- Joined
- Jul 11, 2005
- Messages
- 15,532
- Reaction score
- 27,569
I had a router problem that Comcast couldn’t fix for about a week so I’ve been missing. Not a bad week given the Jet game result, but it was frustrating nonetheless. I got back on line Sunday, but felt it was too late to talk about the Jets and I didn’t have much to say about the Fins before the game started.
But after being hyped up by the Pats win, the Sox dramatics and an old man’s insomnia, I have a lot to say after this game, so lets get started.
1. Old news - I had 2 things to say about the Jets game that has lingered all week, so I might as well get them off my chest -
a. I am real curious about the OL consistency. I thought the Pats pass protection in the first quarter was solid. Then for no real apparent reason for the next 2 quarters they were like a sieve, looking as bad as I’ve seen them in the BB era. Then. for no apparent reason, were once again very solid for the last 15 minutes of the game.
I can’t recall another game in the recent past where the OL play was so dramatically inconsistent. Usually on any given day you either have it or you don’t and the other team gets the better of you. But on this day, the OL seemed to have it, lose it and then get it back again. I don’t remember ever seeing a game like that, and I’d love to be able to ask Dante what happened.
b. If there is a silver lining to the inexplicable call that directly led to the Pats loss, it is that from now on no Jet fan with any integrity can ever hold the “tuck rule” over our head, now that their team has been the beneficiary of an obscure rule that no one ever heard of. Of course as Jet fans they are probably incapable of seeing the parallel, and Jet fans with integrity are as rare as a 2 year old with patience
2. I’m as big a “homer” as there is here. My background as a former HS HC gives me at least a small understanding about what goes into all the decisions we see made every Sunday. So I’m more likely than most to defer to the coaches decisions and slower to complain about things I know so little about. But I wish someone would explain to me why this offense seems to be getting worse than getting better. So I’d appreciate so answers to the following
a. Steven Ridley is by far our best RB. Its evident by any metric. He’s quickest to the hole, most explosive, gains yards after contact. Yet for some reason he’s not getting the 20-25 touches he should be getting. Why is that? He hasn’t fumbled since the first game of the season, so it can’t still be that.
b. I want to know why the Passing offense is regressing, and I don’t just mean Brady’s sudden bout with inaccuracy, and I don’t mean the growing pains of all the new receivers. What concerns me is the design of the offense. After years of watching Josh scheme patterns that so often found receivers WIDE open, we watch with excruciating pain how almost every completion seems so hard and laborious.
All one had to do was watch a bit of the Denver game and see so often how they would have receivers running free in the opponents secondary, and its not just the difference in receivers. it’s the design of the routes
Now I don’t think that Josh woke up one morning and suddenly forgot how to be an offensive genius. But now we don’t seem to be capable of running screen passes, and the quick passes that worked so well in the past Suddenly they seem to be beyond our capability.
c. In game one Danny Amendola surpassed all our lofty expectations, despite playing the 2nd half with a badly pulled groin. We watched him out Welker, Welker. Even the most ardent Welker supported had to admit that he seemed to be able to do everything that Wes could do, and his production that game reflected it.
But now, for no apparent reason, he no longer is running the same routes that Wes ran…and Voila, he’s hasn’t come close to producing at the same rate as he did in his first week. I’m not seeing him run any crossing, pick, or option routes designed to get him the ball quickly. They seemed to work well vs. the Bills, but now they seemed to have disappeared from the offense.
d. The Bottom line here is that NOTHING in this offense is consistent. Gronk has a huge game against the Jets, then almost disappears in the Dolphin game. The same can be said for almost every skill player. All have shown occasional flashes of brilliance only to disappear the next game
3. I have been waiting for 3 years to see the kind of scheme based pressure that the defense showed in the second half of that game, when the Pats had 5 of their 6 sacks and all of their turnovers. Not that I want to see it every play, or even as much as we saw it done today. But I’d like to see at least the THREAT of scheme based pressure be used much more as this season goes on.
4. Is it just me, or does Logan Ryan look like a solid NFL CB right now. And its no just the 2 sacks he had today, but both in pass coverage and run support, he is starting to look more than just adequate. Like Dennard he is very physical with the WR’s and has a nose for the ball.
5. I think we have gotten more than we possibly could have hoped from CJones and TValano, but when you see us being gashed vs. the run the last 2 weeks, you can’t help but wonder how much more stout we would be in the middle with the likes of Deadrick and Love backing up Kelly and Wilfolk
Granted you can’t help but be impressed with the job Valano and Jones are doing in pushing the pocket. Still they are both just too undersized to be manning the middle full time. Joe Valano is no more 300lbs than Vince was 320. When he lined up next to Tommy Kelly he looked like his young son. Next time you get a chance watch his stand next to Dante Hightower in the huddle and tell me who you think is bigger.
