With the Miami Dolphins on the docket, the leadup to Week 2 of the New England Patriots’ season had the potential to be boring. It certainly wasn’t.
No one welcomes controversy then quickly squashes it quite like the Patriots. Antonio Brown was signed Monday, then a civil lawsuit was filed Tuesday accusing the wide receiver of rape and sexual assault.
Football took a backseat Wednesday because of those serious allegations. Now we play the waiting game to see what the NFL finds in its investigation into the alleged incidents. Brown’s accuser, Britney Taylor, reportedly will talk to the NFL next week. That could accelerate the process of adding Brown to the commissioner’s exempt list. Or perhaps it will decelerate the entire situation, and Brown will play all season. We’ll just have to wait and see. It will take some tightrope walking to cover Brown until the situation is resolved, whenever that might be.
Brown is expected to play Sunday, however.
Now, let’s get back into football with this week’s mailbag.
With all the talent at receiver, are you at all concerned (maybe not the right word) that the Patriots will move away from what they did so well in the playoffs and return to their ways of spreading and shredding?
Basically, what do you expect their offense to look like this year when everyone is on the same page?
— @TheDTSB
I think they’ll be balanced but not as run-heavy as many people expected them to be heading into the season. The Patriots have talented running backs, but I think their offensive line, at this point, is better in pass protection than it is at run blocking. I also think the lack of a complete tight end could hamstring their ability to run the ball at times — or, at least, the inclusion of a tight end in the offense will tip-off their intention.
With Julian Edelman, Josh Gordon, Antonio Brown, Phillip Dorsett, James White, Rex Burkhead and Sony Michel, among others, as passing weapons to quarterback Tom Brady, I see no reason why there should be concern about throwing the ball.
I also think the Patriots will adjust based on opponent and time of year, like they always do. But I do expect the Patriots’ passing attack to be more prolific than many would have predicted a month or so ago.
Is AB able to make a bad atmosphere in this locker room to the degree it will affect on field situation? Or is this locker room + staff too strong to be affected by one guy, even though this one guy is probably the biggest distraction of them all?
— @KubaKazula
First, I believe the locker room is strong enough to hold up even if Brown starts to cause a distraction. The Patriots have been through worse, and they still have the same team leaders they had through many of those situations.
I also believe Brown would be cut before he begins to affect the locker room. If he starts acting like he did with the Oakland Raiders, there’s no way Bill Belichick would keep him around.
Finally, if that did happen, and if the Patriots did wind up having to cut Brown, I think it would only really rally the locker room together. Sometimes you need a villain.
The Patriots surely are hoping it never reaches those levels with Brown. But for Brown to become a locker room cancer, I think he first would need to elevate to being a team leader or at least a prominent voice. With guys like Tom Brady, Dont’a Hightower, Matthew Slater and Devin McCourty around, it should never get to that point.
Do you think we would have traded DT had the Patriots known about the AB allegations prior? 2nd Part, do you REALLY believe that no one on the Patriots side had any idea about this? I find that very difficult to believe…
#MailDoug
— @_cgutierrez
It’s a good question. I think it’s possible they still would have traded Thomas. Dorsett is coming off one of the best games of his career. With four catches on four targets for 95 yards and two touchdowns, you’re in good shape with Dorsett as your No. 3 or 4 receiver.
The Patriots also have N’Keal Harry (injured reserve) and Cameron Meredith (PUP list) waiting in the wings for insurances purposes. The Patriots really didn’t need the eighth wide receiver on the 53-man roster or the 10th on the team with so many other talented players at the position.
And I don’t know on the second part. Everyone is reporting the Patriots were unaware.
Also: When will the Pats start throwing the ball to Sony Michel just to get that on tape and make their playcalls less obvious when he is our there? Alternatively, might we see more 2 RB sets (Michel + Burkhead/White) to create more doubt?
— @Taghkanic
I do think using Michel more in the passing game will be key to keeping the offense unpredictable, especially if a tight end isn’t going to be on the field for every snap.
