Off The Grid
Veteran Starter w/Big Long Term Deal
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2010
- Messages
- 9,153
- Reaction score
- 4,341
What I Saw ~ Week 14 ~ 4th Quarter GameTape!!
1 ~ 02:27:00. On the 1st Play of the 4th Quarter ~ 1st & 10 from the Miami 35 ~ all the Momentum that the Patriots'd been building up exploded as Tom Brady hit Aaron The Navigator, streaking down the right SideLine, for an huge 31 Yard strike, to which was added 2 more Yards for a FaceMask. 1st & Goal.
What made that play look so easy?
Play Action Fake.
Set up by a strong, punishing Quarter of Running the FootBall right at the Dolphins.
11 for 46, by my Count.
That's a 184 Yard pace.
That's how you drive the action, rest your D, and take command of the Game, even if you're not racking up Scores.
Sweetness.
2 ~ To their considerable credit, the Fish Defense rallied furiously, and held us to a Field Goal. 20-10.
3 ~ 02:33:50. After a beautiful set of Team Blocking gave the Fish a 14 Yard Run on 1st Down for a fresh 1st Down on their own 34 ~ and now Momentum was clearing shifting Miami's way ~ the Patriots made an equally awesome team effort to get my man Trevor Scott his 2nd Sack of the day.
Vince Wilfork and Ron Brace both took on Double Teams, and the Secondary gave Ryan TanneHill nothing at all for long enough for Scott to beat 2nd Rounder Left Tackle Jonathan Martin and take TanneHill down.
While I'm an huge fan of Scott, and feel highly vindicated for my unwavering support by the terrific day he just had, this is a classic case of one Player getting a disproportionate amount of the Credit for a great Play that all 11 men were responsible for. Just as those same 11 ~ more or less!! ~ had been the victims, just a moment earlier, of a tremendous effort by the 11 Fish who put together a masterful bit of Blocking to spring Reggie Bush lose for 14 Yards ~ an effort that most casual fans will, sadly, attribute almost entirely to Bush's splendor ~ so, unfortunately, will Scott's Sack be credited mostly ~ by most ~ to Scott, who'd be the first person to correct that misperception.
4 ~ 02:41:40. The Fish had driven in downfield, all the way to our 7, where they had a 3rd & 4, when the Patriots Defense ~ which by no means played a perfect Game, mind you ~ came up with an huge Play when they needed it most: None other than Jerod Mayo came charging in through Left Guard on an exquisitely timed Delayed Blitz, and he just blasted TanneHill for an 8 Yard loss, forcing the Field Goal. 20-13.
5 ~ 02:48:15. On the next Patriots Possession, we got a 1st Down and had advanced to our own 31. You could sense that the Patriots had finally found their Rhythm on our previous Drive, and despite the Fish scoring on their own Drive, it was clear, two Plays into this one, that we were still clicking, still mixing the Plays up, still keeping the Fish back on their heels and uncertain...still grooving.
But it never hurts to get a nice Jolt, now and then.
And Steven "You May Fire When Ready" Ridley provided that on the very next Play: Taking it towards Left Guard and then cutting towards the Center, he looked like he was going to get stacked up for a piddling 1 Yarder. But at the last second, he executed a difficult Lateral move, shunting into the narrow Gap that was there, twisting his way through, and then surging downfield behind a Daniel Fells "Parkway" Block for an impressive 8 Yard Gain.
Huge.
We were already rocking nicely along, but that Play gave the Team a nice big boost, and on the next Play, they laid down some strong Blocking, and Ridley got the call again, blasting through Left Guard and surging downfield to rack up another 9 Big Ones and a 1st Down at our 48.
The Decisive Drive of the Game was on.
6 ~ 02:50:50. 2 Plays later ~ a 3rd consecutive Run by Ridley for 5 and a 6 Yarder to Wild Wes Welker to Move The Chains ~ our Grizzlies carved up yet more Real Estate for Ridley, who launched a tremendous surge through Right Guard, barreling'is way downfield to rack up 11 Big Ones for another 1st Down.
7 ~ 02:54:45. A few Plays later, we were at 2nd & 10 at the Fish 18. Brady handed it off to my man Shattering Shane Vereen, straight up Center. There didn't appear to be much there, but Vereen ~ who has now made it clear on several occasions that he didn't get the Memo that informed'm that he's not the kind of O Back who can drive it between the Tackles ~ surged right on through, thank you very much, and racked up 8 huge ones.
That was the last Big Play of the Game. It allowed Ridley to convert another 1st Down on the next Play, and even though the scrappy Fish tightened up yet again and held us to a Field Goal, this Drive decided the Game.
By the time it was completed, we'd burned through 16 Plays and 7:18...and taken a 10 Point Lead.
