Tag: Joejuan Williams

Patriots Lose Fourth Game in a Row. Is This the End of the Cam Newton Experiment?

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I’m not going to put the blame all on Cam Newton here despite the way that game ended. This team is clearly just not that good and Newton’s top receiver yesterday was a former quarterback, and no I’m not talking about Julian Edelman. The offensive play calling was suspect at best. With all that being said, Newton hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass since Week 3. And I’m no NFL scout but it did look like Newton was laboring on a lot of his throws yesterday as he was still skipping passes on easy 5-10 yard routes. The offensive game plan yesterday was almost as if they were protecting Newton from himself. Newton was 15/25 with no touchdowns and no interceptions and there was almost nothing thrown deep. I looked at the drive charts for the Pats to see if my memory served me right and Newton had one completion of 28 yards, but that was thanks to a huge YAC play by James White. There was one medium range 22 yard completion to Damiere Byrd, but other than that there was nothing completed longer than 16 yards. So unsurprisingly the Bills were crowding the hell out of the box.

Meanwhile the Pats ran the ball 34 times, including 9 by Newton. So there was a lot of handing it off and more designed QB runs than we’ve seen in a while. I guess thats to be expected playing in the wind in Buffalo with two of your receivers out, but hey as Newton himself said the excuse basket is getting low. In the end the running was exactly what did them in as Newton failed to protect the ball while scrambling for a first and fumbled the game away.

To his credit he looked like he wanted to sit down in the shower and cry afterwards so I feel for him. But if you are unable to consistently move the ball through the air and are relying on your legs to make big plays then you have to protect the ball. The flashes this team showed on offense earlier in the season are now the Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.

I respect the hell out of the venom from FS1’s Tanya Ray Fox though. Say it louder for those in the back!

So we now have to ask ourselves, is it time to move on from the Cam Newton experiment?

Sitting at 2-5 and having suffered four losses in a row this team is moving in reverse. They’ve guaranteed their worst record since 2018 (won the Super Bowl btw) and thats assuming they win out. I don’t know about you but I have a hard time imagining this team ripping off a 9-0 run. If they lose one more game, it’s their worst record since 2009 when they went 10-6 and lost in the Wild Card round. If they lose 2 more games it’s their worst record since 2002 when they went 9-7 and missed the playoffs sandwiched between two SB titles. And if they lose any more than that it would be their worst record since 2000 when they went 5-11 in Belichick’s first year at the helm.

The Patriots are now 4 games behind the Bills and 2 games behind the Dolphins so any illusion of winning the division went up in smoke yesterday. It’ll be interesting to see what the team does at the trade deadline because as I said yesterday that Bills game could legitimately decide the direction of this franchise for the next two years.

Now I’m not excited for it, but I think its time to rip the Jarrett Stidham band-aid off and find out what exactly the Patriots have here. The team needs to figure out whether he’s the next guy or not. If that means trotting him out there for ritual sacrifice then so be it, but the Pats need to determine if Stidham can get it done. If not then they have to make a move this offseason. Theres 3-4 potential first round QBs likely coming out this year and the Patriots should be in a good position to get one of them, even if it’s not Trevor Lawrence or Justin Fields.

There’s also been rumors about the return of the prodigal son Jimmy Garoppolo since the 49ers have reportedly been meh on him as the QB of the future.

But he did re-injure his ankle last night and according to Schefter will be out “indefinitely.” That comes after having already missed 2 games and then getting pulled in his first game back. Garoppolo has only made 30 starts out of a possible 56 games in four years in San Francisco due to various injuries including a torn ACL. My point being, I would not be shocked if the Niners decide to move on from him after this season. So if you’re a Patriots fan do you still want him? Do you think Bill can rekindle whatever magic he thought he had with the young QB? I’m not so sure of that as I was just a week ago. Especially after this latest injury since Belichick loves to say the best ability is availability. Either way the Pats will undoubtedly be kicking the tires on anyone with an arm attached to their body this offseason.

The Patriots are in a tough position brought on by the greatest player of all time leaving town, but also from poor drafting over the last few years finally catching up to them. The Pats are one of the oldest teams in the league as a result. Think about it, all of their best players are on the wrong side of 30: Edelman, Stephon Gilmore, both McCourtys, Matthew Slater, plus all the guys who opted out.

The book is out on this year’s draft class, but offensive lineman Michael Onwenu may have been a steal in the 6th round as Pro Football Focus has him ranked as the No. 1 rookie in the league. It’s debatable how much stock to put into PFF rankings, but being No. 1 on any list is pretty damn good.

