Ryan Fitzpatrick Explaining How DeVante Parker Can Be the WR1 the Patriots Need is Bourbon for the Soul

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To open with a phrase from Jane Austen, which has to be a first in my life, it is a truth universally acknowledged, that the 2022 Patriots offense is doomed. 

Bill Belichick's succession plan for replacing Josh McDaniels has been as clear as Viserys Targaryn's. Matt Patricia and Joe Judge are uniquely unqualified for the jobs he has inexplicably given them. Mac Jones has visibly confused and frustrated.  Negativity around this team is at a level the likes of which haven't been seen since we were watching games on analog TVs with VCRs attached. Much of it stemming from the fact that Jones' receiving corps is starting to draw unfavorable comparisons to the ones that made Tom Brady rearrange his life and uproot his family, just to save what was left of his sanity.

Regarding that last part, some of it you can understand. We hardly saw the top of the Pats WR depth chart in preseason. The four guys who saw double digit targets are either on the practice squad, IR, or gone altogether. Nelson Agholor was a The Last Jedi-sized disappointment last year. By WR coach Troy Brown's own admission, Kendrick Bourne, "hasn't had the type of offseason he had last year." Jakobi Meyers looks like Jakobi Meyers, which means he's a quality slot receiver miscast into the role of a WR1. And while injured hybrid RB/WR Ty Montgomery has made the trip to Miami and Belichick hasn't ruled out the possibility of him playing, he hasn't not ruled him out, either. And while they just picked up Laquon Treadwell (23rd overall pick in 2016), who had 432 yards last year, that very average total represents his career best. And as a general rule, relying on a guy who wasn't deemed good enough for the Jaguars is rarely ever a clear path to success.

Which brings us to the Patriots presumptive top receiver, DeVante Parker. In preseason, he played just 24 passing snaps, and was targeted six times with just three receptions and 26 yards. But for most of camp, he looked like he was clearly their WR1. Which he has to be, if only by default. Parker remains the only name on the roster who has ever broken the 1,000-yard mark in a season. That would be 2019, when he put up 1,202 yards on 72 receptions, 16.7 YPR and nine touchdowns for the Dolphins. 

So an enormous amount of the responsibility for getting this passing attack going in Jones' mission critical second season falls to Parker. Which in and of itself is problematic in the eyes of a lot of people because:

1) Last season his production was less than half of what it was two years earlier, and

2) Miami had no problem trading him in the division for a mid-round draft pick and Belichick's Paramount+ password. 

So at a time like this, it is extremely helpful to do what The Athletic did, and talk directly to the quarterback who got all the production out of Parker in 2019, Ryan Fitzpatrick: 

Source (paywall) - “We talk about 50-50 balls. Well, if you put it in the right spot for DeVante, all of a sudden it becomes an 80-20 ball,” Fitzpatrick said. “So the separation that some guys may be getting, well, if DeVante is an 80-20 player when the ball is in the air, then he doesn’t need much separation.” …

Parker is 6-foot-3 and 218 pounds. He was a standout high school basketball player in Kentucky. Those traits help him box out cornerbacks and make catches through traffic and in tight windows.

“I haven’t seen Mac Jones play a ton, but the thing that’s important about those plays for a guy like DeVante is you’ve got to put it above his eyes,” Fitzpatrick said. “That really gives him the best chance to spring up and go get it. So getting good at that throw — look, it’s not a very risky throw because even if they put safety help over the top, it’s a flat ball and kind of a ‘my guy or no guy’ throw to the sideline. If you see it over and over again in practice and Mac Jones gets comfortable throwing it to DeVante, then he becomes a pretty special player. …

“To me, DeVante is a volume guy,” Fitzpatrick said. “He can’t just be targeted three or four times a game. He’s a guy who, as he catches the ball, he gains confidence and almost becomes unstoppable. He’s a guy who’s going to need 10 targets a game. Sometimes that’s stuff that’s not deep down the field but short stuff that’s getting the ball in his hands. To me, there are certain receivers that are like that, and for him to be productive and make those plays, the targets have to go his way and you have to be intentional about it.”

What Fitzmagic is talking about here, are plays like this:

… while covered by the DPOTY, Stephon Gilmore. That led to this:

And since this is coming from Fitzpatrick, the Patriots coaches should heed his advice. 

This is a 5-star Yelp from someone who has driven a lot of makes and models, and knows best how to get the most out of this particular machine. Which is to drive Parker hard. Let him use his size and the superior strength of his hands to turn (as Parker himself has said), those 50/50 balls into 80/20s. Which is something the man he replaced, N'Keal Harry, was supposed to do. But instead he turned 80/20s into 0/100s. With alarming consistency. Parker has traditionally been one of those guys who's open even when he's covered. As opposed to Harry, who was covered when open. (But enough about him.) 

The point being, Parker's skillset is not something this team is entirely used to. At least at the wide receiver spot. Rob Gronkowski was clearly a guy with the size and skills to box out his coverage. Beyond him, this has been a passing scheme that has relied on throwing guys open. Using motions, route combos and option routes to create separation. That's not Parker's game. And Jones is going to have to learn to trust him. To get him the ball even when all his instincts tell him to look for the "open" man. Then, as Fitzpatrick says, keep feeding the big dog. And in case you're hearing this for the very first time, you'll just have to trust me because it's true. Little known fact: Ryan Fitzpatrick went to Harvard. So he's smart about such things. 

Damn, it's going to be fascinating to watch this play out. Either Parker is going to become that guy he was three seasons ago and Jones will take a major step forward, or the doomsayers will be right, it will all crash and burn and they've done their franchise QB a terrible disservice. I know where my money is. The hard part is going to waiting to finally find out, starting in five days.