Pats Pulpit
The latest edition of our Patriots mailbag answers questions about the defense, McDaniels’ scheme and more.
The quiet portion of the NFL offseason rolls on as veterans remain out of the building for the New England Patriots. Eyes now turn too late July when the entire team returns for training camp.
So let’s get right into this week’s #PostPulpit Mailbag.
What aspects of the McDaniels offense that we’ve seen in his past OC stints here would you prefer to be deemphasized - i.e. playbook tendencies, RPOs, red zone conservatism, fullback focus, etc - and what areas would you like to see improved in his offense given the specific offensive talent we currently have? - Arschloch
One thing I would like McDaniels to deemphasize is his under center rate. During the 2022 season in Las Vegas the Raiders had the second-highest under-center rate in the NFL at 46.8 percent. New England ranked third the year prior. While it will always be a part of the McDaniels’ offense to set up the power run game and play-action pass game, Drake Maye is at his best in the shotgun.
When it comes to what we’d like to see more of, it again comes back to maximizing Maye. McDaniels should do his best to take advantage of the QB’s dual threat ability and get him on the move. We should see a quarterback run game similar to that of Cam Newton’s in 2020 — although with more emphasis on Maye getting outside along the edge where Newton worked between the tackles.
Additionally, McDaniels occasionally showed the possibility of moving the pocket on bootlegs and rollouts while in Vegas. It never was a key part of his scheme with quarterbacks like Mac Jones and Derek Carr, but his new QB in New England is a natural on the move. I would start with some boot-actions off McDaniels’ common toss schemes.
Assuming everyone on D is healthy do you want to take a crack at early down “base” defense? Barmore, Milton, Landry, Keion, Spillane, Gonzo, Davis, Dugger seem like locks. Which combination of 3 other DL/LB/S/CB is likely to see the field most? - Spyponder90
Along the defensive line, White, Barmore, Milton Williams, and Landry appear set to be the top four. K’Lavon Chaisson will also have a role along the edge while Khyris Tonga will serve as the rotational nose tackle.
Linebacker is a bit more of a question mark next to Robert Spillane. Jahlani Tavai was often next to him in the early base defense before he suffered a calf injury. Christian Elliss was next up.
Moving to the secondary, New England relied heavily on nickel looks throughout the spring with Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, and Marcus Jones as the top three corners. Jabrill Peppers and Jaylin Hawkins were largely the top two safeties, but Kyle Dugger will likely take that spot back from Hawkins when healthy. Hawkins and rookie Craig Woodson will also factor into a three safety big nickel package.
But...
