Patriots Redzone offense...oh boy...

[Salsalife]

So any thoughts on our 30th ranking last year and Buffalo was 2nd. What will be our ranking this year, hopefully between 10 and 15. Run or pass in the Redzone? I say we focus on running. Not enough proven weapons to throw too yet.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Hard to tell just now. I don't have a lot of faith in our O-line just yet to make holes and our RBs are "ok". I think Maye will be improved but not sure how quickly he can process the speed in the RZ. He can run but hes no Josh Allen. Additionally we don't have any top red zone threats.
Josh McD is a huge upgrade at OC but there is only so much he can do w play design

Net-net we will be better but not sure how much.

 

[farn]

Hoping the new RB they drafted will help : including catches from the backfield. But, as stated, that OL must improve.

 

[Wozzy]

I’ll have an opinion when I see the offensive line depth chart after preseason.

 

[BTTA]

I’ll have an opinion when I see the offensive line depth chart after preseason.

Yeah, this is really it. And it will be different than what we know now.
The new skill players will undoubtedly be better than last year but there's a new system and a lot of youth so that's probably a year away from anything close to its ceiling.

 

[signbabybrady]

Chism looks open after one of those inside out routes.

 

[Salsalife]

Hard to tell just now. I don't have a lot of faith in our O-line just yet to make holes and our RBs are "ok". I think Maye will be improved but not sure how quickly he can process the speed in the RZ. He can run but hes no Josh Allen. Additionally we don't have any top red zone threats.
Josh McD is a huge upgrade at OC but there is only so much he can do w play design

Net-net we will be better but not sure how much.

To be a projected 10 win team this is where it has to happen. The jumbo package I'd like to experiment with...
Diggs, Cambell, Conley, Wilson, owenu, Moses, durant(tackle eligible) Williams with Lampe at fullback and fumbles Stevenson at RB.

 

[maust]

Not being gifted with prescient vision I'm going to need to at least see who makes up the moving parts of this offense and how those moving parts work together to hazard any type of guess what said unseen's offense tendencies in the RZ might be.
YMMV

 

[Grogan14]

For RZ offense it would be great to have

1) a 6'6 or taller TE bruiser - we do not have
2) a reliable north-south running back who does not fumble - we do not have
3) a capable 6'3 or taller receiver who can run fades - (? Mack Hollins)
4) a mobile qb adept at running sneaks - (TBD, Maye is still unproven and raw)

I expect their red zone offense to be bottom third based on currenr personel

 

[Steve102]

Chism looks open after one of those inside out routes.

I'd trade him for a true RZ threat.

 

[RobertWeathers]

To be a projected 10 win team this is where it has to happen. The jumbo package I'd like to experiment with...
Diggs, Cambell, Conley, Wilson, owenu, Moses, durant(tackle eligible) Williams with Lampe at fullback and fumbles Stevenson at RB.

I think that'll be used but unsure if it's something that will be consistently effective.

 

[signbabybrady]

Looks like Maye and Dre are working on the solution!

#RhamonDrake

I should sell some T-shirts

 

[scott99]

I think they have some tools to work with. Hopefully Henderson and Williams play up to their potentials. They would add a ton of much needed speed. Even in the red zone, speed matters. Henry is a good red zone weapon as well. I think Diggs can help in the red zone as well.

 

[Salsalife]

I think they have some tools to work with. Hopefully Henderson and Williams play up to their potentials. They would add a ton of much needed speed. Even in the red zone, speed matters. Henry is a good red zone weapon as well. I think Diggs can help in the red zone as well.

Would you feature Henderson over Rham?

 

[Vindicate]

A huge step in improving this is being just effective enough to force defenses to play honest. I'd imagine defensive players last year were licking their chops to play the Patriots to meet some contract incentives. You could really pin your ears back on every single snap and not worry. we literally had the 32nd in both pass and run protection. Even if we connected on a bomb, you could rest assured that itd be unlikely that we'd get 7 out of it.

