Official Patriots/Falcons Post Game Thread

[maverick4]

Here is the box score:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/boxscore?gid=20090927017


Some take aways or conclusions confirmed by the numbers:
- Moss was the only major legit receiver for Brady.
- No sacks or int's by the Patriots defense
- Patriots controlled the ball 40 minutes (Falcons 20 mins)
- More balanced offense this time - 42 passes, 39 rushes

 

[TriplecHamp]

Positives
-Defense in General (only 10 points today, 16 last week and 17 the week before.) if we can average under 20 points per game for the opposing offense we will be in great shape when the Offense comes around.
-O-line Great protection today. Brady actually had time to set his feet and let it fly. No sacks for the second straight week.
-Running Game Great game for Fred Taylor although I don't think this was his "Breakout Game". I think if we can consistently be a threat in the running game for the next few weeks the passing game will start to open up more.
Negatives
-Pass Rush-We got decent pressure on Matt Ryan a few times but it will have to be better in the future
-Red Zone production We HAVE to run the ball in the Red Zone to be effective. 1 for 8 over the last two games is unacceptable. Hopefully this will get better over time because we cannot survive on FG's with the occasional TD.
-Receivers not named Randy Moss Too many Drops and were not on the same page as Brady. Now could this be attributed to Brady? Yes but seeing how frustrated he was on the bench leads me to believe that it mostly wasn't his fault.

Side notes
-Brady made strides in the right direction but he still missed too many open receivers and the Ball is still sailing high on him.
-How did Edleman last to the seventh round?
-Why is KF still returning punts? I really don't think he adds much in the field position game but he is pretty sure handed. BB doesn't trust some of the younger guys?
-I liked the man defense the second half as opposed to the soft zone on third down.
-Kick coverage team was still shaky
-Those pump screens worked great, I wish we used them more last week.
-Anybody have any word on Wilfork or Maroney?
Game ball goes to...Fred Taylor (21 carries for 105 yards and a TD averaging 5 yards a carry.)
The Ravens will be an even bigger test next week. I expect Allot more pressure so lets see how Brady and the Offense respond.

 

[WhiskeyBreath]

ROFLMAO.. Jenkins isn't the best NT in the league. Jamal Williams is better than he is.. Casey Hampton is better than Jenkins. Wilfork is better than Jenkins... Sorry.

I'm not so high on Williams as I used to be. Age is definitely starting to catch up to him and he's dealt with some knee issues recently. Plus he tore his triceps in the first game and is done for the year now.

 

[Patspsycho]

I thought it was a good move at the time. I had the feeling that our defense was a little tired at that point and the game was just about to turn in ATL's favor. the 4th down prevented that momentum change, and was really the key play in the game. If it's fourth and a yard, there's no way he goes for it IMO. The key is that it was 4th and a foot, and I think the percentages are just overwhelmingly in favor of conversion from that distance.

The situation was just right for that to happen. You could clearly tell the Falcons were just ready to take back the momentum by pushing us deeper and deeper into our territory.

 

[Scouse Patriot]

Yes, it was a nice win. There are still problems with Brady's accuracy and getting into sync. with his receivers, but the D held when it mattered, the run game looked good (Taylor has still got a lot in the tank) and the Falcons didn't manage a significant pass rush.

Oh, and Randy Moss was just AWESOME! Not just the catches he made, but the way he was all over the field, taking short passes for third downs, stretching the field for Brady (not that he got the best throws). The more remarkable as it became obvious that he was the receiver that Brady was looking for all the time and the Atlanta D. was totally focused on him (Galloway had the dropsies and Edelman has been a WR for < 6 months). By far the best player on the field!

Thank's Mike, since Welkers been out it's become obvious we need to fill that hole and it's no surprise Moss has stepped his game up even more to not only fill his own shoes, but Welkers and Galloways. Can't wait for Wes to come back though, he's the go to guy underneath and is the best guy to help with Brady's groove back in the short to medium throws.

