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CLICK HERE to Register for a free account and login for a smoother ad-free experience. It's easy, and only takes a few moments.Not that it matters, but I'm curious to know your opinion on if we played the Colts do you think we would have won.
Not that it matters, but I'm curious to know your opinion on if we played the Colts do you think we would have won.
Probably, but the Colts play very well against the Pats. It would have been a close game and anything can happen in a close game.
No way to tell, really, it would have been a completely different game. The Chargers D was a nightmare matchup for us, considering the quality of their corners, plus a good pass rush. The Indy D, while greatly improved from years past, would have been a far better matchup (minus Freeney).
Yep, Colts would have had a very hard time winning without the best defensive player in football. After you beat us in the Dome, I thought you were the favs, but anyone besides the Pats would have a hard time beating the Colts. After Freeney got hurt, I knew that the Colts wouldn't be the same. Anyone who's watched the Colts for years should have known that.
Nice to see a cogent Colts fan, I was curious if there were any left. I agree with you 100% re: Freeney. He might not be the "best defensive player in football", but no player on an opposing team scares me more, I remember countless examples of him turning our tackles into turnstiles. Without him, they were a completely different defense, and I don't think there's any understating the impact that would have had on a potential re-match.
Yep, was actually scared to play the Pats without Freeney. It really could have gotten ugly for the D. Mathis would have been doubled like the Chargers did, and Brady would have all day to throw.
Matt Light has shown himself to be one of the top LTs in football when he's not facing Freeney. Osi should give him a challenge though. He'll have to block Osi probably with little TE help, compared to all the help he gets against Freeney. That's the thing people miss, Freeney is always getting doubled, while DLs on teams with better talent around them get single matchups.
Yep, Colts would have had a very hard time winning without the best defensive player in football. After you beat us in the Dome, I thought you were the favs, but anyone besides the Pats would have a hard time beating the Colts. After Freeney got hurt, I knew that the Colts wouldn't be the same. Anyone who's watched the Colts for years should have known that.
Not that it matters, but I'm curious to know your opinion on if we played the Colts do you think we would have won.
Except of course, San Diego.
I agree that Light struggles against elite DEs, particularly of the speed rushing variety (who doesn't?). Osi is very similar to Freeney in that respect, but I don't expect him to be on an island all day. I would be shocked if the Pats don't run two TE sets a lot to chip in blocking Strahan and Osi (or playing Faulk on his side of Brady), thereby buying Tom more time to pick away at the Defensive weakness of the Giants - their secondary.
Adding some stats to back this up, of the 65 offensive snaps that the Pats ran Sunday, only 9 didn't feature a tight end at all (they didn't go 5 wide a single time). 33 of the 65 snaps featured two TEs or more, and I would expect a similar gameplan this week to neutralize the pressure the Giants front can generate. Now, a lot of those multiple-TE formations were in the second half when they were running a lot more, but I think BB has shown the willingness to go to that formation to alleviate pressure. Again, it will really depend on whether the Giants DBs are playing it soft or tight.
Source: http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/reiss_pieces/2008/01/positional_grou_24.html