Brady-mart always open
Gronk-Edelman-Cooks trio will be uncoverable for foes
Tom Brady is grotesquely rich, and this has nothing to do with his bank account.
The Patriots have so much talent at their offensive skill positions that they’re borderline injuryproof. Ultimately, the level of their success — potentially ranging from extraordinary to record-breaking — will derive from the marquee
trio of tight end Rob Gronkowski and receivers Brandin Cooks and Julian Edelman.
All three have proven their worth against double teams over the course of their careers. Now, almost by default, at least two should be one-on-one with defenders on any given play. The other intriguing element is they can prove dangerous in different areas of the field, so offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels can turn into Will Hunting on the chalkboard with his play designs.
Assuming it all materializes in the Patriots’ favor — and with Brady running the point, why wouldn’t it? — they’ll be a bigger nightmare than usual for their opponents in the 2017 season.
“I haven’t thought that far down the line,” Cooks said last week. “Just practicing on what I have to practice on, and everyone doing their job and coming together, I think we’ll be all right.”
They looked the part Thursday during the first opportunity to watch the Patriots in action on the practice field. Cooks and Gronkowski caught touchdown passes from Brady on back-to-back plays, with Cooks on the receiving end of a gorgeous, arcing throw in the right corner of the end zone against Malcolm
Butler. Gronkowski then skied over Jordan Richards for a score on an easy jump ball. Yeah, it was against a backup safety, but Gronk has overmatched far more talented starters through the years.
All the while, Edelman caught four passes in team drills, including two touchdowns. One came against Butler. The other was on a patented route on the baseline of the end zone.
To be fair, this was a passing camp without pads or the fear of contact, so offenses are supposed to look brilliant. But the Patriots defense remains largely intact from last season’s group that allowed the fewest points in the NFL in three years. And the Patriots offense has ranked in the top four in scoring for seven consecutive seasons, and the current group is the deepest it’s ever been.
Just consider the secondtier options for a moment.
Danny Amendola and Dion Lewis each caught 30-yard touchdown passes Thursday. Chris Hogan’s 17.9 yards per catch in 2016 was the best for a receiver with at least 25 receptions in the Brady era. James White’s 60 catches were the most by a Pats running back since 1994, and he set a Super Bowl record with 14 grabs. And then there’s Malcolm Mitchell, Mike Gillislee, Rex Burkhead and Dwayne Allen.
“You know we’ve got a competitive group in there,” Edelman said. “(It’s a) very smart room, and as long as we continue to improve daily, usually that’s what makes the unit better.”
The Patriots can use a general concept to test defenses and branch off from there with Cooks up the sideline, Gronk testing the seam and Edelman crossing through the middle. If a safety follows Cooks, Gronk will likely be oneon-one with a linebacker or safety. If both are doubled, Edelman will have an easy release off the line, and the running back will be open underneath. And so on and so forth as they methodically maneuver down the field.
If the safeties don’t sell out against Gronk and Cooks, defenses will be vulnerable to big plays. Plus, the Patriots’ never-ending assortment of combo routes will force defenses to constantly be in sync with their communication. A couple breakdowns can doom an entire game, as the Steelers and Ravens learned during the 2016 regular season.
The other benefit? With Cooks and Hogan able to hit the home run, linebackers and safeties won’t be as inclined to sit on the short routes against Gronkowski and Edelman, which will reduce the impactful hits they face over a season. That’s a simple byproduct of one-on-one coverages.
Edelman will reap the greatest reward with the addition of Cooks and Gronk’s return to health. Gronkowski was injured in Week 12 last season, and Edelman averaged nine catches for 101.6 yards per game from that point through the Super Bowl. He carried the offense.
Cooks can’t help but feel excited to help the group. He enjoys the fact that Bill
Belichick demands players to “bring your A-game every day” and believes continues reps against Butler and Stephon Gilmore will yield lasting success. And Cooks admitted he had one thought when he tuned into the final few minutes of Super Bowl LI.
“I want to be there one day,” he said with a smile.
With the group the Patriots have stockpiled, it’d be surprising if Cooks doesn’t get there on his first goround in Foxboro.
One spot at a time
This might be an extreme overreaction to one day of organized team activities, or maybe it’s a continuation from last season.
But maybe the Patriots should at least temporarily allow Cyrus Jones to exclusively focus on playing cornerback. Jones struggled again as a punt returner Thursday during practice. He misplayed several balls, either losing them in the wind or outright dropping them. Jones also got beat for a 30-yard touchdown by Amendola.
Jones was an outstanding punt returner at Alabama with four touchdowns. He validated that potential last season with the ball in his hands, but his five special teams fumbles became an epidemic. He admitted this offseason to losing confidence in his ability.
Jones was a solid corner during his rookie training camp, and that’s the primary reason why he was drafted in the second round. So if he can’t get out of his own head as a punt returner, it’s worth wondering if it has impacted his ability on defense. The Patriots have to figure out if Jones can become a starting-caliber corner as soon as possible for a number of reasons, including Butler’s contract situation.
Let Jones handle his defensive responsibilities first while Amendola and Edelman hold down the punt return duties. If Jones thrives defensively, then add more to his plate.
What a catch
Friday will mark the 22nd anniversary of Brady getting drafted by the Montreal Expos. Patriots rookies LeShun Daniels, D.J. Killings, Kenny Moore and Corey Vereen weren’t born yet when the Expos selected the former left-hand hitting catcher in the 18th round.