Thoughts on the Patriots prevent OFFENSE

[upstater1]

Empty backfield puts all of Brady's best pass catchers out on the field at the same time. Essentially, O'Brien pushed all of the chips into Brady's corner and fully trusted him to bring home the win. It showed a good deal of trust in both Brady AND the offensive line. And, either way, Indy's defense was going to pin it's ears back anyway. Woodhead in the backfield or not.

How are they going to pin their ears back on a play-action?

Freeney came in totally unmolested. On a play-action, he has to set the edge, respect the run.

 

[ATippett56]

That ball was poorly thrown. You can't throw a ball behind and high in that situation.

Not the pass near the goal line in the fourth quarter. That particular Tom Brady pass was not thrown behind Edelman.

 

[ATippett56]

Edelman has had a tough year so far, I am wondering if an injury has something to do with it

If he is injured, he should not be activated for the game let alone be on the field for offensive plays.

 

[PatsFaninAZ]

I don't understand why the team takes snaps with so much time on the play clock when it's defending big leads. We went hurry up against the Steelers. The FG drive at the beginning of the 4th quarter yesterday was run with double digit time on the play clock repeatedly. Perhaps it's a trade off -- the hurry up or semi-hurry up allows the offense to play better.

But once it was a 17 point lead, there was no excuse. They ran one play with about 15 seconds on the clock. Just beffudling.

I also don't understand why our prevent defense is so unable to make the other team's offense use up clock. But I guess that's another thread.

 

[ATippett56]

Phil Sims had it right. No receiver (especialy one who's coming in cold from the bench) is making a hands-only catch of a ball that's thrown on a straight line and going 100 MPH. A pass like that needs to be in the receivers body.
That one's on Tom.

This is not college football. Wide receivers are getting paid to catch the football.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

That ball was poorly thrown. You can't throw a ball behind and high in that situation.

It was neither. It was a fastball, but that's how you get them in there. It went right through his hands. Maybe that is why he isn't getting time lately. If you want to carve a niche out for yourself as a QB turned WR in this league on a team with players like Welker and Branch and two rookie TE's playing exceptionally well, you better be prepared to make plays when the opportunity arises. Through your hands is an arising. And if you can't make some tough catches in this league, it's not some deficiency on your QB's part... Manning had an UDFA out there who made two tough TD catches yesterday and he's their 5th WR and has hardly seen the field even with all their injuries... I had my eye on Blair as an UDFA for us. I liked the Hoyer connection...

 

[RayClay]

Freeney came in totally unmolested. On a play-action, he has to set the edge, respect the run.

No he doesn't, he comes every play.

Simms even mentioned that in the broadcast. their defense is very different from ours, Freeney and Mathis are pass rush first all the time.

If there are ever plays that don't call for them to rush, those plays are the exception.

 

[mgteich]

Is your point that college wide receivers should be paid?

Yes, a wide receiver's job is to catch the ball. Our #4 wide receiver blew the one opportunity given to him in yesterday's game. I don't see how this a huge deal. The #3 and #4 wide receivers just aren't a big part of our offense.

This is not college football. Wide receivers are getting paid to catch the football.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Is your point that college wide receivers should be paid?

Yes, a wide receiver's job is to catch the ball. Our #4 wide receiver blew the one opportunity given to him in yesterday's game. I don't see how this a huge deal. The #3 and #4 wide receivers just aren't a big part of our offense.

Then why have any? Manning almost won the game throwing to his 3-5 WR's yesterday. Maybe we should give Edleman's 6 figure salary to someone more productive on defense or ST... And while it isn't a huge deal, that's because we won. And because some here live to believe it's somehow Brady's or the Oc's fault whenever a WR messes up...

 

[ATippett56]

Is your point that college wide receivers should be paid? .

With the amount of money college football games rake in, I wonder that myself.

Yes, a wide receiver's job is to catch the ball. Our #4 wide receiver blew the one opportunity given to him in yesterday's game. I don't see how this a huge deal. The #3 and #4 wide receivers just aren't a big part of our offense.

As one other poster mentioned in this thread or another thread who was at the game, Brady was pissed that Edelman dropped that pass near the goal line in the fourth quarter.

 

[ATippett56]

Maybe we should give Edleman's 6 figure salary to someone more productive on defense or ST... And while it isn't a huge deal, that's because we won.

