Monday’s Patriots Notebook 7/8: News and Notes
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Some Patriots news and notes for this morning:
The big question heading into this season for the New England Patriots clearly centers around the offense, but one other area that’s going to be curious to watch is going to be on the other side of the football in the secondary.
That’s an area that will likely make or break things for the defense, and it was interesting to go back to last season and look at the drop-off in interceptions relative to the last few campaigns.
To take it a step further, it was actually even a little staggering.
Consider this: From 2020 to 2022, the Patriots ranked first (18 INTs), second (23 INTs), and third (19 INTs) in interceptions.
In 2023, they fell to 23rd with just 10 interceptions, tied with the Rams among the lowest in the league.
Here’s a breakdown by season:
J.C. Jackson – 9
Devin McCourty – 2
Adrian Phillips – 2
Jonathan Jones – 2
Stephon Gilmore – 1
Chase Winovich – 1
Myles Bryant – 1
Total: 18
J.C. Jackson – 8
Kyle Dugger – 4
Adrian Phillips – 4
Devin McCourty – 3
Kyle Van Noy – 1
Myles Bryant – 1
Jamie Collins – 1
Jonathan Jones – 1
Total: 23
Jonathan Jones – 4
Devin McCourty – 4
Kyle Dugger – 3
Marcus Jones – 2
Jack Jones – 2
Jalen Mills – 2
Myles Bryant – 1
Ja’Whaun Bentley – 1
Total: 19
Kyle Dugger – 2
Jabril Peppers – 2
Jahlani Tavi – 2
Marte Mapu – 1
Myles Bryant – 1
Alex Austin – 1
Christian Gonzalez – 1
TOTAL: 10
The drop-off last season was fairly eye-opening, and unlike the Kansas City Chiefs, who were tied for third-lowest with just eight, the Patriots clearly don’t have the same offense to cover up that deficiency.
Coming off that 4-13 campaign, there were certainly some factors that worked against them. Part of that result came from the absence of Christian Gonzalez, who very well could have ended up with a fairly good total given how terrific he was in coverage early on before getting hurt. The same could be set for Marcus Jones, who registered multiple interceptions during his own rookie season.
The other aspect of this was the fact the Patriots spent quite a few games where they were playing from behind in 2023, which often leads to opponents being more conservative and taking less risks. That ends up leading to fewer opportunities for a defense that kept the score close, but obviously didn’t have an offense that could compliment it.
Looking back at the numbers, it was also a reminder of just how unbalanced their defense has been in terms of having multiple contributors creating turnovers, with 2022 being the lone season where we saw several guys make meaningful contributions. Again, injuries certainly didn’t help that situation, with both Jones and Gonzalez going down, and J.C. Jackson suffering a setback after his return that saw him sidelined for the majority of last season.
Add in the fact that Matthew Judon’s loss significantly impacted their pass rush, and it was a recipe for what turned out to be a significant drop-off in production from that group.
Looking back, Jackson was obviously significant for this team in both 2020 and 2021, with the defensive back notching an incredible 17 interceptions during that span, amassing 9 and 8 in respective seasons.
However, his return after the club acquired him from the Chargers early in 2023 was disappointing. Jackson’s health was an issue last season, and his agent cited his client’s mental well-being as behind part of his issues. Knee and ankle injuries also ended up being an issue for him, which seemed to derail what had clearly been an impressive start for the former undrafted player out of Maryland. He remains unsigned after the club released him back in March.
Jerod Mayo has continued to speak well of Jackson, with a report back in March indicating that the door was potentially still open for him should he get “his off-the-field issues in order” this offseason.
Prior to his release, Mayo said, “Look, I love J.C., coached him, saw him develop into a man. We’ll see how that goes going forward. But, look, heck of a football player, two years removed from injury, he’s probably going to move a lot better this year, so we’ll see.”
In the meantime, whether or not a return is still in the cards for the veteran is still a mystery.
For now, the club heads into this season with both Gonzalez and Jones back in the fold, along with Jonathan Jones, Shaun Wade, and Alex Austin. The potential X-factors from there will be what we see from Isaiah Bolden, who was off to a terrific preseason before his devastating injury, along with rookie Marcellas Dial.
Mike Reiss caught up with Dial’s former defensive coordinator, Clayton White, who believes the rookie will surprise some people this season.
“He has the size, strength and speed to play at that level,” White told Reiss. “But more importantly, I think he brings the intangibles and the will. He’s a great locker room guy, great team player and great special teams player, too.”
Overall, barring injuries, it’s a pretty athletic group and one that could potentially duplicate what we saw from the 2022 unit. But either way, they definitely need to be better than they were last year. Especially until this offense gets into gear.
