This New England Patriots have given up 456.75 yards per game. In a 16-game season, that equates to 7,308 yards. That would be the most yards ever allowed by any team in a season. EVER. We’ve seen Patriots teams that have allowed yards before. It’s a motto that’s been heard for years in New England: “bend don’t break.” As long as other teams aren’t scoring, it’s not a problem.
Except, this year is different. The team is allowing 28.25 points per game. Over a 16-game regular season, that would come out to 452 points allowed. This would be the most points ever given up in New England Patriots history. That’s a history that has included some terrible years, including a 1-15 season in 1990-91 season.
For those who listen to sports radio in Boston, we’ve been hearing that “it always takes a few weeks for Belichick’s defenses to get ready.” While this may be a true narrative, you can’t always take history as proof for the present. This should especially be the case when the defense has changed quite a bit.
Just look at the changes from last year to this year. Logan Ryan, 2016’s second CB, is in Tennessee. Rob Ninkovich, 2016’s starting DE/OLB, is retired. Chris Long, a rotational piece at DE last season, is in Philadelphia. Jabaal Sheard, another rotational piece at DE, is in Indianapolis. Shea McClellin (OLB), Vincent Valentine (DT), and Cyrus Jones (CB) are on IR. And while DT Alan Branch isn’t gone, his presence is significantly decreased.
Some of these players may have been replaced (Stephon Gilmore in for Logan Ryan), but just because there is a body there doesn’t mean the performance can be replicated. Yes, on paper Stephon Gilmore may be a better CB than Logan Ryan, but in the scheme with these players around him, it hasn’t looked that way.
The problem has been the communication, and it’s something that everybody knows. It’s causing breakdowns in coverage and resulting in big plays. Scoring plays.
Whittaker TD is unbelievable. You have at least eight eyes on McCaffrey (maybe FS too) and two guys uncovered. pic.twitter.com/N1973kXj6T
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) October 2, 2017
Jeez. Funchess' 10-yard TD might be the biggest mess. I see 24 motion to 25 that he has Funchess. 32 tells 25 to cover TE. 24 covers TE. pic.twitter.com/rpe4Xaqebq
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) October 2, 2017
Cam.
Funchess.
TD. pic.twitter.com/L7Yz33Dw3h— 🇿🇦 (@TacosNSlurpees) October 1, 2017
The problems are clear as day, and I’m not sure the fix is easy. It’s hard to tell where the communication problems are coming from in the secondary, but the one thing that has changed significantly is Stephon Gilmore. I’m not saying that it’s Gilmore’s fault or a credit to Logan Ryan, what I am saying is that it’s been poor, and if the team wants to win, it needs to change.
What it all comes back to, for me, is the lack of young defensive talent acquired in the last four drafts. Let’s recap what happened with their top two picks since 2014.
2014: 1st round pick – DT Dominique Easley (cut after two seasons)
2nd round pick – QB Jimmy Garoppolo
2015: 1st round pick – DT Malcom Brown
2nd round pick – S Jordan Richards
2016: 1st round pick – FORFEITED FOR DEFLATEGATE
2nd round pick – CB Cyrus Jones (traded another 2nd round picks for a 3rd & 4th)
2017: 1st round pick – TRADED FOR WR Brandin Cooks
2nd round pick – TRADED FOR DE Kony Ealy (cut before the season)
Those decisions have had a significant impact on the defense. Easley was gone after two seasons and is now on his third ACL surgery. Malcom Brown has been underwhelming at best. Jordan Richards is a special-teamer who will never be an impact starter. Cyrus Jones has been awful. You can point at the Cooks trade Garoppolo picks as successes, if you’d like (I do), but you can even question those. The worst one of all was Ealy. The Patriots traded a pick that could be an impact player for a guy who didn’t last the summer. There was a clear reason Carolina was looking to get rid of him, and this time, New England was the one to take the bait.
All of the players who should be coming into their own now are not difference makers. These missed draft picks or poor trades have hurt this team. That’s not something New England fans are to used to hearing.
Going into a short week that will bring the Patriots down to Tampa Bay, the defense is a major concern. There are match-up nightmares with Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson. I expect New England to tighten up by the end of the year, but it will be tough to turn around so quick. The one thing fans can hope for this week is some disguised blitzes and different looks to try and confuse Jameis Winston. That is their best chance of fixing the obvious problem.