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- Jan 22, 2005
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To set up the scenario, here are some stats, courtesy of Football Outsiders, about the 2007 season:
Average starting LOS on their drives
Chicago: 34.43
NE: 31.96
Average yards gained per drive
Chicago: 22.57 (only SF, at 18.41, was worse)
NE: 41.63
In other words, a large part of the reason "kick off out of bounds" works is that the Bears offense is so brutally awful that giving them the ball at the 40 isn't a terrible idea.
So, here's my question . . . what do you think opposing coaches would do if Wheatley and/or Slater turn out to be the Pats' equivalent of Hester--i.e., a player who routinely gives the Pats good field possession on KOs? Would you just give the Pats the ball at the 40, knowing that they would almost certainly end up in scoring range, or kick off, and hope that your team could bring the return man down behind the 30?
Average starting LOS on their drives
Chicago: 34.43
NE: 31.96
Average yards gained per drive
Chicago: 22.57 (only SF, at 18.41, was worse)
NE: 41.63
In other words, a large part of the reason "kick off out of bounds" works is that the Bears offense is so brutally awful that giving them the ball at the 40 isn't a terrible idea.
So, here's my question . . . what do you think opposing coaches would do if Wheatley and/or Slater turn out to be the Pats' equivalent of Hester--i.e., a player who routinely gives the Pats good field possession on KOs? Would you just give the Pats the ball at the 40, knowing that they would almost certainly end up in scoring range, or kick off, and hope that your team could bring the return man down behind the 30?