20 Sacks 2013 vs 13 sacks 2014

[Ring 6]

If I had time to re-watch the game I would, but I can't anymore. And I often throw out the caveat that I'm not watching these twice anymore. I rely on Bedard to confirm or deny my reactions. There was pressure, and it seemed to come from Devey & Kline.

Given that caveat I understand your position more but suggest you should tone down the indignation toward anyone who looked closer and disagrees with you.

 

[Ring 6]

Rewatch the games. Brady has been getting pounded.

Every QB gets hit. The first couple of games Brady got hit more than normal, the last few he has not.
Just because we cringe every time he is hit does not mean he is the only QB who gets hit.

 

[BradyManny]

Given that caveat I understand your position more but suggest you should tone down the indignation toward anyone who looked closer and disagrees with you.

Fair enough, that's a valid point.

 

[BradyManny]

Evidently.

Last year Brady was sacked 40 times - - - his most since the 41 in 2001. No other year for him was even close.

Yes, but the offense as a whole was a complete mess last year until Gronk returned - which again, is the problem of using stats like sacks to judge the OL in a vacuum. How many of those sacks were because no one was open? It was the worst weaponry Brady's dealt with since 2006 and the Bug-Eye & Doug Gabriel year.

The OL had its issues last year, but Wendell was the weakest link. This year, he's turned into a steadying force at RG. When Stork & Connolly are back, I will feel good about the line.

 

[shmessy]

Yes, but the offense as a whole was a complete mess last year until Gronk returned - which again, is the problem of using stats like sacks to judge the OL in a vacuum. How many of those sacks were because no one was open? It was the worst weaponry Brady's dealt with since 2006 and the Bug-Eye & Doug Gabriel year.

The OL had its issues last year, but Wendell was the weakest link. This year, he's turned into a steadying force at RG. When Stork & Connolly are back, I will feel good about the line.

You are still talking as if the word "weaponry" for an offense only means pass catchers.

Last year they had a far better and deeper stable of RB's who could keep an opposing D having to guess. James White for LaGarette Blount is the biggest mistake Belichick made in the offseason.

 

[Oswlek]

You are still talking as if the word "weaponry" for an offense only means pass catchers.

Last year they had a far better and deeper stable of RB's who could keep an opposing D having to guess. James White for LaGarette Blount is the biggest mistake Belichick made in the offseason.

Really? Blount was terrible for the first half of the year. Granted, he really turned it on down the stretch, but he was useless in Denver and most of his production boiled down to two great games. Other than against Buffalo and Indy, his performance was what you would expect for an average RB behind a very good run blocking OL.

Solid player, but wholly overrated.

 

[Oswlek]

WAIT A SECOND!!!!

The Jets came into the game averaging EXACTLY 16.00 points per game. They scored 25 Thursday night (and it would have been a game winning 28 had Chris Jones' hand been 3 inches to the left.)

This, in your opinion, was the result of a 'good strategy'???????

They scored 25 running it down the depleted Pats D. Everyone and his grandma watching that game could see that the Patriots were badly missing Mayo and the D was getting consistently crushed on the ground. As they tired, would it NOT have been a good idea for the Pats offense to try to control the ball more and keep our tired and overmatched run D off the field as much as possible?

McDaniels put back on the same his beanie with a propeller that he work in the last two Miami games. 37-15 Pass-to-Run ratio.

Before the last "drive" with the Jets playing 8 in the box and the Pats going into shell mode, the Pats running game was 12 for 62 (5.17 average).

Meanwhile, the Pats D was doing everything but wave a white flag and spelling out the words S.O.S. in the field. The braintrust should have seen this and thrown them a life preserver. Instead? A TOP of 40:54-19:06.

As a result, if Chris Jones' hand is 3 inches to the left, the Patriots are 4-3 (1-2 in the division) just having been beaten at home by the Jets.

I'm sorry, but that's horrible game planning after losing Mayo and having only 2 LB's who can play (and one of them was playing at 75%). Patricia should pull a Buddy Ryan and clean McDaniels' clock.

Ha! This must be the disagree-with-shmessy thread.

NY's two longest drives, TOP-wise, occurred on their first and third drives of the night, long before any offensive issues would have worn them down.

It also seems strange that anyone would question a pass heavy approach when facing the 6th best run defense (by YPC) and the 31st pass defense (by defensive passer rating). The fact that it worked to the tune of 27 points without a single turnover or short field only supports that decision. Pointing to NE's success running isn't very convincing because there is little reason to believe the rates would have remained the same with more attempts. Nor are the three-and-outs compelling when you consider that two (or even three) of them involved drops of clear first downs.

Not that I wouldn't love Dallas' running game, or even simply another couple runs spliced in here or there, but the approach against NY was sound. NE's defensive problems were of their own making.

 

[Ring 6]

Really? Blount was terrible for the first half of the year. Granted, he really turned it on down the stretch, but he was useless in Denver and most of his production boiled down to two great games. Other than against Buffalo and Indy, his performance was what you would expect for an average RB behind a very good run blocking OL.

Solid player, but wholly overrated.

True. First half of the season he had 65 carries for 265 yards. Second half of the season he didn't exceed 50 in a game until week 16.
His 2 awesome games in week 17 and Div round were the exception, not the rule.

 

[mayoclinic]

The Jets came into the game averaging EXACTLY 16.00 points per game. They scored 25 Thursday night (and it would have been a game winning 28 had Chris Jones' hand been 3 inches to the left.)

