FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Marcus Cannon, despite being overshadowed by some of his excellent offensive linemates, had a very good 2018 for the Patriots. Even though Trent Brown got more headlines and a whopping payday on the free-agent market, Cannon had the better season, giving up slightly fewer quarterback pressures (33.5 to 34.5), QB hits (7.5 to 15.5) and stuffed runs (13 to 25.5).
It would have been no contest if you ignored the loss to the Steelers.
Let's just say Cannon had a rough night Dec. 16 at Heinz Field. The Patriots allowed 11 quarterback pressures in that game and eight (73 percent) were yielded by Cannon. He allowed nearly a quarter (24 percent) of his season total of pressures in just that one game, and he also committed two penalties. Here he gets beat by Watt's speed and power:
Suffice it to say, Cannon is aware.
"I’ve seen that game numerous times and it speaks for itself," Cannon told BostonSportsJournal.com this week. "There’s definitely things that happened during that game that I need to correct before we play them again, but we’re working hard at it."
The effect that T.J. Watt, a first-round pick playing in his second season, had on the game was obvious. By the end of the game — and actually well before that — Brady was reacting to Watt's rush even when it wasn't all that threatening:
The thing is, Cannon's protection wasn't all that bad. Some of it was on Brady. Remember, this was the game after the Music City Debacle, when Brady was spinning out of passes and appeared to not want to get hit. The loss to the Steelers was pretty much the fork in the road for Brady and the Patriots, and the quarterback was better under pressure after this game.
As you can see in all the clips, Cannon clearly had issues with Watt's quickness more than anything. Whether it was on inside or outside moves, Watt's speed was just too much for Cannon.
Cannon, who is now in his ninth season, has never been the most talkative guy in the locker room — he's the master of team-first cliches — so he didn't give up much on what he needs to improve vs. Watt on Sunday night.
"I’ve been watching that game, studying that game and a lot of games," Cannon said. "They have a good front seven and I’m watching film to get better. All their guys are effective, they have a lot of great players on their team. Him, (Bud) Dupree, (Cameron) Heyward, (Javon) Hargrave, (Stephon) Tuitt, they have great guys and that’s not even getting into their linebackers. They all have a lot of good guys on their team. They’re strong and they power the pocket. And the linebackers are fast and move around."
Watt is certainly no slouch. He had 13 sacks and 52 total pressures last season.
"He’s fast, he’s explosive, he’s strong but he’s quick — he can avoid players, avoid blocks, plays with good leverage," Bill Belichick said Friday. "He’s quick enough to move around guys and he’s powerful enough to play through them. He has a good skillset, he’s a very instinctive player, good pass rusher, high motor. One of the best guys we’ll face all year."
One thing going for Cannon in the rematch is he's coming off arguably the best training camp of his career. He may now be one of the elder statesmen on the team, but Cannon looked a bit reborn this summer. He appeared to be in better shape, played with strength, and his feet were quicker. As a result, he was the team's best pass blocker in camp (ok, so there wasn't much competition).
Again, Cannon wasn't exactly forthcoming with any reasons behind his enhanced performance.
"I appreciate that, but in my head there’s always something I can fix, that can be better," Cannon said. "There’s a lot of film out there and some of it’s not good, and some of it’s good. I’ve been trying my best to do what I need to do so I’m accountable for everything I do, so my teammates can trust me."
If Cannon carries that improvement into the season, it's very possible he could be in the running for some postseason accolades, including his first first-team All-Pro nod (he was second-team in 2016). Cannon's that good at this point.
"That’s my goal," Cannon said. "If I’m doing everything correctly like I’m supposed to do and I’m playing like my teammates and my coaches expect me to play, everything (like that) falls into place. I’m not really worried about that. The only thing I’m worried about is that my teammates and coaches trust me. My goal is this next game."
Well, the next game provides one very big challenge. And a chance at redemption for Cannon and the Patriots.
Bodine reportedly out, Ferentz back in: Russ Bodine, the veteran center whom the Patriots acquired from the Bills for a sixth-round pick, was informed he will be released, according to a report from the Boston Globe. James Ferentz, released at the final cutdown, will return.
This is a bit of a shock. The Patriots saw the film on Bodine and thought enough of him to give up a draft pick for him. Outside of some sort of funky grievance for an undisclosed injury to recoup their pick, the Patriots decided Bodine wasn't worth their time after less than a week.
That Ferentz is coming back indicates that perhaps Bodine was not picking up the blocking scheme quick enough and the Patriots weren't comfortable with him as a backup going into the first game. Ferentz did not have a good preseason, but certainly knows the scheme.
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Editor's note: Greg Bedard is the owner, founder and lead NFL analyst of Boston Sports Journal, our sister site. -- Dale Lolley