Five keys to victory - New England Patriots Forums

Patspsycho · 01-09-2010, 10:04 AM

1) Establish/ control the run games: Baltimore has a hard time with the run game and tends to allow 100+ yards runners more often than not. When we first played them, they had not surrendered a rush TD, and we scored two on them, and that led to them getting unraveled. Maroney is rested, Taylor is fresh, and Morris is uninjured. So hopefully we will get solid big games from all three. My binky for tomorrow is Taylor who has traditionally performed well against the Ravens. On the other end, our run defense in the RZ must be solid, because Ravens are tied with most rush TD.

2) fast start/solid offense: It's that same old tired adage, get out to a fast start, but in this case, it is even more important, because the Ravens have an undisciplined defense that loves to gamble and try to intimidate (they lead with most penalites). Their defense, however, excels in the lateral game, so look for us to veer away from the screen game, and playing more vertical short gains, especially when we draw Lewis inside. Baltimore is terrible when playing from behind- when they are in such a position, they tend to abandon their game plan. We must enable this. I see us fake zone and go to man under, especially if Heap becomes Flacco's binky for the day, because Heap is awful when identifying coverage. He can get caught in running zone routes in man coverage. Look for us to mix it up on our fronts, especially throwing them zone looks which makes Flacco drool.

3) Seal the edges: That is the one awful weakness we have on defense, and one that Rice will be sure to exploit. He lives by the sideline gains. We have had a lot of trouble neutralizing the kick out block because of lousy two gap technique from our linebackers who have had too much trouble shedding the block and grabbing ahold of the runner. My hope is that BB will have a safety slant in behind the kickout to kill the gain, as a secondary stopgap, in run plays. We will be camping out on the edges anyway (see #4) so I am sure there will be multiple responsibilities up front. We'll probably divide our time between the 3-4 and 4-3 with the occasional dime, and don't be surprised to see the zero five dime to try to get in Flacco's head, especially if their OL doesn't play a sharp game.

4) Flush Flacco from the Pocket/take away Mason: Like Brady, Flacco stinks once he is outside the pocket. Those of you who love the sexy looks we put out on defense will be happy to see more of that coming tomorrow- with multiple blitzes and rushes, especially on the outside. For all the hubbub over Oher, he just desn't pick up the edge rusher very well at all. Make all the guys hot and force Rice into protect to reduce his impact. 3-4 OLB is overrated as a blitzer, but in this particular game and scheme, it will be critical; watch for safeties to come to the LOS in dime with McGowan in spy on Rice. If we can force Flacco out, his propensity for turning the ball over just spikes. When we take away Mason, Flacco's game takes a dip, so I would say, look for the over/under bracket type of coverage we brought in the Atlanta game against Gonzalez.

5) Edelman/Faulk picks up Welker's slack: It is not as obvious as it looks- not only must they pick up the offensive slack, they must also contribute to taking heat off Moss and Brady the way Welker did. Without Welker, Moss has zero TD's. That's a testament to how much attention Welker draws to himself. Brady's comp % really drops without Welker in there, especially on 3rd downs. Welker is the king of the underneath routes with his uncanny feel for coverage and his hands, and nobody can duplicate this. Look for Faulk and Edelman to share the duty of forcing Baltimore to respect the underneath game and try to take the heat off the deep game, e.g., Moss.

***BelichickFan*** · 01-09-2010, 10:11 AM

Not sure I get number one. Baltimore is 5th in the league in fewest run yards allowed and number one is yards per carry allowed.

You're dead on about setting the edge, though, Rice runs outside a ton and a little more to the left; not sure who's better against the run between Wright and Green but I would expect that player to be the RDE more than the better pass rusher.

PATSYLICIOUS · 01-09-2010, 10:17 AM

Well I unfortunately forgot to post my 5 keys to victory last week and the Patriots ended up losing. When I posted my 5 keys vs Jacksonville, they executed all 5 IMO and ended up winning convincingly. Thankfully you reminded me with this thread. So after hours of film study on Baltimore I came up with 5 in-depth keys for this week:

1. Run the ball well
2. Defend the run well
3. Pass the ball well
4. Defend the pass well
5. Limit the mistakes

I firmly believe we win tomorrow if we stick to the 5 keys. If we don't, we could be in trouble!

NovaScotiaPatsFan · 01-09-2010, 11:05 AM

Here are mine

1. Score more points than the Ravens do.
2. Get more combined TDs, PATs, FGs, and Safties than the Ravens do.
3. Our defense needs to hold the Ravens to less of a score than the Ravens' D holds us to.
4. Our Offense, Defense, and Special Teams need to light up the scoreboard more than the Ravens' equivalen units.
5. BB needs to wear the hoodie, without it we're DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMED!!!

***jmt57*** · 01-09-2010, 12:22 PM

I think the primary key to the game will be the Ravens' running game, and specifically Ray Rice. Pats defense will need to come up with some key stops over the course of the game. I'm not saying they have to completely take him out of the game the way they did with Chris Johnson, but the defense needs to have more wins than losses on the line of scrimmage and tackling Rice.

Rice on the menu for Pats this week by Tom Curran for Comcast SportsNet New England

Quote:

The consensus in the Patriots locker room is that it won't be very difficult to figure out Baltimore's offensive game plan. Stopping it? Another issue.

"Baltimore is basically gonna come right at you and find out if you can stop them," defensive tackle Mike Wright told me on Thursday. We expect that and we'll see if we can."

