Brace vs. Bills

[Bill B.]

What do you guys think of Brace's performance today? It looked like he got pushed around a little in the first Buffalo possession, but seemed to settle in as the game went on. He was credited with 3 tackles and 1 assist. Made a mistake with the facemask penalty? For his first game with some significant playing time, I think he did pretty well. Maybe a B-.

 

[atomdomb]

Re: Brace

What do you guys think of Brace's performance today? It looked like he got pushed around a little in the first Buffalo possession, but seemed to settle in as the game went on. He was credited with 3 tackles and 1 assist. Made a mistake with the facemask penalty? For his first game with some significant playing time, I think he did pretty well. Maybe a B-.

Good post. I think he needs to add a little more weight to successfully play the nose but he has a the frame to do that. I did notice he was getting the double from the right guard for most of the game. Keep in mind that the Bills O-line is the equivalent of the a D III O-line.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Re: Brace

What do you guys think of Brace's performance today? It looked like he got pushed around a little in the first Buffalo possession, but seemed to settle in as the game went on. He was credited with 3 tackles and 1 assist. Made a mistake with the facemask penalty? For his first game with some significant playing time, I think he did pretty well. Maybe a B-.

That 1st drive was brutal (triple teamed twice) but overall as a rookie and for this first NFL start-he survived and LOOKED liked he belonged.

Tough to be too hard on him. Hope is improves on this performance and starts to contribute more to the D. The may need him if Wilfork, Warren and Pryor don't get healthy.

 

[pats1]

He was triple-teamed on one play during the first drive and managed to keep his footing. That's promising.

 

[mayoclinic]

Re: Brace

Good post. I think he needs to add a little more weight to successfully play the nose but he has a the frame to do that. I did notice he was getting the double from the right guard for most of the game. Keep in mind that the Bills O-line is the equivalent of the a D III O-line.

The game wasn't televised in my area so I didn't get to see him, but I was surprised by repeated comments on the game thread that he looked too light. He's listed at 6'3" 330#. Has he lost weight, or does he just have such a big frame that he needs to carry more?

I gather he got pushed around a bit on the first drive and that he doesn't get low enough to get leverage. And Buffalo's OL is admittedly one of the poorer ones in the NFL. But just to get some quality playing time was a huge step forward for Brace. The fact that he chewed up double and triple teams alone is a good sign.

 

[jays52]

It was about what I expected from a rookie giving a decent performance. He played quite well against single blocking. His initial technique was perfect, he won the hand battle initially, and if he was singled he won. Where his game needs improvement is dealing with the power overload. Taking the double team is a technique thing at the professional level. You're going to be at a disadvantage from a power standpoint, and typically the second blocker is going to have some form of leverage over you (be it breastplate, armpit, or hips). The key is to retain the level advantage and continue to keep your legs churning while fighting with your hands to exploit the momentum of the second drive block.

He needs a lot of work, but I like what I saw initially.

 

[mgteich]

He was a rookie and he was being double-teamed. He did his job.

 

[mr3putt]

At least he played

 

[mayoclinic]

At least he played

I'm sure he benefitted enormously from some game time experience. This should give the coaching staff a lot to work on with him. I'd like to see him get some more playing time in limited situations - hopefully not because Wilfork is out - so that he can build on this. Maybe by 2010 or 2011 he'll be a decent run-stuffing 3-4 NT.

 

[WhiZa]

Brace was helped by the fact the Pats had the lead and they were forced to throw. I dont think we would have won if it was a close game. I thought on a few plays he got too much penetration and the RB was able to run right by him. It was the same issue Wilfork had in his first year. Playing the nose you just need to stay stout and let your teammates make the big plays.

 

[Patstopia]

I thought he was good from what I saw, for his first game he was holding his own. If you ignore the first Buffalo drive he did well except for the dumb facemask penalty. Was really nice to see him out there.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

He was a rookie and he was being double-teamed. He did his job.

My thinking as well.
If 2 and sometimes 3 blockers (I saw this) were on him, even though he was moving backwards, it is clearly some other defender's opening to actually you know like tackle the runner or sack the passer.

 

[Jimke]

Considering the fact he has been inactive most of the year, he

did quite well.

 

[convertedpatsfan]

I just looked back at the drive charts because I was curious about Brace's performance as well. He really got pushed around on that first drive, and the Pats run D struggled most of the half. The Bills didn't run the ball much in the second half, and only gave up 23 yards on 8 carries from Lynch/Jackson, but it's hard to tell if that had much to do with Brace or with the play calling from Buffalo.

I think it's good that he got some playing time in though. At the very least, we didn't do too badly in the second half against the run.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

I just looked back at the drive charts because I was curious about Brace's performance as well. He really got pushed around on that first drive, and the Pats run D struggled most of the half. The Bills didn't run the ball much in the second half, and only gave up 23 yards on 8 carries from Lynch/Jackson, but it's hard to tell if that had much to do with Brace or with the play calling from Buffalo.

I think it's good that he got some playing time in though. At the very least, we didn't do too badly in the second half against the run.

Postgame TBC said that players were lining up and playing out of position that 1st drive. This was recognized and he and others changed.

 

[zipster9]

Need Wilfork play against the Jags. They are a very good running team. Wilfork is a very good run-stuffer.

Cannot afford a rookie in the middle for Sunday.

 

[Feep50]

I think Brace would be better suited to a 4-3 alignment, but he did pretty well for a rookie all things considered......

Did Chung play at all? I don't recall seeing him at all.

Meriweather seemed to be flying around like a man on a mission... I'm liking his development as a player.

 

[Metaphors]

Postgame TBC said that players were lining up and playing out of position that 1st drive. This was recognized and he and others changed.

This is what I noticed as well. Brace did fine, effectively eating up multiple blockers and creating a traffic jam in the middle. The linebackers (noticed Guyton in particular) didn't hit the running lanes well, especially considering they were generally unblocked.

After the first drive it seemed much improved. The tackling wasn't great since there were too many yards-after-contact...but good enough to get the Bills in passing situations where they just couldn't get anything done against the no-DL look.

Back to Brace...if anyone expected more out of him today, their expectations are out of whack. Grading on a curve, he gets an A.

 

[patsfan-1982]

he was double-teamed on every play that's all you can ask for from your NT

all the runing the bills where doing was because mayo and guyton can't take on blocks

 

[MrBigglesWorth]

I think a small criticism I have is in developing players. I think Brace did very well, but every backup is one injury from being a starter. It would have been nice to have Brace get some snaps prior to getting fulltime play. I realize you only have limited active roster spots, but in the matter of one week you're missing Wilfork and Warren and suddenly you have to rely on a player that hasn't seen gametime action in a while. just a small criticism.

i felt this way in 2007 when the Pats could have given Pierre Woods more significant playing time in their undefeated season but they he was thrust into playing time from limited playtime. I'd like to see more player development...even further than what they do now