Arizona Breakdown

[pats1]

1st and 10 Ari 35

Result: Run, Maroney, right tackle, 1 yd.
Offense: 2 WR, Caldwell wide left, Childress wide right, 2 TE, Graham down off RT, Watson down right wing, Maroney lone RB.
Defense: 4-3, SLB tight over Watson, both CBs 10 yards off.
Blocking: Light slants but can’t get the angle on the RDT
Mankins cuts down the SS in the second level
Hochstein gets pushed off the line by the LDT, then pushed into Maroney to put a quick end to the run
Neal chips the LDT before kicking out the WLB ahead of the run
O’Callaghan drives the LDE off the line
Graham chips the LDE before picking up the MLB wide
Watson seals the SLB outside

Analysis: This off-tackle play just hasn’t been working out for the Pats. The left side of the line don’t get good angles as they slant right, and the playside protection doesn’t open up enough of a hole, often leaving the RB – be it Maroney or Dillon – to try and squeeze it back against the grain, where the unblocked backside protection dooms the play. This was the case here, as Light and Hochstein couldn’t hold the DTs on the backside, and the off-tackle protection took too long to develop and was too bunched together. There simply wasn’t a hole for Maroney to come through, and the outside was contained to prevent him from bouncing it away from the inside commotion.

2nd and 9 Ari 34

Result: Pass, Maroney from Brady, quick out, 3 yds.
Offense: Shotgun 4 WR, Childress wide left, Watson left slot, Maroney right slot, Caldwell wide right, TE Graham standing left wing.
Defense: 4-3, SLB and WLB 5 yards off slot WRs, both CBs 10 yards off.
Blocking: Light rides the RDE outside
Mankins and Hochstein double the RDT
Neal is bull rushed back by the LDT, but rides it outside
O’Callaghan rides the LDE outside
Coverage: Childress goes deep into off SS coverage
Watson does a quick out, drawing both the SLB and RCB
Graham sits underneath the MLB
Maroney catches it right away on a quick out, but has no blocking and is swallowed by the WLB and LCB
Caldwell goes deep past the LCB’s short zone

Analysis: Before the snap, there was a miscommunication between the SLB and the MLB, leading the RCB to sprint over to the slot, then be turned back by the SS. The SLB kept bouncing between the LG and the TE, before the MLB finally positioned him off the slot WR. All the while, Brady had to react to both the defensive shifting and the ticking play clock. The coverage looked to be a cover-2 zone, and so any short outside route was doomed from the start with 2 short zones in the vicinity to guard against the exact route Maroney ran.

3rd and 6 Ari 31

Result: Draw, Faulk, up the middle, 14 yds.
Offense: 3 WR, Kight wide left, Childress left slot. Caldwell wide right, TE Graham down off RT, Faulk lone RB.
Defense: 4-2-5 nickel, NB and LCB 5 yards off Childress and Caldwell, RCB 10 yards off Kight.
Blocking: Light falls to his face after trying to pancake the RDE on the backside, who spinned away
Mankins seals the RDT off outside
Hochstein meets the MLB ahead of the draw hole
Neal lets the LDT spin outside
O’Callaghan stands the LDE up on the edge
Watson loses his angle to the WLB but Faulk cuts around it
Childress gets a good block on the NB
Caldwell turns around the LCB up the sideline


Analysis: The Cardinal DL got about as much upfield penetration as you could ask for, while Hochstein prevented the MLB from blowing up the play, paving the way for Faulk to come straight up the middle on the draw. Watson, also ahead of the draw, started a block on the WLB but released once the WLB started to turn and Watson put his hands up to show there wasn’t a block in the back. Faulk had plenty of real estate, so he let Watson regain the angle but cutting right. Both safeties would eventually bring Faulk down, but not after he accumulated 14 yards and a first down on the draw play.

