Are the Pats a bad tackling team?

[Real World]

Sitting around with my buddies yesterday, watching the game, drinking beer, playing poker, and screaming at the 50" Plasma, we couldn't help but notice how bad the Pats tackle. Some of us came to the conclusion that the age in our linebacking core is the reason why. That the half step some of them have lost makes for an arm on the ball carrier as opposed to a shoulder. Thankfully the defense made some plays when it mattered, but the tackling seemed a little suspect to us. Of course, that might have been due to all the beer.

 

[dtbrks]

In the first 1/2, YES.
The cleaned it up, but still have work to do IMHO.

 

[Snake]

Sitting around with my buddies yesterday, watching the game, drinking beer, playing poker, and screaming at the 50" Plasma, we couldn't help but notice how bad the Pats tackle. Some of us came to the conclusion that the age in our linebacking core is the reason why. That the half step some of them have lost makes for an arm on the ball carrier as opposed to a shoulder. Thankfully the defense made some plays when it mattered, but the tackling seemed a little suspect to us. Of course, that might have been due to all the beer.

Mmmmmmm...BEER!

 

[MrBigglesWorth]

in the first half, the pats played nickle and were getting eaten up in the running game. I think they out tricked themselves in the beginning of the game on offense and defense. They play so well in the 3-4 I think they should have stayed in it. The Colts ran at Harrison alot IMO and he couldn't consistently set the edge.

On offense the pats should have started the game with how they ended it. A TE, RB, ande 3wr set.

I thought they got too fancy.

 

[RobAllan]

I think they are a poor tackling team. And the good news is, they weren't always. So I think they can iron it out over the bye.

Richard Seymour said this morning alot of the big plays they actually were in position and just didn't tackle well. So they're aware of it.

I think even if we do nothing, it won't matter until we play the Colts again. The Colts defense is a good 1/2 step faster than any other NFL team, and that's the difference between us putting up 50 and us barely breaking 20.

It's still a great time to be a Pats fan.

 

[Remix 6]

tackling has been the major problem on D the whole year. We've been where we need to..we dont finish the play and we dont swarm as a team.

When we tackle well...we are hands down the best D

And not to start another thread but Hobbs needs to step it up in passing game and run game especially. Pass game, when he tries to jam..WR gets a good release 75% of the time and hes left trailing. He played well overall yesterday but he cannot tackle..he gets pushed around and he gives up big gains kind of often

 

[Scouse Patriot]

We seem to have trouble wrapping guys up at times, lets not even go back to Barber in the endzone a few weeks ago.
.

 

[PatsFaninAZ]

I'm not sure I would say we're a "poor" tackling team, in that I don't think we're in the bottom half of the league or anything.

But to agree with what others are saying, I'd say it's an area -- if not the area -- where we could most use defensive improvement.

That said, I can remember some absolutely stellar open field tackles the team has made this year. I also think when a team is playing with a big lead, you don't often see the same intensity on defense as you might when the game is tight, and that often reveals itself first in the tackling.

The first half of this game and the first half of the Buffalo game were some examples of bad tackling. But I don't think you can really draw anything meaningful from the second halves of the Miami or Redskins games.

 

[Grogan's neck roll]

I think the Pats aren't always a poor tackling team, and as a matter of fact, one of the things I like about Samuel, and one of the reasons I was hoping they would resign him, is that he is a VERY good tackler, really wraps up well.

I think they'll work on it, because yesterday they REALLY didn't tackle well. I figure it's one big piece of pie BB will be serving over the layoff.

 

[patsox23]

I don't doubt that they will work hard to become, and probably succeed at becoming, a better tackling team, but the only answer to this question right now is a DEFINITE "YES."

 

[Ring 6]

I think the Pats are an excellent tackling team, that had issues at times yesterday.
I think there is a very good explanation also.

