A Fueled Off-season

New York Jets DE Shawn Ellis said of New England QB Tom Brady, “He becomes a different quarterback when he doesn’t have wide-open guys and you hit him three or four times. He was skittish. I’ve never seen him like that. In the first half he was terrified.”

ILB Bart Scott told ESPN that New England’s defense couldn’t stop a nosebleed.

Ready to start the off-season, boys?

It’s been three weeks since the Pats were defeated by the Jets in the Divisional playoff game. The players wasted no time packing up and getting out of Foxborough to put the embarrassing loss behind them.

Why forget? Their ears should still be ringing from all the yapping the J-E-R-K Jerk, Jerk, Jerks did leading up to the game. If the Pats want to shut New York the hell up, they have to do it on the field like past Patriot teams.

That day is a long ways from now, but the annoying trash talk should drive the Patriots to get back to work quickly in preparation of next season, whenever that may be.

There were plenty of problems exposed in that playoff loss to the Jets. Execution was poor as receivers dropped passes and weren’t in sync with Brady on some routes. The offensive line had some lapses in protection, contributing to the five sacks allowed. Brady held on to the ball, waiting for receivers to get open or he missed reads.

It was a similar story on defense. They couldn’t generate consistent pressure on Jets QB Mark Sanchez. RBs LaDanian Tomlinson and Shonne Green combined for 119 yards on the ground at a 4.4 yards per carry clip. Injuries be damned, the Pats couldn’t stop the run. And the secondary blew it whether in man-to-man or missed assignments in zone coverage.

With so many young players contributing heavily during the season, the biggest gains will be made off the field. They have to immerse themselves in homework to make the playbook second nature to them.

For receivers Brandon Tate and Taylor Price, they gotta bury their noses into the playbook from now until mini camp. Tate played his first full season while Price was adjusting from a run-first offense at the University of Ohio to New England’s wide open passing offense.

The Pats were missing a deep threat at the receiver position since the WR Randy Moss trade. The offense was plenty effective without Moss, but having explosive threats that can stretch the field would make it even better. Tate proved he has deep speed as he returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. We have to wait and see if Price can get behind the safety.

An appealing trait shared by Tate and Taylor is size. They are 6-1 and 6-0 respectively, big enough to fight off physical corners in press coverage, able to use their bodies to shield defenders from the ball when going over the middle, and can reach over the top on passes thrown high. WRs Deion Branch and Wes Welker won’t play forever. The opportunity is there for Taylor and Tate to be next in line.

To all the rookies that logged plenty of snaps, expectations will be through the roof as the general belief is players make the biggest improvement in their second season. As good as CB Devin McCourty, LBs Brandon Spikes and Jermaine Cunningham, TEs Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, DLs Brandon Deaderick and Kyle Love, and punter Zoltan Mesko were, there is a lot of room for improvement.

University of Florida alums Hernandez and Cunningham in particular have to step it up and be more consistent. After a blazing first half of the season with 34 receptions and two touchdowns, Hernandez had just eleven catches the rest of the way (with four touchdowns).

Cunningham was expected to be the pass rusher the defense lacked since Mike Vrabel’s 12.5-sack season. But after 15 games played, all Jermaine had was a strip sack against Baltimore and a pressure against Indianapolis that led to a game-winning interception. More was expected out of the second round pick.

The players know what they have to do. Whether Tate makes a jugs machine his best friend or Price goes and runs routes with Brady on the left coast. Defenders could get together weekly at Spikes’ crib and watch film. From the greenest rookie to the most grizzled veteran, they have their work cut out for them this off-season. Whether there’s a lockout or not, the players don’t need Gillette Stadium to get in shape and sharpen the mind.

Weeks later the players’ ears still ring from the trash talk. They will never hear the end of it until they strap on the pads, buckle up the chin straps, and shut down the Jets in a head-on confrontation. Brady is looking forward to standing confidently in a secure pocket and picking New York’s secondary apart. The defense will embrace “can’t stop a nosebleed” as long as they causing the nosebleeds. The Patriots want a shot to stop the Jets’ gum-flapping. They have plenty of time to get ready for that chance.

Can’t wait.