- Joined
- Jul 11, 2005
- Messages
- 15,529
- Reaction score
- 27,539
The thing about this week is that aside for the awesome greatness of Tom Brady, it is going to be hard to find something other than the obvious to come from this game. Insights might be hard to come by. Not to take anything from the Pats, but Cleveland isn't a good football team to begin with. They already came into the game with some injuries and it didn't get any better as the game went along. So, while channeling my deeper BB, you can get excited about the obvious "possibilities" from this game. we reallyl need to see them do it against some stiffer competition before we start "crowning their asses" So let's get started.
1. Tom Brady is simply the GOAT. I expected him to be the best QB we've had thus far this season, but I didn't expect him to be virtually flawless for most of the first half. Not after throwing to college kids for the last month. His pocket movement is NOT what you expect from a 39 year old. That is what impressed me the most.
a. I know the JG hype was great, and so was his performance. But watching Tom operate the offense, you HAD to see the difference that 16 years of experience brings to the table. Just how he manipulated the Cleveland Defense and got the Pats into good plays, etc. That is what JG might GET to someday, but he's a long way from it right now.
b. On the negative side, I THINK that what rust Tom had was shown in him NOT getting into the right play on occasion, especially in the 2nd half. There were a couple of times, (just a few) where he got stubborn on attempted first down throws to Edelman who was covered, instead of going to his other reads, who were open. So when Tom says he needs to get better after a 4oo yd passing day, THAT is what he mean
2. RB's - This was White's best day as a runner since he's been with Pats. It's not so much the 5 for 25 that was impressive, but the fact that on most of the runs, PLUS several of his catches, we didn't see him go down at first contact. There was actually one run where he pushed the pile. Good for him
b. Not a great day for LGB, but an effective one. It wasn't like the OL was opening gaping holes for him, even once in a while. But in THIS offense the Pats don't need him to have great stats. BTW- I would like to see them use Blount once in a while in the pass game. Right now, when he's in the game, you KNOW for a 100% surety that the Pats are either going to run the ball or play action pass (PAP) They need to break that tendency.
c. Nice to see a DJ Foster sighting. He flashed again, both as a receiver and runner. You can see the acceleration there. However he's not going to get many snaps with White playing this well. But you can see why they don't want him on the waiver wire if they can help it.
d. I know people were pissed off at the 4th down play call, but it was the exact same play that Blount walked in free just a few series before. The key difference was in that first play Devlin and Gronk made great blocks to seal the edge. On this play, Gronk wasn't as dominant, and Devlin flat out missed his man.
3. TE's - I knew it would be good, but not THIS good. The Bennett 3rd TD just showed how devastating this offense can be, even in it's simplest terms. The Pats ran twice with one of their mini backs for 12 yds, and the next play they run a PAP and Bennett is open by 5 yds. What's amazing that on the same play, Gronk also had no one around him going up the seam. Of course Brady makes the right choice with Bennett making a move at the GL, that was just spectacular for a 200lb WR, let alone a 270 lb TE. I don't think Gronk scores if he had gotten the ball.
4.WR. You all about that crap we have to deal with in the off season from the WR Mafia, about needing someone to "take the top off the defense". Well IIRC Brady threw 4 deep balls today. Two were caught (by Hogan), but in EVERY case, our WR was significantly open BEHIND the defense. That was the most important thing we should take from our WR's this game.
5. OL - I thnk the OL did well in pass protection, not so much in the run game. Too many time LGB was getting hit behind the LOS. Now Danny Shelton is a beast, but I think we are going to see teams try and line up someone directly on David Andrew's head. Andrews had on miss and another hold that I spotted in 40 pass attempts, so it's not like he sucked. He had his moments too. But the fact is that he's relatively small by C standards and it makes sense for defenses not to make it easy on him by giving him a 4-3 look.
It will be interesting to see if teams continue to do this as the season progresses.
a. I was concerned about Cannon not starting, but I never heard Flemming's name called, so that's a good start anyway. It will be interesting to see how he actually played from someone who breaks down the game later this week.
6. DL - This was Malcolm Brown's best overall game as a Patriot. They held a guy who was averaging over 5ypc to UNDER 2ypc. If there was one area where the Browns have excelled at this season, it has been the running game (2nd best in the league), and the Pats just shut it down COMPLETELY.
b. Where the DL was a bit disappointing (except for MBrown) it was in our pass rushing. Once again we saw QB's escape sacks after we had them dead to rights. And it seemed like the DL by itself, didn't generate much of a rush on a consistent basis.
7. LB's - Now ERoberts got a lot of run today and did a great job. He was tied (with Chung) for the lead in tackles and had a pass defensed as well. Now the question is was anyone hurt, or did Roberts get the nod simply because he's been a good run defender. Hightower had a few big plays, but Collins didn't flash today at all. BTW- that could have been by design more than anything else.
