Are The Patriots Too Dependent On Brady?

[upstater1]

Now that I had a chance to listen to it, Trey Wingo couldn't be more wrong about the Super Bowl. Yes, Brady completed 19 in a row, but what killed that drive with the Welker drop/Brady misfire? Not necessarily that they were relying on the pass. No. They got the ball at their own 5, and took three minutes of no huddle to drive downfield to the Giants 40. The Giants were gassed. The Patriots were going in for the kill. They were throwing and connecting. So, OC O'Brien calls a jumbo package on 1st and 10 at the Giants 40, after the Patriots drove the ball 55 yards in 10 plays, gassing the Giants, and he puts everyone on the line. The Giants stack the line, leave one guy in the dbackfield, and run blitz. Two yard loss. 2nd and 12 comes, the Welker drop, and then they are 3rd and 12. They got away from what they had been doing, dinking and dunking. They went to the running game, put Brady in a 3rd and long and the drive ended. If Wingo goes back and watches that game he may decide, "Just pass the freaking ball!" or at the very least, if you're going to run it there, spread your receivers wide and hand it off to Woodhead.

 

[Nunchucks]

I saw last year's offense as unstoppable even by great defenses, whereas the 07 offense had hitches coming down the stretch. It's hard to really tell because the schedule in 07 was a murderer's row. So that may have a lot to do with it. 04, you make a great point, but there were many close games when the offense WASN'T scoring at the proficiency they showed last year. If I had to take one offense, I would choose last year's.

Um, whenever the Patriots faced a good defense last year, they struggled. Why did they struggle? Because they couldn't run the ball or failed to commit to the run. Too much dependence on Brady.

Steelers, Ravens, Giants (twice), Dallas....even teams with so-so defenses managed to bottle up the Patriots offense for a half in many cases.

Run the ball run the ball run the ball...that should be the mantra going into the season.

 

[Nunchucks]

I agree. Yes, the Pats could upgrade their RB situation. Other than a handful of teams, everyone can. But the Pats aren't the Jets. The Jets proved last year that they need a strong running game to take pressure off of Sanchez. The Pats don't need that for Brady.

This offense will be most dangerous with Lloyd, Welker, Gronk, and Hernandez all on the field. That means the running play options will be limited. Maybe McDaniels will throw a whole new wrinkle and either Ridley or Vereen can emerge. I think Vereen living up to his promise could be huge because he has the potential to be a threat as a runner and a receiver.

Also, I love the way they use Woodhead (and Faulk before him). The RB draw with Brady in the shotgun can be very deadly if used right.

Why should running play options be limited when the Patriots have two TEs on the field and are most likely facing a nickel or even dime defense? That is the best time to run the ball.

 

[patsfaninpittsburgh]

Um, whenever the Patriots faced a good defense last year, they struggled. Why did they struggle? Because they couldn't run the ball or failed to commit to the run. Too much dependence on Brady.

Steelers, Ravens, Giants (twice), Dallas....even teams with so-so defenses managed to bottle up the Patriots offense for a half in many cases.

Run the ball run the ball run the ball...that should be the mantra going into the season.

LOL

Ummm, no. Actually, watch games.

 

[Jangles]

Absolutely

It would be a different story if Brady had some serious playmakers to throw to.

Gronk is really the only one imo. Welker is amazing, but he's more of a consistent chain mover than a break away threat in the passing game. This is why the Forte talks were so interesting. An elite back to take that load off would have been huge for the already lethal passing game.

Obviously the volume numbers might not have been there, but imagine the efficiency of the passing game if Brady played against a defense that also had to respect the run.

 

[Nunchucks]

LOL

Ummm, no. Actually, watch games.

How many points did they score in those games?

 

[patsfaninpittsburgh]

How many points did they score in those games?

Why not report the numbers back after you watch the games?

As a said, these style of article is for hit generation because it drags the "run the ball" types out of the woodwork.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

The current structure of the team is fine. The Pats are winning and making it to the post season and thats the goal. Get to the playoffs.

Based on other threads, your sarcasm is noted.

