idle thoughts - London wrap up.....

[Mike the Brit]

Vince played it like a screen, abandoning his rush to play the RB. For a moment it looked like he got there a bit late as the ball arrived, but then showed an amazing burst of lateral quickness and great footwork to track down the RB. Truly an athletic feat for such a huge guy.

Regards,
Chris

What was so great is how much space Vince took up. You could see the running back thinking "I'm going to have to find a route round this mountain". So he veered way off to the right and Vince got him. Truly a highlight play!

 

[italia44]

Looked like Dennard purposely passed off his man to the safety. Problem being that Den could see that there was nobody else within 4 light years of his left corner zone so he ended up making his presence on the field irrelevant. He needed to make the jam if the coverage was designed for him to jam, cover short and pass off deep.

Unh...Unh......Dennard had outside zone coverage.In this alignment,his responsibility is to protect against the double move,back to the sideline.He couldn't bump the rams recv'r,as he initially ran an inside slant.If Dennard continues to pursue inside,he will completely lose outside technique.

Also,you have to understand that the QB is rolling to the right and that Dennard,once he passes off the recv'r on the inside slant(apparent),he still has short zone responsibility.This means he has to protect the sideline against the quarterback run or the late release of a tight end or running back on a short cross towards the sideline.

In essence...zone means zone,especially with outside technique.Dennard cannot be turned by an outcut......This is the way that he is taught and that is what he did.It's Wilson who didn't learn from the first time.I think if McCourty had been at right safety,instead of left,it would have been a different story.

 

[everlong]

On this point I apologize. It is wrong to paint anyone with the broad brush I did. Through there were certainly people who deserved it, not everyone did.

I certainly don't want to discourage reasonable criticism of the team. My complaints about when we us the empty backfield, not enough play action passes and the desperate need to create more passing pressure from stunts and blitzes is on record. Its a fans' right to complain. Its in our Constitution, but the key word here should be "reasonable". My complaint is when it goes past that level of civility.

That's my major issue with the board and why I'll often read a page and have a reply in mind and then I read page two and think do I really want to waste my time getting involved in a battle that resembles the political forum where all objectivity has been lost and it's come down to my side is 100% right and your side is 100% wrong types of debates and name calling?

McCorty is the poster child for the battle lines. He's been no where as bad as the haters would have people believe. On the other hand you can't even point out one play where he was obviously beat or the homers lose their minds. Brady would be another one. Some idiots have acted like he's Mark Sanchez some weeks but others will make an excuse for the worst of throws.

Those lines kill all hope of a meaningful discussion.

Enough rant. I'd like to thank Rob Ninkovich for week after week proving the minority of us right. He's never going to be Mike Vrabel because Vrabel had better physical skills but the guy is approaching the same league mentally. He makes smart plays and he does his job.

 

[1960Pats]

.....and other assorted thoughts

1. I can't help but wonder about Albert Breer's article of just this past week and think about how wrong a writer can be. Breer told us about the problems of the OL, the downward slide of Tom Brady, and a defense that couldn't keep anyone off the scoreboard. What makes his article so spurious is the fact he doesn't have the courage of his own convictions, but rather hides behind "anonymous league sources". He deserves none of our credibility. He wasn't good enough to keep a job in this market, and is another glaring example of the media "Peter Principle".

2. Still minus our one lone "star" (for now) the OL continues to do a great job both in the passing an running game. And that wasn't a "weak sister" DL either. Quinn, Brockers, and Long are all top 10 draft picks, and 2 that are in the top 25 sackers in the league (Long and Quinn).

They never came close to Brady. IIRC they only touched him a couple of times and I don't think they even put him on the ground. It was a total domination of our OL. I actually laughed out loud when the Nance tried to complement the Ram DL for putting pressure on Brady. What was funny was that in the example he used, Brady only dropped back 2 steps and STILL had time to throw, only no one got open before he threw it away

3. It certainly looked like it was going to get ugly after the first drive. Honestly, did you even THINK it was remotely possible that those would be the last points the Rams would score. Of course you didn't. Who did? That couldn't have been a worse defensive start for the Pats sp far. Which already included some bad ones

4. I noticed there were still some that wanted to blame McCourty for the TD pass, when it was far from the truth (not that that it stops the haters here). McCourty was on the other side of the field and made up a remarkable amount of ground to get even as close to the ball as he did. No that one was all on Wilson who got turned around by a good double move ....and an excellent pass.

