Pats’ throwback style brings enjoyment to former players
Players from the Patriots’ early championship teams are getting a kick out of watching the 2021 edition.
Even though it’s been 20 years since that first championship season, much about how this Patriots team plays and performs is recognizable to those who were part of those early championship teams in particular.
Their throwback style brings retired Patriots back to their playing days.
Patriots Hall of Famer Rodney Harrison said he’s been inspired to jump up and shout when he sees Bill Belichick‘s current defense executing similar coverage schemes from the past that also allowed him to make plays all those years ago.
“I can tell when they’re playing soft coverage, I can tell when they’re going to blitz at times, or doubleteam guys, or when they’re going to call certain plays. Yeah, I see it,” Harrison said when reached last week.
“It’s hilarious because I’m yelling and screaming at the TV: ‘That’s the same coverage we played in the Super Bowl!’ … it’s just awesome to see.”
Harrison wasn’t kidding. His voice rose up a few decibels when he described the excitement he gets watching something so familiar.
He giddily brought up a play from the past, where he got an interception after he and linebacker Roman Phifer
double-teamed Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez, then with the Chiefs, by the goal line. The 2021 Patriots have made similar plays, using the same strategy.
The similarities were noticeable to Mike Vrabel,
too.
The Titans head coach, in town last week, told the Herald he could definitely draw some parallels to the 2001 team and the early championship versions of the Patriots while watching film to prepare for last week’s game.
Said Vrabel: “You’re starting to see some of those plays start to look like they looked in the past.”
The throwback style of the 2021 Patriots brings a smile to the faces of those from past teams who also rode a great defense, with a punishing ground game and stout offensive line.
Heath Evans, who played against those early Patriot teams before arriving in New England in 2005, said he has enjoyed tuning in every week from his Texas home.
“It’s really been fun to watch. They just play a brand of football that’s very frustrating for opposing teams,” said Evans, the former fullback. “It’s not that people can’t beat it, it’s just that no one has the patience.”
It’s a passing league. Teams want to throw the football. Teams also want to defend the passing game, because that’s what they’re built to defend.
In 2021, it’s tougher for smaller and speedier defenders to handle a ground-and-pound, bullyball attack, with an accompanying passing game predicated on short, quick throws.
That was the Patriot Way in the early 2000s, and after a changeup in 2007 with the arrival of Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Donte Stallworth, it’s been slowly turning back.
“Having smart, tough team guys that can morph into any type of offense, or any type of defense is just a beautiful thing,” said Evans. “Modern day football is played very different. I don’t want to say it’s not strategic, but the patience factor of letting this young quarterback do what he’s doing is special, and the defense, it just overwhelms (opposing) coaches and quarterbacks.”
Judging by the performances of Justin Herbert, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold and Ryan Tannehill, just to name a few, it’s overwhelming, much like the unit that took down the Greatest Show on Turf in that first Super Bowl.
Harrison, however, had one bone to pick, pointing out a difference between then and now.
In his day, he said there was a certain pride at being able to stop the run. He didn’t like what he saw both during and after the game against the Titans from a few Patriot defenders who didn’t seem overly bothered by getting gashed by the run game.
“I’m not letting no team run no 270 yards. Are you kidding me?” he said. “If that would have happened to our team, we wouldn’t have given a damn about the win. That run game would have haunted us the entire week until we got a chance to play again.”
After the game, a few Patriots suggested that it was more important allowing just 13 points and getting the win. That bugged Harrison.
But, all in all, he’s still enjoying the ride from week to week.
“I am enjoying watching, because, to me, it’s kind of like the transition,” Harrison said, referring to a transition from the Tom Brady era.
“Now you got Mac Jones, it’s the start of an era, and it’s exciting. And it’s really exciting to see a guy like Matthew Judon come in and just dominate, and be that guy, and shoulder that pressure, and make those plays. And seeing J.C. Jackson grow, and how much he’s improved.
“It’s just been so much fun to watch, and I’ll tell you, these guys are really starting to understand what Patriot pride is about.”
A Matt Judon minute
It’s always interesting and entertaining listening to Judon, whether he’s talking about his dislike for macaroni & cheese or football. On Thursday, he gave a terrific answer to ESPN’s Mike Reiss when asked how he’d describe what defines the Patriots defense in terms of style of play.
