Idle thoughts - the "I promise to catch it next time" edition

[DaBruinz]

I was also impressed in the first half with Brady saving illegal formation calls. More than once, I heard him say "Danny get back", "Gronk get up". Brady sees it all.

Brady made some comments on the radio interview today saying that they were creating new 4WR/1TE plays at 11am yesterday.. That would explain why Brady was uncharacteristically having to tell players get to "Get on the line".. etc..

 

[PatsDeb]

The only thing I had a problem with is the call on third & inches where Brady dropped way back and was sacked. Why not do the QB sneak there? I was a little annoyed that they kept trying to throw to LaFell, but then again, he was open, so you can't really blame TB for continuing to try.

I wish Blount could do something other than run straight ahead right into the line. If there is anybody there he goes down. If it's late in the game and folks are tired he can run over them, but not otherwise.

Get well soon, Dion Lewis.

 

[PatsDeb]

On D, the failure to stop the rollout was maddening! But, they did a good job on Ivory (who I guess maybe was hurt?) and Hightower returned with a vengeance. Overall it was a really good game to watch and it was pure joy to watch Brady in the 4th quarter.

 

[DaBruinz]

The only thing I had a problem with is the call on third & inches where Brady dropped way back and was sacked. Why not do the QB sneak there? I was a little annoyed that they kept trying to throw to LaFell, but then again, he was open, so you can't really blame TB for continuing to try.

I wish Blount could do something other than run straight ahead right into the line. If there is anybody there he goes down. If it's late in the game and folks are tired he can run over them, but not otherwise.

Get well soon, Dion Lewis.

PatsDeb - I mentioned this several times yesterday in the game thread. On that play, the original call WAS the QB Sneak.. However, Brady saw that the Jets had someone lined up over Andrews (and 2 others inside the tackles) and BRADY audibled out of it. That's why Brady started behind Andrews and then walked back from the line and lined up next to White.

There was one play by Blount that if he'd gone to the right side of the O-lineman in front of him, he had the entire field open because all the Jets players were to his left.. Instead, he cut inside and went down..

 

[BobDigital]

A few things to mention.

Malcom Brown has really turned a corner recently I think His last 2 games he has played like a quality NFL starter and it is just such a huge and fast turn around from week 1 when he looked lost, slow and weak. He is really stepping it up and lead the DTs in snaps vs the Jets. A first for him.

James White I thought had a good game. He is not getting credit for it cause he is being compared to Dion Lewis but he did a lot well. 3 catches for 26 (had 1 drop) and very good blitz pick up. Overall I give him a positive grade and he looks like a pretty workable back up.

Cameron Flemming/Tre Jackson - I could mention the entire OL but these are the 2 youngins I want to focus on. Flemming has been the forgotten man around here. He had a decent first season as a blocking TE but he stepped up big today. He is young and has shown good things. No way he is kicked off the 53 and does not safely make it next year. Tre Jackson was thought of more as a run blocking OG but has been asked to pass block much more and this was perhaps his best game. He was very at home I think matching up with stronger but not as quick DTs.

Butler had a hard time of it this week but it was a good experience. I said in the game thread Decker is a very odd match up. He plays WR like a mini TE and is one of the more unusual guys he will face. First time we have seen a WR so successfully box Butler out of plays and it is something he had not dealt with a lot. This week we turn to more conventional fast/quick WRs so I am curious if this past game carries over in a good or bad way.

Ryan has had 3 good games in a row as well but I am not a believer yet. It is possible the light went on in year 3* (opps!) now that he is getting a lot of snaps again but I am not holding my breath. Happy to see it and hope it continues. I believe his natural spot is the slot though.

 

[DaBruinz]

The one HUGE call that the Refs missed what the forearm shot by Decker to Ninkovich's head on the Ivory TD. On the pick by Decker, he clearly hits Ninkovich across the grill with his forearm. This snapped Nink's head back and prevented him from staying with Ivory and it allowed Ivory a free walk in. This definitely should have been called. Not only was it an intentional pick, but it was an intentional shot to Nink's head by Decker.. I hope the Patriots submit it to the league, not that I expect the league to actually do anything about it..

 

[manxman2601]

Did anyone catch whether Wendell played a snap? I didn't see him take any..

He played one snap as a FB. There was zero rotation on the OL last night, the five starters all played 100% of the snaps.

 

[Haley]

The only thing I had a problem with is the call on third & inches where Brady dropped way back and was sacked. Why not do the QB sneak there? I was a little annoyed that they kept trying to throw to LaFell, but then again, he was open, so you can't really blame TB for continuing to try.

I wish Blount could do something other than run straight ahead right into the line. If there is anybody there he goes down. If it's late in the game and folks are tired he can run over them, but not otherwise.

Get well soon, Dion Lewis.

On D, the failure to stop the rollout was maddening! But, they did a good job on Ivory (who I guess maybe was hurt?) and Hightower returned with a vengeance. Overall it was a really good game to watch and it was pure joy to watch Brady in the 4th quarter.

