How the team should use Randy Moss next year

[richpats]

But where are you getting that from?

It's called speculation.

 

[Carpentier]

Sure no one is happy about the SB loss, but to place blame on questioning how we used the WR who caught almost 100 passes, for almost 1500 yards and a record 23 TDs all season long.

We only threw the ball to Randy Moss three times. Honestly why you use your best WR as decoy is beyond me.

 

[BradyManny]

I think they will change their approach to how they use Randy Moss. They have all off-season to work on it. Last offseason, they didn't truly know what they'd be getting from Moss and Welker, now they do.

And I do agree with the idea that Moss was a little underutilized down the stretch, I think the whole offense as a unit became too enamored with Moss as a decoy. We started moving the ball in the NYG when Moss started running intermediate routes. Whether he likes it or not is irrelevant - and I do not agree with the consensus that he shys away from contact, he gets more contact than any wideout in the league - McD and BB will call the plays they feel are best for the team.

 

[Ring 6]

It's called speculation.

Oh, great. We are directing criticism at the 18-1 Patriots because we made up a fact, and decided that they feel they mishandled Moss. So, now, we call the wild ***** assumption a fact, and built a criticism around it.

Lets try one.
The Patriots are considering whether they should have tried to lose in a few games last year so they woiuldnt be protecting a perfect record.

I think that Bill Belichick needs to be fired for thinking its a good thing to lose games on purpose.

 

[Ring 6]

We only threw the ball to Randy Moss three times. Honestly why you use your best WR as decoy is beyond me.

The Patriot offense does not use decoys.
The Patriot offense is designed to run plays, and read based on coverage. If teams choose to double team Moss, he will not get thrown to a hell of a lot.
that doesnt mean he is a decoy, it means the opponent is overplaying him, weakening themselves elsewhere, and the Patriots offensive philopsophy say you attack where they have weakened themselves.

If teams overcommit to Moss every game next year, and we only throw to him 3 times a game because he is doubled and teams are devoting their entire scheme to stop him, we will end up scoring more points than we did this year.

 

[BradyManny]

that doesnt mean he is a decoy, it means the opponent is overplaying him, weakening themselves elsewhere, and the Patriots offensive philopsophy say you attack where they have weakened themselves.

There's no problem with this, it worked beautifully against the Jags. But in the NYG game, Brady simply didn't have the time to get rid of the ball to anybody, let alone Moss on a deep route. So Moss running a long vertical route and occupying two defenders had no value.

Ultimately, they adjusted, their would-be-game-winning-drive seemed to be heavily predicated on Moss running some shorter routes and Brady getting him the ball before he was deep enough for the double coverage to matter. It was the same thing they did in the Colts game. And it would've won the game if it weren't for the half a dozen freakish & haunting things that happened on the ensuing drive.

I think we'll see more of that from Moss next season as well.

 

[DaedalusX]

There's no problem with this, it worked beautifully against the Jags. But in the NYG game, Brady simply didn't have the time to get rid of the ball to anybody, let alone Moss on a deep route. So Moss running a long vertical route and occupying two defenders had no value.

Ultimately, they adjusted, their would-be-game-winning-drive seemed to be heavily predicated on Moss running some shorter routes and Brady getting him the ball before he was deep enough for the double coverage to matter. It was the same thing they did in the Colts game. And it would've won the game if it weren't for the half a dozen freakish & haunting things that happened on the ensuing drive.

I think we'll see more of that from Moss next season as well.

This and the opening post really summarize the situation well, IMO.

Having Sammy Morris back next year will help, too.

 

[lapatsfan]

They should use him at Wide Receiver next year.

 

[patsfan39]

i think they'll still use randy the same way, as the deep threat. ALthough i think the coaches will take on a slightly different approach in the second half of the season to diversify what they can do with moss. Moss was effective in the second half of the sb when he was getting short passes his way. But the coaches will take advantage of his talents and will keep throwing him the long balls.

