Who will start Week 1? Is Bill Belichick letting the preseason play out before naming the starter in New England?
Bill Belichick is always one to maximize his advantages, even when it is not obvious. Most franchises would look at a bridge-rookie quarterback setup as a potential disaster waiting to happen. While most see weakness in instability, Belichick sees strength. Here is why.
Bill Belichick: Mum's the word on his quarterback
Will Cam Newton or Mac Jones be the Patriots' starter in Week One? By keeping the answer close to his chest, Belichick is forcing teams to prepare for two different quarterbacks with two different game plans.
With Newton, the Patriots had a run-first offense that minimized throwing the football as much as possible. With Mac Jones, however, the offense may return to an orthodoxically balanced split between running the ball and passing the ball.
This leads to two completely different game plans for the defense to run. To stop a running game, defenses must load up and stack the line of scrimmage. Basically, defenses prioritize the line of scrimmage over the secondary.
On the other hand, defenses looking to stop an orthodox offense need to make a scheme that balances their priorities on running and passing equally.
Until it is clear what the Patriots are doing at quarterback, defenses will be tasked with a logistical nightmare. They'll need to know both schemes equally well and be prepared to swap between them at will. By holding his cards close to his chest, Belichick is keeping defenses on their toes and forcing them to work twice as hard as him before the game even begins.
This could lead to burnout for the defense, leaving them mentally frazzled before the game begins. While Belichick's offense is fresh, the defense may become mentally tired early in the game after grinding all week in an effort to memorize two gameplans.
Also, when needing to swap between gameplans, unless communication is perfect, one player may get mixed up, which is all the offense would need to get an easy touchdown.
Jones or Newton?
Will Mac Jones or Cam Newton start in Week One? After watching the preseason game, the offense seemed to struggle with Newton while Jones seemed to move the ball through the air accurately. Newton's struggle for accuracy on a short little screen pass compared to Jones' solid accuracy on a deep throw down the sideline was a night-and-day difference.
If Newton starts slow next week and Jones comes out firing, Jones may find himself in the driver's seat before the start of Week One.