FOXBOROUGH - Of all the issues the Patriots thought would arise in Sunday's season opener against the Raiders, difficulties running the football weren't one of them. Yes, the Pete Carroll/Patrick Graham union was likely to cause some sleepless nights and require some potential in-game adjustments. But to be subpar with the supposed three-headed monster in Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson, and Antonio Gibson never seemed a concern.
The Pats had proven they could move bodies this summer, whether it was against their own defense in practice or their work in joint sessions versus both the Commanders and Vikings. They did that this summer with a mix-and-match at left guard and center, and felt good enough about the play of Jared Wilson to start the rookie left guard next to their rookie left tackle in Will Campbell. Yet, when push came to shove versus Vegas, the Pats covered up bodies more than moved them.
"Yeah, I mean, I think to have a successful offensive play, it takes really everybody," said Mike Vrabel on Monday morning after the 20-13 loss. "It takes the play caller, right? Getting the play in efficiently, it takes us being able to identify the players that we need to block, the ones that we're not going to be able to block, and the ones that, when we block them and we're in combination, we have to move them, and then the backs have to run where they're not.
"Again, we have a lot of confidence in the running backs, but also, we have to be able to have a great execution in any scheme, whether that's a zone scheme or a gap scheme. So again, the bottom line is we have to run the ball better and we have to run it more efficiently because then I think that all opens up some more of the stuff that we're doing, can do, and want to be able to do so that it's not just a drop-back passing game."
Vrabel said in his opening press conference that they didn't want to be a team that relied on throwing the ball 40 times a game, as it's hard to win that way. They had to throw it 46 times (plus four sacks) on a rainy day, and guess what? They lost, as Vrabel foresaw.
After calling a dozen runs in the first half (Stevenson 7, Henderson 5), McDaniels only called for two handoffs in the second half - a jet sweep to Pop Douglas, and one touch for Gibson. Mind you, the score was 10-7, Patriots at the half, and even after the Drake Maye interception eventually turned into seven points and a lead for the Raiders, that's hardly a reason to shelve the run game. So, why then?
"Yeah, it just wasn't one of our better plays," Vrabel said flatly. "Again, we just have to take advantage of the plays that we do call and hit it when we have guys open, and just being able to start the second half, being able to go down there and continue that drive, unfortunately not turn it over, and be able to create some momentum in that situation."
He isn't wrong. Consider that the Pats had 13 runs that were not trick plays (the fake tush push and the Maye scrambles), which gained a total of 35 yards. Yuck. There's plenty to blame to go around, but after watching the film, I wouldn't put much on the backs. Stevenson should have done a better job reading a Mack Hollins block on a toss in the second quarter, but generally, they got what was there. Nothing more. Nothing less. It was glaring to see how often linebackers or a defensive back aligned in the box were untouched and able to attack ball carriers. Did the Raiders give the Pats looks they didn't expect?
"Well, there were different pieces and different guys moving at different parts of the area, and whether we wanted to run a play at a certain player, you're never going to know, and I think we just have to rely on our base rules, base fundamentals, block the bigs, and block the backers," added Vrabel. "Again, you're going to have to do something to get to safety, and sometimes the corners are the ones that are left in some of these run games because you either can RPO it, you can read somebody, or they're going to have a player, again, widest from the formation that, in theory, is free."
Which means?
"So, we have to pick something each play and decide how we want to run it, but not be tentative and make sure that – we're never going to be perfect, right? You just want to be precise, and I think that that's going to be the message to us going forward is how we improve, and we can't rely and we can't think that every play is going to be perfect. It's never going to be that way. When it isn't perfect, that we somehow have some sort of reaction. We need to make sure that we have a great response, continue to stay positive and have positive plays, overcome whatever penalties and things that we have to fix, and we have to protect the ball. We have to make sure that we protect the football, and it takes everybody."
That's beyond Xs and Os from the head coach. He is speaking to his team through the media, and it's evident that either during the game or after reviewing the tape, Vrabel felt as though his team didn't always respond to adversity appropriately. Hell, starting late in the first half, he's dead on. The Patriots rarely recovered from self-inflicted mistakes or when the Raiders were just in a better position or won an individual battle. It's something Vrabel has brought up several times this spring and summer, and Sunday's performance isn't about to make him move on to the next thing. There are many small details that contribute to winning football games. Until this team demonstrates that they are mentally tough enough to persevere through those dark times, there will be more days like yesterday, and that's not good enough for anyone, especially the man who controls their future, Vrabel.