris has been active for just one of three games this season, dressed and on the sideline against the Jets, but only so because White was excused from Sunday's game to witness the birth of his son - but Harris saw no action on offense.

That said, it's time for Harris, particularly given the fact that New England's receiver corps is also crippled by the injury bug, which may force White to play more of a wide receiver role just so Brady has a full complement of pass catchers to target.

The other part of this equation is Johnson.

In addition to being placed on the IR, Develin was given a designation to return, meaning that he could be taken off IR sometime in November - but that is a stretch for two reasons. First, neck injuries are weird. Nothing throws the fear of God into a football player quite like injuring a susceptible area, and with Develin's brute force attacking style, any collision carries the possibility of compression.

So teams are very careful when dealing with neck injuries. But secondly, the IR already carries starting left tackle Isaiah Wynn and rookie wideout N'Keal Harry - and since NFL rules prohibit more than two players returning from the injured list during the season, it forces Belichick to make a tough decision.

Wynn has to return. Nobody wants to see Marshall Newhouse protecting Brady's backside if there is another option in the wings - so that takes care of one spot. Harry's status is a little more muddled, but if injuries continue to pile up in the pass-catching corps, Harry becomes a priority to return, if he isn't already.

That leaves Develin out in the cold, which means Jakob Johnson for the rest of the season.

So James Develin is probably gone for the season, and Michel is bogged down by his lack of versatility. The Patriots may be able to get away with that scenario against the cupcakes that they play the first half of the season, but will need an effective running game to get past the border wall that they face in the second half...

...so there's no time like the present to get Harris and Johnson incorporated into the system, so that they can acclimate and gain the experience that will help the offense when the weather turns cold and running the ball is key.

#runthedamnball