Patriots Going Back To The Future; Miami's Vice: The Fantasy Notebook
By Bob Harris - Exclusive to Footballguys
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Welcome to the weekly Fantasy Notebook, the must-stop spot for keeping your finger on the pulse of Fantasy Nation. NFL news and developments drive fantasy values. The Notebook is here to keep you in the loop on all of it throughout the season.
Next Stop, Training Camp
Offseason team activities have ended, and mandatory minicamps are in the rearview mirror.
Things will be quiet for a few weeks -- almost four of them.
The NFL on Wednesday announced training camp reporting dates and locations for all 32 teams. The Los Angeles Chargers and Detroit Lions, who will face off in the Hall of Fame Game on July 31, will be the first two teams to have rookies and veterans report. Chargers veterans report on July 16, while Lions veterans report on July 19.
The rest of the teams will follow in subsequent days, with the Falcons and Steelers bringing up the rear, with both teams reporting on July 23.
After the Hall of Fame game, the full exhibition slate starts on August 7 with a Thursday triple header.
Until all that, there's not much going on. Unless . . .
Off-Field Issues Arise
We see it every year. Idle time can lead to less-than-desired outcomes. Along those lines, there have already been some items of interest.
Hit The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly section below for more on some legal issues that could cost Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison some time to open the season and a situation that could tarnish Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders' reputation.
Beyond that, we'll be hoping for quiet vacations with more restful downside than media coverage for all our favorite prospects . . .
And with that, it's time to get back to our weekly reviews of this year's changing offensive coordinators and play callers. In case you're just tuning in, the Fantasy Notebook has covered the changes in Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Jacksonville, and Las Vegas over the last month plus.
So, let's dive into the next one . . .
Getting Coordinated: Back To The Future In New England
Mike Vrabel has returned to the Patriots as head coach.
Vrabel, the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year in 2021, replaces Jared Mayo, who was fired after posting a 4-13 record in his one season as Patriots coach.
Vrabel played linebacker for the Patriots from 2001 to 2008 and was an integral member of three Super Bowl championship teams. He served as Tennessee Titans head coach from 2018-23, posting a 54-45 regular-season record and a 2-3 mark in the playoffs, which included a trip to the AFC Championship Game in 2019.
But Vrabel isn't alone in making his return to the team . . .
Round 3
Vrabel hired Josh McDaniels as his offensive coordinator.
McDaniels returns to the franchise for a third time to help tutor promising quarterback Drake Maye, the No. 3 pick in the 2024 draft.
McDaniels did not coach in the NFL in 2024 after serving as the Las Vegas Raiders' coach in 2022 and into the 2023 season.
He has never coached on a staff with Vrabel, but the two have a connection from their time together on three Super Bowl championship teams.
McDaniels broke into the NFL in 2001 as an assistant coach under Bill Belichick in New England. After leaving in 2009 to become the head coach of the Denver Broncos, he was fired in December 2010. He then served as the Rams' offensive coordinator for a year in 2011 before returning to New England from 2012 to 2021.
In 2021, McDaniels mentored quarterback Mac Jones to a successful rookie season that resulted in him being named an alternate for the Pro Bowl, and now he will look to duplicate that with Maye, who started 12 games as a rookie in 2024 and went 225-of-338 for 2,276 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
But It Won't Be That Simple
As Fansided.com's Sara Marshall noted, because Drake Maye is a far different quarterback than those McDaniels has worked with in the past, there is a strong belief that the coach will need to adapt and update his playbook, which he reportedly has from taking a year away from the NFL and working with college programs.
But if the talk wasn't enough to convince the skeptics that we'll see a new McDaniels, then one of the latest practices from this week should do the trick.
After one of the final practices of the offseason last week, McDaniels ran a play with the offense that he wasn't familiar with, as it was a play wide receivers coach Todd Downing had come up with.
ESPN's Mike Reiss reported that a "melding of ideas has been a prevalent theme this spring," with this being a prime example.
