Why the lack of BJGE?

[VJCPatriot]

The Pats beat themselves. They had a poor gameplan. They prepared poorly. They had a terrible ST 'option' play that resulted in the game-losing fake punt attempt. Overall it was bizarre. The Pats completely beat themselves this game. And I hadn't really seen it from them all year with the exception of a couple of games. I felt like I was in bizarro land. Who were the imposters that were wearing those uniforms out there?

 

[RhodyPatriot]

Because you have an offensive coordinator and QB who did not stay true to what got the Patriots to 14 - 2 and a #1 seed in the playoffs.
Tom Brady with 45 passing attempts is never what you want to see.
In fact I made a comment to a friend during the 1st half that I did not understand the RB rotation at all. Woody started the game, Benny would come in and get nice yards and then you'd watch him run off the field and put his pancho on. Benny got 4 touches in the 1st half with an offense that was doing nothing. Ridiculous.

 

[RHbT76]

I posted this in 2 other threads so I won't quote the relevant parts here (look for the part about Brady standing in the pocket going through his progressions and read on)

Rex Ryan explains Jets win, Aaron Rodgers, Jay Cutler, more - Peter King - SI.com

1. The Jets brought 11 DBs to the game

2. The Jets had 4 Defensive linemen for the game, who sacked Brady 3 out the 5 times. (I found that out on my own by looking at their active roster & injury report for the game)

Now think about this for a minute. The Jets have loaded up on safeties and CBs to flood the backfield while using a 3-4 man rush to get pressure on Brady. What would have happened throughout the game if the patriots had done what they always talk about and attack their opponents weakness?extra

1. The Jets 4 d-line gets worn down and wouldn't be able to create pressure in passing situations without a blitz.

2. The extra DBs would likely be replaced with linebackers to help stop the run, allowing the patriots to open the passing game even more (play action passing anyone?)

A simple examination of the active/inactive player roster for the Jets should have told the Patriot coaches all they needed to know. In typical Rex Ryan fashion he made no attempt to disguise what his scheme was going to be.

 

[RhodyPatriot]

Really good analysis RHbT. Along with exploiting the run they should have made Gronk the featured receiver. He should have had twice as many catches as he did. He's a match-up nightmare for the Jets because of his size. They didn't find Hernandez all game long. The coaches and QB really fell down in this game. Quite disappointing.

 

[satz]

The game was they dared the pats to run and for some reason we decided we are not going to run.

I never under stood why we did not go 2 TE / 2 WR and let BJGE go.
also you help the OL when you ask them to PUSH and knock someone.
better still play crumpler as a tackle and rotate vollmer next to light and mankins to run behind a unbalanced line .

instead OL was going backward pass protecting ... the extra DB were pressuring and the speed outside is going to be hard for OL to side .

satz

 

[Uncle Rico]

Good analysis of the game by Bedard at the Globe; he's as confused about why the Pats didn't run as we are:

Oh, did this unit of the Patriots struggle against Jets - The Boston Globe

"If one team wants to play coverage [as the Jets did], the other team should be able to run it. Thus it’s strange that BenJarvus Green-Ellis wasn’t given more than four carries — on which he averaged 5.3 yards — in the first half. ... The Jets were daring the Patriots to run — probably part of the plan to slow Brady down — and the Patriots simply decided not to. "

 

[chris_in_sunnyvale]

Honestly, I swore I was watching the 2009 Patriots yesterday. It was a diabolical regression for the offense.

Outside of the first two drives the offense never played like the 2010 offense.

The offense reverted back to the horrible 2009 playoff blowout against Baltimore, when Kevin Faulk was overused and predictably used over and over.

Because you have an offensive coordinator and QB who did not stay true to what got the Patriots to 14 - 2 and a #1 seed in the playoffs.

Good analysis of the game by Bedard at the Globe; he's as confused about why the Pats didn't run as we are:

Oh, did this unit of the Patriots struggle against Jets - The Boston Globe

"If one team wants to play coverage [as the Jets did], the other team should be able to run it. Thus it’s strange that BenJarvus Green-Ellis wasn’t given more than four carries — on which he averaged 5.3 yards — in the first half. ... The Jets were daring the Patriots to run — probably part of the plan to slow Brady down — and the Patriots simply decided not to. "

It was eerily like 2009 all over again. I remember seeing a lot of multi-wide sets with nobody in motion...straight out of 2009 and something that plays right into Rex's wheelhouse. 2010 was all about running a balanced offense and taking what the defense gave them, then they completely undid that in the biggest game of the year. Still shaking my head over Sunday's coaching job.

Regards,
Chris

 

[FortressX]

Jets had "Tude".
The Pats did not.
The Pats should have come out pounding with BJGE. Let him get out into the Jets secondary and smash their loudmouth DBs when they try to tackle him.
The score was not an issue in the 1st half at all.

