Pats vs. Miami replay - observations

[Patspsycho]

Observations-

One thing worrying me.. our RZ problems crept back.. we could not execute there.

Vollmer.. it is clear that this kid is something; nobody is winning any straight up one-on-one battles with this kid. It was clear Porter didn't want to go up against him, and when he had do, was timid; you could tell he was intimidated. He did blow a blitz pickup, but fortunately Welker was on sight adjust in that play and got the ball. I liked how BB gameplanned with Welker, having him motion so that his alignment forced a mismatch because the Dolphins did not open up in man coverage.

2nd drive where they lost Koppen. Kudos to Connolly for stepping in there without missing a beat.

Interesting how they kept Welker in motion a lot of the game, a few coverage were in man, but they had problem in switching assignments in zone, and this is where Welker got space and gave them problems.

Thank God no more zone blocking for the OL.

Aiken got 2 PI and created mismatches.. it was obvious Miami did not game plan for him.

Defense-

Even though BB had a feel that they would pull a Pat White, he did have an oversight (he is not always a genius) in pitch and option assignment. This is why you see TBC whiff on that Pat White run up the middle. But they got that resolved in good time. Priority: go after the QB no matter what.

Puzzled why BB played a cover 4 against the Pat White run.. was not effective at all. No edge contain, no safety blitz. Nothing.

TBC gets the game ball on the D for being a disruptive force, key stops, sack, and rushes. However Burgess consistently created pressure, and I think is a part of why TBC has his successes because he draws attention to the other side, away from TBC. So that is one thing that doesn't show up in the stats.

2nd half when Miami goes to WC, we blitz McGowan. But Miami gets up the field on outs because CBs are in prevent. I did not realize how good of a run-stuffer McGowan is.. sort of reminds me of Sanders with his diving blocks.

That TD by Moss was a crossing pattern with Moss/Welker and the top safety rolled over on Welker. This left Moss in single coverage and we know what happened.

Uncertain what adjustments on D we made in the 2nd half that really shut them down. Wish I had DVR to go over this again. I think I saw the DB switch to man out of cover 2-4 at the snap. They also bluffed blitz and overload which I think is brilliant, it kept Henne off balance without forcing us to commit. BB must have seen the Jets game where they faked blitz and rushed only 3 and Henne threw away the ball.

Our last drive on Miami 30 after the Dolphins 4th and 10 was just sloppy.

Even though this wasn't a sharp game, there is plenty to feel optimistic about. That D is really something, they are prideful, loose, and quite confident. I have not seen this for a long time; possibly since '03.

 

[363839]

Re: Pats vs. Miami replay- observations

I posted this in the other thread but I'm going to repeat here as it is more appropriate...
I watched Adalius in a lot of those clips
and I gotta say, save for the one tackle he had in the backfield he
left a lot to be desired. Horribly whiffed between two players, made a weak attempt at driving his blocker with his back in what looked like a spin move and just didn't look like he was hustling much.
I don't think we'll see him back next year.

 

[VrabelMayeWin]

Re: Pats vs. Miami replay- observations

Yeah, I watched Vollmer on every play. He had the one miss on a blitz where he looked inside first (which is ok) but was way late in going back outside. There were a couple of other pressures from his side but he largely kept his guy at the line and had a couple of pancakes. He also gets downfield on screens very nicely.

And boy does this group of Safeties come to hit. My goodness.

 

[amazinPats]

Great post, patpsycho!

 

[mayoclinic]

2nd half when Miami goes to WC, we blitz McGowan. But Miami gets up the field on outs because CBs are in prevent. I did not realize how good of a run-stuffer McGowan is.. sort of reminds me of Sanders with his diving blocks.

I presume you mean Bob Sanders and not James.

I see a little bit of Bob Sanders in McGowan - similar size and the way they throw themselves around with reckless abandon to make the big play. McGowan is much better in coverage than Bob Sanders though.

The way Chung has looked the past few weeks, I think getting Meriweather, McGowan and Chung on the field at the same time will be more and more common. Those 3 guys will make a lot of plays.

 

[IcyPatriot]

Observations-

One thing worrying me.. our RZ problems crept back.. we could not execute there.

IMO ... I feel like whenever we're inside the 20 we're looking to score the TD. Maroney and Faulk have shown the ability to score from inside the 10. I think we should work the ball closer and mix the run in there more ... we pass way too much inside the 20. Probably the stats say this is the way to go ... so throw the stats out if that's the case ... we need to run just a bit more in the RZ.

 

[Patspsycho]

Great post, patpsycho!

Thanks.. I just wish we'd hear from the good posters, Jays52, Unoriginal, and a few others. I know they have great insights to share. Help me coax them out.

 

[Patspsycho]

I presume you mean Bob Sanders and not James.

I see a little bit of Bob Sanders in McGowan - similar size and the way they throw themselves around with reckless abandon to make the big play. McGowan is much better in coverage than Bob Sanders though.

