Block Beauty!!

[Off The Grid]

They do this all the time, obviously, and they're only getting even better...

But the play I keep rewinding and playing ~ besides that beautifull 36 Yard Run ~ is the play directly before it: the 7 Yarder on first down, which was one play after Branch ~ who made an excellent block two plays later ~ rolled for that 1st down, if you recall. I hope y'all'll get a chance to play it back a few times, just for the sweet, martial pleasure of it:

~ 70 Mankins and 72 Light double team 96 Dawson, establishing the Right Seal on the Left Flank.
~ 72 Light leaves Mankins to finish Dawson, and goes to his left, right after 56 Hagler.
~ 87 Gronkowski DESTROYS 93 Freeney, establishing the Left Seal on the Left Flank. He just BULLIES him.
~ 83 Welker cuts back upfield on Gronk's right, taking on 25 Powers, to extend the Left Seal.
~ 76 Vollmer and 67 Koppen lock down the back side. Perfectly.
~ 63 Connolly sweeps around from the Right Flank, drives up the ally, and takes out 51 Angerer.

39 WoodHead flies up the Ally, and gobbles up 7 yards, before Power and Hagler are able to disengage and make the Tackle, setting up a gorgeous 2nd and 3.

LOOK FAMILIAR???

Notes

~ I absolutely love Matt Light, one of our Great Grizzlies, and a Lynch Pin of The First Dynasty, who did a great job on that play, as he almost allways does. But the merciless Barbarian in me can't help but imagine that somebody like Nate Solder ~ with a year of tutelage under Dante, of course, after we draft him, next April ~ might've taken Hagler OUT.

~ Hines Ward might've finished off Powers, but he doesn't have a fraction of Welker's deadly explosiveness, so it's a trade off I can happily live with...And of course, Brother Wes more than made up for that lack of domination on the very next play, which was itself a thing of great Blocking ~ and Open Field Running ~ Beauty. :rocker:

 

[Off The Grid]

On Danny WoodHead's beautifull 36 Yarder, the final phase of it showed tremendous DownField Blocking by Deion Branch AND Wes Welker.

After WoodHead cut back across the BackField to tear UpField on the Right Flank ~ through a gaping hole, compliments of Brother Vollmer, Brother Connolly, Brother Koppen, Brother Mankins, and Brother Crumpler!! ~ and after he exploded through a double team of Colts whose names will be withheld to protect their families...Branch just BLASTED Kelvin Hayden ~ #26 in your programs ~ and then Welker just drove the poor guy into the End Zone, as WoodHead raced to Glory!! :rocker:

 

[FalconHeavy]

I watched the play but man, when I read this hair in the back of my stands up

I cannot imagine how fortunate we are to witness this dynasty. ok ok I'm running out of coolaid, bring me some more

 

[signbabybrady]

On Danny WoodHead's beautifull 36 Yarder, the final phase of it showed tremendous DownField Blocking by Deion Branch AND Wes Welker.

After WoodHead cut back across the BackField to tear UpField on the Right Flank ~ through a gaping hole, compliments of Brother Vollmer, Brother Connolly, Brother Koppen, Brother Mankins, and Brother Crumpler!! ~ and after he exploded through a double team of Colts whose names will be withheld to protect their families...Branch just BLASTED Kelvin Hayden ~ #26 in your programs ~ and then Welker just drove the poor guy into the End Zone, as WoodHead raced to Glory!! :rocker:

Woodhead, Welker, and Branch three players who combined are still smaller than Gronk or Vollmer and the image of one of them running into the endzone with the other two lead blocking for them was great.



Maybe its because its my favorite movie but it made me think of Richard from Tommy Boy (David Spades Character). The Patriots are like the Richard they will out smart you every chance they get and when you call them the Wittle Guy they will smack you in the face with a piece of Wood...............head.

And Que the rest of the NFL saying it doesnt hurt here or here so much but right here (pointing out there bruises).

 

[Kasmir]

On Danny WoodHead's beautifull 36 Yarder, the final phase of it showed tremendous DownField Blocking by Deion Branch AND Wes Welker.

