Belichick Frustrated By Patriots Preseason
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FOXBORO — As the sun set on the New England Patriots' 2022 preseason, coach Bill Belichick was undoubtedly searching for positives from the team’s 23-6 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday.
As one might expect, he appears to have been mostly unsuccessful.
While the preseason is hardly a time to press the panic button, New England struggled on both sides of the ball in their preseason finale. The Pats turned the ball over three times, as their starters were largely outplayed by Las Vegas’ reserves.
Following the loss, Belichick sounded like a coach who is keenly aware of the work that lies ahead in preparation for the NFL season opener against the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 11.
“We just didn’t play well in any phase of the game,” Belichick said. “We didn’t play with any kind of consistency. Might have left it on the practice field on Tuesday and Wednesday. Certainly practiced a lot better than we played out there tonight.”
While the performance featured its share of defensive sputters, the Pats offense is finding itself in the crosshairs of both the media and the fanbase. New England’s decision to change their offensive philosophy has yet to yield positive results. Despite the success of a zone run offense (similar to that which San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay run with their respective teams), the Patriots have looked uncomfortable while attempting to implement the new style.
Most notably, quarterback Mac Jones has had his difficulties. Whether it's due to the change in offensive scheme, poor protection from his offensive line, or questionable decision-making, Jones and the Patriots offense have been out of sync, particularly during times of pressure. Against the Raiders, the Alabama product was sacked twice, while absorbing an additional hit in his four drives. He also tossed a costly interception in which he seemingly lost sight of Raiders linebacker Luke Masterson in his throwing window.
Jones finished the preseason 13 of 21 for 132 yards, no touchdowns and an interception.
Still, it should be noted that Jones is far from the only Patriot to have his troubles with the Patriots new-look offense. New England’s offensive line has looked porous at times throughout the preseason. Incorporation of a zone run offense requires fluid and athletic horizontal movement. With the exception of rookie guard Cole Strange, the Pats personnel has yet to look like an ideal fit for this type of scheme.
As a result, New England’s running game has been unable to gain the traction needed to provide a balanced offensive attack. Poor blocking has too often led to the Pats running backs being tackled behind the line of scrimmage. In the moments when they have been successful, they returned to their familiar formula including inside zone blocking, downhill power runs and crack tosses. Still, these moments have been few and far between; with the season set to kick off in just over two weeks.
The result of the inconsistency? During their three preseason games the Pats rushed 64 times for 282 yards. That 4.4 yards-per-carry is a bit skewed, however, by rookie Kevin Harris' 33-yard run and Jones' 13-yard scramble against the Raiders. New England's two preseason rushing touchdowns were scored by players who might not be in Miami Sept. 11 - Harris (who may not make the final roster) and Ty Montgomery (who left Friday's game with an apparent leg injury.)
While the temptation to blame the Pats pair of new offensive assistants, offensive line coach Matt Patricia and quarterbacks coach Joe Judge, New England’s struggles are more the result of inconsistent execution than poor scheme. While positional coaches shoulder some of the load in preparing their players, the responsibility ultimately lies with Belichick.
“I’ve obviously got to do a better job and so, it starts with me,” Belichick said. “We’ll get back to work this week and work on what kind of things we need to work on.”
The Patriots have significant work to do, with not a lot of time remaining to accommodate them. Fortunately, there is no one more aware … or better-equipped to handle that workload … than their future Hall-of-Fame coach.
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