 

[pats1]

1st and 10 Ari 17

Result: Run, Dillon, up the middle, 0 yds.
Offense: 2 WR, Childress wide left, Caldwell motion wide right to C and back to RT, 2 TE, Graham down off LT, Watson motion right slot to down off RT, Dillon lone RB.
Defense: 4-3, SLB tight over Graham, SS in box over Watson, both CBs 10 yards off.
Blocking: Graham is turned inside by the SLB, who pressured Dillon the backfield
Light knocks the RDE off the line
Mankins doubles with Light at first but gets a leg caught back in the line and falls down
Hochstein gets driven straight back into Dillon on a bull rush from the RDT
Neal dives forward towards the MLB
O’Callaghan can’t seal off the LDT, who breaks free and becomes part of the Dillon harassing party
Watson drives the LDE off the linde
Caldwell cuts down the SS on the edge, but the SS gets up and takes down Dillon

Analysis: Dillon started in the backfield, but whichever way he turned, he couldn’t find a way out of it. The first obstruction would be right in front of him – Russ Hochstein getting bull rushed backward off the snap. He tried to cut left, but Graham couldn’t keep the SLB away. Finally, he circled back behind Hochstein and tried going up the gut, but didn’t get far. The SS, who Caldwell cut down a good 2 seconds earlier, had enough time to get back on his feet and still bring down Dillon in the backfield.

Note: 2 minute warning.

2nd and 10 Ari 17

Result: Pass, Faulk from Brady, quick out, 6 yds.
Offense: Shotgun 4 WR, Caldwell wide left, Faulk left slot, Watson right slot, Childress wide right, TE Graham standing right wing.
Defense: 4-3, SLB 5 yards off left slot, WLB switches from 5 yards off Watson to off Graham, both CBs 10 yards off.
Blocking: Light rides the RDE outside
Mankins and Hochstein double the RDT
Neal stands up the LDT
O’Callaghan rides the LDE outside
Coverage: Caldwell clears out the RCB deep
Faulk does a quick out underneath the SLB, but can’t turn the corner for extra yardage along the sideline
Graham hooks underneath the MLB and WLB
Watson does a quick out into the right flat
Childress goes deep against the LCB

Analysis: With the same 2 WR, 2 TE, 1 RB personnel package, the Pats again spread things out against a base 4-3 Cardinals defense. A simple quick out to Faulk cut the necessary yardage on third down by more than half. Faulk was again faced up against a cover-2 zone, but he couldn’t turn the corner on the SLB Keys after the catch.

3rd and 4 Ari 11

Result: Pass, Watson from Brady, quick out, 7 yds.
Offense: 4 WR, Caldwell wide left, Watson left slot, Childress right slot, Faulk wide right, TE Graham standing right wing.
Defense: 4-3, FS 5 yards off right slot, both CBs 5 yards off.
Blocking: Light fakes a cut block before standing up the RDE
Mankins is bull rushed back into the pocket by the RDT
Hochstein sits back before turning left to help Mankins
Neal stands up the LDT
O’Callaghan lets the LDE spin inside into the LDT
Coverage: Caldwell does a quick slant into the RCB stepping up
Watson does a quick out, with the WLB not starting over until the throw
Graham bounces off the SLB on a curl
Childress does a quick out
Faulk fades into the endzone on the LCB

Analysis: Mankins got pushed back too close to Brady for comfort, forcing a throw off the back foot, but still accurate on the quick out to Watson. Still out of their base 3-4 against the 4 WR set, the Cardinals didn’t put anyone over Watson in coverage on the pre-snap look, which all but decided Brady’s target for the throw. It’s an effective formation, as the Cardinals know if they send out OLBs wide to cover the slots, only the MLB will be left to buzz the middle, which will be inevitably attacked by either a slant or curl – as Caldwell and Graham did on this play. This play design, yet again out of the base 2 WR, 2 TE, 1 RB set, is capable of stretching a defense even without lining up 3-5 WRs.

