{"id":24100,"date":"2023-07-26T17:44:10","date_gmt":"2023-07-26T21:44:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/?p=24100"},"modified":"2023-07-26T17:44:12","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T21:44:12","slug":"taking-stock-new-england-patriots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/nfl\/taking-stock-new-england-patriots\/","title":{"rendered":"TAKING STOCK: NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

BY ADAM GREENE<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are a card-carrying member of the New England Patriots\u2019 haters, which I\u2019m thinking includes every NFL fan that isn\u2019t a fan of the team, last season was a real treat. Not only did the Pats miss the playoffs for the second time in three seasons, they were one of the worst-coached offensive teams on the planet. That was, thanks in large part, to Bill Belichick\u2019s inept handling of the offensive play-calling duties, handing them to both Matt Patricia and Joe Judge. It didn\u2019t help Bill\u2019s case that he continued to employ his two sons, Beavis and Butthead\u2026 I mean, Stephen and Brian, on defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s hard to complain about the horrid coaching from Patricia and Judge when the two worst coaches on your staff have your own last name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re keeping track, last year also marked the third since Tom Brady parted with the team, pretty much at Belichick\u2019s insistence. As of now, Belichick has only led a franchise to the playoffs twice in his entire head coaching career without Brady. Bradyless, he\u2019s whiffed on the postseason eight times. It\u2019s an interesting stat for a head coach that is undoubtedly a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer and has the current claim of being the best head coach in NFL history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New England\u2019s train went off the rails early and predictably. They lost three of their first four and only started winning when Mac Jones was hurt against the Baltimore Ravens. Rookie Bailey Zappe led the Patriots to two consecutive victories over the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns. In Week 8, Jones returned to the starting lineup and actually had the team at 6-4 until the wheels spun off once more. The Pats dropped five of their last seven. And, in spite of Zappe not starting again, are in the midst of a QB controversy since the rumor floating all offseason was that Jones was on the trading block.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jones finished the year with a 6-8 record, completing 65.2 percent of his passes for 2,997 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Zappe was 2-0, completing 70.7 percent of his passes for 781 yards, five TDs, and three picks. Rhamondre Stevenson led the team on the ground with 1,040 rushing yards, five touchdowns to go with 69 receptions, 421 receiving yards, and one touchdown. Jakobi Myers caught 67 passes for 804 yards and six scores. On defense, Matt Judon finished with 15.5 sacks, 60 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, three passes defended, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. Ja\u2019Whaun Bentley had 125 tackles, five for a loss, three sacks, two passes defended, and a fumble recovery. Devin McCourty and Jonathan Jones co-led the team with four interceptions apiece. McCourty added 71 tackles, eight passes defended, and a fumble recovery. Jones had 69 tackles, 11 passes defended, and three forced fumbles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2022-23 Record:<\/strong> 8-9<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Playoffs:<\/strong> N\/A<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2023 Super Bowl Odds:<\/strong> +5000<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2023 AFC Championship Odds:<\/strong> +2500<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2023 AFC East Odds:<\/strong> +750<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NOW WHAT?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unable and unwilling to fire his own kids, Belichick at least improved the offense significantly by shoving Patricia out of the nearest airlock. Patricia landed on his feet as a senior defensive assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles and that\u2019s good. He\u2019s obviously a good defensive coach. The idea that he could coach at an NFL offensive level was dumb and, I\u2019m guessing, not his. Joe Judge has been \u201cre-assigned\u201d to the defense and labeled the \u201cAssistant Head Coach.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In their place, Bill O\u2019Brien, former head coach of the Houston Texans, returns. O\u2019Brien had a lot of success calling the offense in the past for Belichick before being hired as head coach of the Houston Texans and being terrible at that. Hey, sometimes being a great coordinator is enough. Not every guy is cut out to run the whole show. Look at Steve Spagnuolo in Kansas City. He was a great, Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator for the New York Giants, was a terrible head coach of the then St. Louis Rams, then became a great, two-time Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator for the Chiefs. Nothing wrong with staying in your lane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even with Jones being a first-round pick, he\u2019s still on his rookie contract and there\u2019s no reason for O\u2019Brien not to give Zappe every shot to take his job this offseason and as the year goes on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pats’ schedule is brutal and they will rightly be underdogs in every game they play until they travel to Las Vegas in Week 6. And, depending on how it goes before then, they might be dogs there too. After that, they get their first match-up with the Buffalo Bills and second against the Miami Dolphins in consecutive weeks. In all, the Patriots play nine games against 2022 playoff teams, including both Super Bowl participants. Five more of their contests will be against teams expected to seriously compete for the postseason this year \u2014 two against the New York Jets, one against the New Orleans Saints, one against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and one Christmas Eve match-up at the Sean Payton-led Denver Broncos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s going to be ugly. I think New England maxes out at six wins and that feels like a gift since a 3-14 finish wouldn\u2019t shock me. The Pats are finishing with their second straight losing record and, unless Belichick retires at season\u2019s end, will absolutely be the HBO\u2019s Hard Knocks<\/em><\/a> team next year. It will be glorious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE DRAFT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bill and the boys actually added some real talent in April\u2019s Annual Amateur Player Selection Meeting. New England selected cornerback Christian Gonzalez out of Oregon in Round 1. Added Georgia Tech edge rusher Keion White in Round 2 and defensive back Marte Mapu in Round 3 out of Sacramento State. They took nine more players after that, highlighted by the selection of wideout Keyshon Boutte out of LSU in the sixth, a guy that probably could have gone as high as the second round. All this earned them a \u201cA\u201d grade<\/a> in my draft rankings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FREE AGENCY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a free agency spending spree in 2021, the Patriots weren\u2019t quite as active this offseason. They added wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster from the Kansas City Chiefs, offensive tackle Calvin Anderson from the Denver Broncos, linebacker Chris Board from the Detroit Lions, offensive tackle Riley Reiff from the Chicago Bears, tight end Anthony Firkser from the Atlanta Falcons and punter Corliss Waitman from the Denver Broncos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AFC EAST<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gone are the days when Belichick and Brady lorded over a weak and hapless AFC East. Every team has a good head coach now and, more importantly, a better QB than New England. The Bills will repeat as champions, with the Jets and Dolphins battling out for one of just three available Wild Card spots in the playoffs. And the Patriots will get to watch it all from home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Follow Adam Greene on Twitter <\/em>@TheFirstMan<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Connect with us our socials on <\/em>Twitter<\/em><\/a> and <\/em>Instagram<\/em><\/a> for the latest sports news, viral moments, betting odds and the occasional memes.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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