Knee Jerk Reactions to Week 9: Patriots vs. Titans

Things to consider while getting the "We're No. 1" foam finger out of the back of the closet:

--I'm going to have to make this short. The Spark Notes version of a Knee Jerk Reaction, because my heart's not in a long one. I came close to not doing it at all. My EIC told me to take as much time off as I need. The thing is, the last time I wasn't able to post a KJR was 2008. My brother Jack and I went to the Thursday nighter against the Jets in which Matt Cassel tied the game with no time left in regulation, and then Brett Favre won it with a field goal drive in overtime. (Time is a flat circle.) At the time, Jack was one of the admins for the Patriots Planet message board, and we tailgated with a bunch of people he knew only from the site and had never met before. So he celebrated. Had a few too many. I was fine to drive but the night sort of got away from us. We had a hell of a time getting out of Foxboro and getting him to his house. I made it home as some ungodly hour and by the time I was ready to write up the game, it was basically old news. Dave Portnoy was cool with it, but it's always bugged me there was one time 16 years ago I couldn't answer the bell. Blog Like a Champion Today. Anyway I dredge all this up because this weekend, surrounded by loved ones in a Boston hospital, Jack's stout heart ran out of football seasons. I plan to do a separate post about him once I can find the words. Suffice to say he'd want me to be here right now. (Besides, if I'm not working, I'll just keep doing house chores to keep my brain from short circuiting. The living room is so clean right now, NASA could use it to assemble a space telescope.) Last NFL draft day, he and I made a vow that if the Pats drafted Drake Maye, we'd each pour two fingers of the best whiskey we have into our best highball glass and toast to his future. Which we did. And yesterday in Nashville, Maye put the brightness of that future on full display. For all those reasons and because I can use some good news, let's dive in. 

--If you're like us and said all offseason that wins and losses aren't going to matter, it's all going to be about establishing that the Patriots have their franchise quarterback, congrats. We Drake-a-Mayeniacs might be getting a bigger dose of losses than we bargained for. But it's impossible to have watched this and not believe the QB box is checked for the next football generation around here. If you pay attention to no other detail, focus on the 0:08 mark when Arden Key has Maye on missile lock with a full head of steam, and ends up grabbing nothing but air:

--Here's the play from the end zone. Which makes the throw all the more impressive because it shows how many nanoseconds Rhamondre Stevenson was open before Maye threw him a perfect strike:

--Here it is in graphic form. So you get to track Stevenson's motions. He was like Jeffy in a Family Circus comic, circumnavigating the neighborhood like the unsupervised, incorrigible little menace he was. Note too that as Maye finally released the ball, he was surrounded by Amani Hooker, Mike Brown, and Harold Landry like they were his Secret Service detail, forming a human shield:

--And I'll give Maye credit for having the situational awareness to take the over-the-ball sit route to Hunter Henry to set up the touchdown, knowing he'd be able to pull off the scramble drill and give himself two more bites at the end zone apple. He also mentioned after the game that he clocked Henry being run out of bounds on that final throw of regulation, so he knew he became ineligible. That's a hell of detail to process while you're basically John Wick fighting off a bunch of stylishly dressed henchmen in a disco.

--All this on a day when Maye was the entire offense. Yes, Henry, Kendrick Bourne and Pop Douglas showed up. While Ja'Lynn Polk produced another stat line that was all zeros apart from the category of Illegal Shift penalties. Kayshon Boutte took an incredible 96% of the snaps and had two catches, with one of those on a pass batted into the air. Douglas in particular stepped up when he did the thing every semi-professional wide receiver in the league seems to do once a game, but Patriots wideouts manage about once every election cycle: A toe-tap sidelines grab. A one-hander, no less:

--But those three aside, Maye was a solo act. They were the Heartbreakers, he was Tom Petty. Maye had 95 rushing yards on 8 attempts. The three men who have the word "running" in their job title combined for 15 yards on 12 carries. Despite being pressured on close to 40% of his drop backs, Maye also had 206 passing yards. Yet the team is credited with just 295 total yards. I might've gone to Weymouth Public Schools, but even I can do that math and have it show he outgained his own offense. 

--Which brings us to the offense. This was a huge step back after the progress they showed last week against the Jets. This was Week 9, but it looked like the first preseason game. Missed blocking assignments all over the formation. Pass rushers and run force defenders coming free through the line unaccounted for. Unforced errors. Presnap penalties. Spacing that makes no schematic sense, with two receivers in the same area. I mean, how many passes do they complete in-phase, the play looking like it's been executed the way it was drawn up? A half dozen maybe, on 41 dropbacks? If that. One that stood out was the hookup with Henry where it looked for a second like his season was over:

Three-step drop. Hits his plant foot. Ball comes out. Receiver is looking for it. Complete for 13. Move the chains. Those types of plays where everything works in sync the way they're supposed to, has been so rare these last few years that when it does happen, you make note of it. It's a relic from a long forgotten past. 

