***** Official Deus Irae 9/7/2014 game observations (and more) thread *****

[50-yard-line]

Sorry, I don't see the agenda here some are speaking of. This is, imo, a fair assessment and really insightful. Thanks for the effort, Deus.

I'll add what I can....

I had hot wings, so there's that...

1. Miami's record at home in September is pretty great, iirc. We don't play well there, with very few exceptions (Moss). Brady is what, 6-7 there? And he almost always goes down there with a far superior team. And Miami doesn't suck this year. Look at the teams they beat last year - this is a potential playoff team. They didn't implode with the Incognito crap, they came closer together. Give them some credit.

2. Not much to add. Several times yesterday, I said to the guys beside me, "Hey, let's run so we have 2nd and 9!" We were lucky when we had 2nd and 9.

3. Think it was Nink, who had a bad game. Watching him cover MIller was painful.

4. Wallace had 7 catches for 81 yards. At least two that I can think of came with him being covered by a linebacker. Umm...how'd that happen? One of his catches (TD) was well-covered, but had a huge element of luck. I don't like the guy - I think he's a jerk and incredibly overpaid - but the guy can play. The only way to stop him is to get pressure on the QB. Wallace was a stud in Pittsburgh because Ben extended plays. If Tannehill gets time, Wallace gets 1000 yards easy this year. I really wish Revis had been on Hartline and they had doubled Wallace with a CB and McCourty.

5.,6. and 10. Ridiculous DL schemes. And I don't care if Kelly asked for a release - that's on the TEAM. Makes it worse, in my mind, because it says they let him go out of fear of escalators instead of because he simply wasn't good enough anymore. I've never seen him shoved around the way their DL was yesterday. NEVER - even after he hurt his knee and kept playing in that game last year. He's huge, tough as hell, and he should have been out there. The extra cap space (which is tiny - see Sopoaga) sure looks great on a balance sheet! If Kelly can still play, then this boneheaded maneuver is on the front office, including the coach. After Kelly, they drop off the face of the Earth at DT. Even if Easley is what we hope, he's a compliment to a guy like Kelly, not a replacement.

7.,8. and 9. I'm not really upset about dumping Mankins, honestly. He might be done for a while, by the way. What gets me is...well, is there anyone in the universe who didn't recognize our OL problem by the AFCCG last year? So I like that the Pats went out and drafted three, sure. And I won't second guess and say they should have used a higher pick 9the guys I wanted were all gone by the 2nd pick).

But it's not second guessing to scratch a head at why they didn't bring in veteran FAs to plug the holes for this year. There were some pretty good, cheap options out there who could have come in for a year and helped the transition (Wharton?).

Their schemes were pretty headscratching, too. Hooman on Cameron Wake on a play-action? Wow, that was ugly. And as some sportswriters noted, the constant changing of players was tough.

I'd really like to see Stork in there as soon as he's remotely ready. And I want Fleming or Vollmer - some kind of beef - thrown in at left guard. I'm not sure Vollmer's a better right tackle than Cannon right now anyway, and you can give TE help (can we go get a beastly blocking TE if Gronk can't physically do that right now?).

Note: the heat, I think, really hurt this unit. Miami's front 4 are athletic and fast and didn't seem to lose a step. Still, we've got a ton of work to do here. They may need to bring someone in.

11.-15. Does Brady ever check-away from Amendola? He hardly looks at the guy. I don't think any slot guy in the world ever got open as fast as Welker, so I'm not disagreeing, but Brady yesterday locked on Gronk and Edelman. Gronk isn't ready to be locked on, clearly. He was loping - he'll get better as the year goes on, but he's not the security blanket right now.

Amendola will probably (should probably) be gone next year. He's expensive, redundant with Edelman, and I just don't see the Pats using him the way they should. On a couple of plays, he was blocking like a madman, but he's got to be targeted more than 5 times. I know, one game, but the AFCCG was even worse (and Amendola was open all day in that one). If Brady's not going to "trust him" or whatever, then it's lost money. In this game, I put this on the OC and Brady. Miami's LB's were all out - take the top off with Edelman or deep seam routes with Gronk, and eat them alive in the mid-range, where Amendola shines.

LaFell didn't impress me at all. Still, one game. Wright was fine - way too early to be criticizing the guy. Thompkins is what he is - and that is, a cost-controlled, valuable #3. I love the guy, but he's got a long way to go to be Anquan Boldin.

Anyway...the officiating was brutal, but we're used to that.

 

[DSting]

Pats D was in trouble even when we were leading...turnovers bailed us out.

