Patriots vs Dolphins Recap + Look Ahead to Jets w/ Henry McKenna | Patriots Daily - video Dailymotion

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CLNS Media's Taylor Kyles welcomes Henry McKenna, AFC East Reporter for Fox Sports to recap the Patriots 24-17 loss to the Dolphins and look ahead to Sunday's game vs the Jets.  This episode of the Patriots Daily Podcast is brought to you by:  Fanduel Sportsbook, the exclusive wagering partner of the CLNS Media Network. NEW customers can bet $5  and get $200 in BONUS BETS – GUARANTEED. Now is the best time to join FanDuel! The app is easy to use and you can be on everything from spreads to player props and more! So, visit FanDuel.com/BOSTON and kick off the NFL season with an offer you won’t wanna miss.  21+ and present in MA. Hope is here. First online real money wager only. $10 first deposit required. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable bonus bets that expire 7 days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. GamblingHelpLineMa.org or call (800)-327-5050 for 24/7 support. Play it smart from the start! GameSenseMA.com or call 1-800-GAM-1234. ￼￼￼ Factor! Visit https://factormeals.com/PATSDAILY50 to get 50% off your first box! Factor is America’s #1 Ready-To-Eat Meal Kit, can help you fuel up fast with ready-to-eat meals delivered straight to your door.  #Patriots #NFL #NewEnglandPatriots

Transcript

00:00 They're sandwiched between two division matchups.

00:02 Now, obviously, they had an unfortunate loss to the Dolphins.

00:05 They're second in a row, but they're hoping to turn the ship around

00:09 this week against the New York Jets at MetLife.

00:12 So to preview this matchup and also kind of go back and talk about

00:16 what he thought of the Dolphins matchup, I figured I'd go with someone

00:19 who's very familiar with the AFC East overall, Henry McKenna.

00:23 Henry, how you doing, brother?

00:25 I'm good, Taylor. Let's talk.

00:28 Let's talk about my teams. They're not my team.

00:30 They're sort of my teams.

00:32 Yeah, you got the rare ability to kind of walk among the worlds.

00:35 But first, today, we had the chance to talk to the Patriots

00:39 coaches, get their thoughts on both the game and a little bit about next week.

00:43 And personally, I thought some of the biggest takeaways were Bill O'Brien

00:46 saying that there was some imbalance with what they were doing

00:49 with the under center passing game and just plays overall

00:52 because they've been a very shotgun heavy team.

00:54 We haven't seen a ton of the under center stuff

00:56 that Mac Jones has done for a lot of his career.

00:59 And also he mentioned that in the run game, they didn't seem

01:03 or at least my takeaway was that they weren't prepared for what they saw.

01:06 He mentioned that their preparation needs to match up

01:09 with what ultimately they see on game days.

01:10 Thought those were interesting.

01:12 What were your key takeaways?

01:14 Yeah, it is interesting to see him say that maybe they're going to go away

01:18 from shotgun, but I wonder if

01:21 maybe we look at what he does more than what he says there.

01:24 I think that I think that the idea of putting Mac Jones into shotgun this year

01:29 was maybe to give him a little more, you know, freedom to spread the field.

01:35 And and

01:36 that we'll see if that actually changes.

01:40 I think they probably like him in shotgun.

01:42 That's why he's been in it so much.

01:45 So and then in terms of

01:47 mostly what Bill O'Brien said, because technically,

01:53 you know, he's he's we don't really hear from a defensive coordinator

01:57 because they don't have one.

01:59 So Bill O'Brien's press conferences on these coordinator days

02:03 are usually the most interesting.

02:05 The other thing I'll say is that he was talking about

02:09 finishing drives.

02:11 He talked about how, you know, pick sixes and sacks and

02:15 and whatnot have led to drives ending prematurely.

02:20 And so I think that's what I've noticed with this team recently

02:24 is that they seem to be in a groove

02:29 that their play calling and their execution is

02:33 is actually working.

02:35 And then they cross midfield and then something bad happens.

02:38 And and that's just a telltale sign of a bad football team

02:42 as a team that can't get points out of good drives.

02:44 So even when they're looking good, they they have nothing to show for.

02:50 And that's kind of what O'Brien said was they need to score points.

02:54 And it's like so stupid, simple.

02:56 But it's the truth.

02:59 I mean, Matt Jones, you know, he was like a top five passer after week one.

03:03 But the Patriots didn't score enough points.

03:06 And so I think ultimately, you know, fewer, fewer yards

03:11 and more points for this offense is I mean, they do need more more yards

03:14 to actually, especially considering how inefficient the ground game has been.

03:18 But yeah, they really need to convert good drives

03:23 into high point totals in a way that they have not been doing this year.

03:27 Do you want to touch on the offense a little more?

