Will This Be The Year The Patriots Finally Nut Up or Shut Up?
The New England Patriots, a team that dominated the NFL along with head coach Bill Belichick for nearly 20 years in the salary cap era, is entering the 2023 NFL season with more questions and concerns. With some familiar faces back in town, it's time for the Patriots to nut up or shut in this make-or-break season. In part four of my four-part article I'll be taking a deep dive into why this year for the Patriots is their most important year ever down in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Two Guys From Dorchester Call Plays
During the offseason heading into the 2022 NFL season, the Patriots brought back familiar faces in Matt Patricia and Joe Judge to call plays for the offense with Josh McDaniels leaving for Las Vegas. The results went precisely how you'd think; awful. Mac Jones regressed from a promising rookie year, the offense lacked creativity, and barely managed to move the ball downfield. New England was not competitive against the better teams in the NFL killing the Patriots' chancing of making it into the playoffs.
In the 2022 NFL season, the Patriots failed to score more than 24 points in ten of their games which is something that won't work in today's NFL. Despite that, there is hope that came from the offense in 2022 mostly from Rhamondre Stevenson, the all-around running back, who rushed for 1,040 yards and caught 69 passes for 421 yards along with scoring a total of six touchdowns.
Despite the offensive line giving up 41 sacks they somehow managed to rank 11th by PFF. Inconsistency from the offensive line also played a big part in why the Patriot's offense ranked 26th in yards and 28th in first downs by PFF. The hope for the 2023 season is that 2022 first-round pick Cole Strange can live up to what's expected of being taken in the first round. His rookie year was filled with highs and lows but managed to have a decent year hopefully he can learn from year one and be an anchor on the line for years to come.
Revenge Of The Sith
Since Tom Brady's departure after the 2019 season, head coach Bill Belichick has only made the playoffs once, which was a beat down by the Buffalo Bills in 2021. Bill's on the hot seat entering the 2023 NFL season whether Patriots fans want to admit it or not. He's made a lot of poor decisions lately like leaving the offense to a defensive and special teams coordinator last year or not getting talented offensive playmakers.
To kick off free agency the Patriots and Bill Belichick went to work bringing in wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, along with tight end Mike Gesicki, and now with the recent signing of Ezekiel Elliot, the Patriots are trying to bring in talent for once a pleasant surprise for Patriots fans. The Patriots also brought in offensive tackles Riley Reiff and Calvin Anderson to help bring experience and competition to the offensive line. While they might not be top-tier players, they're reliable, which is something the Patriots need to be successful this year.
With the start of the 2023 NFL draft, the Patriots did what they always do, trade back, but they were still able to acquire cornerback Christian Gonzalez 17th overall. He's a player who was expected to go in the Top 10. Along with Keion White, a defensive end that was expected to go in the first round fell to the Patriots in the second round. The Patriots also took a pair of receivers in the sixth round with the selections of Kayshon Boutte and Demario Douglas who should add some speed the Patriots have needed for years now.
The Patriots Strike Back
Along with all the players the Patriots bought in they also hired former offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien to help smooth out the bumps left behind by Joe Judge and Matt Patricia. O'Brien is a very experienced play-caller that was even a head coach for the Houston Texans for a while that had success even making the playoffs quite a few times. Now he might not be the greatest head coach, he is a great play caller that's had success with quarterbacks like Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallet, and Brock Osweiler, which should be a sign of good things to come for the Patriots.
With a new Bill in town, Mac Jones is entering an important year with numbers like 14 touchdown passes, 11 interceptions, and 2,997 passing yards in 14 games is a joke, but so were his offensive coordinators last year. The Patriots hope that Bill O'Brien can get Mac Jones back to playing like his rookie year with a more stable offensive coordinator at the helm.
Now with the 2023 NFL season right around the corner, the Patriots and Bill Belichick have a lot riding on this year with the lack of success since the departure of Tom Brady. We all know Bill Belichick can coach defense but his ability to coach a team as a whole is starting to come into question with the lack of success without Tom Brady and his time in Cleveland. With some talent finally, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots enter the hot seat for the first time in 2023 in this make-or-break season.
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