A PATRIOTIC STATE OF THE UNION: DON’T BLAME THE OFFICIALS…

Brady has always had an incredible cerebral connection with his wide-receivers and amongst this current crop, only his old friend Edelman, and to a lesser extent James White, have shown an ability to consistently understand how Brady is reading any given coverage and adjust their routes accordingly. I understand that N’Keal Harry is a rookie, but against Houston he just couldn’t get out of his own way, and on a crucial third-and-4, backed up in their own territory late in the first quarter, Harry ran a slant and was physically beaten to the ball by Texans corner Bradley Roby. As the rookie receiver slowed and practically gave up on the route completely, the ball arrived, Roby stepped up for the interception. That kind of mental lapse and a perceived lack of effort is hardly befitting of the ‘Patriot Way’.

For the record, the rookie (who has played in very few games this season) wasn’t the only receiver to be on the end of Brady’s (now lip-read for the masses) rant at his pass-catchers during the game against the Texans. Philip Dorsett was also guilty of a series of miscommunications with TB12. One of which, for me, epitomises the Patriots that we’re seeing offensively this season. At the end of the first half, the Patriots had the ball and a classic two-minute Brady drive seemed as inevitable as the sunrise. However, with 58 seconds left on the clock and the Patriots nearing the half-way line Brady dialled up a deep-shot to Dorsett down the sideline, only issue being, Dorsett was nowhere to be seen. The quarterback was clearly expecting a streak/go route from the speedy former-Colt receiver, but instead, Dorsett turns on a deep curl and the ball lands 10 yards away from anybody. With most other quarterbacks, an errant throw like that would be their responsibility but given Brady’s reaction and the daggers coming Dorsett’s way from the sideline, he had done something wrong. Whether it was failing to alter his route according to the coverage presented or whether he completely misheard his assignment, this isn’t something you expect from the Patriots’ receivers this late into the season.

Meanwhile, Meyers, an undrafted rookie free agent, who came out of the pre-season with some promise was responsible for another stalled drive in the first half as Brady evaded the pass-rush, motioned for Meyers to turn up-field, the rookie obliged but ran straight into the defender and the pass sailed harmlessly out of bounds. Even Sanu, who the Patriots traded a 2nd round-pick for in the hopes of fixing their ailing offence, dropped a pass he should have had on a 4th-and-inches during the third quarter. All of these issues mean you’re seeing Brady force the ball more and more to Edelman. This almost led to another interception against the Texans as he floated a ball to his favourite target despite the double-coverage. The same double-coverage that Kansas City bracketed Edelman with this week.