{"id":47654,"date":"2023-09-06T10:04:42","date_gmt":"2023-09-06T14:04:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=47654"},"modified":"2023-09-06T10:04:42","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T14:04:42","slug":"morse-2023-new-england-patriots-season-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2023\/09\/06\/morse-2023-new-england-patriots-season-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"MORSE: 2023 New England Patriots Season Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"

Patriots Offense <\/strong><\/h3>\n

The team has completed the OTAs, Mini-Camp, and Pre-Season, and we still don\u2019t know what the team has because of injuries to the Offensive line.\u00a0 I am confident that the proven Bill O\u2019Brien system will work again in the NFL.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

That is not the problem, it is the inconsistency of the Offensive line.\u00a0 The Patriots made two trades prior to the cutdown for young, unproven Offensive Tackles.\u00a0 There is a lot to like about the potential of Vederian Lowe and Tyrone Wheatley Jr.\u00a0 Both are tall, big-bodied Tackles with long arms.\u00a0 Are either of them ready to start against the vaunted Philadelphia Eagles Defensive Ends?\u00a0 Probably not!\u00a0 <\/p>\n

An Offensive line of Trent Brown LT, Cole Strange LG, David Andrews C, Michael Owenu RG, and Calvin Anderson RT is potentially a very good group.\u00a0 Anderson has experience at both tackle spots and that will allow the Pats to keep Owenu at RG.\u00a0 Reilly Rieff is on IR and can be recalled in 4 weeks.\u00a0 His and Connor McDermott’s injuriesy required the Patriots to make the trades.\u00a0 They could go into the season with two rookies who were not ready to play in the NFL yet.<\/p>\n

The toughest job on the Patriots coaching staff goes to new O-line coach Adrian Klemm and his assistant Billy Yates.\u00a0 They have 11 O-lineman on the 53-man roster and another 2 on the Practice squad.\u00a0 Eight of those players are either rookies or 2nd<\/sup> year players.\u00a0 That\u2019s 5 Veterans and Reilly Reiff is hurt.\u00a0 Klemm come back to the Patriots as an accomplished coach having recently coached the Oregon Ducks O-line into one of the better units in all of College Football.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

There is a lot of pressure on Klemm to produce and the team is dependent upon the line performance. \u00a0Klemm is a welcomed departure from the awful job Matt Patricia did as the Offensive Coordinator.\u00a0 He was also the O-line coach but never spent time with them, relegating that job to 1st<\/sup> year coach Billy Yates. \u00a0\u00a0Yates did his best but was just so inexperienced to handle the hot mess he was handed.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a look at the Quarterback room.\u00a0 Mac Jones is very comfortable with Bill O\u2019Brien\u2019s offense. \u00a0\u00a0How comfortable will he be behind the Offensive Line that has practiced together for a week with no physical contact?\u00a0 If he is given the time in the pocket, Jones can be a very effective game manager.\u00a0 He had a high completion percentage as a rookie (67.6), which was second all-time to Dake Prescott\u2019s (67.8).\u00a0 Despite the chaos surrounding the offense last year, Jones still had a good completion percentage (65.2).\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Jones will also have a better receiving corps that will be utilized better by O\u2019Brien.\u00a0 Backup Matt Corral had an excellent career at Mississippi (another SEC QB).\u00a0 He missed his entire rookie season in Carolins with a Lisfranc injury.\u00a0 Carolina tried to sneak him through waivers and got caught.\u00a0 Ironically, Corral was selected by Carolina with a draft pick acquired from the Patriots so they could select him in the 3rd<\/sup> round.\u00a0 The 4th<\/sup> round pick exchanged ended up being Bailey Zappe, and the 3rd<\/sup> this year was Marte Mapu.\u00a0 Now we have both QBs.\u00a0 I suspect that Zappe will be a call up on Sunday to serve as the backup QB, with Corral being on the team a little over a week.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Another interesting point is that Mac Jones was recruited to play at Alabama by Lane Kiffin who was the Offensive Coordinator\/ QB Coach at Alabama at the time.\u00a0 Corral played for Kiffin at Mississippi for Kiffin.\u00a0 Both programs run heavy amounts of Run\/Pass Options (RPOs).\u00a0 Both QBs are familiar with this type of offense and performed very well in this environment.\u00a0 Bailey Zappe was not familiar with it and struggled to run it at the Pro level.\u00a0 Zappe was completely blindsided by his release.\u00a0 At best, he will be a career backup.\u00a0 However, I would not be surprised if Zappe took the 1st<\/sup> offer from an NFL team to jump ship.\u00a0 \u00a0I like Cunningham on the Practice Squad as the scout team QB replicating the movements of all the mobile QBs the team\u00a0 will face this year.<\/p>\n

