Tom Curran: Patriots used the Colts game to experiment with players

[NinjaZX6R]

Do the Titans still? I thought they switched things up after Washburn left.

Not sure. I've seen a reg 43, 43u (w. the rookie Akyers at Sam) and the same conservative wide 9 look I saw today from the Pats.

 

[Metaphors]

The Colts were able to move the ball on us all day.

Up until 4 minutes left in the 3rd, your statement makes no sense. 5 drives. 3 points. 134 yards. 1 turnover. Three 3-n-outs. Assuming the first 68% of the game is included in your definition of "all day", your statement is a wee bit misguided.

Then with a 28 point lead, the defense trades 7 points for nearly 9 minutes in clock time...effectively ending any real chance at a comeback. The next drive ended in another turnover. So the tally with 6 minutes remaining:

• 21 point lead
• 7 drives
• 3 3-n-outs
• 2 turnovers
• 10 points allowed
• 255 yards allowed

If this is unacceptable to you, what were you expecting the situation to be with 6 minutes remaining in the game?

The offense went cold and the "experimental" defense couldn't stop a pee-wee offense.

The 2 deep passes to Garcon were serious breakdowns. Outside of those, giving up repeated 10 yard curl routes would just burn the clock and end the game.

The offense lost their focus in the 4th quarter, but they had just converted their last 4 drives into touchdowns...with Brady going 21-25 over that span. Learning experience for them to keep their focus sharp regardless of score and time.

You can choose whether or not you believe Belichick treated this game like the 2nd preseason game. No way to prove either way and I doubt Belichick will admit anything. Really no need to make stuff up to justify your negative outlook.

 

[TheBostonStraggler]

How often do you see good defenses like the Steelers roll out three street JAGs to experiment in a game? I'm not buying it. The reason why he needs to "experiment" now is because his other guys aren't working. If it wasn't for Brady this game would've been a matchup between the NFL's worst in the annual toilet bowl.

Fyi, Pittsburgh was trailing Indy in the 4th quarter of their game. After Indy relinquished 10 points, Indy scored a TD late to pull within 3 points (game ended a few seconds after a failed onside kick).
So our team of jags and Pitt brought about a similar result albeit not in quite the same fashion. Does that make you feel any better or does everything remain completely awful except for Brady having to carry the whole team on his shoulders?

I'm curious about something, what if Rodgers gets hurt? Brees? Rothlesberger? (sp?) Or even Newton or Tebow? Those teams going to be getting done at the same level? Seems like coaches can just get a dominant QB then kick their feet up on the desk and read the funnies and horoscopes. Newsflash! You almost always need a dominant QB to be perennial contenders in this league. Of course what a team would do if it lost its star QB is all speculation unless our star QB actually got hurt and had to replaced with a backup. The speculation would then be quantifiable wouldn't it?

 

[TheBostonStraggler]

You can choose whether or not you believe Belichick treated this game like the 2nd preseason game. No way to prove either way and I doubt Belichick will admit anything. Really no need to make stuff up to justify your negative outlook.

I don't disagree that there isn't absolute proof. However, there is evidence to suggest this was the case. Conversely, I know of no evidence, at least not at this moment, to suggest BB wasn't doing it. Based on this and optimism, I am looking at it from the same view as Curran (though I admit going with Curran is not the most enviable road to travel).

 

[farn]

I'm with Curran : they "tried things". I bet Chung plays if this was a playoff game. And maybe K the linebacker and Slater the safety play less.

It went well : garbage time TDs are ok if you win and no one gets hurt.

 

[jcdavey]

sounds like an excuse as to why they only won by 7

they didn't need to make excuses, they won the game

 

[Wax Frog]

I can't help but laugh when people act like they know what BB is thinking.

I'd often thought what a deadly poker player BB would make...

 

[Wax Frog]

I would think that the best time to do that is in practice. But eh, what do I know?

I'm Currantly a fence-sitter with the proposed theory, but a reason to do this might be that there's no substitute for the conditions of an actual game.

 

[DarrylS]

From my couch, was surprised at the number of different players... thought it was unusual to see "Nino" et al playing that early in the game.. but it does make sense, as going into the stretch BB needs to know what he has and who he can rely on...

Unfortunately, it was almost a complete failure.. but a W is a W and there are no style points.

 

[IllegalContact]

Anyone who thinks this defense is ny good is just fooling themselves

 

[SpiderFox53]

Anyone who thinks this defense is ny good is just fooling themselves

That's just it though. Nobody is saying the defense is great or even good. What they are saying is that maybe they are not as bad as they looked in the last 18 minutes of the game yesterday.