The books is probably still out on last year too. Chase Winovich looks like a nice role player, Joejuan Williams has shown potential, as has Damien Harris (now that he’s on the field), but N’Keal Harry has been underwhelming and we may soon find out with Jarrett Stidham. 2018 highlights include Isaiah Wynn and Sony Michel. Sigh. Ja’Waun Bentley has flashed at times, other than that there was Ryan Izzo, Braxton Berrios, and Danny Etling as notable names that year. 2017 landed them Deatrich Wise and three whiffs. 2016 was the year they took Cyrus Jones with their first pick and he was an unmitigated disaster. They did draft Joe Thuney that year though who’s been great, Ted Karras has been a solid contributor on the OL, Jacoby Brissett filled in for a game, Elandon Roberts, and a huge what if player in Malcolm Mitchell who looked awesome before knee injuries prematurely ended his career.

So yea, 5 years and arguably two elite players in Thuney and *maybe* Onwenu, but it’s way too early to tell. Other than that Belichick has collected role players, which is a far cry from the 2010 draft he absolutely NAILED, picking up Devin McCourty, Gronk, Brandon Spikes, pre-murderous Aaron Hernandez, and even a starting punter in Zoltan Mesko.

It’s hard to build a team when you don’t have the greatest QB of all time helping to mask any deficiencies on the roster. The Pats definitely got screwed with the $13.5M in dead cap money from Brady leaving and this is what Belichick had to say today on the roster.

In Belichick’s defense we wrote about the Patriots “mess of a salary cap” last season, but I can promise you people do not want to hear about the cap as the reason for why this team is free falling.

I don’t say all this to be an alarmist, I say it to be pragmatic. This team is facing a tall order and needs to really nail their next series of moves and the next draft to set themselves up for a rebound. If nothing else do it to shut up the Fired Football Coaches of America chirping from the peanut gallery like Rex Ryan.

I’m sure Belichick is taking names as he builds the next great Patriots team for what is likely the final act of his career.

Quick Hits and Key Takeaways from the Patriots 2019 Draft Class

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Per usual, Bill Belichick, Nick Caserio, Josh McDaniels, and the rest of the Patriots thinking heads were well-prepared and executed a near flawless plan at the NFL draft.

The team right away addressed what many believed to be their biggest need by selecting wide receiver N’Keal Harry in the first round on Thursday night. (A move I’ve already wholeheartedly endorsed.) Then, the team went on to select nine more guys throughout the final six rounds on Friday and Saturday, which does not even include the handful of undrafted guys they signed over the the weekend as well.

Basically, after a pretty quiet foray into the free-agent market, the team instead decided to use its abundance of draft capital this year to reload and retool at some of the most important positions on the roster. As always, there were also a few surprises as well.

Rather than break down each of the team’s selections from this past weekend, instead here are a few important takeaways and general thoughts for the Pats now that things have officially wrapped up down in Nashville:

The G.O.A.T.’s Successor?

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With their seventh selection, the Patriots drafted former Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham in the fourth round at No. 133 overall.

The seventh QB drafted in 2019, Stidham is a guy who actually might’ve gone higher had he been able to enter the draft last year. Coming out of high school as a top-50 national recruit, Stidham had a phenomenal season as a true freshman for the Bears in 2015, with a 199.0 rating (!!!) and a 12-to-2 TD-to-INT ratio in just 10 games. However, due the sexual assault scandal engulfing the school at the time, he decided to take a year off and transfer to Auburn, where he served as the Tigers’ starter for each of the past two seasons.

At first glance, his overall stat line looks almost identical across his two seasons at Auburn:

  • 2017: 246/370; 18 TDs; 6 INTs
  • 2018: 224/369; 18 TDs; 5 INTs

But playing QB is about more than just touchdowns and interceptions. And a deeper dive into both the numbers and the tape shows a guy who looked like he regressed a bit in 2018, no longer demonstrating the fearless confidence he displayed while leading the Tigers to 10 wins (including a huge one over Alabama) just the year before. Both his completion percentage and passing yardage saw a significant drop-off this past season, and it just seemed like he wasn’t the same guy. To be fair, he did lose some solid surrounding talent from 2017 (running back Kerryon Johnson; guard Braden Smith) and played behind a bad O-line. Also, it’s not like he completely fell off the map.

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The kid has shown the ability to step up in big moments.

Overall, Stidham is said to be a real smart kid who has a good release and can make all the throws. He even has some ability to take off and run when necessary, too. To be honest, he sounds a lot like Jimmy Garoppolo, and maybe he can become what Jimmy G was supposed to be once Brady ultimately retires (whenever the hell that will be)…or he’ll get traded away for a second- or third-round pick in three years. Either way, he’s got plenty of time to learn and relocate some of the talent that once made him one of the nation’s top QBs. Even though I wanted Will Grier, I’m not at all upset with Stidham.

