And then there's this guy (our new safety, Jordan Richards)

manxman2601 said:

At least it was hijacked by some excellent football discussion unlike some threads.

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...and a change of pace over all things pertaining to Deflategate. I've had it.

robertweathers said:

...and a change of pace over all things pertaining to Deflategate. I've had it.

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Yes! I just want the result of the court case so that we can move on.

McClusky said:

Last one I promise... Maybe haha

After having watched hundreds of these plays I say with absolute confidence that how Harmon played it is how he's coached to, and it makes sense. You as the viewer have the added benefit of knowing when and where Wilson is going to throw the ball. All Harmon sees is a WR running running a wheel route. If Harmon breaks on the receiver right away and Wilson pumps and drops it in the basket instead of trying to gun it in there, Harmon's totally blown his responsibility as the last line of defense. Butler has tight coverage, but a well thrown ball could hit it's mark just like the Brady-Gronk connection earlier in the game.

Harmon's trying to take the top off that route and be in position to make a tackle if it's needed, which he was in perfect position to do so.

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See its this example right here on how raw ability and instincts influence coaching, positioning and strategy. This is where 40 times, 3cone, 10yd/20yd shuffle and vertical jumps mean something. Not everything as you can't measure football IQ and instincts but something.

While I still think Harmon should have angled towards the 1st down marker a tad more and not run laterally with the 7, because of the situation and the fact that he has slightly above-average ability and only in his 2nd year, they tell him to make damn sure he is in position to cut off the route at its last possible point- which is what he had done. Thats why I also implied that it was possibly a very conservative play- which was prudent at that point in the game. On another note, people don't realize how insane of a play Malcolm made on that ball. He got beat, recovered and made a play. That is gifted.

If thats Ed Reed, Sean Taylor or even DMC, they tell him to where to line up but because of their physical ability, instincts and cred in making good decisions they have the latitude to try and cut that angle and breakup the pass.

robertweathers said:

...and a change of pace over all things pertaining to Deflategate. I've had it.

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I had it about a week before the SB and stopped paying much attention then. I did read the Wells report and some of the recent testimony though, and I have made some comments here and there.

I think it was a great choice, especially when the Pats went on to win the way they did. What is it about them that results in so many great SB moments? Even for a team that's been to eight of them, they've had more than their share of incredible games.

As for Jordan Richards, I'll need to see more of him before I can figure him out. I don't watch much college football at all, maybe 1 or 2 games a year if you added it all up. I'll have to see more of him. I was hoping to read more here, but some fans are going off topic.

I kept an eye on Richards tonight. To me, he seems to play fast, esp. for a rookie. He moves after the snap with little hesitation. He accelerates into tackles. At one point, he drove full speed into an OT and knocked the guy backwards, Panther #71 IIRC, clearing him out of the play so someone else could clean up the RB. Another time he made a tackle deep into the backfield because he had no hesitation attacking the RB and didn't let him make any progress. I'm sure he's overrunning plays here and there - but I don't see it as much as I'd expect given how aggressively he seems to play. In coverage, he always seems to be around the ball, protecting the CBs so they can confidently make plays. I like what I see.

OTOH, I kinda suck at analysis like this since I've never played the game and I don't have a good eye for breaking down plays, so I'd appreciate if one of the other guys who can do that better would weigh in.

PatsFan37 said:

I kept an eye on Richards tonight. To me, he seems to play fast, esp. for a rookie. He moves after the snap with little hesitation. He accelerates into tackles. At one point, he drove full speed into an OT and knocked the guy backwards, Panther #71 IIRC, clearing him out of the play so someone else could clean up the RB. Another time he made a tackle deep into the backfield because he had no hesitation attacking the RB and didn't let him make any progress. I'm sure he's overrunning plays here and there - but I don't see it as much as I'd expect given how aggressively he seems to play. In coverage, he always seems to be around the ball, protecting the CBs so they can confidently make plays. I like what I see.

OTOH, I kinda suck at analysis like this since I've never played the game and I don't have a good eye for breaking down plays, so I'd appreciate if one of the other guys who can do that better would weigh in.

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That was really useful analysis. I didn't focus on Richards but what I saw of him backs up everything you've just said.

PatsFan37 said:

I kept an eye on Richards tonight. To me, he seems to play fast, esp. for a rookie. He moves after the snap with little hesitation. He accelerates into tackles. At one point, he drove full speed into an OT and knocked the guy backwards, Panther #71 IIRC, clearing him out of the play so someone else could clean up the RB. Another time he made a tackle deep into the backfield because he had no hesitation attacking the RB and didn't let him make any progress. I'm sure he's overrunning plays here and there - but I don't see it as much as I'd expect given how aggressively he seems to play. In coverage, he always seems to be around the ball, protecting the CBs so they can confidently make plays. I like what I see.

OTOH, I kinda suck at analysis like this since I've never played the game and I don't have a good eye for breaking down plays, so I'd appreciate if one of the other guys who can do that better would weigh in.

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You saw what I saw. I did see him late on coverage a couple of times but one seemed like he was confused on who to pick up b/c Morris got beat and the other one I think it was Fletcher let the guy release and Richards drifted back into a zone. Tough to tell without knowing the assignments.

Richards flashed well in spots tonight--coming up quickly to fill on the run. I'm hopeful that he comes in and contributes.