03:30 But you were in the Dolphins locker room after the game.

03:32 What were some of your key takeaways they are hearing from their players

03:36 relative to what the Patriots are actually able to put on the field?

03:39 Like, did it seem like they actually felt challenged?

03:41 Because it seemed like the defense was actually doing a relatively good job

03:45 of keeping Tyree Killen, Jalen Waddle contained.

03:47 But obviously the offensive side of the ball, like you said,

03:49 they were moving the ball at times, but then something would go wrong

03:53 and they end up leaving points on the board or take themselves off the field.

03:56 Right. So you're saying whether the the Dolphins defense was challenged?

04:01 Yeah, or honestly, either side, if there was anything, you know,

04:05 if they were challenged or if they felt like, you know,

04:07 this was kind of a relative walk in the park for them.

04:09 Yeah, I did.

04:10 I honestly didn't get a strong sense that the the the Dolphins defense

04:15 felt like they were dealing with a big challenge.

04:18 I was speaking mostly to offensive players, though,

04:22 so I'll kind of throw in that caveat.

04:24 But from what I heard and what I read after the game,

04:28 really, the Patriots offense did a lot of what the Dolphins expected.

04:34 And I think that largely

04:39 the Patriots didn't throw anything at them that they couldn't handle.

04:44 And I mean, we saw it like we saw we saw a lot of it,

04:47 just like what we saw with the Eagles, where the Patriots had more than enough

04:50 chances to at least tie the game,

04:53 let alone, you know, take a lead at some points

04:56 where they just couldn't seize the opportunity.

05:00 And that, I think, is because these defenses aren't

05:03 aren't really overwhelmed by what the Patriots have to offer

05:07 from a personnel standpoint more than anything.

05:11 As for the Patriots defense versus the Dolphins offense,

05:16 I think I got some like mixed responses in that regard,

05:21 like Tua talked a little bit about how, you know, this this defense

05:26 came out in, you know, a very different

05:30 three safety, three deep safety front. And

05:34 he was he said he wasn't surprised by that.

05:40 But then I talked to some of the receivers in that room.

05:43 They were like, that was stunning.

05:44 Like, we could imagine that happening.

05:47 And it was very weird to play against that defense.

05:50 And like so Tua was like, I was unfazed by it.

05:53 Tyreek said literally he I asked him and he was like,

05:57 I was like, were you unfazed? And he said, yes, I was unfazed.

06:00 Now, he didn't put up huge numbers, but

06:05 you know, I think and then I think, you know, guys like River Craycraft

06:08 and Braxton Berrios, interestingly enough, admitted that it wasn't easy

06:13 for them to operate in it.

06:14 So I think they were probably being a little more honest

06:18 that the Patriots did force the Dolphins to sort of take a chill pill.

06:23 That offense is so go, go, go.

06:26 It's so high octane that the Patriots were like,

06:28 do you guys think that you guys could relax?

06:31 And and Daniel was like, he had to he had to chill.

06:35 He had to actually call running plays, which he never does.

06:38 He really he really is like not a disciplined play caller.

06:42 He will go even in situations where he knows it has to run.

06:46 He still throws the football.

06:47 And this was one of the first times I've really seen him

06:50 change his play calling according to the defense.

06:53 So I think credit to the Patriots for telling, you know,

06:57 for challenging the Dolphins this much.

06:59 But then, honestly, the credit keeps going back to the Dolphins

07:03 because they figured out how to get a win against this

07:06 this unique and really challenging defensive game plan from Belichick.

07:12 And I went back because the look was kind of familiar.

07:15 I was like, we don't see this a lot, but I feel like they've done this before.

07:18 I think Tyree Kill was telling the truth because I saw they

07:21 I think all the way going back to like twenty nineteen or twenty twenty.

07:25 They use the three deep safety look against Deshaun Watson

07:28 and then going back to I think it was twenty twenty

07:31 when they had Cam Newton on the roster.

07:33 You actually saw them in third and long situations.

07:36 They use that double robber where you had the three safeties deep

07:39 and then you'd have McCordy taking the post and two guys coming down.

07:42 But this was a different plan where those were, you know, obvious

07:45 past situations, you know, what's coming.

07:47 They were using zone rather than man where it was.

07:49 All right. You know, Duggar starts as a deep guy, then goes in the middle

07:52 with the other two safeties and halves or the opposite where those two guys drop.

07:57 So it was definitely different from what they've done in the past.

08:00 So maybe a little bit of truth to what they were saying,

08:02 but definitely not something explicitly that we had seen from them before.

08:06 And you mentioned Mike McDaniel actually committed to the run,

08:09 which going into this week, you know, I was talking to people

08:12 who cover the Dolphins and they were asking like, hey,

08:14 I think they could have a good game. What do you think?

