Quick Game Thoughts

[PatsDeb]

I'm far more worried about the Pats penchant for turning the ball over. Brady has now doubled his last years INT totals with 10 games to go. Lots of penalties too. Tackling is important for sure but...turnovers and penalties, as they say.

Brady just has to get the ball up a little higher. He seems not to adjust when they have a lot of big guys on the D-line. Weren't both of his INTs tipped balls?

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

I'm far more worried about the Pats penchant for turning the ball over. Brady has now doubled his last years INT totals with 10 games to go. Lots of penalties too. Tackling is important for sure but...turnovers and penalties, as they say.

LAST on my list of worries is the 2011 penchant for tipped ball INTs. I'm confident that whatever TFB is doing to contribute to HIS TOs will be worked at and freakin fixed,

 

[PatsBoy12]

I don't want to gush, but it was awesome to see Haynesworth out there today. I truly hope this is just the initial showing of how dominant he can (and will!) be for the remainder of the season.

I'm serious, this defense showed that it's getting there in the last few weeks, especially today. I'm SOOO encourage by what I saw from Haynesworth, Spikes, and even Ihedigbo. I'm not shocked that Carter is playing well, as I predicted he'd have double-digit sacks before the season. I'm certainly not backing off of that prediction.

Vince Wilfork has got to be one of the most athletically gifted 300+ guys I've ever seen. He almost got a third INT today. That's just incredible. Mayo needs to get healthy and Fletcher needs more snaps. This defense should be really darn good down the stretch.

 

[patriot lifer]

Not to get ahead of ourselves, but I'm curious how the team will play against the Steelers and their aweful O-line. Plus, we get an extra week to scheme.

 

[PatsBoy12]

Not to get ahead of ourselves, but I'm curious how the team will play against the Steelers and their aweful O-line. Plus, we get an extra week to scheme.

The same as they always do . . . they'll keep Big Ben on the run and they'll stop the run. That normally what they do against Pitt, except in that one anomalous game where Jerome Bettis run around, over, and through the defense, snapping the win streak in the process.

 

[The_Riddler]

I don't want to gush, but it was awesome to see Haynesworth out there today. I truly hope this is just the initial showing of how dominant he can (and will!) be for the remainder of the season.

Albert is fresh and with two more weeks to prepare and build off of this effort before Pitt, man I can't wait to see what he's going to do for this defense in the 2nd half of the season.

 

[jsull87]

1st of all this is not to be a debbie downer I loved this game and how cool was bradys last drive.

But i have just been re-watching it and it's interesting to see Solder this game be made to look like a rookie a little bit by Spencer. Look at Welkers TD catch and there were other instances where Solder overextends and spencer goes right by him. He'll learn and i recon he's a goodun.

Just thought i'd share something i spotted watching the game again

 

[Metaphors]

But i have just been re-watching it and it's interesting to see Solder this game be made to look like a rookie a little bit by Spencer. Look at Welkers TD catch and there were other instances where Solder overextends and spencer goes right by him. He'll learn and i recon he's a goodun.

He had his share of mistakes but the whole OL had their down moments. The holding call on Solder was the only really big flub I saw from him (almost a complete whiff which caused him to grab).

That being said, I am issuing my official apology to Solder and the Pats FO. I was really down on his selection in April. Seemed like a good player but if you are picking an OT at #17, you really need someone you can plug in from day 1 and expect big things. Solder seemed more like a projection and less a sure thing. No problem in the 2nd round but a little more concerning in the mid first.

Well I'm happy to admit I was totally wrong. When it counted on that final drive, when a single negative play probably loses the game, Solder played like a champ. Worked with Waters like they had played together for years. Combo blocked when they were supposed to. Even handed off a rusher to Waters and slid outside to pick up a disguised rush. He obviously has the physical skills but he showed he has the smarts and mental makeup to hold down the right side for many years. Vollmer has to play when he gets healthy...but is there a more awesome problem to have than what to do with your surplus of OT talent?

Also, I'll echo the kudos for Spikes. Dude was all over the place and seemed like you could count on the #55 jersey being in on every tackle. Got credit for 8 tackles but seemed closer to 18.