Ivory was hurt in the first play of the game, which kind of wrecked a lot of their game play I imagine.

Hightower played like the other team was on fire. Stop 'em, drop 'em and rooooollll! I find myself wondering if he has been playing injured for some time now. No way to know but this just seemed like a whole new Dont'a.

With respect to the running game, I wouldn't put that on Blount so much as our papier mâché and pipe cleaner offensive line that was hastily constructed the week prior.

 

[unoriginal]

Ryan has had 3 good games in a row as well but I am not a believer yet. It is possible the light went on in year 4 now that he is getting a lot of snaps again but I am not holding my breath. Happy to see it and hope it continues. I believe his natural spot is the slot though.

It's his third year. I.e. the year the light is supposed to go on. Just seems like its been longer because he had such a great rookie year.

 

[zydecochris]

A few things to mention.
James White I thought had a good game. He is not getting credit for it cause he is being compared to Dion Lewis but he did a lot well. 3 catches for 26 (had 1 drop) and very good blitz pick up. Overall I give him a positive grade and he looks like a pretty workable back up.

Cameron Flemming/Tre Jackson - I could mention the entire OL but these are the 2 youngins I want to focus on. Flemming has been the forgotten man around here. He had a decent first season as a blocking TE but he stepped up big today. He is young and has shown good things. No way he is kicked off the 53 and does not safely make it next year. Tre Jackson was thought of more as a run blocking but has been asked to pass block much more and this was perhaps his best game. He was very at home I think matching up with stronger but not as quick DTs.

I know the game plan was ultra-quick passes, but it was still very impressive to me that the OL held up so well. With Fleming starting, I was sure that they would have Williams in helping him at blocking TE on practically every snap, but Williams only played 15/67 snaps (and Chandler only played on 7 snaps), so I guess that shows how much I know. Plus, James White seemed to do really well at blitz pickup to his credit. I'm just very, very impressed that the OL held up that well against a great defensive line.

 

[tasmlab]

On D, the failure to stop the rollout was maddening! But, they did a good job on Ivory (who I guess maybe was hurt?) and Hightower returned with a vengeance. Overall it was a really good game to watch and it was pure joy to watch Brady in the 4th quarter.

Ditto! What exciting television it was. I can't remember when I gasped or cheered more.

Loved when Gronk drug the defender for 10 yards. The guy attached to him is a professional football player!

 

[pencilneckgeek]

When coaches are replaced midseason, it's not atypical for that team to show an immediate improvement for a short period of time, before regressing to their mean.

I was more interested in the claim that he lets the players dictate their roles.

 

[Deus Irae]

Let's relax with the praising of the offensive line, and keep the praise where it belongs:

By our count, Brady took an average of 1.91 from snap-to-attempt on his 54 pass attempts (this doesn’t include penalties or sacks). This is the second-fastest time of the season for the quarterback, second to Week 1 against the Steelers when he took 1.85 seconds.

Of Brady’s 54 pass attempts, on 35 of them he took less than two seconds from snap-to-throw. Brady was also able to buy himself more time on a number of plays, as on six pass attempts he took more than three seconds from snap-to-throw.

Stopwatch: Tom Brady quick release combats Jets’ No. 1 ranked defense, leads to Patriots win

Tom Brady has been this team's best offensive lineman.

 

[ReverendMaynard]

15. The one area of the game where we will likely have a large superiority over is on special teams. On the coverage, punting and FG teams our ST's guys simply do a great job, which go relatively unnoticed by both us and the mediots. I know I should point it out more because it really makes a difference in field position. The difference was great even with Collins' miss on the onside kick.

This to me has stood out as the hidden story of 2015. I don't know if this year it's more pronounced or if I'm just noticing it more, but Pats seem to have a 20 yard advantage every week in starting field position. With such a good offense this is huge as law of averages they will score TDs if you give them enough drives starting from their 40.

It really struck me last night as I watched the Cowboys lose all momentum giving up that kick return td. Forget a return td, when is the last time an opponent made a game changing return? The Lamichael James and niners? Such a rarity and goes so unappreciated.

According to FO's drive stats, coming into this week we were 3rd in drive starting field position differential, at +9.7 yards, so only half what you estimated. Still, quite good. The Jets were actually #1 in starting position while we were 4th, but their opponents started 12th lowest while ours were 3rd lowest.

The #1 team through 6 weeks? Cincinnati Bengals at +11.65.

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | 2015 DRIVE STATS

 

[patfanken]

A few things to mention.

Malcom Brown has really turned a corner recently I think His last 2 games he has played like a quality NFL starter and it is just such a huge and fast turn around from week 1 when he looked lost, slow and weak. He is really stepping it up and lead the DTs in snaps vs the Jets. A first for him.

Historically DLmen developing under BB have had slow learning curves. I think it's because that all of them start learning the 2 gap technique as their base, base before they move on to the more aggressive ones, and that is the hardest technique to develop.

