idle thoughts - the warm and fuzzy edition

[shmessy]

He seems to have the athletic ability and aggressiveness. Seems raw, though. Needs to try to avoid tackling players on his own team.

I hear ya. I hope Kyle is OK.

In the meantime, Justin Francis has been a great pickup this year. He seems like one of those kids who is still growing. Great motor and has been very productive. I'm really looking forward to seeing him develop into something special for the Pats. This is what should have happened with Brace.

 

[Rob0729]

16. Safety or CB, Devin McCourty looks like he's back to his rookie level of playing. You might not have noticed, but he went back to CB after Talib left the game, and did a great job.

I think other than a few bad plays/quarters that McCourty has had a great season even when the media and fans were killing him. I think he would still be the Pats' best CB if he was playing the position, but he may be more valuable at safety.

Belichick's defense has thrived on a smart and opportunistic safety who can captain the defense like Harrison did and Milloy did before him. I think a safety can be more important than a CB in this defense. I don't know if McCourty can ever come close to Harrison level, but despite my initial belief, he may be more valuable at safety than CB. SMY said today that Belichick said that he has never seen a defensive player able to break down film better than McCourty other than Ray Lewis (he might have been talking about current players).

Everyone is crediting Talib for the defensive turnaround, but McCourty captaining the defense from the safety position may be a bigger impact (although Talib allowed the Pats to move McCourty to safety).

c. As impressive as Dennard's rise to prominence has been, the apparent fall of Tavon Wilson's impact has been equally disappointing. He seems to be getting fewer and fewer snaps since McCourty moved to safety. His fall from grace has been almost as swift as Patrick Chung's

Wilson has been a big disappointment after a good start. Overall though, you gotta be happy with this draft class. The Pats look to have three solid starters out of Jones, Hightower (who might have had his best game last night), and Dennard. Hopefully Wilson will come around for next year. He was a bit raw. So there is a chance.

d. I imagine Chandler Jones played well in run defense as he has all season. And he did have a pass block. However he didn't show much penetration in his pass rush in his return to duty. Both Ninko and Scott were more effective. I know its his first game back, but I was hoping for more.

They had Jones on a pitch count. I don't know if he is 100% back and I think not letting him play every down might have affected his effectiveness.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Football Outsiders commentary on the #1 and #10 ranked QB performances of the week:

Twenty-one minutes into Monday night's game, Brady was 11-of-13 for 154 yards, plus a 26-yard DPI, with three touchdowns and eight other first downs. He then went 3-of-12 for 22 yards and one first down, then hit Donte' Stallworth for a 63-yard touchdown. Then he futzed around for a while until Ryan Mallett took over.

Manning was basically effective everywhere except the red zone. His first pass there was complete for a 6-yard touchdown, but after that he went 1-of-5 for 1 yard (and that yard came on third-and-5) with two sacks.

Kind of says it all.

 

[Uncle Rico]

One thing I wanted to add: I think we really saw how the running game revival helps out, not just in term of yardage and, in the end, clock killing, but in helping the passing game. The Texans had to account for Ridley and it hurt them a couple of times when they bit extremely hard. Not just the Lloyd TD, but a few other passes.

IIRC, it was said last year that other Ds always knew when Ridley was going to get the handoff because, well, he was in the backfield. It's not that simple anymore, and you can say the same with Vereen or Woodhead in there.

 

[borg]

4)

8) The Kraft Family should be RIGHT NOW planning a strategy to keep VW and Bianca on the payroll for the rest of their lives - - in some sort of capacity with the Patriot Charity Organization or with the Hall - - I'm talking about being the representatives of the Patriots to the New England community - - sort of like what Andre Tippet does now, but in a more out there way. Bianca already does more charity appearances than any other wife - - every time I look at Patriots.com, there she is somewhere with an apron on at a soup kitchen or at some hospital. There is always a mix of the other wives, but she seems the one constant who is at all of these things. Plus, the fact that she is quite the character. Vince, what can you say? Ken, you are spot on with your observation about that on-the-field studio set interview last night. I TiVO'd it and will show my son this afternoon after he gets back from school. He could be a network news anchor. He was that good. Brady is good, but he still comes off as a slightly shy jock. Vince is a fully self-possessed, mature gentleman. He was like a 350 pound Mr. Rogers - - you could actually notice Suzy Kolber, Trent Dilfer and Steve Young idolizing his presence..

Great write up on Vince and Bianca. They both have seemed to blossom into outstanding representatives for the organization and as a citizens. The Vince contract extension is an example of a team getting it right, not just on the field. Some players get paid (Haynesworth) and once mission is accomplished, accountability gets tossed to the side. Not the Wilforks....contract security has has allowed them both to flourish. As I recall, Vince was a surly guy during his first few years as a Pat and I imagine watching Seymour grab for dollars somehow embedded the "getting paid" mentality that Vince and Bianca brought to the forefront during his 2nd contract negotiations. Personally I was worried about Vince as a long term Pat based on a day I spent in West Palm Beach at the Heath Evans 7 on 7 tournament (2008) in which many Pats attend in support. Wilfork was glued to Randy Moss the entire day(they still vacation together in the off season now)....and what was interesting was it seemed Wilfork imitated his attitude. Moss would rudely blow off little kids seeking attention ....then Vince would repeat the lines word for word. This went on all day. And when Vince was up for his contract extension, I worried about the guy's character and motivation. Not only did the Pats make the right call but they hit a home run with all the Wilforks.
Someday I'd like to find out from an insider if they noticed a difference in Vince once Moss departed NE. ...viewing it as an opportunity for Vince to become his own man.

