Just a little cold water

[MDD]

Remember how the guy killed us in '02 at Foxboro with the underneath stuff? Chad Pennington is the #1 reason we can't say we've been in the playoffs six straight seasons.

. . . and Donald Hayes and Steve Martin are reasons 2A and 2B, lol.

 

[upstater1]

Yesterday's game left me with very, very little to worry about.

Not concerned at all by Maroney or the LBs.

Yesterday's game was a domination. It's expected that the opposing team will piece together a couple drives. This is the NFL.

 

[Peter Pat]

Like I said this was just a little cold water, not a doom and gloom thread or even a negatve thread. I was just at the game, and I thought I would express a few concerns I saw. I said overall the Pats looked great, and I am as positive about the team as ever.

Trust me I saw a ton more good, and very little bad. This board was very rah rah today, as it should be after a huge win, just wanted to get some concens in, not to rain on any parade.

 

[rabthepat]

I agree with the initial comments of this thread. The LBs were just OK in coverage. Tedy is slow and A.T. dropped 2 Ints. Maroney still has a ways to go but he is making progress. The Jets, a best, are an average team. Their own fans state it on their message board. Great start for the Pats. SD will be a good measuring stick.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

One of the trends that I'm beginning to see, as the Pats continually retool and improve their personnel is the expectation that they must be mistake-free. This trend is based on certain fans' perception that this team is so good, that any and all mistakes and sub-par play are unacceptable. Let's hope that's not the case, as fans should enjoy this, as those who followed the 1972 Bruins or 1986 Celtics can attest that this won't last forever.

As this was the first game of the season, the tapes will be reviewed and improvements made. With 16 regular season games, there will be many varied strategies employed to win, and with pressure applied by the opponent, no team ever deploys a clean strategy successfully.

That being said, I felt the Pats stopped the underneath, short passes when it was critical. Some errors are to be expected, and I thought the LBs played smart and strong for the majority of the game. The running game was effective at critical points in the game. When the Jets DBs cheated in to stop the run, the Pats put the ball in the air. When the DBs honored the pass, the Pats deployed the run effectively. Those dynamics were very successful in my book.

I couldn't agree more. Success has created a little monster - a spoiled demanding/entitled fan base that believes those three Lombardi's had something to do with them and somhow embued them with superior NFL analytical prowess. Sad, that's why the first one will always be the best, it was an unexpected (and under analyzed) but totally enjoyable ride.

 

[patsox23]

Maroney is on track, I don't know what game you watched. He wasn't hesitant, he was patient. And on several occasions he gained an additional 2 to 3 yards after contact. I don't want him to change anything, because as the blocking improves with the team getting more comfortable in the new scheme, he's going to have more and more opportunities to break long runs. Maybe it's because you were contrasting him against Sammy Morris and his downhill running style, and he had a few nice runs up the middle when the Pats line blew the Jets midgets on the d-line off the ball, but I sure as heck don't want Maroney changing anything. He was very close to gashing the Jets for a multiple long runs, and soon enough, when the blocking scheme matures, he'll be doing it on a regular basis.

TOTALLY AGREE. As the game wore on it became more clear that the Patriots would run safe plays right up the gut, and Maroney was in for a lot of those. Early on, however, he was slicing through the middle. He looked really good.

There were several plays in the 2nd half that Maroney ran on obvious running downs, right up the middle. As for "dancing," it seemed like that occurred when there was a MESS in front of him and the OL wasn't getting it done.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

I remember a running back we had about ten years ago who looked a little hesitant hitting the holes and danced a little too much the first couple years. He averaged under 4 yds. per carry too those first couple seasons.

Forget his name, Curtis something or other.

nice try, and i hope your post turns out to be prophetic, but Martin rushed for 1,487 yards and made the Pro Bowl in his rookie year and 1,152 as a soph.

 

[5 Rings for Brady!!]

The game plan was a huge factor in this. I think it was Hobbs after the game that said they stressed "no big plays." He also said that they knew Pennington was going to be efficient, and if they had to, let the guys get the come back receptions and just make them eat clock and march the field to score. That way, they have to do it over and over and over to keep up.

As for Maroney, I think you got from him about what you're going to get, with some rust. He's an 1100 yard back (70 ypg), not a 1600 yard back (100 ypg). I'm not sure when 1100 yards a year became something to be concerned about.

This is a good post.

My personal opinion of Maroney is that he is a typical starter in the NFL, like an 1100 yard back or so. I don't really view him as a Pro Bowl or HOF guy. I think he is a little bit undersized for starter, not just weight-wise but more in his slender build. If you can spring him a hole, that is good, but it is bad if he has to break tackles a lot.

 

[SpiderFox53]

Originally Posted by MDD
I remember a running back we had about ten years ago who looked a little hesitant hitting the holes and danced a little too much the first couple years. He averaged under 4 yds. per carry too those first couple seasons.

Forget his name, Curtis something or other.

nice try, and i hope your post turns out to be prophetic, but Martin rushed for 1,487 yards and made the Pro Bowl in his rookie year and 1,152 as a soph.

Nice try by you as well

Curtis Martin's rookie year
368 for 1487 or 4.04 per carry

Lawrence Maroney's rookie year splitting time with CD
175 for 745 or 4.26 per carry

Looks like Martin danced a little more than Maroney did.

 

[jczxohn1]

I thought the difference between Maroney and Morris was more based on the safety play. During our first possession, Maroney ran very well. The Jets played run and brought the safety quickly when he was in the backfield thereafter, and tended to play more pass when Morris was in. If anything, our blocking needs to adjust to that tendency and account for the safety, a problem that goes back to the Indy game last year with Bob Sanders.

 

[Flying Fungi]

This is a good post.

My personal opinion of Maroney is that he is a typical starter in the NFL, like an 1100 yard back or so. I don't really view him as a Pro Bowl or HOF guy. I think he is a little bit undersized for starter, not just weight-wise but more in his slender build. If you can spring him a hole, that is good, but it is bad if he has to break tackles a lot.

damn man...I wish my 6'1" frame with 225 lbs looked slender... :bricks: