MORSE: Clearing the Patriots Notepad from Week 3
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Accountability was a keyword from Mike Vrabel before Training Camp started. I haven’t seen it. “[Bleep] that gets you beat”, that was a quote from Vrabel during Pre-Season. The Patriots have been called for 29 penalties in three games. They are on pace to break the Patriots’ single-season record. This is a showdown week for Coach Vrabel. Is he being too soft on his players? He needs to bring the hammer down on Rhamondre Stevenson and Pop Douglas. He at least benched Alex Austin for two costly penalties and then replaced LB Christian Elliss with Jack Gibbens. I would have both Stevenson and Douglas inactive for Sunday.
1) This Home Game Sunday for the Patriots is huge. They cannot start the season 0-3 at home. The Panthers are coming in with momentum off a big road win at Atlanta, shutting them out 30-0.
2) I loved Rhamondre Stevenson’s comments after the game. Stevenson said, “If I can’t hold onto the ball, then they don’t need me”. He acknowledges that he has a fumbling problem. I believe he is frustrated by his fumbling. It appears that he has tried to hold the ball correctly, but just can’t hold onto it. Is it a mental thing now?
3) Antonio Gibson’s fumble was just a good play by Jabrill Peppers. That was a helmet to the ball hit. Some shade can be placed on Mack Hollins for missing a block on Peppers. I have also noticed that the offensive line has not been getting downfield.
4) Khyiris Tonga and Joshua Farmer had noticeable plays against the run, while Milton Williams also recorded two tackles for a loss. According to Greg Bedard, Tonga had 5 positive plays in the game where he put pressure on the Steelers’ Offensive line. He didn’t get any credit on the stat sheet, but made it possible for other teammates to make plays. Tonga had a very bad grade from PFF, but for the season, his 74.3 rating is 23rd in the league. He has been a very good free-agent pickup.
5) Is the decision by Eliot Wolf looking even worse to trade the 2nd round, #34 overall pick to the Los Angeles Chargers? The Patriots made this trade with the idea to improve their draft position. The Best Player Available was WR Ladd McConkey a slot receiver from Georgia. The Patriots feeling was they already had a competent Slot Receiver in Pop Douglas. So they made the trade and took WRs Jalen Polk and Javon Baker with the picks acquired from the Chargers. Neither is on the team after just one season, and Douglas’ role has already been reduced, and he is in danger of being benched and inactive next week.
6) Will Campbell had a bad game. He was credited with 7 Pressures by PFF, and he badly whiffed on a stunt by the Pittsburgh linemen, following his blocker inside while the DT looped around him with a clear path to Maye.
| Season Rank | Overall | Pass Blk | Run Blk | |
| Campbell | 43 | 52.2 | 45.5 | 54.5 |
| Wilson | 53 | 58 | 54.4 | 58.1 |
| Bradbury | 29 | 54.1 | 49.8 | 54.4 |
| Onwenu | 36 | 61.9 | 73 | 62.6 |
| Moses | 49 | 68.4 | 57.3 | 75.9 |
7) Curious that Garrett Bradbury got a 49.8 grade for the game despite having another clean sheet? For the season, he is ranked #6 in Pass Blocking and hasn’t given up a sack, pressure, QB hit or hurry.
8) The Patriots have given up 12 sacks on the season which is 2nd worst only to the Tennessee Titans.
9) Despite this pressure Drake Maye is playing like a top 10 QB. According to Warren Sharp, Maye has the following stats:
#2 Passing Completion %
#4 Success Rate
#8 EPA per Dropback
#5 Plays of 10+ yards
He has been pressured on 33% of his passes and sacked at the 3rd highest rate of 29% on those pressures.
10) I saw Scott Pioli on NBC Sports Boston’s Post Game Live, and I found him to be very calm and rational, not like so many of the other talking heads on the show. Why don’t we replace Wolf with Pioli? This would add a new face that is not a yes man to Vrabel and someone who is at least competent.
11) How are the Patriots so good that they didn’t put Christian Gonzalez on IR and save a roster spot at cutdown day? Did they misdiagnose his hamstring injury? Did he have a relapse after cutdown day? Albert Breer claims that Gonzalez did not have a setback. Is this just Gozalez being extra cautious because it is a contract year? That is what Sauce Gardner did last year with the NY Jets, sat out and was awarded a big fat contract extension after his 3rd credited year in the league.
12) Why do the Patriots have only 52 players on their roster for the last two games? Are they that good?
13) The Patriots are right where I think they were going to be, so don’t panic at the loss to the Steelers. Yes, I am frustrated with the loss against the Steelers because the game was there to win. They left 14 points on the table with the two turnovers inside the 2-yard line.