8. DB's - the DB's did a super job supporting the run defense all game. As for the pass defense, it was OK. Lots of soft zones for this game, given the score and who we were playing.
b. But Pryor and that tall TE point out a problem with our secondary that other teams are likely to try and take advantage of. We are very vertically challenged back there. Because of that, we over balanced the defense on the first Cleveland TD which made it virtually impossible to defend the other side when they threw it there.
I can understand doing that since Butler was giving away 6'' and 40 lbs to Pryor. The discrepancy was even greater when Jones was asked to cover the 6'7 TE down the seam on their 2nd TD. That is why I am REALLY looking forward to Rowe coming back. This team really needs a situational DB who can play "power forward" CB against a team's big WR and TE's I have to think he's going to get on the field in the next 2 weeks.
9. ST's - I know people are going to be starting to panic after Gotskowski missed that 50 yarder, but I caution patience. I think he has spoiled us with his amazing consistency, and the realities of kicking are jarring to us. However in a great insight, Feely talked about him missing right which is often a consequence of not following through. I never knew that. What do you know, learning something new from a TV analyst. Who would have thought.
a,. the rest of the special teams played very well, as we have come to expect.
10. General Comments:
a. Once again the Pats lost the penalty yardage battle for the 4th time in 5 games. This time they almost double the amount that Cleveland got (62-35). It certainly didn't matter in this game, but it WILL hurt us sometime in the future if we don't get it under control.
b. Cyrus Jones is, unfortunately learning a LOT of teaching points to start this season. His PF was simply not acceptable, even if it was provoked. The biggest loss was the loss of reps and experience he lost when he got kicked out of the game......NEEDLESSLY. There WILL be a time when Bill will simply sit him down, but I don't think that point has arrived. But the mental mistakes the kid has made have GOT to stop.
c. While the Pats lost the penalty yardage battle, I thought his officials crew did a good job of not throwing flags all day.
d. Atlanta has now beaten BOTH superbowl teams from last year, AND they did ON THE ROAD. Pretty impressive. Now they have to go to Seattle.
e. Scoreboard watching: The Jets may have a great DL, but their secondary is getting torched this year, as they go to 1-4. The Bills are winning a close game as I go to press. I kind of hope they win. Atlanta ***** slaped Denver who found out that playing a rookie QB isn't easy. Caution: They still are ahead of us because their lose is out of conference. Cincinnati is going to be a desperate team losing so badly to the Cowboys. Maybe (I'm hoping) they just don't play well on the road. SD lost ANOTHER close game in the 4th quarter.
f. Health watch - Bennett's ankle, Edelman's foot, Rowe's availability, any signs that Lewis is getting closer. I hate to say it, that although we've had some knicks this season, by and large we've been pretty healthy for a Pats team so far.....relatively speaking. Knock on wood. My lips to god's ear, etc etc
OK that should be good enough to at least start the conversation. I, again, look forward to your comments and fill in what I've missed
1. Tom Brady is simply the GOAT. I expected him to be the best QB we've had thus far this season, but I didn't expect him to be virtually flawless for most of the first half. Not after throwing to college kids for the last month. His pocket movement is NOT what you expect from a 39 year old. That is what impressed me the most.
a. I know the JG hype was great, and so was his performance. But watching Tom operate the offense, you HAD to see the difference that 16 years of experience brings to the table. Just how he manipulated the Cleveland Defense and got the Pats into good plays, etc. That is what JG might GET to someday, but he's a long way from it right now.
b. On the negative side, I THINK that what rust Tom had was shown in him NOT getting into the right play on occasion, especially in the 2nd half. There were a couple of times, (just a few) where he got stubborn on attempted first down throws to Edelman who was covered, instead of going to his other reads, who were open. So when Tom says he needs to get better after a 4oo yd passing day, THAT is what he mean
2. RB's - This was White's best day as a runner since he's been with Pats. It's not so much the 5 for 25 that was impressive, but the fact that on most of the runs, PLUS several of his catches, we didn't see him go down at first contact. There was actually one run where he pushed the pile. Good for him
b. Not a great day for LGB, but an effective one. It wasn't like the OL was opening gaping holes for him, even once in a while. But in THIS offense the Pats don't need him to have great stats. BTW- I would like to see them use Blount once in a while in the pass game. Right now, when he's in the game, you KNOW for a 100% surety that the Pats are either going to run the ball or play action pass (PAP) They need to break that tendency.
c. Nice to see a DJ Foster sighting. He flashed again, both as a receiver and runner. You can see the acceleration there. However he's not going to get many snaps with White playing this well. But you can see why they don't want him on the waiver wire if they can help it.
d. I know people were pissed off at the 4th down play call, but it was the exact same play that Blount walked in free just a few series before. The key difference was in that first play Devlin and Gronk made great blocks to seal the edge. On this play, Gronk wasn't as dominant, and Devlin flat out missed his man.
