Why Dolphins Will Be Big Test For Patriots’ New-Look O-Line

Mac Jones faced just one blitz in the Patriots’ preseason finale against the Las Vegas Raiders. That play resulted in him getting decked by an unblocked cornerback.

The second-year quarterback can expect to see a much more aggressive pass rush this Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium, instantly testing the cohesiveness of New England’s retooled offensive line.

The Miami Dolphins, whom the Patriots will visit in Week 1, are one of the blitz-happiest teams in the NFL. Under defensive coordinator Josh Boyer — an ex-New England assistant and a holdover from Brian Flores’ tenure in Miami — the Dolphins sent one or more extra pass rushers on 40.8% of their defensive snaps last season, per Pro-Football-Reference, the second-highest rate in the league.

Miami also ranked second in blitz rate in 2020, Boyer’s first season as DC. New head coach Mike McDaniel opted to retain Boyer and several other defensive assistants after Flores’ firing, so the Dolphins are likely to employ a similar approach this season.

“I think the Dolphins have built the team to be a strong front,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said Monday in a video conference. “They’ve got a lot of strong, physical guys up front that are hard to block, especially in the running game, and they’re one of the highest percentages of man-to-man coverages in the league. Certainly not all man, but they play a high percentage of it — higher than most. And they blitz — particularly their secondary players, but in general — blitz more than most teams do.

“They pressure the quarterback. Their DBs blitz probably more than any team in the league, and they pressure the quarterback a lot. That doesn’t mean every pressure is an incompletion or interception; there are completions there. But in general, they get free guys or get players attacking the quarterback, and that’s the start of disruptive plays.”

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Those so-called “free guys” have caused big problems for the Patriots’ offense this summer.

Following the departure of longtime coordinator Josh McDaniels, Belichick and his 2022 offensive brain trust — led by O-line coach Matt Patricia and QBs coach Joe Judge — implemented a new scheme that, among other updates, overhauled the communication process between linemen. The calls and checks New England previously used to set its protections no longer apply.

The Patriots also have new starters at four of the five O-line spots, with only center David Andrews in the same position he was to end last season. Isaiah Wynn and Trent Brown swapped tackle spots, and guards Cole Strange and Mike Onwenu are replacing veterans Ted Karras and Shaq Mason, respectively. Sunday’s game will the official NFL debut for Strange, a controversial first-round draft pick who played at FCS Chattanooga last season.

That group is being led by Patricia, who hasn’t worked on the offensive side since 2005 (when he was assistant O-line coach under Dante Scarnecchia) and also appears to be the Patriots’ primary play-caller. Patricia and Belichick have not confirmed who will call plays during the regular season, but it’s rare for an offensive line coach to handle those duties. Assistant Billy Yates handled much of the one-on-one teaching during camp.

Though some growing pains were to be expected, New England’s O-line struggled mightily in training camp and the preseason. Execution on the newly implemented outside-zone run plays was consistently poor, even against opponents’ second-team defenses, and Jones frequently was hassled by unchecked pass rushers.

“As long as there’s no one free, I should be able to make the throws, like any quarterback can,” Jones said in early August. “And I know my offensive line can do that. It’s just getting the communication down. It’s different than what we’ve done in the past, so just figuring that out and trying to watch it together and all that. It is a little frustrating sometimes, but our offensive line — the actual players and coaches — are trying the best they can.”

A month later, that remains a work in progress.

New England’s inconsistent protection seemed to rattle Jones’ confidence as the summer wore on. Typically known for his poise, he bailed from clean pockets and ran into sacks during his final preseason tuneup.

Picking up Boyer’s expected barrage of blitzers will be among the top priorities for a potentially shorthanded Patriots offense. Wynn traveled to Miami but has been limited with an injury of late, putting his status for Sunday in question. Running back Ty Montgomery, who projects as a contributor in the passing game, also made the trip but has yet to practice since injuring his ankle against the Raiders.

“Hopefully, they’ll all make it,” Belichick said Monday on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show.”