1st and Goal Ari 4

Result: Run, Dillon, left tackle, 4 yds., TOUCHDOWN.
PENALTY on ARZ-G.Hayes, Face Mask (15 Yards), 15 yards, enforced between downs.
Offense: 3 TE, Thomas in motion down right wing to down left wing, TE Graham down off LT, TE Watson down off RT, I-form backfield with Mills at FB and Dillon at RB.
Defense: 5-4-2 goal line, OLBs tight on the edge, ILBs and DBs stacked up the middle.
Blocking: Thomas turns the WLB off on the edge, sealing the outside
Graham chips the RDE before sealing the inside against an ILB
Mills leads through the hole, kicking out the SS
Light is cut into by the RDE, but stands him back up and turns him off
Mankins falls on top of the cutting RDT
Hochstein pushes through the line but can’t catch up to the other ILB, who meets Dillon at the 1 but loses
Neal drives left across the NT
O’Callaghan drives left across the LDT
Watson drives left across the LDE

Analysis: Perfectly executed blocking on the left side, sealing up a lane into the endzone for Dillon. If Hochstein had beat the ILB Hayes to the spot, Dillon would have walked into the endzone untouched. Mills showed some push on the FB lead block, knocking the SS off his ground.

Note: Play was challenged by booth but upheld. Dillon had fumbled as he was pushing the ILB Hayes into the endzone, but the play was ruled both down by contact and a touchdown.

Note: Cardinals RDE Bertrand Berry leaves with a left knee injury and does not return.

Extra Point

Result: Converted

Score: New England 13 – Arizona 0

 

[pats1]

Defensive Series #4 Field Goal

Contributor: Pats1
Time: 1:14 remaining in the second quarter
Statistics: 9 plays (2 run, 6 pass, 1 field goal), 54 yards (13 run, 36 pass, 5 penalty), time of possession was 1:10
Breakdown: 3 green plays (0 run, 3 pass) for 0 yds., 1 black play (0 run, 1 pass) for 3 yds., 5 red plays (1 run, 3 pass, 1 field goal) for 46 yds. (13 run, 33 pass), 5 penalty yards lost for the Patriots.

Kickoff: Arrington from the Ari 2 by Gostkowski, 13 yd return, Arrington is slowed by a Mays NT-style clog on the wedge, allowing Sanders to come in off the edge on the tackle.

Note: Kickoff was from the NE 45 instead of the usual NE 30 because of the 15-yard penalty on the touchdown play.

1st and 10 Ari 15

Result: Pass, Arrington from Leinart, flare right, 11 yds.
Offense: Shotgun 3 WR, 1 left, 2 right, 2 RBs flanking Leinart in shotgun.
Defense: 3-2-6 dime, Colvin-Green-Warren line, Sanders/Davis at ILB, Vrabel showing blitz right wing, Samuel-Wilson-Hobbs all in press coverage, Hawkins and C. Scott deep.
Blocking: Colvin bounces off the LT, spins into the LG, then is stood up by the RG
Green is doubled by the LG and C
Warren stunts behind Green and Warren, but is shoved wide by the LT, giving Leinart time to sidestep away
Vrabel rides the RT behind Leinart
Coverage: Sanders slides over to pick up the LWR coming up the seam
Davis drops into the defensive left seam
Samuel releases the LWR deep to stay low on the LRB
Wilson fakes around with the slot WR at the line before being turned around
Hobbs does a jam job on the RWR, riding up into the seam

Analysis: Samuel had the support from Sanders and C. Scott behind him to release the LWR deep and come up on the LRB. Hobbs didn’t, and was cleared downfield after the jam by the RWR. A blitz from Vrabel would leave the right flat open for the RRB to release into. The pass rush hit a brick wall, with only Warren even getting an inch.

Note: I usually go by personnel packages for deciding which lineup the defense is in. Before, I thought James Sanders was just at an ILB position because he was playing up on the TE. But this play featured no TEs for Arizona, but Sanders was still in there as an ILB next to Davis. I’ll still call it the 3-2 dime, but his positioning is intriguing.