08:16 I'm like, I just don't think so, because the Patriots front

08:19 very stout against the run.

08:20 And I didn't trust McDaniel to actually lean on it

08:23 and try to capitalize if anything manifested.

08:26 What did you think of the Patriots run defense?

08:28 Because obviously there was the he he most starts scoring two touchdowns.

08:31 But it also felt like for some parts of the game,

08:33 they were able to pretty consistently rely on the ground game.

08:36 Yeah, I mean, I think again, you go back to the scoreboard.

08:41 Sure. They had like ninety

08:44 five percent of 90 percent of the plays.

08:48 They were playing good run defense.

08:49 But the way that they designed this game plan was it was 100 percent game

08:55 where they couldn't let up anything. Right.

08:56 Like that's the whole design of of that game plan that they made.

09:00 It was if you're going to throw the safeties in the back,

09:02 you're going to force them to check down and you're going to empty the box,

09:05 but you're going to play, you know, disciplined run defense.

09:09 You can't let Raheem Moser bust off that long run.

09:13 You can't let him score two touchdowns.

09:15 You can't have 127 yards from their top running back.

09:18 That that was why they lost the game, honestly.

09:20 So do I think that they had a lot of good snaps defending the run? Yes.

09:25 Do I think that they failed as a run defense? Yes.

09:28 Because they were the most important part of the game plan

09:30 and they weren't good enough.

09:31 So I think I think it's it's tough.

09:35 I mean, it's in that sense, it's the exact same story as the Patriots offense.

09:41 It's like, you know, it was a good idea that they that they had. Right.

09:46 Like the Patriots offense right now.

09:47 It conceptually it's it's it makes sense for who they have

09:51 from a personnel standpoint.

09:53 But then you see it executed on the field and it's they come up,

09:56 you know, five, seven points short.

09:58 And so it's like, you know, what can you say?

10:02 Like, it's just not good enough yet.

10:05 So, yeah. And especially on offense, where I really don't think

10:09 they have the personnel that they need to to be, you know, a good team this year.

10:13 Actually, yeah, that was perfect set up for my next question.

10:17 So it felt like Mac Jones, especially after the interception, like that did.

10:21 That was one of those moments where you say it's bad football

10:24 when you decide to pick on Xavier Howard, when you're in scoring territory.

10:27 And it didn't seem like a play that he really needed to make.

10:30 But after that, we saw him lock in and just turn into a Mac Jones

10:33 that we're not used to seeing where he's making plays on the run.

10:36 He's converting third and extra long with his legs, just doing pretty crazy stuff.

10:40 But like you kind of alluded to, the people around him

10:43 weren't quite getting it done.

10:45 Do you think in this matchup, maybe specifically against the Jets,

10:48 but also kind of going forward, is it more a matter of certain guys

10:51 need to step up, you know, certain people need to get healthy

10:54 and really be at full strength?

10:55 Or do you really think that there is just a lack of talent on this offense

10:59 that is going to keep them from actually reaching the hopes

11:02 that we had before the season where, hey, if they can make the playoffs

11:05 and look competitive, it's a step in the right direction.

11:07 Yeah, it's I think you got to start by not benching Pop Douglas.

11:13 I mean, it's a weird place for Bill Belichick

11:17 where you have to wonder if maybe he starts burying

11:20 some of these traditions that he has, you know, basically out of desperation.

11:26 It's like, yeah, you can bench the guy, the rookie who fumbled

11:29 because it sends a statement to, you know, precedent

11:32 that he's followed for all of his career or crazy idea.

11:36 You can get the young, high potential playmaker on the field

11:40 in an offense that badly, badly needs, you know, an elite and explosive playmaker.

11:46 I don't know if Demario Douglas will ever be, you know, a true wide receiver one,

11:51 but they definitely need more production out of the slot spot.

11:56 I mean, like Juju Smith Schuster is trending the way of like massive,

12:02 massive mistake for the Patriots.

12:05 And I say that like I don't want to call it too early.

12:08 So I really will try and couch it.

12:10 But I mean, Jacoby Myers was was I think I got to look at the contracts again.

12:16 I think it was like two or three more million dollars a year,

12:18 which is a lot of money.

12:19 But like to eliminate the risk of the Patriots having to evaluate

12:23 a new receiver, which they're so bad at doing

12:27 and keep a guy that works in their system as opposed to bringing in someone new

12:33 and trying to teach it to them.

12:34 Like this is this is the whole like this is

12:37 talking about Bill Belichick, you know, following his own precedence.

12:41 Like, dude, learn from your own history.

12:43 Just pay the guy in your building that, you know, is good at the position

12:46 that you so desperately need.

12:48 And he goes out and gets Juju, a guy who so far, you know,

12:52 and he says it's not a medical reason, so so we'll take his word for it.

