Trailing Arizona 10-0 in the second quarter, the Patriots had the ball in Cardinals territory.
They had finally made a significant gain after Drake Maye hooked up with Marcus Jones for an 18-yard pass play, putting them at the Cardinals’ 35-yard line.
Then came two straight handoffs to Antonio Gibson for one and five-yard losses.
At that point, the TV cameras panned up to the box where Patriots owner Robert Kraft and son Jonathan Kraft, the team president, were sitting at State Farm Stadium.
From the looks on their faces, which projected irritation and disgust, there was no need to be a fly on the wall. The visual was obvious.
Jonathan Kraft also appeared to be taking notes during Sunday’s 30-17 loss to the Cardinals on the notepad in front of him.
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One doesn’t need much imagination to guess what he was scribbling after the five-yard loss on a run play in opposing territory. The Krafts couldn’t have been pleased by the play-calling of Alex Van Pelt at that juncture.
But that was just one snapshot in a game filled with snapshots reflecting much of what’s played out during the season for the 3-11 Patriots.
As Jerod Mayo said post-game, he must sound “like a broken record” pointing out what went wrong. It’s the same story every week.
Had the cameras panned up to the Krafts at other points during the game, the shot might not have been much different.
There wasn’t much to be pleased about.
In addition to Van Pelt’s play-calling, the offensive line flopped again.
Left tackle Vederian Lowe kept missing blocks. That was an issue right from the opening possession. Meanwhile, center Ben Brown couldn’t keep his shotgun snaps off the ground in the first half.
As for the line as a whole, it couldn’t pass block pretty much all game.
Might that have been the reason for Van Pelt’s conservative calls?
The entries on Kraft’s notepad couldn’t have stopped there.
How about receivers not being able to get open? That’s been a problem all year. And wasn’t Ja’Lynn Polk supposed to make his presence felt in this game?
He was targeted once.
How about being stopped on two straight run plays from the four on third and fourth down in the third quarter?
Might the Krafts have wondered why Maye wasn’t given the ball for a quarterback sneak, or simply to make a play – which he did later in the game with a nifty flip pass on the run to DeMario Douglas in the end zone?
Even Maye lobbied for the chance to try his luck with a sneak after the game.
“I was a good quarterback-sneaker in college. I’m a big dude. I’m heavier than people think,” said Maye, who had a six-yard rushing touchdown in the game. “So I think maybe there’s a conversation for that. I think it’s tough to stop a 6-5 dude for one yard.”
For years, the Krafts watched Tom Brady convert quarterback sneaks. Everyone knew it was coming, and he was still able to gain the yard. He was rarely stopped.
Maye has yet to be given a chance.
Then, there’s the defense. Once again, the Patriots could not stop the run. They missed tackles. And, they couldn’t make a stop in the fourth quarter or on third down (Cards converted 10-of-15) all day.
It is a broken record. Nothing changed after the bye.
It’s the same old, same old.
That included Maye being a bright light on the offense, and Christian Gonzalez providing the same on defense.
And, speaking of broken records, Mayo said something he’ll probably regret in the immediate aftermath of the game, and later try to recant.
In wake of being stuffed at the four-yard line twice with one yard to gain before turning the ball over on downs, Mayo sure appeared to be throwing Van Pelt under the bus when asked about Maye running in short yardage situations given how well he runs.
“You said it. I didn’t,” Mayo said.
While Mayo later said it’s “always my decision” the genie was already out of the bottle. That seemed like a direct shot at Van Pelt. And, another bad moment for Mayo, who’s had quite a few over the course of the year.
From top-to-bottom, the Patriots are in disarray. And, it falls back on the Krafts for not having a better plan to replace Bill Belichick.
The Patriots had one of the worst rosters in the league when Kraft let Belichick go. Filling in the blanks with a rookie head coach, a first-time GM, a first-time offensive play caller and first-time defensive play caller wasn’t very shrewd. It’s one of the biggest reasons for the product everyone is witnessing on the field.
Yes, it’s a rebuild, and not much was expected this season. But this goes beyond that. With the exception of the quarterback, there have been no signs of progress.
The Krafts don’t need a notepad to see that. It’s a complete system failure. So it’s their move. They have to decide whether to take a mulligan when it comes to the coaching staff and front office.
Their frustration is evident. Everyone has now seen the TV shot of an annoyed Robert and Jonathan in the box. How much more patience will they have before committing to a do-over? Can they possibly ride it out another year? The ball’s in their court.
