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The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (Week 1 – Patriots vs Dolphins)

Dave Levine

September 15, 2021 at 10:14 am ET

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (Week 1 – Patriots vs Dolphins)

(PHOTO: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports)

🕑 Read Time: 3 minutes

Posted Under: 2021 Patriots Season

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Here’s a quick look back and some thoughts on the Patriots’ first game of the 2021 season.

The Good

Boy, it’s nice to have football back.
Mac looked good. After the opening drive jitters, he looked confident and relaxed. Made some really nice throws and didn’t try to do too much. His best throw was called back by penalty where he avoided the rush, rolled right and fired a strike 25 yards downfield on the move. Shows his pocket mobility and his ability to keep plays alive. Nice over the shoulder to White as well. He’s gonna be good.
Harris had a really nice day running hard and showing vision. He is patient as a runner and makes one cut to hit the right hole.
Judon has a big motor and showed some pass-rush ability.
Uche had a bull rush that absolutely ran over a poor OL.
Agholor played very well for his first game with us. Looked quick and caught the ball with his hands.
We actually have 2 TEs who can play. Both looked ok and will become more and more involved throughout the season.
It’s really nice to have Van Noy back. Always plays hard and is a leader. Makes everyone better.
One thing I noticed is that Mac immediately identified the open man on a blitz and consistently threw behind the blitzer. Quick release and didn’t allow the rush to get there.
The Carleton Knights defeated the University of Minnesota-Morris Cougars 50-13 on Saturday. Knights Junior QB Johnny Singleton went 30 for 40 for 365 yards and 2 TDs. 12 different players caught a pass in a dominating effort. Ben played all of the 4^th quarter at field cornerback recording a tackle and a pass breakup in the end zone. Next week the boys take on Crown College.

The Bad

Harris has to know the situation and not try to get the extra yard in that much traffic. That play is inexcusable and will not be tolerated.
Too many penalties. Way too much holding and personal fouls. We couldn’t get out of our own way. You never see us line up incorrectly yet it happened. This needs to be cleaned up immediately.
There is no excuse for putting the ball on the ground so many times. Not practicing ball security is one of BBs biggest peeves and I’m sure will be addressed in this week’s practices.
Losing a starting tackle after only a handful of plays really hurt. Our backups were only ok in replacement. OL depth is already being tested and we really didn’t look great. Mac needs to be protected a little better until he can get used to the game more.
Though the D got a little better over time, they were still getting gashed by simple plays. Need to work on tackling which, considering you don’t really do it anymore in camp, is understandable but it mostly comes down to discipline.
Stephenson needs some work. The fumble could have been the end of his day but is completely botched blitz pickup certainly was. Not quite ready for primetime. Hell, even Bolden got a carry.
I thought Bentley had a below-average game. Seemed tentative at times and didn’t really show any type of speed.

The Ugly

Green Bay got absolutely shellacked and didn’t look good. I guess A-a-ron should have not thrown a hissy fit in the off season.
Did anyone watch the end of the MNF game? Oakland ties the game with 3 minutes left then Baltimore hits a go ahead FG with 40 seconds left. LV gets the ball, completes 2 20+ yard passes and kicks a FG with no time. OT and LV scores what appeared to be the winning TD but runner was ruled down at the ½ yard line. QB sneak stuffed, then false start pushed them back to the 6. INT in the EZ gives Baltimore life.
Justin Herbert’s 20 yard forward pass that was ruled a fumble out the back of the end zone. That was a rough call that, though maybe if you really squint is correct, should not have been called. A fumble out the back of the EZ always seemed too rough.
Trent Green yammered the full game and never really said anything. I really don’t like him. For a “smart” ex-QB, he really does sound dumb at times.

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About Dave Levine

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Tags: Damien Harris Ja'Whaun Bentley Josh Uche Kyle Van Noy Mac Jones Matt Judon Nelson Agholor New England Patriots

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Mark Morse

4 years ago

Dave, Good stuff. Looking forward to your analysis all season long.

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