An interesting tidbit is that Matt Corral was the only offensive skill position player claimed out of all players claimed.\u00a0 No other Wide Receivers, Runningbacks or Quarterbacks were claimed off waivers.<\/p>\n

Note: The NFL clarified the 3rd<\/sup> QB\/ Emergency QB rule.\u00a0 All three QBs must be part of the 53-man roster in order to qualify for the emergency QB.\u00a0 I think the league saw what Belichick was planning and put the kibosh on it.\u00a0 Zappe and Malik Cunningham can continue to develop on the Practice Squad.<\/p>\n

\"\"
PHOTO: Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com via Imagn Content Services, LLC<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The Wide Receiver room scares me.\u00a0 In my opinion Kendrick Bourne is their best option at wideout.\u00a0 JuJu Smith-Schuster and DeVante Parker have problems separating from DBs.\u00a0 Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated MMQB is reporting that Snith-Schuster knee must be managed carefully and his knee could go at anytime.\u00a0 Tyquan Thornton is hurt again and was put on IR.\u00a0 He has bust written all over him.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Next up are two 6th<\/sup> round rookies.\u00a0 Pop Douglas has impressed every day of workouts and camp.\u00a0 I am anxiously awaiting to see what he can do against top competition.\u00a0 Keyshon Boutte started slow but caught fire the last three weeks of training camp.\u00a0\u00a0 He is a big question mark.\u00a0 He has tremendous potential. If he can play like he did as a Freshman at LSU, where he was projected to be a 1st<\/sup> round selection, the Patriots may have found a diamond in the rough.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

The Patriots have also been busy signing players jettisoned by other teams.\u00a0 They picked up Jalen Reagor, a former 1st<\/sup> round (#21) by the Eagles.\u00a0 There is a reson that Reagor is available.\u00a0 He runs lazy routes and was the reason that Kirk Cousins threw 2 INTs in a game last season.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Later, they also added TJ Luther, a UDFA that was in the Jets camp.\u00a0 Luther has been on the Patriots radar for a long time.\u00a0 They actually brought him in to Foxborough as one of 30 sanctioned in-house visit prior to the draft.<\/p>\n

The Runningback room is thin.\u00a0 Rhamondre Stevenson backed up by Ezekiel Elliott is strong.\u00a0 The Patriots signed Kevin Harris and Ty Montgomery to the Practice Squad.\u00a0 Look for one of them to be a game day elevation from the Practice Squad.\u00a0 JJ Taylor was also waived but wants a fresh start with another organization.\u00a0 He has not signed with any other teams Practice Squad yet.\u00a0 Having just 2 RBs is the result of overloading the Oline.\u00a0 Carrying 11 OL (now 10 with the Reilly Reiff IR) was due to rehabbing players not being ready and other injuries.<\/p>\n

Mike Gesicki is primed for a big year in the Bill O\u2019Brien Offense.\u00a0 Hunter Henry was a very reliable receiver last year.\u00a0 O\u2019Brien is known for his use of 12 formation with two TEs.\u00a0 Gesicki is not an inline blocker.\u00a0 He is more like Jakobi Meyers, operating out of the slot as a big receiver with speed.\u00a0 The team \u00a0added Pharaoh Brown, who has played for Bill O\u2019Brien at Houston.\u00a0 \u00a0Originally signed to the Practice Squad, Brown has been elevated to the 53-man roster in the spot vacated by Reilly Rieff going on IR (recall).\u00a0 Rieff is out a minimum of 4 games.<\/p>\n

\"Matt(PHOTO: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Patriots Defense <\/strong><\/h3>\n

The defense will be called upon to hold the fort until the offense can get up to speed.\u00a0 In typical Belichick style, they will need to keep the Pats in the game so that the offense can get an opportunity to steal a win.\u00a0 Belichick invested heavily on Defense with the 1st<\/sup> three draft picks being on the Defensive side.<\/p>\n

The cornerbacks will be young and inexperienced.\u00a0 Number one pick Christian Gonzalez was a steal at pick #17.\u00a0 Gonzalez is one of the youngest players in the NFL this season.\u00a0 He will get picked upon by opposing QBs. Expect that Gonzalez will struggle considering the caliber of QBs and teams that are on the Patriots schedule.\u00a0 More on the schedule later.\u00a0 Jack Jones had his pending court case looming over his head, which is now no longer an issue after the news came out on Tuesday that prosecutors agreed to drop the charges against him.\u00a0 Prior to that, I believe that is the reason Jack Jones played so much in the final Pre-Season game.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

