DefenseRules
Pro Bowl Player
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- Aug 22, 2005
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http://news.bostonherald.com/blogs/patriots/
His take on on Seymour, Bruschi and Banta-Cain is a little worrisome.
Chargers offensive coordinator Cam Cameron (who should already be the head coach there) did a very interesting job of scheming the Patriots to find room for LaDainian Tomlinson to maneuver against a very stout rush defense. Basically, Cameron seemed to target Tedy Bruschi. Here’s how: Cameron knew that the Patriots had an inexperienced outside linebacker on the right side of the defense, so he worked to pair Bruschi – usually on the left – and Banta-Cain on the same side. He did this by either lining up strong left, with a tight end (usually blocking specialist Brandon Manumaleuna) and fullback Lorenzo Neal to that side, or shifting in that direction. That caused Bruschi, who plays strong-side inside, to switch with the bigger Mike Vrabel, stationed at weakside linebacker. And when the smallish Bruschi and inexperienced Banta-Cain were paired there, trouble followed. The Chargers rushed for 84 yards on 14 carries in that direction and most of it, and all of the big plays off that side, came off such sets. Bruschi got sealed early and often, and also was victimized consistently by lead blocks from Neal on iso plays up the middle. This isn’t a slight at Bruschi, it just shows that he’s been out of position for two years now, and simply isn’t a great fit for the strongside spot that Ted Johnson anchored for so many years.
– Another problem over there was left tackle Marcus McNeill. This guy, already, should be a Pro Bowler and it’s obvious if you watch him play. When the bell rang on this fight, he took a pretty convincing decision on Richard Seymour. Yes, McNeill did have help. But even in one-on-one situations, he did very, very well. And it may be a bit telling, too, that the Chargers ran away from Ty Warren on the right side. The best example of what was happening on the defensive right in this game came in the second quarter. Michael Turner, not Tomlinson, got the ball. McNeil sealed Seymour to the right and guard Kris Dielman absolutely crushed Bruschi. Turner went 17 yards before being dragged down at the Patriot 22, and that run helped set up the Patriots’ first touchdown.
– An interesting thing the Patriots did defensively was to play more three-man lines in nickel packages, out of a 3-3-5 look. Bill Belichick, if you look at the trends, normally tries to confuse a young quarterback not with a ton of pressure, but by mixing coverages. The thinking is if you throw a ton of blitzes, it makes reads easier and helps a young passer like Philip Rivers. But what the 3-man line did was allow the Patriots not to go overboard with pressure, while still not giving Rivers a great look at where it was coming from, since he brought Bruschi and Vrabel plenty, in addition to normal rushers Rosevelt Colvin and Banta-Cain. It worked, and the coaching staff did a good job of sparingly sprinkling in blitz looks. One came in the second quarter, when Artrell Hawkins hid behind Banta-Cain, who dropped. McNeil then helped on Bruschi, while Hawkins came free on Rivers. Another came in the form of a well-timed all-in eight-man blitz later that sprung James Sanders free for a sack.
His take on on Seymour, Bruschi and Banta-Cain is a little worrisome.
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