Idle thoughts.....instant reactions

[PatsWickedPissah]

Personally I do not think 85 will last here.

There was one occasion where Brady was sitting on the sidelines watching the game, and 85 just goes and stands up infront of him. Kind of a "I need attention" thing.

When Brady threw the 99 yard pass to Welker and everyone was happy and celebrating, 85 walked up to Brady and said something. It seemed like he was a buzzkill for Tom.


How long until BB and Brady get tired of his attention whoring? They are not babysitters.

I did not notice that.
I'mhopeful for 85 but if what you saw is true it bodes poorly for 85 because I believe it was Brady tiring of the constant need to divert attention to managing Moss' psyche during games that pushed BB to trade him. If the same happens with 85, he's done here.

 

[VJCPatriot]

2. Tom Brady had a good game, Hey everyone will be talking about his record setting performance, so why be redundant.

He had just a 'good' game? More like Brady had a god-like game. 5th most passing yard game of ALL TIME in NFL history. Can we say MVP? Because that's exactly how he looked out there. And with Manning hurt, unfortunate as that is, who else is going to give Tom a run for his money, Michael Vick?

3. The OL was MAGNIFICENT - God Solder was superb, especially since he had to play most of the game against one of the best pass rushers in the game. His one hold was marginal (more on that later), and the sack he got was more a result of GREAT second effort by Wake than a bad block by Solder,

The OL definitely deserved kudos because they're playing with 2 men down, minus Koppen, minus Vollmer. I think we're gonna have to get used to Connolly at center because that injury to Koppen looked pretty serious and I don't see a lot of other options out there for us. Great performance by the OL, hopefully they can maintain that level of play.

4. It was a pretty good week end for TEs all across the NFL. Could it be that a lot of teams went to school of the Pats effective use of TEs last season?. Well the the "masters" were not to be out done this Monday and the nightmare match up that Hernandez and Gronk make was apparent all evening.

Gronk and Hernandez simply ATE UP the dolphins secondary. They had no answer for our BEASTLY tight ends.

5. I liked some what I saw from the defense.

a. I liked the potential Haynesworth showed. he was stout up the middle and gave us consistent push up the middle. Sometime I think that people only think that Haynesorth's highest value is as a pass rusher/sack master. No. What Haynesworth really does is to set the stage for OTHERS to make the sacks. Its no coincidence that when Albert just being average (for him ) in 09,helped BOTH their DE's get double digit sacks, yet neither got close while Albert pouted.last season I think it was a good start for Hayneswoth, but I also think the best is yet to come

Definitely want to see more of Haynesworth. He seemed to be a real handful for the OL to handle when he was on the field and I definitely saw at least one play where he split a double team and forced Henne to throw early.

c. I think the defense looked better when Fletcher was teamed with Mayo than when Guyton was in there

Just kind of confirms what we've seen and known since preseason -- that Fletcher is a good LB.

d. Dowling played very well. I think we are going to like him a lot.

If there's one thing that's encouraging about the defense, it was the play of Dowling. He played very very solid and stoned Marshall on a couple of key plays. If he doesn't make some of those plays, Marshall would have been doing some kind of silly dance in the endzone and this game would have gotten too close for comfort.

THE BAD -

1, Andre Carter disappointed me. I didn't really see him get as much pressure on the QB as I thought he might. Long could be the best LT in the league, so maybe I'm being harsh, I don't remember seeing much from Mark Anderson and Sean Ellis either. It seemeed that whatever pass rush we did manage came more from inside pressure than from Carter, Anderson, and Ellis

I think the passrush was hot and cold. But they definitely hit Henne a lot and got his uniform dirty. He was sacked 4 times and pressured at least about 10 times more on top of that. The Pats definitely have an improved passrush from last year. They just need to work on improving the consistency.

2. I want to see us rush the ball more. Not just for yardage, but for ball control and time management as well. It was disappointing that we weren't able to run the last 3 minutes out and gave the Phins that last possession

If you're talking about that pass on 3rd and 1, I agree. That would have been the perfect opportunity to give Ridley the ball. Once you get the fresh set of downs, then you can let Brady attack the field through the air again. I think our OC got a little bit too cute on that play. Also the attempted GL pass to the LBer was another instance of getting 'too cute' when pounding the ball with the run game would have made more sense.

Nice win, Enjoy. And don't forget to nitpick

Always fun responding to your thoughts. Overall this was a great opening win for the Pats. Brady set a few records, yet there's enough mistakes where BB can legitimately nitpick so that this team comes out hungry for next week and will try to improve on what they did before. Next week Chargers!

 

[SanAngeloState]

I did not notice that.
I'mhopeful for 85 but if what you saw is true it bodes poorly for 85 because I believe it was Brady tiring of the constant need to divert attention to managing Moss' psyche during games that pushed BB to trade him. If the same happens with 85, he's done here.

I said "NO GO" to getting stinko. Nothing personal against him, just didn't think he'd be good here either character wise or talent wise. I was RIGHT. But typically, I got called a troll and a bum and a jets fan.