What good is a wide receiver who drops passes or can't run routes?

 

[ATippett56]

I don't see how this a huge deal.

When your number is called upon, you better step up especially against the Indianapolis Colts. Besides, Edelman was on the team last year so he had the opportunity to attend mini-camp, training camp, and preseason. Funny how Woodhead has stepped up for the New England Patriots offense and he was not on the opening day roster.

 

[upstater1]

With the amount of money college football games rake in, I wonder that myself.

You'd be surprised. They don't make much money at all, not after paying the coaches.

 

[Deus Irae]

I was with a roomful of Patriots fans. Before that key first down happened, everyone said the same thing. I know, shotgun, spread... stupid.

It doesn't take a brainiac to figure out why that playcall is wrong.

Why forget play-action there if you want to pass?

There was nothing wrong with the playcall. It shouldn't take a brainiac to figure that out.

 

[Kontradiction]

You can throw after getting the ball from under center. It's not forbidden. You can even call play action.

With the way the Colts' pass rush was starting to get to Brady, calling play action would have been even more risky than what we did.

How are they going to pin their ears back on a play-action?

Freeney came in totally unmolested. On a play-action, he has to set the edge, respect the run.

Unless they weren't fooled by the play action, which results in a severe loss of yards or a turnover when we could have least afforded it.

Personally, I don't see a problem with putting the ball squarely in the hands of our $100M franchise GOAT candidate of a quarterback. Put his best pass catchers out on the field and let him do what he does. Especially since the run got stoned on the series before. If the best change that you can come up with is a play action pass given the situation that we were in, then you should probably reexamine your stance on the issue.

 

[Dutchmaster617]

I hate when Brady starts throwing lazy 2 yard passes to Edelman and Welker when in 'prevent offense'. Its like why not keep going with that works? If he isn't throwing picks in the first 3 quarters (or last 5 or so games) then why is it risky?

 

[The Dynasty]

No, your job is to get first downs. Successfull drives take huge chunks of time off the clock. 3 and outs (even three running plays) do not.

Your number one priority is to take time off the clock, in doing so the goal is to get first downs. 3 running plays would take more time off the clock than 3 incompletions. 3 running plays that do not result in a first down take off atleast 2 minutes off the clock. The Pats only had the ball for a little over 2 minutes the entire 4th quarter. The Pats first possession of the 4th was a complete waste, and poorly called. That really was the only criticism I had for BOB yesterday though, he called a good game, and had some good adjustments

 

[upstater1]

With the way the Colts' pass rush was starting to get to Brady, calling play action would have been even more risky than what we did.



Unless they weren't fooled by the play action, which results in a severe loss of yards or a turnover when we could have least afforded it.

Personally, I don't see a problem with putting the ball squarely in the hands of our $100M franchise GOAT candidate of a quarterback. Put his best pass catchers out on the field and let him do what he does. Especially since the run got stoned on the series before. If the best change that you can come up with is a play action pass given the situation that we were in, then you should probably reexamine your stance on the issue.

Look at the stats. Reiss has been laying them out there week after week. The Patriots' play-action this year has been highly effective.

 

[upstater1]

There was nothing wrong with the playcall. It shouldn't take a brainiac to figure that out.

As usual, zero content in a Deus Irae post. You've got nothing.

 

[upstater1]

With the way the Colts' pass rush was starting to get to Brady, calling play action would have been even more risky than what we did.

Unless they weren't fooled by the play action, which results in a severe loss of yards or a turnover when we could have least afforded it.

Personally, I don't see a problem with putting the ball squarely in the hands of our $100M franchise GOAT candidate of a quarterback. Put his best pass catchers out on the field and let him do what he does. Especially since the run got stoned on the series before. If the best change that you can come up with is a play action pass given the situation that we were in, then you should probably reexamine your stance on the issue.

One more thing, are you confusing the series we're talking about?

They ran the ball ALL THE WAY downfield the series before. They were highly effective.

In fact, there was no better situation for play-action than that.

For heaven's sake, you have a big lead, the defense thinks you are going to try to run out the clock, you just crammed the ball down their throats on the previous series. I can think of no better context for play-action, can you? If you can't do it there, you should never run it. The fact that you do it so well makes it doubly obvious.