Matt Patricia has done a great job this year

SalemPats · Jan 1, 2014

This guy has worked his way up the ladded to DC. With BB around he doesn't get the credit he deserves because we know BB is a mad genius with the defense. The play calling has been great this year especially with an embattled group like we have. His name isn't mentioned around the league, but i do like that and am excited for him next year.

RayClay · Jan 1, 2014

I'll agree with that. That sound of the game of the ravens game shows him as fired up as I've seen him.

coolguy · Jan 1, 2014

Matt has always done a good job, but he didn't have players he does now. The best secondary in the afc and a top 5 pass rush will do wonders.

Kdo5 · Jan 1, 2014

coolguy said:
Matt has always done a good job, but he didn't have players he does now. The best secondary in the afc and a top 5 pass rush will do wonders.

I'm not saying I've evaluated every secondary in the AFC but I have a hard time believing the Pats secondary is the best.

Patjew · Jan 1, 2014

I've always liked him. I do hope they can tighten up on 3rd down.

His beard is atrocious.

PonyExpress · Jan 1, 2014

I believe this is wishful thinking. We have no idea how much of this defense is really Patricia.

In years past Patricia's D would suck for half the year, BB would take over the in game defensive coaching into November and the D would improve dramatically. Mayo often talks about "playing for Bill" and being coached by Bill. Patricia seems like an afterthought.

The defense under Patricia, in terms of 3rd down and red zone defense, to which coaching greatly contributes, has consistently been the bottom of league and has failed to hold up in big moments year after year. Often times the separate units have not seemed to be working well together- the LBers not taking deep enough drops relative to the coverage. That's the D-coordinators job to make happen.

And why have several secondary picks floundered under Patricia after auspicious beginnings? Darius Butler is thriving in Indy. Isn't it Patricia's job to develop defensive talent during the offseason? Has he accomplished that? Why do rookies often regress in year 2, other than Jones, who has special ability?

When I watch top Defenses in the league they play with a reckless attitude and camaraderie, fused by the leadership and charisma of a standout defensive coordinator. Patricia has not put any personality stamp on this D. I always had the feeling the D would run through a wall for Romeo. You would see the players grouped around him in game, listening to an authority figure with great care, while he gave them impassioned, detailed instructions. I've seen Patricia on the sideline saying something pretty meaningless (IMO) like "just do your job" and the players seemed politely disinterested. Is that really good coaching? I dunno.

I think Pepper may have been a better choice for D-coordinator.

RayClay · Jan 1, 2014

coolguy said:
Matt has always done a good job, but he didn't have players he does now. The best secondary in the afc and a top 5 pass rush will do wonders.

There's no doubt he went through a horrible bit in the secondary, but he did have Wilfork and Mayo. No pass rush outside of Carter's big year is also true.

Adjusting for the losses this year is exceptional though IMO.

coolguy · Jan 1, 2014

Kdo5 said:
I'm not saying I've evaluated every secondary in the AFC but I have a hard time believing the Pats secondary is the best.

Patriots? Secondary Can Go Back to Being Top-Tier Unit If Players Heal During Playoff Bye Week | New England Patriots | NESN.com

Wolverine aka Logan Ryan has held opposing quarterbacks to a 52.8 passer rating when targeted. This trails only Richard Sherman. The patriots have the best 1-4 at corner back and the best free safety in the afc.

Fencer · Jan 1, 2014

Which players in or aspects of the Pats' defense have been surprisingly successful under Patricia?

1. Rob Ninkovich. But he seems like a pure BB discovery/creation -- Mike Vrabel Jr.

2. The defensive tackles this year. I'll confess to forgetting who the DL coach is (didn't Pepper finally switch out of that role back to LBs?). But on the whole it speaks well of the DC that the talent weakness at that position hasn't hurt the team more badly.

3. Dennard & Ryan. Tough to assign credit to anybody except themselves, given how many DBs have disappointed in recent years.

Who else? Dane Fletcher, maybe but he's not a big enough success to be worth discussing.

