Jerod Mayo has been hard at work trying to establish a new culture in New England, and through three games, the results have been mixed. After a rousing upset in Cincinnati in Week 1, the Patriots lost their home opener to the Seattle Seahawks in overtime, then laid a dud in Week 3 against the New York Jets on national television.
But despite that clunker, Mayo's team is starting to build an identity as a hard-nosed group that can stay in games with an aggressive, physical defense. And while they enter Sunday's game against the San Francisco 49ers as double-digit underdogs, it appears they have the respect of their opponent in that regard.
"They're an excellent, well-coached defense, very good fundamentals, very good schemes," 49ers run game coordinator and offensive line coach Chris Foerster told reporters Thursday of the Patriots.
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"Over the course of all the time that they've been there, they've established a way to attack everything that every team does in league. If you look at enough film, you're like, they have a way. If they know what you're doing, they're going to take advantage of it.
"They do a really nice job. They're very well-coached, very good fundamentals, and they have good, talented players on defense.”
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That's a vote of confidence for first-year defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington, who leads a unit that's been stout against the run (83 rushing yards allowed per game; fifth in the NFL) and boasts one of the NFL's top pass-rushers through three weeks in Keion White.
"They're good. Man, 99 (White) and 55 (Joshua Uche) are their two best rushers," Foerster added. "The rest of the guys are really good rushers as well. Those are the guys that stand out the most as their most productive sackers."
Where the Patriots need improvement is on offense, where they rank dead-last in the NFL in yards per game (246.3). But their success in the running game (144.3 yards per game; eighth in the league) and overall physicality stand out to 49ers defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen.
"They can really run the ball," Sorensen told reporters Thursday. "They’re aggressive, they're physical. They have a very good plan. They're very well coached. Two really good running backs. A line that knows how to block. They have good scheme.
"And then (Patriots quarterback Jacoby) Brissett really is a good fit in that system in how he performs and how he plays. He sees the game right. He protects the ball. He can make the throws that he needs to make, and he can move really well.
"I think they're just a tough team, reflection of the coach and the coaching. Respect for those guys. ... It's just an overall physical team.”
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Comments from opposing coaches should be taken with a grain of salt, as they're almost always positive and respectful of their opponents regardless of record. (Bill Belichick, for example, would often gush about teams the Patriots ended up beating handily.)
But it's nonetheless encouraging to hear 49ers coaches repeatedly reference toughness and physicality for a team that's hoping to establish exactly that kind of culture in its rebuild.
Kickoff for Patriots-49ers is set for 4:05 p.m. ET at Levi's Stadium.