SBK Edge Rush: Patriots may relish the chance to spoil Fins' fun

The opening week of the NFL season has unlimited variables as the pre-season offers very few substantial clues as to how a team’s campaign will ultimately pan out. 

Many sides have new coaches and coordinators, and every team has a plethora of new players - although some have gone through more considerable change than others. It can also take time to get into a groove, individually and collectively, so the early iteration of any side could be markedly different from the version we see in December and January.

Under Bill Belichick, the Patriots are perhaps the best example of a team that typically improves as the campaign progresses. Contrast them with the Kliff Kingsbury-led Cardinals, for instance, who in recent seasons have been the equivalent of the boxer who begins aggressively and wins the early rounds, before running out of gas way too soon.

Should we write off the Patriots?

The Patriots are an intriguing proposition this year as they have been almost uniformly written off. This dismissal of the team’s chances does have some merit given they possess a roster that looks weaker than last year’s, never mind the classic Patriots sides from the last two decades. 

Belichick has faced an exodus of locker room leaders and introduced a highly confusing offensive coordinator setup, elevating the much-maligned and defensively minded Matt Patricia into a play-calling spot. He’ll be joined by another Belichick protégé, the freshly returned Joe Judge, who is a special teams specialist by trade. 

The baffling move to replace the highly successful Josh McDaniels, who became head coach of the Raiders in the off-season, with this tag team appears on the surface to be a decision that’s harder to unpick than an episode of Twin Peaks. And I haven’t even begun to mention the worrying lack of top-tier playmakers, an issue further accentuated by their free-spending frenzy in free agency. 

But this is Bill Belichick we’re talking about, the greatest of all NFL coaches and master of situational football. Time and again he has elevated average players into champions, or taken also-rans and made them essential. So who are we to (Joe) Judge until we see it play out, even if the scepticism levels are almost off the charts. 

Of course, the Pats have a sophomore quarterback in Mac Jones who led the team to playoff football in an impressive rookie season. They won’t lean heavily on him, though. Expect an unreconstructed, old-school, run-first output that will grind teams down on both sides of the ball. That style in itself is innovative in this free-wheeling, jet-sweeping and pass-happy era of the NFL. 

McDaniel ready to spark life into Miami

The Pats’ opening-round opponents are divisional rivals the Miami Dolphins, who on paper are the diametric opposite to New England. They have a rookie head coach, Mike McDaniel, who is very much a hipster appointment in a league where young-gun coaches are all the rage. 

Already known for his cutting-edge concepts, McDaniel was instrumental in propelling San Francisco’s Deebo Samuel from promising rookie to interstellar superstar as offensive coordinator of the 49ers last year. 

The Fins have backed both McDaniel and his new quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who’s in a make-or-break season after an injury-hit start to his pro career, by adding game-changing burner receiver Tyreek Hill. The former Chiefs wideout will form the quickest tandem in the game with fellow speedster Jaylen Waddle. 

Miami have also made a canny addition to the offensive line in Terron Armstead, a three-time Pro Bowler. Their ground game has seen its own shake-up thanks to the signings of the underrated and highly talented pair of Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert. Meanwhile, Mike Gesicki is a top-five tight end and receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr is another shrewd signing who had an effective year at Dallas in 2021. 

Does this make Miami Super Bowl contenders? Possibly not, but it does ensure they’ll be one of the most watchable teams in the NFL. And I mean that in a positive, ‘What the hell is going to happen next’ kind of way, as opposed to the, ‘My God, what is this Sharknado-esque shambles that’s unfurling in front of my eyes’ kind of way. 

Of course, the wild optimism of Fins fans may disappear at the very first hurdle. As Mike Tyson once said: ‘Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.’ If the Pats can’t be serious title contenders this season, maybe they’ll relish the chance to spoil the Dolphins’ fun instead.

To listen to the weekly SBK Edge Rush podcast on The Nat Coombs Show, click here