 

[JMarr]

Good analysis of the game by Bedard at the Globe; he's as confused about why the Pats didn't run as we are:

Oh, did this unit of the Patriots struggle against Jets - The Boston Globe

"If one team wants to play coverage [as the Jets did], the other team should be able to run it. "

Which is exactly what BOB and Brady did on the 7 minute drive. They just screwed the pooch at the end of it.

Plus Woodhead ran effectively all game. What struck me was that every time BJGE made a run, he immediately came off and put the coat on--all totally scripted, indicating a lack of in-game adjustment or willingness to go with "what's working" by BOB.

Rex was able to totally dictate the tempo and we played right into his hands. Sometimes you gotta just impose your will on the other team.

 

[RayClay]

BJ is a disciplined runner who follows his blocking. On the next level, he really has very little open field breakaway ability.

The jets would love us to run down the field and kill clock all day, giving them the opportunity to pick and choose when they'd try to stop it, meanwhile utilizing the run themselves to make us stop them, with our DLine deficiencies and allow Sanchez to have some open looks.

They didn't fear that BJ would start ripping 20 and 30 yard chunks, like a premier running back would running against defensive backs.

 

[Dufflebagz]

BJ is a disciplined runner who follows his blocking. On the next level, he really has very little open field breakaway ability.

The jets would love us to run down the field and kill clock all day, giving them the opportunity to pick and choose when they'd try to stop it, meanwhile utilizing the run themselves to make us stop them, with our DLine deficiencies and allow Sanchez to have some open looks.

They didn't fear that BJ would start ripping 20 and 30 yard chunks, like a premier running back would running against defensive backs.

We should have took what they were giving us earlier in the game, BJGE should have been pounding the ball at least through the 1st three quarters. He was having success, we didn't need 20 yard runs, just 1st downs and that's what he was doing.

 

[RayClay]

We should have took what they were giving us earlier in the game, BJGE should have been pounding the ball at least through the 1st three quarters. He was having success, we didn't need 20 yard runs, just 1st downs and that's what he was doing.

So your game plan against the Jets is slow, clock killing drives and try to beat them with defense in a low scoring game.

Ryan would have bribed you to do that, but you did it for free. It's the same, "find what didn't happen and say, if it did we would have won." Did you forget the early drive with those passes to Gronkowski, moving down the field and setting up the jets D? Just because Brady threw a rare interception, doesn't take away that pass oriented drive was succwsful.

Should we go back in the time machine and run the ball, because we know Crumpler is going to drop an easy TD pass? It's easy and serves no purpose, to look back in hindsight and say we should have run all the time, or brady should have run.

C'mon, Brady threw a pick and Crumpler dropped a bunny. You can't go back in the way back and change history, Sherman and Peabody proved that. We had two touchdowns playing our game, if we executed. We should have been able to adjust to the defense. We did, somewhat, but not soon enough or well enough.

Two early screw ups made it a grind it out game, exactly what Ryan wanted and not at all what we did. The Jets made key plays, we didn't, end of song.

Maybe with a premier RB and a quick receiver more like vintage Branch than the current version, we recover from our mistakes through superior athletic plays, but Ryan was defending the players we have, not a wish list and he had a great game plan.

 

[RayClay]

What cracks me up is, we had a 7 minute drive in the 4th doing exactly what the hindsighters said was guaranteed to win and it got us nothing.

 

[RHbT76]

What cracks me up is, we had a 7 minute drive in the 4th doing exactly what the hindsighters said was guaranteed to win and it got us nothing.

Actually it would have likely got us a FG if they weren't trying to force passes on 3rd/13 and 4th/13.

So your game plan against the Jets is slow, clock killing drives and try to beat them with defense in a low scoring game.

How many points did we score in the first half?

You grind the ball to start the game and wear down the jets 4 defensive linemen so they tire and have trouble generating pressure in passing situations later.

Running the ball steadily would make the jets sub out some of their extra DB for LB to further open up the passing game.

You now have worn out defensive line that can't create pressure without blitzing, more linebackers on the field instead of DBs and they are worrying about stopping both the run and the pass, which is great for play action passing.

You run the ball early to wear down the D and setup the passing game later (I hate that cliche but it works in this game). It's also about attacking your opponents weakness, They put everything into defending the pass and thats what we went after.

 

[RayClay]

Actually it would have likely got us a FG if they weren't trying to force passes on 3rd/13 and 4th/13.

So 7 minutes for a field goal would have won the game? We talking about the same game?

How many points did we score in the first half?

We left 10-14 on the board. We had a balanced attack that marched down the field completing almost every pass and were stopped by an INT and a dropped pass.

