Zolak: How Bill Belichick uses his players to beat their former teams
As Cowboys OC Brian Schottenheimer worries about Will Grier and Ezekiel Elliot sharing info, Scott Zolak broke down how Bill Belichick uses his players to beat their former teams.
I went through it myself…
Scott Zolak: Bill (Belichick) acquires knowledge. Now, it may not be used in-game for that game. But he will go above and beyond. I remember when I got picked up by the Jets. I told you guys this story. When I got picked up by the Jets and, you know, I spent time with Bill in 1996, 1997 here. We went to the Super Bowl that year. You know, Bill was our defensive assistant, outgrows the coordinator. But I did a lot of stuff with Bill because we’d worked the cards for the scout team. But when I went down to the Jets, coming from the Patriots, I was in the weight room one of the first couple of days down there. I see Bill come in with his ripped shirt and he’s got that pencil behind his ear and he’s got a yellow legal pad and we sit down. He goes Zo come here, sit down for a second, and he sits on the weight bench and we go over the entire Patriots roster, head to toe. Positives, negatives about each guy.
More importantly, it was really about receivers, you know, which guy could get off the jam, which guy has good hips, which guy do you have to throw to, where okay he’s going to pluck it. Which guy catches the ball with his body and he’s writing all this stuff down. So that, you know, when you play a team like, hey when this guy’s out there, make sure we jam this guy because he doesn’t like to get hit. This guy’s more physical. Look out for him. This guy likes to get vertical and he does that push off with his hand, giving him all the things. All these things we would work on in practice, yeah, I gave it to him. He would write all down. There was never any, okay, when we play this team, we got this signal down. I know that stuff’s out there with (Jerome) Bettis and (Ben) Roethlisberger accusing you of the 2004 AFC title game of stealing signals. And, you know, the Teds running back and forth and getting information. I never understood that stuff in game. But Bill will go above and beyond to acquire any information to get an edge for that prep that week.
Not that you’re using it to cheat, but yeah, I know more about this guy than you think because, yeah, he took that hour and a half to sit down with me and I’m like… What the hell is he doing this for? Like, why do you ask? We’re not even playing New England this week, this is in the offseason. This guy ends up being the head coach of the Patriots eventually and not that he was doing that to learn about the team because he knew he’s going to be the head guy there, but that’s how crazy this guy is. Not crazy, but football nuts. Like, here’s an average what April, May day and he’s sitting with me in a weight room. I remember it over there in Long Island, just the gross weight room we used to have and sit there an hour and a half going over the entire old Patriots roster. Like we don’t even have them on the schedule yet, until what the second game or whatever that was. But that’s what Bill does, he requires any knowledge and hell yeah, they’re quizzing Will Grier. Hell yeah they’re going on Zeke asking about blocking schemes, run schemes, and all that stuff.
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – SEPTEMBER 24: Will Grier #19 of the New England Patriots warms up prior to a game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on September 24, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
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7 Final thoughts on the New England Patriots' Week 3 win over the Jets
The New England Patriots have wrapped up Week 3 after a much-needed win over the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Here are seven final thoughts on the game, as we turn the page to the next one…
Old vs. Young
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ: JuJu Smith-Schuster of the New England Patriots runs for a first down in the second quarter against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 24, 2023. (Elsa/Getty Images)
Despite gutting out a win against a tough defense in horrible weather, and connecting for one big play, the Patriots offense needs to score a lot more than 15 points if they want to compete with better teams than the Jets. Which, based on New York’s quarterback situation, might be every team remaining on their schedule.
If Bill Belichick is serious about his offense moving the ball and scoring points more than it has, then he needs to reconsider his wide receiver depth chart.
Belichick is, unsurprisingly, leaning on his veterans to carry the load at receiver. DeVante Parker (55 snaps), JuJu Smith-Schuster (53), and Kendrick Bourne (40) continued to play substantially more than dynamic rookie Demario Douglas (17), who has looked like their most explosive skill player in his frustratingly limited playing time.
Sept. 24, 2023; East Rutherford, NJ: New England Patriots wide receiver Demario Douglas can’t hang on to a second-quarter pass as New York Jets cornerback Michael Carter II defends at MetLife Stadium. (Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports)
Parker and Smith-Schuster are the peculiar ones. They combined to make just three catches on 24 yards in a combined 108 snaps, while Douglas had two touches for 20 yards in 17 snaps. Smith-Schuster also committed an illegal blindside block that torpedoed a third-quarter drive before it even started.
