A turnover heavy loss for the New England Patriots overshadowed some positives on both the offensive and defensive side of the football. Now, New England will look for their first home win of the season as the Carolina Panthers come to town.
So before kickoff, let’s get right into this week’s #PostPulpit Mailbag.
Vrabel is a “player’s coach” and I find that important in building a culture. Still, a coach who has his players’ backs and talks about “earning it” has to sometimes be a hard-ass in demanding
mental focus. 1. Do you see him going to other options than Mondre and Pop this week?
2. He seemed to limit Henderson due to some missed blocks – it this truly “earn it” or are the rules different for rookies? – ed.liebfried
Vrabel faces a tough decision when it comes to Rhamondre Stevenson and the running back room this week. As seen in Miami, and explained by Vrabel this week, New England does need Stevenson on the field. He’s been their best running back on the ground as he’s the only back to force more than two missed tackles (7) and made key plays in the passing game — where he’s also the most trustworthy option in pass pro currently.
But, the fumbles clearly can not happen.
To complicate the matters, Antonio Gibson also fumbled and TreVeyon Henderson has looked like a rookie through three games. Henderson currently ranks dead last among 40 qualified backs in rushing yards over expected per attempt (-2.0) and that backs up the film as he’s running into contact too much. While he still has plenty of talent and the belief remains that he’ll be a playmaker for this offense at some point, things seem to be moving fast for the rookie as a runner and pass protector in his first three games.
Giving Henderson more touches is also not as easy as it sounds as he’s already trailing Stevenson with the second most touches on the team (30). And as seen during his time at Ohio State, he’s not built to be a workhorse back handling 20-plus touches on a weekly basis.
Against a struggling Carolina team that’s allowed over 130 yards on the ground per game, New England could potentially get by with more Gibson while Henderson handles his usual 10-to-15 touches. But, Vrabel’s message of turnovers not being an individual stat — highlighted by Mike Onwenu missing blocks on both of Stevenson’s fumbles and Mack Hollins missing his assignment on Gibson’s — could hint towards the coaching staff not hesitating to go back to Mondre.
Is it possible that Stevenson’s fumble issues are more physical than mental? In the same way that Campbell’s arms might be too short or Maye’s hands might be too small, is it possible that Stevenson’s hands/forearm/biceps are the wrong size such that the ball doesn’t seat in place and the harder he squeezes it the more it wants to pop out? – Chowdaballz
While we don’t have measurements on his forearms or grip strength, he did measure in with just a 26th percentile hand size during his draft year.
Most of Stevenson’s fumbles do appear to be during second or third contact, so he might be getting loose with the football after he makes the first man miss and is fighting for extra yardage. If things are mental, you might see less of that in his game — which is where things get worse as that’s where his value comes as a runner.
I guess they are taking their time with Kyle Williams? I’m hoping they are taking pains not to ruin another higher round pick on a WR and it’s not that he is having trouble acclimating. But either way, this isn’t exactly ideal for a team that needs early impact from the young guys on the roster? – ghosthaus
Pop should sit & Chism should be elevated this week. Its time to see what he can do! – chaz34114
I believe each will get their chances at some point, but don’t think we are there yet with either player taking on a more prominent role this week. I would continue to push for more Kyle Williams to add some explosive and a vertical threat on the outside, where Efton Chism’s shot likely comes if DeMario Douglas continues to struggle connecting with Maye.
We can’t lose to Carolina.. Can we ?! – stevethumb
I don’t like to predict blowouts based off the football we’ve seen in New England in recent years, but this should be an easy win. Carolina’s offense poses minimal threats outside of Chuba Hubbard and Tet McMillan. With the Patriots strong start against the run and with Christian Gonzalez’s likely return in the secondary, they should limit both playmakers and a similar game plan against Miami (taking away the middle of the field) should challenge Bryce Young.
Things are a bit tougher on the defensive side of the ball against a talented secondary and up-and-coming play caller Ejiro Evero. But, Carolina has struggled to get after the passer ranking 30th in total pressure rate and we’ve discussed their struggles stopping the run.
If the Patriots can’t pull this one out, yikes.
Late Question: The Pats o-line, are they still “building chemistry” or is the personnel and/or coaching just meh? – Ricky Hot Pants
Definitely building chemistry still. Four out of five starters — including two rookies — are new and the lack of padded practices teams are able to have in the summer make it difficult to be firing on all cylinders to start the season. Room to grow, but an encouraging start especially in the pass pro department.
Why Patriots didn’t fill in the 53th spot in the roster? I guess they are trying to trade for a DB and release DJ beforehand, but that DB went to Jets. After that, they don’t know what to do with it. – Teru Teru
That spot looks ready for Jahlani Tavai, who is eligible to start practicing next week after opening the year on injured reserve. All signs seem to be trending in that direction.
With Terrell Williams still a big question mark how long before Vrabel officially tells him to take the year off to get his health back on track? If that happens do you see Vrabel morphing into an HC / unofficial DC like Belichick, do they bring someone in from the outside, or do they officially promote Kuhr? – TDDsDad
Terrell Williams has remained around the team in recent weeks. With Vrabel noting he hopes to keep continuity with the staff, Zak Kuhr would be the choice if they officially promote a play caller which could shift Williams into an advisory-type role.
We paid top price of rejecting Peppers or even DJ James while Gonzo is absent. With an inherent pass rush we need more quality in secondaries or players more concerned (what happens to Marcus Jones ?) Your thoughts ? – 7i165
Christian Gonzalez’s return will bring that quality to the secondary. But after watching Jabrill Peppers with the Steelers last week, not sure how much he would have made a difference here to start the year. He did force the fumble, but the Patriots targeted him often in coverage and receivers were running open. Peppers gave up the first touchdown to Hunter Henry, and was beat a handful of other times — including for would-be touchdowns by Henry and Mack Hollins — but the ball did not find them.
That’s all for this week’s #PostPulpit mailbag. If you have questions you’d liked to be answered next week, submit them online in our weekly submission post or on Twitter using #PostPulpit. Make sure to be following @iambrianhines and @PatsPulpit as well.