5. Interesting to note that the Rams racked up about 260 yds of passing in that game, more than half of it came on the first and last drives of the game. I'm sure the haters would love us to forget about the other 50 minutes of good coverage

6. I felt that the Pats were really in a no win situation this game. If they lost or only won in a close game, it would be just another sign of their "imminent demise", or if they won big like they did, it would simply be because they were playing the Rams, who would get no credit even though they had beaten 2 teams that had beaten the Pats.

The haters would have you believe that the only way to get this stink off this team is to win a Super Bowl. Nothing short of it will satisfy the them, though I doubt even that will. So we might as well just get used to it. From now on there can be only one happy day during a football season and that's after the first Sunday in February. The other 16-19 weeks are just here to point out our shortcomings, and let you know that a certain few of the elite here knew all along that we were doomed to failure

God is that depressing....and NOT what this season should be all about. If it is for you, then you have my condolences. You lead a very pathetic and sad life.

Excellent post as usual.

1. I've always believed that there's as much useful information found on message boards as you'd find with some in the media. Breer is definitely one of those examples.

2. A couple of weeks ago I remember hearing Phil Simms correct Jim Nantz concerning the lack of depth on the OL. Phil Simms is one of our OLs biggest fans. Maybe it's a QB thing, but I tend to believe him.

3-4. I look at our defense as a very young and potentially a very good defense. I admit that they haven't looked good at times, but the potential is clearly there.

5-Finish. I don't care for the word haters as applied to Pats fans. I think we all have a right to express our concerns. I myself have been very critical of them for years now for being such a pass-happy team. Just because we want them to win it all it doesn't mean that we hate them if they don't. I think most Pats fans realize how lucky we are.

 

[1960Pats]

final thoughts.

WTF is Vince chasing down an RB on a checkdown pass?

I did see that. or was it a dream?

At first I wasn't sure so I went back to the DVR to specifically see that one play again, and he did indeed chase down a RB on a swing pass for a 3 or 4 yard loss. It's simply incredible to see a 350+ lb player with so much mobility.

 

[VJCPatriot]

Just a few responses to your thoughts:

1. Chandler Jones is obviously a stud. He's a hit the ball out of the park, homerun pick. Love that kid! Wish we had more like him!

2. Rob Ninkovich is just the little engine that could! Always underestimated and highly underrated but he has just been making plays for us lately. All I can say is 'baller'! Gotta give him his kudos!

3. Our secondary has looked woefully outmatched this season, except against the Rams. Someone check my eyes but we actually covered guys out there! AND our coverage was actually good enough that it allowed our blitzes to work. Blitzes are sexy but if the secondary doesn't do their job in those opening 2 seconds or so they just end up backfiring. Our blitzing game was also quite effective due to that initial coverage after the snap. Would love to see the scondary play continue to improve because it opens up so much more for the defense when we can also dial up som blitzes.

4. I think you're being a bit too harsh on Hightower. I saw him making some plays out there. He delivered a bonerattling 'wakeup call' hit to Sam Bradford that shook up the young QB. Hightower doesn't stand out like Chandler Jones, but CJ is possibly the Defensive Rookie of the Year so yeah. Also don't forget that Hightower missed a couple games due to health. I think when healthy, and once he gets comfortable in this defense that Hightower will be a valuable piece down the road. He's certainly a marked improvement over guys we had to put out there previously like Gary Guyton.

5. Did you know that Brandon Spikes led the team in tackles with 8? Spikes is the big thumper that allows Mayo to do his job, that is to roam a bit and use his range to make plays. Spikes has been a revelaton in 2012 and is VERY VERY valuable to our defense. Footspeed be damned but Spikes is a Playa with a capital P. We will need his continued health down the stretch because he has been a big key to our D.

