PATRIOTS NEWS Patriots Training Camp 7-31-2023

[Family]

Folk has been great, but the kickoff issue has become a problem.

They have to be hoping to get a kicker who does both.

 

[Kasmir]

Folk has been great, but the kickoff issue has become a problem.

They have to be hoping to get a kicker who does both.

The new kickoff rules are expected to reduce the number of kickoffs returned by about 20%, and in particular will make deliberately short kickoffs less appealing. With an almost historically bad kickoff coverage game last year, any change would be likely to be an improvement.

 

[Patsfan1958]

Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne spills beans on funny Bill Belichick story

 

[Rob0729]

More RPO’s? Yes please.

Jones excelled in the RPO in college. I think I read he was the #1 QB in passing out of the RPO. I get why Patricia never ran the RPO with Jones because Patricia never did anything to maximize the strengths of his players except when Zappe was in. But I never got why McDaniels never ran a single RPO in Jones’ rookie year.

The league is moving to running far more RPOs ( although different from the college game in a some respects). It is good that O’Brien is bringing it to the Patriots especially since it is a strength of Jones.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

But I never got why McDaniels never ran a single RPO in Jones’ rookie year.

I assume because running a RPO is not only about Mac, but about the whole offense. Patricia tried to change the offense last year, and it did not go well. I think these type of changes have to be introduced slowly or expect a 3+ year learning curve. Maybe McDaniels could introduce a few RPO plays, but what is the point when Mac had so much else to learn?

 

[Wozzy]

Jones excelled in the RPO in college. I think I read he was the #1 QB in passing out of the RPO. I get why Patricia never ran the RPO with Jones because Patricia never did anything to maximize the strengths of his players except when Zappe was in. But I never got why McDaniels never ran a single RPO in Jones’ rookie year.

The league is moving to running far more RPOs ( although different from the college game in a some respects). It is good that O’Brien is bringing it to the Patriots especially since it is a strength of Jones.

For what it's worth, Josh was very stuck in his ways. He insisted on an inline FB which is why Jakob Johnson had a job here and he was the very first free agent Josh signed with the Raiders. It's also why the two TE set here never became a thing unless Obie was running the offense. We caught a break when Josh got hired in Vegas, he needed a new challenge and we needed a fresh voice.

 

[mgteich]

Exactly. Signing someone to the active roster comes at significant cost - you have to keep him there for at least 3 weeks. And this is a player with a significant previous injury history, a significant previous character issue and that doesn't know your system. The chances of him being of actual use during that 3 week period are remote.

This sounds reasonable, but it really isn't. By mid-season, lots of teams will want to pick players off Practice Squads as they build for 2024.

 

[Wozzy]

If Folk is slightly better in camp than Ryland…who should make the 53?

By all accounts Ryland has been aces from all over the field and booming them from deep... so hopefully they don't have to make a decision.

Folk has been good for us, but he's also the oldest guy on the roster at 39 years old.

 

[Rob0729]

I assume because running a RPO is not only about Mac, but about the whole offense. Patricia tried to change the offense last year, and it did not go well. I think these type of changes have to be introduced slowly or expect a 3+ year learning curve. Maybe McDaniels could introduce a few RPO plays, but what is the point when Mac had so much else to learn?

Patricia changed the offense to be what he wanted even though most of the things he wanted did not fit the personnel the Pats had. Why would you run a zone blocking scheme with the o-line he had. Why would you want to run a more vertical offense with the receivers he had? Everything he did was to make it easy for him and not the players.

As for McDaniels, throwing in a few RPOs a game wouldn’t have hindered Jones’ development. McDaniels just doesn’t believe in them.

 

[Rob0729]

For what it's worth, Josh was very stuck in his ways. He insisted on an inline FB which is why Jakob Johnson had a job here and he was the very first free agent Josh signed with the Raiders. It's also why the two TE set here never became a thing unless Obie was running the offense. We caught a break when Josh got hired in Vegas, he needed a new challenge and we needed a fresh voice.

I wish that they had Josh for one more year. He was doing a good job developing Jones. I think one more year under McDaniels might have given Jones the year two jump people were hoping for.

Whether or not you like his offense, I think his mentorship of Jones was more needed last year to his development than modernizing the offense. Unfortunately, we got coaches who did little to help develop Jones and one of the worst offensive systems I have ever seen at any level.

