maverick4

Remember our first two games where we used the 3-WR shot gun set almost exclusively?

Here are snaps by players in the Falcons game, where we moved the ball with ease (outside the red zone) with Brady under center, and a bruising/physical rushing attack, with traps, screens, and play action:

WR Randy Moss -- 76 of 83
TE Chris Baker -- 65 of 83
TE Benjamin Watson -- 63 of 83
WR Julian Edelman -- 36 of 83
RB Fred Taylor -- 35 of 83
WR Sam Aiken -- 34 of 83
RB Kevin Faulk -- 32 of 83
WR Joey Galloway -- 32 of 83
RB/FB Sammy Morris -- 17 of 83
TE Michael Matthews -- 13 of 83
RB Laurence Maroney -- 11 of 83

Mike Reiss' blog - Snaps played by offensive skill-position players - ESPN Boston

BradyManny

I'm glad to hear it. I thought the 2 TE was very successful - if it weren't for an overthrow by Brady, a drop by Galloway, and a drop by Watson, we would've put up 40 points yesterday with that offense.

They even ran a 3 TE set with Matthews.

People can say Brady destroys blitzes, sure he does - but you know what else he does really well? Sit back there all day, with time, and sling it to Moss or Watson or Welker. With the weapons this team has, if Brady has time, those guys will get open.

KontradictioN

I love it. I've been waiting to see this for some time now as I suspect the rest of us have. That physical rushing attack is going to open up a lot for the downfield passing game. It also took a lot of the pressure off of Brady yesterday as the Falcons' defense was forced to respect the run. In the first two games, neither defense was forced to respect the run and could just tee off on Brady. The change was noticeable with BB calling the plays yesterday. I just hope O'Brien was taking notes...

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CREDIT - Sicilian

BradyManny

Are we sure about this BB calling plays thing? I'm not so sure that was the case.

The other thing was how successful play-action was. Brady misfired on a couple throws, and Moss failed to elevate for a pass in the 2nd quarter, but the opportunities were there.

KontradictioN

He had the play chart and was seen calling the plays when the offense was on the field. So I'm pretty sure of it. If not then someone had a face to face with O'Brien and let him know that 100+ pass plays in the first two games simply wasn't working.

But you're right. The play action is going to be opened up a lot more and I love that as well. Brady is one of the best, if not THE best play action QBs in the history of the NFL.

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CREDIT - Sicilian

maverick4

I completely agree. There are some here who would argue shot gun protects Brady more and gives him more time and less hits on him, but I would argue it isn't the case against a defense with a decent pass rush.

I think a physical running attack not only plays to our O-line and RB strengths, but by battering the defensive linemen and linebackers on run blocks, I think you also weaken their pass rush as the game goes on.

Also, defenders play run and pass differently. If they even think you have a chance of running, like we do when Brady is under center, they have gap responsibilities and need to make sure they are doing that properly before they can sprint upfield and try to get a sack.

upstater1

One reason the Patriots are always trying new things on offense is that teams like the Colts have had great success run blitzing our O when we try to run the O we ran yesterday.

During the AFCCG, the Colts went to that strategy in the second half, and they stonewalled our running game, which put Brady in a lot of 3rd and longs that he was unable to convert.

I'm more than satisfied if the Patriots stick to the O they ran yesterday but mixed it up with a few no huddle up tempo 4 WR shotgun sets, just to keep the defense off balance.

Pat the Pats Fan

should be interesting to see how they attack the Ravens next week. Ravens have a good rush defense and have prided themselves on not giving up a 100 yard rusher for quite a while. We probably won't have one either, but only because we utilize multiple backs.

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A sarcastic Bill Belichick on Tom Brady's finger injury, "It's not life threatening."

tanked_as_usual

I said weeks ago that the pats need to get back to 2 TE's until brady knocks the rust off.....

lamafist

All the same, the shotgun formation is pretty much designed to be used against teams with good pass rushes, especially teams using multiple fronts and sending pressure from different places.

First of all, putting the QB a few yards back helps him see the field and make pre-snap reads. Putting 3 or 4 receivers wide also spreads the defense out, helping identify coverage, who's blitzing, and puts a little more space between some of the faster defenders and the QB.

The biggest advantage, though, is that the QB doesn't have to worry about dropping back. This makes it easier to get through his reads quickly, and makes the mechanics of planting and getting the ball out quick much simpler.

The only problem is that for this to work to beat the pressure, the QB needs to be consistently accurate and able to hit the guys running the hot routes. Brady always was. So far in '09, he hasn't been.