In support of: AbleGamers
People with disabilities are at a heightened risk of social isolation, and AbleGamers knows that video games can be the perfect gateway to community participation, lifelong friendships, and unforgettable shared experiences.
Nominated by Ken Flott (@kenflott)
“I spent 14 years working in the EdTech world after Ray Kurzweil (google him) hired me as his assistant. Our software products helped people with Learning and Physical challenges; giving them access to their schoolwork, jobs and generally helping them enjoy their lives. Gaming has always been an outlet for me to put reality on hold for a while and explore new worlds, environments, stories, characters… It’s a beautiful thing. I came across Able Gamers during my time in the EdTech world while talking with a potential client. The problem we were working together to solve was back then ALL the console and PC gaming companies didn’t take into account that MANY people with challenges are also gamers and seek that same outlet. I sent her one of our alternative access PC keyboards to test on her PC for gaming… it worked! Cool right? Then we brainstormed as to how to help others and came across the Able Gamers charity and I have been working to assist them as best I can since then. It’s been about 10 years.”
#Project32 Menu
2020 Recap
Division: AFC East
2020 Finish: 7-9 (3rd in AFC East)
2020 Tendencies:
- Passing Ratio: 47% (31st)
- Neutral Game Script: 49% (31st)
- Offensive Scheme: Erhardt-Perkins
Personnel Groupings:
- 11 Personnel (1RB, 1TE, 3WR) = 53%
- 21 Personnel (2RB, 1TE, 2WR) = 37%
- 20 Personnel (2RB, 0TE, 3WR) = 5%
- 12 Personnel (1RB, 2TE, 2WR) = 2%
- 22 Personnel (2RB, 2TE, 1WR) = 1%
- 10 Personnel (1RB, 0TE, 4WR) = 1%
Coaching Room
Head Coach: Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick is not just one of the greatest coaches in NFL history, but one of the greatest coaches in sports history. In his 21 years with the Patriots he is 280-136 (.673) during the regular season and 31-12 (.721) in the playoffs with six Super Bowl victories, nine AFC Championships, and three AP Coach of the Year awards. In his first season post-Tom Brady the Patriots finished 7-9 and didn’t make the playoffs for the first time in 12 years. With several key defensive players opting out in 2020 due to COVID-19 and TB taking his talents to Tampa Bay, Belichick looks to get back to his winning ways in 2021.
Offensive Coordinator: Josh McDaniels
Josh McDaniels’ offense looked a lot different in 2020 than what we saw with Tom Brady under center in years past. With Cam Newton taking snaps in New England, the Patriots finished 27th in points scored (326), 27th in total yards (5236), 30th in passing yards (2890), and dead last in passing touchdowns (12). The Patriots did finish fourth in rushing yards (2346) and sixth in rushing touchdowns (20), but that was to be expected with a top five offensive line and a quarterback that averages 600 yards rushing per season over his career. The Patriots did draft their quarterback of the future and he couldn’t be any more different than Cam Newton. Mac Jones is a pocket passer that excels at getting the ball out quick with pin-point accuracy and a high football IQ. Sound familiar? McDaniels has more tools to play with heading into 2020 with the additions of Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith, Nelson Agholor, and Kendrick Bourne. Expect to see more 12 personnel this year and a run game that should feature Damien Harris. It’s Cam Newton’s team for now, but it will be a short leash if the team struggles to start fast.
Overall Rank: 4th/32
OL Room
LT Isaiah Wynn – PFF 82.6, Pass Blocking 75.2, Run Blocking 81.8
Isaiah Wynn was a first round draft pick in 2018 coming out of the University of Georgia. He never played a down for the Patriots his rookie year after he tore his Achilles in the first preseason game. In 2019, he played over 500 snaps and finished with an overall PFF Grade of 70.7 ranking 33rd out of 81 tackles. Wynn continued to build off that momentum in 2020 finishing 11th in overall PFF Grade and 11th in Run Block Grade out of 79 tackles.
LG Michael Onwenu – PFF 84.3, Pass Blocking 72.5, Run Blocking 84.9
Michael Onwenu, a sixth round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, showed great versatility as a rookie playing 112 snaps at left guard, 185 snaps at right guard, 616 snaps at right tackle, and even sprinkled in another 14 snaps at TE. In those 927 snaps he only allowed 3 sacks, one hit on his quarterback, and 14 total pressures. He should move back to the interior of the offensive line with the signing of Trent Brown, who is expected to slot in at right tackle.
C David Andrews – PFF 67.7, Pass Blocking 56.4, Run Blocking 69.9
David Andrews signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent back in 2015 and has been the glue on this offensive line ever since. There was a time at the beginning of the off-season that the Patriots were going to lose Andrews during the free agency period, but the two sides were able to get together and ink out a four-year deal. Andrews is a four-time captain and will continue to lead this group into the 2021 season.
RG Shaq Mason – PFF 85.4, Pass Blocking 60.5, Run Blocking 88.1
Shaq Mason enters year seven with the Patriots as one of the best run blockers in the NFL. He is an absolute mauler at the point of attack and finished sixth in Overall PFF Grade (85.4) for the fourth time in the last five years. He did struggle in the passing game but expect him to get back to 70 or better in 2021.
RT Trent Brown – PFF 68.9, Pass Blocking 73.2, Run Blocking 63.6
Trent Brown returns to the Patriots after spending the last two seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders. His time in Las Vegas was a bit rocky as he struggled to stay on the field suffering multiple injuries and missing a total of 16 games. He comes back to New England where he had his best year as a pro back in 2018. The Patriots certainly hope he has a lot left in the tank.