Game.
Set.
Match.
That, Ladies & Laddies, is how it is done.
1 ~ 02:27:00. On the 1st Play of the 4th Quarter ~ 1st & 10 from the Miami 35 ~ all the Momentum that the Patriots'd been building up exploded as Tom Brady hit Aaron The Navigator, streaking down the right SideLine, for an huge 31 Yard strike, to which was added 2 more Yards for a FaceMask. 1st & Goal.
What made that play look so easy?
Play Action Fake.
Set up by a strong, punishing Quarter of Running the FootBall right at the Dolphins.
11 for 46, by my Count.
That's a 184 Yard pace.
That's how you drive the action, rest your D, and take command of the Game, even if you're not racking up Scores.
Sweetness.
2 ~ To their considerable credit, the Fish Defense rallied furiously, and held us to a Field Goal. 20-10.
3 ~ 02:33:50. After a beautiful set of Team Blocking gave the Fish a 14 Yard Run on 1st Down for a fresh 1st Down on their own 34 ~ and now Momentum was clearing shifting Miami's way ~ the Patriots made an equally awesome team effort to get my man Trevor Scott his 2nd Sack of the day.
Vince Wilfork and Ron Brace both took on Double Teams, and the Secondary gave Ryan TanneHill nothing at all for long enough for Scott to beat 2nd Rounder Left Tackle Jonathan Martin and take TanneHill down.
While I'm an huge fan of Scott, and feel highly vindicated for my unwavering support by the terrific day he just had, this is a classic case of one Player getting a disproportionate amount of the Credit for a great Play that all 11 men were responsible for. Just as those same 11 ~ more or less!! ~ had been the victims, just a moment earlier, of a tremendous effort by the 11 Fish who put together a masterful bit of Blocking to spring Reggie Bush lose for 14 Yards ~ an effort that most casual fans will, sadly, attribute almost entirely to Bush's splendor ~ so, unfortunately, will Scott's Sack be credited mostly ~ by most ~ to Scott, who'd be the first person to correct that misperception.
4 ~ 02:41:40. The Fish had driven in downfield, all the way to our 7, where they had a 3rd & 4, when the Patriots Defense ~ which by no means played a perfect Game, mind you ~ came up with an huge Play when they needed it most: None other than Jerod Mayo came charging in through Left Guard on an exquisitely timed Delayed Blitz, and he just blasted TanneHill for an 8 Yard loss, forcing the Field Goal. 20-13.
5 ~ 02:48:15. On the next Patriots Possession, we got a 1st Down and had advanced to our own 31. You could sense that the Patriots had finally found their Rhythm on our previous Drive, and despite the Fish scoring on their own Drive, it was clear, two Plays into this one, that we were still clicking, still mixing the Plays up, still keeping the Fish back on their heels and uncertain...still grooving.
But it never hurts to get a nice Jolt, now and then.
And Steven "You May Fire When Ready" Ridley provided that on the very next Play: Taking it towards Left Guard and then cutting towards the Center, he looked like he was going to get stacked up for a piddling 1 Yarder. But at the last second, he executed a difficult Lateral move, shunting into the narrow Gap that was there, twisting his way through, and then surging downfield behind a Daniel Fells "Parkway" Block for an impressive 8 Yard Gain.
Huge.
We were already rocking nicely along, but that Play gave the Team a nice big boost, and on the next Play, they laid down some strong Blocking, and Ridley got the call again, blasting through Left Guard and surging downfield to rack up another 9 Big Ones and a 1st Down at our 48.
The Decisive Drive of the Game was on.
6 ~ 02:50:50. 2 Plays later ~ a 3rd consecutive Run by Ridley for 5 and a 6 Yarder to Wild Wes Welker to Move The Chains ~ our Grizzlies carved up yet more Real Estate for Ridley, who launched a tremendous surge through Right Guard, barreling'is way downfield to rack up 11 Big Ones for another 1st Down.
7 ~ 02:54:45. A few Plays later, we were at 2nd & 10 at the Fish 18. Brady handed it off to my man Shattering Shane Vereen, straight up Center. There didn't appear to be much there, but Vereen ~ who has now made it clear on several occasions that he didn't get the Memo that informed'm that he's not the kind of O Back who can drive it between the Tackles ~ surged right on through, thank you very much, and racked up 8 huge ones.
That was the last Big Play of the Game. It allowed Ridley to convert another 1st Down on the next Play, and even though the scrappy Fish tightened up yet again and held us to a Field Goal, this Drive decided the Game.
By the time it was completed, we'd burned through 16 Plays and 7:18...and taken a 10 Point Lead.
Game.
Set.
Match.
That, Ladies & Laddies, is how it is done.