Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Patriots-Jaguars Random Thoughts (September 29, 2015)

The legacy of being able to mold a group of individuals into a championship offensive line was a skill that I believed only Dante Scarnecchia possessed.

I was wrong.  David DeGuglielmo also has this power.

DeGuglielmo took over for Scarnecchia a year ago and molded a line that protected Tom Brady well enough to win a Super Bowl.  To start this season, he has lost the entire interior offensive line as guard Dan Connolly retired and center Bryan Stork and guard Ryan Wendell both have not played due to injury.

No sweat for DeGuglielmo.

This year, he has taken Tre' Jackson and Shaq Mason. two rookie guards drafted in the fourth round and David Andrews, an undrafted rookie free agent center, and has created a unit that allows Tom Brady ample time to pick apart opposing defenses while also creating running holes for Dion Lewis and LeGarrette Blount.

As the Patriots chase yet another Super Bowl title in the Bill Belichick era, the ability of the line to protect Brady and ignite a running game will continue to be critical to the team's success and I have full confidence that DeGuglielmo will coach his players and scheme a game plan each week to meet that demand.

***

Congratulations to Tom Brady for becoming the fourth quarterback in NFL history with at least 400 touchdown passes for his career.  The feat, which becomes another line for Brady's Hall of Fame credentials, was accomplished with a second quarter scoring pass to Danny Amendola.

Amazingly enough, this accomplishment is barely a top ten moment in Brady's career.  With all the championship plays and Super Bowl rings in his trophy case, a statistic like this is nothing more than a milestone achieved while working towards something greater.

***

The Patriots looked efficient in beating up on the Jaguars.  The offense scored 51 points easily and the defense made some nice plays as well in limiting the visitors to 17 points.

I'm still not sold on the defense yet as a championship caliber unit, specifically because of their play at cornerback.

Malcolm Butler has played well and I have confidence that he will continue to do so while improving from week to week.  He's an intense competitor who plays tough against the run and rarely gets burned in pass coverage.

After Butler, I'm at a loss to think who is capable of being consistent enough to solidify the position.

Tarell Brown and Logan Ryan are too inconsistent and Bradley Fletcher looks like he'd struggle to stop Pablo Sandoval on a fade route.  Justin Coleman looked decent on Sunday but I'm not ready to place any faith in him after a single game.

Idealistically, the Patriots will look to upgrade via a trade.

While it's early in the season for teams to start giving up, I look to 0-3 New Orleans as a potential trade partner.  Brandon Browner, a starter on last year's Patriots team, signed with the Saints this spring and could be a target for New England based on his knowledge of the Patriots system.

***

On to the bye week.

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