12:56 But so far has not been a good fit for this offense.

12:58 So I think Demario Douglas, you know, is one of those guys

13:03 you need to look to to try and develop into a key role, I think.

13:07 Past that, it gets a little tricky.

13:11 Kendrick Bourne, I think, is like I think we kind of know what he is at this point,

13:15 which is like, you know, every few games he can get you a big set of,

13:19 you know, receptions, be them be converted into touchdowns.

13:24 You know, I don't know, but

13:26 I don't think Devontae Parker is going to turn into anything special this year.

13:31 So, I mean, and you kind of that puts a lot of pressure on Taekwon Thornton.

13:35 But he's a guy that like there's no proof in that pudding.

13:38 Like there's no real reason to think that he can suddenly be something

13:42 that we've never seen him be before, which is, you know, a high volume receiver.

13:47 He just like on training camp, was he that, you know,

13:51 there was one preseason game where he was OK, but I don't know.

13:56 I just don't think

13:58 they have the personnel from a passing standpoint that they need.

14:02 And then the run games not working.

14:06 It's like I feel extremely doom and gloom out here.

14:09 I'm being so negative, but

14:11 there there is like I think there has to be a sort of like sense of panic

14:16 in New England right now to be like, OK, where are we going to get the yards?

14:20 You know, where where can we improve this offense

14:22 to try and maximize more more points, more yards

14:27 and make them, you know, in contention for playoffs?

14:31 I think that's fair.

14:33 And especially with Juju Smith-Schuster now.

14:36 I think when he was initially signed, you look at all the big plays

14:39 he made after the catch last year with Kansas City.

14:42 A lot of that, you know, was just being in space.

14:44 And then going back, I started to realize, all right,

14:47 maybe that was just bad tackling.

14:49 Like it started to feel like, OK, it's going to take a team

14:51 that really doesn't tackle well for him to maybe rip off these big plays.

14:54 Then my brain went to, OK, at least he can be that, you know, underneath threat.

14:59 And that's what we saw in camp.

15:00 Like that's where my expectations for him kind of dipped

15:02 because he really did seem there was all this talk about

15:04 they can be plugged in anywhere.

15:06 But Juju has really been an inside receiver for them.

15:08 And not only that, but I don't know if it is the knee or what,

15:11 but it looks like he's a little bit slower.

15:13 And I think he was right on the cusp of like being explosive enough

15:17 where you have to take him seriously, but he may not be a dynamic weapon for you.

15:21 But what we've seen, it feels like, you know, I think there's been reports

15:25 that he's not even one of the top three or four receivers in the rotation.

15:29 And it's one thing when and I think this offense

15:32 was always going to be better than the sum of its parts.

15:34 Where you got Henry Kosicki, like all these veteran guys

15:37 who may not jump off the page, but if everyone's filling the role,

15:40 then you're doing a pretty good job on offense.

15:42 But Kendrick Ford not really living up to expectations.

15:45 Mack is one for seven, targeting him deep.

15:46 Devontae Parker, you know, limited sample size.

15:49 It's just one game.

15:50 And again, I don't like the matchup of Xavier Howard.

15:53 I think against 90 percent of the people in the league,

15:55 you like Devontae Parker's chances in that opportunity.

15:57 But against that matchup, I really just don't like it.

16:00 And then it feels like like you said, you got to rely maybe more on the young guys

16:04 because all these veterans who you think you thought

16:07 were just going to be key role players

16:09 aren't necessarily living up to those expectations so far.

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16:56 All right. Now, one more doom and gloom type topic regarding the offense.

17:00 And I'll touch on before I move on to the defense.

17:02 I feel like there's some better stuff to talk about over there.

17:04 But in terms of the offensive line, what was your thoughts on their performance?

17:09 Because I feel like Vidarian Lowe, a backup, you don't really expect him to necessarily fall out.

17:14 You're basically just kind of work around that guy.

17:16 But at the same time, you got Cole Strange, who is a great defensive player.

17:19 He's a great offensive player. He's a great defensive player.

17:21 You're basically just kind of work around that guy.

17:24 But at the same time, you got Cole Strange, who was back,

17:26 and you're expecting physical limitation maybe because he was hurt.

17:29 But when I was watching the tape, it seemed like it was more picking up stunts,

17:32 picking up blitzes, things that were mental where sure, he missed a lot of time.

17:36 But these were also issues at times last season for him.

17:39 So I felt like that was a bit of a red flag.

17:41 And then at right tackle, my whole thing has been if the rest of the offensive line is OK,

17:45 right tackle, you know, you can cover up that one position.

17:49 But Calvin Anderson, initially, I feel like it was expected

17:52 he was going to be Trent Brown's backup on the left side with Riley Rupert City.