 

[DaBruinz]

Henry if healthy is an elite TE, same with Gesicki… they need the targets. None of the WR’s are elite producers but the vets are very good at the respective positions the team wants them to play.

The Pats offense have been near dead last in pass attempts the last two years. If the weapons are going to produce for fantasy football the Pats have to pass more.

I'm going to disagree with this. The Pats need a balanced game that utilizes the RUN game as well as the variety of passing weapons they have.

Henry, Gesicki, Smith-Schuster, Parker, Bourne, Douglas and Thornton offer a variety of mismatches that the offense can throw out there in the Passing game.
I think that the last time the Pats had this sort of variety of weapons on offense was back in 2012 when they heavily featured the 2TE set with Gronk and that other guy. They had Welker, Lloyd, and Edelman at WR, but they had the Hydra of RBs in Ridley, Woodhead, Vereen and Bolden.

 

[DaBruinz]

Philips would have destroyed Juju on that play if it was an actual game….or if it was Rodney.

Where did you see Philips? That was Jon Jones in motion and Parker opposite Gonzalez..

 

[DaBruinz]

Mafi is a monster and has been with the 1st team. What are the odds we are going to sign Onwenu to a $15+M contract? What is less than zero?

Onwenu is a top 3 Guard in the league. You thinking that MAYBE getting a 3rd round pick as a substitute in 2 years and having Mafi who has shown ZERO yet is somehow going to lead to the Pats not offering Onwenu a deal after the fiasco of the last couple of O-linemen (thuney/etc) is just not logical in the least bit.

 

[DaBruinz]

The new kickoff rules are expected to reduce the number of kickoffs returned by about 20%, and in particular will make deliberately short kickoffs less appealing. With an almost historically bad kickoff coverage game last year, any change would be likely to be an improvement.

That rule is only slated to be used this year with a review next off-season. I am confident when they see that IT and the new KO Fair Catch BS don't have the desired affects, the league will go back to the way it's been. Especially since numerous players called out the league on it's BS rule changes

 

[Joker]

I've been a Pats fan for as long as some of you guys have been alive. Seen just about everything. I do not have a clue how this team shapes up for 2023. So far I'd say they can bank on the rookie corner and Barmore is going to dominate. About it. I have to SEE the play calling when the bullets start flying.If Jones is NOT the starting QB on this team, I'll leave this board until he is. The Zappe noise is just that...noise

 

[PatsFan2]

Philips would have destroyed Juju on that play if it was an actual game….or if it was Rodney.

Exactly I saw so many things wrong with that play it wasn't innovative. The throw had hospital ball written all over it. I hope they remove the play itself from our playbook.

 

[PatsFan2]

Bourne with one reception so far in 5 camp days. Talk amongst yourselves.

Seems like Boutte is ahead of both Bourne and Thornton. But I am sure Bourne is smiling about it love his grill.

 

[Brewskies]

Bourne with one reception so far in 5 camp days. Talk amongst yourselves.

What is with him?

 

[Wozzy]

I wish that they had Josh for one more year. He was doing a good job developing Jones. I think one more year under McDaniels might have given Jones the year two jump people were hoping for.

Whether or not you like his offense, I think his mentorship of Jones was more needed last year to his development than modernizing the offense. Unfortunately, we got coaches who did little to help develop Jones and one of the worst offensive systems I have ever seen at any level.

I think either that or Obie arriving a year earlier would be better than what we ended up with. We’d have made the playoffs the last two seasons and attempting to go all the way this time. Unfortunately it is what it is.

 

[Wozzy]

I'm going to disagree with this. The Pats need a balanced game that utilizes the RUN game as well as the variety of passing weapons they have.

Henry, Gesicki, Smith-Schuster, Parker, Bourne, Douglas and Thornton offer a variety of mismatches that the offense can throw out there in the Passing game.
I think that the last time the Pats had this sort of variety of weapons on offense was back in 2012 when they heavily featured the 2TE set with Gronk and that other guy. They had Welker, Lloyd, and Edelman at WR, but they had the Hydra of RBs in Ridley, Woodhead, Vereen and Bolden.

I never said they didn’t have to be balanced, in fact the opposite. The last two seasons they were bottom third in the league in pass attempts and last year especially in total offensive plays run.

Mac’s no longer a rookie and they need to be better at passing obviously, but they also have to do it more frequently.