New England Patriots: 2014 First Quarter Report Card

Grade: D-

This offense has been the worst I have ever seen from a Patriots team. Tom Brady looks like a rookie quarterback constantly worried about pressure and force feeding his go-to reads. Anyone not named Julian Edelman has failed to contribute and running back is an all but useless position now.

Grade: C-

Had this been written before Monday night, the defense would have been a B+ and I would be singing their praise. But alas, this defense was shown to be a fraud against the Kansas City Chiefs. They couldn’t stop a hobbled Jamaal Charles and made Alex Smith look like…well, look like Tom Brady. Yikes. This was suppose to be the strength of this Patriots team, but it has yet to show that consistently, if at all.

Grade: B+

The only highlight on this miserable team. Stephen Gostkowski has been as good as ever kicking in field goals. Ryan Allen has quickly become a household name since he has had about as much field time as Brady. And Matthew Slater has become the team’s MVP and reminds us all, once to fifty times a game, what a good player with energy and passion looks like. It’s a beautiful sight.

Grade: D

This has got to be the worst coaching I have ever seen from Bill Belichick. It has made me question the man as a coach, which I never thought was possible. Horrible play calling, silly line ups, looking wildly unprepared, benching half of your wide receivers, the list goes on. Belichick is going to have to get his head back working if he wants to turn this season around. Otherwise, it’ll be time to renounce the Hoodie.

Grade: C

First-rounder Dominique Easley does have an interception, but besides that, hasn’t shown much. Center Brian Stork as taken over the duties at center and played well, unlike his fellow rookie Cameron Fleming who struggled next to him against Kansas City. Not the best draft, except for Jimmy Garoppolo, of course, who is the future of this franchise and a brilliant quarterback. Obviously an exaggeration, but hey, he looks pretty good.