Now that the Pats have reached their bye week, some things I'd like to see starting in Pittsburgh:

1) Vereen returning kicks. Seems better suited for it than Ridley and Edelperson. As the weather worsens, kick returns and field position can become a bigger factor, so would like to see him get a chance.

2) Dowling at safety in passing situations. Actually don't care if you call him a safety, just don't want to see Sergio, Barrett or Ihedigbo patrolling the middle of the field in big situations.

3) Guyton return to being a part-time player. Just seems like the more snaps he gets, the less effective he becomes. Get well soon (like in the next week to 10 days) Mayo!

 

[ausbacker]

1st of all this is not to be a debbie downer I loved this game and how cool was bradys last drive.

But i have just been re-watching it and it's interesting to see Solder this game be made to look like a rookie a little bit by Spencer. Look at Welkers TD catch and there were other instances where Solder overextends and spencer goes right by him. He'll learn and i recon he's a goodun.

Just thought i'd share something i spotted watching the game again

Anthony Spencer is a pretty decent footballer. He showed veteran nous in dealing with Solder, who looked keen to engage his blocks early.

 

[Off The Grid]

He had his share of mistakes but the whole OL had their down moments. The holding call on Solder was the only really big flub I saw from him (almost a complete whiff which caused him to grab).

That being said, I am issuing my official apology to Solder and the Pats FO. I was really down on his selection in April. Seemed like a good player but if you are picking an OT at #17, you really need someone you can plug in from day 1 and expect big things. Solder seemed more like a projection and less a sure thing. No problem in the 2nd round but a little more concerning in the mid first.

Well I'm happy to admit I was totally wrong. When it counted on that final drive, when a single negative play probably loses the game, Solder played like a champ. Worked with Waters like they had played together for years. Combo blocked when they were supposed to. Even handed off a rusher to Waters and slid outside to pick up a disguised rush. He obviously has the physical skills but he showed he has the smarts and mental makeup to hold down the right side for many years. Vollmer has to play when he gets healthy...but is there a more awesome problem to have than what to do with your surplus of OT talent?

Also, I'll echo the kudos for Spikes. Dude was all over the place and seemed like you could count on the #55 jersey being in on every tackle. Got credit for 8 tackles but seemed closer to 18.

Now that the Pats have reached their bye week, some things I'd like to see starting in Pittsburgh:

1) Vereen returning kicks. Seems better suited for it than Ridley and Edelperson. As the weather worsens, kick returns and field position can become a bigger factor, so would like to see him get a chance.

2) Dowling at safety in passing situations. Actually don't care if you call him a safety, just don't want to see Sergio, Barrett or Ihedigbo patrolling the middle of the field in big situations.

3) Guyton return to being a part-time player. Just seems like the more snaps he gets, the less effective he becomes. Get well soon (like in the next week to 10 days) Mayo!

Well Done, sir. Balls.

 

[SoCal Pmen]

To think, had this team not had a complete second half melt down in Buffalo, it could be going into the bye week undefeated. However, I'm happy with their record and there are no easy games on this schedule moving forward. Let's hope they can work out the kinks in the bye week and come out strong.

 

[ay-yo]

2.) Albert Haynesworth was a beast today. He was taking up blockers left and right. He didn't show up much in the stats column, but he was a force. BTW, anyone else notice he must have dropped 30-40 lbs since the start of the season. Those few weeks off might have been the best thing for his conditioning.

7.) Carter showed today the guy we were hoping for. He provided a legitimate and fairly consistent pass rush from the outside. He and others need to bring it more, but it was a significant upgrade.

Is 7 a side effect of 2?

 

[Joker]

BTW Rob....Rage Rage was throwing one of his patented "little girl Jet fan trapped in a man's body" acts, screaming about penalties....Dallas had ten...the exact same amount they had against Detroit last week...the Pats were flagged for FIVE....so I looked up the games all season for Dallas and what do I find?....and I hope you can attempt to point this out to the crazed HaterHomer HaterHomer19...since I refuse to participate in that sinkhole sewer pipe site...

First game of the season....Dallas was flagged for SEVEN penalties

Rage Rage's Jets?????....try NONE...that's right....