You want to play a low scoring defensively oriented team with a stable of running backs, by grinding it out. I'm sure Rex Ryan would approve.

 

[RHbT76]

So 7 minutes for a field goal would have won the game? We talking about the same game?

Yes actually in that situation kicking the FG would have given us a very good chance as we were only down by 10 and there was over 5 minutes left in the game.

We left 10-14 on the board. We had a balanced attack that marched down the field completing almost every pass and were stopped by an INT and a dropped pass.

You make it sound like we left those mistakes had nothing to do with the Jets D. Brady's interception was forced by a Jet closing on Brady forcing him to throw the ball high.

Next Drive:

1st and 10 on the Jets 12 Woodhead runs the ball 5 yards to the 7.
2nd and 5 Crumpler drops the pass in the endzone.
3rd and 5 Brady comes out in the shotgun and gets sacked by Ellis.

You want to play a low scoring defensively oriented team with a stable of running backs, by grinding it out. I'm sure Rex Ryan would approve.

You keep saying that like it means something. We would have neutralized their defensive game plan and kept those running backs on the sidelines.

 

[RayClay]

Yes actually in that situation kicking the FG would have given us a very good chance as we were only down by 10 and there was over 5 minutes left in the game.



You make it sound like we left those mistakes had nothing to do with the Jets D. Brady's interception was forced by a Jet closing on Brady forcing him to throw the ball high.

Next Drive:

1st and 10 on the Jets 12 Woodhead runs the ball 5 yards to the 7.
2nd and 5 Crumpler drops the pass in the endzone.
3rd and 5 Brady comes out in the shotgun and gets sacked by Ellis.



You keep saying that like it means something. We would have neutralized their defensive game plan and kept those running backs on the sidelines.

Actually, we would have executed their defensive game plan.

 

[RHbT76]

Actually, we would have executed their defensive game plan.

That doesn't even make sense.

 

[RayClay]

That doesn't even make sense.

Why did they put a DB on the line? because they would rather we had no pass options and didn't fear our running game.

If we used the run and our surprising, but very limited running backs as the focal point of our offense, we would be executing the game plan Ryan hoped to make us have to do.

There's a reason he spent so much time trying to mess up Brady's options and so little respect for our running game.

You know, if somehow, BJ and Woodhead started gouging them for runs of 20 and 30 yards when he left half the line open to them, all he'd need to do is move a DL and/or a linebacker back in place to stop any runs after the initial 3-5 yds, if that.

Believe it or not, some teams even put a safety in the box to stop running games they fear. Do you think that happens a lot with Brady, BJ and Woodhead in there?

They are wonderful human beings, but both our F.A. running backs benefit from defenses that key on stopping Brady and the passing game. Ryan reportedly had 11 DBs active.

Give any D coordinator the primary job of stopping our running game and it's stopped. I realize BJ is disciplined and goes forward, but he lacks speed, power, and agility compared to great running backs. That's not his fault, he gives 100% of his gawd given talent, but people here have convinced themselves that he went from a non player to Jim Brown or OJ Simpson overnight. It just doesn't happen that way.

Our backs get yards as a compliment to the passing game of Tom Brady which has wrecked the league this year, not the other way around. I was happy to see BJ get 1,000 yards, but, believe it or not there are plenty of JAG running backs around with multiple 1,000 yard seasons to their credit available every day on waivers. It isn't that hard. It's 62.5 yards a game.

We had a great season with one (1) premier veteran defensive player in Wilfork and Tom Brady. We had a fantastic run, and i love this team, and had we played our game and not made crucial errors, we could have won it. We didn't.

Pretending our personnel morphed into different players because they practiced and learned so well, is just self delusion. BJ and Woodhead did a great job taking what defenses who spent the week trying to stop Brady gave them, period.

Woodhead is probably a decent third down back, they aren't really hard to find, because they're undersized. If he can stick to it like faulk did, we've scored again. BJ is a good backup running back. He needs to be more versatile in that role, IMO if he wants a long NFL career. If you think he's going to carry an offense on his back in a playoff game, good luck. He's a complimentary player.

We're not always going to have things roll our way in a season like we did this one. We've got lots of young players who could be impact players and draft picks to fill other holes. Pretending our complimentary players are Cory Dillons or Curtis Martins is not going to help us get better and win next time.

 

[Patspsycho]

Why did they put a DB on the line? because they would rather we had no pass options and didn't fear our running game.

If we used the run and our surprising, but very limited running backs as the focal point of our offense, we would be executing the game plan Ryan hoped to make us have to do.

Good golly, then how in hell did we score 45 points doing exactly that, the last time we played them? BJGE and Woodhead were very involved in the offense in the 2nd game against the Jets. 101 rushing yards total and 2 TDs.