 

[Mike the Brit]

Thank's Mike, since Welkers been out it's become obvious we need to fill that hole and it's no surprise Moss has stepped his game up even more to not only fill his own shoes, but Welkers and Galloways. Can't wait for Wes to come back though, he's the go to guy underneath and is the best guy to help with Brady's groove back in the short to medium throws.

No knock on Edelman -- it's remarkable how he's come on in such a short time -- but he can't be Wes/Troy (he dropped one not so easy short pass) so it looked like Randy was being used on a lot of short routes that he wouldn't if Welker were around. The problem today was Galloway ...

 

[realtime]

FWIW, Kris Jenkins is very, very overrated.

I see you've been justifably attacked for this absurd claim, so I won't pile on any further.

 

[JackBauer]

I see you've been justifably attacked for this absurd claim, so I won't pile on any further.

Do your worst. You probably won't, since there's absolutely no evidence to support your claim.

Jenkins is overrated. Period. Full stop. If you think you can convince otherwise, go for it. Otherwise, put a sock in it.

 

[BionicPatriot]

I'm very happy watching the OL handle the Falcons all day. It was impressive watching Light stand Abraham up on a play, hopelessly trying to get to Brady. One of his finest highlights, IMO.

That said, I want to see consistency, I don't want to see this just against a weak DL like the Falcons. The Ravens will be a solid measuring stick for this team. That's playoff caliber competition, it's going to be interesting to see if we can keep Brady standing straight against a defense like that.

If the Pats convert a few more plays, we're seeing a blowout. We're an on point Brady away from being unstoppable. If he hits a wide open Moss running in the middle of the endzone, if Moss catches a sure TD pass, you're looking at a 30 point beat down. The game plan was about versatility on offense. They attacked with a lot of passing yet still played a ball control type offense.

While they may not score as much with the passing game being on point, any defense has to respect the passing or running game this offense offers. This is why it's so hard to stop them from scoring because we can mismatch with teams in so many areas on offense. Again, a few more games of Brady improving and I don't quite know just how good we will be, because I see monster potential.

Now for the defense. I liked what I saw, I'm glad they withstood losing big Vince like they did. They almost looked better without him. However, we still cannot get to the QB consistently enough yet to beat the better offenses. As good as Ryan is, I don't think he's on Manning's or Bree's level quite yet. We need to get better at making the QB get out of the pocket more and actually taking them down.

Burgess has been a huge disapointment thus far to me. He has done nothing, and was again invisible today. Jarvis Green still is not getting to the QB, and it seemed as if ADT was in coverage all day. I'm happy with the results, we're no doubt better than last year when it comes to 3rd down. I just want to see them make plays, create turn overs. I'm not seeing that yet.

They're doing a phenomenal job with coverage. They cling to the receivers and only leave the RB open in the flat, giving up junk yardage. I've seen some think that's bad but it's actually how the defense wants it to be. On 3rd & 10 or 15, a RB getting 6 yards is irrelevant.

I liked the game plan, but we need some improvement as well. We're getting better.

 

[PatsfanGlo]

All I want to chime in is this: 'RE-SIGN BODDEN!!!' I thought he did fantastic job against one of the better WR today. I know he's going to be bit costly to resign but heck, compared to Ellis Hobbs, this guy is a real player. Man I loved his play today.

 

[DaBruinz]

Its not worth even debating if you all think Ngata is a NT..









I need to remember...

Don't argue with idiots. They'll drag you down to their level and beat you....

That's pretty funny coming from you of all people...

 

[2000army]

For a lot of people complaining about the Pats D they have done their job 3 games in a row

 

[letekro]

Do your worst. You probably won't, since there's absolutely no evidence to support your claim.

Jenkins is overrated. Period. Full stop. If you think you can convince otherwise, go for it. Otherwise, put a sock in it.

You should go to Jets Insider and make the Jenkins is overrated claim. I think, just as we feel we know our own team, we have to assume they know their team. Well, they will simply laugh at you.

