Fun not done for 1-2 Pats
Dance moves keep Brady in step
FOXBORO — Last Sunday in Detroit, the cameras captured Tom Brady’s brimming frustration, the glares after the incompletions, the resignation following an intentional grounding and a game-sealing interception.
Yesterday, as the Patriots prepared for their most significant September game in years against the Dolphins, the cameras captured a different side of Brady.
The side that ... dances during warmups?
On the practice field, Brady mimicked James White’s go-to move — what White called the Kodak Bop — and laughed about it afterward.
“He has a lot of work to do, that’s for sure,” White said, laughing. “He’s not just trying to imitate me, we are just having fun out there that’s all.”
Joked Brady, “I’ve got a long way to go.”
It was a light moment in what certainly has not been a festive month for Brady and the Patriots. Not only are the Pats 1-2, but they’ve been blasted in the past two games, trailing by at least two scores for 86:04 of the possible 120 minutes. The offense is sputtering, and Brady’s frustration has mounted.
One indicator of the current state of affairs: Yesterday, Brady was asked more questions about former Patriots receivers than current Patriots receivers.
Danny Amendola leads the undefeated Dolphins with 11 receptions. Brandin Cooks, now with the Rams, ranks fifth in the league, averaging 113 receiving yards per game. By virtue of injuries and Julian Edelman’s suspension, the Pats are left woefully thin at wideout.
This is not a specific point of irritation for Brady because, well, he’s “generally frustrated about football. It’s a frustrating sport,” he said, “but I’m certainly happy for guys when they do well.”
Brady noted he’ll forever have a close friendship with Amendola, who proved to be one of the most clutch players in recent Patriots history.
“He’s a great friend so I’m happy for him and his opportunity, and he’s playing well,” Brady said. “He was a great player for us. So, I have a great friendship with him. We’ll be friends for the rest of our lives.”
He said little about Cooks, but remarked that the unbeaten Rams have a “good team.”
Yes, there’s a case to be made that the Patriots should have squeezed one more year out of Cooks. They’re in win-now mode, perhaps more so than ever, and Cooks added an element that is noticeably lacking this season. At about $8 million on his fifth-year option, he was affordable enough.
Without Cooks, Brady has one completion of 30 yards or longer. When throwing to receivers, Brady is 25-for-41 for 229 yards. And when two garbage-time drives against Detroit and Jacksonville are removed from the equation, Brady’s numbers drop to 21-for-36 for 147 yards, which is just 4.1 yards per attempt. That’s astonishingly low.
At the time, the trade of Cooks was universally praised. The Pats received great long-term value, swapping the No. 32 pick to New Orleans for Cooks in 2017, getting essentially a free year of production, and then flipping him for the No. 23 pick this spring. This was before Edelman got suspended, before Malcolm Mitchell, Jordan Matthews and Kenny Britt were injured and eventually released.
Of all the possible outcomes at the receiver position, a reliance on a threeman depth chart of Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett and Cordarrelle Patterson was an unlikely one.
But, somehow, that’s what Brady is working with. Edelman’s return will help immensely, although his athleticism remains a question coming off an ACL reconstruction. Ideally, Josh Gordon will make a difference, too.
“Every day, we’re just learning more and more,” Brady said. “Any time you incorporate (new) players, there’s a process you go through and you try to get familiar with different players and what they do. We’ve incorporated quite a few this year, and you just try to do the best that you can.”
Brady hopes the receiver carousel comes to a stop with Gordon. In a month, the offense could look re-energized. A trio of Edelman, Gordon and Rob Gronkowski could be among the league’s most dangerous. Rookie running back Sony Michel has the potential to be a breakout player. All hope is not lost.
“It’s still September,” Brady said. “There’s a lot of football left.”
For now, though, the reality is that the Pats are 1-2 and entering an enormous Week 4 game, facing the possibility of falling three games back of the Dolphins in the AFC East. Unlike last year’s slow start, the offense shoulders much of the blame. The Pats aren’t reaching juggernaut status anytime soon. There’s a long way to go and a crucial divisional game looming.
“We’d love to be playing great right from the beginning,” Brady said. “But, obviously, we haven’t done that. We’ve got to figure out a way to get a win.”