The homestretch: What adjustments would you make for December/playoffs
 

We're entering the last 5 games, where we find out what kind of team we'll have for the season. What adjustments would you make, playing armchair coach?

I'll start:

1. Stop using shot-gun so damn much. Why are we passing out of shot gun for 75% of our passes. We should be running almost all plays from under center, keeping defenses honest, forcing DE's and CB's to respect the run, unless it's in a blatantly obvious passing situation.

2. Utilize tight ends more in the passing game, especially in the red zone. Start using tight ends in red zone packages off of play action. Use the middle of the field more with Baker and Watson. Everyone knows that Welker is pretty much the only guy Brady looks at right now over the middle.

3. Stop using Welker so damn much. For two reasons. First, he's being over-used so much that he'll be cheese by January. Second, teams know exactly how he's being used now since we don't deviate. This past game he had 6 catches for 30 yards - teams know where he'll be and is getting stuffed the moment he touches the ball.

4. On defense at least PRETEND to blitz. Have a bunch of guys line up close to scrimmage more often so the O-line and QB have a hard time figuring out who to block. Almost every play we have corners and linebackers playing off the line, making it easy to set blocking schemes and leaving now chance of confusion for the QB.

Re: The Homestretch. What Adjustments Would You Make for December/Playoffs
 

1. Get the tight-ends more involved.
2. Don't abandon the run when it's working
3. Don't go to the shotgun formation or call a long-bomb play in short yardage situation
4. Stop putting the pass rushers in coverage so much

Re: The Homestretch. What Adjustments Would You Make for December/Playoffs
 

1. Be less predictable on both side
2. Find some way to get to the QB
3. Put Chris Baker's face on a milk carton....where the hell has he been?

Those are the ones that maybe they can fix this year. They are in desperate need of a #2 WR to play opposite Moss to take the pressure off Welker. Their O-Line has been a constant problem, the usual guys can't stay healthy and/or Kaczur is a waste of flesh. No pass-rush exposes the inexperienced DB's against good QBs.

Re: The Homestretch. What Adjustments Would You Make for December/Playoffs
 

Run the ball from time to time.

Re: The Homestretch. What Adjustments Would You Make for December/Playoffs
 

Maverick, I couldn't agree more with all your points. Here are some of my adjustments.

1. Enough with the shotgun. Not only is it predictable but it's putting your O-line on an island way too much. If you want the base of your offense to be run out of the shotgun the Pats need to value the O-line a little bit more. I still like the drafting of Vollmer, but Oher should have been picked with their first round pick as well.

2. Play calling is still atrocious on offense! Whether they win or lose, I can't stand their play selection. They run when they should throw and they throw when they should run. A perfect example is tonight's game plan. The Saints dared the Pats to run as they had a 3 down line and dropped 8 almost the entire night. I'm also tired of seeing the Pats throw on 3rd and short. I'm tired of them abandoning the run when their RB's are doing fairly well. And the Pats throw way too much when they enter the opponents 10 yard line.

3. They need to take better care of the football. The Pats had the momentum early in the game but Brady threw a careless pass which was intercepted by a guy who just signed with the Saints this week.

4. Defensively, they're a lost cause. They don't have a pass rush, their front seven can't stop the run and their secondary can't cover elite receivers.

In the end, it really doesn't matter what we think because the Pats will continue to do the same thing over and over again until they're on vacation in January.

Re: The Homestretch. What Adjustments Would You Make for December/Playoffs
 

1. Someone on the Patriots defense should touch the opponent's quarterback every now and then.
2. The offensive line should stop the pass rush every so often, especially when the opponent is only sending in three guys.
3. Our secondary might try to cover receivers.

Take care of the above three, and we will win the Super Bowl. Don't take care of them, and we will be lucky to make it to the playoffs.

Re: The Homestretch. What Adjustments Would You Make for December/Playoffs
 

I'm including Mike Reiss' analysis of the game below. Reading this, for me the key cause is not personnel or throwing the O-line under the bus, it's the scheme and play calling. Moss and Welker were blanketed because teams scout us and know EXACTLY how we use these guys every single week, and stuff them. Welker caught 6 balls for only 30 yards, enough said - the D knows where we are using Welker. The way our offense got stuffed, and the lame blame on the O-line, is way too similar to how our predictable 07 offense got stopped in the Superbowl.



First-half analysis - Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston

Re: The Homestretch. What Adjustments Would You Make for December/Playoffs
 

Did you miss the 1st quarter of the game? The problem was that they gave up on the run once they realized their defense couldn't stop a pee-wee team.

Re: The Homestretch. What Adjustments Would You Make for December/Playoffs
 

1. I agree with, we need to get pressure on the opposing teams QB

2. Our OL play particuarly defending the pass rush has been very good all season with the exception of week 2 and this week. Last week we were praising our OL play

3. Again our secondary has been very good all year long for the most part besides today. You have to rememeber how young we are.

Bottom line, this team will be in the playoffs and how far we go depends on how well we correct our issues on both sides of the ball.

Re: The Homestretch. What Adjustments Would You Make for December/Playoffs
 

Replace Wilhite with Wheatley. Who knows, he might be able to break up a pass