The Patriots’ 4th-down magic, play-calling wisdom and more Week 12 thoughts

Welcome to the Friday 5!

Every week in the course of the NFL common season, I’ll drop 5 Patriots-related ideas on Friday to recap the week that was in Foxboro and look forward to kickoff.

Prepared, set, soccer.

1. 4th-down dominance

As a crew with middling to above-average expertise, sustaining a season just like the Patriots have requires the proverbial little issues.

Profitable the sphere place battle. Limiting pre-snap penalties. Mastering clock administration. Going for it on fourth down on the precise proper locations and occasions.

Since Mike Vrabel’s hiring, the Patriots have advanced from one of many NFL’s most conservative groups on fourth right down to one in all its most aggressive. That aggression, knowledgeable by Vrabel’s really feel for the sport and his employees’s use of analytical fashions on recreation day, has paid off in spades.

No crew is healthier on fourth down than the Patriots, who’ve transformed a league-leading 82.3% of the time, together with a defensive cross interference penalty Mack Hollins drew in Week 1. Of their 14 conversions, 9 have both sustained a scoring drive or scored a landing. One such conversion powered one in all their greatest wins of the 12 months: a 28-23 escape at Tampa Bay.

Trailing with two seconds left earlier than halftime, Drake Maye lobbed a cross for Stefon Diggs on fourth-and-goal snap on the Buccaneers’ 1-yard line that resulted in a go-ahead landing and a significant carry heading into the locker room. With out that rating, the Pats doubtless lose in Tampa Bay, the place Maye endured one in all his hardest video games of the season. On fourth down, although, Maye’s been cash.

He’s 9-of-10 for 85 yards and two touchdowns, plus two scrambles this season. Behind Maye’s success, which incorporates concentrating on Diggs half the time, is sound play-calling from offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. On Thursday, McDaniels defined there’s a stability between holding on to his greatest performs for fourth down and calling them when the time is required, which may typically imply crucial third downs within the first half.

“It’s a tricky (factor),” McDaniels stated. “It’s difficult if in case you have one thing you’re keen on — to not use it early within the recreation. However hopefully, what we’re attempting to do on the finish of the week is have sufficient issues we like in that (scenario) that if we find yourself with two or three (third downs) or what have you ever, after which a fourth down comes up within the second or third quarter, we now have sufficient there the place you say, ‘You recognize what? I like 5 calls on this (scenario), and I’m going to make use of the following one which comes up.”

Up to now, there’s been a transparent methodology to Vrabel’s insanity. Of the Patriots’ 17 fourth-down makes an attempt, 14 have are available opponents’ territory, and none have tried to cowl greater than seven yards. In actual fact, simply two fourth-down performs have tried to choose up greater than 4 yards.

Principally, if it’s a manageable distance and the Patriots discover themselves on the opposite facet of the 50-yard line, it’s go time.

2. Counters to the counters

With Bengals star receiver Ja’Marr Chase sidelined for Sunday’s recreation, it’s cheap to count on the Patriots will shadow Bengals’ No. 2 wideout Tee Higgins with shutdown nook Christian Gonzalez.

Higgins is a towering receiver with two 1,000-yard seasons to his resume and 7 touchdowns this 12 months. He’s averaging 15.5 yards per catch, thriving as each a deep menace and intermediate goal. Currently, the Pats have used Gonzalez to neutralize top-flight receivers extra usually than they did earlier within the season.

This, after all, the Bengals know. So understanding Cincinnati will attempt to free Higgins from Gonzalez’s sticky protection with completely different schemes, the Patriots’ defensive employees should come ready with counters to the motions, formations and route ideas Bengals head coach Zac Taylor likes to make use of. Defensive play-caller Zak Kuhr hit on a number of of these ideas Thursday.

“They do a great job of constructing bunches and stack (formations), some rub routes, attending to (audibles) once they really feel that; whether or not or not it’s some mesh ideas (criss-crossing routes), or it might be — (Taylor)’s a artistic dude. He’s received some nice solutions within the cross recreation, some new stuff you may not see week to week,” Kuhr stated.

What would possibly the Patriots’ counters to these counters be? Kuhr may go for double-teams, zone match protection or switching man-to-man schemes which may take Gonzalez off Higgins however maintain a defender tight to Cincinnati’s greatest receiver at any time when he’s in movement.

The sport throughout the recreation.

3. Play-calling knowledge

Legendary Celtics coach and GM Crimson Auerbach used to say typically one of the best trades are those you don’t make.

On Thursday, Josh McDaniels took that concept and utilized it to play-calling whereas explaining that in-game flexibility is among the extra necessary classes’ he’s realized late in his teaching profession.

“Typically it’s what you don’t name that’s as necessary as what you do name, and having sufficient confidence in your self and your employees and your crew in the course of the primary or second quarter to cross off seven (performs) due to what’s taking place within the recreation or the way it’s going,” McDaniels stated. “And never be so bullheaded about, ‘Effectively, I favored this on Tuesday or Wednesday, and by gosh, I’m going to name it it doesn’t matter what.’”

Patriots quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant went into additional element on McDaniels’ play-calling in a while Thursday.

“He has solutions to the exams earlier than they arrive up,” Grant stated. “He’s been in his system for an excellent very long time, and he has experiences, and he is aware of the place each skeleton is laid and what can damage each single play in his system. And (he) is aware of what the complement or the reply to that’s, which is spectacular. As quickly as a protection reveals one thing, he is aware of precisely what to do subsequent to fight that.”

4. Awards season

Throughout his weekly press convention, Patriots particular groups coordinator Jeremy Springer revealed his midweek conferences after wins contain greater than movie examine and recreation plans.

How about awards?

“We do various things,” Springer stated, “To not elaborate an excessive amount of on it, however guys which can be reaching (the) highest pace or (take advantage of) most tackles or MVP of the week, the soldier of the week, issues like that.”

Springer shared he palms out awards in a solution about particular groups captain Brenden Schooler breaking a double-team throughout final week’s win over the Jets. Schooler has additionally been acknowledged after wins for his dash pace, having been clocked at quicker than 21 MPH this season, based on Springer.