1st and 10 Ari 26

Result: Pass, Holiday from Leinart, crossing pattern underneath, 3 yds.
Offense: Shotgun 3 WR, 1 left, 1 right slot, 1 motion wide right 3 paces inside, 2 RBs flanking Leinart in shotgun.
Defense: 3-2-6 dime, Colvin-Green-Warren line, Sanders/Davis at ILB, Vrabel showing blitz right wing, Samuel and Wilson press, Hobbs backs off after motion, C. Scott comes up to line and back.
Blocking: Colvin rides the LT outside
Green is doubled by the LG and C, but slides over to the RG
Warren circles around and beats the RT outside, “sacking” Leinart after the throw
Vrabel stunts behind Warren into the RG, then over to the LG
Coverage: Sanders picks up the LRB cutting underneath left-to-right
Davis follows the RRB into the right flat
Samuel jams the LWR fighting downfield
Wilson turns with the slot WR going deep
Hobbs comes up to take down the RWR after his catch underneath

Analysis: It’s very tough to blanket and shut down a scourge of crossing routes like those on this play, so effective tackling after the catch is key. Hobbs was playing off, but still raced across the middle to take down Holiday in the openfield. This prevented him from turning the corner into the void left by Samuel getting cleared out deep. Pass rush was better and brought down Leinart after the throw, but still didn’t force a bad pass.

2nd and 7 Ari 29

Result: Timeout, Arizona – 2 remaining in the first half.

2nd and 7 Ari 29

Result: Pass, McCoy from Leinart, Incomplete, quick seam pattern, pass dropped.
Offense: Shotgun 3 WR, 1 left, 2 right, 2 RBs flanking Leinart in shotgun.
Defense: 3-2-6 dime, Colvin-Green-Warren line, Davis/Sanders at ILB, Vrabel showing blitz right wing, Samuel-Wilson-Hobbs all in press coverage, Hawkins and C. Scott deep.
Blocking: Colvin can’t spin around the LT
Green is doubled by the LG and C
Warren rides the RG outside
Vrabel is stopped by the RT
Coverage: Davis picks up the LRB turning into the left flat
Sanders sprints over to cover the RRB in the right flat
Samuel jams the LWR before releasing him up the seam, where safety coverage is deep
Wilson jams the slot WR before chasing him up the seam
Hobbs follows the RWR cutting underneath

Analysis: The Cardinals took notice to Samuel playing in a zone the last few plays, and attacked the seam with a quick release route. Leinart had a clear pocket and hit McCoy right in front of the face, but the force of the throw looked to be too much on the young wideout, who couldn’t bring it in. He had a defender-clear bubble in the cover-2 seam void, with C. Scott coming up on the play.

 

[pats1]

3rd and 7 Ari 29

Result: Scramble, Leinart, up the middle, 16 yds.
Offense: Shotgun 3 WR, 1 left, 2 right, 2 RBs flanking Leinart in shotgun.
Defense: 3-2-6 dime, Colvin-Green-Warren line, Davis/Sanders at ILB, Vrabel showing blitz right wing, Wilson press until last second, Samuel and Hobbs 7 yards off, Hawkins and C. Scott deep.
Blocking: Colvin rides the LT outside
Green tries to go inside on the LG, opening a hole for the scramble
Warren blows by the C but Leinart steps up and scrambles
Vrabel rides the RT outside
Davis is picked up by the LRB on his blitz, and then sealed outside as Leinart scrambles
Sanders is picked up by the RG
C. Scott comes down on a blitz but Leinart scrambles by through the adjacent hole
Coverage: Hawkins comes down strong but cuts off to cover the RRB in the right flat
Samuel, Hobbs, and Wilson all are cleared out on deep routes, and then are blocked downfield

Analysis: Leinart recognized the blitz, and as Sterling Sharpe would note, was very decisive. On the first bit of pressure of Warren, he saw the hole up the middle and went for it. This hole was created by Green going inside and Colvin outside, but their job on a passing play is to find the best way to the QB, not clog the running lanes. That job would normally fall on the ILBs, but both Sanders and Davis blitzed outside and were trapped upfield. Without any double teams, the Cardinals OL, plus the LRB were able to hold off long enough for Leinart to scramble. Chad Scott would also come down on a blitz, but attacked the gap just outside of the scramble lane, and was only able to slip an arm on Leinart. To prevent this type of play from happening, the blitz design needs to be altered to keep at least something up the middle, or provide more pressure from the edges, as the LT and RT sealed off the pocket nicely.

1st and 10 Ari 45

Result: Timeout, Arizona – 1 remaining in the first half.

