Immediate post game thoughts

[Sfpat]

Re: Don't blame the defense

They need more intensity on third down. Third down defense was horrible. It's like they just take the down off.

 

[patsfaninpittsburgh]

1. When the clock wound down to zero, all I could think was, "Whew, THANK YOU, San Diego Chargers"!. If ever a team gifted a win to another it was that game. It was a microcosm of their entire season. Good Defense, Productive offense, No wins. If I wasn't such a homer I'd almost be ashamed to take that win. From the first fumble right up until the last procedure penalty SD just gave the Pats one gift after another.

2. If I were a Charger fan, I think I'd be on suicide watch right now. Remember they have 3 OTHER loses just as bad as this one. (though I bet this HAD to be the worst.)

3.I agree with BB on going for it on 4th and a long 1. It is important to remember that if they had kicked it and say pinned them at the 15, they would have plenty of time and 3 time outs. Time wouldn't have been an issue. What WAS the issue was that Sergio Brown and James Sanders were going to be your Safeties on the last drive. (Merriweather might have played some, but he was banged up and compromised.

BB had already seen that Sergio Brown on even a hobbled Gates was a bad mismatch, and James Sanders isgenerally bad in coverage (though he made a nice play in the endzone), especially outside the red zone. This was like the decision in Indy, where we also were very thin and inexperienced at the Safety position.

4. You won't here it reported on the media, but the reason the 4th down play failed, was that BJGE ran past the hole. If you get to see the replay from behind the QB, it will be clear to you. The TE does a nice job in setting./sealing the edge. Connolly cuts it up just out side the TE and created a soft spot. BJGE took one hole farther out where no one was blocking an lost the 2 yds. I contend that if he had followed Connolly and run off his butt, he would have gotten the needed yard.

You heard this analysis first here....and probably last here. Check it out yourself, since I'm sure you'll get to see it enough time this week. But you won't see it clearly until you see the behind the RB angle

5. I'm sure all the "we miss Randy" crowd will have a field day. The offense looked positively 2006ish today, with Deion playing the part of Reche Caldwell. Its a legitimate question though, but its way to early to start to draw any conclusions one way or the other. File it under a situation to be watched.....CLOSELY

6. Clearly the offense adjusted at the half and was much better in the 2nd, but it shouldn't take an entire half to make adjustment and start move the ball on a consistent basis.

7. My 2 favorite players Edelman and Tate didn't catch a ball today. I'd love to see a coaches tape to see if they just were not being targeted, or just couldn't get open. And if its the latter, why. I also think we could start to target Gronk more. Clearly he has Orick/Dyson hands, and can catch the ball in a crowd. He has earned more looks. (and I'm not just saying this because I'm stubbornly playing him on my FF team.

8. The run defense keeps getting better each game, and the pass D, in case you didn't notice, is getting better as well...just more slowly. And the injuries to the safeties isn't helping.

9. I know Brace was inactive, was it due to injury or is he back in the doghouse. Same for Butler, was he active, because I didn't notice him.

10. The offense did do something right today - ZERO turnovers. I can't even imagine a win if we had had even one.

11.The onside kick was a perfect play. I first thought that he touched the ball before it went 10 yds and his momentum carried him past the 10 yds, but the replay showed that he just made it by INCHES. It was a great call by the refs. They catch a lot of crap from all of us, but they got that call right WITHOUT any replays.

12. Another give we got was the PI. Yes the DB barred the receiver's way with an arm bar, but I really doubt the ball was catchable. The fairer call would have been illegal contact, 5yds and first down. I also know that when the ball is in the air, it has to be call a PI. I think the NFL would be better served if there was a mechanism to call it holding. Reward a team with a 20+yd gain on what was essentially a poorly executed play never sets well with me. OTOH, too often lately I've seen the Pats on the wrong side of a call like that. So I'll take it. I just don't have to like it.

BOTTOM LINE - we are 5-1 tied for the best record in the conference, after winning another tough road game on the west coast. In a few weeks all the details of this game will have faded into obscurity and a whole new list of issues will be debated.

To sum it up. The defense continues to get better (fingers crossed on Chung and Merriweather), and the offense is in flux, though they aren't hurting us with TO's

On to the Randy homecoming and your comments

ken

Great thoughts

I would expouind on your point and say that the last three drives before the 4th down were FG/TD/FG and that Norv would have kicked off if he thought his defense would force three and outs.

WE do have to remember that except for Welker and Edelman, all the targets are new this year along with the RB's. Therefore, It will take a few more before this is running full.

The defense was lights out and even the first TD was extremely time consuming. Only the onsider made it interesting.

 

[5 Rings for Brady!!]

Ken,

I believe we would have lost with Moss in the game because Brady would have thrown a couple picks toward moss. Similiar to the way we lost multiple games in 2008 and a winnable Jets game this year.

 

[reflexblue]

patfanken... i just watched the highlights, your Right. If BJGE went to his Right he would have made the first down. As it was he ran Right into the SD defense.

 

[Deus Irae]

A lot of people are overhyping the job the defense did.

 

[IcyPatriot]

A lot of people are overhyping the job the defense did.

Okay Ron .........

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

The defense was fantastic. Prevent mode was the right call and would have given us an easy win if we had just been prepared for the onside kick like we should have been.

Credit to the coaches for the defensive scheme, but major criticism for not having the guys more ready for the onsides, that could have been a fatal mistake (would have against a better team).

 

[ctpatsfan77]

I assume Brace is inactive because Deaderick has beaten him out.

I would say it's more a speed issue; Brace is s-l-o-w.

