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Kyler Murray and the Patriots Do Not Mesh

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Kyler, the Heisman-winning quarterback from Oklahoma, remains the biggest question of this year’s draft. His future landing spot remains completely unknown. And although Murray will certainly be picked in the first round, the question of when remains to be seen.

Untraditional Quarterback

Murray might be the hardest quarterback some scouts have ever been asked to evaluate.

His decision-making and judgement can be so blatantly wrong at times, yet he will still make a play or get a completion.

He is the farthest from traditional one could find, yet the most successful out of his class.

Kyler Murray holding the Heisman Trophy he won for his phenomenal performance this last season

The Positives of Kyler

The Oklahoma quarterback can only be described as a paradox.

Some parts of his game should make him the undisputed QB1 of the class, yet other parts defiantly scream risk. Murray’s strong suits are listed below:

  • Fantastic runner, potentially one of the faster QBs to ever enter the NFL
  • Incredible arm strength
  • Great touch and anticipation
  • Ability to extend the play with his feet, evades pass rushers with ease
  • Quick release
  • Tremendous poise
  • Elite physical skills
  • Has displayed pin-point accuracy on several occasions
  • Relatively good ball security
  • Relatively good pre-snap adjustments

The Negatives of Kyler

The issues in his game glaring, just like his strengths. His strengths and weaknesses pop right off the screen.

Kyler’s biggest struggles are listed below:

  • Untraditional, not sure what offense he could fit into
  • Sometimes looks confused or lost out on football field, seems unprepared for certain defense schemes at the college level
  • Only a one year starter
  • Sloppy mechanics
  • Overthrown footballs a problem at times
  • Sometimes relies too much on his legs and playmaking ability, struggles to understand his limits at times
  • Stares down receivers
  • Mechanics and attention to detail do not appear strong
  • Makes some completions that would not happen at a Pro level
  • High risk and big investment for a Pro team
  • Durability for a player of his size and potential work load might be a problem at Pro level

Most television personalities are saying that Kyler will be a top ten pick, however, I personally would not take that so seriously.

What makes him such a risk for a pro squad?

The biggest concern out of that whole list for NFL teams will be the “High risk and big investment for a Pro team” point, but not his size. The size argument on him being able to see over his line will be something that will be heard more but will not hold much of a solid argument.

One throw that Kyler consistently impressed on this year was a short shallow cross, which is a difficult throw for shorter quarterbacks.

Kyler’s height will not be the issue for pro teams, however the time, energy, and resources that a team would have to put into a boom or bust product like Kyler are incredible.

Luckily for Murray, more pro teams are starting to adopt some college concepts in their offenses, but that may not be enough.

An offense would have to fully commit to Kyler, and have the resources to build around him. The first mistake for a pro team would be plugging him into an already established offense.

Just throwing Murray into a system of such nature would fail him from the start and basically cripple an extremely bright future.

Kyler + Patriots = Potential disaster

Patriots fans might want Kyler Murray, but he just simply would not work at this time.

Murray’s career being put on hold for Brady would be bad for both the Patriots and Kyler.

The Patriots would be benching one of the faster quarterbacks to ever enter the draft. That speed would only last at that level for so long.

The potential of Murray turning to baseball if put on hold would be very high, which the last thing the Patriots would need is a John Elway-like situation.

Kyler Murray was a first round draft pick for the Oakland Athletics

The Patriots also have too many pressing needs that taking a risk like Murray would be way to dangerous and could cost jobs.

Patriots would not be able to invest in Kyler becuase of Brady’s longevity and while McDaniels could potentially make Kyler work in New England, Brady gets in the way.

Kyler can work for other squads, but not the Patriots

Kyler might slide farther than the TV personalities think due to his high risk and the big investment required.

While Kyler might be a top ten talent, many pro scouts do not know that Kyler is a trendsetter or a game changer.

The boom or bust product out of Oklahoma seems to have a lot of promise, and could potentially get over some of his negatives with the right team and supporting cast. The right team could turn Kyler into a pro bowl caliber quarterback.

Unfortunately for hopeful Patriot fans, your team will likely not be one to swoop in and take on this extremely risky and expensive project.  