1st and 10 Ari 45

Result: Pass, Ayanbadejo from Leinart, flare right, 1 yd.
PENALTY on NE-R.Colvin, Encroachment, 5 yards, enforced at ARZ 45 - No Play.
Offense: 3 WR, 2 left, 1 right, 2 RB split backfield.
Defense: 3-2-6 dime, Colvin-Green-Warren line, Sanders/Davis ILB, Vrabel showing blitz right wing, Samuel-Wilson-Hobbs press coverage, Hawkins and C. Scott deep.
Blocking: Colvin is stood up by the LT
Green swims inside on the LG, getting at Leinart after the pass
Warren is doubled by the C and RG
Vrabel rides the RT outside
Coverage: Sanders picks up the LRB into the left flat
Davis wraps the RRB up after a right flat catch
Samuel, Wilson, and Hobbs all jam at the line

Analysis: Colvin flinched forward and couldn’t get back all the way before the snap.

1st and 5 Midfield

Result: Pass, Holiday from Leinart, Incomplete, 15 yard crossing pattern, pass broken up by Samuel.
Offense: Shotgun 3 WR, 2 left, 1 right, 2 RBs flanking Leinart in shotgun.
Defense: 3-2-6 dime, Colvin-Green-Warren line, Sanders/Davis ILB, Vrabel showing blitz right wing, Samuel-Wilson-Hobbs press coverage, Hawkins and C. Scott deep.
Blocking: Colvin tries lowering a shoulder into the LT but is still rejected
Green is doubled by the LG and C
Warren beats the RG outside, but is pushed across the pocket by the RT
Vrabel stunts behind Warren but is kept away by the RG long enough to only muster an ineffective ankle dive at Leinart after the throw
Coverage: Sanders follows the LRB into the left flat
Davis picks up the RRB circling underneath
Samuel turns the LWR up the sidelines, then cuts across the middle and steps in front of the pass to break if up
Wilson and Hobbs are turned deep

Analysis: To open up passing lanes across the middle, the Cardinals have been using the dual RBs to clear the ILBs out into the flat. If the ILBs don’t bite in time, then Leinart, as demonstrated on the last play, will hit them for quick yardage along the sidelines to stop the clock. Getting Sanders and Davis out of the middle on this play helped, leaving Samuel on an island even across the middle. Samuel would take the underneath road on the route from Holiday, enabling him to step in front of the pass and pick it off momentarily, just to have the WR slash it out from behind on their way to the ground.

Note: Samuel left with a neck/shoulder injury and did not return.

 

[pats1]

2nd and 5 Midfield

Result: Scramble, Leinart, right guard, under pressure, 13 yds.
Offense: Shotgun 3 WR, 2 left, 1 right, 2 RBs flanking Leinart in shotgun.
Defense: 3-2-6 dime, TBC-Green-Warren line, Sanders/Davis ILB, Vrabel showing blitz right wing, Warfield-Wilson-Hobbs press coverage, Hawkins and C. Scott deep.
Blocking: Banta-Cain spins into the LT, gaining ground into the backfield, but is unable to break free
Green is doubled by the LG and C and eventually driven off towards the flat
Warren bull rushes the RG but the pocket conforms
Vrabel is stood up by the RT at first, but fakes inside before making his move outside, forcing Leinart to scramble as Vrabel dives and misses at his feet
Coverage: Sanders and Davis are cleared out into the flats by the RBs, and Davis can’t get off the RRB to stop Leinart from getting the first down
Warfield, Wilson, and Hobbs are cleared out deep
Hawkins comes up to force Leinart to scramble, but not before the first down

Analysis: Nice pressure by Vrabel, but the rest of the rush was quarantined to the left side, and the ILBs were cleared out, opening a huge hole up the middle for Leinart. Davis broke away from the RRB, who is actually the FB Ayanbadejo, but ran parallel to Leinart and when he tried to cut off his run, Ayanbadejo caught up and sealed him off.

1st and 10 NE 37

Result: Timeout, Arizona – 0 remaining in the first half.

