Biggest Takeaways from the New England Patriots' 2014 Season
Let the 2014 New England Patriots serve as a case study in knee-jerk reactions. Even this writer is guilty as charged.
In that sense, we learned not only about the Patriots this season, but also about ourselves.
The Patriots wide receivers, once described as a "dire" situation, were among the key players in their run to the team's fourth Lombardi Trophy. The offensive line, described as "in shambles," played well enough on the big stages to help quarterback Tom Brady build his legend. Speaking of Brady, once thought to be heading toward the end of his career, the Patriots quarterback went from legend to arguably the greatest of all time with one win in Super Bowl 49.
The Patriots were left for dead. Fast forward four months, with 13 wins in 15 games, and suddenly, everything is awesome, especially when you're part of a team like the Patriots.
Here are some of the other takeaways from the season.
Run Defense Trending Upward
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In 2013, the Patriots run defense had more holes than Swiss cheese. That will happen from time to time, especially when you're crippled by injuries to the likes of defensive tackles Vince Wilfork and Tommy Kelly, as well as linebacker Jerod Mayo. That defense yielded 2,145 rushing yards allowed (134.1 yards per game) and 4.5 yards allowed per carry, both among the bottom 10 in the NFL.
Fast forward a year later, and the Patriots defense now ranks in the top 10 with 1,669 rushing yards allowed (104.3 yards per game) and just a tick shy of four yards allowed per carry.
A healthy Wilfork played a big part, and while the loss of Mayo did sting, it helped that the Patriots had already dealt with his absence once before. Another factor in the Patriots' favor was the emergence of linebackers like Jamie Collins and Dont'a Hightower. Those two stepped up in a big way to fill the void left by Mayo, filling the A-gaps by crashing downhill to help stuff runs.
With Wilfork a ripe 33 years old, the Patriots will have to start looking to add depth at defensive tackle in the coming years, but with the likes of Dominique Easley and Sealver Siliga in the fold, the Patriots have already begun developing toward a bright future up front.
Brandon LaFell Was a Missing Piece in Patriots Offense
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Brandon LaFell's story is one of the more extraordinary of the Patriots' season. The Patriots signed cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner within days of each other, and LaFell was signed somewhere in between. His arrival was lost in the shuffle of the other big moves the Patriots had made.
Like the entire Patriots offense, LaFell's season got off to a slow start but picked up right around the Chiefs game. Over time, LaFell and Brady built their chemistry and became an effective connection. LaFell caught 74 passes for 953 yards and seven touchdowns this season, and he added 13 catches for 119 yards and two touchdowns in the Patriots' three playoff games.
The Patriots had hoped that second-year wide receivers Aaron Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins would take the next step in developing into consistent perimeter threats in their offense, but Thompkins was cut in October and Dobson was placed on injured reserve in early December. That put the onus on LaFell, and he delivered in a big way.
Week 4 at Halftime Was the Turning Point in the Patriots' Season
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Question: How can a 41-14 blowout loss turn into a turning point?
Answer: When it's no longer about the performance, but about the effort.
Bill Belichick has drawn comparisons to Star Wars characters in the past, but Yoda certainly wouldn't be fond of Belichick's theory on why the Patriots were able to use their nationally televised embarrassment as a spring board for the rest of the season. Regardless of the outcome, they kept fighting, as the coach talked about in an appearance on WEEI's Dale and Holley (h/t Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com):
"I thought that was a good sign from our team that we did that — not that we played well, but we played hard.
I think at that point we all realized that if we play well and combine that with our physical and mental toughness we could be OK and we certainly saw a good example of that the following game against Cincinnati. It was a short week, we didn’t have time to sit around and feel sorry for ourselves. We were onto Cincinnati in a hurry and had a lot of ground to make up. They were 3-0 coming in here and the guys really responded.
"
From that point, the Patriots went 10-2 in the regular season and 3-0 in the playoffs.
Sometimes, the worst thing that could happen turns into the best thing that could happen.
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A Rotational Offensive Line Doesn't Work
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The Patriots offense was dicey for the first four weeks of the regular season, due in large part to a constant rotation of offensive linemen. From week to week, series to series and play to play, it never seemed like the Patriots could settle on who their five best linemen were.
An offensive line is supposed to work like a unit, building chemistry with one another so that it can tighten up on blitz protection and stunts at the line of scrimmage. That's hard to do when you don't know who will be lining up next to you on any given play.
With the likes of Jordan Devey, Marcus Cannon and Cameron Fleming seeing playing time early in the season, the Patriots appeared to be extending the preseason by an extra month with their methodology.
