Good, Bad, Ugly From First Half Of Patriots’ Season

The Patriots have arrived at the midway point of the season, with Sunday’s matchup against the Chicago Bears unofficially kickstarting the second half of their schedule.

It’s somewhat surprising that they’ve actually made it this far… but they have!

New England has dealt with a litany of issues on the field, in the locker room and at the podium over the last few months, but in an effort of fairness, we want to highlight all of their experiences. It’s time to talk about the good, bad and ugly from the first half of an odd season at One Patriot Place:

GOOD: YOU FOUND A QB
Drake Maye is damn good, and we didn’t even need to watch him convert on the most insane play in franchise history to come to that conclusion.

The Patriots had one real need entering this season, and despite all of the negatives we’ll get into surrounding executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf and head coach Jerod Mayo, they delivered. New England undoubtedly has the type of player you could build a winner around, and while there’s plenty of pause regarding whether that will actually happen, the 22-year-old has produced hope.

GOOD: DEVELOPING TALENT
Christian Elliss is never going to be a superstar, but he’s developed into a nice sub-package linebacker. Vederian Lowe probably can’t be trusted to start an entire season on the left side, but he would be a damn good swing tackle. Marte Mapu can be a foundational piece on the back end of a defense. Kayshon Boutte is a real person who clearly has become a dependable depth wide receiver. Maye is freakin’ sick.

The Patriots haven’t turned coal into diamonds, but they’ve found pieces for the future.

BAD: MAYE ON THE MEND
Maye’s emergence has been a huge story, but two quick injuries have cast a small cloud over his rookie season — and confirmed many of the worries people had about starting him behind a makeshift offensive line.

New England saw him suffer a knee injury in his first start against the Houston Texans, which was just two weeks before he was knocked out of an eventual win over the New York Jets with a concussion. The Patriots can’t afford to see constant bumps and bruises — especially the ones on his brain — take their toll.

BAD: LOSING… A LOT
Did we expect this team to actually win a lot of games? No, but close losses to the Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans served as not-so-gentile reminders of how far they have to go.

BAD: ALEX VAN PELT
Van Pelt has received an unbelievable amount of criticism for his play-calling, scheme and ability to make in-game adjustments — and rightfully so. The Patriots have been put in disadvantageous situations by their offensive coordinator throughout the season. Whether that is due to scheme or coaching, it has shown up on a week-to-week basis in the way receivers are running routes and offensive linemen are whiffing on blocks.

You can’t win like this.

BAD: THE HOSPITAL PATRIOTS
The Patriots currently have offensive linemen David Andrews, Caedan Wallace and Cole Strange, linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley, safety Jabrill Peppers and defensive tackle Christian Barmore on reserve lists — a group that includes four first- or second-round picks, three Super Bowl rings and 380 games in the NFL.

We aren’t even counting the guys that have already returned, either.

No Bueno.

UGLY: MAYO’S MUCH-MALIGNED MEDIA MESSAGING
Mayo didn’t earn a ton of fans with his “soft” comment following the loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars a few weeks ago, but those weren’t his only public comments to get a rise out of people.

The Patriots spent weeks walking back previous comments made by ownership, the front office and the coaching staff, and although that has slowed considerably, there still have been some “Huh!?!?” moments over the last few weeks.

UGLY: MUSICAL CHAIRS UPFRONT
The Patriots have started eight different offensive line groupings through nine weeks and made 15 different changes. U-Ga-Lee!

UGLY: WOLF ISN’T SO HUNGRY
New England had an opportunity to make moves on the margins prior to the traded deadline, but Wolf ended up whiffing on the whole. It’s something he’s struggled with through his first few months on the job — not striking while the iron’s hot — and needs to be improved upon moving forward.