 

[mgteich]

If he's not the slowest DE in the league, he is certainly close.

I would say it's more a speed issue; Brace is s-l-o-w.

 

[MNF]

............
4. You won't here it reported on the media, but the reason the 4th down play failed, was that BJGE ran past the hole. If you get to see the replay from behind the QB, it will be clear to you. The TE does a nice job in setting./sealing the edge. Connolly cuts it up just out side the TE and created a soft spot. BJGE took one hole farther out where no one was blocking an lost the 2 yds. I contend that if he had followed Connolly and run off his butt, he would have gotten the needed yard.

You heard this analysis first here....and probably last here. Check it out yourself, since I'm sure you'll get to see it enough time this week. But you won't see it clearly until you see the behind the RB angle

I couldn't agree more. BJGE hit the wrong hole no doubt about it. Which was pretty frustrating because the correct hole was wide open.

I would have loved to see the D get off the field in the 4th but to summarize it. When the game was on the line and SD had the ball at the 50-yard line and all the timeouts they did ****-all and the D came up big forcing a long 50-yard FG. You have to be encouraged with that.

 

[mgteich]

Our defense FORCED the illegal procedure call that made it a 50 yard field goal?

I couldn't agree more. BJGE hit the wrong hole no doubt about it. Which was pretty frustrating because the correct hole was wide open.

I would have loved to see the D get off the field in the 4th but to summarize it. When the game was on the line and SD had the ball at the 50-yard line and all the timeouts they did ****-all and the D came up big forcing a long 50-yard FG. You have to be encouraged with that.

 

[Modest]

Deion Sanders on NFL Netowrk just made the comment regarding who was the best team in the AFC regarding the Pats "Oh please!, When Moss left I left!"

I hope someone on the Pats if not the coaching staff uses this as ammo.

 

[jsull87]

Re: Don't blame the defense

They did their job and held the Chargers to 6 for most of the game. T Hey just got gassed when forced to defend against a 2nd long drive in a row after the onside kick.

They got amazing pass rush and held the high flying Chargers (albeit they were depleted)

I was further encouraged by what I saw today on defense.

don't know about an "amazing" pass rush.

I would say the chargers had an amazing pass rush today

 

[patriotscpfc]

Deion Sanders on NFL Netowrk just made the comment regarding who was the best team in the AFC regarding the Pats "Oh please!, When Moss left I left!"

I hope someone on the Pats if not the coaching staff uses this as ammo.

Been away and catching up on some threads.

Deion is turning into Marshall Faulk as every week passes. Except he seems more ******ed if that's possible.

I would love the Patriots to shut down Moss next week and take a massive win.

Can they do it? On defense, if they keep improving as they have, it's possible. On offense, can Benny run it on the Williams Wall and Allen? Or will Woody be running outside for a lot of the game. I think we can pass on them. I think we can hurt Favre or Jackson. Can we stop AD? Will we see the big 4 man Fronts as we did vs the Jesters in Week 2.

4-2-5 maybe with Cunningham and Ninko rotating in on passing downs. Mayo and Spikes out there to crush the run as well and then you've got the 5 DB's out there to cover them.

Peterson has to be stopped. Let's hope Meriweather has learned to tackle properly if he breaks one.

 

[Patspsycho]

Re: Don't blame the defense

Up until they started to play prevent, I was damn impressed with the defense. They finally have a pass rush.

That said, this team's secondary isn't good enough to play a prevent against a QB like Rivers especially with Chung out.

I think the prevent did its job. It burned up the clock like it's supposed to do.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Re: Don't blame the defense

I think the prevent did its job. It burned up the clock like it's supposed to do.

Remember that classic Indy opening night game where we did that and Vanderjerk missed the game tying FG with 24 seconds remaining on the clock? That game would have sucked by our new age fan standards...and doomed our season out of the gate. That was the same season Manning set the TD record at 49 and all we did was win another SB behind that stiff Brady who could only muster 28 and way less than 4000 yards. Go figure.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Re: Don't blame the defense

I think the prevent did its job. It burned up the clock like it's supposed to do.

Don't like Rivers but I respect him as a QB; tough, talented. That said I was counting down the minutes and seconds as he and his doofus HC took WAY too long between plays as the Pats played clock killin' prevent D. Had SD not gone for an onside kick recovery it woulda been ovah. The Patriots' special teams uncharacteristicly seemed to fall asleep on the SECOND onside kick. WTF?

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

A lot of people are overhyping the job the defense did.

Everybody knows what I think about this defense. However, they played well enough for the game to be over at halftime.

It was the offense that was pathetic.

Had the offense done it's job, Rivers would've been on the sidelines at the start of the 4th quarter and they probably wouldn't have been in that situation late in the game.

It's great they pulled out the win, but you should be concerned when a defense gets 4 turnovers, yet you only win by 3 points.

 

[lurker1965]

We learned waaaaay more about the Chargers than the Patriots.

 

[Brady2Welker]

Everybody knows what I think about this defense. However, they played well enough for the game to be over at halftime.

It was the offense that was pathetic.

Had the offense done it's job, Rivers would've been on the sidelines at the start of the 4th quarter and they probably wouldn't have been in that situation late in the game.

It's great they pulled out the win, but you should be concerned when a defense gets 4 turnovers, yet you only win by 3 points.

I completely agree, they should've put that game away by half time. Or at least make it out of reach by the drive immediately following half time.


I still feel like the offense is under performing and not utilizing talent we have. I don't understand why Gronkowski isn't being used more down field unless our offensive line is getting thrashed that bad, which for the most part it isn't.