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There’s been a lot of hype this week but not much substance on the board for the Dolphins game. A lot of roster talk, with BB shuffling through more people in and OUT of Foxboro like a rush hour turnstile. A lot of “will he or won’t he” talk about Gronk. What we haven’t seen is any real talk about THE GAME. What are the match ups? Who are the weak points?. Where are the advantages? So with less than 3 days left, here’s your chance. Let the discussion begin.
1. My biggest fear for this game is the weather. Most of the summer here was relatively cool and dry. When the Pats get off their plane on Friday they will be stepping into a totally different environment. One that the Dolphins have been training in for 3 months.
No matter how much lip service they give it. This is a distinct advantage for the Dolphins, every bit as big as having them coming up here and having to play in sub-freezing weather.
2. On paper the biggest match up advantage for the Phins is their DL against our OL. This is hard to assess, especially since we haven’t really have any idea who is going to be on our OL.
The way Jared Odrick handled Logan Mankins last December might be a big reason he’s in Tampa this week. Randy Starks is a better than average DT/N, and Wake and Vernon are an excellent pair of rush ends.
You can say what you want about the relative strength of the AFCE, but as happy as we all are about the future of our DL, it could be the 4th best unit in the division as of THIS moment…..at least on paper.
How our OL protects the QB and how effectively we can run the ball is going to be key to any success we have.
PREDICTION: In this matter I think we are going to wind up with a mixed bag. I think, regardless of the configuration, we are going to be happier than expected with the results of the pass protection Brady gets. I’ll concede a couple of sacks but by and large Brady is going to have enough time to make the Pats pass offense effective. However my fear is that we will see what we saw vs the Giants, and our run game isn’t going to have the same kind of success we’ve come to expect. This is the area where Mankins and Wendell excelled. I find it hard to think that the run game won’t suffer if both aren’t playing.
3. The Pats DL, vs. the Dolphins’ OL. – I’m sure this is an area that looks strongly to favor the Pats. So while the Pats DL looks to be much improved from the one that lost last year in Miami, the Dolphin OL is
still the biggest question mark for the Phins. Brandon Albert is an excellent LT, but the interior of the Dolphins OL is even in worse shape than ours, and IIRC the Phins are going to have to start a rookie at RT
Assuming the Pats aren’t going to line up in many static DL alignments, this could present a lot of problems for an OL that hasn’t had much time together.
PREDICTION – However many sacks the Dolphins get, the Pats will end up with more. The Dolphins problems on the OL will be exacerbated by the fact they can’t prepare for what the Pats are going to show them. 4-3? 3-4? Aggressive or soft? We don’t have a clue even after 4 games in preseason, how can they?
4. One of the most interesting match ups I will be looking for is how the Pats choose to defend Charles Clay. Will they sic Collins on him? Will they try to do it with a S? I’m sure that it won’t be done just one way, but one way will predominate.
Prediction – I think it will be Collins getting the first shot to cover him.
5. I worry a lot that the officials are going to seriously affect this game. I can live with some ticky tack defensive holding calls, but I will go nuts if any incidental hands to the face calls are made. Make the call if someone is hanging on to a guy’s facemask. But let it go if the hand just happens to slide up on a guy’s helmet in the course of a rush.
Now they only called 12 penalties in the Packer/Seahawk game (8-4) so they .didn’t go nuts in that one, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be bad on Sunday.
6. As much as I can’t wait to see Gronk on the field, I am REALLY excited to finally see if Dominic Easley will meet the high expectations I have for him. The very fact that he’ll be on the field and not even on the injury report puts him way ahead of schedule.
He will probably only get limited snaps this week (30 odd), because he’s missed so much practice time. Hopefully they will put him out there and just turn him loose. Let him grow into being a fully responsible DLman over time. But for this game, let him one gap Miami to death
7. Grimes and Finnegan are 2 solid NFL CB’s and Delmas is a guy I hoped the Pats might look at when he was a FA. So this is going to be a decent test of the effectiveness of our passing game.