 

[Xzibit23]

There's no problem with this, it worked beautifully against the Jags. But in the NYG game, Brady simply didn't have the time to get rid of the ball to anybody, let alone Moss on a deep route. So Moss running a long vertical route and occupying two defenders had no value.

Ultimately, they adjusted, their would-be-game-winning-drive seemed to be heavily predicated on Moss running some shorter routes and Brady getting him the ball before he was deep enough for the double coverage to matter. It was the same thing they did in the Colts game. And it would've won the game if it weren't for the half a dozen freakish & haunting things that happened on the ensuing drive.

I think we'll see more of that from Moss next season as well.

This was precisely my point, and a great job bringing the Colts game because prior to the SB, that pass rush was by far the most difficult for the OL to deal with. Much like the Giants, the Colts had tremendous speed and were basically able to pressure Brady without sending extra help. Like the SB, Brady and the entire offense were out of sync and that game was going for an L until Moss suddenly became Brady's first down guy in the 2nd half.

Also, just to be clear, no one here is saying turn Moss into Wes Welker. And pointing out his great season doesnt change the fact that teams adjusted to the Pats offense, and that adjustment came in the way of constant double teaming of Moss in the secondary. And while that exposed teams elsewhere and, up until the SB, the Pats kept on winning with Moss as the decoy, the offense was simply not as explosive or as efficient, and that finally came to bear in the SB. McDaniels got complacent with Moss serving a certain role and stuck to that role, even when it started becoming a detriminent. IMO this will have to be addressed this offseason because I believe from Week 1 teams will employ the second half strategy.

 

[ScottieC]

The Patriot offense does not use decoys.
The Patriot offense is designed to run plays, and read based on coverage. If teams choose to double team Moss, he will not get thrown to a hell of a lot.
that doesnt mean he is a decoy, it means the opponent is overplaying him, weakening themselves elsewhere, and the Patriots offensive philopsophy say you attack where they have weakened themselves.

If teams overcommit to Moss every game next year, and we only throw to him 3 times a game because he is doubled and teams are devoting their entire scheme to stop him, we will end up scoring more points than we did this year.

Agreed. It will be a blood bath if they double cover Moss, the wins won't be monumental victories as far as points go, but they resemble the Play-off game against Jacksonville this year - Just a systematic destruction of the opposing defense. And don't talk to me about the Super Bowl - That was an anomaly and we all know that.

My opinion on Moss is that no matter how brilliant we think that Bill B. is, he really did not know what he had in Randy until the season started and really a few games into it. Moss is such a HUGE game changer that I think that the Pats did not really have the type of plays drawn up for him based on the simple fact that they did not know how to use him in certain opposing D's and systems.

Sooooooooooo, what I'm saying NOW is that you give BB and all the brain's behind him (Ernie and Josh) and you give them time to watch all the tape and figure how to maximize Randy's potential - Forget about it. Tom and Randy will crush teams next year.

 

[richpats]

Agreed. It will be a blood bath if they double cover Moss, the wins won't be monumental victories as far as points go, but they resemble the Play-off game against Jacksonville this year - Just a systematic destruction of the opposing defense. And don't talk to me about the Super Bowl - That was an anomaly and we all know that.

The only reason we were able to complete 26/28 against Jax is because they have no real pass-rushing threat on the D-line. And the Jax and SD playoff games were tight for the most part and could have gone either way (think of the Northcutt drop or SD failing to get into the end zone).

I don't think the Super Bowl was an anomaly in the "offensive futility" department. We had all sorts of problems against Indy, Baltimore and the Jets (2nd game). The Super Bowl was an anomaly in that the D was in a do-or-die situation and died - which leads me to the ONE glaring problem throughout the Belichick era in New England - our frigging D needs to tighten up in the 4th quarter of Super Bowls. My lord they all could have been comfortable wins. Sheesh.