I agree w/ Rodney: the key was Belichick's gameplan-wrinkle with Talib on JGraham

Rodney Harrison just praised Bill's gameplan on NBC

On that note, Remember how back in '03-'04 you'd hear, almost every week, about how Belichick was a genius because he'd run a scheme no one could have predicted? Like, stuff that you hadn't seen on film before from NE? Like, a new wrinkle in the gameplan, each week?

Well, that's what Bill did today by putting Talib on Graham. It totally threw off NO's offense. Vintage Belichick. Totally ballsy move. On par with, say, chipping Marshall Faulk out the backfield to bean StL in SB36, or putting Don Davis at Safety, or rotating Law and Rodney in coverage against Indy so RH could bump receivers and stay in the box, etc...

The personnel the Pats have on D has brought back the genius within Belichick. He's mixing it up. Expect the unexpected.

They really had no answer for that. Colston was also easily bottled up too. You'd think he'd be the biggest beneficiary of the contain effort on Graham, but he did nada as well.

Great defensive gameplan. I just hope Talib is alright.

And this IMO is the reason that i think GRONK is a better TE than Graham. If the Jets lined Revis up on Gronk i can tell you what we'd do. Motion Gronk in Tight and run the ball to his side all day long.

Graham is an exceptional talent but gronk is complete. Gronk's weakness? Health.

Field Yates is ahead of you.
X's & O's: Shadow Jimmy Graham with Aqib Talib? - ESPN Boston

Imo, it's not too farfetched an idea. Graham is closer to AH than gronk with regards to their role, not body type. Talib was always gonna shutdown their best receiver, which Graham is. Credit really goes to Talib who is giving 6 inches to Graham for battling at the line of scrimmage. Even BB in his post match conference highlighted that. The genius is how BB coached Talib to stop Graham, his tendencies and techniques.

nabwong said:

Field Yates is ahead of you.
X's & O's: Shadow Jimmy Graham with Aqib Talib? - ESPN Boston

Imo, it's not too farfetched an idea. Graham is closer to AH than gronk with regards to their role, not body type. Talib was always gonna shutdown their best receiver, which Graham is. Credit really goes to Talib who is giving 6 inches to Graham for battling at the line of scrimmage. Even BB in his post match conference highlighted that. The genius is how BB coached Talib to stop Graham, his tendencies and techniques.

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AH is 6'1. Graham is 6'7. Not even remotely similar body types.

Graham, zero catches, first shutout in 46 games. Wow, I love this team. :cool3:

Top 5 defense in the NFL this season period, up there with the hawks and chiefs!

jsull87 said:

And this IMO is the reason that i think GRONK is a better TE than Graham. If the Jets lined Revis up on Gronk i can tell you what we'd do. Motion Gronk in Tight and run the ball to his side all day long.

Graham is an exceptional talent but gronk is complete. Gronk's weakness? Health.

Click to expand...

People forget a TE both receives and blocks. Receiving wise they are equal, but blocking wise its not even close.

When you have the personnel to execute this game plan, combined with the experience of playing together.. expect these types of game plans.

Wow what genius--putting your best and biggest coverage player on the other team's best and biggest receiver.

Credit BB with making a logical decision, but it was Talib's play, if anything, that was genius.

Going back to week 3, Talib as shut down V Jack, Jones, Green, and now Graham.... That's amazing.

DarrylS said:

When you have the personnel to execute this game plan, combined with the experience of playing together.. expect these types of game plans.

Click to expand...

This is Bill's first look at what some continuity can do in many years. I think he's been waiting for days like yesterday as much as we, the fans, have been. The guys have some experience under their respective belts, so he now has the ability to get more creative with his gameplans. I really don't know if there is anyone on this planet, fan or hater, who can say that the Talib trade wasn't genius. He has allowed for the Pats' defense to be far more aggressive and attacking.

We don't have to sit back and watch teams just drive down the field series after series. We get off the field on third and fourth downs. The secondary has been solid. Run defense has been good (although I believe they gave up 100 to Cincy). Ninko is playing well coming off the edge and Jones showed that he can be clutch yesterday. We're going to be okay defensively.

I agree w/ Rodney: the key was Belichick's gameplan-wrinkle with Talib on JGr...

VrabelJr said:

AH is 6'1. Graham is 6'7. Not even remotely similar body types.

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Re read my post slowly.

Shockt327 said:

Remember how back in '03-'04 you'd hear, almost every week, about how Belichick was a genius because he'd run a scheme no one could have predicted? Like, stuff that you hadn't seen on film before from NE? Like, a new wrinkle in the gameplan, each week?

Click to expand...

While it was a great decision by Bill this doesn't fall into the category of a scheme nobody could have predicted. People on this board were calling for it and Aikman said Sean Payton had foreseen it as a possibility and was waiting to see how Bill would approach it. What wasn't foreseen was just how physical Talib was with Graham and now Graham gave up because of it. If I'm a team with the Saints coming up you're putting a big CB or S on him to kick the crap out of him and treat him as a receiver.