Dante Scarnecchia discussed the Patriots offense and why ‘this is the wrong time to evaluate it’

"What doesn’t look good in training camp early has no bearing on anything."

Dante Scarnecchia in 2019. AP Photo/Elise Amendola

August 9, 2022

Tonight at 7:10 p.m., the Red Sox host the Braves in the first of a two-game series.

On Monday, the Bruins announced that both Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci were returning to the team on one-year contracts.

And coming up on Thursday, the Patriots open preseason at home against the Giants at 7 p.m.

Dante Scarnecchia on the Patriots offense: With the Patriots shifting offenses heading into the 2022 season, speculation over its potential effectiveness has already become a point of discussion.

Former Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia was asked for his take on the criticism.

Scarnecchia, 74, retired in 2020 after decades of coaching in New England (a period which included helping the team win five Super Bowls).

He recently shared his thoughts on the offense with Boston Herald reporter Karen Guregian. His message: Patience.

“I would say this, in fairness to everyone, I just think this is the wrong time to evaluate it,” said Scarnecchia. “The pads have come on, but they’re not playing real football yet. Whenever they play the Giants, we’ll have a better idea where this thing is. Even at that point, it’s not totally fair to say they can’t [do it].”

The comments come after reports of the team struggling to adapt to a new system. With former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels gone (having left to become head coach of the Raiders), the team’s offensive staff now includes Matt Patricia and Joe Judge (neither of whom have experience with play-calling on offense).

“I think there’s a [three-game] process at hand, where we’ll have a better idea where this thing is going,” Scarnecchia continued.

New England has a little more than a month before opening the season on Sept. 11 against the Dolphins in Miami (1 p.m.)

“What doesn’t look good in training camp early has no bearing on anything,” Scarnecchia added.

Trivia: The Bengals are reportedly changing the name of Paul Brown Stadium to Paycor Stadium. With that, only two teams remain in the NFL that have stadiums without a corporate-sponsored name. Can you name those two stadiums?

(Answer at the bottom).

Hint: Both are NFC teams.

More from Boston.com:

Patriots training camp soundbites:

“Right now, we’re making the defense better.”

Patriots players on competing and building together at #PatsCamp. pic.twitter.com/xY8qmYEc4j
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 9, 2022

“The countdown has begun”: Serena Williams, 40, revealed in interview with Vogue Magazine that she plans to retire from tennis after the upcoming U.S. Open.

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An early assessment of the Celtics in the Eastern Conference: Analysts are big fans of the Malcolm Brogdon trade.

On this day: In 1988, Wayne Gretzky was traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings in one of the greatest blockbusters in sports history.

Gretzky, 27 at the time of the trade, was only weeks removed from leading the Oilers to the Stanley Cup win over the Bruins (Edmonton’s fourth in five years).

The reason for the trade was — as has become a familiar refrain in sports in the ensuing decades — money. Edmonton made a preemptive trade, knowing that it would not be able to re-sign Gretzky when his contract ran out after the 1989 season.

Years later, the butterfly effect of the trade is still cascading around the NHL.

Wayne Gretzky Traded 1988 — *– Globe archives*

Daily highlight: Ismaila Sarr scored an unbelievably casual half-field goal for Watford in a 1-1 draw against West Brom in the English Championship on Monday.