After WoodHead cut back across the BackField to tear UpField on the Right Flank ~ through a gaping hole, compliments of Brother Vollmer, Brother Connolly, Brother Koppen, Brother Mankins, and Brother Crumpler!! ~ and after he exploded through a double team of Colts whose names will be withheld to protect their families...Branch just BLASTED Kelvin Hayden ~ #26 in your programs ~ and then Welker just drove the poor guy into the End Zone, as WoodHead raced to Glory!! :rocker:

Woodhead is far from getting the credit he deserves. It was an extraordinary run. That play looked like it was a TE wham trap, and the Colts had it defensed. Woodhead saw that and sold the trap so well that the DE crashed down allowing Connolly to seal him in. Then Woodhead somehow teleported outside with those powerful little legs and accelerated to full speed, juked the safety at speed with the CB pursuit behind him, recovered his balance when the CB hit him from behind (his hand actually touched the ground), saw Branch coming and set up that key block by cutting outside with another beautiful move. He then hesitated to let Welker achieve position before sprinting into the corner of the end zone. It was a perfect run.

I've watched the Patriots since the early 60's. They've never had a running back with Woodhead's "halfback" running skills. He's not an every down running back in a today's one-back set NFL: he's just too small. But he'd be a hell of a halfback in the old days.

I love Kevin Faulk. He's actually my favorite offensive player in the Belichick era because (as Brady said today comparing him to Woodhead) he's been so clutch. Woodhead hasn't risen to that level, and may never do so. But this kid is special and needs to be locked up to a long term deal as soon as possible, before everyone is forced by his play to concede how good he is.

Right now Woodhead is being damned with faint praise: Deion Sanders said last night "he tries hard", Mariucci said "he can't tell him and Welker apart". Peter King today wrote that the Patriot's running game is amazing because it's being accomplished with the likes of Woodhead.

At some point folks will start realizing how well Woodhead is actually playing. Sign the kid now before that happens.

 

[IcyPatriot]

i made mention of Light and Vollmer in the game thread ... they played great. A few heads picked on Light for the 2 times freeney made inroads but a guy like Freeney you're not going to be 100% unless he's playing on 1 leg.

 

[Off The Grid]

I watched the play but man, when I read this hair in the back of my stands up

Same here, man. The announcers ~ who I often mute ~ actually nailed it: "This is like an HighLight Reel of Blocking!!"

I cannot imagine how fortunate we are to witness this dynasty. ok ok I'm running out of coolaid, bring me some more

ALL the KoolAid you ever NEED, Brother!! All DAY. All NIGHT. :rocker:

I agree 100%: It IS a Privilege.

 

[Off The Grid]

Woodhead, Welker, and Branch three players who combined are still smaller than Gronk or Vollmer and the image of one of them running into the endzone with the other two lead blocking for them was great.

Well said.

It was truly an awesome sequence, because for all three of them ~ 2 of whom have only joined us in the last 2 months ~ to read each other's minds in NANOSECONDS, as WoodHead cut to the OutSide, Branch BLASTED Hayden, and Welker finished him off...was BEAUTIFULL.

 

[Off The Grid]

On Danny WoodHead's beautifull 36 Yarder, the final phase of it showed tremendous DownField Blocking by Deion Branch AND Wes Welker.

After WoodHead cut back across the BackField to tear UpField on the Right Flank ~ through a gaping hole, compliments of Brother Vollmer, Brother Connolly, Brother Koppen, Brother Mankins, and Brother Crumpler!! ~ and after he exploded through a double team of Colts whose names will be withheld to protect their families...Branch just BLASTED Kelvin Hayden ~ #26 in your programs ~ and then Welker just drove the poor guy into the End Zone, as WoodHead raced to Glory!!

Woodhead is far from getting the credit he deserves.

It was an extraordinary run.

That play looked like it was a TE wham trap, and the Colts had it defensed. Woodhead saw that and sold the trap so well that the DE crashed down allowing Connolly to seal him in. Then Woodhead somehow teleported outside with those powerful little legs and accelerated to full speed, juked the safety at speed with the CB pursuit behind him, recovered his balance when the CB hit him from behind (his hand actually touched the ground), saw Branch coming and set up that key block by cutting outside with another beautiful move. He then hesitated to let Welker achieve position before sprinting into the corner of the end zone. It was a perfect run.

Absolutely beautifull synopsis of that amazing play, sir. :rocker:

I've watched the Patriots since the early 60's. They've never had a running back with Woodhead's "halfback" running skills. He's not an every down running back in a today's one-back set NFL: he's just too small. But he'd be a hell of a halfback in the old days.

