PATRIOTS NEED A FAST PICK-ME-UP
To avoid an off-season, Belichick, Patriots have to start winning now
The Patriots head into next season as the reigning Super Bowl
loser. That’s not the title of choice, especially since the losers have had a reputation for not getting back to the big game the following year.
Only seven teams have returned to the Super Bowl the year after losing the title, with the Bills the last one in 1994. Of those seven, only two won in their return engagement: the 1971 Cowboys and the 1972 Dolphins.
That’s why this offseason is so important for the Patriots. Getting over the losers’ curse and the dreaded Super Bowl hangover stands as a monumental mission.
While this isn’t anywhere near what the Falcons faced last year, recovering from their epic collapse in Super Bowl LI, the Patriots’ mission to rebound from the mark left by the loss to the Eagles is still significant. Plus, they must maximize every opportunity in Tom Brady’s
final years to make another run at Championship No. 6.
That puts more emphasis on having a great offseason, much as they did in 2003 (adding Rodney Harrison and Rosevelt Colvin),
2007 (Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Donte Stallworth), 2014 (Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner, Patrick Chung, Brandon LaFell) and 2017 (Stephon Gilmore, Brandin Cooks, Lawrence Guy, Rex Burkhead).
As we hit the eve of free agency, with the legal tampering period set to begin tomorrow, Bill Belichick and the Patriots certainly have significant needs to address if they want to be the AFC representative in Atlanta for Super Bowl LIII.
Harrison certainly knows how much winning an offseason can do.
“I think they will (rebound). The one big thing for them is perspective,” the NBC analyst and former Patriots safety said last week. “They went to the Super Bowl. They still have some weaknesses. But they still got Brady, they still pretty much have the coaching staff still intact with Coach Belichick. They’re still set up to be OK because they still have the best quarterback in the division. But, yes, they still have some work to do.”
Last year, when the doors of free agency flew open, the Patriots made the stunning first-day move to sign cornerback Gilmore to a huge contract.
They also added defensive lineman Lawrence Guy and running back Rex Burkhead in free agency, and made trades to acquire receiver Brandin Cooks and tight end
Dwayne Allen. They also traded for Panthers defensive end Kony Ealy.
Obviously, not every move worked out, with Ealy and Allen the primary poster boys on the failure front. But they were clearly aiming for another Lombardi Trophy last year, falling just short.
This year, they’ve lost a defensive coordinator in Matt Patricia, while winning one play-caller back at the 11th hour when offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels opted to stick around instead of taking the head coaching job in Indianapolis. They also managed to hold onto special teams coach
Joe Judge. So the raiding of the coaching staff, at least. wasn’t as bad as at first feared.
That brings us back to what the Patriots might do to further help the cause on the field and enjoy a winning offseason.
Harrison believes the emphasis needs to be on upgrading the defense. First and foremost, the Pats need a top-notch defensive end who can get to the quarterback. They made a run at Seattle’s Michael Bennett, but he was ultimately traded to the Eagles.
“I thought Michael Bennett was the perfect Bill Belichick player. I thought the Patriots if they had the opportunity to grab him, he could move inside, outside,” Harrison said. “He’s a guy that plays with a chip on his shoulder, brings leadership. That’s the kind of player they need.”
They also need to add ßmore speed. That could come with the addition of another top-end linebacker, Buffalo’s Preston Brown told Herald colleague Jeff Howe he’d be interested in joining the Patriots. Eagles linebacker Nigel Bradham is another free agent who might be on the list. Perhaps, they’ll even look for a hybrid safety/linebacker
Said Harrison: “When you watch their defense, it’s just too slow. They don’t have a bunch of guys, or that one intimidator that’s going to rip your head off and be that enforcer. I just see all the missed tackles and the lack of speed on the defensive side. That’s a tired defense that looks slow on film. And that’s something I’d like to see them get — more speed on defense.”
Of course, with Malcolm Butler expected to depart in free agency, that will leave a hole at cornerback. They didn’t get Aqib Talib, a rumored target who was traded from the Broncos to the Rams. Richard Sherman, released by the Seahawks Friday, might have drawn interest but reportedly agreed to a three-year deal the 49ers yesterday.
What became obvious in the Super Bowl LII loss was that Brady can’t bail the Pats out of every jam. He threw for three touchdowns and a Super Bowl-record 505 yards. They had 613 yards of total offense, didn’t punt, and still lost.
“It’s getting to the point where you can no longer (solely) depend on Tom Brady and the offense to score a lot of points. They need a defense,” Harrison said. “People are no longer intimidated by the Patriots. They have to shore up the defense. As good as that offense was, that defense is just so unbalanced in terms of the strength of that team. So they really need to work on that defense.”
If Rob Gronkowski opts to retire, they’ll need to work on the offense, too. But that’s another story. At this point, there doesn’t appear to be a timetable on a decision about whether Gronk plays in 2018 or not. At least, that’s what his agent Drew Rosenhaus said on “PFT Live” last week.
But that’s just all part of the big picture for the Patriots offseason — one they need to ace, whether via free agency or the draft in order to give themselves the best shot at doing the one thing Super Bowl losers generally don’t do: Return to the dance.
Vander Esch: Plus-minus
Boise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch could be on the Patriots’ radar during the draft in April. He’s certainly been generating some buzz as either a late first-round pick or early second-rounder. He’s 6-foot-4, 256 pounds and is scheme versatile.
NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock, however, struck a cautionary tone on the player at the NFL scouting combine, saying that his performance against Oregon in the Las Vegas Bowl was “as good an off-the-ball linebacker tape as I’ve seen in years.” But then came the caution. “But some of his other tape isn’t quite as good. And he’s only really a one-year starter,” Mayock said. “So when you start picking his game apart, even though I get excited about that one tape, which was awesome, if you watch (his) Oregon State (tape) it’s not as good. And the coaches I’ve talked to are worried about his inventory of plays. One season as a starter. One outstanding game. Some pretty good games. Some average games. So, to bang the table for him as a first-round pick is hard.”
Meanwhile, UCLA offensive tackle Kolton Miller has also been linked to the Pats given possible need with pending free agent Nate Solder set to hit the market. Miller had a great combine, outleaping all other offensive linemen by seven inches with a 121inch broad jump, while finishing third in the 40-yard dash (4.95 seconds) and fourth in the vertical jump (31.5 inches).
Said ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay of Miller: “His tape is up and down, but he’s 6-foot-8, 309 pounds, 34-inch arms . ... He’s got all the skills and natural tools that you look for. He’s just going to need a little bit more time to develop and become more consistent.”
He wants to be like Mike
Titans coach Mike Vrabel has learned from and been mentored by some of football’s finest. As a player, he’s been coached by John Cooper (Ohio State), Bill Cowher (Steelers) and Belichick (Patriots). As a coach, he’s worked under Urban Meyer (Ohio State) and Bill O’Brien (Houston).
Vrabel, however, knows it’s important to forge his own identity, and not try to mimic someone else.
“I’m trying to take from my own style, my own personality, but obviously also draw from those coaches,” Vrabel told me at the combine. “But to your point, I think it’s critical in any facet whether as a player, as a person, as a husband . . . I think to be successful and to really commit to something, you have to have a philosophy and a belief, and you have to make that work. There’s no right or wrong answer. Success determines whether you did it the right way. But it’s critically important to have a belief, and you follow the path you think is going to make it go.”