ZERO PENALTIES

what do you call it??? Institutional stupidity? radioactive elements in the water supply? a top secret government experiment aimed at creating morons that can be molded into sub-human, brainwashed thugs,incapable of rational thought?there has to be an answer...has to be...

 

[MoVaughn4Prez]

My thoughts are basically this - I went to the game today and Gillette fans are absolutely pathetic. I can't even explain how many times I was told that I needed to sit down during the game. Growing up I always thought that the Pats had some bad ass fans, but apparently those people are no where near the game. Rather then pay for the most expensive ticket in the league only to get yelled at by a bunch of ****ies, all games will be watched and screamed at from the comfort of my own couch from now on. Congrats, Mr. Kraft.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

1st of all this is not to be a debbie downer I loved this game and how cool was bradys last drive.

But i have just been re-watching it and it's interesting to see Solder this game be made to look like a rookie a little bit by Spencer. Look at Welkers TD catch and there were other instances where Solder overextends and spencer goes right by him. He'll learn and i recon he's a goodun.

Just thought i'd share something i spotted watching the game again

No need to be defensive. That's an observant constructive critique of a rook's play. We're fortunate that this great 1st round pick has done as well as he has given no OTAs etc.

 

[IllegalContact]

I though mccourty was horrible......he was lost on several plays and had poos angles on several others......

the pats really struggled with the bigger WR's......


this is the one thing that separated the defense from an 'A' efforts (at least when it comes to what has been expected of the defense recently).

when push came to shove, the cowboys could not run the ball.......this is the most important thing when it will come to playoff time......when offensive dynamics bedome more conservative......

it is good to see the pats defense showing the ability to slug it out with anyone.......same for the offense....not a finesse team anymore.

 

[5 Rings for Brady!!]

Is 7 a side effect of 2?

Carter is winning his one on one battles, regardless of who he plays beside. He just needs another split-second to really start creaming these QBs, and a little better secondary coverage as the season goes on will help that.

As Haynesworth gets in shape, it will certainly help the overall defense to play him more often.

 

[BradyManny]

1.) Tedy Bruschi truly got what he was looking for: A game where Brady plays less than stellar and the defense steps up and keeps the team in the game and is the main reason the Pats' win.
2.) Albert Haynesworth was a beast today. He was taking up blockers left and right. He didn't show up much in the stats column, but he was a force. BTW, anyone else notice he must have dropped 30-40 lbs since the start of the season. Those few weeks off might have been the best thing for his conditioning.
3.) Brandon Spikes looks to return to pre-suspension form. He was a definite force in the running game. Should have had a sack on that one play, but was being held.
4.) Brady may have been very human today, but he really showed he can be as clutch as ever.
5.) Tackling is a problem at times, but it certainly didn't kill the Pats today.
6.) Even though the Cowboys did stop the Pats (although some of it was self inflicted), the Pats still have too many weapons for opposing defenses. You can only hope to contain the offense for as long as possible, but you cannot shut it down.
7.) Carter showed today the guy we were hoping for. He provided a legitimate and fairly consistent pass rush from the outside. He and others need to bring it more, but it was a significant upgrade.

I agree with all of this.

Yesterday was a very promising day for the defense - Carter has been playing well all year, especially against the run, and hopefully now he gets some recognition.

Haynesworth was an absolute beast. I thought he played well vs the Jets but didn't get any notice since he was mainly going up against 2 blockers every time.

When Haynesworth and Wilfork are in there, they are occupying 4 blockers combined - and its tough for defenses to deal with. Like with Moss drawing double teams on offense, it just changes the numbers game in our favor.

I may be in the minority, but I didn't think the offense was so bad yesterday, ball security excluded. Only two of their drives resulted in punts. When you turn the ball over 4 times, once on a KR, you are depriving yourself of opportunities. We moved the ball, but didn't capitalize - which has been our undoing in games such as SB42 and the Jets AFCDG last year.

This time, the defense bailed them out. A very encouraging sign.

Frankly, seeing the defense play that well, and then the offense play that well when it mattered was far better than seeing this team drop 35 on another team and win an easy one. Winning the tough ones builds chemistry and experience.