Well now that we got THAT over with, that being the 2020 season (Year 1- Post Goat), it is time to put our focus on what the Patriots have done to improve that painfully average team from last season. There were a lot of holes to fill. There was a lot of money to spend. Well, after a wild free agency period, there are NOT a lot of holes to fill, and there is also NOT nearly as much cap space, although sitting with just over $12 million in space certainly puts them in a comfortable place if a player (cough, Jimmy G, cough) becomes available via trade or free agency. The Patriots had a few bad drafts, took gambles on players like Antonio Brown, and it cost them basically one year of cap flexibility. That is why they ended up in the situation they were in last year, but that year is going to be a blip on the radar when all is said and done.
It makes sense to just rip the band-aid off and put it out there- it appears, TODAY, that Cam Newton will be the starting quarterback for the 2021 New England Patriots. This makes many fans, pundits, and so-called experts angry, and it makes sense. The passing game was a nightmare last season, and bringing back the quarterback who many believe is washed up, from a throwing perspective, is simply a waste of time. Newton was easily the worst passing quarterback in football last season. He was also one of the BEST running quarterbacks, finishing third with 592 yards and 12 touchdowns. He threw for 2,657 yards, eight touchdowns, and ten picks. Cam had a total of 3,249 yards, 21 touchdowns (he caught one touchdown). BUT, he also had six fumbles. Cam needs to take care of the ball more. His fumble against Buffalo cost them the game, and those types of things simply can’t happen.
A full offseason in the Patriot’s program and a huge upgrade at the skill positions will likely lead to a much better Newton in 2021. The simple question is this- is Cam good enough to get this specific team to their highest potential level? We may find out, but we aren’t going to know the real answer until after the draft and the Garropolo situation works itself out. The Patriots believe that they can be a run-heavy team that will throw for about 200-225 yards per game and takes advantage of situations in the red zone. In 2020, New England had no red-zone weapons in the passing game.
Obviously, that has changed with the additions of Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith, Bourne, and Nelson Agholor. Can the Patriots be a team like the Titans, Ravens, Browns, and to some degree, the Redskins(maybe the best defense in football)? All four of those teams were in the bottom eight in passing yards in 2020, but the difference was efficiency in the red zone and overall explosiveness in the passing game. Tennessee (33), Baltimore (27), and Cleveland (27) all had strong passing touchdown numbers, and all three also kept their interceptions down (Titans-7, Ravens-11, Browns-8), so their balance with their terrific running game made their passing game that much more deadly, and those three teams were contenders for the AFC Title. It was not a shoo-in that Kansas City was going to the Super Bowl, and it won’t be in 2021 either.
When you take a look at offense in the NFL as it currently stands, there are four REAL contenders that are going to throw the ball like crazy- Kansas City, Buffalo, Tampa, and Green Bay. Even the Packers, who were ranked 11th in passing yards with 4,299, lean heavily on the run. Aaron Rodgers 48 touchdowns and just five interceptions last season in one of if not the most efficient regular season a quarterback has ever had. Again, these are historic players doing things that only a few guys can do. Did New England screw up in letting one of those guys go? YUP, but we are past that point and trying to figure out how to get back to the playoffs, and there are only four quarterbacks in football who can do the things they do, so let’s just forget about that until they luckily run into someone special.
- Ep. 197: Fields to Pittsburgh, Still Available Free Agentsby Full Press Coverage on March 18, 2024 at 8:00 pm
New England needs Newton to be able to throw to make plays like the Titans with Ryan Tannehill, but the big question is whether Newton can actually still throw effectively enough. Now he has the weapons, so there is no excuse there. He has a terrific offensive line and a very strong running game to work with, so if he IS the guy, which again, I have my doubts, he MUST be able to take advantage of his new weapons, especially in the red zone. If he can’t, New England will be like the 2020 Redskins, the other team we mentioned that made the playoffs as a bottom eight passing team but just weren’t explosive enough when they ran into the eventual Super Bowl-champion Bucs; you have to be able to score points when you get the chance.
One way they can make more plays in the passing game is to actually throw the ball more. In 2020 New England was ranked 31st in passing attempts with 440, which averages out to 24.5 passes per game. They completed 283 of those passes. Again, with the improvement in the weaponry of the passing game, expect to see more passing attempts in 2021. New England rushed the ball 502 times in 2020 for an average of 31.3 rushes per game. The expectation would not be for those numbers to flip, but getting even closer to a 50-50 split will absolutely be a goal of the 2021 Patriots offense. It makes no sense to go out and sign two very good tight ends and two potentially productive wide receivers if you aren’t going to throw the ball more. If Newton was to throw the ball four to five more times per game, that would put him in more of a rhythm and also keep defenses guessing.
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There is no question that Newton made some throws last year that were unexplainable and ugly, but his intermediate throws were very good. He didn’t throw deep a lot simply because they didn’t have the personnel, but that changes drastically with the addition of Agholor, who was one of if not the best deep threat in the NFL in 2020. Newton does not throw the short ball well and at this point of his career it is hard to see him improving, but he does have James White back out of the backfield too, a receiving threat that wasn’t used enough in 2020.
This may sound simple, but New England also needs the ball more. They were 29th in the NFL in plays per game in ’20, which is a direct correlation between bad third-down offense AND defense. If you can’t stay on the field or get off the field, it is hard to score points. With the improvement of the defense, the trickle-down effect will be more opportunities for the offense. Repetition, especially in football, typically leads to better play, and Bill Belichick is rebuilding his defense to help his offense and make the Patriots a more complimentary team in ’21. The moves made so far have put them in a strong position going into the draft next week.
The Patriots’ biggest problem in 2020, and people may think this is crazy, was the run defense. They couldn’t stop ANYONE on the ground, and teams took full advantage of this major fundamental weakness. New England actually had the number seven ranked defense overall last season, but the only reason that happened is that the pass defense was so solid. They were ranked 25th versus the run, allowing 4.5 yards per carry and 2,103 total rush yards on the season. Playoff teams need to be able to stop the run; only three playoff teams were not in the top half of the league in rushing defense- Buffalo, Tennessee, and Kansas City. Again, two of those teams have two of the top four quarterbacks in the league and the third team has the most productive running back. Those teams had the offensive explosiveness to overcome their rushing defense warts; the Patriots could not.
Do you want to know who had the best rushing defense in football in 2020? The Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who allowed just 1,289 rushing yards at just 3.6 yards per carry. Stopping the run matters- big time.
The Patriots are going to walk a thin line between good and bad, and it starts with being able to stop the run. The return of actual NFL linebackers in Hightower, Kyle Van Noy (pleasant surprise), and free-agent prize Matthew Judon give the Patriots the guys they need to fix the problems that ailed them defensively in 2020. The next step is taking care of the ball. Newton must avoid the fumbles and interceptions that haunted him last season. Lastly, they have to make more plays in the passing game, especially in the red area. Nobody expects Cam Newton to be Tom Brady, but if he can avoid turnovers and make enough plays, the Patriots have a chance to be a great team in 2021 and return to the contender status position that great franchises belong in.
No mention of a re-vamped Patriot D-line after pointing to a better linebacking g
corp.Curious omission!
It wasn’t revamped until the draft was over. They signed Godchaux & Anderson, not exactly All-Pros. NOW I’m happy with the addition of Barmore & Perkins. Thanks for reading!!