8. Strategy Questions:
a. How much hurry up are we really going to see from both sides. It’s always easier to run a hurry up when you are home. However with a brand new offense and unfamiliar OL, is running a hurry up against a defense you can’t have a handle on, because it’s the first game, in your best interests. If they have it down, it should be very effective in heat against a team not used to the weather.
On the Pats side, while they are clearly one of the most capable hurry up teams in the league, I wonder if they might be better off slowing the game down and conserving energy. Also, as I mentioned above, it’s always more difficult running a hurry on the road because of the noise.
What I think would be a good compromise would be a start and stop approach. In other words go into the huddle for a few plays, and then for no apparent reason, run off 4 or 5 plays from the no huddle and then go back.
b. Will Revis play the left side or follow Wallace all over the field.
c. Will the Pats use multiple S’s depending on down and distance, or has someone actually won that job and BB just failed to tell us?
d. Just how committed to the running game will we actually be. Last year IIRC, averaged around 65-70 offensive plays per game. I’d like to think that at least 25-30 of them be rushes on Sunday.
9. On Brady’s “injury”. When I was still playing touch football and club lacrosse into my early 50’s, calf injuries were usually my injury dujour. If not too bad, they can be managed, but you never know when it will pop again.
I’d like to think that it’s just BB ****ing with the Dolphins and the media, but, I don’t think so. Whatever it is I doubt very much whether we will ever know the full story. This guy has played through bad ribs, hands, shoulders, feet, and we only hear about it (maybe) after the season. This will be no different.
10. Ben Volin is a douche. In an effort out Shank, Shaunessy, he picked against the Pats merely so he can pat himself on the back if he’s right, while like most mediots, he’ll take absolutely NO responsibility if he’s wrong. I REALLY really miss Greg Bedard.
11. Summary: If both teams play well, the Pats should still win this by 10. But as we know, proper execution can rarely be predicted. If we get a good effort we should win, if not, the results will be in doubt.
Can't wait for Sunday. In the meantime help me fill in the blanks about the Dolphins. There is a lot more to discuss than what I've opened with
1. My biggest fear for this game is the weather. Most of the summer here was relatively cool and dry. When the Pats get off their plane on Friday they will be stepping into a totally different environment. One that the Dolphins have been training in for 3 months.
No matter how much lip service they give it. This is a distinct advantage for the Dolphins, every bit as big as having them coming up here and having to play in sub-freezing weather.
2. On paper the biggest match up advantage for the Phins is their DL against our OL. This is hard to assess, especially since we haven’t really have any idea who is going to be on our OL.
The way Jared Odrick handled Logan Mankins last December might be a big reason he’s in Tampa this week. Randy Starks is a better than average DT/N, and Wake and Vernon are an excellent pair of rush ends.
You can say what you want about the relative strength of the AFCE, but as happy as we all are about the future of our DL, it could be the 4th best unit in the division as of THIS moment…..at least on paper.
How our OL protects the QB and how effectively we can run the ball is going to be key to any success we have.
PREDICTION: In this matter I think we are going to wind up with a mixed bag. I think, regardless of the configuration, we are going to be happier than expected with the results of the pass protection Brady gets. I’ll concede a couple of sacks but by and large Brady is going to have enough time to make the Pats pass offense effective. However my fear is that we will see what we saw vs the Giants, and our run game isn’t going to have the same kind of success we’ve come to expect. This is the area where Mankins and Wendell excelled. I find it hard to think that the run game won’t suffer if both aren’t playing.
3. The Pats DL, vs. the Dolphins’ OL. – I’m sure this is an area that looks strongly to favor the Pats. So while the Pats DL looks to be much improved from the one that lost last year in Miami, the Dolphin OL is
still the biggest question mark for the Phins. Brandon Albert is an excellent LT, but the interior of the Dolphins OL is even in worse shape than ours, and IIRC the Phins are going to have to start a rookie at RT
Assuming the Pats aren’t going to line up in many static DL alignments, this could present a lot of problems for an OL that hasn’t had much time together.