The way Chung has looked the past few weeks, I think getting Meriweather, McGowan and Chung on the field at the same time will be more and more common. Those 3 guys will make a lot of plays.

Agreed. Our use of the nickel/dime has shot up the charts. It could actually become our base.

 

[StraightCashHomey81]

-I continue to be impressed by Myron Pryor. He is in on most of the 3rd down packages now and provides a good interior rush, something this team has been lacking in the last few years.

-There must have been 3 or 4 times when the NFLN Replay showed clips of BB "Mic'd up" on the sidelines telling the corners, particulary Bodden, to tighten up on the outside. Interesting considering how often the complaint has been made that our CBs play too soft.

-I agree with everyone's else's observations on Vollmer, kid can play, despite the one breakdown on blitz pickup.

-I'd like to see more Play Action inside the Red Zone. Going Shotgun 3 WR 1 RB w/ no PA seems to have gotten stale inside the RZ and its harder for the WRs and TE to get separation without the threat of the long ball. With Maroney growing in the running game and Brady's superb ball-handling skills, PA with a quick throw down to the Goal Post to Watson, Moss, or even Aiken could be an answer (Think the TDs to Branch/Givens in Super Bowl 38).

-The play of the Brandons and the coaching staff's increasing trust in Chung has allowed for more exotic blitz/blitz looks and an overall faster D while giving up little against the run when the D goes with 3 safeties.

-This makes me even more excited for the Colts game, as the 3 safety alignment will likely be the base D as it has been the last two games against Indy. Who covers Clark? McGowan or Meriweather? I know McGowan has been great on TEs so far, but Clark provides a far faster, albeit smaller, threat than TEs we have faced so far. Meriweather maybe a better matchup for Clark

 

[mayoclinic]

Agreed. Our use of the nickel/dime has shot up the charts. It could actually become our base.

I can see 3-3-5 with 3 safeties and 2 CBs becoming more and more our base, with lots of sub packages mixed in.

 

[SVN]

colts have been hard to pass against especially in the RZ . they have some great stat about #of passing TD's allowed. Even dungy said that nbc during the cards/colts game that the cards should run the ball
iam hoping the pats dont get too trigger happy and stick with the run like last yr's game actually.
Even the 2007, the pats passing game was mostly inffective until brady and moss connected in the last 10 mins. But for some reason even with the most ineffective run defense of the colts over the yrs BB always tries to pass more.

 

[mayoclinic]

colts have been hard to pass against especially in the RZ . they have some great stat about #of passing TD's allowed. Even dungy said that nbc during the cards/colts game that the cards should run the ball
iam hoping the pats dont get too trigger happy and stick with the run like last yr's game actually.
Even the 2007, the pats passing game was mostly inffective until brady and moss connected in the last 10 mins. But for some reason even with the most ineffective run defense of the colts over the yrs BB always tries to pass more.

The Colts CBs get to practice against Manning all the time.

I hope we run the ball a lot too, and that Maroney has his biggest game of the season. My favorite Colts loss of all time (outside of games against the Pats) was the 2006 game late in the season against Jacksonville when the Jags ran for 375 yards and won 44-17; Fred Taylor had 130+ yards in that game, and Jones-Drew over 160).

 

[Patspsycho]

I hope we run the ball a lot too, and that Maroney has his biggest game of the season. My favorite Colts loss of all time (outside of games against the Pats) was the 2006 game late in the season against Jacksonville when the Jags ran for 375 yards and won 44-17; Fred Taylor had 130+ yards in that game, and Jones-Drew over 160).

Colts run D is middle of the pack. Only their pass D is in top 5.

Our RBs have to have a big game.

 

[SVN]

Colts run D is middle of the pack. Only their pass D is in top 5.

Our RBs have to have a big game.

if we commit to the run that is...i think BB will come out throwing as usual debunking all theories of running the ball to keep manning on the sideline theories.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

Good stuff Psycho.

 

[pencilneckgeek]

I presume you mean Bob Sanders and not James.

I see a little bit of Bob Sanders in McGowan - similar size and the way they throw themselves around with reckless abandon to make the big play. McGowan is much better in coverage than Bob Sanders though.

The way Chung has looked the past few weeks, I think getting Meriweather, McGowan and Chung on the field at the same time will be more and more common. Those 3 guys will make a lot of plays.

They will. Probably not this week, though. I expect Sanders will get in a bunch of snaps, based on his experience with some of the exotic coverages that BB is likely to throw at Manning. Chung is a physical presence, but with McGowan locked up on Clarke, the third safety will have a lot of responsibilities, from bracketing to over-the-top coverage on Wayne, to getting a good read on short passes when Clarke takes McGowan deep. I'd be psyched if BB thinks Chung has progressed enough to get a bunch of reps this week, but I expect his development as a coverage DB will take a little longer.