Now, the jury is still out and I"m hopeful, but the light is fading a little bit on him here. But I am willing to hope.

 

[supafly]

Truth be told, I did not see what you saw.

That's fair enough Jack, and why I am posting/asking for others' opinions.

I have not watched the replay/DVR or anything, but that was my first initial thought. It could have been a total ghost of a thought, or it could have been coincidental that Miami seemed to get more of a push up the middle for the first series or two while he was getting acclimated to the game.

It surely will be worth watching for in the future, but I personally do not feel as though Connelly has the same talent level that Koppen has.

Regardless, it was good that there was not too much downside overall as far as Connelly taking over. It would be quite a good sign for our depth if he is continually able to stop any inside rush just as good as, or even better than Koppen. Overall I think the offensive line did an incredible job.

 

[supafly]

McCourty is a damned good competitor. You could tell he WANTED the challenge, unlike our previous CB's who played scared (Butler, Weatley, Wilhite).

Even if he got beat a few times, that's fine. It was against one of the best WR's in the league. What I was impressed about was his attitude and willingness to come back and fight the next play.

Good point. I have a good feeling about McCourty improving from last night. Even though he got picked on by Marshall at times, he was still in good position on many of the plays. Like you said, that cannot be said for guys like Butler and the W/bros.

 

[The Scrizz]

Nice job Ken.
My take:



4) Our kicker is not that accurate....and BB rarely trusts him on long kicks. Worth watching.

Gostkowski has hit 113-of-134 career field goal attempts, and his 84.3 percent accuracy rate is the highest in Patriots history and sixth-best in NFL history.

* Gostkowski kicked the longest field goal in Patriots playoff history when he nailed a 50-yard boot at San Diego (1/14/07).
* Gostkowski's 52-yard field goal vs. Chicago (11/26/06) was the longest field goal in Gillette Stadium history.

Why do such dumb things get posted? Get a grip on reality.

Beaten by Shmessy. Seeing something that obviously wrong got me too exercised to finish the thread.

 

[The Scrizz]

MAYO froze up on Chad Henne's run in the endzone on the first drive.

I dont know wtf he was doing. He definitely hesistated.

He had his head turned toward the end-zone and the center was able to wall him off just enough when he reacted late.

Was a great play call really. Caught them napping.

 

[The Scrizz]

Prevent Defense - I hate you.

Did we even play prevent?

It seemed to me that McCourty and Dowling were in bump and run right up on the line even late in the game. Arrington came in at DE to play man on Bush.

These are not things I would expect from a prevent defense. Am I wrong?

 

[MrNathanDrake]

He had his head turned toward the end-zone and the center was able to wall him off just enough when he reacted late.

Was a great play call really. Caught them napping.

I disagree. He couldve had a clean shot on Henne, but he hesitated.

 

[MrNathanDrake]

Good point. I have a good feeling about McCourty improving from last night. Even though he got picked on by Marshall at times, he was still in good position on many of the plays. Like you said, that cannot be said for guys like Butler and the W/bros.

McCourty did not get "picked on". He had a good battle with one of the best WRs in football, playing single coverage.

Notice McCourty actually won a lot of the battles too.


Getting "picked on" is what Brady did to the guy covering Branch.

 

[shmessy]

Gostkowski has hit 113-of-134 career field goal attempts, and his 84.3 percent accuracy rate is the highest in Patriots history and sixth-best in NFL history.

* Gostkowski kicked the longest field goal in Patriots playoff history when he nailed a 50-yard boot at San Diego (1/14/07).
* Gostkowski's 52-yard field goal vs. Chicago (11/26/06) was the longest field goal in Gillette Stadium history.

Why do such dumb things get posted? Get a grip on reality.

Beaten by Shmessy. Seeing something that obviously wrong got me too exercised to finish the thread.

Go easy on Borg. I thought he had a great and inciteful post on many subjects from the game.

I just had to correct that one, however.

 

[Buchanty]

Good post as usual, Ken

Not much to add other than to applaud TB's movement in the pocket. Yes the OL played well above expectations and gave him plenty of time, but I couldn't help but contrast his play to the one where Sanchez fumbled against the Cowboys - Sanchez does not have the same pocket sense and was totally unaware of what was happening on his STRONG side........ TB's performance definitely goes into my book of favorites beating out the OT win in Miami when he glided around the pocket before releasing the bomb to Troy Brown for the win.

Really happy with Solder and Dowling - even more than I was last year with McCourty.

Strong + for the non-obvious ones:

Fletcher (he should be a starter on the evidence of that game)

Pryor (nice to have him in the rotation with Love, Wilfork and Albert -its going to be a great year for the DL methinks)(worried about Wright tho - seen without his helmet on the sidelines suggests another concussion - I hope not).

Branch (an earlier poster said he looked like Deion of 85 - I concur, but what about that one handed tackle to prevent the pick 6 - awesome).

