Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports has an article this morning focusing on whether or not the Patriots will take the ball out of Tom Brady's hands this year and instead try and focus on putting it in the hands of runningbacks Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen.
Cole caught up with an NFC Coordinator, who talked about the fact it was easier to defend them because their running game hasn't scared them in the past.
"Most of us wish we had their problems, but that doesn't mean there aren't problems with what they do," an NFC defensive coordinator said. "What the Patriots do works perfectly in the regular season and most of the time in the playoffs because they're just better than everybody else."But when you get into the fourth quarter in a tight game, it's pretty easy to defend them. You can take away the running game pretty easily and then get physical with them. You see the way the Giants have played them the past two times [in the Super Bowl]. Tight game, suffocate their offense and give yourself a chance. You still have to make great plays to win, but it's easier because the running game doesn't scare you … they can't impose their will."
You can read the rest of the piece here.
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