The Patriots expect that Jones will at the very least be suspended for a certain number of games by the league.\u00a0 Veteran Jon Jones will man the Right Cornerback position.\u00a0 I would rather see him at Free Safety.\u00a0\u00a0 Slot Corner will be a combination of Myles Bryant and Marcus Jones.\u00a0 Both players are on the short side (5\u20199\u201d and 5\u20198\u201d respectively) but Bryant is also slow having run just a 4.62 40 at the NFL Combine is 2020.\u00a0 Most of the slot receivers are on the smaller size.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

I am scared to death by Jalen Mills at Free Safety.\u00a0 He is just not fast enough to make up for mistakes in coverage.\u00a0 The Strong Safety group is the best unit in the NFL.\u00a0 They are all interchangeable and can sub at LB as well.\u00a0 With the advent of more wide-open offenses, three wide receiver sets, having the flexibility these Safeties provide is essential.\u00a0 This could be one of the best secondaries in the league.<\/p>\n

I was surprised by some of the moves along the D-Line.\u00a0 Second Round pick Keion White is a beast.\u00a0 He is going to give opposing QBs nightmares.\u00a0 I felt that Lawrence Guy was going to be cut because of his age.\u00a0 He was also looking for a boost in salary and didn\u2019t attend any non-mandatory practices.\u00a0 Once the bell rang for the start of Training Camp he was there and accounted for.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

I am looking for a big year from Christian Barmore in his third season.\u00a0 He disappointed last season due to injuries.\u00a0 Daniel Ekuale outplayed Carl Davis.\u00a0 This leaves the Patriots a little light in the middle after Davon Godcahux.\u00a0 Detrich Wise is back and played very well last season.\u00a0 The team also signed Tre Flowers but he remains on PUP.\u00a0 The surprise on the 53-man roster was Sam Roberts.\u00a0 He played very well in the final Pre-Season game which probably secured his spot.\u00a0 It\u2019s unusual that a player that played so much in the final Pre-Season game actually makes the roster.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Can this group stop the run?\u00a0 Stopping the run is critical to the success of the defense.\u00a0 The Patriots signed Jeremiah Pharms to the Practice Squad yesterday.\u00a0 He was ready to sign last Wednesday but was called away with a family emergency.<\/p>\n

Edge\/Linebacker may be the strongest group on the team.\u00a0 Matt Judon and Josh Uche are solid on the edges.\u00a0 Now add in Keion White who can play either as a down lineman or standing as an edge player.\u00a0 Anfernee Jennings had a great camp and really showed up on the game days in the Pre-season.\u00a0 That\u2019s a lot of depth on the outside.\u00a0 The Patriots were fortunate to get Ronnie Perkins through waivers and he sits on the Practice Squad if needed.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Inside LB is manned by Ja\u2019Whaun Bentley, a team Captain and leader of the Defense.\u00a0 Jahlani Tavai has played very well since being acquired from Detroit.\u00a0 \u00a0Third round selection Marte Mapu is listed as a LB.\u00a0 He played Safety at Sacramento State and the average fan had never heard of him before the draft.\u00a0 Only a handful of draftniks and scouts did, and luckily the Patriots scouts were one of those.\u00a0 Mapu is 6\u20193\u201d, 230 lbs. and runs a 4.67 40.\u00a0 He is the new breed of fast and underweight mobile Linebackers.\u00a0 Just the opposite of Bentley who is a slow, downhill thumper.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Mack Wilson made the final cut and he along with Chris Board will contribute mainly on Special Teams.<\/p>\n

Special teams should be improved.\u00a0 Joe Judge has returned to coaching the Special Teams unit.\u00a0 Cam Achord is listed as the Special Teams coach but its Judge who is in charge.\u00a0 I am happy that he is back doing what he does best and replaces Achord, who I felt should have been let go.\u00a0 He will have two rookies specialist in Kicker Chad Ryland and Punter Bryce Baringer.\u00a0 Baringer’s punts have had excellent hang time as well as distance, and he can really flip the field position if the Patriots are pinned in their own zone.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Ryland, whom the Patriots invested their highest draft pick ever on a kicker (4th<\/sup> Rd # 112), traded up with the New York Jets to grab Ryland.\u00a0 The Patriots traded long time kicker, Mr. Consistency, Nick Folk to the Tennessee Titans.\u00a0 Out of respect for Folk, he was involved in the talks with Tennessee.\u00a0 Bill Belichick may have gotten more compensation from another team, but he let Folk talk with Tennessee before the trade was made.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