Slater (he is a deep threat)


Jury is still out on:

Ochocinco (I think it is premature to grade him on the Hurry Up offense which is what they played most of the night - it was still a limited off-season and this game wasn't the one to warm him up. I though he did well on the one catch he got, and he should have drawn PI on the one where he was wrapped up as the ball arrived.

Pass Rush (I thought it was decent - not great, but again limited off-season and as another poster wrote a lot of uncalled holding - of the acquisitions I am optimistic about Albert, happy with Carter but want to see more from Ellis and Anderson - yet it still only week 1 - I can be patient)

Safeties (I like Chung a lot, but I think he will struggle as a leader unless Barrett or Brown steps it up a level - Patricia might be able to coach them up but for now I would prefer a safety blanket (sorry for the pun) like Sharper.

 

[ivanvamp]

There is no PI behind the line of scrimmage.

That's an actual rule? If so, it makes no sense. Why? Because it is a *forward pass* (so long as the ball moves up the field, it's not a lateral). That means that if the WR drops it, it's an incomplete pass, not a fumble. As long as it's a forward pass, PI should be in play.

Otherwise, on all these bubble screens, the best way to defend it is to just level the receiver (if you can get there in time).

- - -
Ok, just looked it up here (NFL Rules Digest: Pass Interference), and you're right. "There can be no pass interference at or behind the line of scrimmage, but defensive actions such as tackling a receiver can still result in a 5-yard penalty for defensive holding, if accepted." So yeah, I guess the defender can beat the hell out of a WR who is behind the LOS before a ball gets there...on a bubble screen or a screen to a RB.

You learn something every day.

 

[ivanvamp]

He had just a 'good' game? More like Brady had a god-like game. 5th most passing yard game of ALL TIME in NFL history. Can we say MVP? Because that's exactly how he looked out there. And with Manning hurt, unfortunate as that is, who else is going to give Tom a run for his money, Michael Vick?

Maybe this guy:

Or this guy:

But maybe I'm crazy.

 

[patfanken]

Personally I do not think 85 will last here.

There was one occasion where Brady was sitting on the sidelines watching the game, and 85 just goes and stands up infront of him. Kind of a "I need attention" thing.

When Brady threw the 99 yard pass to Welker and everyone was happy and celebrating, 85 walked up to Brady and said something. It seemed like he was a buzzkill for Tom.


How long until BB and Brady get tired of his attention whoring? They are not babysitters.

You are way off the mark with this comment. You are reading much to much into this. Much like the Brady "body language" controversy a few years ago

 

[patfanken]

McCourty is a damned good competitor. You could tell he WANTED the challenge, unlike our previous CB's who played scared (Butler, Weatley, Wilhite).

Even if he got beat a few times, that's fine. It was against one of the best WR's in the league. What I was impressed about was his attitude and willingness to come back and fight the next play.

OTOH you are are right on the mark with this comment

 

[The Scrizz]

Go easy on Borg. I thought he had a great and inciteful post on many subjects from the game.

I just had to correct that one, however.

You're right, I over-reacted on that one, but it was because a bunch of morons were talking about cutting Ghost blah-blah-blah in the game thread last night and I thought it was common knowledge that he's the Pats leader in FG%.

And Borg was insightful, I was inciteful.

 

[The Scrizz]

That's an actual rule? If so, it makes no sense. Why? Because it is a *forward pass* (so long as the ball moves up the field, it's not a lateral). That means that if the WR drops it, it's an incomplete pass, not a fumble. As long as it's a forward pass, PI should be in play.

Otherwise, on all these bubble screens, the best way to defend it is to just level the receiver (if you can get there in time).

- - -
Ok, just looked it up here (NFL Rules Digest: Pass Interference), and you're right. "There can be no pass interference at or behind the line of scrimmage, but defensive actions such as tackling a receiver can still result in a 5-yard penalty for defensive holding, if accepted." So yeah, I guess the defender can beat the hell out of a WR who is behind the LOS before a ball gets there...on a bubble screen or a screen to a RB.

You learn something every day.

Basically, until they go past the line of scrimmage they are still a blocker, hence why you can ram TE's and RB's. It was a great play by Sapp.

 

[ivanvamp]

Basically, until they go past the line of scrimmage they are still a blocker, hence why you can ram TE's and RB's. It was a great play by Sapp.

They ram RBs and TEs as they go out into their route, before the ball is thrown. Obviously the rule is the rule, right there in black and white, so Sapp did make a great play. I'm just surprised that's what the rule states, because it allows a defender to absolutely crush a defenseless receiver who is waiting for a pass and there would be no penalty whatsoever.

So while the rule is what it is, it makes no sense to me.

 

[Zeus]

They ram RBs and TEs as they go out into their route, before the ball is thrown. Obviously the rule is the rule, right there in black and white, so Sapp did make a great play. I'm just surprised that's what the rule states, because it allows a defender to absolutely crush a defenseless receiver who is waiting for a pass and there would be no penalty whatsoever.

So while the rule is what it is, it makes no sense to me.

PI penalty results in ball being placed at the spot of the foul. That doesn't work behind the line of scrimmage. Other penalties (defensive holdIng) can be called.