05-01-2024, 05:59 PM
Where do we sit after the draft and free agency? Not meant to be pessimistic as I’m optimistic but I also want to lay the situation.
1. OL…. Isn’t it always a question mark? Trent Brown played 28 games in 3 years with the 49ers. He then had his best season at LT for the Pats and gave up 3 sacks in 19 games. After that one big year with the Pats he took a huge record payday with the Raiders. Didn’t go so well there as he played in 16 games in 2 years. He then got traded back to the Pats and played 9 games. He hit free agency again but stayed with the Pats after a restructure and played 17 games at LT (‘22) Now last season: 2023 review
Stats: 11 games (8 starts) | 581 offensive snaps (85%), 32 special teams snaps (11%) | 3 sacks allowed, 6 QB hits allowed, 17 total pressures, 2 penalties
Season recap: As Brown said himself, his 2023 season was a year like no other. It started in the offseason when travel issues caused him to be late to minicamp and an injury cost him time in the summer.
Once the regular season started, Brown played virtually every snap at left tackle in seven of the Patriots’ first eight games. He missed one game in Week 2 after suffering a concussion — that he didn’t report and played through — during the Week 1 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Things started to spiral in Week 7 when Brown suffered MCL and high-ankle sprains late in a Patriots’ win — which he again played through on the team’s game-winning drive. He aggravated his ankle injury the next week against the Miami Dolphins which impacted his performance, where he surrendered a season-high four pressures.
Those injuries — plus a death in the family — cost Brown the following two games. After the bye, New England implemented a left tackle rotation with Conor McDermott over the next three games. Brown was then inactive again in Week 15 with an illness and returned to another rotation with Vederian Lowe in Week 16. In that victory over the Broncos, Brown’s level of play drew much critique. He blamed the performance on the continued illness and altitude issues, which lingered through the rest of the season. But, Brown was inactive in Buffalo the following week despite not being on the injury report, marking the first healthy scratch of his Patriots tenure. He then didn’t practice before the season finale and was inactive against the Jets. So Brown is unpredictable. But Amarius Mims is the best third tackle ever so the team was solid in having guard rails. That leaves us to Volson. He’s got to play better. It’s his third year. This offense needs the OL to run block much better.
2. Defense: DL We were #30 in opponent yards per rush attempt. I like the 2 starters in Rankins & Hill and adding Jenkins in the rotation will help a lot. Having McKinnsey Jackson situationally will help with the loss of DJ. But Rankins is a better pass rusher but won’t blow up the pocket like Reader. Pass Defense. Stone, Bell, and Battle gives us our best 3 safeties in years. But we were #31 in yards per pass completion. Then we’ve got D J Turner or Dax to deliver at CB. Improvement has to happen on defense.
3. Now for my real optimism. The offense.I think the addition of Burton and Gesicki is going to be huge. And I’m not discounting Charlie Jones or Isovias emerging. I see the double teaming of Chase ( playing a lot of slot) and Higgins going bye bye. I see more explosiveness in the running backs with Chase getting more touches. I think this offense will be explosive
1. OL…. Isn’t it always a question mark? Trent Brown played 28 games in 3 years with the 49ers. He then had his best season at LT for the Pats and gave up 3 sacks in 19 games. After that one big year with the Pats he took a huge record payday with the Raiders. Didn’t go so well there as he played in 16 games in 2 years. He then got traded back to the Pats and played 9 games. He hit free agency again but stayed with the Pats after a restructure and played 17 games at LT (‘22) Now last season: 2023 review
Stats: 11 games (8 starts) | 581 offensive snaps (85%), 32 special teams snaps (11%) | 3 sacks allowed, 6 QB hits allowed, 17 total pressures, 2 penalties
Season recap: As Brown said himself, his 2023 season was a year like no other. It started in the offseason when travel issues caused him to be late to minicamp and an injury cost him time in the summer.
Once the regular season started, Brown played virtually every snap at left tackle in seven of the Patriots’ first eight games. He missed one game in Week 2 after suffering a concussion — that he didn’t report and played through — during the Week 1 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Things started to spiral in Week 7 when Brown suffered MCL and high-ankle sprains late in a Patriots’ win — which he again played through on the team’s game-winning drive. He aggravated his ankle injury the next week against the Miami Dolphins which impacted his performance, where he surrendered a season-high four pressures.
Those injuries — plus a death in the family — cost Brown the following two games. After the bye, New England implemented a left tackle rotation with Conor McDermott over the next three games. Brown was then inactive again in Week 15 with an illness and returned to another rotation with Vederian Lowe in Week 16. In that victory over the Broncos, Brown’s level of play drew much critique. He blamed the performance on the continued illness and altitude issues, which lingered through the rest of the season. But, Brown was inactive in Buffalo the following week despite not being on the injury report, marking the first healthy scratch of his Patriots tenure. He then didn’t practice before the season finale and was inactive against the Jets. So Brown is unpredictable. But Amarius Mims is the best third tackle ever so the team was solid in having guard rails. That leaves us to Volson. He’s got to play better. It’s his third year. This offense needs the OL to run block much better.
2. Defense: DL We were #30 in opponent yards per rush attempt. I like the 2 starters in Rankins & Hill and adding Jenkins in the rotation will help a lot. Having McKinnsey Jackson situationally will help with the loss of DJ. But Rankins is a better pass rusher but won’t blow up the pocket like Reader. Pass Defense. Stone, Bell, and Battle gives us our best 3 safeties in years. But we were #31 in yards per pass completion. Then we’ve got D J Turner or Dax to deliver at CB. Improvement has to happen on defense.
3. Now for my real optimism. The offense.I think the addition of Burton and Gesicki is going to be huge. And I’m not discounting Charlie Jones or Isovias emerging. I see the double teaming of Chase ( playing a lot of slot) and Higgins going bye bye. I see more explosiveness in the running backs with Chase getting more touches. I think this offense will be explosive
Romo “ so impressed with Zac ...1 of the best in the NFL… they are just fundamentally sound. Taylor the best winning % in the Playoffs of current coaches. Joe Burrow” Zac is the best head coach in the NFL & that gives me a lot of confidence." Taylor led the Bengals to their first playoff win since 1990, ending the longest active drought in the four major North American sports, en and appeared in Super Bowl LVI, the first since 1988.
