Full New England Patriots Awards at the Quarter Mark of 2014 NFL Season
Understandably, the New England Patriots are not in a celebratory mood at the moment. On the heels of a 41-14 Monday night thrashing at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs, the Pats now face their most difficult test of the season against the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals.
This is as adverse a situation as the Pats have seen in years, and speculation surrounding New England's demise has become frighteningly conceivable. The Patriots are not cellar dwellers, but with the players and coaching staff seemingly unsure of their direction, they are also far from the Super Bowl contenders many assumed at the beginning of the season.
Thus, think of this list not as celebration of the season's disappointing opening quarter, but rather a look at which players are likeliest to lead the team through these adverse circumstances. On a team that has mostly staggered so far, these players have shone brightest, and must continue to do so for New England to restabilize its surprisingly shaky foundation.
MVP: Chandler Jones
1 of 6
After a dismal opening game as an out-of-position 5-technique (3-4 defensive end), Chandler Jones has since turned into the Patriots' most disruptive defender.
Though he is lining up in a two-point outside linebacker stance more frequently this year, Jones' role as an edge-rusher has mostly remained constant. Indeed, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Jones has dropped into coverage just five times all year, indicating his role as effectively a 7-tech defensive end.
The third-year linebacker has significantly diversified his pass-rushing arsenal, demonstrating a greater array of counter and power moves. Consequently, Jones ranks 11th among all 3-4 outside linebackers in pass rush productivity, PFF's per-play rushing metric.
Jones also ranks 11th at the position in run-stop percentage, defined as tackles that constitute an offensive failure. The Chiefs game notwithstanding, Jones has been excellent setting the edge and funneling the running game back toward the linebackers and interior line, illustrating his value as an all-around star.
Moving forward, Jones' consistency must improve, as he has sandwiched two All-Pro-caliber performances against Minnesota and Oakland between a pair of clunkers against Miami and Kansas City. But the improvement as been visible, and in New England's two wins, Jones has arguably been a primary reason for the Patriots' success.
Best Offensive Player: Julian Edelman
2 of 6
In New England's frustratingly stagnant passing game, Julian Edelman has been the sole source of relief. Among wide receivers, Edelman has received 36 of the 76 targets, and his 92.7 quarterback rating when targeted tops the unit.
After the rapport he demonstrated last season with Tom Brady, durability has been the only concern with Edelman, as last season was the first in which he played all 16 games. However, despite an even heavier workload in 2014, Edelman has exhibited impressive toughness in taking vicious hits (particularly against the Vikings), yet continues to bounce back.
Regardless of whether or not the Pats develop a reliable secondary passing option behind Edelman and Rob Gronkowski, No. 11 will remain the primary target in the New England offense. With the added threat as a punt returner and a rusher on jet sweeps, Edelman is truly the Patriots' most versatile offensive weapon at the moment.
New England's offensive woes are pervasive, and no single player on the team (perhaps not in the entire league) would be a sufficient antidote. Still, as the offense's toughest and most reliable option, the steady Edelman is arguably the only player the unit can bank upon moving forward.
Most Underrated: Devin McCourty
3 of 6
Despite excelling in Weeks 2 and 3, the defense has had its share of issues, demonstrating shoddy fundamentals at times and failing to generate a single turnover the past two weeks. Despite that, free safety Devin McCourty has continued his ascension as one of the league's best center field safety nets.
After topping PFF's cumulative grade rankings in 2013, McCourty currently ranks 10th at the position with a plus-3.8 overall grade. In coverage, he has allowed just three receptions on seven targets for a measly 17 total yards, illustrating his value as a safety valve in New England's single-high safety schemes.
McCourty is far from the perfect safety, as his lack of size prevents him from contributing as an in-the-box run-stuffer, a la Eric Berry or Kam Chancellor. But only Earl Thomas and Jairus Byrd rival his combination of deep-half range and instincts, which provides Bill Belichick more game planning options in terms of coverage and pressure schemes.