It's an intriguing sign for what's ahead for the Patriots' offense and demonstrates the growth of McDaniels that we may not have seen had he remained active in the NFL since the Raiders let him go . . .
The Objective Is Clear
The hope, of course, is that the Patriots will field a dynamic, solid offense that will not only elevate Maye to new heights in his second season but allow them to move down the field swiftly and methodically and be the cohesive unit they had been for the two decades before Tom Brady leaving the team in 2020.
It was one of the biggest struggles of the 2024 season under Mayo and play-caller Alex Van Pelt, but it should be a thing of the past for Maye moving forward with a much more experienced McDaniels on the sidelines.
But there are no guarantees here because . . .
Development Is Needed
While Maye flashed his potential as a rookie, the club is looking for a significant jump between Year 1 and Year 2.
Fortunately, as Profootballtalk.com's Myles Simmons noted, while Maye has had some documented struggles during the team's offseason program, he's also made some improvements -- at least on the days when reporters have watched practice.
Most notably, a June 2 session was one of his best in that regard, with Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald reporting that Maye was 14-of-16 in 11-on-11 drills and did not throw an interception.
With Maye having thrown four picks in front of the media two weeks before, McDaniels noted after this session that the young QB has done a good job of making necessary corrections.
"We either make a good play, or we learn from the result," McDaniels said.
After the team's final mandatory minicamp session last week, Maye summed up his perspective on where things stand as spring practices came to a close. "I think we're catching the stride; I think I'm starting to find a stride," Maye said. "I'm bummed out we're about to leave, but it's fun."
But it could be more fun with . . .
More Help
ESPN's Ben Solak reminded readers last week just how bad the Patriots' offense was around Maye last season. The problems started up front.
"He had without question the worst offensive line of the rookie quarterbacks," Solak wrote.
According to Solak, Maye's overall pressure rate of 37.3 percent was exceeded only by Deshaun Watson -- but it was not the product of extended dropbacks, as Maye got the ball out faster than the league-average passer.
Maye scrambled on 10.8 percent of his dropbacks, second only to Jayden Daniels among quarterbacks. Maye ended up running 54 times for 421 yards and two touchdowns.
Maye's 9.0 yards per scramble exceeded Daniels' 8.1, as did his explosive run rate (37.8 percent to 27.1 percent).
While the results were great, that he so often needed to run wasn't, so . . .
We Got An O-Line Rebuild
The Patriots overhauled the offensive line for the 2025 season by using the fourth overall pick of the NFL draft on offensive tackle Will Campbell and a third-round pick on center/guard Jared Wilson. They also brought in veteran tackle Morgan Moses and center Garrett Bradbury to help improve the run game and passing attack.
Still, as USA Today's Jordy McElroy noted, Campbell, Mike Onwenu, and Cole Strange are the only sure bets as offensive line starters for the Patriots, so the unit remains a work in progress.
However, the issues weren't just with the blocking . . .
Upgraded Receiving Room?
I questioned the team's efforts to add to their receiving corps during free agency back in a March edition of the Fantasy Notebook.
DK Metcalf was linked to the Patriots before he was traded to the Steelers. There was also talk of New England trying to sign Davante Adams before he landed with the Rams.
At the time, NBC Boston's Tom Curran advised readers that the Patriots had reservations about having either player on their roster. Curran wrote that the team has been "exceedingly wary of the negative impact a demanding veteran wideout could have on Maye."
Of course, the Patriots have also had issues convincing top wide receivers to play for them. They were reportedly willing to offer Chris Godwin much more than the former Pro Bowl wideout accepted to remain with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Instead, as Solak put it, "Nearly all of the eggs in the field-stretching search are in the basket of third-round rookie receiver Kyle Williams. Stefon Diggs, off an ACL tear and entering his age-32 season, is the best bet to lead the team in targets . . ."
CONTINUED...
