The era of Matt Patricia the offensive play-caller is off to a rocky start.
The Patriots mustered just seven points on 271 yards of total offense last Sunday in their season-opening loss to the Miami Dolphins, which was Patricia's first NFL game calling offensive plays.
Growing pains for Patricia and the offense can be expected, and head coach Bill Belichick has preached patience as the team finds its identity. But are Belichick's players practicing that patience?
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Patriots wide receiver Jakobi Meyers shared a concerning quote to NFL Network's Mike Giardi while discussing the state of New England's offense.
"I question what the plan is sometimes and how we're going to attack," Meyers told Giardi.
Needless to say, that's not a good sign when your top wide receiver is questioning your offensive plan.
Fellow wideout Kendrick Bourne also doesn't appear on the same page with Patricia; our Tom E. Curran reported it was Patricia's decision to only play Bourne for two snaps in the Patriots' season opener, and that the play-caller and receiver "haven’t exactly jelled."
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What's most surprising is that Meyers went on the record to share his concerns about the Patriots' offense. We never heard a player share such concerns while Josh McDaniels was the offensive coordinator, and even with a new play-caller, Meyers' comments stand out in an organization that usually plays things close to the vest.
New England still has plenty of time to right the ship on offense, starting with a Week 2 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. If the Patriots can make improvements from Week 1, then that will go a long way toward players buying into Patricia's offense.
If their struggles continue at Acrisure Stadium, however, those questions likely will persist.