I should have done this a while ago, but some of you might need this BSJ update:
Hello there,
To answer many people’s questions, hopefully this will help.
We underwent a badly needed update to BSJ on 12/5. For the most part, it’s been fine.
What I was told:
- Some of your users may have to log out and back in, others may just refresh and have no issues at all
- We have had a few instances where ios users have to either clear their cache or just reinstall the app.
- I also noticed that sometimes the initial attempt to log in fails on the first screen, but it does go through on the next screen, so try again (it’s been added to the fix list).
- Also, someone else reported the URL changed slightly, so you may need to change your bookmark.
For the time being, we no longer support the ANDROID app. It’s complicated - it has to do with our former tech firm not releasing ownership to me - and we hope to solve that in the offseason. Best solution is to add the page to your home screen. It's basically the same thing since our app is browser-based (and you can save your passwords). https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/15085120?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid
Thanks for your continued support of BSJ! We couldn’t do this without you.
GB
Please use our support portal to receive help
https://www.bostonsportsjournal.com/contact
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Josh McDaniels has done a lot of great things for this franchise, both in the past and present, and has helped to win a lot of games and titles.
His work this season with Drake Maye has been nothing short of sensational as the Patriots' offense went from a disorganized mess in 2024, to a Top 10 unit in just about every category, and the quarterback is one of the top three players for NFL MVP as we enter Week 16. The way things looked in Week 1, you couldn't be sure if Maye would stay healthy for 17 games, be accurate enough and process well enough in this system, and whether or not Maye was going to get pummeled behind an entirely rebuilt offensive line.
So no matter what the nitpickers and naysayers say (haven't heard this level of complaining about a good team since TB12 was miserable SOB at 8-0 in 2019), it has been a job very well done by McDaniels. He has to be considered a strong candidate for the NFL Assistant Coach of the Year award (yes, that's a real thing).
But nobody's perfect, and what happened on Sunday when the Patriots blew a 24-7 lead showed a weakness for McDaniels: he too quickly falls into his default mode of putting the game on his quarterback, and Maye might not be quite ready for it.
But could he be soon, as a result of what happened against the Bills?
It's certainly understandable why McDaniels can quickly slip back into his dropback-happy mode. He had Tom Brady as his quarterback for a long time. McDaniels' muscle memory is, "We need to put this game away, I'm giving the game to Tom. He'll make us right."
But Drake is obviously not Tom, not yet.
Sunday was not the first time it happened this season, either.
In the season-opening loss to the Raiders, the Patriots never trailed by more than a field goal until there was 6:46 left in the game. Yet in the third quarter, there was not one run by a running back (Maye and Demario Douglas each had one), while Maye dropped back to pass 13 times. There was one on the first play of the fourth quarter. That was it for the second half. Maye looked confused and tentative at times.
In the loss to the Steelers, Pittsburgh did jump out to a 14-0 lead, but it was 14-7 at halftime, 14-14 early in the fourth, and the Steelers didn't take the lead until there was 2:16 to play. There were more runs than dropbacks in the third quarter (13 to 6), but in the fourth quarter, there were two RB runs, while Maye dropped back 12 times. Maye had two crucial turnovers, an endzone interception and a strip-sack fumble that turned into the game-winning points.
Of course, we know what happened on Sunday: 33 offensive plays, 18 designed runs for 134 yards in the first half. Second half: 18 offensive plays, 3 designed runs for 69 yards (one was 65 yards), 15 dropbacks. Maye had perhaps his worst half of football, as he didn't see the field well and left plays on the field.
The lesson here, in my opinion: at least for this season, McDaniels needs to write on the top of his playsheet as a reminder — "No matter what, within a score, stay balanced." Of course, and this should not be understated, Mike Vrabel could do the same thing since he's a CEO head coach and managing the game. So they both share in it, truly.
Some of what happened on Sunday was circumstances, as is always the case in an NFL game. If Maye and Hunter Henry execute better on the second play, they probably stay on script. Same thing on the 3rd and 12 with 5:25 left.
But the final drive of the third quarter before Maye's interception/punt is where any McDaniels advocate (I wonder who that could be?) loses the argument.
Most OCs, especially West Coast guys (I can hear Mike McCarthy right now), will tell you the first two passes to the backs are extensions of the running game. My counter: they were both checkdowns so they don't count.
However, you could make the argument that the Patriots could have run on both 2nd-4 and 3rd-4, and, if needed, a possible fourth down. That would have come close to ending the third quarter and getting the defense some much-needed rest. Even after the Stefon Diggs conversion, how do the Patriots not run on 1st and 10? And you could also make the argument that both offensive line penalties might have come as a result of pass blocking on eight consecutive plays, dating back to the previous series.
Again, I'm going to state that it was on McDaniels and Vrabel. The prickly one easily could have said, "If we convert on 3rd and 4, let's get back under center and run the ball." Obviously that didn't happen.
The Patriots' offensive line owned the line of scrimmage in the first half against the tissue-soft Bills front, missing some of their best players. They ceded that in the second half, and it absolutely contributed to the loss.
A couple of things also factor into McDaniels' approaches in the three losses:
- I've lauded McDaniels at times this season for seemingly having different gameplans for each half, and it often works well, especially to open the half. He seemed to do that in this one, anticipating the Bills would adjust to getting pushed around by attacking the line of scrimmage after halftime. But you still need to run the ball.
- Let's also remember that early in the season, the Patriots had nothing resembling a consistent run game, and most people preferred the ball in Maye's hands more.
But the bottom line is Maye is not ready to have the game on his shoulders in these situations. One of those reasons is that he doesn't take the checkdown enough. How many times did Brady orchestrate comebacks, often by checking the ball down to his backs? JR Redmond, Kevin Faulk, Shane Vereen and James White would like to testify for the prosecution.
Maye's not yet mature or experienced enough to utilize that part of this offense, which would keep the backs a factor, at least through the passing game. Of course, he's not even through a full season in this system, and he has shown himself to be a very learner. Until that time, McDaniels needs to force-feed him the running game in crucial parts, and that would also give him a mental break instead of dropping back 15 straight times against a good veteran passing defense.
And here's the other thing about this, and a reason why we all might be overblowing this over-reliance on Maye in the second halves of games.