SVN · Jan 1, 2014

When all those 3rd and longs get converted or when the blitz doesnt get there..its patricia. he sucks. When it all works, BB is a great defensive mind

supafly · Jan 2, 2014

SVN said:
When all those 3rd and longs get converted or when the blitz doesnt get there..its patricia. he sucks. When it all works, BB is a great defensive mind

Sounds about right

As Ponyexpress pointed out, I think it's kind of hard to predict how much is MP and how much may be BB, but I'm going to assume a blend of both, with Belichick being the one to adjust a bit more on the fly--although that's just personal speculation.

I think MP has done a pretty nice job under the circumstances, and he himself may have received some head coaching interviews had we not lost all of those important guys on defense this year and ended up as a top 5 unit in many stats.

AzPatsFan · Jan 2, 2014

PonyExpress said:
I believe this is wishful thinking. We have no idea how much of this defense is really Patricia.

In years past Patricia's D would suck for half the year, BB would take over the in game defensive coaching into November and the D would improve dramatically. Mayo often talks about "playing for Bill" and being coached by Bill. Patricia seems like an afterthought.

The defense under Patricia, in terms of 3rd down and red zone defense, to which coaching greatly contributes, has consistently been the bottom of league and has failed to hold up in big moments year after year. Often times the separate units have not seemed to be working well together- the LBers not taking deep enough drops relative to the coverage. That's the D-coordinators job to make happen.

And why have several secondary picks floundered under Patricia after auspicious beginnings? Darius Butler is thriving in Indy. Isn't it Patricia's job to develop defensive talent during the offseason? Has he accomplished that? Why do rookies often regress in year 2, other than Jones, who has special ability?

When I watch top Defenses in the league they play with a reckless attitude and camaraderie, fused by the leadership and charisma of a standout defensive coordinator. Patricia has not put any personality stamp on this D. I always had the feeling the D would run through a wall for Romeo. You would see the players grouped around him in game, listening to an authority figure with great care, while he gave them impassioned, detailed instructions. I've seen Patricia on the sideline saying something pretty meaningless (IMO) like "just do your job" and the players seemed politely disinterested. Is that really good coaching? I dunno.

I think Pepper may have been a better choice for D-coordinator.

I do not concur. BB has been rebuilding the Defense since 2009. After four years the results are starting to show. Patricia is a genuine rocket scientist and genius, who has had to teach his infants to crawl and walk, before he could install a full D. Only now are we starting to see the results.

Matt Patricia's Defense is ready to claim a Top Five position in 2014,

Kontradiction · Jan 2, 2014

Kdo5 said:
I'm not saying I've evaluated every secondary in the AFC but I have a hard time believing the Pats secondary is the best.

I'd put our three starting CB's in a Pepsi Challenge against any other one in the league, save for maybe Seattle. But the secondary as a whole is not the best in the AFC. Off the top of my head, I'd take Kansas City's before our's. Gregory can really stand to be upgraded.

manxman2601 · Jan 2, 2014

KontradictioN said:
I'd put our three starting CB's in a Pepsi Challenge against any other one in the league, save for maybe Seattle. But the secondary as a whole is not the best in the AFC. Off the top of my head, I'd take Kansas City's before our's. Gregory can really stand to be upgraded.

Duron Harmon called Gregory the smartest player he's ever played with and McCourty called him the smartest player on the defense. Given how important football smarts are to BB, I wouldn't bank on BB thinking he needs to be upgraded.

coolguy · Jan 2, 2014

KontradictioN said:
I'd put our three starting CB's in a Pepsi Challenge against any other one in the league, save for maybe Seattle. But the secondary as a whole is not the best in the AFC. Off the top of my head, I'd take Kansas City's before our's. Gregory can really stand to be upgraded.

The chiefs actually have the 25th ranked passing defense

The patriots despite injuries are 18th

Kdo5 · Jan 2, 2014

manxman2601 said:
Duron Harmon called Gregory the smartest player he's ever played with and McCourty called him the smartest player on the defense. Given how important football smarts are to BB, I wouldn't bank on BB thinking he needs to be upgraded.