17:56 So not ready to play tackle in the pros yet.

17:59 I feel like he's really struggled.

18:01 And again, another guy who has missed a lot of time.

18:03 I don't want to be too critical of him.

18:05 But when you just look at the tape, it's really kind of discouraging

18:09 seeing how often and how badly he's losing matchups, especially where you get a rep

18:14 like where you got chip help from Hunter Henry and still lost almost immediately

18:18 to Andrew Van Ginkle.

18:20 Hopefully Trent Brown's back using concussion protocol last week.

18:23 We didn't really expect him to play because the Patriots are conservative with that.

18:26 But what do you see the outlook as for the offensive line?

18:29 And do you think once they get healthier, once there's more time,

18:33 like Mike and when you can actually play a full game,

18:34 do you think that unit could be competent enough to help raise the offensive ceiling?

18:38 Yeah, so so that is that is this is sort of the silver lining.

18:42 This is like the upside position.

18:43 I think, like you said, Cole Strange looks like a guy who hasn't practiced enough

18:48 with this group and was missing assignments.

18:52 Vardarian Lowe looked like a guy who shouldn't be on an NFL football field.

18:57 He was that that position was not meant for him.

19:02 I think he should probably move to like backup at right or something.

19:06 But he was having a really hard time on the left side.

19:12 Calvin Anderson, yeah, like you said,

19:13 you know, it's it's not an easy position to just ignore.

19:17 Not that that's what you're saying, but like even like if you have

19:21 the other four solid positions, really good teams these days have to

19:26 to excellent edges.

19:28 You look at Buffalo, they're going to have Von Miller and Gregory Russo.

19:31 Miami actually didn't even have their second, their number one edge player,

19:36 Jalen Phillips.

19:38 So, you know, if that was overwhelming to the Patriots this week,

19:42 even if they get Trent Brown back, well, Miami might have Jalen Phillips back.

19:46 And he's he's one of the best pass rushers in the NFL.

19:48 He had the highest pass rushing KFF grade, I think, in the league last year.

19:54 It might have been like top five.

19:56 But but regardless, he is, you know, I think he's one of the most underrated

20:00 pass rushers because he doesn't have the huge sack totals,

20:03 but his pressures are like through the roof.

20:06 So basically,

20:09 you know, Calvin Anderson's going to have problems all season long,

20:12 even if they solidify the rest of the offensive line,

20:15 even if they move in the tight ends to help them out a little bit.

20:18 But but I do think that, you know,

20:21 he will play better if, you know, on when he was is

20:26 is is playing better next to him all game long.

20:28 So I think this offensive line, you know, probably can play like

20:33 maybe 15 percent better. Right.

20:36 I mean, that's like a totally subjective number.

20:38 But I think you see that happen.

20:42 You might see the run game look a little bit healthier.

20:47 Average a few more yards.

20:49 That starts to help Matt Jones out a little bit.

20:51 And then you have, you know, a gradual increase.

20:54 And again, this this team is like, you know, yards away from being relevant.

21:01 And in the NFL, you know, game of inches

21:04 to be yards away from, you know, relevance is is a massive gap sometimes.

21:09 But but they are close to what many people are considering

21:13 two of the top five teams in the in the league right now.

21:16 Miami and Philly really are, you know, two of the best five teams,

21:21 at least at this exact moment.

21:23 So maybe the offensive line is the kind of thing that can just get them,

21:28 you know, so that they're not playing as far from behind.

21:32 But I think if if Patriots fans are sort of like looking for one thing

21:35 that they can put hope into, it's like, OK, maybe

21:39 maybe that unit starts to show a little more potential.

21:43 Yeah. And like you mentioned, it's it's hard to defend the Patriots

21:47 because two times you get an opportunity to put the game away

21:50 against good teams and you can't.

21:52 But at the same time, they're in position to win the game

21:54 against two of the league's best teams.

21:56 So it's a really weird kind of middle ground.

21:59 They find themselves in.

22:00 And that you not even said like this is not a bad football team.

22:03 We know we need to correct.

22:05 At the end of the day, they just got to get it done.

22:07 Hopefully the offensive line, as you said, will be enough

22:10 to make the offense a little bit better to put those games away.

22:13 Moving over to the defense.

22:15 Now, this is a week where I feel like it's there's not a lot to talk about

22:18 with the pass rush because two gets it out so quickly.

22:20 Didn't really expect them to be a massive factor in the game.

22:23 They did make plays at times when they needed to.

22:25 I feel like the quarterbacks are really more of a topic of discussion.

22:28 We start out on a positive note.

22:30 Christian Gonzalez first career interception thought he had a really good day,

22:33 especially in man coverage when he had to cover Tyree kill

22:36 when Marcus Jones went down.