How Did it Happen? Patriots are Atlanta Bound

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At almost every turn this regular season, the Patriots found themselves doubted. Constantly counted out and disregarded, teams went to play them with a higher level of confidence than years prior. Now, they head to Atlanta where they are currently three point favorites against the Los Angeles Rams. 

Gameplan

Yesterday was a marvelous performance and featured phenomenal execution. The gameplan on offense was really no secret. The plan going in was to establish the run game, create unpredictability in the playcall, and most of all dominate the time of possession to keep the ball out of the hands of Mahomes. 

Coaching 

The coaching was stupendous however not flawless. Some questionable playcalls and decisions almost cost them the game on both sides of the ball, but that happens in the NFL. On the flip side, the coaching staff for Kansas City appeared blatantly unprepared for this game. The Patriots game plan came as no surprise to even some of the most casual fans, yet Kansas City struggled to stop the run on almost every try early in the game. Virtually every run in the first and second quarter broke for nice gains into the second and third levels of the defense. 

Defensive Line

The Chiefs failures to stop the run early on killed their chances to get anything going in the first half. Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs might want to look at the tape from this game and look at how one dimensional their offense became. The depleted running attack forced Mahomes to throw. Andy Reid and the staff did him no favors by calling almost exclusively medium to long ball plays. This only made the job easier for Patriots pass rush, who was steamrolling an offensive line, going after a quarterback holding onto the ball for too long. Trey Flowers and the crew had big games attacking a offensive line that was pretty solid this season.

Long Drives 

The long, sustained drives that the Patriots put together early in the game were just pure football art. The mix of run and pass had the defense guessing wrong almost every time in the first and second quarter and allowed for the Patriots to hold the Chiefs offense to zero points in the first half. Complementary football at it’s finest.

Tommy Boy 

Also, of course, how can anyone forget? Tom Brady. How does Brady continue to put together these wins late in the game, seemingly by himself. Sure the offensive line was spectacular and Edelman and Gronk played big roles in the final two drives, but Brady put on a clinic by marching down the field twice to go ahead on both occasions. Name another quarterback who deserves to even be mentioned in the same sentence as him. It might take a while. 

Chris Amendola

It was encouraging to see Chris Hogan make some of the plays he did late in the game, which only inspires hope for Patriots fans that he can take on the Patriots’ Playoff Amendola role. 

Offensive Line and Running Game

The offensive line as mentioned before was marvelous. They did a great job, paving the way for Michel, White, and Burkhead to run where they wanted at will. The question remains to be asked of where this offensive line and team would be without re-hiring Dante Scarnecchia back in 2016. 

Roberts and Kyle Van Noy 

The last real encouraging performance was the performance of Kyle Van Noy and Elandon Roberts. Two frequently unappreciated linebackers went and put together some nice plays and tackles to make things difficult for Mahomes and company. Van Noy’s performance was especially impressive and very encouraging going into the Super Bowl against a very good running game.  

Stage set in Atlanta

Now, Brady and company will head off to Super Bowl 53 in a highly anticipated matchup versus the Los Angeles Rams. Hopefully, the Patriots can follow the pattern of the Red Sox and themselves, who both beat LA teams earlier this year (Dodgers and Chargers). Regardless of the outcome of this Super Bowl bout, it is hard to see the Patriots going down without a fight. 

Tune in: Sunday, February 3rd, 2019 

6:30PM 

Mercedes-Benz Stadium 

#BEATLA

The Patriots and the Pony Express

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Some remember the famous “Pony Express” from Southern Methodist University. This was when Craig James and Eric Dickerson dominated the college football world.

Rumblings have indicated the Patriots will unveil their own Pony Express, due to the Chargers weak linebackers, and inabilities to cover running backs in the passing game.

The Patriots Pony

When saying pony, this means something a little different than just two running backs splitting time. A pony formation entails a two running back set, meaning some combination of Michel, White, and Burkhead.

The expectation is that the Patriots will use running back heavy sets to exploit the weaknesses in the Chargers defense.

James White & Rob Gronkowski

The Patriots have had great success this season with James White. He seemed to be a key to victory in several games for them. This leads many to key in on his involvement Sunday, as he could draw more attention from Chargers defenders. This will lead to more opportunities for Michel and Burkhead.