He can be smart and all, and perhaps he is not so bad as people make him out to be but the tackling...yikes.

SVN · Jan 2, 2014

supafly said:
Sounds about right

As Ponyexpress pointed out, I think it's kind of hard to predict how much is MP and how much may be BB, but I'm going to assume a blend of both, with Belichick being the one to adjust a bit more on the fly--although that's just personal speculation.

I think MP has done a pretty nice job under the circumstances, and he himself may have received some head coaching interviews had we not lost all of those important guys on defense this year and ended up as a top 5 unit in many stats.

You can watch the Sound Fx of the steelers game where BB prods MP to blitz etc. No denying that BB is as involved with the defense as any but he isnt calling every play. He is more like teaching or educating the players what he is seeing in the game. Good or Bad MP is calling the plays IMO so he deserves credit for the play calls as much as criticism. Sometimes the players dont execute , like contain on geno smith in the jets game and sometimes the other team also makes plays.
One constant gripe lot of pats fans have is MP doesnt blitz and have an aggressive defense but he is running BB's system but no one seems to be calling out BB instead for that but happily kill MP.

TinhWoodhead · Jan 2, 2014

"Patricia"? Does he have a middle name that he can use that's more "manly"?

Brady'sButtBoy · Jan 2, 2014

The Pats have controlled the points scored against them to a pretty reasonable level, they finished 10th in the NFL. But a DC has to do better than that to say he's done a "great job." 10th in points allowed this year is 21/game, hardly the stuff of legend, injuries or not.

A DC doing a "great job" wouldn't likely be involved with letting a weak Miami team score 24 points and convert one important 3rd down after another. Or not be able to help his team stop Houston and a shaky rookie QB from racking up 31 and keep things too close for comfort.

Hey, I think our D is capable of better things, and has certainly proved it can make a big play here and there. The players, to me, are better than the scheme and have carried Patricia to a certain extent, not vice versa.

Crononaut · Jan 2, 2014

Brady'sButtBoy said:
The Pats have controlled the points scored against them to a pretty reasonable level, they finished 10th in the NFL. But a DC has to do better than that to say he's done a "great job." 10th in points allowed this year is 21/game, hardly the stuff of legend, injuries or not.

A DC doing a "great job" wouldn't likely be involved with letting a weak Miami team score 24 points and convert one important 3rd down after another. Or not be able to help his team stop Houston and a shaky rookie QB from racking up 31 and keep things too close for comfort.

Hey, I think our D is capable of better things, and has certainly proved it can make a big play here and there. The players, to me, are better than the scheme and have carried Patricia to a certain extent, not vice versa.

Given the devastation to our defense from injuries, I don't really see how you can say the players are carrying it. We're all well aware of the losses of Wilfork, Mayo, and Kelly, but I think what's been more understated are the injuries to players who are playing again but nowhere near the level they were before.

Talib hasn't been the same, although thankfully it looks like he's returning to form. Dennard is flat out not healthy right now - thank God it looks like we might have a find in Ryan. This lack of depth forces Arrington outside where he's far more mediocre.

Hopefully McCourty's fine for the playoffs. Gregory is probably our hugest liability in the secondary right now, but he was solid before he was injured. The biggest thing I've noticed (admittedly from watching the games and not in-depth analysis) is his tackling has taken a huge downturn.

In terms of the front 7, Siliga, Chris Jones, and Jamie Collins have all filled in about as well as we could hope them to, and there is admittedly huge upside to Collins and maybe Siliga. But you just can't replace players like Wilfork and Mayo.

I will give huge props to the players for making plays they need to make to win games, but I think the effect of the coaching manifests in their execution and goes beyond just the play-calling. Given the talent we fielded this season, I think averaging 21 points a game is pretty damn good.

My biggest gripe with the defense has been them struggling with third and long all season getting burned on the screen and check-down passes. I'm not sure how you mitigate against that, but it's been pretty horrendous.

Matt Patricia has done a great job this year

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