Dante was well known for rotating O line throughout game, so this is nothing new. When it works, we have several versatile, fresh players. Some learning positions, RT coming off significant injury, this will take time.

Miami and Denver, always tough places for us to visit.

Linebackers did not appear to read D line well on run stop. Maybe that had a lot to do with Miami's blocking scheme, but their O line got great push and our backers were not shedding blocks well.

What can you do offensively against a team that is getting good pressure fast by only rushing 4? 7 in coverage and killing our line with pressure. Was their coverage mostly zone? It seems silly to fix blame on Brady or receivers only, they both need to make the same read. Brady's read is probably the right one with his experience and vision, but it doesn't really matter in the end.

 

[shmessy]

The other take away from yesterday's game is that Tannehill felt ALOT more comfortable throwing at Revis than the great Aaron Rodgers did in throwing at Richard Sherman.

 

[JMC00]

When the issue is contractual, and the team has forced the player to take a paycut, why is that not on the team?

Did you not read the story? Kelly was talking about how he was starting games and then being taken out. Now I don't think that stems from last year because if it did he would have been asked to be released after the season. So it means he was talking about starting preseason games and then being taken out which is the case for basically every starter.

Secondly, he agreed to the paycut back in March to stay. If he didn't want to take it he could have said no and been released. So I really dont get how the f*** you can put this one of BB. Kelly agreed to the paycut and then forced his way out 5 months later because he got taken out of some preseason games.

Then there is also the fact that just being healthy he would have made more here than he is making in Arizona.

If he was active in every game he would have made $1.85m as opposed to the $955k with Arizona. If he would have played in 60% of the snaps he would have made $2.5m

Sorry but you aren't right on this one.

Player forces his way out after agreeing to restructure his deal 5 months earlier and blames it on being taken out of meaningless preseason games means it is on the player not the team.

 

[Deus Irae]

Ok, NOW, I understand.

Odrick was talking about some OTHER Logan Mankins who didn't formerly play Left Guard for the New England Patriots.

He must have been referring to the accountant Logan Mankins.

Relevance isn't something you grasp, I see. OK, let's try it this way. Odrick's WORDS about a past match mean nothing, because the game was played PHYSICALLY, on the field, yesterday. I'm sure the Patriots/Dolphins matchup last year where the Patriots gave up 1 sack, total, was another case of Mankins giving up 3 sacks on his own, though.

 

[Deus Irae]

Did you not read the story? Kelly was talking about how he was starting games and then being taken out. Now I don't think that stems from last year because if it did he would have been asked to be released after the season. So it means he was talking about starting preseason games and then being taken out which is the case for basically every starter.

Secondly, he agreed to the paycut back in March to stay. If he didn't want to take it he could have said no and been released. So I really dont get how the f*** you can put this one of BB. Kelly agreed to the paycut and then forced his way out 5 months later because he got taken out of some preseason games.

Then there is also the fact that just being healthy he would have made more here than he is making in Arizona.

If he was active in every game he would have made $1.85m as opposed to the $955k with Arizona. If he would have played in 60% of the snaps he would have made $2.5m

Sorry but you aren't right on this one.

Player forces his way out after agreeing restructure his deal 5 months earlier and blames it on being taken out of meaningless preseason games means it is on the player not the team.

I read the story. Its' funny that I'm often accused of having an agenda here, but you can see through the obvious here because of yours.

 

[primetime]

The Dolphins were able to build up a run game because the Patriots run defense was so tired due to the heat and humidity and the offense being unable to sustain long drives, in addition to the team running a scheme it doesn't have the personnel for and an emergency backup DT playing every snap. It was sort of a perfect storm of **** in the second half and as the Dolphins built up long drives because they could run the ball for 5 yards a pop with ease it just kept going. Then the offense would get on the field and go three and out because Brady had no time to throw the ball.

The Dolphins also have a great defensive line, though it's hard to say they won't face that again this year - they play the Dolphins again and the Bills and Jets both have some of the best lines in the game. I disagree about Mankins, though.

I actually thought Wright's early play looked encouraging for a guy who's been in New England for two weeks. It strikes me that Amendola's being used more like Branch than Welker, so I'm expecting closer to a 50-60 catch season from him.

It's a long season. It's a nearly-unique situation in the Brady/Belichick era that the team starts 0-1 (though the only other time it happened they lost one game the rest of the year), but the record and the way the team is playing in Week 17 matters a lot more than Week 1. A divisional game in tropical conditions with a new offensive line and new attempt at a defensive scheme isn't really indicative of how the rest of the season will go. Still think they're a playoff team.

 

[JMC00]

I read the story. Its' funny that I'm often accused of having an agenda here, but you can see through the obvious here because of yours.