 

[NYCPatsFan]

Thanks Ken, nice write-up as always.

Wilfork's interview was great! Thanks for pointing it out. He was classy and sincere when he paid kudos to Watt.

I had to sit up straight in amazement - just like Young, Dilfer and the ESPN host were - when Wilfork disclosed that when he reaches home that night, he would pull up his ipad to watch the SF moves.

Man!!

GO PATS!!

 

[ThatllMoveTheChains!!!]

Thanks Ken, nice write-up as always.

Wilfork's interview was great! Thanks for pointing it out. He was classy and sincere when he paid kudos to Watt.

I had to sit up straight in amazement - just like Young, Dilfer and the ESPN host were - when Wilfork disclosed that when he reaches home that night, he would pull up his ipad to watch the SF moves.

Man!!

GO PATS!!

Link for the lazy?

Not much to offer besides that I thought PI was called pretty consistently all game; like it or don't like it, but neither team was hosed.

 

[NYCPatsFan]

Link for the lazy?

Not much to offer besides that I thought PI was called pretty consistently all game; like it or don't like it, but neither team was hosed.

Sorry bud, I watched it live last night and did not search anywhere today. This was the post-game discussion on ESPN that immediately came up after the game. Not the usual PC.

 

[TruthSeeker]

"The PI on Welker early in the game was just a horrible call. I am shocked Perriera said it was a good call. The defensive player has a right to be there and it looked to me that Welker ran into him. I hate it when the refs reward teams for poorly executed plays......However...... I felt a lot better about that call when the Pats were flagged for a call that were easily as bad as that one that killed a promising drive. The OPI on Herandez looked more like holding on the DB than a OPI. "

I thought that was a PI. The texans player ran to the spot but was not really looking at the ball and ran into Welker, preventing him from getting to the ball. If that was not called, everyone would have been complaining.

Also, 100% agree with the interview with Big Vince. I am so glad he is a Patriot and hope he will be for life.

You're not allowed to interfere with a receiver running his route - although you are allowed to hold your defensive position. The defender clearly ran right into Welker's route. If the ball was catchable, it's an easy pass interference call. That being said, the ball wasn't close to being catchable and the call was terrible.

But, Ken, you are right on when you talk about the terrible pass interference call on Hernandez. Where do they make this stuff up? In one case, the call extended a drive; in the other it shut down the drive. Kind of a wash overall (although it won't be played up in the media that way. )

 

[shmessy]

Link for the lazy?

Not much to offer besides that I thought PI was called pretty consistently all game; like it or don't like it, but neither team was hosed.

Here's some of it, TMTC. It's the last part of it all. I wish I could find the whole thing. It was marvelous:



Defensive Depth Key For Patriots - ESPN Video - ESPN


.

 

[Patriotic Fervor]

Just rewatched that Welker PI call....Welker is running his line and the 2nd defender comes across, tries to undercut and knocks him off his line. Last time I read the rules, body checking into the boards isn't allowed 20 yards down field.

He's got this right!

 

[ThatllMoveTheChains!!!]

Here's some of it, TMTC. It's the last part of it all. I wish I could find the whole thing. It was marvelous:



Defensive Depth Key For Patriots - ESPN Video - ESPN


.

Mucho gracias!

 

[Metaphors]

Excellent observations as usual...

3. The PI on Welker early in the game was just a horrible call. I am shocked Perriera said it was a good call. The defensive player has a right to be there and it looked to me that Welker ran into him. I hate it when the refs reward teams for poorly executed plays......

It really wasn't a good call but not the worst I've seen. The DB jumped into Welker's path before looking for the ball, so technically the call had merit. However, Welker seemed to throttle back at the end so the PI contact was minimal. If Welker accelerated to the ball and crashed into the DB, the PI would have been deserved. Just on the eye test, I would haven't have cried at all if the flag wasn't thrown.

The Arrington OPI call was much different. Arrington had position the entire time and didn't obstruct the receiver's path to the ball. The contact was initiated by the receiver. The ref in the booth was some combination of drunk and blind (drind? blunk?)

However...... I felt a lot better about that call when the Pats were flagged for a call that were easily as bad as that one that killed a promising drive. The OPI on Herandez looked more like holding on the DB than a OPI.

There is no explanation for that call. Worst part is that the Pats offense went from a first down to a quarter-long funk after that call. Holding and PI calls are absolute groin kicks, which is why I don't want the Pats to have any part of a playoff game in Denver (they got enough home cooking from the refs even before Goober arrived).

9. You can't say enough about the run defense in this game, especially after what we saw the first 3 plays of the game. Think about this stat. The Pats only gave up 92 yds on the ground, and close to 40 of those yds came on just 2 plays..... and one of those came in the 4th quarter.