One could argue that the coaches have not necessarily maximized that freedom, but none of that blame rests with McCourty. Though many still harbor bitter memories of McCourty's ill-fated development as an outside cornerback, his conversion to safety is a success story that has carried over into 2014.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Best Rookie: Bryan Stork
4 of 6
Bryan Stork almost wins this award by default, as few rookies have emerged as immediate contributors from New England's 2014 draft class. That's not an entirely unexpected development, as the Pats opted for long-term prospects like Jimmy Garoppolo, Cameron Fleming and Zach Moore, while first-rounder Dominique Easley is still rounding into form 12 months removed from ACL surgery.
However, Stork has fared reasonably well over 77 snaps as the starting center. The fourth-rounder has conceded just two quarterback pressures in that span, as he was one of the few linemen who held up well against Kansas City's talented front seven on Monday night.
Shockingly, Stork looks like one of the few givens on the line moving forward, especially considering how severely Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer have regressed so far. Unlike erstwhile centers Dan Connolly or Ryan Wendell, who are agile undersized technicians, Stork is an intelligent mauler, capable of making a positive impact in the running game right away.
The Patriots will likely seek to protect Stork by having a veteran guard line up next to him to aid in line calls and adjustments. Wendell received a few right guard reps at the end of the Chiefs loss, while Connolly appears entrenched at either guard position. While the rookie does not entirely cure the line's widespread malaise, his encouraging start provides some hope for the unit.
Biggest Breakthrough: Dont'a Hightower
5 of 6
After injuries led to an overextended role at the end of 2013, Dont'a Hightower has rebounded to evolve into New England's most versatile defensive weapon. Serving as a veritable "Joker" piece, Hightower has demonstrated effectiveness as a part-time pass-rusher, interior run-stuffer and coverage linebacker, though the latter duties have been scaled back significantly.
Nevertheless, the thumping third-year linebacker has thrived in a penetrating role that allows him greater license to shoot gaps. Through the first four weeks, Hightower's plus-6.1 overall grade leads all inside linebackers, and that does not include an additional plus-1.0 grade as a 3-4 outside linebacker.
So far, Hightower has accumulated 12 quarterback pressures, nearly equaling the 17 he accumulated all of last season, playoffs included. In addition, his 12 run stops puts him on pace to easily surpass the 39 he posted in 2013.
In many ways, Hightower has assumed the Swiss army knife role many assumed Jamie Collins would inherit. A thigh injury has dampened his second-year breakout potential, but even with Collins healthy the past two weeks, there has been little reason to displace Hightower from a role he has thrived in thus far.
Moving forward, it might be intriguing to see a four-man pass-rushing package of Hightower and Rob Ninkovich on the edge and Chandler Jones and Dominique Easley (or Chris Jones) inside. The combination of length, power and speed is enticing and could serve to jumpstart an inconsistent New England pass rush.
But while one may tinker with Belichick's game planning decisions, his decision to change Hightower's role as been ingenious.
Best Coaching Decision: Switching to a 1-Gapping Defense
6 of 6
At various instances, Bill Belichick and the coaching staff have outsmarted themselves at times this year.
Week 1 was an embodiment of that pattern, as the Patriots came out in a traditional two-gapping 3-4 scheme that totally contradicted the type of roster Belichick had worked on constructing since 2010. Unsurprisingly, the Dolphins exploited New England's shaky foundation in gap assignments, repeatedly picking up huge chunks with the same inside zone draw.
Belichick's switch back to one-gapping 4-3 principles has since drawn much better results, the Chiefs loss notwithstanding. Though the Patriots still usually only line up with three down linemen, even in their nickel package (3-3-5), New England's techniques along the line usually result in four rushers from traditional 4-3 gaps.
This adjustment was not a brilliant innovation, but rather an appeal to common sense. While adopting more two-gapping principles would add versatility to New England's defensive scheme, this theory is essentially useless in practice if it requires Rob Ninkovich to drop into coverage or Chandler Jones to two-gap.
A similar simplification might help the Patriots break out of their funk. Belichick has always prided himself on maximizing his player's strengths, so concepts like press-man coverage for Darrelle Revis and more routes for Shane Vereen appear to represent simple adjustments that could yield huge differences.
Boiling New England's problems down to a few issues like that is would be oversimplifying the larger issues at hand. But those tweaks would be a good start, and as Belichick attempts to steady his staggering squad, returning his players to their proven comfort zones could jumpstart this discombobulated team.
*All stats via Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
