Owen Daniels - the X factor for Houston vs Pats

[Brady_to_Moss]

I think he is the x factor for them. Pats at home vs TE's are horrendous...I think he will play a big part if they want to win this one but who covers him?

 

[Sciz]

He's one of the Texans' two legitimate receiving threats. They'll find a way to slow him down, at least on paper. My bigger concern is how they'll do of covering him on playaction.

 

[hovis]

Mix it up of course, but maybe a lot of 3-3-5 sub packages:

RDE: Jones
NT: Wilfork
LDE: Ninkovich

LB: Mayo - Spikes - Hightower

LCB: Talib
RCB: Dennard
RS: McCourty
LS: Gregory
3rd S: Chung/Wilson

I think that package gives you a lot of flexibility against the Texans. Put Chung or Wilson and/or Mayo on Daniels.Keep Spikes in for run support (along with the extra safety). Hightower can put his hand in the dirt if necessary.

 

[mgteich]

No matter how much posters disagree, Arrington is our #5 defensive back, our nickel back. I expect Arrington to get many more reps than Chung or Wilson.

Mix it up of course, but maybe a lot of 3-3-5 sub packages:

RDE: Jones
NT: Wilfork
LDE: Ninkovich

LB: Mayo - Spikes - Hightower

LCB: Talib
RCB: Dennard
RS: McCourty
LS: Gregory
3rd S: Chung/Wilson

I think that package gives you a lot of flexibility against the Texans. Put Chung or Wilson and/or Mayo on Daniels.Keep Spikes in for run support (along with the extra safety). Hightower can put his hand in the dirt if necessary.

 

[MP-Logick]

"Good jams! Good jams!"

 

[TheBostonStraggler]

I think he is the x factor for them. Pats at home vs TE's are horrendous...I think he will play a big part if they want to win this one but who covers him?

If his 'X factor' is that potent, who covers him will be markedly irrelevant. I don;t know that we have the personnel over the middle to perform the task you are concerned about. Ultimately he is going to make catches over the middle and keep the chains moving a bunch of times. But the Patriots will win not because we can largely shut down receiving weapons such as Daniels, the Patriots will win because we generally slow down their offense just enough to outscore them with our better offense. And, again IMHO, slowing them down/getting off the field on third down will happen because we contain their run game, cause enough third downs to be longer than 5 or 6 yards, get some pressure on Schaub here and there, and minimize the long plays-make them have to get a lot of third downs on each drive-let their own mistakes cause a sufficient amount of FGs/punts.

As much as I would like to see a semi dominant defensive performance, I don't have a lot of faith in that happening. The Texans are the best team in the AFC (by record). The Patriots are third best in the AFC (by record). A 35 to 31 victory because we slowed their O down just enough is more than enough to overlook Daniels having 10 catches

 

[hovis]

No matter how much posters disagree, Arrington is our #5 defensive back, our nickel back. I expect Arrington to get many more reps than Chung or Wilson.

They're a good running team that only throws the ball to two WRs. All of their other passes go to TEs and backs. No disrespect to Arrington, it's just a matchup thing.

 

[Gumby]

I think ESPN had him as their #1 TE for fantasy football picks this weekend.

If that means anything that they think he is going to feast on Pats secondary.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

I think ESPN had him as their #1 TE for fantasy football picks this weekend.

If that means anything that they think he is going to feast on Pats secondary.

becasue the pats have give up the most fantasy points to TEs at home this year...away they are much better

 

[Sciz]

becasue the pats have give up the most fantasy points to TEs at home this year...away they are much better

But what's the difference in their ability to cover TEs on the road and at home. Seems like a coincidence to me.

 

[76Texan]

We have an emerging player in Garrett Graham.
He's from Wisconsin same as OD and Watt.

He actually had a better college career than OD.

We had Dreessen (now a good target for Peyton) the previous two years so he had to sit and wait.

He's also a very good blocker; the Pats need to shore up the edges to minimize our stretch run and keep the D-line from chasing both sidelines the whole day.

The more those interior guys like Wilfork has to run back and forth the more they will get tired toward the end.

It's not so much the success of those stretch runs but the effect it has on the big guys.

 

[VrabelJr]

TEs aren't feasting on our Secondary. They're feasting on our LBs.

 

[Gumby]

TEs aren't feasting on our Secondary. They're feasting on our LBs.

Well, I could have been thinking...
- secondary is a location. (like, the second level of the defense after the DL)
- LB is a position.
- just like CB / S is a position.
- I didnt specify which positions in the 2nd level of the defense.

OR, I just posted real quick and didnt really think about what I was writing.

Please accept whichever argument/excuse goes down easier.

 

[ausbacker]

I'm so glad we're now using Fantasy Football scores to determine the strategies the Patriots should employ.

 

[supafly]

While we certainly shouldn't be using fantasy football stats as a way to measure the problems that Daniels will pose vs the LBs, it is still a valid concern.

Our LBs have definitely had their share of problems defending the pass this year, and if you take away the Spikes aspect, which has been limited in itself---they completely suck in defending the pass.

Owen Daniels can certainly pose a potential problem vs the NEP, that is for sure.

 

[Thunderkyss]

It's possible that OD could be that X-Factor. But we rarely have one of those. Schaub pretty much spreads the ball around pretty good. Unless our backs are against the wall, then he force feeds Andre...... but Andre loves it.

Andre & OD are traditionally our 1 & 2 receivers, but we may end the game with as many as 9 players catching the ball.

If we're going to win this game, it won't be because we took advantage of your defense, it'll be because we befuddled your offense. As strange as that may sound. If you guys score 30 points, it's your game.

If we somehow manage to keep you around 20, we win. I don't know how we're going to do that, but that's the only way I see a W for them boys on Kirby.

 

[76Texan]

Injury update. Garrett Graham is ruled out for the game.

 

[docbar]

Shut down OD and Casey will run wild. Shut both of them down and AJ will run wild. I honestly think Schaub to AJ will dominate this game, regardless of weather. AJ is hungry after last season and if Schaub can grip the ball, AJ is gonna have a stupid amount of yards. I also think Tate and Forsett will have big games rushing while NE is putting eleventythreehundred LB's on OD and Casey. That whole PA thang works wonders. :rocker:

 

[Gronkowski123]

i cant help but think of jake plummer.