The Tate 23 yard run in the 3rd was the first opposing run of longer than 20 yards. Compare that to the Falcons who have yielded 7 runs of more than 40 yds.

c. As impressive as Dennard's rise to prominence has been, the apparent fall of Tavon Wilson's impact has been equally disappointing. He seems to be getting fewer and fewer snaps since McCourty moved to safety. His fall from grace has been almost as swift as Patrick Chung's

I think Chung's story isn't complete yet. His role will certainly be different going forward. Probably more of a small linebacker role against teams with multiple TE packages.

As for Wilson, it is clear that the intent was not to have him starting this year or being the key nickel guy. That is why the Talib acquisition has a multiplicative effect. Arrington is much better in limited nickel/slot snaps (and his ST play improves as well). McCourty's range gives opposing QBs something to think about before going deep. Gregory doesn't have to always be protecting deep and has freedom to use his instincts to make plays.

d. I imagine Chandler Jones played well in run defense as he has all season. And he did have a pass block. However he didn't show much penetration in his pass rush in his return to duty. Both Ninko and Scott were more effective. I know its his first game back, but I was hoping for more.

In addition to getting his sea legs back, he seemed to be more interested in collapsing the pocket than getting around the outside. I'll have to rewatch the game to be sure, but maybe the plan was to keep Schaub in the pocket and let the rush come against the weak offensive right.

20. Is it just me, or is Shane Vareen looking more and more like the RB we all hoped he'd be when we'd drafted him

Yep and they are just now looking to him in the passing game (not enough for my liking though). If Brady had enough time to step into his throw, Vereen may have had another big gainer last night.

My additions...

1) Yes Mr. Gruden...the defense stipulates that Tennessee, Florida and Alabama are all in the SEC. Please move on.

2) This game was WAAAAAAAY too big for Schaub and the Texans coaches. Schaub had checkdowns, screens and slants available all night but just couldn't bring himself to take small profits and control the field. The game plan was disjointed. Man coverage with simple pressure packages? No play action passing? When they had success for 2-3 plays in a row, they never built off it. Very strange for such an important game.

3) While Brady didn't take quite a few hits, the OL did an outstanding job. I'll have to check the game again to get details, but they almost always did enough to make the play successful.

4) It is clear that LB blitzes are now a key part of the pass defense. All 3 of them have burst and arrive with malice. Even without sacks, that affects the comfort level of any QB and challenges protection to devote focus on pressure that may or may not come.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

You're not allowed to interfere with a receiver running his route - although you are allowed to hold your defensive position. The defender clearly ran right into Welker's route. If the ball was catchable, it's an easy pass interference call. That being said, the ball wasn't close to being catchable and the call was terrible.

I don't remember exactly how that one landed, but it struck me that Welker might have been able to catch it had he not been interfered with.

 

[SeymourTrophies]

The Welker PI was contact with the ball in the air. How one argues a ball is uncatchable when it is within 5 yards of the receiver is beyond me. Would he have caught it? Probably not, but you can't hit a receiver a solid second prior to the pass coming in. The Hernandez OPI was bad and did allow the Texans to build a little bit of momentum on the defensive side. I would've been fine with a no call on the OPI against the Texans. Arrington wasn't going to pick that, but it certainly wasn't DPI. Who the heck was that maroon they called in for that one?

The overpursuit by the Texans was absolutely ridiculous. On the Lloyd TD catch, the LB chased our RB to the outside and everyone in the secondary bit. Has no one run a play fake on the Texans all season?

What I've been impressed with the last two games is the way the defense has gone toe to toe with the other team's O. We forced one turnover and gave up 14 points. That is the difference between this game and the 45-3 where Sanchize threw 3 or 4 picks deep in our territory. Though I do wonder about some of Kubiak's decisions. What do you risk by going for it on 4th and 1 down by 21?

 

[borg]

I don't remember exactly how that one landed, but it struck me that Welker might have been able to catch it had he not been interfered with.

The ref is watching the players not the ball. Is it really that ref's call to determine both contact and ball trajectory.Since it seems the "uncatchable" call has become so rare these days, it's possible the refs are instructed to be judge and jury on contact only. And remember, these WRs/DBs, at full speed are covering 9-10 yds/second. If the ball is in the vicinity, they have to call contact that shoves a WR off line.

 

[shmessy]

Mucho gracias!

De nada.

Now, if anyone can find me video (with sound) of Brady's 1st down scramble and war whoop, I'd be very appreciative!

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

There are two things I religiously read every Monday... Peter kings MMQB and PFK's idle thoughts. Keep it up, nice take as always.

that's a vicious slam at Ken

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

I hear ya. I hope Kyle is OK.

In the meantime, Justin Francis has been a great pickup this year. He seems like one of those kids who is still growing. Great motor and has been very productive. I'm really looking forward to seeing him develop into something special for the Pats. This is what should have happened with Brace.

Or do you mean Jake Bequette?

 

[Clonamery]

that's a vicious slam at Ken

Exactly, we don't even know what the hell Ken thinks of Lincoln or what he's drinking at Starbucks.