14) The Patriots’ Offense and Drake Maye have actually been better than I thought they would be at this point. I didn’t give enough credit to Tom Brady, Chip Kelly, and Geno Smith before the Raiders game. They had all Pre-season to get ready for Josh McDaniels and TreVeyon Henderson. Smith, I highlighted in my week 1 preview as having the highest completion % when pressured last year, and the Patriots obliged by blitzing often, and they got burned.
15) Before the season started, I expected a loss to an improved Steelers team with Aaron Rodgers. However, I did pick the Pats to win last week, and they should have won. Winning in Miami was totally unexpected.
16) I am on record of not liking playing two rookies next to each other on the Offensive Line. Campbell and Wilson have actually played better than I thought they would.
17) Garrett Bradbury was a concern with the way he played during training camp and the joint practices. Last season, he led all Centers with Sacks Allowed. This season, he ranks 6th for Pass Blocking with his 75.5 Pass Blocking Grade from PFF. Bradbury hasn’t given up a Sack, QB Hit, Hurry, or Pressure.
18) I expected the Patriots to run the ball more. When they were able to run vs Miami, they won. When they didn’t run well, they went out and lost 2 games. Warren Sharp stated the Patriots should throw more because of how bad the run game has been. They are dead last in Rushing EPA, Early Down EPA, Rushing Success Rate #29, and 21st in Yards Per Carry.
19) Receivers have been a big question mark. Pop Douglas has disappeared, and he should be inactive for the game versus the Panthers. He drops too many passes and didn’t move towards the ball on the underthrown pass from Maye. His inexcusable maneuver at the end of the Patriots’ final series was just stupid. Knife forward and get the 1st down. I want to see Efton Chism in that role.
20) On Defense, tremendous credit has to be given to ILB Coach Zach Kuhr has done a great job filling in for Terrell Williams (Illness). Head Coach Mike Vrabel announced that Kuhr will be calling the Defense again this week.
21) The Defensive Line has been great. They have put pressure on the QB, and they have been outstanding against the run. The Patriots are ranked 2nd in the league against the run, allowing only 60.3 yards a game. On the other hand, their pass defense has been anemic.
22) Alex Austin has struggled mightily replacing Christian Gonzalez. Who knows when the enigmatic Gonzalez will be back? I know Hamstring injuries are tricky, and Gonzalez must have had a setback, which stretched out his rehab. Getting him back in the lineup is a key to the team’s success.
23) So far, the pass defense is ranked 29th in the league. With two new Safeties, one a rookie, Craig Woodson, and vet Jaylinn Hawkins, they are growing into their positions.
24) I wish the Patriots had kept Jabrill Peppers to stabilize the secondary. If the Steelers don’t have Peppers, they may not have won the game. Peppers received a Steelers game ball after the game on Sunday. I guarantee you it was as much because of what he did off the field in getting Pittsburgh prepared to play against the Patriots, as he did for forcing the Antonio Gibson fumble.
Patriots signed CB Tyron Herring, 24, to the Practice Squad. Originally, signed by the Green Bay Packers as a rookie free agent out of Delaware on May 2, 2025, he was released by the Packers on Aug. 26, 2025. The 6-foot-1, 201-pounder, played in 40 games with 29 starts during his college career at Dartmouth (2019, 2021-22) and at Delaware (2023-24). In two seasons with the Blue Hens, he totaled 72 tackles, four interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery across 23 games. Herring earned Second-team All-CAA honors and an invitation to the East-West Shrine Bowl. He was also named Captain and ran a 4.52 0-yard dash at his Pro Day.
CB Corey Ballentine was waived even though they had an open spot on the Practice Squad.
That spot was opened when LB Mark Robinson was signed by the New York Jets. He was elevated for all three games and played on 4 Special teams units. This was also a curious move since the team had an open roster spot on the 53-man roster. Mike Reiss claims the team is holding that spot for Jahlani Tavai, who isn’t eligible to come off IR until after this week.
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It’s frustrating when they are good enough to be 3-0, but kill themselves with unforced errors. Stevenson and Douglas definitely need to be benched, at least for the Panthers game. Give Henderson a chance to get in his groove, and Chism has more than earned his shot.
Chism…. there’s been many summer superstars that weren’t good enough to make the 53 nor play in a real game. Chism may not be ready and need a year for all we know. We have no basis to say he’s earned starting over Digg, Hollins, or Boutte. McD’s is not playing a lot of 3 WR sets as well, so those 3 aren’t even in there together much. They are keeping a RB and 2 TEs in a lot to support the o-line, given those 5 guys never played together. None of them. 2 are rooks. Other than turnovers vs… Read more »
Vrabel is not going to over-react in mid-September replacing players. He may sit Stephenson to let him reset, but otherwise all the banter to me with Pop D is just fan side zero patience and venting. . Why? Because the team was likely to have some ‘rough’ play given the new systems being learned, plus add in a ton of new players in the game. Rookies on o-line. Penalties happen with players are having to think to much pre-snap vs just playing. The team is way better right now vs last years product and the prospectus is right on track.… Read more »