Coming out of the Week 2 film session, I have one hope for your New England Patriots.
Please tell me that Executive Director of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf picked up the simplest lesson from his father, legendary Green Bay GM Ron Wolf.
Buy low. Sell high. In this case, it’s a perceived high, combined with a frantic market at quarterback.
Friday morning, after the Thursday nighter against the New York Jets, I’m dangling Jacoby Brissett to the needy masses.
Brissett may not have hung numbers in the first two weeks of the year, but he’s 1-1, has taken an absolute beating and continues to rise up, and most importantly, he’s a pro.
Teams need quarterbacks, I’m thinking about Miami first and foremost. The Dolphins have a marquee lineup with Skylar Thompson at QB. Brissett, as average as it gets, is a massive upgrade on Thompson. There’s no debate there.
So, cash in, get a third or fourth-round pick, move on from Brissett initiate the Drake Maye Era, with the mini-bye coming after the Jets. If not Miami, then find somewhere else to move him.
On to the film work.
Inside on Jacoby
Brissett hasn’t turned the football over through two weeks, despite being brutalized.
But, as it showed by the total lack of production from the wide receivers this week against Seattle, Brissett is not moving the football down the field. Blame it on the line, lack of time, or his inability to process quickly enough, but Brissett potentially cost the Pats eight points against Seattle.
On New England’s second drive of the game, he had a good look down the middle with tight end Austin Hooper on the skinny post. He chose to not throw it and instead of a TD, New England settled for a field goal.
Then, later in the second quarter on successive plays, Brissett had Ja’Lynn Polk and DeMario Douglas open down the field for potential TDs. Both times, he chose to not take the shot.
Finally, in the fourth quarter, on the sack that led to the blocked field goal attempt, he had KJ Osborn open. Likely, he didn’t see him because of the pressure.
Brissett is Maverick after Goose’s head hit the canopy. He won’t engage. It’s part of the reason it’s time to move him elsewhere.
You can’t develop young receivers without throwing to them.
White out, then in
Hopefully, at some point next week, defensive coordinator Demarcus Covington attempts to explain what the heck he is doing with Keion White.
The second-year defensive lineman has been immense in the pass rush over two games, with four sacks total.
Imagine how good he might be if Covington didn’t have him backing out into pass coverage 15 percent of the snaps, instead of attacking the QB.
On the biggest play of the game, Geno Smith’s seven-yard connection with Zach Charbonnet, moving the Seahawks into field goal territory for the win, White was asked to cover the running back on the blitz-beating pass route. What are we doing here?
The kid is a monster rushing the passer. Don’t ask him to do something he can’t.
Onward Christian
What a struggle it was for the New England cornerbacks on Sunday. That’s not a secret, nor is it much of a surprise.
New England gave second-year lead corner Christian Gonzalez more rope, with much more responsibility in coverage, and the kid proverbially hung himself.
Things were too easy for DK Metcalf when he got singled up on Gonzalez. He’s clearly New England’s finest in the secondary. But this unit was exposed on a day where four men regularly put a darn good rush on Geno Smith.
The secondary play was alarming, and Gonzalez wasn’t the only one getting shredded.
Odds and Ends
The Seattle adjustment to shut down tight end Hunter Henry after a torrid start was pretty sweet. At halftime, Henry had seven catches for 98 yards. He finished with eight for 109, much in part to one simple change. Seattle slid safety Julian Love up into the box, and he played Henry one-on-one. Love, who later earned a game ball for the blocked field goal, was immense in the second half and OT. …
Finally, the jarring crowd shots showing empty seats all over Gillette Stadium told a giant story. People are nowhere near tuned into this team. The franchise has a ton of work to do to get the fanbase interested again.