6. More Kudos to Steve Gregory who has been a rock in the secondary both in the passing game and running game. Devon McCourty also had a very nice game. Given how poorly the offense played most of the afternoon, holding the Phins to under 200 yds passing was and excellent result
7. On the negative side, Donte Hightower looks to me to be a decent NFL LB. But not the kind of impact explosive player I thought he could be coming out of Alabama. He needs to be put in more positions where he can make and impact around the LOS, and LESS time trying to chase RB’s and TE’s around the secondary
8. IIRC the Dolphins were something like 10 for 11 in 3rd down conversions to start the game. I think they were 6 for 6 in their first 2 TD drives. The failure to get off the field on one of those 3rd down was very frustrating to me, because it showed the D WAS doing a few good things forcing so many 3rd downs, but just couldn’t make a play to get off the field. Obviously things got better as the game went on, but giving up that 3rd and 23 almost made my head explode.
That play was the one where I felt we should have faked the blitz to get him to throw to the hot short receiver, and then tackle him. Instead we send everyone again and got outflanked on the screen pass and they made the first down.
9. I couldn’t help think that that first half was about as bad as I’ve seen a Pats team play in over a decade. They didn’t even look competitive. When they trotted off the field at the end of the 2nd period, the thought of them scoring 24 unanswered points would have been considered ludicrous. Especially given how the first drive of the 2nd half went.
10. The Pats certainly got the benefit of a few good calls today. The PI on Gronk in the first half was a pure gift. That wasn’t even close. Also they got another bad call on the defensive holding on Dobson away from the play. It was kind of ironic since the Phins got away with so many far worse examples of holding. Finally in the end they might have gotten another one on the batted ball play. If you watch the replay several time in slow motion, you can make a case for the contact to be incidental and unintentional. However for the official who had to make the call in real time, it looked like it was a clear case of an illegal touch
11. On the other had the Pats had a few calls go against them as well. The holding on Solder was ludicrous. I would opine that that clip be sent to the rest of the league as a perfect example of how to pass block. Hands were inside and he stopped the rusher cold. In fact he did too good a job because when he pancaked the rusher it looked so bad the ref must have thought it had to be a hold.
The Dolphins also got the benefit of MANY muggings in the secondary that weren’t called. There was one key 3rd down play where Amendola was hit well before the ball got to him, and no call was made
12. I felt it was unfair that when on the 2nd extra point, where Miami held, the Pats had to take the 10 yds, yet when the Pats ran into the kicker, rather than moving the ball half the difference and re-kick, or since it was good, refusing the penalty, the Phins got to kick off from the 50.
My feeling is the rule should be changed so on an extra point when the offense holds, the defense should have the option to either move them back 10 and re-kick, or move them back 10 yds on the ensuing KO. Just a thought.
OK its almost 4am and I’m starting to ramble. Pittsburgh up next. Who knows what we’ll get. They are even a worse mess than we are. I still have to remember that we ARE 6-2 and 3-1 in the division. But the fact remains that this team still needs a lot of work, especially on offense and is capable of losing to anyone it plays.
But after being hyped up by the Pats win, the Sox dramatics and an old man’s insomnia, I have a lot to say after this game, so lets get started.
1. Old news - I had 2 things to say about the Jets game that has lingered all week, so I might as well get them off my chest -
a. I am real curious about the OL consistency. I thought the Pats pass protection in the first quarter was solid. Then for no real apparent reason for the next 2 quarters they were like a sieve, looking as bad as I’ve seen them in the BB era. Then. for no apparent reason, were once again very solid for the last 15 minutes of the game.
I can’t recall another game in the recent past where the OL play was so dramatically inconsistent. Usually on any given day you either have it or you don’t and the other team gets the better of you. But on this day, the OL seemed to have it, lose it and then get it back again. I don’t remember ever seeing a game like that, and I’d love to be able to ask Dante what happened.
b. If there is a silver lining to the inexplicable call that directly led to the Pats loss, it is that from now on no Jet fan with any integrity can ever hold the “tuck rule” over our head, now that their team has been the beneficiary of an obscure rule that no one ever heard of. Of course as Jet fans they are probably incapable of seeing the parallel, and Jet fans with integrity are as rare as a 2 year old with patience
2. I’m as big a “homer” as there is here. My background as a former HS HC gives me at least a small understanding about what goes into all the decisions we see made every Sunday. So I’m more likely than most to defer to the coaches decisions and slower to complain about things I know so little about. But I wish someone would explain to me why this offense seems to be getting worse than getting better. So I’d appreciate so answers to the following
a. Steven Ridley is by far our best RB. Its evident by any metric. He’s quickest to the hole, most explosive, gains yards after contact. Yet for some reason he’s not getting the 20-25 touches he should be getting. Why is that? He hasn’t fumbled since the first game of the season, so it can’t still be that.
b. I want to know why the Passing offense is regressing, and I don’t just mean Brady’s sudden bout with inaccuracy, and I don’t mean the growing pains of all the new receivers. What concerns me is the design of the offense. After years of watching Josh scheme patterns that so often found receivers WIDE open, we watch with excruciating pain how almost every completion seems so hard and laborious.
