Welcome to 7 Patriots training camp questions!
Each day leading up to the start of camp, the Herald has explored one of the biggest questions facing the Pats this summer. Several pertained to the offense, which welcomed back Bill O’Brien this offseason and added JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mike Gesicki. Others covered the defense and special teams, units that might rely heavily on rookies and must overcome the loss of longtime captain Devin McCourty.
Once the Patriots hit the practice field, here’s the No. 1 question they must answer before opening their season on Sept. 10 against the Eagles.
Here’s the bad news: the Patriots are asking the same question for a second straight summer.
The good news: this year’s answer can’t be any worse than the last.
How the Patriots’ offense takes shape under their third play-caller in as many years will once again be the top storyline out of training camp. It encompasses all parts of what makes any offense go: system design, player performance and coaches’ organization and motivation of said players. There’s much to learn.
According to sources, Bill O’Brien’s arrival has breathed a new confidence into the building after the debacle overseen last year by the combination of Bill Belichick, Matt Patricia and Joe Judge. Whereas in 2022 offensive assistants were writing and rewriting the playbook up until the dawn of camp — and then re-working their protection schemes after two disastrous weeks of practice — O’Brien has come with virtually every answer.
He knows what types of plays the Patriots intend to major in, how to counter the defensive answers to those plays and the counters off those counters. The pieces will fit in a way they never did last year. In some ways, O’Brien is also modernizing the system left behind, one that failed at dabbling in run-pass-options (RPOs) and base plays popularized by the Shanahan coaching tree.
O’Brien has melded the offense he ran in New England with the one he coached and installed at the University of Alabama the past two years. Of course, akin to any training camp, the unit’s identity will be subject to change.
Injuries, as well as players outperforming or underperforming expectations in camp, will determine what O’Brien can and can’t do. It’s easy to envision a role for say Mike Gesicki, a nominal tight end who’s expected to function as a big slot receiver and red-zone target on isolation routes. The 6-foot-6, 245-pounder is a unique player and talented, to be sure, but limited; meaning he won’t factor into much of the Pats’ running game.
The same can be said for Hunter Henry, the team’s other tight end, who blocks better than Gesicki but can be pigeonholed into the traditional “Y” tight end role. Meaning, he’ll block on the edge, run routes from that alignment and occasionally split out wide. But that’s about it.
Therefore, without a fullback on the roster or a tight end capable of flexing into the backfield and serving as a lead run-blocker (Henry has taken just 35 snaps in the backfield as a Patriot, per Pro Football Focus), that leaves O’Brien operating a one-back running game. That limits the type of schemes the Patriots can execute (think fewer plays from an I-formation or any with a lead blockers), but it frees up more pass-catchers on the perimeter.
Patriots sign ex-Navy linebacker Diego Fagot before training camp
Expect the Patriots' pass offense to revolve around Mac Jones' strengths — his accuracy, quick processing and decision-making — but successfully this time. The Pats will operate frequently from shotgun, emphasize empty formations and prioritize the middle of the field, where Jones operates best. Jones will also need better solutions for the single-high defenses that cluttered his preferred passing lanes between the numbers and loaded up to stop the Rhamondre Stevenson-led run game a year ago.
Last season among starting quarterbacks, Jones posted the third-worst passer rating and fifth-lowest yards-per-attempt average versus Cover 1 and Cover 3, per Sports Info. Solutions. Defenses could sit back in those coverages because their four-man rushes created enough pressure without help from additional blitzers. Why was that?
The Patriots' suspect offensive line, which proved porous in pass protection and couldn't execute consistently when run-blocking. And it is this group, specifically the offensive tackles, who should determine whether O'Brien can open his entire playbook or must work out of a few chapters.
If Trent Brown, Riley Reiff and/or Calvin Anderson can protect Jones well enough, all options will be on the table. If not, the Patriots could be asking themselves the same question next summer all over again.