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Ladies and Gentlemen, we are officially 2 - 0 and sitting alone in first place in the AFC East. Great feeling…..Isn’t it? As for the actual game, both the offense and defense did enough to pull out a win. Sometimes, that’s all you need. On to the grades:
QB — B : Tua had a GOOD game. Not a great one. I thought the 3 high safety shell that the Pats employed forced Tua to really look further down his progression tree than he would have wanted. The interception was a bad decision and a bad throw. BUT…..Tua had some great throws too. The dime to Berrios was money. In my mind, a B is the grade here.
RB’s — B + : The RB crew had a nice game. Mostert led the team with 121 yards on 18 Carries. That’s a 6.7 yard average. I’ll take that any day. His 43 yard TD was great to watch and the hole he ran through was massive. Even Achane had a nice 15 yard run that was called back by penalty. A really good game by this group.
TE’s — B - : Durham Smythe had 3 catches for 23 yards. That’s not a performance that would typically get in the B range. However, Smythe earned his money yesterday in his blocking. He was crucial in both the running and passing games. Smythe will never go for 200 yards and 2 TDs in a game, but with the way he blocks, he doesn’t have to.
WR’s — B + : As with Tua, this was a good performance by these guys….Not a great one. Waddle had 4 catches for 86 yards and 1 of those was a very clutch reception for 32 yards and a very needed first down. I’m glad the shot to the back of his head wasn’t serious. Hill had a good game and added a TD catch to go along with his 40 yards. Berrios and Cracraft had 2 catches each to round out the group. Nice job by these guys yesterday.
OL — B + : For the 2nd consecutive game, Armstead was out with the ankle injury. Didn’t matter. 147 yards on the ground. Only 1 sack allowed. They did let up a few pressures, but all things considered, a nice job by this entire unit. One other note: The snapping issues have got to be remedied. NOW. Williams and Tua have got to figure it out before it costs us a game. Some of this is on Tua. Some of it is on Williams. Regardless, it’s gotta get fixed. ASAP.
DL — B : A good game for this crew. The sack by Wilkins was clutch. I like the workman like job done by both Sieler and Davis throughout the night. 88 yards rushing and a good pressure percentage earned them the B.
LB’s — A - : With Jaelan Phillips out the pressure on Chubb to have a good game was on. He delivered. The strip to cause the fumble was huge and took points away from the Pats. He added a sack and multiple pressures on Jones all night. AVG was huge in Phillip’s absence. A sack and helping on the game winning tackle just added to his huge night. David Long Jr. had a good game and even Baker contributed last night. Very good night for these guys.
DB’s — B : Again, a good game. Not great….But good. A few of our coverages were a little too loose for my taste, but we came up with the stops when we needed it. X with a nice pick kept crucial points off the board and contributed to the win. Apple was definitely targeted all game, he had a decent game. Holland had 11 total tackles and was active all game. It will be VERY interesting to watch this group when Ramsey gets back.
ST’s — C - : Bailey punted well last night. 3 punts for a 48 yard average is a nice night from your punter. The problem, and it’s a big one, is Sanders. His reliability has tanked. McDaniel’s coaching calculus has now changed. I’m pretty sure that from here on out, anything more than a 47 yard FG and we’re gonna be going for it on 4th down. That’s concerning to me. I’m not sure if Sanders can be fixed, but at some point he’s going to cost us a game. It’s time for Grier to do his job and replace Sanders or at the very least, bring in competition for him.
Coaching — B + : Anytime you out coach Belichick, you’re doing something well. In my opinion, both McDaniel and Fangio out coached Belichick last night and we came away with the win. A well coached game on both ends.
Conclusion — We’re 2 - 0 and still the talk of the NFL. You gotta love it. The great part is that we still haven’t had a home game. The other great thing is the Patriots are 0 - 2 and haven’t played on the road yet. Although it’s really early in the season, I’m pretty sure the Pats aren’t going to be a big threat this year. If we can win our next 2 games, we’re set up for a great year.
QB — B : Tua had a GOOD game. Not a great one. I thought the 3 high safety shell that the Pats employed forced Tua to really look further down his progression tree than he would have wanted. The interception was a bad decision and a bad throw. BUT…..Tua had some great throws too. The dime to Berrios was money. In my mind, a B is the grade here.
RB’s — B + : The RB crew had a nice game. Mostert led the team with 121 yards on 18 Carries. That’s a 6.7 yard average. I’ll take that any day. His 43 yard TD was great to watch and the hole he ran through was massive. Even Achane had a nice 15 yard run that was called back by penalty. A really good game by this group.
TE’s — B - : Durham Smythe had 3 catches for 23 yards. That’s not a performance that would typically get in the B range. However, Smythe earned his money yesterday in his blocking. He was crucial in both the running and passing games. Smythe will never go for 200 yards and 2 TDs in a game, but with the way he blocks, he doesn’t have to.
WR’s — B + : As with Tua, this was a good performance by these guys….Not a great one. Waddle had 4 catches for 86 yards and 1 of those was a very clutch reception for 32 yards and a very needed first down. I’m glad the shot to the back of his head wasn’t serious. Hill had a good game and added a TD catch to go along with his 40 yards. Berrios and Cracraft had 2 catches each to round out the group. Nice job by these guys yesterday.
OL — B + : For the 2nd consecutive game, Armstead was out with the ankle injury. Didn’t matter. 147 yards on the ground. Only 1 sack allowed. They did let up a few pressures, but all things considered, a nice job by this entire unit. One other note: The snapping issues have got to be remedied. NOW. Williams and Tua have got to figure it out before it costs us a game. Some of this is on Tua. Some of it is on Williams. Regardless, it’s gotta get fixed. ASAP.
DL — B : A good game for this crew. The sack by Wilkins was clutch. I like the workman like job done by both Sieler and Davis throughout the night. 88 yards rushing and a good pressure percentage earned them the B.
LB’s — A - : With Jaelan Phillips out the pressure on Chubb to have a good game was on. He delivered. The strip to cause the fumble was huge and took points away from the Pats. He added a sack and multiple pressures on Jones all night. AVG was huge in Phillip’s absence. A sack and helping on the game winning tackle just added to his huge night. David Long Jr. had a good game and even Baker contributed last night. Very good night for these guys.
DB’s — B : Again, a good game. Not great….But good. A few of our coverages were a little too loose for my taste, but we came up with the stops when we needed it. X with a nice pick kept crucial points off the board and contributed to the win. Apple was definitely targeted all game, he had a decent game. Holland had 11 total tackles and was active all game. It will be VERY interesting to watch this group when Ramsey gets back.
ST’s — C - : Bailey punted well last night. 3 punts for a 48 yard average is a nice night from your punter. The problem, and it’s a big one, is Sanders. His reliability has tanked. McDaniel’s coaching calculus has now changed. I’m pretty sure that from here on out, anything more than a 47 yard FG and we’re gonna be going for it on 4th down. That’s concerning to me. I’m not sure if Sanders can be fixed, but at some point he’s going to cost us a game. It’s time for Grier to do his job and replace Sanders or at the very least, bring in competition for him.
Coaching — B + : Anytime you out coach Belichick, you’re doing something well. In my opinion, both McDaniel and Fangio out coached Belichick last night and we came away with the win. A well coached game on both ends.
Conclusion — We’re 2 - 0 and still the talk of the NFL. You gotta love it. The great part is that we still haven’t had a home game. The other great thing is the Patriots are 0 - 2 and haven’t played on the road yet. Although it’s really early in the season, I’m pretty sure the Pats aren’t going to be a big threat this year. If we can win our next 2 games, we’re set up for a great year.
