Notes From Foxboro: Michael Bennett has a chance to come back to haunt the Patriots
By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
FOXBORO, Mass. — The Patriots face a lot of major personnel tests on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. Arguably the biggest one will be for the Pats offense to contain the Dallas pass rushers – one of which used to wear their uniform.
Michael Bennett is a Cowboy now, and he’s been a good one so far. He still doesn’t play every down, but he’s seen double the playing time: 130 snaps in three games, after playing 130 in six games with the Patriots. He’s also a better fit for Rod Marinelli’s 4-3 front and one-gap scheme.
The result so far: three sacks, seven QB hits, and three tackles for loss in three games.
Marcus Cannon better be on his game on Sunday, because the last thing Bill Belichick wants is for Bennett to deliver the Cowboys a classic Revenge Game™. After Bennett grew more frustrated as the season wore on with the Patriots, he’s apparently been a bucket of sunshine in Dallas.
“I really like Michael,” said Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett in a conference call on Wednesday. “We’ve played against him a lot through the years, and he was always a very difficult guy to block, both in the running game and in pass protection. So, a lot of respect for him from afar for a lot of years, and we heard a lot of really good things about him as a guy.
“I was around him a little bit in the Pro Bowl a couple times, and he’s really transitioned very smoothly into our team. A really well-respected guy, well-respected player, and trying to understand how we’re asking him to do things and he’s done a really nice job for us.”
The Patriots can’t exactly key on Bennett in passing situations. They also have to worry about veteran pass rusher Robert Quinn, who continues to be a force with a team-leading 8.5 sacks and 15 QB hits in just eight games this season. There’s also DeMarcus Lawrence, who signed a massive five-year, $105 million deal with the Cowboys in the offseason. It would be fair if you felt queasy about the idea of Bennett coming back to haunt Belichick, because there are so many guys in the front-seven to account for that something could ultimately open up for him.
“I mean, look, they’ve got a lot of good players on their defensive line, so I don’t know how many pressures they have, but I mean, it’s a lot,” said Belichick on Wednesday. “They get ahead, they get in third down, or really any down. These guys are explosive, they’re very disruptive – negative plays, tackles for loss, linebackers are very active. [Jaylon] Smith, [Leighton] Vander Esch, probably as good as anybody we’ll play against all year. A lot of disruptive guys up front. Put them all together and it’s all a problem. It’s not just one guy, I don’t think.”
If the Cowboys do upset the Patriots on Sunday, the pass-rushing could turn out to be the No. 1 reason why. A big game from Bennett would especially sting.
Sanu missing from practice
There was a receiver missing from the media availability portion of practice on Wednesday, and it wasn’t the one who had to leave Sunday’s game with a head injury. Mohamed Sanu hit the injury report as a non-participant on Wednesday with an ankle injury.
Phillip Dorsett, meanwhile, was present during the stretching period. But he was also listed as a non-participant on Wednesday. Julian Edelman is also back on the injury report, this time with a shoulder injury. That double-pass must have taken a lot out of him. Ice up, son!
Julian Edelman of the New England Patriots throws a touchdown pass against the Philadelphia Eagles during the third quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on November 17, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images)
So that means the Patriots’ only healthy receivers as of Wednesday are a pair of rookies, N’Keal Harry and Jakobi Meyers. Since Dorsett is dealing with the concussion protocol, he’s the least likely to play on Sunday.
Gilmore impressed with Amari Cooper’s deception
As is tradition, Stephon Gilmore spoke on Wednesday about his most likely matchup. In the case of the Cowboys, it’s almost certainly going to be a shadow situation with Amari Cooper, who is on pace for 90 catches, 1,418 yards, and 11 touchdowns this season.
But it might be hard for Gilmore to simply cast a shadow on Cooper. Because as the Patriots cornerback noted, Cooper is one of the best in the league at disguising his own routes.
“If you run a go-ball he makes everything look like it’s a go-ball,” said Gilmore. “He’ll make everything look the same, and he has a good quarterback that’s throwing him the ball, that makes them better. So, I’m looking forward to it.”
Nov 5, 2018; Arlington, TX: Dallas Cowboys receiver Amari Cooper runs after a reception for a first quarter touchdown against Tennessee Titans cornerback Malcolm Butler (21) at AT&T Stadium. (Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports)
Gilmore says a lot of the same things about his opponents every week, but “He’s a great receiver” tends to ring hollow when he promptly shuts them down game after game. Cooper’s deceptive route-running is a bit of a different challenge. As two guys who could both become All-Pros this season, Gilmore vs. Cooper is one of the clear marquee matchups of the game.
A quest for ‘perfection’
Ben Watson couldn’t have been less surprised to see Tom Brady so visibly frustrated with the performance of the Patriots offense so far. As a fellow perfectionist, he … kind of enjoyed it?
“I’m the biggest perfectionist as well, we always strive for perfection – that’s what you do, you strive for perfection and that way, when you fall short, it’s usually still pretty good but there’s always something to work on,” said Watson. “I think if you go around this locker room – really if you go around many locker rooms in the NFL – they are filled with guys who are perfectionists. Otherwise they wouldn’t be where they are, because they keep trying hard and they always concede the things they did wrong and they want to be better at those. So no, I’m not surprised at all [to see Brady upset].
“It’s actually fun. It’s fun seeing him like that, because on the flip-side he does get really excited when we do things well, and when we don’t do things well he’s upset about it. Thats how it should be.”
Oct 27, 2019; Foxborough, MA: New England Patriots tight end Ben Watson blocks Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett during the fourth quarter at Gillette Stadium. (Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports)
Everyone and their mother locked in on Brady’s surprisingly despondent demeanor after the Patriots’ win over the Eagles, which moved them to 9-1 on the season. Were we expecting him to light up like a Christmas tree after a game in which he threw zero touchdown passes and posted a 67.3 passer rating? Apparently. But it’s the price of perfectionism.
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at matthew.dolloff@bbgi.com.
