FOXBOROUGH - I’ll say this for Kyle Williams: the man doesn’t lack confidence. When asked what he brings to the table beyond the obvious - speed - he smiled and gave us this gem:
“A lot. I mean, if I wanted to really go, I'd give you a Christmas list for real,” he smiled. “But I can do a lot, man. And when those opportunities present itself, that's when I'll be able to show it. But I know I'm more than just speed.”
Williams was a popular person in the Patriots locker room on Monday, for obvious reasons. With A.J. Brown being placed on injured reserve and being out a bare minimum of four weeks - and probably longer - the reconfigured receiving core is going to need someone to step up, and based on the Pats internal feelings about Williams, he is - and needs to be - the proverbial next man up.
“I mean, with AJ, we wanted to get Kyle involved,” Mike Vrabel said. "I'm hopeful that Kyle can find a role for us and find a way to help us and use his speed and catch-and-run opportunities, like we saw last year at times, or some shot-type plays.”
Williams had a very limited role in the offensive plan in Wednesday’s season opener. He played a dozen snaps, 8 of which were pass plays (post-game data had him lined up as the X receiver on all of those). Similar to last year, the ball didn’t come his way very often, or in this case, at all. Williams was targeted zero times.
Meanwhile, Mack Hollins saw his reps jump dramatically after Brown's injury, going from a 21% snap count to 71%, and he was a big part of the passing offense down the stretch.
“Mack’s always taking advantage of his opportunities,” Vrabel noted. “The quarterback knows he’s going to be in the right spot when he’s supposed to be there.”
Though he developed more chemistry with Drake Maye as last season progressed, Williams doesn’t have the experience or the same feel for the passing game that a veteran like Hollins does. Which makes you wonder if the Pats might alter their approach with Brown sidelined - both personnel-wise and schematically.
“We're looking at trying to install here and putting guys in spots that are best for them and best for us,” Vrabel said, dismissing the question (politely). “I don't know how much we want to tweak things. We'll go through our game plan and just like we did when A.J. was out there - sometimes he was the X, sometimes he was the F or Z. We'll have to move guys around different positions.”
The Pats did try to expand Williams’ role throughout the spring and summer, wanting him to move around the formation more often than he did as a rookie. As with any young player, there will be growing pains, and the second-year pro had plenty of those. But now, if there are mistakes - unlike in camp - they will be more visible, considering who’s out and Williams likely being the next in line.
“One man down is the next man up,” he said. “I think that's everybody's mentality in every room. So we just got to keep approaching how we've been approaching it from the spring all the way up until now, and hopefully nothing really changes or alters what we're trying to do.”
FINAL WORD ON WEDNESDAY’S GAME PLAN
The Seahawks were in zone 86% of the time Wednesday night, leaning heavily on split-safety looks to take away the thing Maye did so well in his near-MVP season: hit the deep ball. The 'Patriots' counter was to run Seattle out of it, which has led to nonstop discussions and complaints about the plan.
“We're not just gonna run it for the sake of running it,” Vrabel stated. “We're trying to run it with a purpose and to be able to set some things up. And if you're playing a team that is in split safety - like they're in split safety to stop the pass, not to stop the run. So you know we should be able to run the football.”
That the Pats couldn’t do it consistently against that front shouldn’t be surprising, but it’s clear that the Pats were loath to get into a straight drop-back game, especially because they saw firsthand what could happen with that approach against the Seahawks just seven months ago. Right or wrong, that was how the head coach wanted to play, and if his quarterback hadn't melted down in the 4th quarter, I’m guessing (from 30 years of experience doing this) the conversation we’re having would be very different…
REUNION
The worst-kept secret in the Patriots' roster build took place over their long weekend: they signed veteran defensive lineman DaQuan Jones to a one-year deal worth up to $6 million.
Jones had been to Foxborough on a visit at the tail end of training camp but didn’t put pen to paper at the time. However, in talking to people in the building, it felt like an inevitability once week one had come and gone, and lo and behold, it was. By not doing the deal until after week one, Jones’ money isn't fully guaranteed.
Jones now reunites with Vrabel and some of this staff. They had him in Tennessee for three seasons (2018-20). Jones had his best years with the Titans but has also succeeded elsewhere, including with the Bills last year (he was their best defender in the playoff loss to Denver).
“I'm really looking forward to it,” Jones said. “I mean, I have a lot of respect for Mike. I've always stated he's one of the smartest coaches I've ever been around, and to see what he did with his team last year - and ever since he came here - it’s just a testament to who he is and how he can motivate and ignite guys and unite guys. So I'm just grateful to be here and be part of the opportunity and the journey that can help this team win.”
When Jones played a majority of his snaps under Vrabel, he was lined up at nose guard (62%), playing either head-up on the center or offset in the center-guard gap. That’s how they used Cory Durden in the opener, and it's what they did with Khyiris Tonga a season ago. Jones adds a little more beef than Durden, but has proven more than capable of sliding into a defensive tackle role, especially on passing downs. He had a solid 9.3% pass-rush win rate in Buffalo.