1st and 10 NE 37

Result: Pass, Holiday from Leinart, quick out, 6 yds.
Offense: 3 WR, 2 left, 1 right, TE down off RT, lone RB.
Defense: 4-2-5 nickel, TBC-Wright-Klecko-Colvin line, Vrabel/Davis showing blitz, Warfield-Wilson-Hobbs all 10 yards off.
Blocking: Banta-Cain rides the LT outside
Wright is stood up by the LG
Vrabel blitzes and sheds the C but the drop and throw is quick
Klecko beats the RG outside but behind Leinart
Davis blitzes and meets the RB right in front of Leinart, but can’t knock down the pass
Coverage: Warfield picks up the LWR on a 10 yard out
Wilson comes up on the slot WR on a quick out
Hobbs is playing off and comes up to trip up the RWR on his quick out
C. Scott and Warfield come up on the TEs underneath hook

Analysis: The blitz was made ineffective by a quick Leinart drop. Hobbs’ tackle was far from a wrap – he overpursued downfield and if he didn’t get the piece of the WR’s ankle and made him stumble out of bounds, the sideline was open for many yards downfield.

2nd and 4 NE 31

Result: Pass, Holiday from Leinart, Incomplete, quick out, pass overthrown.
Offense: 3 WR, 2 left, 1 right, TE down off RT, lone RB.
Defense: 4-2-5 nickel, TBC-Wright-Klecko-Colvin line, Vrabel/Davis showing blitz, Warfield and Hobbs 10 yards off, Wilson 5 yards off slot.
Blocking: Banta-Cain is cut blocked on the edge by the LT but keeps his footing
Vrabel blitzes and is stood up by the LG
Wright bull rushes the C
Klecko breaks through the C/RG gap, but ends up behind Leinart
Davis is stood up by the RB on the blitz
Colvin bounces off the RT on the edge
Coverage: Warfield picks up the LWR on a 10 yard out
Wilson comes up on the slot WR on a quick out
Hobbs is playing off the RWR’s quick out
C. Scott and Warfield come up on the TEs underneath hook

Analysis: Looks like the Cardinals ran the same play just to get a few more yards before the field goal. The same blitz came, but this time Leinart sailed it over the RWR’s head on the out pattern.

3rd and 4 NE 31

Result: Field Goal, Rackers, 48 yds.

Score: New England 13 – Arizona 3

 

[pats1]

Offensive Series #5 End of Half

Contributor: Pats1
Time: :04 remaining in the second quarter
Statistics: Time of possession was :04

Kickoff: Andrews from the NE 1, 23 yd return, Andrews cuts around the pileup that is the wedge and is taken down by a rogue Cardinal before he can turn the corner around a Sanders block.

Note: End of 2nd quarter.

 

[SoonerPatriot]

I just don't buy the logic because we won in 2001 with Fred Coleman, Charles Johnson et al that it will be easy to do again with a similar collection of stiffs at WR. And yeah, Caldwell is a stiff, JAG, whatever you want to call him. Childress is the epitome of a JAG and Troy, God love him, is well past his prime.

The difference is we're night and day stronger at TE, in the running game and have a true thoroughbread WR waiting in the wings in Chad Jackson who should be able to contribute at some point during the season. If those factors weren't working in our favor we would not only be out of the SB hunt, but probably not in the playoffs either.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

I just don't buy the logic because we won in 2001 with Fred Coleman, Charles Johnson et al that it will be easy to do again with a similar collection of stiffs at WR. And yeah, Caldwell is a stiff, JAG, whatever you want to call him. Childress is the epitome of a JAG and Troy, God love him, is well past his prime.

The difference is we're night and day stronger at TE, in the running game and have a true thoroughbread WR waiting in the wings in Chad Jackson who should be able to contribute at some point during the season. If those factors weren't working in our favor we would not only be out of the SB hunt, but probably not in the playoffs either.

Ah, but it isn't "logic" my friend, a bit of blind optimism, a bit of prayer, and a bit of faith in the Belichick coaching staff who have worked miracles for us in the past, oh, and just a wee bit of confidence in that Brady kid and his friends on defense. Logic really has no place in this as you correctly noted, but we are fans, and in August, there is always hope, just ask your neighbors to the south drooling over their new coaches and rookies. Keep the faith neighbor, after all, reality gets here soon enough if your darkest fears are right, why live in fear beforehand? :rocker: