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Passing ...and stopping the pass. That's the NFL now. The Jets go the length of the field in a half minute...TD. Manning ....two 2+ minute drives, two TDs.
The common denominators in these two games:
1) Quick WRs that run precise routes
2) Depth deficient secondaries
3) Anemic pass rush
4) FATIGUE
Manning threw the ball 52 times yesterday. Thats 52 pass rushes up front, 52 coverages by the Patriots thin secondary. No wonder Manning gained steam as the game progressed. These guys had to be sucking gas and I will use the same analogy that is universally accepted during snow games. Be it snow or fatigue, the offense has the advantage because they know where they are going....and yesterday a tired defense was slow to react.
A guy like Woodhead, shifty and quick, becomes a force in the second half of games when the D-lines are beaten down. On the other side, Big Vince was anchoring the Dline, and with Wright out, the pressure on Manning that was effective in the first half faded dramatically in the 4th. Advantage passing team.
My point is this, the NFL is a passing league more so than ever and to be successful defending the pass, the amount of QUALITY DEPTH is more important than ever. You know a Brady lead offense will put points on the board and more often than not, the other team will be chasing them through the air, like last night. Looking at next year's draft, I can easily see a CB taken no later than the Carolina pick (#33 as of today) and of course a young stud pass rusher to add depth to a group lacking 4th quarter burst. These games become battles of attrition and defenses need quality fresh legs when the game is on the line.
__________________
The common denominators in these two games:
1) Quick WRs that run precise routes
2) Depth deficient secondaries
3) Anemic pass rush
4) FATIGUE
Manning threw the ball 52 times yesterday. Thats 52 pass rushes up front, 52 coverages by the Patriots thin secondary. No wonder Manning gained steam as the game progressed. These guys had to be sucking gas and I will use the same analogy that is universally accepted during snow games. Be it snow or fatigue, the offense has the advantage because they know where they are going....and yesterday a tired defense was slow to react.
A guy like Woodhead, shifty and quick, becomes a force in the second half of games when the D-lines are beaten down. On the other side, Big Vince was anchoring the Dline, and with Wright out, the pressure on Manning that was effective in the first half faded dramatically in the 4th. Advantage passing team.
My point is this, the NFL is a passing league more so than ever and to be successful defending the pass, the amount of QUALITY DEPTH is more important than ever. You know a Brady lead offense will put points on the board and more often than not, the other team will be chasing them through the air, like last night. Looking at next year's draft, I can easily see a CB taken no later than the Carolina pick (#33 as of today) and of course a young stud pass rusher to add depth to a group lacking 4th quarter burst. These games become battles of attrition and defenses need quality fresh legs when the game is on the line.
__________________