Knee Jerk Reactions to Week 10: Patriots vs. Buccaneers

...sacrifice, and unwavering fidelity to both the nation and fellow Marines. 

#USMC250 #SemperFi #USMC 

Things to consider while wishing a happy 250th birthday to (according to the sign above the door in the recruiting office my son went to) the greatest fighting force in the world, the United States Marine Corps:

--Let's begin by pausing for a moment to appreciate how fun all this is. We're just over a half a year since this relationship began. Mike Vrabel and his team could be forgiven if they were still in the phase of learning little things about each other. Sitting down in a coffee shop asking "What's a song you've loved your whole life and never get sick of?" or whether they prefer this cookies thin and crispy or thick and chewy. Instead, they got right to the part where they draw a dagger across their palms and clasp hands to forge a bond in blood. Figuratively speaking:

--It's been a total buy-in. Players to coaches. Coaches to players. Teammates to one another. Christian Barmore got back in the game after this and went back to wreaking havoc in the Tampa Bay backfield. Marcus Jones looked like he was lost for the game and finished it. Stefon Diggs iced it by fielding an onside kick knowing he was a deer about to be hit by an 18-wheeler. TreVeyon Henderson had his leg twisted into a balloon animal, and not only still put the game away with a huge run, he did something I've literally never seen a player do in a lifetime squandered watching football:

Which speaks not only to the fact Henderson is so fast he can find the time to check with the sidelines, he's got the situation awareness to see if they want him to score. This is a rookie who just turned 23. In the midst of breaking off his third career touchdown run. But in the moment he's not celebrating the glory of his achievement, but thinking about what his coaches would prefer he do. This is phenomenal. Just another example of how invested this entire roster is. At some point, whether it was the first day of Training Camp or whenever, they established this bond. Maybe got to the "I love you" stage of the relationship. And every day is another opportunity to make it better. Including yesterday, as they completed the sweep of an entire division:

--And in doing so, they further established their legitimacy. On the road against a Super Bowl contender with an MVP candidate quarterback. A tough, hard-fought, brutally physical war of attrition. With the No. 1 broadcast crew. A game being shown in most markets instead just another obscure regional broadcast. The Patriots are no longer LARPing as an NFL team. In 10 weeks they've matched their win total of the last two years combined. And given the rest of the league every reason to fear them:

Which is the funnest fun there is. At least in mid-November.

--And they did all of this without being carried by their own MVP-candidate quarterback. When they produced too many negative plays, committed pre-snap penalties, and put themselves in a ton of 3rd & longs. When a bad decision in the red zone cost them three points. When they yet again allowed an opening touchdown drive filled with explosive plays. When their special teams kept letting them down, with two short punts, two holding penalties, returns that couldn't get going and generally bad field position. The question I had going into the season of whether the 2025 Pats would be a team that can make the dozen or so 50/50 plays that decide every game has been answered. In the affirmative. They do it every week. It's no longer a small sample size.

--But despite a completion percentage just north of 50%, Maye gets a pass. The same one Cardinal Richelieu gave The Three Musketeers that reads, "It is by my order and for the good of the state that the bearer of this has done what has been done." Yes, he struggled with the wet ball early, missing Mack Hollins on three straight targets. And that interception went against the first thing they teach in QB School, which is keep it low on the goal line and high on the back line. Maye went middle height in the middle of the end zone to a covered receiver, when a field goal would've made it an 8-point game. But given that he was under pressure on more than half his drop backs, and was fresh from getting his head taken off by Tykee Smith and probably could've been sent to the blue canvas ER? Maye has done what has been done.

--Because he has also done this:

It seemed like Josh McDaniels plan was to give post safety Antoine Winfield a good leaving alone (he still almost had a pick) and work outside the hashes as much as possible. Here, Kyle Williams ran a crosser against Benjamin Morrison. Even with play action and a seven-man protection, Maye got drilled. But he had the ball in the air anticipating Williams coming free, and delivered a drone strike. And continued the pattern of somebody different stepping up to make a difference in the passing game. With Kayshon Boutte out, Williams got his shot. He took 56% of the snaps. And even though he was only targeted twice, he was the 2nd leading receiver on the day. This is why I didn't lose my marbles when they didn't make a move at the deadline. Why invest next year's draft capital on a wideout when they already spent last year's on Williams?

--And speaking of rookies who stepped up, let's get back to Henderson. The signs were there he was going to break one eventually. In the 1st quarter he took a pitch behind a pulling Morgan Moses, got 16 yards and was maybe one slipped tackle away from going the distance. At the end of the half, he set up Stefon Diggs touchdown with an inside zone run down to the 1. Then on the first drive of the 3rd quarter, he hit the hole on a straight power run. Michael Onwenu blew Lavonte David out of the hole, Moses blocked down on Elijah Roberts, while Hunter Henry and Hollins (acting as a second tight end) sealed off Anthony Nelson and Smith coming in off the edge. Once Henderson got through the gap he jumped to Ludicrous Speed, and it was over:

