Steeler take on Pats Perpetual Passing

[xmarkd400x]

In some ways, the Patriots' all-pass approach in the second half caught the Steelers off guard.

"It was a little weird at first," Pittsburgh linebacker James Farrior said. "I thought they would try to run when they had the lead on us, but they kept throwing the ball. Brady is good at reading defenses and our disguise wasn't good enough. He picked up most of our blitzes."

http://www.boston.com/sports/footba...07/12/10/strategy_thrown_out_there_and_works/

It would seem that teams who play the Patriots would expect lots and lots of passes. However, this quote leads me to believe that the consistent diet of passes tricked the Steelers, and probably some other teams as well. It probably has some correlation with all the "we don't have a running game" complaints heard in these parts.

On WEEI yesterday I heard Brady say "They had their run defense package out there, so we kept passing". Sounds like a good idea to me. Why run the ball when the defense is playing run defense? If you think BB, a statistical nut, doesn't realize whats going on, you are wrong.

It seems like other teams, just like fans, expect the Patriots to run sometime. I mean, they have to right? Wrong. You have potentially the best QB of all time and one of the best recievers of all time. How good would Maroney have to be in order to take touches away from Tom Brady? I'd be willing to bet even today's best running backs (Ladanian Tomlinson, Adrian Petersen) wouldn't be able to take away too many touches.

 

[ironwasp]

It seems like other teams, just...fense is going to be in its run defense more.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

I guess it's a question of playing to your strengths. If we had LT or Peterson, the balance of our strengths would be different. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean you run more, but it does mean the opposing defense is going to be in its run defense more.

This is the exact same situation that happened in Minnesota last year. The Vikings were almost historically good at stopping the run, so the Pats just decimated their inept secondary--with nowhere near the talent at receiver they had this year.

I don't think it's an automatic knock on a RB to say that he's not as good as the best passing attack of all time. For example, consider the five straight passes to Welker. It's hard to see most RBs getting that many yards on five straight carries--especially if the opposing D is trying to stop the run.

 

[SamBam39]

I guess it's a question of playing to your strengths. If we had LT or Peterson, the balance of our strengths would be different. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean you run more, but it does mean the opposing defense is going to be in its run defense more.

no, as always with belichick, it's playing to the opponents weaknesses.
they had their run defense out there, so we passed. it wasn't because we're good at passing. it was because of how they were trying to defend us. if they had heavy pass defenses out there. we would run, and do it well.

belichick doesn't care how. he just cares that we defeat their plan.

 

[Rawky77]

http://www.boston.com/sports/footba...07/12/10/strategy_thrown_out_there_and_works/

It would seem that teams who play the Patriots would expect lots and lots of passes. However, this quote leads me to believe that the consistent diet of passes tricked the Steelers, and probably some other teams as well. It probably has some correlation with all the "we don't have a running game" complaints heard in these parts.

On WEEI yesterday I heard Brady say "They had their run defense package out there, so we kept passing". Sounds like a good idea to me. Why run the ball when the defense is playing run defense? If you think BB, a statistical nut, doesn't realize whats going on, you are wrong.

It seems like other teams, just like fans, expect the Patriots to run sometime. I mean, they have to right? Wrong. You have potentially the best QB of all time and one of the best recievers of all time. How good would Maroney have to be in order to take touches away from Tom Brady? I'd be willing to bet even today's best running backs (Ladanian Tomlinson, Adrian Petersen) wouldn't be able to take away too many touches.

BB attacks the opponents weakness in game plan and in the Game as well.

The Steelers refused to adapt to this reality of passing on every down even when pinned inside the 1yd line and continued to believe the Pats had to run the ball, why because everyone runs the ball when they have the lead.....Sounds like the Dallas coach after the Pats whacked them saying "you have to stop the run first" and make them beat you with the pass.
As long as our opponents continue to live in the past we are going to continue to win, win, win.

 

[Pathin]

We have the best QB in the history of the NFL, playing the best season of his life with one of the most stacked receiving corps ever assembled. I hate to boil it down to simplicity here but... Of course they're going to f'ing pass. They're going to pass all the time. It works, and we'll do it until it gets stopped (My guess is sometime after Brady retires)

 

[dhamz]

The Pats have been playing the Steelers that way for years. They played them no different this past weekend than they did in the 2001 title game or the 2002 opener.