 

[Deus Irae]

Um, whenever the Patriots faced a good defense last year, they struggled. Why did they struggle? Because they couldn't run the ball or failed to commit to the run. Too much dependence on Brady.

Steelers, Ravens, Giants (twice), Dallas....even teams with so-so defenses managed to bottle up the Patriots offense for a half in many cases.

Run the ball run the ball run the ball...that should be the mantra going into the season.

They struggled against good defenses because they couldn't stretch the field with the vertical passing game. It was the same thing the season before, when the running game was going much better.

Are the Patriots too dependent on Brady? Yes, because the team has no defense, and has an offense that's almost exclusively a 20 yard deep offense. The running game doesn't solve that problem. A better defense, and a receiving corps that can legitimately threaten opponents 30+ yards downfield is what's needed.

 

[upstater1]

Um, whenever the Patriots faced a good defense last year, they struggled. Why did they struggle? Because they couldn't run the ball or failed to commit to the run. Too much dependence on Brady.

Steelers, Ravens, Giants (twice), Dallas....even teams with so-so defenses managed to bottle up the Patriots offense for a half in many cases.

Run the ball run the ball run the ball...that should be the mantra going into the season.

I thought the offense was more than fine during the Ravens game. It was poor decision making like the bomb that killed them. The offense wasn't bad at all. Giants game as well. Steelers was just a flat game.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Now that I had a chance to listen to it, Trey Wingo couldn't be more wrong about the Super Bowl. Yes, Brady completed 19 in a row, but what killed that drive with the Welker drop/Brady misfire? Not necessarily that they were relying on the pass. No. They got the ball at their own 5, and took three minutes of no huddle to drive downfield to the Giants 40. The Giants were gassed. The Patriots were going in for the kill. They were throwing and connecting. So, OC O'Brien calls a jumbo package on 1st and 10 at the Giants 40, after the Patriots drove the ball 55 yards in 10 plays, gassing the Giants, and he puts everyone on the line. The Giants stack the line, leave one guy in the dbackfield, and run blitz. Two yard loss. 2nd and 12 comes, the Welker drop, and then they are 3rd and 12. They got away from what they had been doing, dinking and dunking. They went to the running game, put Brady in a 3rd and long and the drive ended. If Wingo goes back and watches that game he may decide, "Just pass the freaking ball!" or at the very least, if you're going to run it there, spread your receivers wide and hand it off to Woodhead.

There's an old football maxim that says if something is working, keep doing it until it stops working. The Pats exemplified that a few years back against the JEST when they ran Kevin Faulk up the middle for 7 yards, then ran him up the middle for 8, and then ran him up the middle again for 9.

The one thing that p***ed me off about O'Brien is that he often gave up on things that were working for no apparent reason.

 

[patsfaninpittsburgh]

I thought the offense was more than fine during the Ravens game. It was poor decision making like the bomb that killed them. The offense wasn't bad at all. Giants game as well. Steelers was just a flat game.

Ding Ding we have a winner.

The offense was more than fine. Brady played poorly, he didn't "struggle".

On the opening drive, he missed a wide open Gronk and later missed a wide open AHern for sure TD's. He did it under zero duress. Likewise, both INT's were under zero duress.

The Steelers game was due to coaching and gameplanning. If anyone wants to understand that, it's highly recommended that one study the "Six Day/Yom Kippur/Bekka Valley 1982" events in the Middle East.

 

[TheComeback]

Ding Ding we have a winner.

The offense was more than fine. Brady played poorly, he didn't "struggle".

On the opening drive, he missed a wide open Gronk and later missed a wide open AHern for sure TD's. He did it under zero duress. Likewise, both INT's were under zero duress.

The Steelers game was due to coaching and gameplanning. If anyone wants to understand that, it's highly recommended that one study the "Six Day/Yom Kippur/Bekka Valley 1982" events in the Middle East.

Here's a video of Brady throwing the interception in the Super Bowl:
http://www.sbnation.com/2012-super-.../tom-brady-chase-blackburn-interception-video

I don't know how anyone can watch that and claim with a straight face that Brady was under "zero duress."

