Pop Douglas has been quiet through two weeks for the Patriots. What can they do to get him going?
The New England Patriots really need to get receiver DeMario “Pop” Douglas going in the passing game. The film suggests an easy fix for that.
And there are not-so-easy fixes, as well. Obvious problems, like pass protection. There have been a number of plays where, if the Pats could block better, Douglas could get the ball and pop for an explosive play.
A less obvious, but harder fix is at quarterback, where Jacoby Brissett mostly is what he is at this stage of his career. But at the same time, Brissett knows he could stand to spread the ball around more when he drops back, as he’s tended to lock onto targets and lean too much on the likes of Hunter Henry.
“Of course you want to get everyone involved,” Brissett said Tuesday. “So, I think that’s the plan is to try to spread the wealth a little bit more this week [against the Jets].”
Douglas himself is frustrated already, and he has good reason to be. He’s played 77 offensive snaps through two games, second-most among Patriots wide receivers, and yet he’s drawn only three targets, none of which were contested, according to Pro Football Focus. Douglas has been open more often than his lack of targets would suggest.
“Pull up the film and you can tell,” Douglas told reporters Monday. “But, things happen for a reason, and whenever my time’s ready, I’m gonna show ’em.”
Based on Douglas’ most recent film, from a 23-20 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, the person that has the best chance of getting him more involved is offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt.
Douglas played 24 passing downs against the Seahawks, and on half of them, his route was five yards or fewer from the line of scrimmage. The other half were 10 or more yards, including five I’d classify as “deep” (20 or more yards down the field). Meanwhile, Brissett has attempted only four passes behind the line of scrimmage, as screens and quick-game concepts have been curiously absent.
Van Pelt appears to be calling the offense as if the Patriots can block it well enough to attack the intermediate or deep parts of the field, but they can’t. The Patriots are allowing the second-highest pressure rate in the league through two weeks (44.3%, per NFL Pro) and the sixth-fastest “time to pressure” (2.68 seconds). On top of that, Brissett is averaging the fourth-highest “time to throw” in the league (3.06 seconds).
Brissett at times has held the ball a tick too long after setting his feet, but Van Pelt is doing him no favors with the options he’s giving him down the field. One red zone play from the Seahawks game stands out in this regard (Q2, 3:22): Brissett drops back but has no underneath option, no checkdown, as everyone runs routes toward the end zone, and he’s forced to escape pressure and throw the ball away.
It doesn’t help that Rhamondre Stevenson had to stay back as an extra blocker, but Van Pelt could have drawn this up with something simpler and faster, just to get the ball out of Brissett’s hands. He simply does not have the time to wait for all four targets to get to the end zone. (They settled for a field goal this series, by the way.)
You know who would’ve made sense as an underneath guy here? The guy who wasn’t on the field, Douglas. This play exemplifies the Patriots’ multilayered issues on offense: they can’t give Brissett enough time, Brissett takes too long himself, and he often has nowhere plausible to go with the ball in the first place.
Van Pelt has to start drawing up more plays that get the ball into the hands of his playmakers faster. Douglas is the logical candidate to see more of those quick targets. Brissett also needs to be more decisive, but it would help him to give more receivers in the short areas of the field. The line needs to block better, regardless, but there might not be much there’s not much they can do there. Maybe Caedan Wallace makes a surprising difference at left tackle.
MORE: Pop Douglas staying ready despite lack of targets
Brissett can’t be left off the hook, either. Another play that stood out in the Seahawks All-22 came on the Pats’ final drive of regulation (Q4, 0:49). Douglas comes wide open on a shallow crosser, and if Brissett looks his way and delivers the ball right as he sets his feet, it’s a big gain with a lot of yards after the catch, and potentially an opportunity for game-winning points in the closing seconds.
The quarterback never looked Douglas’ way and went for the sideline, as the situation called for conserving the clock, but he threw it low and Ja’Lynn Polk caught it in bounds. Oh, and the Patriots still had a timeout, anyway.
The problem, though, is that the Patriots’ blocking woes are likely to continue all season, unless they can get to a level of being consistently serviceable. It’s on Van Pelt to accept that the Patriots currently can’t block in time to push the ball deep down the field like he wants. It’s time to work in shorter route concepts, and play-calls that force Brissett to get rid of the ball quickly, and preferably get Douglas going as well. Right now, it’s their only hope of sparking the pass game.
More in this week’s Patriots Notebook…
Wallace’s Potential
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – SEPTEMBER 15: Rhamondre Stevenson #38 celebrates with Caedan Wallace #70 of the New England Patriots during the fourth quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Gillette Stadium on September 15, 2024 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images)
The Patriots are forced to make a major change in their starting offensive lineup, as rookie Caedan Wallace is on track to go in at left tackle. As the 68th overall pick in the 2024 draft, Wallace ideally would, in fact, develop into a starter. But left tackle is a question mark for him, after he played his entire career at right tackle.
However, Wallace has shown out reasonably well when he’s been on the field in the early-going. He played 91 offensive snaps in the preseason, and has checked in for another 29 in the regular season. Over the course of the preseason, Wallace posted a solid 69.1 grade at Pro Football Focus, and an even better 73.9 through Weeks 1-2. He didn’t allow a pressure in either of his pass-blocking snaps so far.
Certainly, pass protection is the big question mark for Wallace. Based on comments from the coaching staff over the course of the summer and regular season, the biggest thing holding him back was his lack of experience. But Wallace’s talent level should most certainly exceed that of Vederian Lowe, a sixth-round pick who came to New England via trade for another sixth-rounder. Now, the Patriots have no choice but to find out what Wallace is at this stage of his career.
If he’s a serviceable left tackle? That could make a massive difference for the offense.
Ground Game?
New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (38) scores a touchdown in the first quarter of the NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (Syndication: The Enquirer)
The Patriots
First Adversity
CINCINNATI, OHIO – SEPTEMBER 08: Jerod Mayo (L) head coach of the New England Patriots greets Zac Taylor (R) head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals after the game at Paycor Stadium on September 08, 2024 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Patriots defeated the Bengals 16-10. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
While the Patriots’ coaching staff didn’t have a horrible day against the Seahawks – if they did, the way Geno Smith was playing, Seattle would’ve blown their doors off – but they certainly took a step back from what felt like a pitch-perfect afternoon in an upset win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
The coaches have things to clean up, in all three phases, at all levels. Head coach Jerod Mayo can stand to improve his end-of-half clock management. Van Pelt can better tailor the offense to his personnel. Defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington has to fix some communication issues, and avoid lapses like the one that led to the D.K. Metcalf 56-yard touchdown. Special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer needs to eliminate blocked kicks.
It’s a tough ask to expect all those problems to be sewn up in time for a Thursday night road game. But if they can show improvement from last Sunday, that’ll be a great sign for a young but suddenly promising staff.
Who Wears The Famed ‘Green Dot?’
Jul 26, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley (8) leaves the field after training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
With middle linebacker and team captain Ja’Whaun Bentley expected to miss extended time, if not the rest of the season, with a pectoral injury, the Patriots are going to have to replace him both on the field and off the field – and also on his helmet, where he wore the famed “green dot” that signified the player communicating directly with the coaches on calling the defense from play-to-play.
Safety Kyle Dugger has worn the green dot himself, and he seems like a prime candidate to take over full-time duties. But Mayo may prefer that a linebacker calls the defense, and so they’re going to need a next man up. The logical choice, here, would be Raekwon McMillan, who entered last Sunday’s game after Bentley went down.