The beauty of the Patriots offense is the Chargers do not have the personnel to match up against the running backs and Gronkowski. Gronk had an uninspiring season, but the Chargers lack the personnel to cover both Gronk and the running backs. This could lead to either the backs or Gronk finding themselves open in Sunday’s game. The Chargers do not have four Derwin James clones at their disposal, the likely match-up with Gronk.

Danger For The Chargers Defense

With the concerns of Gronk and James White for the Chargers, the pony formations could be too much to handle. The possibility of the Patriots breaking out those two running back sets ,with the emphasis on Gronk and White, leave another running back matched up against a linebacker. The danger this Chargers defense is playing with is unprecedented.

A defensive adjustment to take care of the running backs out of the backfield would take away some of the best Chargers pass defenders. This could free up Gronk and Edelman, or even dark horse characters like Chris Hogan or Phillip Dorsett.

It is yet to be seen what the game plan will be going into the game Sunday, but the Patriots will have many ways of creating mismatches against the Chargers’ defense. Be fully prepared for the Patriots to unleash their version of the Pony Express on Sunday.

DFS Fantasy Notes

Also, for those DFS fantasy fans, I would call the Patriots running backs potential plays for this weekend. White is priced at $7,500 on FanDuel and $5,100 on DraftKings. Michel is priced at $6,600 on FanDuel and $4,700 on DraftKings. Burkhead is priced at $5,500 on FanDuel and $3,600 on DraftKings.

If you have any comments or questions, feel free to message me on Twitter @maxleemcauliffe

Who will replace Flores and McDaniels if they leave?

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Both Brian Flores and Josh McDaniels have generated interest from multiple teams to be their head coach. The Broncos, Browns, Packers, and Dolphins have requested to interview Flores for their head coaching positions, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. In addition, the Packers and Dolphins have requested to interview Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Schefter reported.

The Backstories

Photo Courtesy of Getty Images

McDaniels has been with the Patriots for all 5 of their championships as some form of assistant, coach, or coordinator. He took a head coaching job in 2009 and spent two seasons with the Denver Broncos. After an incident, he was fired and was eventually named the Rams offensive coordinator in 2011, before returning back to the Patriots. McDaniels was originally going to take the Colts head coaching job last year, but had backed out of it last minute. He is currently the highest paid offensive coordinator.

Flores has also been with the Patriots as some form of assistant, coach, or coordinator since 2004. This year, he has taken over the Patriots’ play-calling duties on the defensive side.

Homegrown

Can you sense the pattern? The Patriots find and promote their coaches from within for the most part. So, with this in mind, who is next up after McDaniels and Flores?

Chad O’Shea, Wide Receivers Coach

Photo Courtesy of Getty Images

O’Shea has been with the team for nine seasons, and it seems like the Patriots have been planning for him to move up the ladder at some point. Last year, he called plays in the preseason as it looked like teams might go after McDaniels. Belichick has high praise for his abilities as a coach and mentor.

“Chad’s an excellent teacher (and) a very good fundamental coach,” Belichick said recently. “He has a good relationship with his players, has a good relationship with all of the staff members and is easy to work with…He comes from a football background — of course, his dad, Mike O’Shea, is one of the great trainers in his profession of all time…Chad’s done a really good job for us.” (BSJ 2019)

O’Shea is the most obvious candidate for the offensive coordinator job if McDaniels leaves.

Options for Defensive Coordinator

The choice for the next man up for the defense is not clear. Outside of Flores, the longest-tenured defensive coach with 10 seasons with the team is cornerbacks coach, Josh Boyer, if the front office goes on seniority. Obviously, Steve Belichick, the safeties coach, is an option too. However, Bill Belichick could also go without naming a defensive coordinator for the season to maybe allow the defensive staff to develop more, if that is what he sees fit.

Photo Courtesy of Getty Images

Now, those were all internal options. Externally, it is hard to pinpoint who exactly the Patriots would go after. One option is Greg Schiano, who is the defensive coordinator for Ohio State. It is reported that he and Bill Belichick have a good relationship, and that he was wooed by the Patriots in early 2018 before deciding to remain at Ohio State (NBCSports 2018).