All one had to do was watch a bit of the Denver game and see so often how they would have receivers running free in the opponents secondary, and its not just the difference in receivers. it’s the design of the routes
Now I don’t think that Josh woke up one morning and suddenly forgot how to be an offensive genius. But now we don’t seem to be capable of running screen passes, and the quick passes that worked so well in the past Suddenly they seem to be beyond our capability.
c. In game one Danny Amendola surpassed all our lofty expectations, despite playing the 2nd half with a badly pulled groin. We watched him out Welker, Welker. Even the most ardent Welker supported had to admit that he seemed to be able to do everything that Wes could do, and his production that game reflected it.
But now, for no apparent reason, he no longer is running the same routes that Wes ran…and Voila, he’s hasn’t come close to producing at the same rate as he did in his first week. I’m not seeing him run any crossing, pick, or option routes designed to get him the ball quickly. They seemed to work well vs. the Bills, but now they seemed to have disappeared from the offense.
d. The Bottom line here is that NOTHING in this offense is consistent. Gronk has a huge game against the Jets, then almost disappears in the Dolphin game. The same can be said for almost every skill player. All have shown occasional flashes of brilliance only to disappear the next game
3. I have been waiting for 3 years to see the kind of scheme based pressure that the defense showed in the second half of that game, when the Pats had 5 of their 6 sacks and all of their turnovers. Not that I want to see it every play, or even as much as we saw it done today. But I’d like to see at least the THREAT of scheme based pressure be used much more as this season goes on.
4. Is it just me, or does Logan Ryan look like a solid NFL CB right now. And its no just the 2 sacks he had today, but both in pass coverage and run support, he is starting to look more than just adequate. Like Dennard he is very physical with the WR’s and has a nose for the ball.
5. I think we have gotten more than we possibly could have hoped from CJones and TValano, but when you see us being gashed vs. the run the last 2 weeks, you can’t help but wonder how much more stout we would be in the middle with the likes of Deadrick and Love backing up Kelly and Wilfolk
Granted you can’t help but be impressed with the job Valano and Jones are doing in pushing the pocket. Still they are both just too undersized to be manning the middle full time. Joe Valano is no more 300lbs than Vince was 320. When he lined up next to Tommy Kelly he looked like his young son. Next time you get a chance watch his stand next to Dante Hightower in the huddle and tell me who you think is bigger.
6. More Kudos to Steve Gregory who has been a rock in the secondary both in the passing game and running game. Devon McCourty also had a very nice game. Given how poorly the offense played most of the afternoon, holding the Phins to under 200 yds passing was and excellent result
7. On the negative side, Donte Hightower looks to me to be a decent NFL LB. But not the kind of impact explosive player I thought he could be coming out of Alabama. He needs to be put in more positions where he can make and impact around the LOS, and LESS time trying to chase RB’s and TE’s around the secondary
8. IIRC the Dolphins were something like 10 for 11 in 3rd down conversions to start the game. I think they were 6 for 6 in their first 2 TD drives. The failure to get off the field on one of those 3rd down was very frustrating to me, because it showed the D WAS doing a few good things forcing so many 3rd downs, but just couldn’t make a play to get off the field. Obviously things got better as the game went on, but giving up that 3rd and 23 almost made my head explode.
That play was the one where I felt we should have faked the blitz to get him to throw to the hot short receiver, and then tackle him. Instead we send everyone again and got outflanked on the screen pass and they made the first down.
9. I couldn’t help think that that first half was about as bad as I’ve seen a Pats team play in over a decade. They didn’t even look competitive. When they trotted off the field at the end of the 2nd period, the thought of them scoring 24 unanswered points would have been considered ludicrous. Especially given how the first drive of the 2nd half went.
10. The Pats certainly got the benefit of a few good calls today. The PI on Gronk in the first half was a pure gift. That wasn’t even close. Also they got another bad call on the defensive holding on Dobson away from the play. It was kind of ironic since the Phins got away with so many far worse examples of holding. Finally in the end they might have gotten another one on the batted ball play. If you watch the replay several time in slow motion, you can make a case for the contact to be incidental and unintentional. However for the official who had to make the call in real time, it looked like it was a clear case of an illegal touch
11. On the other had the Pats had a few calls go against them as well. The holding on Solder was ludicrous. I would opine that that clip be sent to the rest of the league as a perfect example of how to pass block. Hands were inside and he stopped the rusher cold. In fact he did too good a job because when he pancaked the rusher it looked so bad the ref must have thought it had to be a hold.
The Dolphins also got the benefit of MANY muggings in the secondary that weren’t called. There was one key 3rd down play where Amendola was hit well before the ball got to him, and no call was made
12. I felt it was unfair that when on the 2nd extra point, where Miami held, the Pats had to take the 10 yds, yet when the Pats ran into the kicker, rather than moving the ball half the difference and re-kick, or since it was good, refusing the penalty, the Phins got to kick off from the 50.
My feeling is the rule should be changed so on an extra point when the offense holds, the defense should have the option to either move them back 10 and re-kick, or move them back 10 yds on the ensuing KO. Just a thought.
OK its almost 4am and I’m starting to ramble. Pittsburgh up next. Who knows what we’ll get. They are even a worse mess than we are. I still have to remember that we ARE 6-2 and 3-1 in the division. But the fact remains that this team still needs a lot of work, especially on offense and is capable of losing to anyone it plays.