PREDICTION – However many sacks the Dolphins get, the Pats will end up with more. The Dolphins problems on the OL will be exacerbated by the fact they can’t prepare for what the Pats are going to show them. 4-3? 3-4? Aggressive or soft? We don’t have a clue even after 4 games in preseason, how can they?
4. One of the most interesting match ups I will be looking for is how the Pats choose to defend Charles Clay. Will they sic Collins on him? Will they try to do it with a S? I’m sure that it won’t be done just one way, but one way will predominate.
Prediction – I think it will be Collins getting the first shot to cover him.
5. I worry a lot that the officials are going to seriously affect this game. I can live with some ticky tack defensive holding calls, but I will go nuts if any incidental hands to the face calls are made. Make the call if someone is hanging on to a guy’s facemask. But let it go if the hand just happens to slide up on a guy’s helmet in the course of a rush.
Now they only called 12 penalties in the Packer/Seahawk game (8-4) so they .didn’t go nuts in that one, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be bad on Sunday.
6. As much as I can’t wait to see Gronk on the field, I am REALLY excited to finally see if Dominic Easley will meet the high expectations I have for him. The very fact that he’ll be on the field and not even on the injury report puts him way ahead of schedule.
He will probably only get limited snaps this week (30 odd), because he’s missed so much practice time. Hopefully they will put him out there and just turn him loose. Let him grow into being a fully responsible DLman over time. But for this game, let him one gap Miami to death
7. Grimes and Finnegan are 2 solid NFL CB’s and Delmas is a guy I hoped the Pats might look at when he was a FA. So this is going to be a decent test of the effectiveness of our passing game.
8. Strategy Questions:
a. How much hurry up are we really going to see from both sides. It’s always easier to run a hurry up when you are home. However with a brand new offense and unfamiliar OL, is running a hurry up against a defense you can’t have a handle on, because it’s the first game, in your best interests. If they have it down, it should be very effective in heat against a team not used to the weather.
On the Pats side, while they are clearly one of the most capable hurry up teams in the league, I wonder if they might be better off slowing the game down and conserving energy. Also, as I mentioned above, it’s always more difficult running a hurry on the road because of the noise.
What I think would be a good compromise would be a start and stop approach. In other words go into the huddle for a few plays, and then for no apparent reason, run off 4 or 5 plays from the no huddle and then go back.
b. Will Revis play the left side or follow Wallace all over the field.
c. Will the Pats use multiple S’s depending on down and distance, or has someone actually won that job and BB just failed to tell us?
d. Just how committed to the running game will we actually be. Last year IIRC, averaged around 65-70 offensive plays per game. I’d like to think that at least 25-30 of them be rushes on Sunday.
9. On Brady’s “injury”. When I was still playing touch football and club lacrosse into my early 50’s, calf injuries were usually my injury dujour. If not too bad, they can be managed, but you never know when it will pop again.
I’d like to think that it’s just BB ****ing with the Dolphins and the media, but, I don’t think so. Whatever it is I doubt very much whether we will ever know the full story. This guy has played through bad ribs, hands, shoulders, feet, and we only hear about it (maybe) after the season. This will be no different.
10. Ben Volin is a douche. In an effort out Shank, Shaunessy, he picked against the Pats merely so he can pat himself on the back if he’s right, while like most mediots, he’ll take absolutely NO responsibility if he’s wrong. I REALLY really miss Greg Bedard.
11. Summary: If both teams play well, the Pats should still win this by 10. But as we know, proper execution can rarely be predicted. If we get a good effort we should win, if not, the results will be in doubt.
Can't wait for Sunday. In the meantime help me fill in the blanks about the Dolphins. There is a lot more to discuss than what I've opened with