ESPN Analyst: Patriots' Offense Outdated

Despite fans being sold a vision of a New England Patriots offense to be "cutting-edge" under Bill O'Brien, one analyst is predicting quite the opposite.

Thanks to the open practices of training camp and the opening preseason game versus the Houston Texans, fans and media have seen glimpses of what the New England Patriots offense will look like under new offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien. While obviously it is a dumbed-down version of his system, as there is no sense in letting NFL see all he has buried in his playbook, it is also a proverbial trailer. 

With the initial reports detailing O'Brien's plans for the offense revealing it will be a mix of systems from his past likely with some new wrinkles, the buzzword being thrown around was that it would be "cutting-edge."

Yet if you were to ask ESPN's Dan Orlovsky for his thoughts, he'd tell you the opposite:

“The Patriots are going to try and play a style of football they did in the early 2000s and one that only one team in the AFC will — Tennessee,” Orlovsky wrote on Twitter Tuesday. “Great defense. Dominate on the ground. Efficient pass game that’s matchup driven. As always, zig when they zag.”

While the Patriots may well lean heavily on their run game to lead the way offensively, there are two problems with Orlovsky's prediction: 

1. Looking back at the statistical rankings of those early 2000s Patriots, you don't find teams that you'd think were "dominant" on the ground. In fact, those New England teams from 2000-2005 ranked near the bottom of the league in three of those seasons for rushing yards. 

2. The performance of the offensive line in the preseason loss to the Houston Texans hardly inspired any confidence in the running back or offensive line room. Granted, the Patriots rested a majority of their projected Week 1 starters. Nonetheless, averaging just 3.1 yards per carry is far from being a dominant performance on the ground, compared to the Titans in their preseason opener, where they averaged 5 yards per carry.

Then again, the Patriots poor showing on the ground did come in a preseason game, which means it should be taken with a grain of salt. Yet, Orvlosky, to his credit, is right in one sense, and that is the Patriots' defense is expected to be "great." 

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