22:37 So maybe before we get into the quarterback situation with all the injuries,

22:41 how did you think Christian Gonzalez performed in a pretty big spot?

22:44 Yeah, great, great day against Miami.

22:46 I'm a little surprised, to be honest, to see him as like the number one

22:51 corner, number three corner in the NFL, according to pro football focus.

22:57 AJ, he he did like he had a very tenuous game plan,

23:03 I think, against AJ Brown in week one.

23:06 Like he was playing with a pretty big cushion to make sure Brown didn't win deep.

23:11 And like from a do your job standpoint, he did his job like he had an assignment,

23:16 which was to make sure, you know, AJ Brown didn't make any explosive plays.

23:20 And that's that's exactly what happened.

23:21 In fact, he did have like that really, you know,

23:25 solid deep target from Jalen Hurts in the in the red zone.

23:29 And he batted away.

23:32 This was the kind of game, I think, that is even more encouraging to the Patriots

23:36 because it wasn't just, hey, youngster, don't mess up.

23:40 That was week one, right?

23:41 This was, hey, youngster, you know,

23:44 it's not going to play Tyreek the whole game because

23:47 that's not how they were playing a lot of zone, basically.

23:50 But he was like, you know, they told him, you know,

23:55 here are the keys like you're in charge now, basically.

23:58 And he did a nice job making sure that not only, you know, is Tyreek

24:04 not, you know, completely changing the game, but actually on one target,

24:10 you know, Gonzalez makes to pay for an underthrow.

24:13 So, you know, really, really good moment, I think,

24:19 just for a team that really hasn't drafted super well in the last few years

24:23 for their top pick to be making plays in week two.

24:26 It's a good sign.

24:29 And so I think, you know, the more hopefully they can keep putting

24:33 this much on his plate in the coming weeks, maybe maybe they can ask him

24:36 to kind of be on an island by the end of the year with really good receivers.

24:40 And that can change the complexion of what Belichick can do

24:45 or the two Belichick's can do from a play calling standpoint,

24:49 because this defense is a lot better when they have a number one corner

24:53 to mess around with.

24:55 And so, you know, maybe they're on their way to being to being there.

24:59 So the top cornerback position looks pretty good against the Dolphins.

25:04 As I mentioned, Marcus Jones goes down with a shoulder injury.

25:06 They ask a lot of Miles Bryant because the plan was, OK,

25:09 we're going to try to get physical with Tyreek Hill with a safety over the top

25:12 and basically leave Jaylen Waddle on an island.

25:15 Initially, that was Gonzalez's responsibility.

25:17 Then it had to shift and we saw Miles Bryant, who I thought was actually

25:20 very competitive for what on paper is a massive mismatch.

25:23 But it begs the question of what is the outlook look like

25:27 for this team at the cornerback position?

25:29 Because now all three Jones's are banged up.

25:31 Jack Jones is probably going to be out for a couple of months.

25:33 Jonathan Jones dealt with something he can't.

25:36 It's a different injury now.

25:37 But clearly, you know, an older cornerback who's suffering an injury

25:40 and missing a game, you just hope that that's not something that's going to linger

25:43 or kind of come back to bite later in the season.

25:45 And Marcus Jones shoulder injury.

25:47 We don't know how much time he's going to miss.

25:49 What do you think it looks like for this position?

25:51 And do you think Sean Wade, you know, was solid in reserve action,

25:55 didn't get targeted really.

25:56 So, you know, not a ton to take away.

25:58 But what are your thoughts on the position group, considering

26:00 they've just got so many injuries there right now to keep players?

26:03 Yeah, it's a tough draw.

26:05 I mean, they're usually a pretty deep team at that position.

26:08 They came into this year as a as a deep team at the position.

26:13 And so for them to be depleted this early is tough.

26:17 I mean, it's the one thing I'm surprised that we haven't seen yet.

26:21 And I think we might is that Jalen Mills hasn't been playing,

26:24 you know, at the position.

26:25 He's really not been playing like at all.

26:27 I got to double check the snap count this year, this week.

26:30 But he barely played in week one.

26:33 He's just like a dime player, really, that he's only really coming in

26:36 for diamond goal line packages. Right.

26:38 And so I think that's a guy that they could move back to the position.

26:42 It's not even like a disaster position.

26:44 He like I think fans got a little upset at him last year, but he's actually

26:48 like very serviceable at the second cornerback spot.

26:52 He had to play a lot of the top cornerback spot last year.

26:56 So moving back into CB2, and that's a player that they could

26:59 probably get a lot of mileage out of now for whatever reason.

27:03 They're not using him there.

27:04 And so maybe this is the week where things sort of like flip

27:07 because they tried him out of safety a lot this offseason.

