Why did Brady have so much more time in the pocket in the last quarter?

Somebody, I think Patricia, said that they finally managed to consistently double-team Bennett in the fourth quarter.

The best answer to my original question was given in the Stephen White's February 6 article for SB Nation: http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2015/2/...-brady-marshawn-lynch-bad-calls-blown-chances . White, based on the all-22 (which wasn't available when I first made my post), wrote:

Butlers interception.

That's what happens when your 3rd string RB/special teamer knocks the living **** out of their best pass rusher.

pheenix11 said:

That's what happens when your 3rd string RB/special teamer knocks the living **** out of their best pass rusher.

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2 thoughts come to mind:

1) Bolden had some pretty vicious hits this past year

and

2) The entire team in general, has been fairly effective at knocking opposing players out of the game. I hadn't really noticed this until about a year or so ago

Ken Canin said:

The best answer to my original question was given in the Stephen White's February 6 article for SB Nation: http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2015/2/...-brady-marshawn-lynch-bad-calls-blown-chances . White, based on the all-22 (which wasn't available when I first made my post), wrote:

Avril's injury was big because he is by far the best pure speed rusher on that team. His get off and quickness forces tackles to bail out when trying to block him, which also gives Michael Bennett more room to operate inside against the right guard. With Avril out, right tackle Nate Solder was at the least able to stay closer to right guard Ryan Wendell which slowed down Bennett's rush and gave Brady the time needed to get hot in the second half.​

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Awesome. Thanks for sharing that.

Another thought is that Brady was very effective (and had been pretty much the entire year) at moving up and sidestepping in the pocket a bit to gain an extra second or two.

a) they were tired
b) they lost avril
c) brady had it all figured out and picked them apart
d) gronk, edelman, amendola, vereen and lafell, together, were too much to handle for four quarters
e) all of the above

I don't know but let's all bash the Pats and blame the win on all these things that happened to the poor Seahawks.,...it's only 10 days out, it's about time the game really sucked, Brady sucks, Belichick sucks, the defense sucks and it's all luck.

Joker said:

I don't know but let's all bash the Pats and blame the win on all these things that happened to the poor Seahawks.,...it's only 10 days out, it's about time the game really sucked, Brady sucks, Belichick sucks, the defense sucks and it's all luck.

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...and...don't forget, "they cheated"

Saw this the other day:

Nico Tomacelli @HypnotiqNico · Feb 7
@AlbertBreer Brady w/Avril on field:15-23 passing, 106 yds, 0 TD, 2 INT, 24.8 QBR. No Avril on field:22-27, 214 yds, 4 TD, 0 INT, 97.7 QBR


Not that I feel bad for them. Seemed like the media were openly advocating the 'Hawks D injuring Pats O players in the run-up to the game. Lot of crap about how Chancellor would take out Gronk.

Ken Canin said:

right tackle Nate Solder was at the least able to stay closer to right guard Ryan Wendell

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The accuracy of that analysis is somewhat in doubt.

Ken Canin said:

It seemed like through most of the game Brady had only a couple of seconds to throw the ball before he was about to be tackled. But in the last quarter, suddenly he seemed to have a reasonable amount of time.

What happened? Something on the offensive line to give Brady more time, or did Seattle change its defense?

(And how come Boult was able to run in the first quarter a bit but got stopped for the rest of the game?)

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I think a clip from Sound FX sums it up well and a few of us at the Super Bowl party I was at were touching base on it at the time. Belichick was saying to Brady before the final drive that they were just running by him and being forced up-field.

Seattle got very ill-disciplined on defence. They were just running by Brady mos of the time....Solder and Vollmer were just carrying them up-field for fun. The DTs didn't really seem to be respecting their rushing lanes either...I didn't sense much pressure up the middle and Brady had a lot of fun stepping in to the pocket.

The 4th quarter is when balls start to deflate.

FredFromDartmouth said:

Also Brady started stepping up, way up, in the pocket to buy time.

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This. To the point where the pocket was five yards behind him.

A couple times it was like both lines let the momentum push them back and then make a huge open space in the middle where Brady ran up and threw before any of the DL could disengage with their blockers.

Ken Canin said:

The best answer to my original question was given in the Stephen White's February 6 article for SB Nation: http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2015/2/...-brady-marshawn-lynch-bad-calls-blown-chances . White, based on the all-22 (which wasn't available when I first made my post), wrote:

Avril's injury was big because he is by far the best pure speed rusher on that team. His get off and quickness forces tackles to bail out when trying to block him, which also gives Michael Bennett more room to operate inside against the right guard. With Avril out, right tackle Nate Solder was at the least able to stay closer to right guard Ryan Wendell which slowed down Bennett's rush and gave Brady the time needed to get hot in the second half.​

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I'm not sure that's the best answer, it certainly isn't any better than those offered in this post.

Ultimately it came down to depth, which was a problem all year for Seattle. Unlike 2013, when they had droves of lineman going in an out all game, guys had to stay in longer, which is especially tiring for a defensive lineman. That problem was exacerbated when they lost yet another guy, who also happened to be their best outside rusher.

The reason Seattle's lack of depth didn't appear to affect them in the regular season is because of all the terrible QBs they faced. Drives throughout the game were shorter and by the time the fourth quarter rolled around they were largely milking clock.

It is entirely possible that NE would have been just as successful even had Avril not gotten hurt. I have to question the tweet, which makes it seem as if NE couldn't do anything until Cliff was hurt. Did Seattle really take him off the field on the passing TDs in the first half? Frankly, the Patriots were more efficient in the first half - when Avril was available - than they were in the second.

Uncle Rico said:

Saw this the other day:

Nico Tomacelli @HypnotiqNico · Feb 7
@AlbertBreer Brady w/Avril on field:15-23 passing, 106 yds, 0 TD, 2 INT, 24.8 QBR. No Avril on field:22-27, 214 yds, 4 TD, 0 INT, 97.7 QBR


Not that I feel bad for them. Seemed like the media were openly advocating the 'Hawks D injuring Pats O players in the run-up to the game. Lot of crap about how Chancellor would take out Gronk.

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Saw those tweets as well but also remembered at the end of the 1st half Collinsworth said Avril was a total non factor.

Anyone got a video or gif of the Bolden hit on Avril

Our offense gassed their defense in the first half (nearly 20 minutes of possession time). If it weren't for a much longer half time and a sloppy third quarter we would have continued gassing them and the fourth quarter would have been a formality.

The vastly overrated Seattle D line was exposed by Brady and the O line.