New Toys: Ted Karras
Old News: Jermaine Eluemunor (12/8), Joe Thuney (16/16)
Overall Rank: 3rd/32
QB Room
Mac Jones (QB28)
Mac Jones led Alabama to the 2021 College Football National Championship and helped the Crimson Tide defeat the Ohio State Buckeyes by throwing for 417 yards and 4 touchdowns. He finished his final season at Alabama throwing for 4500 yards and 41 touchdowns with only 4 interceptions and a 77.4% completion percentage. The Patriots made him the 15th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and feel strongly they have their franchise quarterback in waiting. We know what Josh McDaniels can do when he has a quarterback that can deliver the ball on time and with accuracy.
Fantasy Outlook
Passing: 561 attempts, 68.1%, 4199 yards, 30 touchdowns
Rushing: 23 attempts, 73 yards, 0 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 275.3
New Toys: N/A
Old News: Brian Hoyer (1/1)
Position Fantasy Rank: 29th/32
RB Room
Damien Harris (RB30)
Damien Harris only played in 2 games his rookie season in 2019 due to injuries and the inability to move up the depth chart. In 2020, he missed the first three games due to an injury to his pinkie and the last three games due to an ankle injury. In the 10 games that he did play he averaged 5.0 yards per carry and finished with 137 carries for 691 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was not used much in the passing game with only seven targets all season and he only carried the ball three times inside the 5-yard line. Those touches went to Cam Newton. What was impressive was his ability to make people miss with a 28.2% juke rate that was 8th best in the league and his ability to put up numbers against a stacked front where he averaged 4.8 yards per carry and was number one in the NFL with an average of 7.4 defenders in the box. Damien Harris plays well when he gets the volume, but until he can get more involved in the passing game or see some goal line carries, his upside is limited. The best thing that could happen for him is to see a change at quarterback. If Mac Jones takes over as the quarterback of this offense, which I think he will at some point, then we should see Damien Harris become a factor in the red zone.
Fantasy Outlook
Rushing: 230 attempts, 1033 yards, 8 touchdowns
Receiving: 28 targets, 20 receptions, 137 yards, 0 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 184.7
James White (RB49)
James White will continue to lead this backfield in the passing game. His average over the last six seasons is 82 targets, 61 receptions, and 4 touchdowns with a catch rate of 74.4%. Even with the Patriots being ranked 30th in passing yards in 2020, White was still able to corral 49 receptions for 375 yards and a touchdown. He finished the season ninth in targets (62), third in target share (17.8%), and second in yards per route run (2.22) and we can expect those number to rise in 2021 if Mac Jones takes over this offense.
Fantasy Outlook
Rushing: 23 attempts, 94 yards, 0 touchdown
Receiving: 62 targets, 48 receptions, 395 yards, 2 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 109.0
New Toys: Rhamondre Stevenson
Old News: Rex Burkhead (10/0)
Position Fantasy Rank: 17th/32
WR Room
Jakobi Meyers (WR43)
In his second season in New England, Jakobi Meyers quickly became Cam Newton’s favorite target. He finished the season with 59 receptions for 729 yards, but he failed to catch a touchdown pass with only five targets in the red zone. With the additions of Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith at the TE position the Patriots will use a lot more 12 personnel, which means less opportunities for Meyers as the primary slot receiver. The upside? He should score more touchdowns in 2021 and if Mac Jones takes over at quarterback, he could have some value as a WR3 in this offense.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 95 targets, 67 receptions, 881 yards, 7 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 196.9
Nelson Agholor (WR72)
Nelson Agholor arrives in New England coming off a career high in receiving yards (896) and touchdowns (8) in his lone season with the Las Vegas Raiders. Agholor will be asked to be the stretch receiver with deeper routes to free up the tight ends in the middle of the field and underneath coverage. With that said, defenses will be keyed on the tight ends and that could open up some one-on-one opportunities on the outside.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 79 targets, 49 receptions, 633 yards, 5 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 142.8
New Toys: Kendrick Bourne
Old News: Damiere Byrd (16/14), Julian Edelman (6/1), Donte Moncrief (6/0)
Position Fantasy Rank: 31st/32
TE Room
Jonnu Smith (TE7)
Jonnu Smith is a massive upgrade at the tight end position for the Patriots and should lead the team in receiving in 2021. Look for the Patriots to find ways to get Jonnu involved early and often with his ability to run after the catch and separate from defenders. He finished third in fantasy points per target (2.16), third in touchdowns (9), fifth in red zone targets (18), and ninth in target separation (1.75) for tight ends in 2020.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 101 targets, 73 receptions, 814 yards, 7 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 196.1
Hunter Henry (TE15)
Hunter Henry has yet to play a full 16-game schedule during his five-year NFL career, but he did play and start in a career high 14 games last season. He finished with 93 targets, 60 receptions, 613 yards, and four touchdowns. It seems hard to imagine that New England could have two tight ends finish in the Top 15 based on last year’s passing volume, but I think there is a very real path for that to happen with a top-tier offensive line and a running game that has to be respected. There is a lot you can do out of 12 personnel in both the run and pass game.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 84 targets, 59 receptions, 630 yards, 5 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 151.9
New Toys: N/A
Old News: Ryan Izzo (12/12)
Position Fantasy Rank: 4th/32
2021 Full Player Projections
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Strength of Schedule (SOS): #18 (.496 127-129)
2021 Predicted Finish: 9-8 (2nd AFC East)
Note: all projections are PPR scoring