I love Kevin Faulk. He's actually my favorite offensive player in the Belichick era because (as Brady said today comparing him to Woodhead) he's been so clutch. Woodhead hasn't risen to that level, and may never do so. But this kid is special and needs to be locked up to a long term deal as soon as possible, before everyone is forced by his play to concede how good he is.

Right now Woodhead is being damned with faint praise: Deion Sanders said last night "he tries hard", Mariucci said "he can't tell him and Welker apart". Peter King today wrote that the Patriot's running game is amazing because it's being accomplished with the likes of Woodhead.

At some point folks will start realizing how well Woodhead is actually playing. Sign the kid now before that happens.

Exquisite.

You NAILED it: Those donkeys on TV don't know something special, even when it slaps them in the face.

Danny WoodHead...has The Magic.

 

[FredFromDartmouth]

~ 72 Light leaves Mankins to finish Dawson, and goes to his left, right after 56 Hagler.

This is what John Hanna preaches; hit the first guy and then go looking for second and third guys.

BTW I have an interesting John Hannah incident I saw at training camp back in the old days that I will relate when I have time.

 

[Off The Grid]

This is what John Hannah preaches; hit the first guy and then go looking for second and third guys.

BTW I have an interesting John Hannah incident I saw at training camp back in the old days that I will relate when I have time.

Looking forward to it.

I ALLWAYS listen to what John Hannah has to say.

 

[Off The Grid]

Woodhead is far from getting the credit he deserves. It was an extraordinary run. That play looked like it was a TE wham trap, and the Colts had it defensed. Woodhead saw that and sold the trap so well that the DE crashed down allowing Connolly to seal him in. Then Woodhead somehow teleported outside with those powerful little legs and accelerated to full speed, juked the safety at speed with the CB pursuit behind him, recovered his balance when the CB hit him from behind (his hand actually touched the ground), saw Branch coming and set up that key block by cutting outside with another beautiful move. He then hesitated to let Welker achieve position before sprinting into the corner of the end zone. It was a perfect run.

I've watched the Patriots since the early 60's. They've never had a running back with Woodhead's "halfback" running skills. He's not an every down running back in a today's one-back set NFL: he's just too small. But he'd be a hell of a halfback in the old days.

I love Kevin Faulk. He's actually my favorite offensive player in the Belichick era because (as Brady said today comparing him to Woodhead) he's been so clutch. Woodhead hasn't risen to that level, and may never do so. But this kid is special and needs to be locked up to a long term deal as soon as possible, before everyone is forced by his play to concede how good he is.

Right now Woodhead is being damned with faint praise: Deion Sanders said last night "he tries hard", Mariucci said "he can't tell him and Welker apart". Peter King today wrote that the Patriot's running game is amazing because it's being accomplished with the likes of Woodhead.

At some point folks will start realizing how well Woodhead is actually playing. Sign the kid now before that happens.

I think this exceptional post deserves to be brought back out front, one more time, as we've rolled to page 2.

 

[Kasmir]

I think this exceptional post deserves to be brought back out front, one more time, as we've rolled to page 2.

Glad you liked the post; was worried it was a little off topic

More on topic, I thought the block by Branch on that play was particularly praiseworthy, as Deion is notably careful about when and where he gets physical. It was great to see he (and Wes) put that effort in. I think everyone on that team is realizing that when Danny has the ball, it's both worth sustaining blocks a little longer and blocking down field a little harder...

 

[alamo]

Woodhead is far from getting the credit he deserves. It was an extraordinary run. That play looked like it was a TE wham trap, and the Colts had it defensed.

Merrill Hoge gave Woodhead extreme credit today on this play, on this afternoon's ESPN NFL live. He diagrammed the entire TD run on one of those touchscreens where he can stop the action and draw red and green arrows and circles.

The description was very similar to what has been said here. He showed how the play was originally designed to go to the seam to the left -- "what we call a WHAM" -- but when the Colts closed that quickly, Danny's "football agility" and "football instincts and skills" made the play work.

The other commentator responded with "Bill Belichick says it's easy to coach smart players who love football."

So at least *some* media sees it. I've never regarded Merrill Hoge that highly -- being an ex-Steeler colors his judgement too much imo -- but he knows his Xs and Os.

As do many here! :rocker: Thanks to everyone in this thread.