James White I thought had a good game. He is not getting credit for it cause he is being compared to Dion Lewis but he did a lot well. 3 catches for 26 (had 1 drop) and very good blitz pick up. Overall I give him a positive grade and he looks like a pretty workable back up.

Clearly I've never been a fan of White. I think he's done a decent job catching the ball, and I think his pass blocking yesterday was enlightening. However every time you give him the ball as a RB, its like a wasted down, and that includes any pregame or practice I've ever watched him at. First guy who touches him brings him down EVERY time. I think we can do better.

Cameron Flemming/Tre Jackson - I could mention the entire OL but these are the 2 youngins I want to focus on. Flemming has been the forgotten man around here. He had a decent first season as a blocking TE but he stepped up big today. He is young and has shown good things. No way he is kicked off the 53 and does not safely make it next year. Tre Jackson was thought of more as a run blocking OG but has been asked to pass block much more and this was perhaps his best game. He was very at home I think matching up with stronger but not as quick DTs.

I was surprised when Flemming didn't make the team his 2nd year. I guess being the blocking TE in the running game was easier than being the regular OT. Back in TC, I would have picked Jackson as the likely starter, and Mason as the 2nd rookie OG. Based on reports it looks like Mason is the one developing fastest and with the most upside. Of course at TC I assumed Andrews was simply camp fodder and didn't give him another thought.

Butler had a hard time of it this week but it was a good experience. I said in the game thread Decker is a very odd match up. He plays WR like a mini TE and is one of the more unusual guys he will face. First time we have seen a WR so successfully box Butler out of plays and it is something he had not dealt with a lot. This week we turn to more conventional fast/quick WRs so I am curious if this past game carries over in a good or bad way.

I'm among those who think Butler did better than some. Decker is the speed/deep guy of the Jets WR's. Sometimes people forget that. Thankfully BB did and that's why Butler got that assignment.

What surprised me wasn't that the Pats didn't try and trap Fitzpatrick on some of those 3rd and longs with a some zones to help with those crossing patterns he was have some success with. When Decker and Marshall had success with those patterns, the CB's were left to chase them, and there was never any LB of S help. What do you expect? No CB can cover a well thrown crossing route man to man without help inside. Why put that on the CB??

Ryan has had 3 good games in a row as well but I am not a believer yet. It is possible the light went on in year 3* (opps!) now that he is getting a lot of snaps again but I am not holding my breath. Happy to see it and hope it continues. I believe his natural spot is the slot though.

Losing Brown was a bigger loss than most Pats fans realize. He was off to a good start before he was IR'd. Ryan has done a decent job thus far as his replacement. Much better than most fans thought. He is only going to get better them more reps he gets. The amount of man coverage BB is letting Matt run only shows their confidence in the CB group we already have.

 

[SVN]

In 41 years coaching in NFL, a first for Bill Belichick with injuries - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN

Asked in his standard day-after-game conference call how unusual that was, Belichick said: "Very rare. I don't think I've ever gone in with that few players, and really, you count [Matthew] Slater as one of them, but he's really ... you know how many plays he's played on offense in his career here."
"We were pretty thin all the way across," acknowledged Belichick. "Guys all stepped up and did a really good job. We had a lot of ironmen out there."

 

[PScottman]

However after the emotional wins of the last 2 weeks, there still will be an emotional high that is a positive effect on the Phin, especially in the first half.

Agree completely, in fact that's to the heart of my point. To take it to the next level of detail, even on short turnaround, I anticipate the Pats staff to either 1) go in with a plan to exploit their new style or 2) adjust in game as we have seen the rest of this year.

If the Fins are now, as I suspect, a player run team because the new coach has let them dictate their style so they'll play hard for him - can they change themselves to the morphology that is the Pats hallmark mid-stream in a game??

Therein lies the question.

 

[PScottman]

That sounds like speculation (but that's speculation on my part). What have you seen to give you this impression? In other instances, this has been called putting your players in a position to succeed. I raise this question as food for thought as we look at the Dolphins over this short week

SO I am speculating...because that's basically what non-journalists without any team access do (and even some journalists WITH team access do too), but it's based on the interviews (especially Suh) with Fins players who stated as much "We have much more say in the gameplan..."; "He's allowing us to do what we do best..."; "Campbell changed everything...".

I agree that BB does exactly the same thing...Dobson doesn't run "Z" routes just as an example. His route tree is vastly different from Amendola's BUT the difference is, when good teams take that strength away...will the team continue to play as hard???? That is the UNKNOWN of the Fins. They are running on their new coach high...which by their own admission is because he immediately stopped a lot (if not all) of what Philbin did.

Can they adjust? Will they adjust? Will they overcome first adversity in the new high? All unanswered questions that are truly TBD.

 

[zydecochris]

Let's relax with the praising of the offensive line, and keep the praise where it belongs:

Stopwatch: Tom Brady quick release combats Jets’ No. 1 ranked defense, leads to Patriots win

Tom Brady has been this team's best offensive lineman.

Although I would argue that the OL rookies (and near rookies) have done much better than expected, you are exactly right that TB is the team's best offensive lineman. Great post.