We're On To The Titans

[patfanken]

If Burkhead, White and Lewis are all healthy enough to play, I can foresee us paper cutting them to death with the no huddle. 12 personnel. Honestly can't see them stopping us, unless our interior line has an off day.

Yeah, I meant to include the great advantage we have with our RB's in the passing game. I read where the Titans rank very low in how they handle TE's and RB's.

But I'd love to see them in a lot of formations. If we are in 12 (1RB, 2 TE's) for a couple of plays and then move virtually seamlessly to shot guy and put a RB in the slot and go 5 wide and spread them.

Going 5 wide would have another benefit to keep them from doubling Gronk. If they do, there will be plenty of room to cut them up with short to medium range passes. In the end IF they can't get to Brady with a 4 man rush, he'll carve them up UNLESS they go to man concepts and 5 man blitzes. That might prove to be a problem for a time, but could hurt them win the Pats eventually adjust.

 

[nabwong]

Yeah, I meant to include the great advantage we have with our RB's in the passing game. I read where the Titans rank very low in how they handle TE's and RB's.

But I'd love to see them in a lot of formations. If we are in 12 (1RB, 2 TE's) for a couple of plays and then move virtually seamlessly to shot guy and put a RB in the slot and go 5 wide and spread them.

Going 5 wide would have another benefit to keep them from doubling Gronk. If they do, there will be plenty of room to cut them up with short to medium range passes. In the end IF they can't get to Brady with a 4 man rush, he'll carve them up UNLESS they go to man concepts and 5 man blitzes. That might prove to be a problem for a time, but could hurt them win the Pats eventually adjust.

Yeah absolutely. That’s what I meant. Your base personnel is 12. Right off the bat, you’re forcing the Titans to choose if they’re going heavy or light on D. Knowing McD, I think he won’t give it all away and use the 1st couple of series to test them.

I think it’s one of the least acknowledged aspects of our coaching staff; the ability to attack the other team but also test them in different situations, then keep that one play that would knock them out.

 

[Off The Grid]

That won't stop the hawt taeks & GDT from erupting from this moment forward about how the Pats DL isn't generating sacks and how the "contain" method sucks.

I'm getting sick of it before it even begins.

Hah!! That was truly a gem, Brother Scottman!!

 

[Jadex9]

Did that person really, REALLY suggest the Pats sit key personnel during a PLAYOFF game?!

 

[TheOutsider]

What an absolute joke!

 

[nabwong]

I heard from an anonymous source that Brady has already won Patriot of the week.

It’s official.

 

[Off The Grid]

You are absolutely right PWP, that game should be an object lesson for EVERY one of us, including myself. When you start patting yourself on the back BEFORE the game instead of after it, then you are inviting a bad outcome.

nothing that us fans think or feel, matters one iota whatsoever with respect to "inviting a bad outcome"

No that remark was directed at the players and coaching staff. Of COURSE what we think doesn't matter at all

Uh...no...That remark was clearly directed at "every one of us!!"

I understand that it's fun to imagine that Coach Belichick, his staff, and the team gather 'round PatsFans before and after every game to draw inspiration from your words of wisdom, Bro, but until Mad Bill's Book comes out and they admit it, I think we have to go with the supposition that "every one of us" means...us.

 

[Off The Grid]

I am not confident against anyone this year. I will not be shocked by a loss.

This is a good sign. The last time I had supreme confidence in a playoff win was against Rex Ryan's Jets. And before that, the 07 Super Bowl.

Gotta admire a guy throwin'mself under the bus as a Contrary Indicator!!

 

[Off The Grid]

We have had 11 byes and we are 10-1 in those divisional games.

Wow. Every once in a while, it just hits you, you know? How insane this run is?

32 teams. 4 byes/year. That means that the average team gets a bye ever 8 years.

In 17 years? The average team has had 2 byes.

We've had 12. Holy ****.

 

[Ring 6]

Eagles have to play the defending NFC champions/NFL MVP

Vikings have to play Drew Brees & the Saints, who already beat them this year

Steelers have to play the #1 defense in the NFL, who already destroyed them in Pittsburgh

We play the Titans.

Not necessarily a good thing because being battle tested helps a team.

 

[Pat the Pats Fan]

Knowledgeable fan on titans board
“Let Logan, adore, tye covers cooks, Hogan, Edelman....

 

[luuked]

Lebeau does some really nice things with his myriad of zone blitz schemes. It is stupid to think he is just going to run the same stuff he ran in Pittsburgh. You don't get to coach in this league into your 80's by not being able to adjust. When you look at the KC game you can see a number of great schemes where the Titans were able to get guys free runs at the QB, while only committing 4 men to the rush. Schemes I wouldn't mind see the Pats run once in a while

That being said, there isn't much that Lebeau can throw at Brady that he hasn't seen before. But because its not easy to pick all this up, there WILL be a few times where either the protection or Brady doesn't read it right. What you have to do is make them pay dearly on the majority of the times the protection picks it up and make the right reads.