 

[Nikolai]

Someone else (Bella*chick who deserves the credit for finding this) posted this in the post game thread, but I think it deserves its own thread to talk the doom and gloomers off the ledge.

Eh, let them jump.

I remember remarking to my wife that it seemed like a preseason game with some of the names and positions. Of course, that's just the eye-test, and it's tough to call that evidence, even if more than a couple of us opined along those lines. There aren't any facts that disprove the "experimental" theory yet, even if there isn't much more than circumstantial evidence in support of it.

As I said last year, BB's primary goal is to win football games. By 3 points, 7 points, 47 points, whatever it takes. If he needs to trade time for yards or time for points to make it happen, then so be it. He probably has little interest in covering spreads or looking good in the eyes of pundits and naysayers across the land.

 

[Mack Herron]

That's just it though. Nobody is saying the defense is great or even good. What they are saying is that maybe they are not as bad as they looked in the last 18 minutes of the game yesterday.

Consistency counts. Gotta play 60 mins. (Says so right on the field.) Go see if you can find the last time Baltimore or Pgh played a quarter like that on defense.

 

[Wax Frog]

He probably has little interest in covering spreads or looking good in the eyes of pundits and naysayers across the land.

Of this there is no doubt.

 

[IllegalContact]

That's just it though. Nobody is saying the defense is great or even good. What they are saying is that maybe they are not as bad as they looked in the last 18 minutes of the game yesterday.

The OP itself is an excuse-making attempt to the contrary......the argument is that the defense was not good because of the things they were trying when the real fact is that the defense is simply not good at all

 

[RobertWeathers]

I truly believe that this defense CAN be good. The problem is that is has a complete inability to be consistent.

The only part of this defense that has been somewhat consistent is the run defense.

 

[Gumby]

Unfortunately, it was almost a complete failure.. but a W is a W and there are no style points.

UNFORTUNATELY THERE ARE STYLE POINTS......

NFL Tiebreaking Rules:

Two Clubs
1. Head-to-head, if applicable.
2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.
4. Strength of victory.
5. Strength of schedule.

Three or More Clubs
1......
2. Head-to-head sweep....
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.
5. Strength of victory.
6. Strength of schedule.

BOTH RAVENS (+7) and SQUEELERS (+21) made up ground on the SOV tiebreaker on Pats last night. Houston maintained being IN FRONT OF PATS on SOV tiebreaker.

We dont have enough common games and everybody who can tie with Pats is going to have the same # of AFC wins. SOV is going to be the dealbreaker (except for a 2-way H-H w/ Pitt).

 

[Rob0729]

How often do you see good defenses like the Steelers roll out three street JAGs to experiment in a game? I'm not buying it. The reason why he needs to "experiment" now is because his other guys aren't working. If it wasn't for Brady this game would've been a matchup between the NFL's worst in the annual toilet bowl.

yes, the defense has been playing well the last three games so there a need for wholesale changes. They held the Jets to 14 points (2 came off a safety), the Chiefs to 3, and the Eagles to 20 (13 points before a garbage time TD). And Belichick said to himself, "This team is not going to win any games in the playoffs if the defense is giving up 3-14 points a game. Time to make wholsale changes."

Sorry, the defense has been playing well over the last month or so. There were need to make the changes he made.

 

[IllegalContact]

I truly believe that this defense CAN be good. The problem is that is has a complete inability to be consistent.

The only part of this defense that has been somewhat consistent is the run defense.

this defense lacks the playmakers at all the LB positions. the secondary was just the next domino to fall from there

 

[Rob0729]

The Colts were able to move the ball on us all day. We were lucky that it wasn't closer earlier in the game because they were starting a horrible, third string quarterback. The same quarterback that presided over the 0-16 Detroit debacle a few years back. And the game could have went into overtime if we started experimenting with guys a few minutes earlier than we did. The offense went cold and the "experimental" defense couldn't stop a pee-wee offense.

All day?!?Really?!? Here is the Colts' drive chart:

First Half
-1 yards Punt
71 yards Field Goal
8 yards Punt
-1 yard End of half

Total: 77 yards, 1 field goal, 1 FG

Second Half

Third quarter

44 yards fumble

Fourth Quarter


91 yards, TD
30 yards, INT
93 yards, TD
90 yards, TD

How exactly is that moving the ball on the Pats all day? 77 yards in the first half. 44 yards in the 3rd quarter. 303 yards in the 4th quarter. Apparently the Pats had no answer for the Colts' offense all game.