27:10 And then he got kind of buried with Jarrell Peppers getting a lot more snaps

27:15 than I think I anticipated.

27:17 I don't I don't know if you saw that.

27:19 So I think, you know, maybe maybe that's their way to get Jalen Mills

27:24 back on the field a little bit more is using him at corner.

27:27 If they don't, then I mean, I'd be worried for them

27:31 about what Sean Wade can or can't do.

27:33 I don't think he has to this point displayed,

27:36 you know, a particular acuity for the position.

27:40 So if they are using him at the second cornerback spot,

27:44 then they are going to have some limitations about like how they play their defense

27:49 because they're going to have to give him help basically at all times.

27:52 And then that means Gonzalez won't have any help, which which I said,

27:55 you know, that would be great to have him at that point later in the season.

27:58 But now maybe they're asking their rookie to be on an island by week three,

28:01 by week four.

28:03 And that's a different a different thing.

28:07 Last thing, how do the Patriots match up with this Jets team?

28:11 Now, obviously, no Aaron Rodgers completely changes the complexion.

28:14 Zach Wilson, someone they're very familiar with and who I don't think

28:17 I don't think Zach Wilson particularly loves playing the Pats defense.

28:20 They tend to harass him.

28:21 But this year they've got a very potent ground game.

28:24 I feel like usually when they play the Patriots past couple of years,

28:27 they've had so many injuries on the offensive line in the trenches

28:30 and a running back that has been a huge threat.

28:32 But Brees Hall's back making people miss just like he was last year.

28:36 Obviously, have Dalvin Cook now.

28:38 So offensively, the big thing is, are you just don't want to let

28:41 the running backs beat you?

28:42 Garrett Wilson's a great player, but the guy thrown in the football,

28:45 you know, there's only so much he can do on his own.

28:47 And then defensively, Bill O'Brien mentioned Quinn and Williams,

28:50 John Franklin Myers on that loaded Jets front.

28:52 Also, CJ Mosley at the second level, who's so smart and flies to the football.

28:56 And then obviously their secondary sauce gardener speaks for himself.

29:00 DJ Reid, one of the more underrated cornerbacks, I think, in the league.

29:03 Michael Carter in the slot, one of the better players at that position.

29:06 Their safeties are OK.

29:07 I feel like that's an area you can kind of exploit in their kind of quarter scheme.

29:10 But what do you think the matchup looks like on both sides of the ball?

29:13 Maybe we can go to offense first and then we'll take a quick break,

29:16 give you some time to think about it, and then we'll go defense.

29:18 Yeah, so when it comes to exploiting the Jets offense,

29:23 I think the first name, well, second name you mentioned was Zach Wilson.

29:28 And I mean, he's just not good when it comes to playing Belichick.

29:31 I think he's one of the most mentally weak corner quarterbacks in the NFL.

29:37 I hate to like call a guy out so substantially like that.

29:41 But I mean, when he's

29:43 when he's falling apart, he really falls apart.

29:47 And we saw it last week against Dallas, three interceptions,

29:50 accuracy issues, decision making problems.

29:53 And Belichick, better than anyone, gets gets under Zach Wilson's skin.

29:59 So I think that's where it has to start is limit, limit the run game,

30:04 the opportunistic in the passing game.

30:07 And once so this is this is a game where like

30:11 it's not just that they don't want to fall behind.

30:13 It's that they really, really want to build a lead.

30:15 The faster they build a lead, the more Zach Wilson has to pass.

30:19 The more Zach Wilson has to pass, the more likely he is to force a football

30:23 and try and play hero ball.

30:25 And then and then it spirals from there.

30:27 So you get up early, you make Zach Wilson vulnerable.

30:31 You make him sort of insecure.

30:32 You steal one of the balls from him.

30:34 And then all of a sudden, basically, you can kind of walk away with a win.

30:37 What they don't want to happen

30:41 is for the ground game to get comfortable

30:44 for the Jets to play like bully ball football

30:48 and for the defense to do actually the opposite

30:52 to to Mac Jones, where, you know, he's

30:56 I think he's a mentally strong quarterback, but he can be had

31:01 when it comes to turnover.

31:02 So, yeah, I think the Patriots start

31:06 start by kind of correcting that that mistake free or mistake.

31:10 You know, a few mistakes in the last game just kind of really like hone in

31:14 on limiting Brees Hall and Dalvin Cook

31:17 and then and then seeing, you know, how often they can fool Zach Wilson.

31:22 All right.

31:23 Now we're going to get to what they can do to the Jets defense.

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32:30 All right, Henry, last thing we're going to discuss today,

32:36 Patriots offense versus the Jets defense, how do they get it done?

32:40 Yeah, it's that's a tougher equation, right?

