strngplyr

Hernandez has 79 receptions and 910 receiving yards on top of 5 hand offs for 45 rushing yards, the only thing we did differently against Denver was line him up in the back field a few extra times. Nothing was really new, just used more often.

We haven't been saving him as a secret weapon by any means, and if we were, we did an awful job at keeping the fact that he's a very dynamic player a secret. I'm pretty sure everyone in the NFL knows what he is capable of.

mgteich

You might ask the coaches.

The reality is that Faulk has been one of the very best at picking up the blitz and at blocking. Woodhead has been mediocre.

supafly

That's being awfully generous to Woodhead.

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JR4

Maybe the surprise will be Solder as a Receiving 3rd TE.
Helps to protect Tom as TE while Cannon is RT but also
has a real role as a receiver. I'd love to see him catch one
in the open field and rumble over a few DBs.

Ravens are thinking they will have to be real physical on defense.
The extra beef in there may help to counter that attack.
It's good they have been experimenting with this formation already.

hovis

I think technique's the bigger difference between the two. I'm not sure what Faulk's 225 combine stats were, but Woodhead put up 21 reps. For comparison, BJGE put up 24.

NEP4Life

I think Faulk's quite a bit stockier/thicker in the thighs/lower body. Can make a big difference when blocking an oncoming blitzer.

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rainmaker

AH is not a secret, but how they are using him now is. AH has never been utilized as a running back and blocker in the backfield. He didn't get any of the 79 receptions and 910 receiving yards coming out of the backfield. It will not be a Bronco only formation. Pats saved it for the playoffs because it takes a few games before defensive coordinators can scheme against it. It will be used extensively and be a reason why Pats win the Lombardi.

mgcolby

I think the Pats will use the Ravens defensive aggression against them. I fully expect them to put little twists on a few plays, show them a play they are sure to recognize run it and then hit them with a misdirection play out of the same read/play start.

They have a tendency to over pursue at the LB position. I think AH could have some big plays out of the backfield using counters.

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supafly

A.Hernandez had 5 carries this year out of the backfield, prior to the Broncos game, and had done it in college, especially on reverses etc.

He was even actually a RB in high school too.

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TheBostonStraggler

Not likely. While this is beating a dead horse, the consensus appears to be that '85' can't read the defense and adjust his route in a way that puts him on the same page as TB. I think the fair conclusions is '85' has minimal receptions because A) too many options for TB + B) he is largely limited to static route running.
I suspect in some other offenses '85' would be far more productive. In this offense he just isn't bringing enough flexibility to the table.

For Sunday's game (assuming the O line gives decent protection to TB) there are three possibilities: 1) The least likely is TB will slice and dice the Ravens right from the get go and the Patriots easily score over 30. But, like them or not, the Ravens have a good D and they are not likely to allow that to happen. 2) A more likely scenario is the Ravens give TB and the Patriots trouble and we struggle to score points. 3) What IMHO reality says is the Patriots struggle at points but make crucial adjustments in game which results in multiple scoring drives.

I do not agree that this is a game where Faulk will see a lot more playing time unless protection for TB is porous. Faulk is out of gas, so to speak. This is why he is not getting much playing time. What we will see is plenty of our 2 TE/2 WR/1RB formations as well as our 2 TE/3 WR formations, playing our normal 'open guy/guy who with the favorable match up in coverage gets the pass'. These formations will have our normal personnel groupings. Why would a high powered, successful offense change their personnel groupings? However, if there is a guy who strikes me as getting a bit more playing time above what would be expected, that would be Polite. It wouldn't surprise me at all to see the Patriots try and work a few passes to him based on his ability to knock a pass rusher on his @$$, his general very physical play (dishing out some blows to some Raven defenders) as well as the Ravens likely paying him no attention.

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