FOXBORO — Welcome to the Friday 5!
Every week throughout the NFL common season, I’ll drop 5 Patriots-related ideas on Friday to recap the week that was in Foxboro and look forward to kickoff.
Prepared, set, soccer.
1. Credit score resulting from AVP
No particular person on a soccer workforce tends to catch extra flak than an offensive play-caller.
Alex Van Pelt is not any exception.
The Patriots’ first-year offensive coordinator deserves loads of the arrows slung in his course, together with ones I’ve shot myself. He’s admitted to his play-calling errors, and even shared they’ve haunted him weeks later. However Van Pelt’s most necessary job this season was to not do outwit the Bears or Jets or the Dolphins or Payments.
It was to develop Drake Maye.
Nothing this season has gone as properly for the Patriots as Maye’s improvement. He’s a distinct quarterback than he was this summer season, not to mention six months in the past. Proficient as he’s, each scouting report famous Maye’s messy footwork on the prime of his drop and sporadic accuracy or quick throws; his tendency to play hero ball; his full lack of expertise taking part in beneath middle.
How usually have you ever seen these points crop up these final 4 weeks? Hardly in any respect.
Maye began coaching camp because the Patriots’ clear No. 2 quarterback, when Jacoby Brissett out-played him by the primary three weeks of apply. Brissett had the next completion proportion, fewer interceptions and higher command of the playbook. However because of Maye’s exhausting work and a gradual weight loss program of timeless drill work and training, he’s taken off and brought command of the offense.
“I feel my first and second-down decision-making has been massive,” Maye stated this week. “I feel whether or not it’s run checks or one-high (protection), two-high stuff, various things that we’re getting out and in of performs, I’ve been happy with the way in which that I really feel like I’ve completed properly.”
Credit score goes to Van Pelt, a former NFL quarterback who arrived in New England with a popularity for growing professional passers. No matter his play-calling hits and misses, he’s lived as much as his popularity thus far.
2. Midseason Mayo test
So Maye is bettering. What about Jerod Mayo?
Requested Wednesday the place he’s grown as a head coach by 9 video games, Mayo stated this: “I’d say simply, for myself personally, it’s simply the communication and going by situational soccer throughout the video games. These are issues that it’s important to proceed to expertise. Look, and as soon as once more, everybody might not like the choice, however on the similar time, somebody has to make it, and that’s me.”
One space to look at: fourth-down decision-making. By way of 9 weeks, Mayo ranks among the many most conservative in-game coaches within the NFL. With wins and losses taking a again seat to improvement the remainder of the season, may that change?
3. Turning up takeaways
One of many strongest contrasts between the Patriots and Bears on Sunday can be turnovers.
The Bears protection averages 1.9 takeaways per sport, greater than double the Patriots, who rank within the backside 10 of the league. Defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington defined Thursday how the Pats attempt to power fumbles each week by concentrating on sure gamers who maintain the ball too loosely.
“So we take a look at who’s holding the ball in an incorrect manner; who’s holding the ball away from their physique. Or it is likely to be the quarterback, who has the ball on each single play. If scrambling the pocket, he doesn’t have it near his chest, he has it swinging it out or down and (attacking) issues like that,” Covington stated.
The Patriots solely have 4 interceptions, together with three in the long run zone. By Covington’s ensuing feedback, it sounds just like the Pats will attempt to hold extra eyes on Bears quarterback Caleb Williams in zone protection to try to soar passes.
“It’s (an) alternative for us to have imaginative and prescient on the quarterback, break (on the ball); issues that we will do to get an excellent break when we’ve imaginative and prescient on the quarterback after which, after which the ball carriers. Securing a deal with, (the) subsequent man getting into, punching out the ball. So simply searching for these alternatives, by the way in which they maintain it, after which figuring out who the go-to guys are,” he stated.
Williams leads the Bears in fumbles with 4. Operating again D’Andre Swift has one.
4. Stat of the Week
Knock on wooden.
Patriots rookie Dell Pettus is certainly one of 5 safeties to play not less than 150 defensive snaps this season and never miss a single deal with, in line with Professional Soccer Focus. He joins Houston’s Jimmie Ward, Minnesota’s Josh Metellus, Bears security Elijah Hicks and Saints teenager Jordan Howden.
Pettus has seen his taking part in time enhance, with veteran Jabrill Peppers touchdown on the commissioner’s exempt listing and Kyle Dugger lacking time with an ankle damage. Pettus has performed in all 9 video games and made one begin. With Dugger trending towards one other missed sport Sunday, the undrafted security may see extra snaps in Chicago.
He defined his method to tackling on Thursday.
“It’s one thing that I positively tried to good in school,” Pettus stated. “Simply in the case of figuring out the place your assistance is, figuring out find out how to take the shot. It’s positively one thing I take a variety of satisfaction in.”
How did Pettus good tackling?
“Ensuring that your close to foot is up, placing with good pad stage, wrapping up,” he stated. “Simply good fundamentals.”
5. A receiver reunion
Final yr on the College of Washington, Patriots receiver Ja’Lynn Polk and Bears wideout Rome Odunze used to finish virtually day by day in apply.
Every day, they fought to see who may catch extra passes, extra touchdowns and run for extra yards. Often, they’d play rock, paper, scissors to see who might be the primary learn on sure performs. Each completed with greater than 1,000 yards throughout a magical season that ended within the nationwide championship sport.
Later, Polk and Odunze turned top-40 picks final April, when Odunze received drafted ninth general, and the Pats chosen Polk early within the second spherical. Sunday will mark the primary time the 2 have reunited since school. Polk says they keep an in depth bond and textual content often, although they’ve gone silent this week.
After taking part in collectively for thus lengthy, it’s time to go head-to-head.
“What we picked from one another, it was our mindset,” Polk stated. “Simply having a sure mentality once we stepped on the market on the sector and taking part in for one another.”
