These Two Patriots Are Dragging The Team Down. They Should Be Benched Vs. Detroit!
The Patriots are a better team than their 1-3 record suggests; they have been in every game down the stretch this season. However, unlike previous Patriots teams, they haven’t been able to make the clutch plays when it matters most to get the win. I understand this is a team game, but the team is only as good as its weakest links.
Those weak links are Isaiah Wynn and Myles Bryant, one for each side of the ball. They are equally as frustrating to watch but for different reasons. Wynn has been a career underachiever even when fully healthy and engaged. Myles doesn’t have the athleticism to play the slot cornerback role; he constantly gets beat by the team’s fourth option. He isn’t good enough, and it keeps showing up weekly.
The Patriots Need A Franchise Tackle
When New England drafted Isaiah, they thought they were adding a lineman that would be the next cornerstone of the line. He came in as a rookie and played well when he was healthy, but his production has steadily declined since the draft. Looking back, Wynn may not have been the best selection then. Unfortunately, we cannot change the past, but the Patriots certainly can affect the future if they keep letting Wynn in the game to miss blocks.
Wynn has never had the size of a typical Patriots tackle at 6’2 and 311 pounds. New England has always preferred players closer to the size of Trent Brown, so it was an exciting decision that did not pay off as well as some thought it would. This offseason has been particularly poor for Wynn. First, he declined to participate in OTA’s and much of training camp due to an injury, but it did coincide with his contract negotiations being stalled. Then he was moved to right tackle (a lower salary position) in his contract year, and it seems he hasn’t responded positively to this change.
The fact that we brought back Marcus Cannon makes Wynn extremely expendable, especially if he comes in and performs even at an average level. Protecting the signal-caller is the most important job on a football team, primarily since pass rushers nowadays are freaks of nature and defenses are blitzing at a higher rate than usual. So I hope Wynn gets sat down for this game to show him some perspective and kick him in the butt to start producing.
Myles Bryant Shouldn’t Be On The Patriots Or In The NFL
This could be my most disliked Patriot ever. Bryant is probably a great person, and I wish him nothing but the best, but I would much rather watch him try to do that elsewhere because New England isn’t the spot for him. Bryant has a PFF coverage grade of 41 and a career rate of 52.7; why is this guy on the field during passing downs?
He isn’t a terrible run defender with a season PFF grade of 79.2, so if he must be on the field, it should be in obvious running situations. Since he started the Buffalo playoff game, I have had this notion that Bryant should be cut, and his play during the first four weeks has only enforced this idea.
When Quarterback target Myles Bryant this season, they are 14/20 for 135 yards averaging 9.6 yards per reception. These 14 catches seem to come in the worst possible situation for the Patriots. Cedrick Wilson’s first down in Miami, the Devin Duvernay TD against Baltimore, the Randall Cobb catch on third, and one in overtime in Lambeau. I could continue the list, but if you watch this team play, you get the point.
The Patriots used a third-round draft pick to select Marcus Jones (an electric returner in college) and still had Bryant back their muffing punts. Jones is also hyper-quick and not much smaller than Myles. There is no reason to have him out there ahead of Marcus. If the staff doesn’t know Marcus is ready for that role, has Shaun Wade come out and play outside, move Jack Jones or Jalen Mills into the slot and get some size on the field. We also have four playable safeties who could split his role.
In the past, Belichick would’ve cut Bryant after the terrible performance in the Bills playoff game against Isaiah McKenzie in the slot. I said numerous times that he shouldn’t make the roster. However, the team has numerous players who have made fewer mistakes, not getting the same amount of playing time. Myles Bryant receives 56.35% of the defensive snaps, more than Kyle Dugger, Jalen Mills, Jack Jones, and Jabril Peppers.
Conclusion
These players cannot continue to be on the field if they perform like this. The Patriots have been in all of the games they have played, yet crucial mistakes typically by Wynn and Bryant have been the difference. Wynn is already in a physical mismatch with Hutchinson at the end. If St Brown plays, he primarily lines up in the slot where Bryant is positioned; both of these matchups are huge advantages for Detriot. I hope Bill goes old school on them and finally gets them on the bench if we want a chance to win.
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