While Ray Rice's short stature makes him seem like the scatback type, he's not a perimeter runner exclusively. In the first meeting with the Patriots, he made significant yards between the guards. Rice's style is actually closer to Maurice Jones-Drew than any rusher the Pats have seen.

"I think they're both two really good backs," said Wright speaking of Rice and Willis McGahee. "They have a lot of different skills. Ray is just low to the ground, strong as hell and super-hard to tackle. They are both very hard to bring down."

Baltimore's Ray Rice could be Patriots' worst nightmare by Dan Graziano for AOL Fanhouse

Quote:

"He's shown that he can catch the ball. He's very dangerous after the catch," Belichick said. "I think anytime a quarterback has confidence in a back like that to get him off the hook when there's pressure or somebody's not open, it's easy to throw the ball to a guy like Rice, let him run with it and see what he can do."

This is a huge part of what the Ravens do, obviously. Rice was the team's leading receiver this year with 78 catches. Part of the reason is that Baltimore doesn't have wideouts who can separate from defensive backs and stretch the field. Part of the reason is that Rice is such a skilled pass catcher. And part of the reason is that Rice is shifty and speedy enough in open space that throwing the ball to him often makes more sense than just handing it to him and telling him to try and bang out three yards against a stacked defensive front. But regardless of the reasons, Rice's abilities as a receiver are what make him more dangerous than your run-of-the-mill running back, and the Patriots know it.

"He always gets the ball," Patriots defensive end Jarvis Green said Thursday. "He's basically a fourth or fifth receiver coming out of the backfield, somebody you have to stick with and you can't leave open. He's a huge part of their offense."

***jmt57*** · 01-09-2010, 01:29 PM

Ravens - Patriots scouting report by Jim McBride for the Boston Globe

Quote:

Ravens' key player: Ray Rice

The pride of that football factory in Piscataway, N.J., (that's Rutgers to the uninitiated), Rice is a compact pit bull with an explosive first step, tremendous quickness, and multiple moves. His favorite one is running right over you.
How he beats you: With tremendous versatility. The 5-foot-8-inch, 202-pounder can operate as a traditional workhorse tailback, toting the rock and chewing up real estate by blasting through holes and defenders. He's also a top-notch receiver who uses power and vision to exploit cutback lanes.
How to shut him down: By wearing him down. One hit will never be enough to bring Rice down, so gang-tackling is the order of the day. Move the safeties closer to the line until Joe Flacco proves he can beat you with his arm.

Quote:

Patriots' keys to victory:

Moving on: Wes Welker's not walking through that door. But a bunch of other playmakers are. It's time for everybody to step up, chip in, and move those chains.
Multiple forces: Don't be one-dimensional. There are healthy and fresh tailbacks on the roster. Use them to keep the Ravens honest and prevent Terrell Suggs from mugging Tom Brady.
Rattle and hum: Joe Flacco can get flustered. Show multiple looks and get a few good shots on him early and he will buckle. When he gets nervous, his passes sail and turnovers soon follow.

***jmt57*** · 01-09-2010, 01:49 PM

Five Things To Watch For Sunday Afternoon Against Baltimore by Christopher Price for WEEI

Pats run defense
Who replaces Wes Welker?
Will the Patriots challenge Baltimore's young cornerbacks?
Protection (for Tom Brady)
Playing it close

Quote:

If the Patriots’ traditional defensive game plan holds true this week — trying to take away the opponents’ No. 1 offensive option — then the combination of Wilfork and Warren will play a sizable role in trying to clog up the middle in an attempt to stop Ray Rice and Willis McGahee. The tandem (mostly Rice) has sparked Baltimore’s ground game, which averages 137.5 yards per game on the ground, fifth-best in the league.

Rice is sixth in the NFL with 1,339 yards rushing and led all running backs with 78 catches, while McGahee posted a career-high 167 yards and three touchdowns last Sunday’s against Oakland.

“The backs, in general, are real good backs,” said Wilfork of Rice and McGahee. “They have two tough runners. We pride ourselves around here with stopping the run. Sometimes we did this year, sometimes we didn’t.”

Wilfork’s assessment of New England run defense is accurate. The Patriots were strictly middle-of-the-pack when it came to stopping the run this year — they are 13th in the league when it comes to rushing yards per game allowed (110.5) and total rushing yards allowed (1,768), and they yield 4.4 yards per carry, which puts them in the lower third of the league.

But Rice also knows the difference a healthy Wilfork could make when it comes to stuffing the Ravens running game.

“You cannot play that defense without recognizing that guy, Vince Wilfork,” Rice told reporters earlier this week. “When he wants to stop a play, he’ll stop a play.”

Read the rest of the article here.

***mgteich*** · 01-09-2010, 01:59 PM

Stats are the key. We need to win the battle of the net of points scored and point allowed.

Brady'sButtBoy · 01-09-2010, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PATSYLICIOUS

Well I unfortunately forgot to post my 5 keys to victory last week and the Patriots ended up losing. When I posted my 5 keys vs Jacksonville, they executed all 5 IMO and ended up winning convincingly. Thankfully you reminded me with this thread. So after hours of film study on Baltimore I came up with 5 in-depth keys for this week:

1. Run the ball well
2. Defend the run well
3. Pass the ball well
4. Defend the pass well
5. Limit the mistakes

I firmly believe we win tomorrow if we stick to the 5 keys. If we don't, we could be in trouble!

Aren't you a smarty pants! Folks like you give fun a bad name. Don't you have to go ruin someone's party?