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It has been pointed out that the Patriots defense mainly played a 3-4 yesterday despite, on the surface, being better aligned for a 4-3. Without getting into too much depth, the main reasons are that Jones and Ninkovich are not sturdy, run-stuffing defensive ends but play the 4-3 edges very well. Wilfork does not look to have come back strong yet, and he was relied upon too much. In addition, the Patriots did lose Brandon Spikes, their best run stuffing defensive end, and I think they could have used another defensive tackle in there frequently to eat up some space.
On offense, I am more baffled by the gameplan. I thought the Patriots had plenty of matchup advantages but Josh McD played this one as badly as any I have seen with him. Let's be clear: many times there is blame on Josh McD when it is unjustified (fumbles, red zone issues, interceptions, a couple of key plays). But in this game, I was amazed at how poorly he seemed to grasp his own offensive personnel.
1. Rob Gronkowski was put in the "Jimmy Graham" role although that is not really his strength, and more importantly, he would need to be running at full speed to excel in that role. I am not sure if the Pats were hesitant to use him in traditional, in-line tight end role, but lining him up as an inside receiver made the offense more predictable (pass to Gronk every time) when his best strength is being a double threat int he run and pass game. I would have thought they would have just had him block rather than feature his pass catching skills only, since he was running at about 75%. I'll give McD a pass on this one because of the injury, and we really don't know what limitations were there.
2. Brandon LaFell was put in the worst position to succeed of all the players. I am not sure how the Patriots can so consistently bungle free agent wide receivers, but if this is the role where they want LaFell, as the outside receiver, ala Deion Branch, they might as well just cut him now and eat the loss. LaFell does not have top-line speed or quickness and simply is not very good; I would say he is not even Brandon Lloyd decent. I would have thought LaFell would be a seven-yard turnaround, seal your defender, and catch the ball type of player, not put into the offense as AJ Green 2.0. I was thinking David Givens. It was difficult to watch LaFell and Brady try to force something that is not going to work.
3. Julian Edelman is not a deep threat. Yes, he caught one deep pass yesterday (which was underthrown), but if you look at the overall picture, he and Brady must be averaging something like 2 yards per attempt on deep passes. The catch rate must be under 20%. I have no idea why he is running these routes when he could be running underneath and allowing someone like Thompkins or even Amendola to try and stretch the field.
4. Tim Wright was laughably mis-used as an Aaron Hernandez plug-in. It was painful to watch him on screen passes and short routes. He is NOT a yards-after-catch player. I noted he had beat his defender on at least eight plays and Brady was not looking at him as a downfield threat. If the Patriots think Wright is going to excel in a quick pass, break tackle, and accelerate scheme, they shouldn't have gotten him. I was very impressed by his speed and route running yesterday, and it's too bad that he was not thrown the ball once he got past the line of scrimmage.
If the Patriots had run the offense with Gronkowski on-the-line, Vereen in the backfield, and Wright lined up where Gronkowski was (as an inside receiver running intermediate routes), I think this offense would have lit up Miami yesterday.
5. Danny Amondola- just an observation more than a criticism of Josh McD (who deserves to be criticized for signing him in the first place). Amendola has assumed Julian Edelman's role from 2009-12, as the backup slot receiver/useless fourth receiver on the field who may catch an occasional screen pass. Too bad the Patriots have not been able to find a burner in about 10 years who could be a threat to do something other than stand around and be a decoy.
All that being said, let's remember that the Patriots looked absolutely horrendous against Arizona a couple of years ago (in fact lost at home!) They also looked crummy in 2011 at Buffalo in Game 2 and looked crummy for the first 4-5 weeks last year. I think they'll get it figured out. I am just baffled at how the offensive coordinator cannot see things that are obvious even to the casual fan. They have enough talent on offense, but they need to better utilize the strengths of their skill players rather than putting them in position to fail.
On offense, I am more baffled by the gameplan. I thought the Patriots had plenty of matchup advantages but Josh McD played this one as badly as any I have seen with him. Let's be clear: many times there is blame on Josh McD when it is unjustified (fumbles, red zone issues, interceptions, a couple of key plays). But in this game, I was amazed at how poorly he seemed to grasp his own offensive personnel.
1. Rob Gronkowski was put in the "Jimmy Graham" role although that is not really his strength, and more importantly, he would need to be running at full speed to excel in that role. I am not sure if the Pats were hesitant to use him in traditional, in-line tight end role, but lining him up as an inside receiver made the offense more predictable (pass to Gronk every time) when his best strength is being a double threat int he run and pass game. I would have thought they would have just had him block rather than feature his pass catching skills only, since he was running at about 75%. I'll give McD a pass on this one because of the injury, and we really don't know what limitations were there.
2. Brandon LaFell was put in the worst position to succeed of all the players. I am not sure how the Patriots can so consistently bungle free agent wide receivers, but if this is the role where they want LaFell, as the outside receiver, ala Deion Branch, they might as well just cut him now and eat the loss. LaFell does not have top-line speed or quickness and simply is not very good; I would say he is not even Brandon Lloyd decent. I would have thought LaFell would be a seven-yard turnaround, seal your defender, and catch the ball type of player, not put into the offense as AJ Green 2.0. I was thinking David Givens. It was difficult to watch LaFell and Brady try to force something that is not going to work.
3. Julian Edelman is not a deep threat. Yes, he caught one deep pass yesterday (which was underthrown), but if you look at the overall picture, he and Brady must be averaging something like 2 yards per attempt on deep passes. The catch rate must be under 20%. I have no idea why he is running these routes when he could be running underneath and allowing someone like Thompkins or even Amendola to try and stretch the field.
4. Tim Wright was laughably mis-used as an Aaron Hernandez plug-in. It was painful to watch him on screen passes and short routes. He is NOT a yards-after-catch player. I noted he had beat his defender on at least eight plays and Brady was not looking at him as a downfield threat. If the Patriots think Wright is going to excel in a quick pass, break tackle, and accelerate scheme, they shouldn't have gotten him. I was very impressed by his speed and route running yesterday, and it's too bad that he was not thrown the ball once he got past the line of scrimmage.
If the Patriots had run the offense with Gronkowski on-the-line, Vereen in the backfield, and Wright lined up where Gronkowski was (as an inside receiver running intermediate routes), I think this offense would have lit up Miami yesterday.
5. Danny Amondola- just an observation more than a criticism of Josh McD (who deserves to be criticized for signing him in the first place). Amendola has assumed Julian Edelman's role from 2009-12, as the backup slot receiver/useless fourth receiver on the field who may catch an occasional screen pass. Too bad the Patriots have not been able to find a burner in about 10 years who could be a threat to do something other than stand around and be a decoy.
All that being said, let's remember that the Patriots looked absolutely horrendous against Arizona a couple of years ago (in fact lost at home!) They also looked crummy in 2011 at Buffalo in Game 2 and looked crummy for the first 4-5 weeks last year. I think they'll get it figured out. I am just baffled at how the offensive coordinator cannot see things that are obvious even to the casual fan. They have enough talent on offense, but they need to better utilize the strengths of their skill players rather than putting them in position to fail.
