Doggin94it

OK, looking for some pats fans take on this. You guys have obviously subtracted Moss, added Woodhead in a significant role, gotten back Logan Mankins, and started throwing to the TEs more. Your D has also gotten more experience, those it's still not playing particularly well.

The Jets have gotten back Calvin Pace, Santonio Holmes, and a full-strength Revis.

Of those, what do you think will have the most impact on the game?

For my money, it's Holmes - not only is he such a precise route runner that he'll give McCourty or Arrington fits, but he bumps the other receivers down a CB (Edwards becomes the #2, Cotchery the #3), giving them better matchups. My only concern is that he also takes balls away from Keller, who absolutely killed you guys in that game.

A close second, to me, is Woodhead's impact on your offense. He's much more dangerous with the ball in his hands than Kevin Faulk, and our LBs aren't the best coverage guys in the world.

DaBruinz

This should really be in the other Jets/Pats thread.

The Pats have also added Deion Branch to the mix, which gives the offense a very good intermediate route runner who is more quick than fast. And that's something that Cromartie isn't good with.

The addition of Mankins has been huge. Since his return, the Pats have only given up 3 sacks in 4 games. And that covers 131 pass attempts. On Top of that, the Pats RBs have 90 rushes for 427 yards. That's a 4.74 YPC.

The Pats rookies of McCourtey, Spikes, Cunningham, and Deaderick have gotten tremendous amounts of experience since week 2. And McCourtey is showing that the Pats made the correct choice in taking him. The only way that Calvin Johnson was able to get his TD was when the Lions moved him to the left side of the field, away from McCourtey. When McCourtey was lined up against him, Johnson has 2 catches for 13 yards and McCourtey had picked Hill for an interception, taking the ball out of Johnson's hands.

While Calvin Pace is a good OLB, He's not in the same class as James Harrison, Lamarr Woodley, or DEs Freeney and Mathis. And the Pats, essentially, shut down both of those pairings.

The Pats are also playing much better disciplined football.

Uncle Rico

I think what's changed most for the Patriots are these two things:

1. Addition by subtraction. Not knocking Moss here but trading him brought the Patriots back to a sum-of-the-parts offense, where Brady's favorite receiver is "the one who's open." I think that last game with the Jets, the way it ended, was really the point at which BB decided he'd had enough of a Moss-centric offense.

2. More experience for the rookies on D. They've all gone from one week of NFL experience to 11 weeks. I also think BB has become more comfortable with moving pieces in and out according to the situation.

Those are things that you don't really account for if you're Jamie Dukes and comparing the teams position-by-position. But they're what counts most in establishing this team's identity as being mentally tough and handling adversity very well.

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102 Pat

Did Cotchery actually play last thursday? I remember he hurt his groin versus the Texans.

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This offseason, it's almost like Belichick is saying, "I'm never going to let that happen again."

Mike Reiss 7/19/12

SanAngeloState

The pats entire offensive philosophy seems to have changed to a more unpredictable, ball control, play action offense. Less big play to Randy Moss.

Before it was very, very predictable. One missed pass to Moss and it's 2nd and 10 or 3rd and 10 and they'd never climb out of the hole.

Defensively, I just hope they can stop the quick slants and Sanchize throwing on the run.

Patpartizan

The mind set on how best to beat the Jets crystalized after the loss. Brady got big eyes when Revis went down at the end of the first half and was trying to hit 3 run homeruns with Moss when no one was on base. Spreading the ball more to TE's and high completion short passes to Welker, Woodhead have enabled them to have the most productive offense in the NFL.

betterthanthealternative

I hope your coaches are living with this perception as much as the fans are. If measured by yards given up, and late points allowed, sure. But the only measure of a D that champions use is wins and turnovers.

Palm Beach Pats Fan

Something like 23 players from the last 2 drafts are on the Patriots 53-man roster, so preseason and 1 regular season game was in no way enough time to get hardly any of them playing instinctively.

That has changed dramatically. Add in Danny Woodhead, put Brady back in the pre-knee injury efficiency zone, add Mankins, add a confident BJGE, add Connoly's development as a legit force on the O-line, add in Sanders, Chung, and Meriweather giving much improved safety play and you see a much more formidable opponent than in week 2. Some guys who were not playing much in week 2 are now big factors, like Brace and (if healthy) Mike Wright.

What have we lost since week 2? Face it, Moss had become a decoy. Kaczur (IR) and Neal (questionable)have been capably replaced. Faulk would normally be a huge loss, but Woodhead seems fully capable of playing his role effectively. McCourty and Arrington have made the loss of Bodden tolerable. The only real negative is the loss of Gostkowski, given the Jets special teams skills.

Confident, aggressive, mistake-free football is what you get now from NE. That was not the case in week 2.

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Doggin94it

Really? The measure of a D is wins? Then I guess St. Louis' D had a great game in that 36-33 victory over Denver on Sunday.

Turnovers are a big deal - but you can't count on them.

ALP

well then we're in agreement....the Jets can get 500 yards, but turn the ball over 5 times

ill be happy with that

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