--I'm not one for making excuses for interceptions. I've spent too many years laughing at TV analysts explaining away some reckless, boneheaded throw by Favre, Peyton Manning or Aaron Rodgers as them "trying to make a play" or blaming it on somebody else to start creating alibis for Maye. His first pick was something he'll have to take as a teachable moment. The Titans were in zone, and ran a twist up front that had Simmons coming in unblocked. Hooker had just passed Douglas off to Sam linebacker Jack Gibbens, who had dropped into coverage from the line of scrimmage. That left Hooker free to drop into the passing lane in front of Ja'Lynn Polk:

--On the game ending pick, I think when he released the ball, he saw that Douglas had a step of separation. What he didn't see was Bourne faceplanting on his Go route as Hooker was staying over the top of him in bracket coverage. That act of self-tacklization meant took Bourne out of the play, allowing Hooker to go somewhere he could be more useful. Specifically, between Maye and his target:

Of course that begs the question why the Pats won the coin toss but elected to play into the wind. Bill Belichick once famously handed the ball to Peyton Manning in overtime back under the old Sudden Death rules, just to take the wind. So this made no sense. 

--It doesn't help that Jerod Mayo or Alex Van Pelt or Scott Peters or whoever is calling the shots on the offensive line can't stick to a lineup. They have to keep Rubik's Cubing the personnel like a hyperactive 5-year-old hopped up on Pixie Sticks. Yesterday's plan involved switching Michael Onwenu's position for like the 12th time this season. This time, he was back outside to that Layden Robinson could be lined up opposite Jeffery Simmons. The result was less like a blocking assignment that it was a ritual blood sacrifice. So in the 2nd quarter, Onwenu was slid back in at guard and Robinson was replaced with Trey Jacobs. Since Simmons ended up hitting the Sack/TFL/QB Hit trifecta, I'll leave it to you to grade the coaches for their strategy of dealing with him. Just bear in mind we're past Daylight Savings, deep into fleece weather, and pumpkins are rotting in people's front yards, and the Pats are still experimenting with the O-line we all knew was a problem back in minicamp.

--Defensively, the Pats benefited from Tennessee's general awfulness. Steel sharpens steel, and soft makes soft even fluffier. The Titans had 400 total yards. The Patriots maintained their average by allowing 167 yards on the ground. But thanks to 10 penalties, almost as many bad snaps, a couple of fumbles, and their overall post-Mike Vrabel Titanishness, they still managed to go 2-for-5 in the red zone and keep the game within Maye's reach. The Pats could've easily gotten blown out of the building. And probably 28 other teams in the NFL would've done exactly that. 

--Simply put, the Patriots are getting their brakes beaten off on both sides of the line of scrimmage. They don't have an answer for a power back like Tony Pollard. They were ground down long before Tennessee got to their 77th play from scrimmage. With front-7 guys like Anfernee Jennings, Jahlani Tavai and Keion White taking nearly every snap. And any coordinator who doesn't keep it on the ground the way Nick Holz did (39 rushing attempts) is committing malfeasance.

--There were bright spots. I suppose Christian Gonzalez counts as one, since in man coverage he managed to fight Calvin Ridley to a bit of a draw, 3 receptions on 6 targets for 51 yards and two passes broken up. We got treated to a few spectacular hits, one coming from Tavai when he sniffed out a swing pass to Jha'Quan Jackson and blew it up for a loss. Another coming from all 180 pounds of Marcus Jones fighting off a pulling John Ojukwu to stuff Pollard for a loss. Deatrich Wise following up a sack where he'd extended his arms to fight off Leroy Watson, by perfectly reading a screen to throw a wrench in it before it had a chance to develop. Then there was the Web Gem by Tavai:

--And they managed to take advantage of Tennessee's atrocious special teams, thanks to blocks by Jaylinn Hawkins (for the second week in a row) and Brendan Schooler:

--So it wasn't a total loss. Just a regular loss. The kind we're accustomed to and can live with, so long as we find help for the 22-year-old making his fourth start who's having to do it all by himself

--This Week's Applicable Movie Quote:

Pippin: I didn't think it would end this way.                            

Gandalf: End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path. One that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass. And then you see it.                            

Pippin: What? Gandalf? See what?                            

Gandalf: White shores. And beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise.                            

Pippin [smiling]: Well, that isn't so bad.                            

Gandalf: No. No it isn't.   

-Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

--I guess I ended up going longer than I thought I would. Or could. Thanks for hanging in this long. I needed this more than you did.