6. Our defense still has the potential to improve to a top 10 defense overall IF the secondary can play like they did against the Rams over the rest of the season. I mean realistically I don't expect them to be as good against teams that actually have weapons, and no the Rams don't have a lot of weapons. But if they can continue to cover receivers tighter without giving up as many big plays, this defense can be good. There is ATHLETICISM on this D, espcially in our linebacking unit.

7. Hopefully everyone enjoyed that win over the Rams in London as much as I did. There are a few warts that you can point at with our team, as with ANY team in the NFL. But the Pats have a lot fewer problems than most. Let's appreciate what we have here - a VERY GOOD team with the potential to be GREAT. Not a lot of football fans of other teams can say the same.

8. Everyone be safe and hopefully Hurricane/Super Storm Sandy did not affect you too much!

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

I'd like to add to everlongs message with a modified quote.

[breaking up a fight] Cut it out! Cut it out! Cut it out!
The h***'s the matter with you?! Stupid!

We're all very different people. We're not Jets fans. We're not Cleveland fans. We're Pats fans, with a capital 'P', huh?

You know what that means? Do ya? That means that our forefathers were kicked out of every decent stadium in the world. We are the wretched refuse. We're the underdog. We're mutts! Here's proof: his nose is cold! But there's no animal that's more faithful, that's more loyal, more loveable than the mutt.

Who saw "Old Yeller?" Who cried when Old Yeller got shot at the end? [raises his hand] Nobody cried when Old Yeller got shot? I'm sure. [hands are reluctantly raised] I cried my eyes out. So we're all dogfaces, we're all very, very different, but there is one thing that we all have in common: we were all stupid enough to register on this forum.. We're mutants. There's something wrong with us, something very, very wrong with us. Something seriously wrong with us - we're posters.

But we're Pats fans soldiers! We've been kicking ***** for 13 plus years! We're 3 and 2 in superbowls, 10 of 13 in division titles! Now we don't have to worry about whether or not we practiced. We don't have to worry about whether Ian wants to have us banned. All we have to do is to be the great Pats fan poster that is inside each one of us. Now do what I do, and say what I say. And make me proud.

 

[patsinthesnow]

To the Doofins point, their next four games: @IND, TEN, @Buf, Sea. They could reach 8-3 by the time they play us, they've done a great job of hiding Tannehills suckage.

 

[reflexblue]

That's my major issue with the board and why I'll often read a page and have a reply in mind and then I read page two and think do I really want to waste my time getting involved in a battle that resembles the political forum where all objectivity has been lost and it's come down to my side is 100% right and your side is 100% wrong types of debates and name calling?

McCorty is the poster child for the battle lines. He's been no where as bad as the haters would have people believe. On the other hand you can't even point out one play where he was obviously beat or the homers lose their minds. Brady would be another one. Some idiots have acted like he's Mark Sanchez some weeks but others will make an excuse for the worst of throws.

Those lines kill all hope of a meaningful discussion.

Enough rant. I'd like to thank Rob Ninkovich for week after week proving the minority of us right. He's never going to be Mike Vrabel because Vrabel had better physical skills but the guy is approaching the same league mentally. He makes smart plays and he does his job.

Un gran amén de que !!!

 

[Gwedd]

What was so great is how much space Vince took up. You could see the running back thinking "I'm going to have to find a route round this mountain". So he veered way off to the right and Vince got him. Truly a highlight play!

No... he was saying to himself, upon seeing Big Vince "I'm gonna die".

 

[ThatllMoveTheChains!!!]

He's a frustrated DB trapped in a DT's body. Look at how he smiles when he gets one of his two career interceptions and thinks he's Deion Sanders......

VW is just a straight up football player. His physical abilities allow him to be one of the best players at his position, but his work ethic and understanding of the game (not just his positional responsibilities) would've allowed him to see the field almost no matter what.