Oh ya what's my agenda douchebag?

 

[RayClay]

why do we always have the default assumption that any miscommunication is the WRs fault and not Bradys fault at all.......what time of the game was that gronk pass that you're talking about?

Bad throws are Brady's fault. The receivers job is to read the defense the same way Brady does, even if it doesn't seem to be the right read to get open.

 

[james87654]

Bad throws are Brady's fault. The receivers job is to read the defense the same way Brady does, even if it doesn't seem to be the right read to get open.

they are supposed to read the defense the same way that brady does, even if he reads the defense wrong?

 

[condon84]

they are supposed to read the defense the same way that brady does, even if he reads the defense wrong?

Maybe they're not on the same page

 

[Deus Irae]

Oh ya what's my agenda douchebag?

First, lose the language. You started off with the nonsense, not me. Second, you're one of the most ardent of the White Knights of the Order of Belichick around here. Third:

The deal also includes the following playing-time incentives:

20 percent -- $95,000
30 percent -- $195,000
40 percent -- $345,000
50 percent -- $495,000
60 percent -- $645,000

Tommy Kelly restructures pact - espnBoston

Think real hard and try to see if you can come up with a reason why a player who'd signed a contract like that would take issue with the prospect of lessened playing time.

 

[primetime]

Another thing on Amendola and the WRs: in the second half, it felt like the Patriots were running a lot of "designed" pass plays, perhaps as an attempt to jumpstart things. Bubble screens, the wheel route to Vereen, some of the longer passes to Edelman, seam passes to Gronk, and especially sideline throws to LaFell and Thompkins towards the end of the game. I'm wondering how much of it was Brady forcing passes and how much of it was Brady being told to force passes, if you get my drift.

 

[Ivan]

I'm tired.
The game sucked.
The team mostly sucked.
My dinner sucked.
I have to get up extra early, which sucks.

In short, today has been one long JETS-like experience, with suck pretty much everywhere, and the vaunted New England Patriots are the only winless team in the AFCE. So, while I could rant on and on about all things Patriots, overcooked rice and undercooked pork, I'll try to keep this somewhat even-toned, in honor of the game being played on national acorn squash day, and all. Now, without further ado:

1. Anyone trying to tell you that the heat/sun wasn't a factor is completely full of it (I'm looking right at you, coach).
2. I normally defend the OC/DC but, in this case, I'm going to make an exception. I'd really love to know what the hell McDaniels was thinking with the playcalling on that first drive. You've got a patchwork O-line, so you start off with a run instead of a quick strike pass? I get that Welker's absence means there's nobody who gets open as quickly as Brady would like, but why not come out five wide when you know that the Dolphins are going to just rush four? It was there. You had a chance to put the Dolphins on their heels from the start, and you went with a Ridley handoff. Awful. And that led to 2nd and long, and then 3rd and long with a rusty Gronk, which led to that
3. Nice trainwreck of a punt play. Allen's now got a block on his resume. I don't know who to blame, because I didn't go back and watch to see who let his man just waltz on by, but the snap wasn't that bad, and Allen recovered quickly, so some blocker needs to be missing his ass. Now, rather than go line-by-line, let's talk Mike Wallace.
4. Mike Wallace looked like the greatest WR in the history of the world today when he was beating the hell out of everyone with his routes. The only things that slowed him down were his hands and his own QB. For all the "Mike Wallace can only run..." nonsense, well, there you have it.
5. Vellano stunk, but that's not his fault. Blame the coaches for putting him in that position. He has no business being out there like that. Of course...
6. Tommy Kelly. 'Nuff said, I think.
7. Devey does not belong out there, but that's not his fault. Again, blame the coaches for putting him in that position. Which leads to...
8. Logan Mankins. Nowhere near 'nuff said, but it's getting covered elsewhere. I'll just leave it at this...
9. Solder/Mankins/Connolly/Cannon/Vollmer should have been the week one starting OL lineup.
10. Wilfork was getting penetration, but he was also being steered away on running plays. The Dolpins were able to make a living by guiding him right or left, and then running to the side he'd been steered away from. that's what happens when you've got DEs with no lead in their asses.
11. Amendola simply cannot get open as fast as Welker could.
12. Thompkins is still a much different player when the games count, and that's a very bad thing. Dobson better tape an aspirin to whatever ails him and get out there, because this WR group doesn't have an OWR1, unless he's it.
13. LaFell is what he is. He's a multi-position WR3/WR4 who needs to be used like Gaffney was. Anything more, and you're asking for trouble.
14. Hey, how about that shiny new TE2, Tim Wright? The WR with the wrong positional label racked up a whopping 15 yards on 3 catches. Thank God they got him for his blocking, huh?
15. Edelman already looks good, although I'd love to hear his explanation of what happen on that deep ball that flew harmlessly over his head while he did a pirouette instead of just turning up field. He'll make a fine WR of all trades again this year.
16. BTW, the Dolphins have put together a very nice secondary, and they have a nice DL. So, to return to my OC rant, why the hell didn't the Patriots take advantage of the Dolphins LB problems by spreading the damned field with empty backfields?
17. Brady looks great when he's got time. Brady looks mortal when he's getting his ass kicked, his receivers aren't running the routes he's expecting, and the receivers are dropping passes. Sounds too damned much like last year, but I was actually encouraged by the early performance. They came back from a rough start and had things going their way at the half.
18. I feel bad for Hightower. He was flagged for making a form tackle. I'm all for protecting QBs in some cases, but that rule's just not right.
19. Gost got the job done, and to wrap things up instead of going 50 points long,
    