Many things fell into place after the Patriots' loss to the Chiefs. Rob Gronkowski began looking more comfortable on his surgically repaired knee; Brandon LaFell began looking more in-step with Tom Brady; but perhaps the most important thing that fell into place was the starting offensive line. With Dan Connolly at left guard, rookie Bryan Stork at center and Ryan Wendell at right guard, the Patriots finally had some stability up front.
Brady was sacked only 21 times in 2014, the fewest since 2009 when the Patriots set a then-NFL record by allowing only 16 sacks. Considering they had allowed 10 sacks in the first four games of the season (on pace for 40 in a season), that's quite a remarkable turnaround.
Julian Edelman Is a Top-Notch Slot Receiver
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Can we stop calling Julian Edelman a "former quarterback" now?
OK, so that discussion ended a long time ago—probably sometime amid Edelman's breakout, 105-catch campaign in 2013. And sure, opponents need to keep Edelman's history as a passer in mind (as he proved in the divisional round with a 51-yard rainbow to Danny Amendola for a touchdown).
At this point, though, Edelman has evolved into one of the best slot receivers in the game. His role in the Patriots offense is invaluable, considering Brady's affinity for short white slot receivers who can take a heavy hit over the middle and keep their legs churning.
To put Edelman's value into perspective, he finished the season on a nine-game streak with five or more receptions and had at least eight receptions in each of the Patriots' playoff games. In the process, Edelman has proved that he can be every bit the Wes Welker replacement that Danny Amendola was supposed to be.
Patriots Must Do Whatever It Takes to Retain Darrelle Revis
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There aren't very many players in the NFL like Darrelle Revis, who can shadow a team's best receiver all over the field wherever he may line up. So once you find one of those players, you better make darn sure he doesn't go anywhere.
Revis' coverage was superlative this year. The Island allowed only two touchdown throws into his coverage during the regular season and only 51.9 percent of passes into his coverage were completed, according to Pro Football Focus.
The Patriots secondary has been much maligned for years, and Revis' arrival brought stability to the group—especially in the wake of the departure of cornerback Aqib Talib during the 2014 free-agency period.
The Patriots signed Revis to a two-year, $32 million deal last offseason. There's a catch: Revis is owed a $12.5 million roster bonus this offseason, and if the Patriots don't pay him that money, he becomes a free agent. There's the possibility that he could re-sign on a new deal, but the Patriots will have to pay him an exorbitant salary regardless.
The Super Bowl is hardly 24 hours in the rearview mirror, and the Patriots already must start looking ahead.
Rob Gronkowski Is to the Patriots Offense What Oil Is to an Engine
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What a difference a 6'6", 265-pound tight end makes.
The Patriots were without the services of Rob Gronkowski in the playoffs in 2012 and 2013, and he was injured just before the Super Bowl in 2011. But in only his second fully healthy postseason, the Patriots hoisted the Lombardi Trophy.
Coincidence? You tell me.
Gronkowski is a matchup nightmare, and not even the elite Seahawks defense had an answer for him, as he recorded six catches for 68 yards and a touchdown—his sixth straight game with a touchdown. The hulking tight end notched 82 regular-season receptions for 1,124 yards and tied the San Diego Chargers' Antonio Gates for the most touchdowns by a tight end with 12.
Coming back from a torn ACL is no joke, but to do so in an eight-month turnaround and to be as dominant as Gronkowski is stellar. It's no wonder he won the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year Award. The Patriots offense hit stride as soon as he began looking fully comfortable on the field again.
Tom Brady Is the Best Quarterback of All Time
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After four Super Bowl wins, three Super Bowl MVPs and two regular-season MVPs, the debate is over. "One" may be the loneliest number, but for Tom Brady, it's the only one that matters. History will view Brady as the No. 1 quarterback to ever play in the NFL.
There may be other more physically gifted quarterbacks, but none are as meticulous about their craft, or nearly as accomplished as Brady.
His statistics may not always be the best, but he's still fully capable of putting the team on his shoulders and carrying it to victory. He gave us more proof to that point in the 2014 postseason, when he became the first quarterback in NFL history to attempt 50 or more passes in two playoff games in one season and also set a Super Bowl record for completions (against the league's No. 1 defense, at that).
Guiding his team back from multiple 14-point deficits against the Baltimore Ravens, and then a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit against the Seahawks, gave Brady two more vintage moments close to the end of his career.
Clearly, discussion of Brady's downfall was premature at best and downright laughable at worst. He's already cemented himself as the best quarterback ever, and he is not even done yet.
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