Lebeau has traditionally been pretty much zone behind those blitzes with 3 deep and 4 under. You have to think though, much like the Steelers did, he'll have to throw more man, or tighter underneath zones to squeeze the Pats underneath game. As an example think back to Rex Ryan's overload zone blitzes and 3 man rushes with FIVE under and 3 deep of his hey day with the Jets from 2010-12. These proved to be very confusing to Brady for a while.

Everyone always brings this up which amuses me a bit. He might not run the same things as in Pittsburgh but in the end whatever they installed in July and have been running throughout the regular season is what they will show next Saturday. If they go away from what they have been doing and practicing for months just to "surprise" the Pats then this is the first victory for us. Because the potential for busts in something you have been practicing for a few days over something that you have been running the entire year is a lot bigger.

Similarly, when push comes to shove they will -- as it did against the Steelers on that final Gronk drive -- they will revert back into whatever they feel most comfortable with anyway.

They will come with a couple new looks which might mean that the first quarter will be slower for our team but we will figure out how to design the matchups we want by the second quarter and take control from then on. This has been par or the course with out for a while and I dont expect this game to be any different. Except maybe we have early success with out (scripted) first drive.

 

[Observer]

Not necessarily a good thing because being battle tested helps a team.

Nah, path of least resistance is better.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Whiney

Argh. I can't spell for **** and the auto spell check on my phone sucks.

 

[TommyD4207]

Similarly, when push comes to shove they will -- as it did against the Steelers on that final Gronk drive -- they will revert back into whatever they feel most comfortable with anyway.

I already gave you a winner tag, but for as much fawning over the "OMG MAN DEFENSE" the Steelers played in stretches of that game - when it was crunch time, it was drop the DE/OLB, blitz the one on the other side, Cover 4 over top. Same zone blitz ********. Romo even called it and sounded all depressed when he saw it happening. Not out of rooting interest, but because he knew what was going to happen.

**** LeBeau will run lots and lots of zone blitz. The TN defense is based on Brian Orakpo and what he's doing (blitzing/dropping). Figure that out, and you're good.

 

[patfanken]

Everyone always brings this up which amuses me a bit. He might not run the same things as in Pittsburgh but in the end whatever they installed in July and have been running throughout the regular season is what they will show next Saturday. If they go away from what they have been doing and practicing for months just to "surprise" the Pats then this is the first victory for us. Because the potential for busts in something you have been practicing for a few days over something that you have been running the entire year is a lot bigger.

Similarly, when push comes to shove they will -- as it did against the Steelers on that final Gronk drive -- they will revert back into whatever they feel most comfortable with anyway.

They will come with a couple new looks which might mean that the first quarter will be slower for our team but we will figure out how to design the matchups we want by the second quarter and take control from then on. This has been par or the course with out for a while and I dont expect this game to be any different. Except maybe we have early success with out (scripted) first drive.

I guess I'm spoiled by the fact that the Pats actually CAN morph into different styles of defense (and offense) week to week.

That gives them a huge advantage over the rest of the league and is another one of those hidden reasons that have allowed the Pats to stay on top for so long. That's also why I think the "language" they've built up over the years is so critical to be able to do this. Being able to communicate these changes so everyone understands what they are supposed to do and what their responsibilities and techniques are play to play is still remarkable to me.

 

[FourierSeries]

Gotta hand it to @patfanken. He's doing a marvelous job of pretending that this will be an actual and serious athletic competition on Saturday, and is presumably doing it with a straight face.

Props to him.

 

[denverpatsfan]

How many points to win this game 24-28? Can the Pats get there?

 

[Vatahala]

On GMF the question was of the 4 bye teams who should be the most worried this weekend......

Kyle Brandt went with my pick the Eagles.
Peter Schrager mentioned Ben's 5 picks and went Pittsburgh
Nate Burleson chose the Pats.

Kay Adams was so stunned she asked Nate a second time in a tone like hey moron change your answer but he held firm.

 

[Kdo5]

Wow. Every once in a while, it just hits you, you know? How insane this run is?

32 teams. 4 byes/year. That means that the average team gets a bye ever 8 years.

In 17 years? The average team has had 2 byes.

We've had 12. Holy ****.

It truly is unreal. And barring a meltdown the team will have traveled to 7 straight AFCCG's (12 total for Brady & Belichick). That is insane.