Patriots
“Did not make the most of dangerous soccer after which had been capable of have dangerous soccer ourselves.”
COMMENTARY
FOXBOROUGH — The arrival of Mike Vrabel in January and an offseason spending spree weren’t going to be sufficient to punch the Patriots’ ticket again to the postseason for the primary time since 2021.
Years of woeful drafting and whiffs in free company had left New England’s roster barren — and brief on the depth wanted to maintain this workforce afloat when the damage bug inevitably stings.
However, as hundreds of Patriots followers draped in ponchos braved the soggy circumstances in Foxborough on Sunday, it felt as if hope has been re-kindled.
Maybe it was the reduction introduced upon the arrivals of free-agent reinforcements like Stefon Diggs, Milton Williams, and Harold Landry, shoring up poor areas of the roster than made the 2024 Patriots a unenviable product on each side of the ball.
Perhaps it was the promise showcased by Drake Maye — the promising second-year QB who stood as one of many few brilliant spots throughout a depressing winter with Jerod Mayo.
Or, possibly it was the reassurances and guarantees doled out by Vrabel: the a former Patriots stalwart who cultivated a successful tradition at his earlier teaching cease in Nashville.
The 2025 Patriots might not be charting a course for Tremendous Bowl LX, neither is it a on condition that this revamped roster might be enjoying soccer past Week 18.
However, within the months main as much as Sunday’s season opener in opposition to the Raiders, one sentiment felt resolute about this 2025 workforce.
They had been going to be higher. Proper?
… proper?
“We’re going to demand effort and end,” Vrabel stated in his introductory press convention as Patriots head coach. “Folks ask what non-negotiables are. Our effort and our end goes to be the contract that we make with our teammates.”
Accountability. Promise. An inflow of expertise. Ending robust.
All issues Patriots followers craving for the success of yesteryear needed to listen to after back-to-back four-win campaigns.
However because the boos — together with an incessant downpour — rained down on the Patriots’ within the closing minutes of Sunday’s 20-13 loss, one can be laborious pressed to discern the distinction between this 2025 membership and those which have elicited an analogous distress from followers over the previous couple of years.
“It’s irritating,” Vrabel stated postgame after New England’s Week 1 loss to Las Vegas. “We have now to grasp how typically these video games are going to go. We simply didn’t do sufficient within the second half. Give them credit score. We definitely didn’t do sufficient.
“We had too many missed alternatives, too many penalties, the turnover, and issues that simply — didn’t make the most of dangerous soccer after which had been capable of have dangerous soccer ourselves.”
The ultimate studying on the scoresheet stands because the clearest barometer of a workforce’s fortunes over the course of a season.
However, New England made at the very least some incremental positive factors throughout Sunday’s matchup in opposition to Las Vegas.
Maye and New England’s overhauled offense appeared to be in management within the first half. Regardless of coming into halftime with simply 10 complete factors, the younger QB accomplished 14 of his 20 go makes an attempt within the first half with 150 complete yards and a landing.
Had it not been for a missed 40-yard kick from rookie Andy Borregales, the Patriots would have scored on three-straight drives.
Not precisely the ‘07 Patriots, however the sight of Kayshon Boutte and Stefon Diggs shifting the chains and TreVeyon Henderson going 0-to-60 on sweeps to the surface was a welcome sight after years spent watching Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe sputter uncontrolled.
Maye waited till the second half to pay homage to the Patriots QBs who had come earlier than him.
After getting knocked for an interception on New England’s first drive of the second half, Maye and the Patriots’ offense fell into the identical routine of lapsed execution and talent-deficit scheming that has develop into commonplace at Gillette within the post-Brady period.
“I don’t know if we felt settled in at halftime as a result of it was up or what … simply really feel like we may have had extra power going into the second half,” Boutte stated postgame.
Throughout the subsequent 4 drives after Maye was knocked for his turnover, the QB accomplished simply seven passes for a whopping 51 yards — with New England gaining simply two first downs and in the end punting the ball away on all 4 events.
By the point the Patriots orchestrated a 10-play, 54-yard drive over the ultimate minutes of regulation, it was too little too late for a New England offense once more unraveled by offensive-line miscues (4 sacks, one strip-sack, 9 QB hits), inconsistent play underneath middle, and a operating recreation that couldn’t get going (60 complete speeding yards).
“I believed there have been some good constructive performs and actually good command of what we had been doing, after which there have been occasions the place possibly we or he missed any individual, and we’ll should see,” Vrabel stated of Maye. “It’s a problem enjoying quarterback on this league. We’ve bought to assist him out. We have now to be extra balanced.”
A Patriots protection that struggled to make life depressing for opposing quarterbacks final season (a league-worst 28 sacks) confirmed some indicators of life on Sunday. Free-agent pickup Harold Landry III was a one-man wrecking crew with 2.5 sacks, whereas each Milton Williams and Ok’Lavon Chaisson generated loads of strain.
When defensive coordinator Terrell Williams dialed up the strain, the Patriots had possibilities to make Geno Smith uncomfortable within the pocket. After they couldn’t, the veteran QB was nonetheless capable of carve them up.
All the progress made on the line of scrimmage for New England’s protection was undercut by the quantity of explosive performs Smith and the Raiders had been capable of generate off of the curls and flats that uncovered the remainder of the Patriots’ defensive depth chart.
Smith completed with a whopping 362 passing yards within the win, totaling 10.6 yards per try. In complete, the Raiders posted 9 completely different performs that went for 20-plus yards within the win.
“We had been ready for this recreation,” Landry stated. “Felt like we had an important gameplan. I felt like for essentially the most half, we went on the market and executed. We simply had too many lapses with [explosive] performs and probably not making them earn it.”
As irritating as Sunday’s outcome was for the hundreds who packed into Gillette, Vrabel didn’t share any semblance of shock off of what performed out in opposition to Las Vegas.
“I’m not shocked. I’m not shocked by something. … Now we’ll see the place we’re at,” Vrabel stated. “We’ll see what sort of soccer workforce we’ve, what sort of leaders we’ve, to have the ability to come again in right here and get to work. I believe that’ll be the true take a look at.
“We at all times discuss tradition and the whole lot else. We’ll see the place we’re at as a tradition and as a workforce and if we’ve guys that wish to work and stick collectively. It’ll be a giant problem to do this.”
It ought to come as little shock that Vrabel is taking the pragmatic (and sanity-saving) method for a Patriots workforce that has a whole lot of work to do relating to re-establishing some semblance of respectability.
Preaching persistence is the suitable name for a coach who’s well-aware of the sizable enterprise that sits in entrance of him.
It stays to be seen if the followers who’ve been let down for many of the final 5 years have the urge for food to heed their new coach’s phrases.
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