Here we are at the bye week, and I am going to look back on the previous 13 weeks and report on what I have seen. The Bye Week is coming so late in the season that it really won’t help that much. The team looked tired against the Colts, especially on Defense. All teams have bumps and bruises over the course of the season, and that has built up for the Patriots over a longer period without a break.
Drake Maye’s Progress
Let’s start with the progress that Drake Maye has made over the season. I agree with the decision to hold Maye back at the start of the season. He played just two seasons at North Carolina and didn’t play his senior year of High School because of COVID. He had a lot of flaws and never had taken a snap under Center. I didn’t like the decision to play Maye in his 1st game against the Houston Texans. They were a very good pass-rush team, and the Offensive line was and still is in shambles. Maye has exceeded all my expectations and has played very well considering the mess that is the Offensive Line.
Through the 9 games Maye’s completion percentage of 67.2% is very close to Mac Jones excellent 67.6% for 17 games in his rookie year. The big difference is the sieve of an Offensive Line that Maye has to play behind. Maye’s scrambling ability has resulted in 345 rushing yards. However, Alex Van Pelt refuses to call running plays for Maye, which could have helped in the Red Zone. He went so far as to replace Maye with Jacoby Brissett in a 4th and 1 QB sneak opportunity last week. Last week versus Indianapolis was Mayes’ finest game of the season, a game the Patriots should have won.
Antonio Gibson
(PHOTO: Eric Canha-Imagn Images)
Draft and Free Agency
Eliot Wolf and Matt Groh have failed the Patriots. It started with Free Agency. The Patriots were unable to secure help on the Offensive line where they had glaring needs. Unfortunately for the Patriots there were 7 Major Factors why they were unsuccessful: 1.) Despite having over $100M to spend on Free agents, the Patriots’ money was no good. Every team in the league got an additional $30M in salary cap space. With that additional money, every team was able to re-sign their own top Free Agents thus reducing the Free Agent pool to second tier players and dregs. 2.) None of the top Free Agents want to play in New England.
Why is that? Rookie Head Coach, rookie Defensive Coordinator, rookie Offensive Coordinator calling the plays for the 1st time, rookie O-line coach. The Offensive Coordinator is known for wanting to run the football. 3.) The team didn’t have an established NFL starting QB. Dake Maye was an unproven rookie QB that wouldn’t be ready to play right away. 4.) The Patriots have the worst Offensive Line in the league. 5.) There is no night life in Foxboro 5.) The weather is cold 6.) The Patriots are rated as one of the worst teams in the NFL Players association ratings. 7.) The Massachusetts Millionaires Tax reduces the players take home pay significantly.
I will give the Patriots credit for not overpaying mediocre talent to come play for them. They did some of that like Chuk Okorafor, KJ Osborn, Jaylinn Hawkins, and Nick Leverett. They hit on Free Agents Austin Hooper, Jacoby Brissett and Antonio Gibson. The Patriots then concentrated on re-signing their own players (according to the Packer Way). However, Kyle Dugger and Micchael Onwenu have not lived up to the contracts they signed and have been very disappointing this year.
Hunter Henry
(PHOTO: Eric Canha-Imagn Images)
Going into 2025 the Patriots will again have the most money in the league to sign Free Agents, but the league will not announce the new year salary cap number. I can’t see the windfall of $30M per team again next season. I would concentrate on a top WR (Tee Higgins) and two Offensive linenmen (Trey Smith and Alaric Jackson). I don’t want the team to rely on the draft to fix their O-line problems. This is not a good year for O-linemen in the draft.
The Patriots have addressed some of the issues brought up with the Players Association Survey. They will have a new Practice facility with upgraded nutrition capabilities, and a new weight room. That will not be available until 2026, but they can use the drawings and models of the facility to show prospective Free Agents they have addressed their concerns.
The Patriots also have an established and exciting rookie QB in Drake Maye that offensive players will want to play with. If they can get those Offensive linemen in Free Agency that would be a huge boost. They will have to overpay, especially because of the Massachusetts Millionaires Tax. The Red Sox felt that pinch when they lost out on Free Agent Juan Soto because their offer is worth so much less than the contract Soto agreed to.