The inspirational leader of the team, Matthew Slater returns for his 16th<\/sup> season in the league.\u00a0 At age 37 he is the oldest Patriots player.\u00a0 He is still a player the opposition has to game plan to stop.\u00a0 Brennen Schooler has emerged as another feared Special Teams player.\u00a0 Look for him to start to get league accolades for the outstanding job he does.\u00a0 Watch him when he goes down on coverage.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Ameer Speed made the team for his Special Teams potential, especially after Isaiah Bolden\u2019s concussion knocked him out for the year.\u00a0 Note: The Patriots are ranked 27th, as one of the oldest teams in the league despite their 10 rookies on the team.\u00a0 They have another UDFA rookie on the Practice Squad and one rookie on season-ending IR.<\/p>\n

\"\"
PHOTO: Greg M. Cooper – USA TODAY Sports<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Coaching \u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Bill Belichick wants the record for most career wins.\u00a0 He is 19 short of the record and can\u2019t get it this year, but he can put a dent in that number.\u00a0 Belichick the coach is brilliant, simply the best.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Belichick the GM leaves a lot to be desired.\u00a0 His evaluation of college talent has been off.\u00a0 His 2019 draft class is completely gone.\u00a0 N\u2019Keal Harry and Joejuan Williams were complete whiffs and Chade Winovich flamed out.\u00a0 None are playing on a 53-man roster.\u00a0 Damien Harris is in Buffalo and is primed to help that team as a backup\/short yardage specialist.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

The team gave up on Hjalte Froholdt and he is now the starting Center at Arizona.\u00a0 QB Jarrett Stidham is the backup to Russell Wilson in Denver.\u00a0 Even his spending habits as GM can be questioned.\u00a0 His choice to sign two big dollar TEs in the same year was a horrible mistake.\u00a0 He is penny wise and pound foolish.\u00a0\u00a0 He nickels and dimes players like Joe Thuney, who was the poster child for the way to build an Offensive Line, yet he doesn\u2019t get a sniff from the Patriots.\u00a0 He let Ted Karras walk over a mere million dollars.\u00a0 Even with the loss of Thuney and the give-away of Shaq Mason for Salary Cap reasons, if they had signed Karras, they wouldn\u2019t have to use a 1st<\/sup> round pick on Cole Strange.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t like the fact that Belichick used three high draft picks on Defensive players when the obvious need for the team was at Offensive Tackle.\u00a0 Nothing against the three players taken.\u00a0 I like all three of them, but he put the team in such a bind that he had to try and convert a college draft pick that played guard into a tackle.\u00a0 Then he trades for a tackle who has only played tackle the last few years and has just a NFL Pre-Season under his belt.\u00a0 The worst part of it was the Patriots had Wheatley in for a visit last season and could have signed him for nothing rather than trade their 2022 4th<\/sup> round pick Pierre Strong \u00a0for him.\u00a0 Another whiff in the drafting department.<\/p>\n

On the positive side, Belichick, under pressure from Bob Kraft, did away with the Matt Patricia experiment.\u00a0 Patricia nearly ruined Mac Jones.\u00a0 The hiring of Bill O\u2019Brien is a brilliant and necessary move.\u00a0 Jerod Mayo turned down offers to interview with other teams for head coaching jobs.\u00a0 The consensus is that Mayo has a promise to take over the team once Belichick retires, which prompted him to turn down the offers.\u00a0 His sone Steven Belichick is now 36 and is the de facto Defensive coordinator.\u00a0 He shares coaching the Linebackers with Jerod mayo and both collaborate to come up with the Defensive Gameplan.\u00a0 On gameday it\u2019s Steve Belichick calling the plays.\u00a0 Their defense was very good against bad teams last year and mediocre against good QBs.<\/p>\n

New roles are in store for Evan Rothstein as the assistant QB coach.\u00a0 He is the real one-on-one guy for the QBs as Bill O\u2019Brien concentrates more on the total offense.\u00a0 Rothstein has moved from a Research\/Analysis role to the Assistant QB coach.\u00a0 Will Lawing came with Bill O\u2019Brien and will be the TE coach replacing Nick Caley who joined the LA Rams.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Vinnie Sunseri was elevated to Running Backs coach from the assistant position he held.\u00a0 Long time Running Backs coach Ivan Fears retired.\u00a0 Well let\u2019s just say he is not on the payroll anymore.\u00a0 Fears was a constant in the building during the off season and during training camp.\u00a0 \u00a0An interesting fact is that there are three former Patriots coaches servings as Tight Ends coaches in the NFL this season, Nick Caley, George Godsey, and Jerry Schuplinski. \u00a0<\/p>\n