Every player in our front 7 was playing out of position.
We played a 4 man front, meaning everyone except Warren was playing a different spot than the are used to, including Thomas/Colvin who were playing DE. Bruschi/Seau were playing 4-3 MLB instead of 3-4 ILB. Vrabel was playing OLB but a different technique than normal, and Rodney Harrison was playing OLB.
What I noticed wasn't really poor tackling but guys taking poor pursuit angles and overrunning plays. That makes perfect sense when you are out of your normal position.
On the long Addai play, who knows? I think it was just a case of one f-ed up play happening. There weren't really missed tackles, but mostly our guys running into each other. I think Sanders had the biggest gaffe, around the 20, but that was a tackle very few players could make.
FYI, what I noticed on that play was Adalius Thomas. He was playing DE. After the catch he was 10 yards behind Addai. He hustled the entire play, and while he didn't catch up to Addai, he was within a couple of yards by the goalline. That kind of hustle will save us a TD at some point during the year.

 

[Bella*chick]

I would say yes, and it's actually somewhat a relief to me that the team definitely has stuff it needs to focus on to improve that's actually fixable, and not a major personnel issue or anything. THey did look loads better in the second half so it's definitely fixable.

But yeah, they have looked awful tackling during a few games this season. Until yesterday, it didn't matter too much. I think Marshawn Lynch is going to be a nice challenge coming off the bye. He's really good and the Bills are definitely a dangerous team.

Good to have plenty of motivation.

 

[stinkypete]

I'm sure coach Belichick will be "m-effing" the defense for 2 weeks after some of those missed tackles.

There are s7 games left before playoffs. You know the team will be working on this.

 

[PATSNUTme]

That has been my one area that I think they can improve on. It wasn't just yesterday, I don't think they have been good tacklers all year.

BB will have this corrected and hang it over their heads until they do.

 

[BradyFTW!]

2 quick points:

1) Did the Pats really tackle that badly yesterday? Sure, there was one series of horrific lapses which led to Addai's score, but you also have to give Addai and Indy some credit there, which leads into pt. 2

2) On plays like that, was it the Pats tackling poorly or, as many others have said here, playing out of position in an unfamiliar scheme. BB succeeded in confusing the hell out of the Colts yesterday, but the unfortunate side effect was that he may have mixed his own guys up a little bit too. So no, I'm not too worried about the Pats' tackling, especially when one could point out a number of instances when the Colts stalled because they didn't get the YAC that they're accustomed to.

3) The Pats' D picked a horrible time to give up a highlight reel play, for their sake. Right before the bye week, when BB will have 2 weeks to rub their faces in it.

 

[Gumby]

I thought I had read an explanation of our style of play that makes us particularly vulnerable to the Dolts and their 'familiarity' with the nfl rule-book and its enforcers.

I thought one of the 'technique experts' on here explained it once in relation to the 2-gap style that our defenders are expected to "shed the block" in order to make tackles to stop the run game.

Well, if the OL is allowed to hold you then it means the RB can slip by in holes that otherwise would close up by a guy shedding his block.

(Maybe this is legal if they do the holding inside the numbers on the jersey- maybe it is illegal and the Dolts just are allowed to get away with it. somebody better on technique and rules explain it to me)

now that can't necessarily explain all the bad tackling going on; but it could help explain some of those 'bad angles' too.

I also think some of the bad tackling is a victim of our own success. Once you beat down an opponent by 20+ points; you know he is throwing not running. You get more practice at coverage and less at hard physical tackling type skills.

 

[PittPatriot]

I don't think we've been great with our tackling since last year. Remember the game in New Jersey when we let Crotchery run all over us...we had 2 blown plays in a quarter and let them back in the game.

 

[solman]

It seems like the entire NFL can't tackle.

AP goes 296 yards.

Tons of kicks are being returned for TDs (even though many teams are kicking away from returners).

It seems as though the balance between tackling and breaking tackles has shifted (league-wide) in a fundamental way.

 

[rabthepat]

At times yes. Then again nobody claimed we were the 85 Bears.

 

[Fencer]

I think it looks worse because the Colts are so good at it.

But yes -- there's certainly a lot of room for improvement in tackling and/or something closely related. Too often when a guy is stopped, the rest of the defense doesn't arrive fast enough to keep him from wriggling forward. That may even be a bigger problem than utterly missed tackles.