Will the New England Patriots' struggles on offense continue in Sunday's season opener? Or will Pats fans come away pleasantly surprised with what they see vs. the Miami Dolphins?
Mac Jones and the Patriots will look to prove the issues that plagued the offense throughout camp and preseason were simply growing pains. After all, there were bound to be some setbacks as they adapted to a new Kyle Shanahan-style offensive scheme.
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So what could Matt Patricia, Joe Judge, and Bill Belichick have up their sleeves for the Week 1 matchup that they didn't show during the preseason? Our Phil Perry provided some insight.
"I think people still consider the Shanahan wrinkle still sort of a new wrinkle, but we did see some of that in preseason. They ran it in Vegas, it didn't go so well. I think we will continue to see that," Perry said on Early Edition. "But I think there are other things that they really have kind of kept hidden in some ways from the preseason games at least.
"They ran a fair number of RPOs (in practice) which was really not a staple at all of the Patriots offense under Josh McDaniels. They had the ability to do it, McDaniels told us last year, but they really didn't. It was a staple of the Alabama offense when Mac Jones was there, and Mac Jones told us earlier this offseason we're trying to incorporate some things that I like, that I've done in the past. Not what we've done in the past, but what I've done in the past. And I think RPOs will be one of them. It's just one of those things that could really put the defense, especially the linebacker level of opposing defenses, in real conflict and could help them out."
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Perry: Will Patriots offense unveil Alabama-inspired wrinkle in Miami?
The MMQB's Albert Breer adds that by using some concepts from Alabama, the Patriots are making a noticeable effort to cater to Jones' strengths.
"The wide zone stuff, Alabama did a lot of that too," Breer said. "And if you look at what Steve Sarkisian did at Alabama, a lot of it was from Atlanta where they made him carry over Kyle Shanahan's offense. A lot of it from what I understand is marrying the run game to the passing game. It really highlights a quarterback who processes quickly, who can kind of see a bunch of things at once and make a decision, and that's who Mac is."
Jones will look to take a step forward in his development after a promising rookie campaign. The 24-year-old completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions last season while leading New England to a 10-7 record and a playoff berth.
Kickoff for Patriots-Dolphins on Sunday is set for 1 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium.