Patriots’ Bye Week Grades
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Quarterbacks: B-
Tom Brady has been far from the "normal" Tom Brady in 2013. Through the first nine games Brady has completed just 57.1 percent of his passes, much lower than his career 63.3 percent. Brady has honestly been average for much of the season, throwing 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. He moved his stock up to a B- with his fantastic 432-yard, four touchdown performance in a Week 9 win over Pittsburgh.
Running Backs: B
The Patriots running back corps have had a lot of peaks and valleys through nine weeks. Shane Vereen looked poised to become the top back following a 101-yard Week 1 performance. That was before he broke his wrist and has been on injured reserve with designation to return since. Stevan Ridley has showed in spurts that he can be the top back, but has also struggled with fumble problems and has appeared to be working to regain the trust of the coaching staff. Both Brandon Bolden and LeGarrette Blount have showed small spurts of good running, but have not been able to sustain success. Overall the performance has been good, but a little more consistency would be nice from the group.
Wide Receivers: C+
It was well documented throughout the offseason that Tom Brady would be working with an almost completely new receiving group. The transition has been tough for both Brady and his receivers. The newest addition Danny Amendola has been hurt for a majority of the season, although he has looked good in his short time on the field. Julian Edelman has been the most consistent threat for Brady. But the biggest story has been the level of comfort between Brady and his three rookie receivers: Aaron Dobson, Kenbrell Tompkins and Josh Boyce.
While Boyce has struggled to find playing time, both Dobson and Tompkins have seen a great deal of time. Both have had good moments and bad. For the early part of the season it appeared that the undrafted rookie Tompkins had the advantage, catching four touchdowns, including the game winner over the New Orleans Saints. Yet in recent weeks Dobson has become Brady's go-to target. Both have struggled with drops throughout the season, but appear to be coming along as the season progresses.
Tight Ends: D
The return of Rob Gronkowski brought up the grade for the tight ends, which is saying a lot to how much the position has changed in one year. While tight end was the focal point of the offense in 2012, it has been an afterthought through most of 2013. Through nine weeks, tight ends Michael Hoomanawanui and Matthew Mulligan have caught just 10 passes and one touchdown (the touchdown being a 1 yard pass to Mulligan on his only catch of the year). Since Gronkowski's return just three game ago he has already brought in 19 catches and a touchdown. Gronkowski will be an obvious focal point of the offense going forward, but the position overall has had a rough season.
Offensive Line: B
The offensive line has not been perfect, but it has at times been the strongest group on the field for the Patriots. Even through the loss of right tackle Sebastian Vollmer to a broken leg, the offensive line has been solid. There has been struggles at times protecting Tom Brady but the blocking has been consistently above average throughout the year.
Defensive Line: B
No single unit has been as ravaged with injuries as the defensive line. Both Vince Wilfork and Tommy Kelly are on injured reserve, leaving undrafted rookie tandem Chris Jones and Joe Vellano to step in and take on a huge role. Both have done a pretty good job considering the circumstances, although teams have been able to run better on the Patriots since the loss of Wilfork.
On the outside, Chandler Jones has started his rise to being a dominant pass rusher. Jones already has 8.5 sacks and is looking more and more like the pass rusher that Patriots fans have been looking for. On the opposite side of Jones rookie Michael Buchannon has been a nice surprise for Patriots fans with two sacks and Andre Carter has helped since signing with the team, adding a sack of his own.
Linebackers: C
The Patriots line backers have, for the most part, done a good job filling their holes in run support. This is the strength of the unit. Their pass defense on the other hand has been bad, especially since losing Jerod Mayo for the year to a torn pectoral muscle. Dont'a Hightower, Brandon Spikes, Dane Fletcher Rob Ninkovich and Jamie Collins have struggled all year to cover opposing tight ends and backs.
Ninkovich, however, has been the bright spot for the linebackers. His strong play against the run and three sacks have even helped Ninkovich be named a defensive captain in the absence of both Vince Wilfork and Jerod Mayo.
Defensive Backs: B+
With Aqib Talib on the field, the defensive back unit has easily been the best unit for the Patriots. He allows the Patriots to use Alfonzo Dennard as the number two cornerback with Kyle Arrington, Logan Ryan and Marquice Cole covering the slot. With Devin McCourty and a much improved Steve Gregory playing safety and Duron Harmon getting spot playing time, the unit is great when healthy.
Health has been a problem for Talib though, which has allowed teams to expose some flaws. With Kyle Arrington being moved to the outside and Logan Ryan and Marquice Cole being thrust into a larger role in recent weeks, the defensive backfield has been exposed a bit.
Special Teams: A-
There were a good amount of questions surrounding the special teams unit going into the start of the season. Could Stephen Gostkowski return to the form he displayed before 2012? Would Ryan Allen be able to fill in as a rookie punter that battled with Zoltan Mesko in training camp?
The answer to both has been yes. Gostkowski has been nearly perfect and is blasting most of his kickoffs through the end zone while Allen has an average punt of 46.4 yards and has placed 16 of his 49 punts inside the 20-yard line.
Coaching: B+
Between injuries and roster turnover the Patriots coaching staff has done a great job getting the Patriots to 7-2. Bill Belichick's "next man up" mentality has showed through this season more than almost any other season.
There has been some questions with play calling and a lack of quality depth at some positions, but overall the coaching staff deserves a good deal of recognition for their job so far.
Overall: B
It is hard argue with 7-2. The Patriots have not looked like the Patriots that most were expecting but they keep winning games. The season still poses some huge challenges, including an impending date with Wes Welker, Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. Only time will tell if the injuries will be too much for the Patriots to overcome, but through nine games, 7-2 should leave Patriots fans smiling.
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