Have a feeling a good portion of Chiefs week will be Dump On Tom Brady week.
To be honest, some of it is deserved. He hasn't exactly rolled out the welcome mat to any of the new targets, be it N'Keal Harry, Jakobi Meyers or Matt LaCosse. Probably because he can't believe that's all Bill Belichick could muster for the offense, especially after Rob Gronkowski's own Shawshank Redemption, while the defense rolls three deep at each position.
And Brady wouldn't be wrong in feeling that way. In fact, it would be very accurate.
But that time is over. This is who they have for the rest of the season. That idiot-receiver-who-shall-not-be-named is not walking through that door, no matter how many Instagram emojis Brady throws out there.
The Patriots are rolling, boom or bust, with the law firm of Edelman, White & A Bunch Of Guys Who Can't Beat Man Coverage.
Yeah, Belichick's defense better throw up a bunch of donuts.
Basically, what I wrote last weekend holds even truer now: this is the worst collection of offensive talent the Patriots have had in the Second Ring Dynasty. Josh McDaniels, who is going to have to stick with the run more, will have to use Thick Fog & Mirrors.
But if the offense is to do enough to win a Super Bowl title, everyone's going to have to do more. Belichick. Brady. McDaniels. And the receivers.
Don't make excuses for them. Don't put this all on Brady.
Three plays showed where they are lacking, and what they need to overcome.
The first is the interception. N'Keal Harry, the first-round pick who was drafted because of his size/speed combination, was just a disaster on the play. He comes off the line well, and then falls apart. The errors:
- He sticks his left foot in the ground at the top of the route, but instead of pushing off and coming down the line in one step, he comes off tentative and soft. Everything he does is tentative and soft because he lacks confidence in what he's doing. It's not good enough. That pitter-patter allows Bradley Roby to stick with him.
- Roby predictably, as any good veteran corner would, tugs at Harry and gets physical with him. Instead of anticipating contact and fighting through it, he allows Roby to affect him and his steps slow. Roby takes the opening and cuts inside.
- Meyers understands Brady wants improvisation, but when he encounters physical contact, he just stops.
- He can't stop his route there. If he fights through contact and keeps going or maybe acts a little, he could draw a flag to extend the drive.
- Or he could out-muscle the cornerback and make the big play the Patriots need right there.
- The last thing you can do there is stop the route. You can see the disappointment on the Patriots sideline. Ivan Fears almost goes to his knees. McDaniels starts walking back to the bench in disgust.
Been saying this for weeks now for @Patriots offense. Outside of the physical-12 has trust in 1 guy. Edelman. That’s it...and it’s warranted. Watch ?? below. @MikeGiardi @patspulpit #SNFonNBC #Patriots @RochieWBZ @BenVolin pic.twitter.com/Vf8mbaUqXg
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) December 2, 2019