 

[JackBauer]

You should go to Jets Insider and make the Jenkins is overrated claim. I think, just as we feel we know our own team, we have to assume they know their team. Well, they will simply laugh at you.

Yeah, because a team's fanbase surely has the most objective evaluations of their players.

Give me a break

 

[DaBruinz]

I have to call bullcrap on this one. Nobody has ever said "They're going for it on 4th down - which shows great confidence in the defense!" You show confidence in the defense by giving the ball to the other team because you're not afraid of what the other team can do with it.
No, I don't think it was a ballsy move. I think it was a stupid move. There's a difference. Just because it worked doesn't mean it was smart, and if it hadn't worked I am sure you'd be pretty quiet instead of saying how smart it was.

EDIT: And I guarantee you we don't see him do it ever again (unless, of course, it's a situation where they are losing the game late).

I think you are wrong on this. I think it was a statement about the defense and a VOTE of confidence for the offense when they needed it. To say it was a stupid move is acting like you know more than BB. And none of us do.

The Pats have run that 4th and inches play with Brady taking the ball on numerous occasions. I can think of maybe one time it hasn't worked.

 

[letekro]

Yeah, because a team's fanbase surely has the most objective evaluations of their players.

Give me a break

Ok, fine. You're the only one who is capable of an objective evaluation of Kris Jenkins. Sorry for questioning your player evaluation prowess, especially when you see maybe two of their games each year.

 

[JSn]

Here's what Logan Mankins said about that call:

Extra Points - New England Patriots News and Analysis - Boston.com

What does it mean when your coach has enough confidence to leave the offense on the field with his team facing 4th and 1 from its own 24 in a tight game?

"That means we're taking over the game," said Patriots guard Logan Mankins.

Added Mankins: "That means we're running the ball hard, the line's blocking hard, the backs are running hard. When that starts to happen, that means you've got control of their defense. You can do whatever you want. It sets up the play action, sets up the pass, it sets up everything."

"That was kind of crazy, we were way backed up," said Baker. "We had been stopped the previous week (in a similar situation) in New York, so that was a real confidence booster (today). We're going to go for it no matter where we are at... It showed a lot of confidence in our offense."

I bet he sounded like the clip in "Cowboys From Hell" - We're taking over this town...

I think you are wrong on this. I think it was a statement about the defense and a VOTE of confidence for the offense when they needed it. To say it was a stupid move is acting like you know more than BB. And none of us do.

The Pats have run that 4th and inches play with Brady taking the ball on numerous occasions. I can think of maybe one time it hasn't worked.

 

[DaBruinz]

Stop and take the high road now.

You are right, it was a bad move and you will never see Belichick do it again. The guy you are discussing this with is grasping at straws. And he is not going to stop.

It wasn't a bad move. It was a calculated risk with a high probability of success. This is what you and Wolfpack don't understand. Belichick purposely goes through situations like this during the week so the team is prepared for them. If you think he doesn't then you've never read ANYTHING about this team and you are just as ignorant as Wolfpack.

 

[letekro]

It wasn't a bad move. It was a calculated risk with a high probability of success. This is what you and Wolfpack don't understand. Belichick purposely goes through situations like this during the week so the team is prepared for them. If you think he doesn't then you've never read ANYTHING about this team and you are just as ignorant as Wolfpack.

In 10 years, everyone will be doing this. Teams will start bringing in statisticians like in baseball, and they will see that punting, in a lot of 4th down situations, is actually a bad call.

Think about it this way. Do you think the Falcons were happy to see us line up for that 4th down, after they hadn't stopped us all day? Or do you think they would've rather seen us punt? I think if you choose option 1 you are lying to yourself.

 

[JackBauer]

Ok, fine. You're the only one who is capable of an objective evaluation of Kris Jenkins. Sorry for questioning your player evaluation prowess, especially when you see maybe two of their games each year.

Yes, because clearly questioning the objectivity of Jet's fans means I'm the only one capable of providing an objective evaluation . It must be fun arguing against yourself.