“I think, honestly, whatever we need to do, just to get the job done,” Judon began. “Whether we gotta stop the run this week because they’re coming out heavy, or they’re coming out empty and trying to throw the ball all over the field.
“Whatever we gotta do that week, to stop that team that play, we can transform into that. I think that’s kind of our style.”
That’s another way of saying bend-but-don’t break, which has been the Patriots style since Belichick arrived.
Injured Patriot staying active
The Patriots lost slot corner Jonathan Jones for the season after he suffered a shoulder injury Week 6 against Dallas, but he’s managed to remain active with the team. He’s also stayed involved with other local endeavors, which we’ll get to in a bit.
First up, his providing a helping hand in Foxboro.
In between coming in for his rehab, Jones has been a sounding board for members of the secondary, namely Myles Bryant.
He’s provided whatever pointers he can give the second-year defensive back, who has taken over for Jones in the slot. Those should come in handy this week when Bryant takes on Buffalo’s Cole Beasley.
“I’ve been able to talk with him, tell him things I’ve seen, and let him know that the game will come to him,” Jones told the Herald when reached last week. “He’s doing a great job and he’s just going to continue to get better and better.”
On Thursday, during his session with the media, Bryant also mentioned keeping connected with Jones.
“Jon, he helps a lot,” Bryant said of Jones. “He’s still in and out of the building. I mean, that star position (slot corner) is a very cerebral position. You have to be on your toes in terms of thinking. If I have a question, I’ll go to him, whether it’s a text, or if I see him in person, just ask him about his insight, or his perspective on a certain thing we’re trying to iron out.”
Jones is happy to do it. At the same time, it’s hard to be done for the season at any time, much less when the team’s put together a lengthy win streak and seems poised to make the postseason.
“It’s been tough,” said Jones. “I’ve reached out to some of the older guys who’ve gone through the same thing, anyone who’s been in a similar situation.”
Dont’a Hightower has been a good sounding board. Ditto Devin McCourty.
“Being around the team, trying to support them in any way I can keeps me focused,” said Jones. “Those guys are working hard. It’s a certain focus and a certain chemistry you see being around the guys. I feel their energy. Like coach (Belichick) says, you can’t fake chemistry.”
Game of Codes
Outside of Gillette, Jones has done work for his foundation, and also entered a partnership with a Bostonbased education startup — Unruly Studios — that will connect sports and active play to computer science education in schools across the country.
“It’s been a great shift of focus. Usually, during this time, it’s football, football, football,” said Jones, the Pats injured corner. “So I’m using this time to have a little bit more family time, friends and redirect my attention to my foundation.
“This has given me the opportunity to devote more attention to other places I wouldn’t usually have time for during this season.”
Jones and his six-year old daughter Skylar are learning how to code, and recently put out a video that shows how computer science in K-8 education can be fun and physically active.
In the video, the Patriots star and Skylar are hopping up and down on Unruly Splats, which are programmable floor buttons that students code to light up and make different sounds depending on the game that’s been created.
Jones’ “Next Step Foundation” is also offering a $20,000 scholarship, split among three schools, to expand access to cross-curricular computer science and STEM education in K-8 schools.
“It’s combining coding with exercise, two big aspects of my life and also my daughter’s life,” said Jones, who was involved with coding in high school. “She loves education and athletics, so she’s always functioning and moving. After meeting with Unruly, and their team, it just fit well.”
Perfect November
The Patriots weren’t the only team to go 4-0 in November. AFC East mate Miami also swept the month.
After starting out 1-7, Brian Flores‘ team is playing a much more respectable brand of football.
What’s behind them producing four straight wins?
Mack Hollins, a wide receiver and offensive captain, pointed to practice.
“I think we talked about (improving) more than we did it,” Hollins said via the Miami Herald. “We said we practiced hard but we weren’t really practicing hard. We said we were studying extra film; we weren’t studying extra film. We said we were coming into a meeting and we weren’t. I think when guys realized we can win if we do it, we started doing it. And now it’s like, ‘Oh, it’s second nature. It’s what we do.’ We come in and get extra work in. We come in and we lift hard. We come in and we practice hard. And now we’re getting the results.”
The Dolphins, who beat the Patriots in the season opener, will host New England in Miami the final week of the season.