Football is here. The New England Patriots will officially begin the Mike Vrabel era on Sunday as the Las Vegas Raiders come to Foxboro for Week 1.
So before the fun begins, let’s get right into this week’s #PostPulpit Mailbag.
Who covers Brock Bowers Sunday? – NewEnglandWhalers
Outside of Brock Bowers, who was named All-Pro his rookie season, the Raiders pass catchers are not entirely threatening. Jakobi Meyers is a good player as we know, while Tre Tucker and rookie Dont’e Thornton Jr., who has had
a strong summer, are a pair of burners.
When asked about Bowers this week, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and defensive coordinator Terrell Williams have stated that the tight end can be treated as a wide receiver in addition to his ability to in-line block. That leaves the door open to use a cover cornerback like Carlton Davis, much like Bill Belichick use to do against Travis Kelce and other specific matchups.
In Bowers’ rookie season, Denver was one of the few teams to use a corner in coverage where reigning DPOY Pat Surtain limited the tight end to a pedestrian 4/38 stat line in November.
Things get trickier for New England, however, with Christian Gonzalez looking unlikely to suit up due to a hamstring injury. While Davis would be a good matchup against Bowers, the would leave the Patriots with Marcus Jones, Alex Austin, and D.J. James at corner to face Meyers and Thornton on the outside. Trust in those corners would allow Davis to handle Bowers, but if not, New England could opt for more bracket/double coverages against the young tight end. Williams also noted how Vegas could target any corner covering Bowers in the run game.
Seems obvious that Gonzalez is going to miss time to start this year — when do we start to worry about his growing injury history? – ghosthaus
Speaking of Gonzalez, I’m more worried that the injury is a hamstring injury as those can linger throughout the season — especially for skill position players. I would not expect Gonzalez to suit up for Week 1.
And while we’re on Gonzalez, I would not pay much attention to the narrative that he’s sitting out with his contract in mind as he’s extension eligible next offseason. He is injured, and if he was thinking about his contract then availability should be his focus after playing just four games his rookie season.
Any prediction on how the snap counts will end up week 1 for running backs and WRs?
It seems like they must want Henderson, Williams and Chism to blossom but there are guys who are ahead of them on the (on paper) depth chart. Will Boutte, Mondre, Gibson, etc dominate the snaps in the early season or do you think it’s going to be a real rotation? – ed.liebfried
The veterans will likely dominate the snaps in the wide receiver room. DeMario Douglas, Stefon Diggs, and Kayshon Boutte will likely work as the top three with a heavy dosage of Mack Hollins. It’s been tougher to get a read on Kyle Williams after he missed time with an injury, but wide receivers Coach Todd Downing praised the rookie for his growth while noting the rookie is understanding what his role could be.
The hope is they get Williams on the field to use his speed and ability with the ball in his hands, but it could be a build-up process during the year with veterans ahead of him. I’d like to see Williams crack the top rotation by at least the second-half of the season.
Different story for Henderson in the backfield, however. The rookie is the team’s most explosive playmaker and they need that skillset on the field. Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson will still have a role — especially on early downs — but Henderson will be used right out of the gate in a spot that could feature 12-to-15 touches.
Which rookie RB gains more yards from scrimmage on Sunday – Henderson or Jeanty? – Matt1102
For as high as I am on Henderson off a tremendous training camp — and expect him to make use of his touches against the Raiders — I’ll go with Jeanty here in Week 1. Vegas’ rookie looks like the bell-cow in their backfield and will test New England’s run defense right out of the gate. The Patriots also had issues covering screens this summer, an area Jeanty could break a big play on on Sunday.
Why has no one talked about Campbell showing promise as a run blocker during the preseason? He seems to have the drive and getting the run game going would be a big help to keeping Maye upright and having a productive second year. – Kingratt
I believe we’ve talked about that plenty here, Kingratt. Campbell was at his best in the run game during training camp and in the preseason which isn’t necessarily a surprise after watching his college tape. The issue has always been in pass protection, where we will now get true answers in the regular season.
I have been trying to come to a reasonable conclusion as to why the Pats released Peppers and I haven’t come to any. But I did have one thought. Do you think its possible the Pats released Peppers on Friday because they were worried he might have been voted captain yesterday? If he is already on the fringes of the roster then I would think making him captain might take their ability away to release or trade him during the season? It would at least hurt the team chemistry and culture they are trying to build. Has that ever happened in past? Has a current captain ever been traded or released during the season? – Thegoodbadnugly
While Vrabel did not want to point to scheme related issues, I continue to believe that was the driving factor. This new defensive scheme asks safeties to handle more deep zone responsibilities that fits Craig Woodson and Jaylinn Hawkins’ skillsets better. In fact, Woodson’s range was the first thing Vrabel pointed out one question after sharing scheme fit was not an issue with Peppers.
“I think that his athleticism, I think his range in the field and the more he plays, I think he’ll continue to get better. That’s the hope there with Craig,” he said.
After getting passed on the depth chart, it is fair to wonder if Peppers asked for his release or if the team did not want a pair of veteran safeties and former captains (Peppers and Kyle Dugger) in reserve roles as Vrabel establishes his culture in Year 1. From that point, it was easier to move off of Peppers’ deal than Dugger’s.
Do you have any kind of feelings about Westover? Perillo was making a point to mention how he thinks it’s telling how the Pats have specifically designated Westover as a fullback. 37, a fullback’s number. He doesn’t seem to jump off the page as athletic. Is his use going to be fullback in the sense of just an extra blocker or is he expected or even capable of ascending to a Develin status? So, fullback in theory and nothing to get excited over? Makes more sense that they went with 3 RB’s if they intend to really use a fullback though…? – PatsHowYouDoIt
After Brock Lampe’s season-ending foot injury, Westover began repping as a traditional lead-blocking fullback. Listed at 6-foot-2, 245 pounds, he is not built like the James Develin’s (6-3, 255) of the fullback world. But, that does comes with some more athletic ability as a collegiate tight end and he had several nice lead blocks in the preseason — including taking on first color to avoid a TFL in Minnesota.
Long time Pats fan from Australia here. My question is… Where has the abundance of cap money gone since the submission of the final 53 man roster? Going into the final preseason day, according to sites like Overthecap, the Patriots had over $60 million in cap (from the Top 51). Since the roster has been trimmed to 53, and the subsequent release of Peppers, the number has dwindled to around $46 million.
It’s not like the Patriots have signed any big names, or extended anyone. Where is all the cap going? – KC54
The releases of Kendrick Bourne, Cole Strange, and Jabrill Peppers piled up a dead cap hit of nearly $10 million. That was where the majority of that cap space went, but plenty still to work with (and rollover to next season).
How long before DeVito overtakes Dobbs on the depth chart? – PatsHowYouDoIt
A better end to training camp may have bought Dobbs some time — especially with how limited snaps can be at times for backup quarterbacks during regular season practices. The main thing working in DeVito’s favor, however, is his knowledge of the system coming from the Giants with Brian Daboll.
If given the opportunity in practice, DeVito could certainly make a push for QB2 duties.
Any chance you think Munford plays his way into a starting role? Possibly LG? So Wilson can move back to C and Bradbury can come off the bench. – sjamesbossports
Munford is an intriguing addition to the practice squad as he was a useful player at times for Josh McDaniels in Las Vegas. He has never played guard, however, which likely sets the stage for him to contribute as a swing tackle if he works his way over Marcus Bryant and Vederian Lowe on the depth chart.
If the inside of particles is just energy then what is inside the energy? – Bits_of_Real_Panther
Nothing is inside of energy. But, this sounds more like a question for the Passtronaut.
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.