20. It was just game one. It's a bad loss, but they'll turn it around and fix at least most of the problems.

There's a whole lot more to say, but that'll do for now.

I don't know if there is that much more to say,, that pretty much summed it up imo. Great post. The Patriots deserve all of the criticism and scorn I just don't need the temper tantrums we witnessed yesterday.

 

[Ivan]

Another thing on Amendola and the WRs: in the second half, it felt like the Patriots were running a lot of "designed" pass plays, perhaps as an attempt to jumpstart things. Bubble screens, the wheel route to Vereen, some of the longer passes to Edelman, seam passes to Gronk, and especially sideline throws to LaFell and Thompkins towards the end of the game. I'm wondering how much of it was Brady forcing passes and how much of it was Brady being told to force passes, if you get my drift.

That was exactly what I was thinking watching the game, I was wondering how different it would have been had Brady been calling his own plays, and I believe the adjustments would have been much better if he had been. MacDaniel simply gets too cute too often, and there are numerous times when i am just sitting there wondering what the hell he was thinking.

 

[RayClay]

they are supposed to read the defense the same way that brady does, even if he reads the defense wrong?

Who's throwing the ball?

If they read it "right" but Brady reads it differently and throws an interception to the area he thinks they should have gone, they are "right"?

Remember, they could be cutting to an area to be wide open, but if there's no football when they get there, it's hard to say they are "right", isn't it?

Here's a vid of Ochocinco getting wide open with a path to reaching the end zone in stride. Unfortunately, he was supposed to cut back sharply, preventing what actually happened.

 

[shmessy]

Relevance isn't something you grasp, I see. OK, let's try it this way. Odrick's WORDS about a past match mean nothing, because the game was played PHYSICALLY, on the field, yesterday.

They are far more relevant to any of OUR words about a game that was played on the field yesterday.

The player was on the field going against the LG position of the New England Patriots.

How much more relevance do you need?

 

[Ivan]

Yeah, he really doesn't hide his agenda very well does he? He basically wanted to say this team would have been much better yesterday with Welker, Mankins, and Kelly while both Amendola and Wright sucks, but just threw in a bunch of other stuff to hide his true agenda.

Disagree completely Rob, everyone has their positions on various issues and some grind their axes on them relentlessly, however that take was about as accurate as it gets and simply mentioning things he had taken issue with in no way equals grinding an agenda on them. They did miss Mankins and Kelly yesterday and while i am as big a defender of Amendola as there is on this board i too was wondering where he was in the first half of yesterdays game. How much of that was MacDaniels and how much of it was Amendola remains to be seen as it seemed like he wanted to focus on Edelman and Gronk but Amendola is going to have to be much more of a presence to even come close to justifying the deal he got. I don't like or respect the agendas some here have but i don't think there is any way that post can be construed as agenda driven.

 

[PP2]

on ambiguous missed communication plays, ill give him the benefit of the doubt....like the gronk one mentioned......on plays like the edelman pass, where he clearly had him if he hadnt changed the route edelman was on (and thrown it towards the safety, instead of away), im less inclined to subscribe to such sacred cow-ism

look at the replay and tell me that doesnt appear to be bradys fault.......only BB knows for sure, and he aint talkin

Please show me you know how to diagnose if broken plays were a result of wrong routes or a wrong read on coverage, as opposed to broken plays caused by an error made by Brady either in read or route (not including bad throws which are easy to diagnose).

 

[Triumph]

The Pats were usually successful runing the ball to Logan Mankins side.

Maybe having Mankins would not have mattered but I like my chances with him at LG and Cannon playing somewhere else on the OL.