Offense not up to standards
Brady not happy with execution
PHILADELPHIA — Tom Brady said the die was cast with respect to the Patriots offense. During the first nine games, he and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels had learned a lot, enough to know “this is what we are, this is what we’re going to do, this is how we’re going to win and these are the things we’re going to have to do in order to achieve the results we want.”
What we know from watching after ten games, is the offense isn’t pretty. It gets by with whatever it needs to do, in order to win.
They’ll step on the gas, and go no-huddle, as they did to start the third quarter for their best drive of the game. They’ll resort to trick plays, as they did at different points, once resulting in a score. And, they’ll gladly hand the rest over to the defense.
That’s what delivered them against the Eagles, 1710, at Lincoln Financial Field Sunday afternoon.
Who knows if that will be enough to deliver them down the road? Judging by Brady’s mood, he’s not so sure.
The Patriot’s quarterback was certainly happy for a win, but he was not a happy camper. His answers to questions after the game during his two minute media session were barely audible. It’s rare to see Brady so down-trodden, especially after a win.
He said offense was “up and down.” Asked if he was concerned about the offense, or if he felt like it would work itself out, Brady took himself out of the equation.
“I don’t think it matters what I think,” he said. “It matters what we do.”
The group that Brady is leading now in no way resembles the offense that won a Super Bowl nine months ago. They still can’t run the ball, and because the offensive line is still struggling to protect Brady, they’re resorting to the nohuddle and trickery to move the ball when up against it.
Right now, it’s smoke and mirrors, it’s gimmicks, and for now, it’s working thanks to a stingy defense.
But Brady (26-of-47 for 216 yards) is continuing to struggle mightily, and it’s obvious by his demeanor how much that annoys him. They needed Julian Edelman to make a pass, in order to score in the red zone, as the wide receiver threw a 15yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to Phillip Dorsett. That proved the margin of victory. Brady couldn’t even engage in a little humor when asked about Edelman having a better quarterback rating.
That’s because this offense isn’t doing much, although it really didn’t turn the corner until right around the postseason last year when it became a dominant running team, which opened up the passing lanes for the quarterback.
Brady has had success against Jim Schwartz-coached defenses in the past. He lit up the Eagles in the Super Bowl two years ago, setting a record with 505 yards.
This time around, Schwartz got the better of Brady and the Patriots offense save for the final score.
The Pats were 1-for-3 in the money area, settling for field goals. They were (5-for16) on third down. When they needed a ball-control drive late in the fourth quarter, they didn’t get it, giving the Eagles another chance.
The defense held on, stopping the Eagles on a 4th-and10 from the Patriots 26.
And even after that, with 58 seconds to play, needing a first down to end the game, they didn’t get it with three running plays. Jake Bailey was still forced to punt with 46 seconds left.
Brady didn’t have Dorsett after the touchdown, as he left after that play with a head injury. Rookie N’Keal Harry saw more action, and did catch a pass for 11 yards. But most of the completions were to backs, or Edelman, who also had a few key drops, one most notably in the endzone. This isn’t the way Brady envisions his offense.
Edelman was just happy to contribute later with the touchdown pass.
“We had something dialed up we’ve been working on,” he said. “We needed it. We threw it in there and were able to make a play.”
The players didn’t wear the same dejected look as their quarterback, but they know they’ll need to be better down the road.
“We’re trying to get better every single week. We’re picking on things maybe we didn’t do well the previous week,” said Rex Burkhead. “We know we’re nowhere near where we need to be as a team, or an offense. We’re just going to try to fix those mistakes and move on.”