The Patriots ran the ball 73.9 percent of the time when Michel was on offense Sunday night. This is the smallest of sample sizes, but the Patriots averaged 1.7 yards per carry with Michel on the field and 3.2 yards per carry when he was off the field. They gained 15 yards per passing play with Michel on the field and 9.6 yards per passing play with him off the field.
All that really tells us is the Patriots were dominant through the air and need help on the ground. But the Patriots were more productive passing the ball when Michel was on the field, and they were less productive running the ball when he was on the field.
The Steelers definitely noticed the trend and adjusted to it. That makes passing plays with Michel on the field that much more potentially explosive. If Michel is on the field, and the opposing defense is crowding the line, chuck it deep to whoever is being single covered.
#maildoug who starts at Right Tackle for the Patriots on Sunday? If Marcus can’t go, will it matter?
— @KenMcCartney
The options are Marshall Newhouse, Korey Cunningham or Joe Thuney. My guess would be Cunningham, because he’s been in the system longer than Newhouse, and it’s an easy 1-for-1 switch, whereas multiple pieces would need to move around if Thuney went from left guard to right tackle.
It all depends on what the Patriots have seen out of Cunningham in practice and if they believe he’s a fit at right tackle. Based on size and athleticism, he might be a better fit at left tackle.
Newhouse was an interesting signing, however. He has plenty of experience in the NFL. Perhaps he could just slot in there until Cannon, his college teammate, is back healthy.
I don’t think it will matter. I believe the Patriots will still beat the Dolphins handily.
Let’s go rapid fire.
Do we need TE help?
— @whatthefokkens
The Patriots’ tight end situation isn’t ideal, but it’s also not exactly dire with so many other weapons on offense.
Probably alot of AB questions, so what do you think about Jamie Collins’ performance against the Steelers?
— @Wiz_Philipa4
He wasn’t fantastic in coverage, but he made a big tackle for loss in the run game. It was a good start for Collins’ second stint with the team.
Do you find it interesting after the AB signing Brady said he needs time to get on the same page because they didn’t have the offseason to do so. But doesn’t show up to mini-camp to work with Harry + Meyers etc? #MailDoug
— @Footballjunky86
Not really. Brady attends minicamp. He skips organized team activities. Brady missed five total practices during the spring.
When will we get larry fitzgerald? Ive been waiting for like 5 years.
— @Dsposato9
Probably never.
Who gets cut when Watson comes back?
— @luke31063553
Maybe Newhouse?
Will @jeffphowe ever get his couch?
— @Kelsey_G24
Jeff should learn to buy a couch during the offseason.
Do you think the Pats cover against the Dolphins. I think it’s something crazy like 19 now #maildoug
— @proudblackmatt
Yes. But I also kind of like the idea of betting the Dolphins’ moneyline if it gets high enough. Crazy things happen in Miami. The highest I’ve seen is +1200. If it got to something like +2000, I’d throw 10 bucks down.
Sup?
— @lc_3344
I’m writing this on Thursday, so I’m excited to watch some more football tonight, even if it’s just a Carolina Panthers-Tampa Bay Buccaneers game. Hopefully, tonight’s game is more entertaining than last Thursday’s.
UPDATE: It was but barely.
Honest thoughts on AB, is the headache and weight of accusations worth the production? #maildoug
— @JefFullerMyself
We’ll just have to see. It’s not off to a great start. I’ll say that.
Will we have to wait for an injury to see Damien Harris active?
— @The_Zack_Barnes
Probably.
Is Josh Gordon’s locker next to Brady
— @dachoseone34
That section of Patriots lockers goes: Jarrett Stidham, Harry, Dorsett, Brown, empty locker, Brady, Ben Watson, Gordon then Gunner Olszewski. Edelman and Jakobi Meyers are across the way.
@DougKyed #maildoug Since covering the @Patriots training camp, who was a sleeper you absolutely nailed it on and who was that one player you were really high on that ended up being a dud? Thanks, Doug.
— @Superstar247365
It’s usually pretty easy to see which players are going to be good early in training camp. Malcolm Butler, Jonathan Jones, Kenny Moore, Cre’von LeBlanc and JC Jackson were all notable examples. I remember being high on undrafted cornerback Daxton Swanson after spring practices in 2014, and he never did anything.
