Before the 2020 NFL season, three questions were posed for each of the 32 teams. This is the recap and answers to those questions for the New England Patriots.
If you want to look back at the previous article you can do that here.
In Stidham they trust?
Apparently not. After Tom Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and subsequently led them to a Super Bowl victory, the Patriots signed former NFL MVP Cam Newton, before the 2020 season.
Many questioned the acquisition since Newton’s skill set didn’t exactly fit Josh McDaniels offense. Newton threw just eight touchdown passes and accumulated just 2,657 passing yards. On the ground, he rushed for just under 600 yards and 12 scores.
Stidman appeared in five games with not much to show for it.
How different will the defense look?
Between free agency and players opting out because of Covid-19, the defense in New England bore little resemblance to the 2019 unit. Names like Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins, Danny Shelton and Duron Harmon (free agency), Dont’a Hightower, Patrick Chung (opt-out) didn’t suit up in Foxborough in 2020. But the defense ranked right around the middle of the league overall at season’s end. That was in large part due to the secondary play of Jonathan Jones, the McCourty twins, Devin McCourty, and Jason McCourty.
Will Josh McDaniels change his playcalling?
While Cam Newton and his ability to tuck it and run, helped the play calling to an extent. As the season progressed the play sheet became bigger and bigger with varied success. The team missed the playoffs. Offensively they ranked 27th overall. Although in terms of the scoreboard, Bill Belichek’s team was in just about every game with a chance to win late.
It will be interesting to see what big decisions are made in New England. First and foremost with the signal-caller.
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