The 2024 Draft, their 1st Draft without Bill Belichick, has been a disaster. Drafting Drake Maye was a homerun, but the remainder of the draft was awful. They traded their 2nd round pick # 34 and pick #137 to the Los Angelas Chargers for picks # 37 and #110. I don’t think moving up 27 spots from the 5th round # 137 to the 4th round #110 was a smart thing to do. They passed on the very dynamic Wide Receiver Ladd McConkey. He is on his way to a 1,000-yard season as a rookie with 54 catches to date and 4 TDs. How is Ja’Lynn Polk doing? Abysmal is the word I would use to describe Polk. He should have been benched for his numerous penalties (and that is on Mayo). I believe they didn’t take McConkey because they already had already had a slot receiver in Demario Douglas. McConkey was uncoverable in college and has great speed. He has had injuries in college and the pros and is slight in stature, but he has been just as elusive in the Pros.
They did not address the glaring need for a Free Safety. They should move Kyle Dugger and Marter Mapu to Linebacker. Dugger cannot cover even Tight Ends. How can rookie Defensive Coordinator Demarcus Covington have Dugger matched up one-on-one with Alec Pierce, the Colts number 2 WR on the game tying TD. How can Jon Jones, one of the best cover corners on the team, be on the bench and have Dugger one-on-one with Pierce. Jon Jones only played 21 snaps on defense versus Colts and there was no indication of an injury. The team was better with Jon Jomes at Safety when Dugger was out injured.
Coaching
Jerod Mayo is a rookie Head Coach and is making rookie mistakes. He has no Head Coaching experience, and his mistakes have cost the Patriots wins. His ultra-conservative approach shows that he is learning on the job. Last week he did not challenge a questionable catch by Colts TE Will Mallory. If that catch is overturn the Patriots win the game. If it was upheld, the Patriots lose a timeout, but the defense gets a break, and it breaks the momentum that Indy has built up. Mayo did not call a timeout at any point during that drive and especially before the two-point conversion. As mentioned earlier, Demarcus Covington, is also a rookie Defensive Coordinator. He had Kyle Dugger trying to cover Alec Pierce, a total mismatch. Against Tennessee, Mayo didn’t go for the win and attempt a 2 pt conversion, settling for Overtime.
What does he have to lose? This team could easily have three more wins if it wasn’t for his inexperience and mistakes. The Patriots attempted a 68-yard Field Goal, when the play should have been an attempted Hail Mary pass. Mayo didn’t know what the percentages was comparing a Hail Mary pass versus an attempt at the NFL record breaking Field Goal. The existing record is 66-yards, but that was indoors, not in the frigid temps of the windy Gillette stadium. Also, Mayo inexperience shows in his Press Conferences when he makes stupid statements like “We are going to burn some money” when talking about Free Agency. He blasted his team as being soft in the locker room where it belongs. Then he went before the media and said the same thing. You just don’t do that!
Alex Van Pelt is calling plays for the 1st time even though he has experience as an Offensive Coordinator. His play calling down the stretch, after a Christian Gonzalez interception, which should have sealed the game, was way too conservative and predictable. AVP’s sphincter tightened up and he called two running plays with the worst Offensive Line in the league and took the ball out of Drake Maye’s hands. He did the same thing inside the 10-yard line. Give Drake Maye a chance. Why no QB running plays or run/pass options with the athletic quarterback? He has shown very little imagination in his play calling.
What to Look For Down the Stretch
Caeden Wallace has returned from IR and has been out since week 4. Can Cole Strange get back in the lineup, perhaps at Center where Ben Brown is the worst Center in the league. David Andrews isn’t getting younger, and they need a replacement for him. What can these players show during the last few games playing Right Tackle? Will we see continued improvement from Drake Maye? Players on Defense are playing for their jobs for next season. Can Alex Austin play well enough to secure the other boundary corner position? Does Ja’Lynn Polk or Javon Baker show anything or are their rookie seasons a complete waste. Will the team re-sign Austin Hooper and Antonio Gibson who are playing on one-year contracts? I would like to see Antonio Gibson get more touches especially as a receiver out of the backfield on 3rd down. Gibson is averaging 4.7 yards per carry and 9.8 yards per reception. He has been targeted only 18 times for 15 catches.
I want to see this team be competitive down the stretch. not just patsies for the league’s elite teams. It begins this weekend in Arizona, Buffalo twice and the LA Chargers come to town sandwiched between the Bills games. Build some momentum heading into the off-season and next season.
About Mark Morse
Merrimack Valley native and lifelong fan of the New England Patriots. My earliest memories of the Patriots were attending as a child with my dad, the off-season practice at Phillips Academy. I was at the Patriots game at Harvard Stadium in 1970 where Bob “Harpo” Gladieux was called out of the stands by the stadium announcer over the PA to play in the game. Analyzing the draft since ESPN first started to televise it in 1980 and former writer for the Lowell Sun Newspaper.
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