A disappointing 31-20 beatdown at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars has Tom Brady and the New England Patriots frustrated and dehydrated.
It happens about once every season. Tom Brady and the New England Patriots put together an embarrassing performance that has the rest of the league chuckling and the haters rejoicing that there is a changing of the guard in the AFC.
The Jacksonville Jaguars got theirs on Sunday. Led by Dan Marino…um…I mean Blake Bortles, the Duval County Big Cats avenged an AFC Championship loss to beat the Patsies 31-20 on a hot and humid afternoon down there in Florida.
This wasn’t your mid-80s red-and-white uniform Steve Grogan led Patriots, but at times it felt like we were trickling back to those days prior to 2001 when the lack of talent and weakness in game plan were exposed on a weekly basis.
So, now that the overreaction is done, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady will find a way to keep this team at the top of the AFC. The Jaguars made their statement, but the Patriots will somehow have the last laugh. That’s how it always goes in September.
Despite getting down 14-0 to the magic of Bortles, the New England Patriots were a couple of plays from making it a game or even winning the game. Showing signs of life, Tom Brady’s crew showed a little fight towards the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarter. They were a Cordarelle Patterson self-tackle and a strip-sack away from turning the party down in Jacksonville into a sequel of the 28-3 comeback in Super Bowl LI.
Folks, that’s where the frustration comes in. Speaking to the media following the game, Brady highlighted the miscues and called for more urgency from his teammates not to dig themselves that kind of hole in the first place.
"“It’s a long year,” Brady said, as transcribed by WEEI. “You have a bad day against a good team. We certainly had a bad day. You’ve got to learn from bad days. Things just don’t magically happen. You’ve got to make them happen. All of us have to have more urgency to do things right more often over the course of practices and games, and then it’s a matter of us going out and executing. But it was us. First couple of drives, it was us.”"
In his 19th season in the NFL, Tom Brady has seen games like this before. He has certainly heard the noise signaling a demise a few times in his long tenure. If there is anyone not to count out it is him. If there is any team not to count out through Week 2, it is the New England Patriots.
This Jacksonville loss wasn’t as shocking as the media is trying to make it out to be. However, it should serve as the wake-up call the team and coaches always get at this time in September. They can’t just walk on the field and win, they have to do their jobs. From Bill Belichick on down to little Riley McCarron on the practice squad.
Sony Michel’s not so spectacular debut
New England Patriots first-round pick Sony Michel made his NFL debut on Sunday.
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While it wasn’t the Saquon Barkley type of debut Patriots fans hoped for, it was good to see the rookie out there getting some reps. The Georgia product rushed the ball 10 times for 34 yards and caught a pass for seven yards.
Overall, okay. But, his debut proved he is a work in progress, especially since he didn’t appear in any preseason games. He ran hard, but it was obvious he isn’t yet on the same page as Tom Brady in the passing offense. He did, however, have a 15-yard run showcasing what he will eventually bring to the table on a consistent basis.
Still, it was not good enough.
Following the game, the promising rookie was most critical of his performance.
"“Not enough,” Michel said following the game. “Not good enough to win a game.”"
Sounding like a true Patriot, Sony Michel has to be patient. It was a tough defense to get his first NFL action against. Again, he ran hard and has to take his first game as a learning experience. He appears to have the maturity and certainly has the talent to do so.
Bill Belichick outcoached?
Whenever the New England Patriots lose in the fashion they lost Sunday afternoon at TIAA Bank Field, attention turns to Bill Belichick.
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Amongst the Skip Bayless criticisms, the “In Bill We Trust” mantra took a few hits due to the lack of obvious talent on both sides of the field. Most notably, Belichick’s offseason decisions has left Tom Brady with not much to work with.
But, then again, we’ve been here before too.
While the offense had its struggles early on, the defensive game plan made Blake Bortles look like the next coming. It wasn’t what we saw against the Houston Texans. Sure, the heat can be blamed, but the team didn’t seem prepared and that’s all on coaching.
"“We just obviously didn’t do anything well enough or close to well enough to be able to take a win today,” Belichick told the media. “So, just not a good enough performance in many ways and we just all have to do a better job. Let’s get back to work here and get ready for Detroit. It’s disappointing to have the kind of day that we had today, but that’s what it was, so we’ll live with it, own it and move on.”"
Own it is what Bill Belichick has to do himself. It’s just one game that just happened to serve as a reminder of the Super Bowl LII loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. When mediocre quarterbacks like Bortles and Nick Foles is carving your defense apart, perhaps it’s time to change strategy.
If the New England Patriots lose to the Detroit Lions next week and Belichick is outcoached by his former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, the trust Patriots nation has for the future Hall-of-Fame coach will be officially fractured.