Not sure MIN w/o Adrian Peterson helps NE this week

[pdangle]

BB is one of the best. Everyone knows it. But his strength is taking away your strength. And for that he needs tape. And without tape and tendencies we see sometimes stinkers like MIA last week, rookie QBs lighting us up, the Wildcat, underwhelming Superbowl performances vs opponents with 2 full weeks to prepare/rest/gameplan new wrinkles, etc.

So basically it comes down to, is MIN+Peterson+EstablishedTendencies better or worse for NE than MIN-Peterson+The...Unknown? I'm really not sure.

And "The...Unknown" is not just tendencies. How is MIN gonna react? Are they upset? Who knows? Overall I think NE would rather face a nice established opponent without any hoopla.

 

[Guts]

Dude, I get what you're saying about them being fired up and upset, but Peterson is one of the top 5 best players in the league it definitely helps the Patriots that he is not playing.

 

[DocHoliday]

Eh, I'll take the team missing the greatest RB in the league.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

Not sure having a top 4 RB in this league out will help? Let me say i am 107% sure it will help compared to if he was in

 

[pdangle]

Dude, I get what you're saying about them being fired up and upset, but Peterson is one of the top 5 best players in the league it definitely helps the Patriots that he is not playing.

This is more about how they are going to gameplan to replace his carries. Stuff we haven't seen. You know Fog of War stuff.

 

[supafly]

I think that they are still going to attempt to run the ball (obviously), so the whole week's gameplan will still benefit us, only without having to face Adrian Peterson.

As far as the passing game goes, I don't see any difference there. I doubt that they really had much time since Friday evening to implement a whole new gameplan, so it's probably pretty much of what was planned---only without Peterson as the main RB.

 

[Deus Irae]

This is more about how they are going to gameplan to replace his carries. Stuff we haven't seen. You know Fog of War stuff.

AdP being out is a huge help for the Patriots, IMO. Now, I want to see if BB will let Revis follow Patterson all over the field.

 

[supafly]

I want to see if BB will let Revis follow Patterson all over the field.

I have my doubts, Deus--but we'll have to see.

 

[pdangle]

Yes everyone, I agree Peterson is an extreme case. And I'm not sure that Minny's rookie coach can pull off a surprise gameplan under this media distraction either now that I think about it. But I stand by my theory. NE performs better when it knows the opponent's general tendencies vs walking into an unknown or new situation where they cannot possibly gameplan against the opponent as effectively are will be forced for better or worse to react in-game.

 

[varjao]

They lost their best player but it's still a tough game for me. The Vikings have been in medium to high positions in the draft lately, sometime they will reach a point when all this talent will converge together to make the jump, and I believe they have that this year, the Vikings are not a hot mess, dysfunctional organization like the Browns that do everything wrong every year.

We have sub par personnel in important units, this is not going to be a easy game gentleman.

 

[hwc]

It really doesn't matter who the Vikings have at RB if the Pats can't make a couple of 1st downs on offense in the second half.

 

[pheenix11]

This may sound crazy but Peterson has lost a step. Jerick McKinnon on the other hand, his measurables are off the charts. The kid is built like a brick ---house and with no tape on him, he has the potential to be extremely dangerous.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

Yes everyone, I agree Peterson is an extreme case. And I'm not sure that Minny's rookie coach can pull off a surprise gameplan under this media distraction either now that I think about it. But I stand by my theory. NE performs better when it knows the opponent's general tendencies vs walking into an unknown or new situation where they cannot possibly gameplan against the opponent as effectively are will be forced for better or worse to react in-game.

Think of the GB game in 2010 (Connelly's Kickoff return IIRC). Rodgers was out at the last minute and Matt Flynn (24/37 2555 3TD/1 int) almost beat the Pats and they were lucky to escape 31-27..

 

[patsox23]

I think it's disappointing not to face Adrian Peterson. I'm not sure how much a win versus Minny WITH AP would have told us, but a win against them WITHOUT him tells us absolutely zero. A loss to the Vikes minus their best player, OTOH, tells us a LOT about the Pats, none of it good. Just get the W and hope for the best moving forward.

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

This may sound crazy but Peterson has lost a step. Jerick McKinnon on the other hand, his measurables are off the charts. The kid is built like a brick ---house and with no tape on him, he has the potential to be extremely dangerous.

I understand where you are going with your thoughts (smeaning their RB could still give us fits). But, saying Peterson has lost a step is like saying someone who was barely a billionaire last year and currently has 985 million dollars is poorer.

Peterson can go on any team (with maybe 1-2 exceptions) and be their #1 back.

 

[Brewskies]

When the team you play loses their best RB I say that's good for us.

BB preparing the team that's another story to yet unfold. We weren't prepared last week. I expect different this week.

 

[Rob0729]

They lose their best offensive weapon and they have to rely on a marginal starting QB, a below average receiving corp, and an unproven back up RB. I don't know how this doesn't help the Pats.

 

[TBR]

You're insane if you don't think this helps us

Either way, I kind of wish we were playing them at full strength so we could get an idea of where we're at as a team

 

[goheels22002]

AdP being out is a huge help for the Patriots, IMO. Now, I want to see if BB will let Revis follow Patterson all over the field.

They'll mix it up, for sure, but I agree. As important, is whether the Patriots settle in with a fewer number of unique defensive lineups. Against the Dolphins, there were 47 unique defensive lineups which wreaked havoc on the Patriots. That may have been by design in the heat and humidity, but it sure was chaotic in the 2nd half.

In Patterson and Jennings, Matt Cassell has two good receivers. Revis can take away Jennings at the line of scrimmage more easily than Patterson, who could see a double team when Revis is not on him.

Without Peterson, the Pats should be able to stuff the run, and make Matt beat them with his arm. I completely disagree with Jim McBride's forecast of the Vikings getting 30+ against the Pats. I think the Vikings will struggle to get 1st downs, and we'll see the Patriots secondary have a superb game against a competent journeyman.

 

[dales804]

Sometimes people overthink things.