OK, how would you try and stop the Pats?

[Rawky77]

The only hope is having a defense fast enough to execute a sound game plan to somewhat slow the team down (Colts), and there are only a few teams that can do that.

Well this concept of a fast defense and a sound game plan was tried and well executed by the Colts.....only one flaw fast defenses means small defenders and theses smaller defenders wear down so by the 4th quarter they are out of gas....and the Pats with only ten minutes left in the game but up 14 pts to take the lead and the win. The Pats could have put up more had they needed to because that small fast defense offered only token opposition due to the fact they had run them selves into the ground and could no longer get back up.

 

[patpatriot]

First off, I'd prefer Jacksonville or Pittsburgh as my Pats-fighting team. Someone physical and tough.

Preach 60 minutes to your team and defer the kick if you win. Let the Patriots have it first.

Defensively, I'd go with a 3-3-5 nickel package as my base defense. Blitz one to bring a 4 man rush. 5 in zone coverage and 2 going man-to-man to double up on Moss and either Welker or Stallworth depending on down-and-distance.

On offense I eat the clock right from the start, if possible. Be very, very dull, go for it on 4th and shorts from the start, but otherwise be fairly vanilla offensively in the first half. Try a trick play to open the second half, then get more aggressive. The idea here is to play the game 'backwards' - kill the clock in the first half to make it as short as possible and then run your 'real' offense after halftime in order to minimize Belicheck's ability to make adjustments.

I don't think it stands much chance, either, but I think it might do some good.

Ahh this is the equivalent of the old "stall ball" tactic of Rutgers Basketball of yester year. Tuna loved this approach and it could work against the Pats under the perfect conditions. More likely is that the Pats would win a close game as opposed to a blow out. As long as the Pats have a healthy Brady and Moss. it is unlikely that anyone can beat them...as long as they have their focus! That's where B comes in.

 

[patpatriot]

Stopping the pats from the defensive side of the ball would be a great challenge. Let's assume for argument's sake that you have personell capable of executing the following gameplan. In my mind, this is how I would go about stopping the patriots...borrowing signifigantly from BB's 2003 and 2004 playoff colts schemes.

1) Prevent Brady from identifying the Mike and Free Safety at the LOS. This will negate his two pre-snap reads and hinder his ability to make checks.
2) Have a zone-based scheme that emphasizes bracketing Moss. I would play three safeties over the top...one ballhawk type guy shaded to Moss' side, one guy who can matchup on Welker in the slot if needed, and another who can play the or cover the tight end. These safeties will not give any pre-snap tells to prevent pre-snap reads.
3) Jam the living hell out of the recievers and pass them off to the second level. The zones will be disguised, with the emphasis on a mix of cover-2 and cover-8. The corners will be responsible for applying a strong enough press to allow the linebackers to either play run or get after the QB. Once the recievers defeat the initial jams, they will settle into zones covering the intermediate routes. The strong safety will be sunk in anticipating the slant routes.
4) Play a 2-4 front, and never allow the line to anticipate where the rush is going to come from. Play your will at mike, your mike at sam, your inside at will...keep confusing the line and quarterback and prevent them from making pre-snap adjustments. Blitz early and often, loop, stunt, crash, drop linemen, do everything you can to stay ahead of in game adjustments.
5) Anticipate screens and draws. Be aware of the situational tendencies. Keep in mind where and when the pats will run bubble screens and pop passes. Set the offense up to run the screens and draws when you want them to through relentless pass rush. Keep backers aware of rush-offsetting plays.
6) Understand how the patriots game plan. Deviate from your tendencies. Become enigmatic and defy your conventional logic. Anticipate how they will game plan you through self-awareness. Game plan for their adjustments accordingly.

A very good defensive team could pull this off but that leaves out 28 of the 32 NFL teams..sorry 29 one is the Pats. Anyway, Philly ain't one of them. If the Pats are going to get beat it will be by Baltimore (who can effect this game plan) or the Giants possibly. Actually, excepting the Colts, the Browns have done the best job against the Pats.

Other than that,

It's 16-0 Baby!

Playoffs are another story of course...

 

[speed]

Problem isn't what to do, its doing it.

Get pressure on Brady with your front 4, the line has protected impeccably. If you blitz, your leaving a guy single covered.

