Didn't catch the game live but watched the full replay. Was a bit miffed when I saw Agholor's TD come early on the Bourne pass, because when I glanced at the box score (before watching the game) I had assumed Mac and Agholor finally hit a deep one, but apparently not. Nonetheless, he got the deep-shot I wanted to see on the throw to Bourne (over 50 yards in the air, I read; that was an NFL caliber throw and he didn't have a ton of room to step into it).
If Mac can make that throw as a rookie, his arm strength is more than fine. Arm velocity is a bit different of a trait than pure airborne time, and I still think Mac could benefit from more zip on some of his throws, which I believe he'll develop as he physically matures and gets more time in an NFL strength/conditioning program.
Some of the arm velocity, too, is footwork and mechanical, and Mac has some sloppy habits on shorter throws with his feet which sometimes might affect the ball velocity. That said, I'm sure the team is toeing a fine line between trying to coach that out and just letting the guy play in a way that's most comfortable/intuitive. Sometimes guys are more accurate/comfortable with their own habits and trying to break those through methodical technique reworks can do more harm than good. It's something I think they'll try to work with him on this offseason (strength/arm velocity in general, part of which will be resetting his feet and making sure his leverage/technique is sound).
Mac aside, Harris is as good of a player/human-being combination as you'll find. Quietly becoming one of my favorite Patriots (ever). Glad to see them get Jonnu touches early and specifically target him. More of that, please. Hopefully the shoulder is relatively minor.
Beyond that, the offensive line looked rock solid. I was fully in the camp that Onwenu would be equally good at G, and maybe he could be under the right circumstances, but he looks out of this world at RT. I'm not sure what it is, but my sense is that he's stronger than most LEs, and equally as quick. Watching him work at RT is a thing of beauty. That got me thinking where Brown will play if/when he returns. Wynn was better this week but still not great. Do you do a 1:1 swap, Brown for Wynn? Does either Onwenu or Wynn kick inside, and Karras sits? Will be interesting to see.
They need a true boundary WR. Even after they signed Bourne & Agholor I remember it being reported that they were still pursuing another WR (at the time it was said to be AJ Green). I think this team, regardless of the QB, needs a true boundary WR ... but especially so with Mac Jones and his throwing style/comfort zone; he throws with such touch & seems to like those go/fade routes outside the numbers, so I think those type of receivers specifically (Devonta Smith is a perfect example) will be sought going forward.
They made some defensive adjustments this week. A big one was the 4-man rush, and specifically getting a guy with his hand in the dirt opposite Barmore. Remember all those stats about Barmore drawing the most double teams? Watching the first 5-6 weeks of the season, on obvious passing situations Barmore was almost always the only guy on the inside of a 3-man line, so naturally he got doubled a lot and his production (while impressive) was limited. They specifically put Ekuale next to Barmore to eat some blocks and create more space for Barmore, and ************ did he feast. That is the type of forward-thinking, subtle but significant coaching adjustments that we've come to appreciate from Belichick/Patriots.
The early blitz by Myles Bryant was a good tendency breaker. Judon is still a beast. Carl Davis/Godchaux/Guy are good, not great on the interior. They're fine, but they need a young running mate next to Barmore to develop. Ideally that running mate would be more in the mold of a run-defender, but with 3-down capability. If they could manage to get their hands on Jordan Davis (the UGA DT) I would completely sh*t my pants.
Losing DMac for at least part of the game (hopefully not too long-term) may have been a bit of a blessing in disguise. I can't remember the last time they secondary didn't have him on the field, and with his career clearly coming to an end soon they need to get used to life without him and I thought they managed well in his absence, no busted coverages or blown plays. I'd still like to see Dugger in more of a deep, MoF, zone role (I think his closing speed and instincts are special and having him chasing bodies near LOS and not playing with his eyes might not be his best role).
Bentley, as much as I still don't like seeing him in space, has been consistent this season. If they could trim him down 5-10 lbs, he might actually be a 3-down NFL LB. I don't watch him and think he'd lose much of his run stuffing ability and physicality if he dropped 5-7 lbs. 10 might be too much to lose, but getting him from his listed weight of 255 to 248 may not be a bad idea. If this isn't a possibility, or if it was to happen but wouldn't make Bentley any more nimble in space, then they need to another MLB (or two) soon. McGrone is a good step in the right direction.
Uche's playing time is dwindling. I hope they try him inside before giving up on the guy. He's not a 3-down player at this point, not nearly good enough against the run, and doesn't seem particularly instinctive. He's really stinking athletic, and that's about it. I'm not sure that he'll have a role inside, but beyond being a situational rusher/spy, he doesn't currently have any other place on the team, so it's worth a shot. He's fine in his current role but I haven't seen anything particularly encouraging from him, or anything that indicates progress/growth.
I mentioned a week or two ago that (based on reading another forum which has some plugged-in folks) Caserio had legitimate autonomy here. Obviously Belichick signed-off on players/picks, but Caserio implemented a scouting/evaluation/personnel prioritization system and Belichick let him drive the ship in that regard. Winovich and Uche were Caserio picks. Niche, athletic guys with seeming value in the modern game, but they had their red flags. The first draft in Caserio's absence saw different types of picks, IMO, particularly defensively. Barmore is a 3-down player. Perkins is a 3-down player. Also, as I mentioned above, I'm encouraged by their drafting of McGrone, because he's a legitimate, modern ILB should he get healthy and pick-up the system. I thought he was Michigan's best defensive player at times - quietly optimistic about him (and what him being drafted means about our philosophy drafting ILBs going forward).
In that vein, I also think they need another EDGE opposite Judon, because it's not Uche or Wino. Perkins is a good start, we'll see if he gets any traction in the next season or two. Van Noy isn't a bad prototype for what that player should look like, but he's clearly too old at this point.
The secondary is solid. Mills has his limitations but I like him more than most, especially his instincts and physicality. I've cooled on Dugger a bit (was hoping to see a bigger jump) but he's solid, no major complaints; maybe he'll make more a jump later this season or in his third year. J.C. continues to perform. They need to flesh-out the DBs this offseason but I think they're in a decent place.