I have already written about Adrian Klemm and his importance to the team.\u00a0 He come to the Patriots after a very strong stint at Oregon.<\/p>\n

Schedule <\/strong><\/h3>\n

You can\u2019t do a preview without taking a look at the schedule and it is in a word \u2013 BRUTAL.<\/p>\n

The Patriots beat the following QBs in 2022:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Zach Wilson (New York Jets) (2X)<\/li>\n
  • Mitch Trubisky (Pittsburgh Steelers)<\/li>\n
  • Jared Goff (Detroit Lions)<\/li>\n
  • Jacoby Brissett (Cleveland Browns)<\/li>\n
  • Sam Ehlinger (Indianapolis Colts)<\/li>\n
  • Colt McCoy (Arizona Cardinals)<\/li>\n
  • Tua Tagovailoa (Miami Dolphins)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    This year they play:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Tua Tagovailoa (Miami Dolphins) (2X)<\/li>\n
    • Aaron Rodgers (New York Jets) (2X)<\/li>\n
    • Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills)(2X)<\/li>\n
    • Jalem Hurts (Philadelphia Eagles)<\/li>\n
    • Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys)<\/li>\n
    • Daniel Jones (New York Giants)<\/li>\n
    • Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers)<\/li>\n
    • Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      The schedule is the toughest in the NFL.\u00a0 I could see a scenario where there is tremendous improvement in the team, but the record may not reflect that.\u00a0 Last year the Patriots very easily could have won 10 games.\u00a0 They shot themselves in the foot with some very un-Patriot like lack of discipline.\u00a0 This pre-season things have been better in that department.\u00a0 The Patriots are snapping out of the huddle and getting plays in on time.\u00a0 Can the Offensive line gel quickly?\u00a0 The 1st<\/sup> 4 games are the Eagles and Dolphins at home then the Jets and Cowboys on the road.\u00a0 They could easily be 0-4 if things don\u2019t come together quickly.\u00a0 A 2-2 start would be tremendous.<\/p>\n

      One good thing about the schedule is that the Patriots don’t have the negative Days Off they did last year.\u00a0 The Negative Days off is when a team loses days of rest in-between games.\u00a0 Last season the Patriots had the worst negative Days Off in the league.\u00a0 An example would be the BYE week days off.\u00a0 The Patriots still got those days off, but they played the New York Jets the first game back from the BYE week.\u00a0 The Jets also had the same BYE week.\u00a0 Ironically, Buffalo had a +12 gain last year and may have contributed to their success.\u00a0 This year the Patriots are in the middle of the pack with an equally balanced schedule.<\/p>\n

      In the Spring, when the schedule came out, I predicted a 6-11 record.\u00a0 I am revising my prediction to 8-9, with Bill Belichick finding a way to squeeze a couple of wins out of them.\u00a0 Here is the reason why I changed.<\/p>\n

        \n
      • The Offensive Line is unproven, but I like its potential. They must stay healthy, and the improved record reflects them coming together quickly.<\/li>\n
      • The Coaching Staff and in particular Bill O\u2019Brien and Adrian Klemm. They are experienced and know what they are doing.\u00a0 I am interested to see what kind of in-game adjustments they will pull off.<\/li>\n
      • I believe the Defense will be improved over last year. Gonzalez will get picked on but will learn.\u00a0 He will always around the ball and with experience will become better. \u00a0The pass rush may even be better this year with Barmore and White.\u00a0 I like what Mapu can bring as a LB.\u00a0 Can the DL stop the run?<\/li>\n
      • Bill Belichick has taken back his team.\u00a0 We have already seen a higher tempo in the Pre-season games from the Bill O’Brien Offense.\u00a0 I believe you will see a cut down on the mental errors that plagued this team last season, particularly the procedure penalties called without the ball even put into play.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        The New England Patriots have completed the OTAs, Mini-Camp, and Pre-Season, and we still don\u2019t know what the team has because of injuries to the Offensive line.\u00a0 I am confident that the proven Bill O\u2019Brien system will work again in the NFL.\u00a0 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":44260,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[23284],"class_list":["post-47654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-patriots-news","tag-2023-patriots-season"],"yoast_head":"\nMORSE: 2023 New England Patriots Season Preview<\/title>\n<meta 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