Idle thoughts – the “so it begins” edition

[patfanken]

Ken.....I was surprised to find no reference to the effect of weather tonight.

High winds will wreak havoc on both teams trying to pass the ball.

Wet conditions will certainly lead to a few fumbles.

A dome team simply cannot be as experienced to deal as we are.p

Kicking game & field position will be crucial to control.

I love having BB on our side with all those in game decisions, it's a huge advantage for us.

Actually FG, I while I knew there would be rain tonight, but I wasn't aware, when I wrote the post that the wind looks to be this much of a factor.

And you are right. If its windy, it IS a big advantage for the Pats. More than rain, more than snow, more than any oher factor, WIND is the biggest killer of passing games and something Brady excels at. Just look at the Denver game for proof. So if it comes to pass that the Play in Denver next week, don't pray for cold, pray for wind

 

[Hercules Rockefeller]

If i recall correctly Bob Sanders came back from injury just before the playoffs, he was the key to stopping the run. After he returned is when the colts shut the run down.

Manning getting the MVP of the SB was a travesty, his QB rating for the game was 40

Beat me to it Reflex! I can't believe I missed that before I posted. {bricks on head emoticon}

 

[shmessy]

4...
BTW- did anyone else catch BB's breakdown of both KO returns on Patriots all access last week. It was beautiful to see how well the blocking formed. Ebner threw one key block and Slater another. I also found it interesting on how detailed all the “rules” were. Like when Slater leads up through the hole he's supposed to take the guy on the left, even though a guy on the right looked to be the most dangerous defender.

Funny, that was my exact reaction, too, when I watched that piece. BB was praising Slater and I'm thinking "He's running AWAY from the guy who was closer and a bigger threat to Blount!".

Shows how much I know.

 

[patfanken]

Funny, that was my exact reaction, too, when I watched that piece. BB was praising Slater and I'm thinking "He's running AWAY from the guy who was closer and a bigger threat to Blount!".

Shows how much I know.

What I found so interesting was that bothered to be THAT specific in their rules. If I had been their I would have asked, "why left?", and I bet Bill would have had a specific reason that made sense.

BTW- I just heard a real interesting stat about the Colts, that should make Pats fans happy. The Colts have come from double digit deficits Three times to win games this regular season. In the games FOLLOWING those emotional wins , they are not only 0-3, but have lost each game by double digits.

Of course that kind of crap doesn't mean a thing. Every football game is a different entity that doesn't take anything from past results. But still........

 

[VJCPatriot]

Well, glad to see that the obvious worked. Just run the football and good things happen!! Especially if you have talented backs like Blount, Ridley, and Vereen. Our OL played great as well.

As far as the Colts turning their run D around, well you fail to mention that Bob Sanders for a brief period in time turned into Superman. I give him the most credit for the Colts D raising their game for that playoff run. He was blowing up people at the LOS left and right on that run.

As for the Pats run defense. Siliga has stepped up nicely. Jamie Collins has shown that he can make plays. I'm not too worried about stopping the run, unless we come up against an elite back. And I hesitate to call any of the remaining playoff backs in the AFC elite.

Richardson - looked too slow and unexplosive out there. we handled him nicely.
Moreno - not sure I buy it yet but he has been looking better. he probably benefits because defenses are geared to stop the Broncos high octane passing game.
Matthews - He has really upped his game. But he has some injury issues, I'm not sure if he would be full strength.

In the NFC a different story - Gore, Lynch look like studs, but we won't have to worry about them till the Superbowl, if we make it there.

BTW Jamie Collins - total revelation. He really adds a dimension to our defense. Really versatile cover guy and playmaker. I hope he can continue to gain confidence and play well for us. We're gonna need him!