Sony Gets Some Competition

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With so many other holes on offense, many were surprised to see the team draft Alabama running back Damien Harris with the 24th pick in the third round. Even if the Pats wanted to add more depth at the position (which is never a bad thing for any team to do), why did they need to use such a high selection in order to do so? After all, they spent a first-rounder on Sony Michel just last year, and he rewarded them with an excellent rookie season. James White, the team’s leading pass-catcher in 2018, is also still here, as is Rex Burkhead. AND the team also brought back Brandon Bolden this offseason.

So what gives?

To be entirely honest, I believe this one was all about value, as there was a time when Harris was actually thought to be the top running back in the class – yes, even ahead of his teammate Josh Jacobs, who went No. 24 overall to the Raiders in the first round on Thursday night.

Even though he had to constantly fight off other all-world running back talent throughout his time with the Crimson Tide, Harris still compiled over 1,000 total yards in each of the past three seasons, averaging over seven yards per carry in two of them. So, even with other NFL-caliber players fighting for playing time, Harris was still always one of Nick Saban’s most trusted and reliable guys. Short and stout (5’10”, 216 pounds), he also had 11 rushing scores for ‘Bama in 2017 and can serve as another goal-line stud for the Pats.

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With Harris being such a huge favorite of Saban’s, I bet that’s all Belichick really needed to hear.

So, yes, maybe it was a bit of a luxury pick, but with White being a glorified receiver as well as durability concerns with both Michel and Burkhead, it actually makes a lot of sense. I was pleasantly surprised with this one, and I think the rest of Pats Nation will soon be as well.

Chase Winovich Might Already Be My New Favorite Player

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Aside from the fact he’s a ferocious defender who compiled 18.5 sacks and 43 tackles for a loss over the past three seasons at one of the nation’s top schools, this dude is quite the character as well.

Heading into the draft, NFL Network’s Good Morning Football dubbed Winovich as the “draft’s greatest personality,” and there’s no doubt that he is an absolute gem in front of the camera. With wittiness and charm for days, along with some EPIC lettuce (just look at those golden locks), this dude could serve as the foil to the typically humdrum, boring Patriots locker rooms we all felt doomed to endure once again with Gronk now gone. This guy is going to be a blast.

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Winovich has a flow that would make even Clay Matthews blush.

However, when it really comes down to it, he’s still all about business. Though now-former Michigan teammates Rashan Gary and Devin Bush went two rounds ahead of him, there are many who actually regarded Winovich as the Wolverines’ true heart and soul over the past few years, with the numbers to back it up. His relentless motor and elite pass-rushing skills will be very welcomed in Foxborough. And he’s also a very charitable guy off the field as well.

Just like they did with Harris, it seems like the Pats stole yet another stud in Round 3.

Not One Tight End Taken

I’ll admit, I was really surprised the team did not take even one tight end through seven rounds this weekend. While I wasn’t expecting them to trade up and get someone like T.J. Hockenson or Noah Fant, I thought that maybe they’d try to take someone like a Jace Sternberger, Irv Smith, or Dawson Knox on Day 2.

But nope. The team did not draft one player at the tight end position.

It seems as though they’re prepared to roll with Austin Seferian-Jenkins and a jumbled group of mediocre guys to start the year, instead hoping that the running game and some added talent at receiver can carry them through. Do I think it was a fatal mistake? No. But it would have been nice to add something here, especially with the amount of picks they had at their disposal.

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Looks like it’s your time to shine, ASJ!

A few other quick notes:

  • A lot of people seem to be excited about the team’s second-round pick, Joejuan Williams, whom the team traded up to snag in Round 2. Williams is a BIG (6’4″, 211 pounds), deceptively fast defensive back who can play both corner and safety. Much like Patrick Chung, he can be used to cover the bigger and more physical opposing pass-catchers, serving in the hybrid DB/LB role we’ve seen become more popular throughout the league in recent years. Williams is certainly not the most athletic guy in the world, but he could become a force in the secondary.

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  • I already mentioned how the Pats got two third-round steals in both Winovich and Harris, but truthfully they may have actually had another. With the second-to-last pick in the round, the team took West Virginia offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste, who at one point was being talked about as a first-round pick. Were it not for a history of injuries, he truly could’ve been one of the first O-lineman off the board.
  • It was very interesting to see the team take punter Jake Bailey in the fifth round, especially after Ryan Allen’s phenomenal performance in the Super Bowl. (That might sound a bit over the top, but Allen honestly was one of the team’s most important players in that game.) However, Bailey was perennially one of the nation’s top punters during his time at Stanford, and Belichick is never afraid to add a little competition. On a one-year deal which would leave just $100,000 in dead money were he to be cut, Allen will need to be on his toes (no pun intended) this training camp.

Overall, I am very pleased with how things went for the Pats this weekend. And with most of the big offseason events now out of the way, we can finally look ahead to OTAs and training camp!