If Chris Jones' hand is 3 inches to the left, the Patriots are 4-3 (1-2 in the division) just having been beaten at home by the Jets.

As an aside, that was a 58 yard FG attempt by Nick Folk, who's career best is 56 yards. That's why it was such line drive kick and was blocked. It might well have been good, but I don't think it's exactly a gimme that the FG would have inevitably succeeded if not blocked.

 

[Oswlek]

True. First half of the season he had 65 carries for 265 yards. Second half of the season he didn't exceed 50 in a game until week 16.
His 2 awesome games in week 17 and Div round were the exception, not the rule.

And a large portion of that 265 were a few long runs. Admittedly, that is a bad thing, but the guy was remarkably inconsistent for someone so large.

 

[Ring 6]

Ha! This must be the disagree-with-shmessy thread.

NY's two longest drives, TOP-wise, occurred on their first and third drives of the night, long before any offensive issues would have worn them down.

It also seems strange that anyone would question a pass heavy approach when facing the 6th best run defense (by YPC) and the 31st pass defense (by defensive passer rating). The fact that it worked to the tune of 27 points without a single turnover or short field only supports that decision. Pointing to NE's success running isn't very convincing because there is little reason to believe the rates would have remained the same with more attempts. Nor are the three-and-outs compelling when you consider that two (or even three) of them involved drops of clear first downs.

Not that I wouldn't love Dallas' running game, or even simply another couple runs spliced in here or there, but the approach against NY was sound. NE's defensive problems were of their own making.

It also should be noted that one run went for 17 yards on a great play by Vereen, otherwise we ran 14 times for 46 yards. I'm not sure why we would discount the last drive when we needed to run to ice the game, either.

 

[Ring 6]

And a large portion of that 265 were a few long runs. Admittedly, that is a bad thing, but the guy was remarkably inconsistent for someone so large.

Nah, really only 1 for 47 yards. That's a fair 38 yards a game and 4.0 per carry, not slanted heavily by long runs.

 

[BradyManny]

You are still talking as if the word "weaponry" for an offense only means pass catchers.

Last year they had a far better and deeper stable of RB's who could keep an opposing D having to guess. James White for LaGarette Blount is the biggest mistake Belichick made in the offseason.

We'll have to agree to disagree there, too, because I don't think Blount was all that much of a loss. His outburst of production was a result of our OL owning the LOS in the run game down the stretch. Ridley always was our best pure runner (fumbles aside), and he routinely gets yards that aren't there. Other than that, I think a lot of RBs will all have pretty comparable production in our offense, and that yardage goes as a function of scheme and the guys up front. Bolden, Gray & Vereen will all be effective when the line is effective.

And Wendell, as much as he struggled in pass pro last year, can help in the run game. Again, our (hopefully) soon to be starting lineup with Stork & Connolly in there should be pretty capable of creating some holes.

 

[upstater1]

For every one time that Brady ducked a nonexistent ghost, he pulled the same move on a defender bearing down on him from behind, and the defender tackled air and went flying over the top of Brady. I must be the only Patriots fan that thinks Brady ducking ghosts is a good thing.

 

[supafly]

Ha! This must be the disagree-with-shmessy thread.

NY's two longest drives, TOP-wise, occurred on their first and third drives of the night, long before any offensive issues would have worn them down.

It also seems strange that anyone would question a pass heavy approach when facing the 6th best run defense (by YPC) and the 31st pass defense (by defensive passer rating). The fact that it worked to the tune of 27 points without a single turnover or short field only supports that decision. Pointing to NE's success running isn't very convincing because there is little reason to believe the rates would have remained the same with more attempts. Nor are the three-and-outs compelling when you consider that two (or even three) of them involved drops of clear first downs.

Not that I wouldn't love Dallas' running game, or even simply another couple runs spliced in here or there, but the approach against NY was sound. NE's defensive problems were of their own making.

Setting aside shmessy's premise that we should have run more on the offensive side, the fact that the response is to AzPatsFans' ridiculous theory that Belichick purposely "allowed" the Jets to successfully run all night and control the TOP is the main point.

 

[goheels22002]

True. First half of the season he had 65 carries for 265 yards. Second half of the season he didn't exceed 50 in a game until week 16.
His 2 awesome games in week 17 and Div round were the exception, not the rule.

Blount is on pace for almost identical numbers in 2014 with the Steelers. http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/player/gamelogs/2014/1620455

I wanted the Patriots to keep him based on the big games he had in bad weather. But who knows? Blount isn't one of those guys who creates yards without the line giving him a clear path into the second level.

As far as Brady and the sacks difference, some credit goes to the line but most, compared to 2013, goes to having a better receiving corps with Gronk and Edelman in there, LaFell emerging, Vereen doing his thing as a receiver, and spot duty by the other guys.

It would be nice to see the OL settle into a consistent starting five with Connolly and Stork in the interior. If the Patriots could get that for the next six games, this offense can play with any of these upcoming teams.

 

[lurker1965]

Sacks is a misleading stat for the offensive line. Many sacks are because the QB called the wrong protection (53 is not the Mike, it was 51) or the RB getting beat or the QB holding the ball too long (coverage sack). It also does not count the QB suddenly developing a scrambling to throw to Amendola ability, just to pick a completely random and non-specific example.