Belichick/McDaniels Upend Base v. Nickel Defense Choice?

What stood out to me was the usage of different personnel groupings and doing unconventional things out of them -- with the primary example coming in the decisive stretch in which the Patriots went ahead 21-7 and ran 11 of 12 snaps with two tight ends on the field but used empty/spread formations/packages to attack the Bills' base defense through the air. Surgical.
​

Could you discuss player synergy - when is some combination of players much better than the sum of their parts? In particular, what will the potential impact be of the Patriots now having *two* Gronk-sized tight ends? (Chandler is actually a bit taller than Gronk). How do you defend a jump ball to a very tall guy anyhow? Why wouldn't that be a routine completion even if the player is on the slow and lumbering side?​

Great question, "newton." How players are paired or grouped makes a big difference on their effectiveness - especially as it relates to each individual opponent. This is why matchups are really the most important factor in football - not past records, or venue, or how "hot" a team is.

To use the Gronk & Chandler example, it kind of depends on the opponent. I don't think the combination of these two in the red zone (from the height standpoint alone) would bother the Seattle Seahawks necessarily as much as others because they are tall at the linebacker, safety, and corner spots. A lot of teams may have that one unique "long" defender, so they can weather Gronk with the addition of some help. But the addition of Chandler might create a great mismatch against that kind of team.​

Being too tall though can hurt you as a blocker for leverage, so it's not all positive being tall. It's definitely a plus-minus thing. I think in relation to the Patriots, how they utilize them will be important to whether or not you see that "synergy." There are instances where they could cause a problem for the other team, and there are times where having them on the field together could prevent you from exploiting something else that's a greater weakness for that week's opponent - say, poor secondary depth. In that instance, you may want more of your multiple receiver personnel groups on the field, which usually means one tight end.

Against a team that pressures a lot you would probably lose the benefit of the extra tall player because one would likely have to stay in and protect. If for some reason they were able to both be out in the pattern vs a pressure look, that means the ball is coming out fast for a short (< 5yard?) throw, so Gronk or Chandler might not be the best catch & run options. To what degree they are effective together - the synergy as it were - may depend upon the opponent and whether or not the Patriots use them to the most ideal situation for the two of them. Sometimes that's not the team's number one goal.

For the 'how to defend' part of the question, you probably aren't going to be able to win the jump ball, but you can strip it out before the player comes down with possession - that's probably your best bet as a shorter defender. Just being taller doesn't mean you'll be the highest at the catch point, but it's certainly an advantage. Why you don't see 'jump ball' situations over and over is because many of the defenders simply jump better than the tight ends and can negate that difference with athleticism.​