Coaching adjustments help Patriots reshuffled offensive line
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| A better game plan gave the offensive line a much better chance to protect Tom Brady. Hannah Foslien/Getty Images |
However, the offense was certainly improved from Week One's hapless second half performance. Some of that can simply be attributed to simply playing better, but much of it was the result of coaching adjustments; namely, a renewed emphasis on the running and short passing game that greatly helped the team's offensive line.
Their resolution to get the running game going was evident to the naked eye. Stevan Ridley alone had more rushing attempts (25) than the entire team against the Dolphins (20), and the team's 37 rushing attempts nearly doubled Week One's output. Despite having multiple tight ends on the field for 40 of their 67 offensive snaps, pass catching specialist Tim Wright had only 8 snaps, while 317 pound rookie tackle Cameron Fleming saw 28 snaps as a jumbo-sized blocking tight end. It was a day to get the bigs on the field, fire off the snap, and bully the opposition at the line of scrimmage.
When they did pass, it was mostly of the dink-and-dunk variety that often gets referred to as "running by passing". Aside from Julian Edelman's 44 yard catch and run (a 14 yard pass with 30 yards after the catch), Brady's longest passes of the day were 13 yard gainers to Rob Gronkowski and James Develin. One week after only completing 2 of his 18 attempts of 15 or more yards, Brady hardly even attempted any deep throws.
What did this game plan accomplish? For starters, it greatly helped an offensive line that was under siege by the Dolphins last week and the press all week leading to yesterday. Offensive linemen typically enjoy run blocking more than pass blocking, as they get to establish their physicality rather than playing on their heels. It's often said that running the ball early is the best way to get an offensive line into a rhythm, something that was certainly needed after last week.
Furthermore, a combination of steady rushing attempts and efficient short passing generally helps keep a team out of dangerous third and long situations. That came to fruition for the Pats...when they played clean football. They did have four situations of third and 10 plus yards, but three were due to penalties and the fourth due to Brady's only sack of the day. Take those plays out, and the Pats average third down was a very manageable four yards.
The Patriots actually did a poor job of capitalizing on those opportunities, converting only 5 of their 14 third downs, but keeping out of obvious passing downs clearly helped the offensive line gets it's footing in pass protection. With defenders having to respect the run, a threat that was non-existent in Miami, the Vikings talented defensive line was never able to simply pin their ears back and rush the passer.
Combine that with line not having to hold their blocks for nearly as long due to the short distance of Brady's passes, and the line's improved showing in pass protection begins to make sense. Brady was only sacked once and hurried once, and was kept clean otherwise. Beleaguered guard Jordan Devey struggled in the run game, but actually earned a solid +1.1 grade for his pass protection from ProFootballFocus, and both Sebastien Vollmer and Nate Solder looked much better in pass protection (although Solder's 3 penalties in 2 snaps was something to behold).
Finding offensive balance will be key for this team going forward. The past two weeks have seen a run/pass balance of 20/56 and 37-22. Ideally, you'd like a balanced attempt, and a few more passing attempts would have helped Brady get some of his non-Edelman weapons (Danny Amendola, Aaron Dobson and Wright, to name a few) more involved in the offense.
However, abandoning the run and throwing downfield nearly every play is a recipe for disaster for most offensive lines, let alone one going through a transitional period and facing a defensive front like Miami's. The Patriots game plan left that offensive line out to dry against the Dolphins. They tailored the script to help them recover yesterday, and the results were as clear as the 30-7 final score.