3. TE's - I knew it would be good, but not THIS good. The Bennett 3rd TD just showed how devastating this offense can be, even in it's simplest terms. The Pats ran twice with one of their mini backs for 12 yds, and the next play they run a PAP and Bennett is open by 5 yds. What's amazing that on the same play, Gronk also had no one around him going up the seam. Of course Brady makes the right choice with Bennett making a move at the GL, that was just spectacular for a 200lb WR, let alone a 270 lb TE. I don't think Gronk scores if he had gotten the ball.
4.WR. You all about that crap we have to deal with in the off season from the WR Mafia, about needing someone to "take the top off the defense". Well IIRC Brady threw 4 deep balls today. Two were caught (by Hogan), but in EVERY case, our WR was significantly open BEHIND the defense. That was the most important thing we should take from our WR's this game.
5. OL - I thnk the OL did well in pass protection, not so much in the run game. Too many time LGB was getting hit behind the LOS. Now Danny Shelton is a beast, but I think we are going to see teams try and line up someone directly on David Andrew's head. Andrews had on miss and another hold that I spotted in 40 pass attempts, so it's not like he sucked. He had his moments too. But the fact is that he's relatively small by C standards and it makes sense for defenses not to make it easy on him by giving him a 4-3 look.
It will be interesting to see if teams continue to do this as the season progresses.
a. I was concerned about Cannon not starting, but I never heard Flemming's name called, so that's a good start anyway. It will be interesting to see how he actually played from someone who breaks down the game later this week.
6. DL - This was Malcolm Brown's best overall game as a Patriot. They held a guy who was averaging over 5ypc to UNDER 2ypc. If there was one area where the Browns have excelled at this season, it has been the running game (2nd best in the league), and the Pats just shut it down COMPLETELY.
b. Where the DL was a bit disappointing (except for MBrown) it was in our pass rushing. Once again we saw QB's escape sacks after we had them dead to rights. And it seemed like the DL by itself, didn't generate much of a rush on a consistent basis.
7. LB's - Now ERoberts got a lot of run today and did a great job. He was tied (with Chung) for the lead in tackles and had a pass defensed as well. Now the question is was anyone hurt, or did Roberts get the nod simply because he's been a good run defender. Hightower had a few big plays, but Collins didn't flash today at all. BTW- that could have been by design more than anything else.
8. DB's - the DB's did a super job supporting the run defense all game. As for the pass defense, it was OK. Lots of soft zones for this game, given the score and who we were playing.
b. But Pryor and that tall TE point out a problem with our secondary that other teams are likely to try and take advantage of. We are very vertically challenged back there. Because of that, we over balanced the defense on the first Cleveland TD which made it virtually impossible to defend the other side when they threw it there.
I can understand doing that since Butler was giving away 6'' and 40 lbs to Pryor. The discrepancy was even greater when Jones was asked to cover the 6'7 TE down the seam on their 2nd TD. That is why I am REALLY looking forward to Rowe coming back. This team really needs a situational DB who can play "power forward" CB against a team's big WR and TE's I have to think he's going to get on the field in the next 2 weeks.
9. ST's - I know people are going to be starting to panic after Gotskowski missed that 50 yarder, but I caution patience. I think he has spoiled us with his amazing consistency, and the realities of kicking are jarring to us. However in a great insight, Feely talked about him missing right which is often a consequence of not following through. I never knew that. What do you know, learning something new from a TV analyst. Who would have thought.
a,. the rest of the special teams played very well, as we have come to expect.
10. General Comments:
a. Once again the Pats lost the penalty yardage battle for the 4th time in 5 games. This time they almost double the amount that Cleveland got (62-35). It certainly didn't matter in this game, but it WILL hurt us sometime in the future if we don't get it under control.
b. Cyrus Jones is, unfortunately learning a LOT of teaching points to start this season. His PF was simply not acceptable, even if it was provoked. The biggest loss was the loss of reps and experience he lost when he got kicked out of the game......NEEDLESSLY. There WILL be a time when Bill will simply sit him down, but I don't think that point has arrived. But the mental mistakes the kid has made have GOT to stop.
c. While the Pats lost the penalty yardage battle, I thought his officials crew did a good job of not throwing flags all day.
d. Atlanta has now beaten BOTH superbowl teams from last year, AND they did ON THE ROAD. Pretty impressive. Now they have to go to Seattle.
e. Scoreboard watching: The Jets may have a great DL, but their secondary is getting torched this year, as they go to 1-4. The Bills are winning a close game as I go to press. I kind of hope they win. Atlanta ***** slaped Denver who found out that playing a rookie QB isn't easy. Caution: They still are ahead of us because their lose is out of conference. Cincinnati is going to be a desperate team losing so badly to the Cowboys. Maybe (I'm hoping) they just don't play well on the road. SD lost ANOTHER close game in the 4th quarter.
f. Health watch - Bennett's ankle, Edelman's foot, Rowe's availability, any signs that Lewis is getting closer. I hate to say it, that although we've had some knicks this season, by and large we've been pretty healthy for a Pats team so far.....relatively speaking. Knock on wood. My lips to god's ear, etc etc
OK that should be good enough to at least start the conversation. I, again, look forward to your comments and fill in what I've missed
