3 reasons to believe Bill Belichick's plan with new look Patriots is falling into place

The New England Patriots entered a partial rebuild when Tom Brady left them for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They obviously needed a replacement at quarterback but also had to redesign much of their roster. They were suffering from a serious lack of talent on offense and were missing some playmakers on defense. Bill Belichick used this past offseason to address those issues for the Patriots.

The Patriots signed four new offensive weapons this offseason in tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith and wide receivers Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne. They also added a dynamic playmaker on defense in Matthew Judon. Bill Belichick has a firm plan to improve the Patriots roster while still fitting into his system. It seems to be working so far. The Patriots appear to be playing his style of football.

New look Patriots, same Belichick style

#1 - Passing scheme

Bill Belichick's signature passing game style, in combination with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, has been centered around wide distribution of football. Tom Brady was a master of this style in New England for many seasons. It didn't work last season for two reasons. Cam Newton did not fit the system and they didn't have the proper offensive weapons in place.

They used free agency to bulk up on weapons and went to the draft to find their new quarterback, Mac Jones. He is a better fit in the style of offense that the Patriots typically run. He is intelligent, graduating college with a 4.0 GPA, and is extremely accurate throwing the ball, ranking in the top five in the NFL in completion percentage. He looks very comfortable in the system.

#2 - Solid rushing game

The one thing, besides Tom Brady, that the Patriots always had during their two decades of success was a running game. Damien Harris is really starting to get things rolling for the Patriots. Over his last two games he has rushed for 207 yards with three touchdowns and averaging 6.5 yards per carry. The rushing game unlocks the rest of the Patriots' offensive design.

#3 - Reliable defense

Bill Belichick always makes defense a priority. It has been a staple for the Patriots his entire time as their head coach. They have been playing solid this season and continue to trend in the right direction. They rank 6th in points allowed and 11th in yards allowed per game. They have the 8th most takeaways and rank 6th in completion percentage allowed. Judon's 6.5 sacks are the 4th most in the NFL.

---