32:45 I think I think, you know, just like the Patriots defense

32:50 is sort of like licking their lips at at the idea of facing the Jets offense.

32:54 There's probably something similar happening in New York,

32:57 looking at New England's offense,

32:58 because while while, you know, the like it is kind of like a weird carbon copy.

33:06 I mean, let's let's not like insult Mac Jones by comparing him to Zach Wilson.

33:10 But you do have, you know, Zeke Elliott, who was sort of like

33:14 the light version of Dalvin Cook this offseason where they were two.

33:18 They're both waiting to find a team.

33:20 They're both kind of like maybe people think that they don't have it anymore.

33:24 And then Dalvin goes to Jets.

33:26 Zeke goes to the Patriots.

33:28 But then they've got their younger runners who are supposed to be

33:31 sort of the bell cows in Ramondre and Brees.

33:35 But I think ultimately the Jets defensive line,

33:40 it's it is like a pretty ridiculous group of players.

33:44 And they are sort of the core of this defense.

33:48 Guy Quinn and Williams.

33:49 I mean, they're edge players.

33:50 There are so many that they have that their first round pick,

33:54 Will McDonald, is a good player.

33:56 And he wasn't active last week just because they they liked,

34:00 you know, the matchup better for their other their other players.

34:03 So, you know, they can go they can go deep on the defensive line

34:08 and not have major quality issues.

34:12 And then, you know, you mentioned their quarterbacks,

34:15 their top two guys are really good.

34:17 Sauce Gardner dropped what probably should have been a pick six last week

34:22 against Dallas.

34:23 And that's when the run kind of went.

34:25 And I think he blames himself a little bit for that.

34:28 So he had a really good game.

34:31 It could have been could have been an even better game.

34:34 I think both

34:36 Sauce and DJ Reed are going to be looking to generate turnovers from Mac Jones.

34:42 He's got to be protective of the football.

34:44 I think, like you said, you know, maybe safety isn't their strongest position,

34:50 but it doesn't really need to be.

34:52 I think they don't have to protect their corners very much.

34:55 Both of those guys could probably be, you know, the number one corner on any defense.

35:00 So. It'll be it'll be interesting.

35:03 I think the Patriots are going to want to be able to run the ball.

35:06 I don't think they're going to be able to run the ball very well.

35:08 Like it's been, you know, these last few weeks.

35:10 And so they're going to have to start opening things up.

35:13 Probably in shotgun again, even though Bill O'Brien said

35:17 that he doesn't want to use that as much.

35:19 And so quick, quick checkdowns, the quick game,

35:23 and then maybe if things start working,

35:26 Mac Jones will start to try and attack over the top.

35:29 But I just don't think that's a good idea.

35:32 You don't want to turn the ball over.

35:34 And that's not the strength of this offense.

35:36 So I think just trying to be as methodical

35:40 as they've been for 70 percent of drives before they turn over the ball.

35:44 I think they got to start doing that for 100 percent of the drives

35:48 and just be a really grinded out, you know, methodical offense.

35:54 That's that's kind of the only way.

35:58 The second you're undisciplined against this Jets team, they take the ball away.

36:01 And if there's any, you know, clear case of that,

36:05 maybe they didn't play well against the Cowboys, but look at what they did to Josh Allen.

36:09 I mean, Josh Allen's the best quarterback, one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

36:12 And he had four turnovers and three in the second half.

36:15 Absolute meltdown against against the Jets.

36:18 So this is actually a pretty good team.

36:20 And the Patriots need to be careful.

36:23 Hopefully, this will be the first game that we do not see the Patriots offense

36:27 beat themselves would go a long way, especially considering the defense

36:31 should be able to get it done against Zach Wilson once again.

36:33 Henry, appreciate your insights, man.

36:35 Thank you so much for your time.

36:37 Please let the people know where they can find you and what great work you have coming out.

36:41 Yeah, sure. So you can look right there.

36:44 That's where you follow me on Twitter at Henry C.

36:48 McKenna. Download the Fox Sports app.

36:52 I am the AFC East writer there.

36:54 You can follow me on the Fox Sports app

36:57 so that everything that I write gets pushed to your phone.

37:00 And I will be writing all sorts of good stuff this week,

37:05 including a little look inside the Brennan Schooler

37:08 blocked kickoff or excuse me, blocked field goal.

37:12 And sort of maybe whether that might be something teams try and replicate,

37:16 whether they can replicate it or whether it was sort of like a flash in the pan.

37:20 So, yeah, keep an eye out for that one.

37:23 I'm looking forward to that.

37:25 Thank you again, Henry. Appreciate you.

37:27 Appreciate everybody else for watching.

37:29 Take care of yourselves. Take care of each other.

Patriots vs Dolphins Recap + Look Ahead to Jets w/ Henry McKenna | Patriots Daily

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