Looking at things around the league, it’s interesting to see some of the names of coaches in the NFL. Ben Volin of the Boston Globe took a look around the NFL at various coaches in his Sunday column and one dynamic certainly stood out.
Out in Seattle, Jim Harbaugh’s son, Jay, who also coached with his uncle, John Harbaugh, with the Ravens from 2012-14 and later with his father from 2015 through last season, is back in the NFL, has found a new home. Jay joined his former colleague from Michigan, Mike Macdonald, who was hired this offseason by the Seahawks as their new head coach. Harbaugh is now the special teams coordinator for the club.
His path is interesting, given the discussion of Bill Belichick’s sons, Stephen and Brian. Harbaugh’s journey was a little different than the younger Belichicks, albeit there was still a family connection.
Jay’s start came away from his dad, getting his start instead with his uncle, John, in Baltimore. That first year, the 2012 season, ended up with an interesting twist. He was part of the Ravens’ staff that won the Super Bowl against his father’s 49ers team to cap off that year, with that first season seeing him work as an offensive quality control coach.
Needless to say, his son ended up with a Super Bowl ring, while his dad is now coming back into the league at age 61 with the Chargers to take another shot at trying to win one of his own.
For Stephen and Brian, the two will look to try and further establish themselves now that their dad is no longer with the Patriots. Stephen left this offseason to join former Patriots coach Jed Fisch with the University of Washington as their defensive coordinator, while Brian remained here in New England as safeties coach.
It’s likely going to be quite a change for both guys, but Brian heads into this year with some continuity and familiarity, which will certainly help him. Mayo spoke about Brian back in May, saying that he’s glad that the young coach is still here coaching.
“He’s been fantastic. He’s been fantastic,” said Mayo. “And there are other guys in the organization that it’s been a little awkward for him, and those guys have handled it the right way. Look, Brian loves football, and he loves New England. I think I talked about this a little bit earlier. A guy, new baby, loves it up here and wants to stay, and we’re happy that he’s here.”
It’s interesting to see the number of former Patriot players currently employed in the coaching ranks around the league. Volin noted that James Ferentz joined the Giants as an offensive line coach after retiring earlier this year, also joining former Patriots coach, Brian Daboll. … Another name mentioned is Ryan Wendell, who as many remember went from an undrafted free agent to being a key member of New England’s offensive line in their Super Bowl win over Seattle. He’s been in the league coaching for some time, with Wendell now working with the Rams as their offensive line coach. … One surprise name was Andre Carter, who some might remember was a pretty good player for the Patriots. He’s now a pass-rush specialist with the Raiders. … Fan favorite Roman Phifer is another fun name that popped up. He’s in Denver with the Broncos, working as a pro and college scout. … Former linebacker Brian Cox is another guy who brought plenty of attitude, becoming a key piece of New England’s defense back in the day. Cox is currently with the Giants, working as an assistant defensive line coach. … Raiders fans shouldn’t love the fact that Marvin Lewis is apparently back coaching. The 65-year-old has apparently joined Antonio Pierce as an assistant head coach. He had recently worked with Arizona State and is now back in the NFL, likely looking to bring that 0-7 playoff experience to the desert. Anyone who watched any of the those Bengals teams has to be shaking their head knowing he’s back in the coaching ranks. Talk about a disaster. … Mike Giardi made a couple of interesting comments in his recent mailbag. The first had to do with Marcus Jones, who as we saw during his rookie season was electric as a spark on offense. Giardi seems to believe those days are gone. He was asked if he saw Jones seeing any time on offense, with Giardi offering up a simple, “nope” on the matter. Jones caught four passes on four targets for 78 yards and a touchdown during his rookie campaign. … Giardi also weighed in on the situation with Davon Godchaux, who remains a player without an extension heading into this preseason. He believes that an extension isn’t forthcoming. “I don’t think DG gets an extension unless he lowers his price,” wrote Giardi. “What I think is more likely to happen is they guarantee some or all of his last year and let it play.”
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Interceptions are a team and scheme by-product. As Ian said, Judon’s absense and the pass rush dropped off last year. Pressure causes a big percentage of pics. But another thing is the game plan. Are you pressuring or playing deep zone and a bend/don’t break? So the coaches and scheme are a factor. Individualizing player stats in a team game is often faulty. Like saying “what’s wrong with Rhamondre Stephenson’s yds/carry drop off last year?”, when the line had blocking issues as the root cause, and defenses knew the pats could not block and execute 20+ yd pass plays, and… Read more »