And the Steelers game was "due" to the Steelers defense.

 

[jason423]

As an outsiders perspective I do think the Patriots over-rely too much on Brady. I dont think it has anything to do with the runners they have though. When you have a QB like Brady almost anyone with some speed should be able to run, especially out of shotgun draws when the teams have the wrong personnel on the field. Thats a playcalling issue and not a talent issue and its one of the reasons you lost to the Jets two years ago in the playoffs. For whatever reason it took New England far too long to adjust to the DB cluster defense we ran that day. Once they actually started running they ran right through the undersized defense but it was too late.

I think where they are too reliant on Brady is in who they draft and sign. I look back on Mannings run in Indy and see 6 first round picks designed to make Mannings life easier (WR, TE, and RB) over a 10 year period. They paid big money to keep Harrison, Wayne, and Clark and even franchised James 1 season. NEs picks were Daniel Graham, Ben Watson, and Laurence Maroney, with Maroney being the only one selected after Brady solidified his spot as one of the top 2 QBs in the league. They never pay to keep their receivers. Even when they hit gold in Moss and Welker they were both low cost/low risk moves. Moss was dumped (which was the right move) and Welker is probably playing it out. I would not be shocked if Hernandez is moved when the decision is made to pay him and Gronkowski. They dont need Andre Johnson and Brandon Lloyd might be the perfect fit, but somewhere along the line there was probably one or two mid tier guys that could have been targeted or drafted in round 1 and kept around to make life even easier for the offense when they come into tough games, especially in the playoffs.

 

[Rob0729]

Why should running play options be limited when the Patriots have two TEs on the field and are most likely facing a nickel or even dime defense? That is the best time to run the ball.

They are not limited to two plays or anything like that, but they are limited. Unfortunately, Hernandez is not really an end of the line blocking TE like Gronk it. He is usually lined up in the slot which limits the play calling because his side of the line is undermanned in a lot of situations when it comes to blocking.

 

[Nunchucks]

Why not report the numbers back after you watch the games?

As a said, these style of article is for hit generation because it drags the "run the ball" types out of the woodwork.

Yeah, I didn't watch the games.....how about next year you pay for my season tickets so I can watch the games on TV

 

[Nunchucks]

I thought the offense was more than fine during the Ravens game. It was poor decision making like the bomb that killed them. The offense wasn't bad at all. Giants game as well. Steelers was just a flat game.

17 points in the SB, Brady got hit a lot. If they run the ball more, it helps those things.

 

[Nunchucks]

Ding Ding we have a winner.

The offense was more than fine. Brady played poorly, he didn't "struggle".

On the opening drive, he missed a wide open Gronk and later missed a wide open AHern for sure TD's. He did it under zero duress. Likewise, both INT's were under zero duress.

The Steelers game was due to coaching and gameplanning. If anyone wants to understand that, it's highly recommended that one study the "Six Day/Yom Kippur/Bekka Valley 1982" events in the Middle East.

But why was he playing poorly? because he was having trouble figuring out the defenses, the middle of the field was flooded with defenders...BTW what is the semantic difference between playing "poorly" and "struggle"

That PA water must rot the brain.

 

[Deus Irae]

17 points in the SB, Brady got hit a lot. If they run the ball more, it helps those things.

During the regular season meeting, the Patriots ran the ball 24 times for 106 yards, and still lost 24-20.


To repeat..... Running the ball isn't the issue.

 

[IllegalContact]

Here's a video of Brady throwing the interception in the Super Bowl:
VIDEO: Tom Brady And Rob Gronkowski Try For Their Own Helmet Catch, Chase Blackburn Makes Interception - SBNation.com

I don't know how anyone can watch that and claim with a straight face that Brady was under "zero duress."

And the Steelers game was "due" to the Steelers defense.

it was poor decision making by brady....he could have settled for the sure 15-20 yarder to the open guy on the right sideline. if he was so intent on making htat throw, he needed to make it one step sooner.

the pats are not too dependant on brady, but it seems that the playcalling is such that taking a dink and dunk approach for an entire game is beneath them even though they had/have the perfect targets to play that game.