Play Nickel, the Colts did and gave safety help over the top with Moss, everyone is doing that now and Moss is on pace to, what tie Rice's record?

Try to stop the run with your front 7. Although the Pats run game is underated or really whatever your opinion of it is, it's good enough to not be able to stop it with your front 7.

Now I'm going to agree with Salisbury, who honestly I can't stand, but thats just me. You have to try to score with them. Well wow, how many teams are going to do that, none to date.

The Colts for the last probably 4 years have teams that will try to dominate time of possession to limit the number of opportunities the Colts offense has, they'd see teams going for it on 4th down in the 1st quarter (happened twice Thursday against ATL). KC in last years playoffs against the Colts ran on 8 and 9 man fronts, you can't do that. Tennesee in Peytons record breaking season, onside kicked 3 times in the 1st half. I'm guessing the Pats are going to see every trick in the book. It will be good for Brady and test his patience, but he's shown he doesn't get shook by that stuff.

I mean its really pathetic that teams will go into these games saying, okay lets change everything we do to try to hopefully keep it close and have a chance at the end. Problem again, is Pats don't make any stupid mistakes, don't have any glaring weaknesses. I could be a homer and say well they can't run and their defense is old, well the stats don't bear that out.

Now with all that said I will be a homer and say the Colts are pretty well coached, not just Dungy, but almost his entire group. Its one of the maybe handfull of coaches that can at least be in the same area code as BB from a coaching standpoint, imho.

Secondly, the Colts can score in bunches, they haven't as much this year, but they have also.

The Colts losing Freeney really hurts against the pass, not because he has been the Stat Sack guy the last couple years, but BB would chip him sometimes or put the RB on that side to help Light or more often move the whole pocket to the right a bit by having Brady fade that way or maybe Brady did it on his own I can't tell, (watch Mathias' sack of Brady from the game earlier this year this is exactly what happened), with Freeney gone, that is one more guy available to a record breaking offense and if he stands in the middle of the pocket it gives him the whole field to work with, both are bad news for the Colts D.


Anyway, that was a long run on sentence above, but back to my point. The last thing, dictate the tempo of the game. If you can move the ball with a running back (Addai and I say move because those dump off passes work just as well) and you can force the Pats to take the long way around (shorter smaller gains, instead of Moss in the end zone on a 4 play drive), make absolutey no errors in any of the 3 facets of the game, then you have a chance to at least be around to have a chance, imho.

Bash away.

 

[speed]

Actually, excepting the Colts, the Browns have done the best job against the Pats.

.

Interesting, Salisbury today, mentioned the Browns as a team that could maybe put up points with the Pats.

 

[CarolinaColtFan]

I agree with an earlier post, there is no stopping them, only slowing them down. Brady seems to have all week back in the pocket. If a team gets good penetration through the middle or on the ends, the key is getting to Brady and forcing him to make 'not so good decisions'. Problem there is that he has plenty of weapons down the field. So not only will it take a strong D-line, but a fast defense down field. The only team that has that, is The Colts. I am hopeful that we can meet you in the playoffs to get a second shot with a hopefully healthier team. Without Freeney, we lack some pressure on Brady's blind side, but I am confident it will be a great game. No predictions though.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Problem isn't what to do, its doing it.

Get pressure on Brady with your front 4, the line has protected impeccably. If you blitz, your (sic) leaving a guy single covered.
. The last thing, dictate the tempo of the game. If you can move the ball with a running back (Addai and I say move because those dump off passes work just as well) and you can force the Pats to take the long way around (shorter smaller gains, instead of Moss in the end zone on a 4 play drive), make absolutey no errors in any of the 3 facets of the game, then you have a chance to at least be around to have a chance, imho.

Bash away.

Nice post. This is a great thread, people.

 

[speed]

Nice post. This is a great thread, people.

Thanks!!!!

 

[fair catch fryar]

Word has it that Al Davis is engaging in some ethically questionable cloning technology that would bring back Red Grange from the dead as well as other football greats.

It's slightly premature to know for sure, but I'd say this approach has as good a shot as any of succeeding, though Davis reportedly won't have his players fully grown until the 2008.

So for 2007, there's really no stopping the Pats.

He should be trying to bring himself back from the dead!