If you are even mediocre enough to add maybe a half second to defense processing time (instead of no fear of going all out), if you force a secondary to think for even a second about how they're gonna matchup and handoff routes in a zone, you'll see more opportunities.

It all starts with the OL and that's what has made this off-season painstakingly slow. We have no idea what to expect until we get some real OL snaps.

 

[WazzuWheatfarmer]

I’ll have an opinion when I see the offensive line depth chart after preseason.

Exactly. It begins and ends with the blocking up front, especially in the red zone where the field is tight. I think Maye’s ability as a runner will really help in short yardage situations, but like Wozzy says, they have to be able to open holes up. Simply put, if NE’s O-Line is average or better, I expect the offense as a whole to be drastically improved this season. I’m optimistic, but I need to see it first.

 

[patfanken]

To be a projected 10 win team this is where it has to happen. The jumbo package I'd like to experiment with...
Diggs, Cambell, Conley, Wilson, owenu, Moses, durant(tackle eligible) Williams with Lampe at fullback and fumbles Stevenson at RB.

In actuality, in order to be a 10 win plus team we need only ONE thing to happen. We MUST have a significant plus in our plus/minus TO ratio. IIRC, I saw a stat that stated that all but 2 playoff teams where in the top half of the league in TO ratio.

It's really that simple. Year in and year out it is possibly the most accurate indicator of success there is.

 

[Nunchucks]

In actuality, in order to be a 10 win plus team we need only ONE thing to happen. We MUST have a significant plus in our plus/minus TO ratio. IIRC, I saw a stat that stated that all but 2 playoff teams where in the top half of the league in TO ratio.

It's really that simple. Year in and year out it is possibly the most accurate indicator of success there is.

Defense will keep them in games, it is up to Drake to protect the ball. If he can do that, I believe the patriots running game mixed with a short passing game, play action, and a few off schedule big plays can get the patriots to the playoffs. But, Drake must protect the football.

 

[Ring 6]

Hard to tell just now. I don't have a lot of faith in our O-line just yet to make holes and our RBs are "ok". I think Maye will be improved but not sure how quickly he can process the speed in the RZ. He can run but hes no Josh Allen. Additionally we don't have any top red zone threats.
Josh McD is a huge upgrade at OC but there is only so much he can do w play design

Net-net we will be better but not sure how much.

I want hope and expect to see an offense that grinds out success. I don’t mean grind in the sense of ground and pound, I mean it in the sense of just getting it done even if it’s ugly.
I can definitely see red zone TDs where Maye has to big time scramble around and eventually find someone open (it was an emerging trait last year) and can definitely see him putting his head down and running it in. We gave the ability to do QB runs in the red zone.
I’d compare it to Buffalo’s red zone, never real easy but they get the job done

 

[Ring 6]

Defense will keep them in games, it is up to Drake to protect the ball. If he can do that, I believe the patriots running game mixed with a short passing game, play action, and a few off schedule big plays can get the patriots to the playoffs. But, Drake must protect the football.

I hope we don’t play that way.

I am not convinced this will be a dominant defense that can carry an offense. It won’t be bad but the offense needs to be good to win.

I am against a pound the run short passing, “stay on schedule” offense. Those never work. Picking up 6 3rd downs in a drive is difficult.
The offense should be designed around setting up chunk plays in the passing game, 15+ yards, and making first downs in first and second down.

Really you increase turnovers when you force yourself into converting a bunch of 3rd downs.

Last year on first and second down we had 373 pass plays with 7 ints and 23 sacks. Thats 1.9% int and 6.2% sack but on 3rd down we had 145 pass plays with 4 ints and 27 sacks. Thats 2.8% int snd 19% sacks. And it wasn’t because of 3rd and long. On 3rd and 6 or less we had 3.2% ints and 22% sacks.

The most dangerous play to an offense is a 3rd down pass. Throwing in 1st and 2nd down, making 1st downs in 1st and 2nd, is not only the best way to put up points, but it also reduces risk.