The way the Steelers like to play D is with linebackers and safeties blitzing from all angles. The Pats spread them out. They then have to choose between taking their linebackers and safeties off the field or leaving them man to man with our slot WRs and TEs.

 

[DaBruinz]

Wait a second.. That can't be true.. Tom Brady saying that the Pats PASSED the ball because the Steelers had their RUN DEFENSE on the field. NO WAY. I mean, why would the Pats make THAT adjustment? All the Maroney haters say that the Pats should just have run the ball anyways...

 

[Flying Fungi]

Wait a second.. That can't be true.. Tom Brady saying that the Pats PASSED the ball because the Steelers had their RUN DEFENSE on the field. NO WAY. I mean, why would the Pats make THAT adjustment? All the Maroney haters say that the Pats should just have run the ball anyways...

well they should have run the ball more, after all, Maroney is a first round pick and must be better than a #4 receiver and etc etc

Laurence Maroney eats baby seals. He must be destroyed.

 

[CTPatsFan]

Wait a second.. That can't be true.. Tom Brady saying that the Pats PASSED the ball because the Steelers had their RUN DEFENSE on the field. NO WAY. I mean, why would the Pats make THAT adjustment? All the Maroney haters say that the Pats should just have run the ball anyways...

C'mon, DaB's, don't muddy this debate with facts.

 

[PatsFaninAZ]

If there's a single thing about Belichick that I really appreciate, it's that he has no use for cliches or conventional wisdom.

As a fan, I tend to buy into all that crap. "Using the run to set up the pass," blah blah blah. Belichick doesn't think like that. He has a great appreciation for the history of the game, and has taken from that history what he needs. But he isn't tied to that history.

Belichick has simply stripped the game down to its essence. The only cliche that matters is that you need more points than your opponent, and the team with more points will win. No other platitudes matter. Recognizing this simple truth as the only truth gives a creative coach a tremendous amount of freedom.

 

[ClevTrev]

well they should have run the ball more, after all, Maroney is a first round pick and must be better than a #4 receiver and etc etc

Laurence Maroney eats baby seals. He must be destroyed.

LMFAO. Seriously, though, there is a move afoot to remove Maroney's 1st round draft status and re-assign him as a 5th round pick for impersonating a 1st rounder. This is in the works according to a source very close to the league and the team, and at this time it's very hush hush. The impetus behind this is the league and team not wanting to offend certain posters from Patsfans.com upset about the team's poor drafting.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Wait a second.. That can't be true.. Tom Brady saying that the Pats PASSED the ball because the Steelers had their RUN DEFENSE on the field. NO WAY. I mean, why would the Pats make THAT adjustment? All the Maroney haters say that the Pats should just have run the ball anyways...

I think they're really closet Maroney lovers who want to see their boy with the rock despite the success of the passing game.

Why folks blithely ignore what Brady said about the Steelers' stubborn insistence to face our passing attack with their vaunted run D is beyond me.

 

[mgcolby]

I'm not a Maroney basher. I guess I am on the fence. i.e. I see the legitimacy of both sides of the debate that has dominated the board, in between the threads whining about the media.

If Maroney struggles to get going this week against the Jets, who are ranked 30th against the run and 11th against the pass, then I may find myself leaning more towards the "concerned" crowd.

You would have to think that the Jets will come out focused on the pass and if the Pats are truly taking what the defense is giving them, then Maroney should have a field day running on the 30th ranked rush defense in their dime or nickel packages, correct?

 

[KoolAidDrinker]

Sounds like the Dallas coach after the Pats whacked them saying "you have to stop the run first" and make them beat you with the pass.

As long as our opponents continue to live in the past we are going to continue to win, win, win.

Exactly! The mediots are even slower than some of these opponents. This is the salary-cap era. This is the era of the PASSING game. This is the era of Belichick and Brady! There is no conventional wisdom.

 

[borg]

BB is just saving LoMo for the playoffs....so that the Pats will have a healthy DECOY

 

[breakpoint]

We have the best QB in the history of the NFL, playing the best season of his life with one of the most stacked receiving corps ever assembled. I hate to boil it down to simplicity here but... Of course they're going to f'ing pass. They're going to pass all the time. It works, and we'll do it until it gets stopped (My guess is sometime after Brady retires)

You make more sense in 5 sentences than all the media idots in hours of postgame talk. Right on!

 

[goalkeepr]

The Pats always attack their opponent's biggest weakness. That's why I am expecting Mangini to get sacked several times while standing on the sideline on Sunday.