Brady: We need to clean things up
PATRIOTS NOTEBOOK
After a shaky start, the Patriots offense looks on track to become one of the league’s best units yet again.
Bolstered by the return of Julian Edelman, the addition of Josh Gordon, and the weekly improvements from Sony Michel, the Pats have posted back-to-back 38-point games.
Tom Brady believes they should have scored more against the Colts.
“Those turnovers, whether it is an interception, fumbled snap, I think that’s been something that we have to correct,” Brady said during his weekly interview with WEEI’s Kirk & Callahan. “If you look back at the first five games we’re giving away too many scoring opportunities. That is limiting our points. I thought the other night we should have put 52 out there, at least. Maybe more. When we play a team like Kansas City, we have to take advantage of every scoring opportunity because we know they are.”
Brady was intercepted twice in the third quarter of Thursday’s win over Indianapolis. Neither play was necessarily his fault. Chris Hogan let a ball slip through his hands and into the arms of Colts defensive back Matthias Farley. It should have been an easy catch. On the next possession, Rob Gronkowski couldn’t corral a deep pass down the middle. He was hit by Farley, and the ball popped into the air. Colts linebacker Najee Goode snagged it at his own 5-yard line.
“Those are things that you just have to work on and finetune and execute,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said on a conference call. “That’s why the execution of the passing game has to be so precise in this league. Defenders are close by and if the ball is not caught cleanly it could get into their hands. Really, it just comes down to execution.”
Brady has committed seven turnovers through five games, an unusually high rate for him. Consider: During the 2016 and 2017 regular seasons, Brady was responsible for only 13 turnovers in 28 games.
If the Pats can clean up the uncharacteristic miscues, they should be on track to excel.
“I think we’re still figuring out what we’re good at,” Brady told WEEI. “At this point we haven’t had everyone together for that long. Now that Josh is on the team and all of the receivers are really contributing. The tight ends are contributing. The backs, Sony missed all of training camp. It’s just kind of figuring out where we go from here and that’s a good opportunity for us. We’re five games into the year and we have a lot of football left. I think we all believe our best football is ahead of us.”
Barner back
The Patriots re-signed running back Kenjon Barner after releasing him prior to the win over the Colts.
Barner was present in the team’s locker room yesterday.
There was buzz that the Patriots would bring back Mike Gillislee, who was released by the Saints over the weekend, but the team opted for Barner.
He’s the third running back on the active roster behind Michel and James White.
Of course, the Pats could still add Gillislee. For most of last season, they rostered four running backs and special-teamer Brandon Bolden. It’s a position that is especially prone to injury, and the Pats have been mindful to carry extra depth.
‘Decent’ start
Regarded as a big-play threat coming out of Georgia, Michel’s physicality and aggressive running style have stood out in recent games.
“Sony’s a tough kid — runs hard, certainly willing to engage in contact, and he was at Georgia, (I) like the way he finishes runs and he’s a tough guy to bring down,” said Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. “So, his run style, I think, fits what we try to do here, and hopefully he’ll continue to improve and get better and make progress as we go forward.”
McDaniels added that the Patriots have seen “some decent things” from Michel, who missed the entire preseason with a knee injury.
Michel logged 43 rushing attempts in the past two games. If he maintains that pace going forward, he’ll finish the year with 304 carries. That would be the most by a Patriots running back since Corey Dillon in 2004.
Squad shake-up
The Patriots were busy making changes to their practice squad yesterday.
The team signed linebacker Calvin Munson, who started five games as an undrafted rookie for the Giants a year ago.
The Pats released defensive tackle Vincent Valentine and running back Ralph Webb.
Cornerback Cyrus Jones, waived by the Patriots on Saturday, was claimed by the Ravens. He spent time on the Baltimore practice squad earlier this season.
The Pats also added defensive tackle Frank Herron to the practice squad. An undrafted rookie, Herron was with the team throughout the offseason.