The Patriots passing game is looking for a spark, and they might've found one in second-year wideout DeMario Douglas last week.
Last season, Douglas had the most receptions (49) and receiving yards (561) for a Patriots rookie wide receiver since Terry Glenn in 1996. If you went to training camp this summer, Pop was clearly the Pats most dynamic pass-catcher. Despite the positive momentum heading into year two, Douglas only had two touches for 12 yards in the first two games.
Following an overtime loss to Seattle in Week 2, Douglas's comments, in which he expressed frustration about not being targeted in the loss to the Seahawks, drew headlines. Some responses to his frustrations were that the Patriots need more than just Douglas to be a viable passing offense. Still, he's currently their top receiver, so the onus was on offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt to get the shifty wideout the ball.
To the Pats OC's credit, Douglas was more involved last Thursday night. Although it was in a losing effort, Pop was a bright spot vs. the Jets, finishing with 78 yards from scrimmage on eight touches, and you saw a plan forming from Van Pelt to utilize his skill set.
Speaking to Patriots.com this week, Douglas clarified his comments following the Seahawks loss and discussed building on his Week 3 performance.
"I didn't want to speak on game day, but that's because you, what do they say? Listen quickly and be slow to speak," Douglas said. "A person who is used to touching the ball doesn't touch the ball, of course, you're going to be frustrated. That day we didn't win. If I didn't touch the ball but we won, you wouldn't see that, you know? It's not all about touching the ball."
"That's not me. I'm the biggest team player. If you ever see me on the sideline in a game, I'm the biggest team player. I'm never the one to ask for the ball. I never said anything about getting the ball that game. I never asked. Just go out there and play. Whatever coach asks me to do, I'm going to do," Douglas continued.
After his remarks after the Seattle game, Douglas jokingly said his mother was concerned, blowing up his phone to check on her son. For those who are around the 23-year-old often, Douglas wears a permanent smile on his face, so it was surprising that he was low energy that day.
"My momma asked about it because it was in a TikTok video. I said you thought I was depressed? I'm not depressed. I know how to play the next play. I gotta have that mentality, play the next play mentality," Douglas told me.
Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett was asked about Douglas' comments in an interview with WEEI radio. As the veteran often does, Brissett had his young receivers' back and even agreed with Douglas' frustrations.
"I'm glad he's frustrated. If he wasn't, that would be more alarming than him not getting the ball, to be honest with you," Brissett said. "He's a dynamic player, and me as the quarterback, I have to find ways to get him the ball."
Getting to the film from his promising performance against the Jets, Douglas explained that it started during the practice week and that it was an unspoken thing with the coaching staff that he'd be more involved last Thursday night. The coaches didn't specifically meet with Douglas about his role, but it was understood that he needed more opportunities.
"They didn't really come up to me. I guess they already knew. Just watched the film and just put it in the game plan," Douglas said. "I was blessed to touch the ball. I love touching the ball. It just came back to practice. Just work hard and end up touching it more."
One package the Patriots have installed for Douglas uses the bursty wideout in orbit motion. Orbit motion is where the receiver motions behind the quarterback, like orbiting a planet, to stress the defense. Teams will send receivers in motion to give them the ball in the backfield, give them a head start into their route, or as a decoy. According to NextGen Stats, Douglas has motioned at the snap a team-high 17 times this season.
Last week, the Patriots ran a play they've been working on in practice for a few weeks. After faking an inside handoff to RB Antonio Gibson, QB Jacoby Brissett pitched the ball to Douglas, essentially blocking a crack toss play with Douglas as the ball carrier. With rookie wideout Ja'Lynn Polk executing the crack block on the play-side end, LT Caedan Wallace pulls out in front as a lead blocker, and Douglas gains nine yards.
In Week 2, New England used Douglas as a decoy in their orbit motion package featuring the second-year receiver. This time, Brissett fakes a handoff on a trap-run action and pumps to Douglas in the flat after he motions to bait the defense into flowing toward the left. Then, with WR KJ Osborn clearing out the right flat with his route, TE Hunter Henry sneaks out into the pattern for a screen pass that gains 35 yards.
"That was good. We practiced it probably like two weeks before and then we finally got to run it. I was excited to finally get to run that play," Douglas said of his nine-yard rush last Thursday.
As for the screen explosive to Henry, Douglas sees the method to AVP's madness when the Patriots offensive coordinator uses him as a decoy, saying, "I'm taking somebody with me. Somebody has to stay with me, and then probably the play that they don't stay with me, it's gonna be a home run play for me. Just being the decoy to help a play might help me."
Although the orbit motion package is fun to study, it wasn't Douglas's biggest play in the game. Douglas's longest catch, a 22-yard gain, was Brissett's longest completion in air yards of the season (18.1 yards). With the Patriots using play-action to dress it up, the concept is sometimes called "knife" in the West Coast offense. Douglas runs the inside crosser, or a "B-Line" route, while the outside receiver runs a dig. The Jets defense plays man coverage, and Douglas separates from CB Michael Carter II on the completion.
"We've repped crossers so many times to where I heard the play, I got excited," Douglas said.
With the offense having issues in pass protection, the Patriots could also benefit from hitting Douglas on quick-hitting routes to get the ball out of Brissett's hands faster. The Pats quarterback found Douglas on two hitches and a slant for 26 of his 69 receiving yards. Douglas had six catches on slants for 62 yards in his rookie season but registered his first slant reception this season against the Jets.
"That's a good play to hurry up, catch it, and get down just in case we need a time out. Just to kick a field goal," Douglas said of his 12-yard slant reception before halftime.
Lastly, Douglas's final catch was from third-overall pick Drake Maye. Maye entered the game late in the fourth quarter and found Douglas for a fourth-down conversion. With the defense in a quarters coverage, the middle of the field opened up for Douglas, and Maye made a nice play to lead Pop onto the other side of the linebacker for a 15-yard completion. New England's brass hopes that was a glimpse into the future for this offense.
"That was a good ball. Getting some good plays on film, so whenever he comes in, he can rock out. So it's a good feeling," Douglas said. "[Maye is] definitely progressing and getting comfortable. He has some energy, and you definitely feel like he knows what he's doing."
This season, the Patriots rank dead-last in passing yards per game (102.0). However, the efficiency metrics are a bit kinder to New England's passing offense because they also are 25th in average pass attempts (25.7), which impacts their raw numbers. Still, the Patriots are a subpar 24th in expected points added per drop-back, so it hasn't been good enough by any statistical measure.
There are several factors contributing to the Patriots passing struggles. Mainly, according to Pro Football Focus, Brissett has been pressured on a league-high 46.4% of his drop-backs. Brissett also struggles sometimes with holding the ball too long in the pocket, and the play-calling could improve as Van Pelt grows into his new role.
Ultimately, the Patriots offense needs more than Douglas finding his stride to become more dynamic through the air. However, getting one of their best offensive playmakers going was a positive step for the passing game they'll hopefully build on moving forward.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