--His other touchdown run though, the one where he asked permission to give his team a 12-point lead with a minute and a half to go? That was the work of a diabolical genius. McDaniels dug up a part of Zak Kuhr's defensive line, sewed it onto his backfield, and reanimated Khyiris Tonga into a fullback. And the monster destroyed the Bucs right side to spring Henderson:

Specifically, Tonga put Morrison through the Earth's crust. Austin Hooper doubled Yaya Diaby with Will Campbell before bouncing to the second level to seal off David. The only one who came close to stopping Henderson was Jared Wilson. But the rookie knocked him to the ground and kept going. If it wasn't for that adorable cuteness of Henderson looking to the sidelines like a kid worried he's going to get in trouble, it's watching 347 pounds of Vita Vea realize he's not going to catch him and break off the pursuit. To his credit, Vea chased him for a good 20 yards before he realized he was losing about 2 yards with every stride and the gap was only going to get wider. 

--Very much to Henderson's credit, he was obviously paying attention to what Vrabel did at the end of the half:

After the game, Maye insisted he was, in fact, trying to score on that 1st & goal run to nowhere. But he never better try to take a dive in a boxing match because he's not fooling anyone with that. It woud've been a disaster of major proportions if Diggs didn't make this grab:

The decision to burn a down just to keep the ball away from Tampa would've been 4th & 2-Gate for a new generation if it hadn't worked out. If the Pats came away from there with no points, Boston sports radio would be doing wall-to-wall coverage of it for the rest of the season. Instead it just bought the coach more loyalty from the players he trusted to get it right the fourth time.

--Truly though, the bomb to Hollins was Maye's finest hour. Game on the line. Clinging to a one-score lead. Yet another 3rd & long. High leverage situation. Have-to-have-it moment. Throwing once again from a dirty pocket. He had verticals on the outside from Williams and Hollins, with Diggs in the slot occupying the single high safety. Standing on his own 32 and hitting his target perfectly in stride at Tampa's 19. Just shy of 50 air yards: 

I have a point of order. Is anyone still concerned about Maye's footwork? No? Have we moved on from that? Very well. Please continue.

--One thing we can all be legitimately concerned about though, is this business of the opponents first possession. Things are fine once they've gone through their scripted plays. But week after week it's like these coordinators are writing the script for Casablanca, it's so letter-perfect. Once they've burned through their first 15, it ends up being Michael Scott's improv class. Vrabel and Kuhr do make the necessary adjustments. It's Mike Tyson's "Everybody's got a plan until they get hit in the mouth" thing. But whatever schemes they're coming out of the locker room with, the whole league seems to be onto their tendencies. 

--I'd like to think it's as simple as them playing zone with a secondary loaded with press man talents. But that were the case, they'd simply scrap it and let Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis and Marcus Jones off the leash. For sure you wouldn't have seen Emeka Egbuka left so unaccounted for on that opening touchdown. I certainly wouldn't object to them simply assigning Gonzo to everybody's WR1:

… and let everybody else worry about everything else. But I'm just an imbecile who burps the alphabet into a keyboard. I'm no genius. In the words of Joe Theismann, "A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein."

--All that said, this defense stood its ground when it mattered most. They allowed 8 yards or less on five different drives. With a lot of 3-4 fronts with a lot of bigs on the line, including Tonga and Cory Durden. And that featured a heavy dose of Jack Gibbens coming downhill as a run force defender and limiting YAC:

It was his career game in New England so far, with 10 tackles, 5 solo, and a pass break up.

--But if I'm picking one defensive standout from this one, it's K'Lavon Chaisson. All game long it seemed like he was in the Bucs backfield and among the group that was moving the line of scrimmage on Baker Mayfield and the run game. Including this sack:

And this drive-killer that set up Henderson's second score:

Chaisson is one of those guys who was drafted high (20th overall in 2020), has kicked around the league a little bit, and finally found himself in the right situation where he's a system fit and is taking advantage of the chance to become the player the scouts thought he'd be.

--This Week's Applicable Movie Quote: "Oh, don't be silly. EVERYONE wants this. Everyone wants to be us." - Miranda Priestly, The Devil Wears Prada

--I believe in the theory that TV commercials are a window into the soul of a culture. A reflection of those of us sitting on the couch, staring at the screen. How the advertisers see us as we're seeing ourselves. I've ranted here before about how every dad in every ad is a blithering idiot whose wife and kids have zero respect for. But whoever signed off on that one where the teenage daughter walks in on her 75 year old father on the treadmill wearing the 1970s gym shorts really needs to go to family therapy and work through his/her abandonment issues. 

--Speaking of having deep psychological issues involving a father figure … Why, Mr. Kraft? Why? Am I not considered Owner's Box-Worthy?

--A two game lead over Buffalo in the division. In a position to host a playoff game for the first time in the post-GOAT era. One of the easiest schedules in the league the rest of the way. The frigging Jets coming to Gillette Thursday. The MVP of the first 10 weeks at quarterback. The skill position rookies suddenly beginning to emerge. This is indeed the mood.

--I'll end with this. 

"The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps!" - Eleanor Roosevelt.

Happy birthday, Devil Dogs.