Belichick lamented the team’s continued lack of offensive production after the game, but one could argue that it’s partially his doing. There seems to be a possible solution to the problem … play Douglas more.
Ball security remains of paramount importance to Belichick and the Patriots, to be sure. So he probably doesn’t trust Douglas to protect the ball as much as he does his veterans. But wide receiver is a position where talent should trump experience much of the time. It’s at the point that the Patriots need to take the good with the bad, put up with the occasional rookie moment, and let Douglas make some plays. They desperately need playmaking.
Money Well Spent
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ: Trent Brown of the New England Patriots in action against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 24, 2023. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Trent Brown followed up news of a beefed-up contract with perhaps the best game by any Patriots offensive lineman so far this season. Not that it was hard to do. But Brown was outstanding as both a run-blocker and pass-protector, earning an elite 92.4 grade from PFF and allowing zero pressures on Mac Jones.
Brown’s presence also seemed to help the running game, especially as Ezekiel Elliott had his best game as a Patriot so far (more on him below). The offensive line is still a work in progress, but Brown was a rock.
It’s essential for this team to have Brown healthy and playing his best football, and they got that against the Jets. Brown has a massive task in front of him against Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4.
Bourne To Fight
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ: Kendrick Bourne of the New England Patriots is tackled by Jordan Whitehead of the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 24, 2023. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Kendrick Bourne was the Patriots’ best overall wide receiver on Sunday, and what stood out the most about his performance was his toughness. Specifically, his willingness to battle for extra yardage.
Bourne has been one of the better wideouts in the league when it comes to yards after the catch, an area where most others on the team have not performed well. In Week 3, Bourne ranked eighth among all receivers in average YAC above expected (2.3), an indication that he’s making plays and exceeding expectations.
It’s been a solid start to the season for Bourne, on the whole. They’re going to need all they can get out of him, if it’s not going to get much better for the other receivers.
Dual Threat
Sept. 24, 2023; East Rutherford, NJ: New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers returns a punt as New York Jets safety Ashtyn Davis pursues during the first half at MetLife Stadium. (Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports)
Douglas should be playing more on offense, but he has not looked quite ready for punt returning at the NFL level. But someone has to step up without Marcus Jones.
That should be safety Jabrill Peppers. He returned two punts for 25 yards on Sunday, while also tying for the team lead with seven total tackles. Douglas looked a little skittish on his two returns, and ran right into a good wallop by Justin Hardee on one of them. It’s clear who should be the Pats’ punt returner going forward. Peppers is off to a great start in 2023, and he can now add special teams value to his arsenal.
Get Rolling
New York Jets linebacker Jermaine Johnson tackles New England Patriots running back Ezekiel Elliott in the second half at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, in East Rutherford. (Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com/USA Today Network)
Trent Brown’s presence helped the Patriots get the running game going as much as anything on Sunday. That’s especially true for Ezekiel Elliott, who rushed 16 times for 80 yards while showing decent downhill burst.
Elliott was particularly dangerous running to the left. He carried it five times in that direction for 36 yards, a 7.2-yard clip. Rhamondre Stevenson was less effective (six yards on three carries to the left). But it’s a good sign that Brown is back and playing well, and making a real difference on the ground.
Already Elite?
Sept. 10, 2023; Foxborough, MA: New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez during the first half at Gillette Stadium. (Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports)
Three games into his NFL career, Christian Gonzalez is the fourth-highest-graded cornerback in the league on PFF (88.4). And that’s despite drawing the ninth-most targets (22).
And the rookie has responded. Gonzalez has allowed an opposing passer rating of 68.0, 12th among all cornerbacks who have played at least 50 percent of defensive snaps. And that’s while facing some of the most dynamic receiving threats in football. Is he elite? He seems to be getting there quickly.
Barmore Bounces Back
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ: Zach Wilson of the New York Jets is pressured by Christian Barmore of the New England Patriots during the game at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 24, 2023. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Christian Barmore still isn’t much more than a situational pass-rusher at this stage of his career, but what a great pass-rusher he can be. Barmore generated seven total pressures against Jets quarterback Zach Wilson on Sunday, most on the team (via Pro Football Focus). He grabbed his first sack of the season in the process. At his best, Barmore can make a big impact without having to light up the basic stat sheets.
Barmore still needs to show more consistency as an interior rusher. He was completely neutralized in Week 2 against the Dolphins. Albeit while dealing with a knee injury, but Barmore certainly looked OK at MetLife. If and when they get this effort on a weekly basis, that would be huge.
