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The title says it all. I'm sure the media will respond to this VERY solid win with more talk about how bad the Rams were; rather than remembering that the Rams are a team stocked with a LOT of very high draft picks and it was the PAT's who made that physically talented team look very, very bad. The Felger talk will be all about how choppy the offense looked (true btw), without Gronk and how that will be the fatal flaw down the road. The good game on defense, of course, will be minimized because of the quality of the opponent.....and so on, and so on, and so on. 
So now that I've saved you endless hours of listening to the mediots, lets start the breakdown
Disclaimer: I missed most of the 3rd quarter because I have company and had to make a pizza run, so I missed the Van Noy pick, so I wouldn't mind seeing a clip of it.
Offense:
1. OL - The concept of "getting better" is someting that is often lost in the hype. A lot of mediots and some fans see only what is happening in the moment and think that that is what it is and will always be. Our OL has been getting better as the season goes along. We have an exceptionally young interior OL with a rookie and 2 second year guys, and it seems to me the protection has improved a lot recently and the run blocking has gotten a bit better too.
All the pre-season questions and fears seem to be answered in a very positive way. Cannon has been a rock. Solder has picked up his game and is playing very well, and the young guys in the middle are improving by the game. Now this is NOT an OL that is going to be mentioned in the same breath as the Oakland and Dallas OL's, but they have come a LONG way from what we saw in Denver last January. BTW- since this will be the 2nd sackless game in row, I wonder where the Pats stand in allowing sacks.
2. Receivers.-
a. Boy, Malcolm Mitchell looks smooth running his routes, almost casual. There is a lot to like about that kid. For some reason he looks a lot better than a rookie with just 24 catches and just over 300 yds in 12 games in the NFL. He very much reminds me of David Givens. His attitude seems so perfectly Patriot-like. It's like you know when he goes home tonight he won't be thinking about all the catches, yards, and the TD he got. He will be obsessing about that drop he had on the last drive that cost the team a first down
b. Amendola's injury is going to hurt more than his stats imply. Amendola hasn't had many catches this season, but most of those were either impact plays or first downs. Today was a perfect example. IIRC, all 3 were for first downs. If he's not there next week, look for DJ Foster to get some reps in the slot or using one of the other RB's in the Amendola position.
c. Edelman's best game this season. God that kid takes some horrendous hits and gets up an keeps on going. There are tough receivers and then there are really really tough receivers. Edelman is in the latter group.
d. Hogan - keeps on showing his value. Interesting that they never took a shot deep with him in this game. He will need to expand on his "big" play catches. The thing the Pats will miss the most without Gronk will be he was averaging 20yds per catch. Hogan is a guy we need to make more chunk plays. Today that was clearly not in the game plan for him
e. Marty - Im not sure why Bennett wasn't a more pivotal player in the passing game today, but clearly he wasn't with only 4 catches, about 3 or 4 targets and NOTHING down field. For some reason, this was not in the game plan.
3. QB- A very unspectacular and effective game by Brady. Back over 70% again in his completion percentage, and was in control most of the game. He wasn't sacked and only hit a few times (unlike Goff). I'm sure Brady will be pissed they didn't convert on those 4 drives that ended in FG's and a 3rd down coversion rate of only 25%. THOSE are the things the Pats offense needs to improve on going forward, but for today it was more than enough to win this game.
4. RB's Blount was again the best RB on the field. But I would be happier if his more than respectable 4.8ypc were more consistent. He had his long TD run, and 4 or 5 eight yd gains and the rest were pretty much stuffed. Lewis AND White ran hard and moved the ball. Having Lewis back there gives the Pats a legitimate run threat when he is in there and that HAS to help the rest of the offense. Remember, this is still August for Lewis. We have a while before we see his A game, in the meantime, what we are getting is pretty good.
White deserves kudos for the the great play in made on the tipped ball that easily could have been a pick, and wound up a short completion. I even think he is running harder than I've seen in the past. Nothing that makes me want to give him the ball on a run, but still better than it used to be.
5. General offensive thoughts:
a. The Rams were gashed by screen passes last week, and clearly they learned their lesson. The Pats ran about a dozen screen or screen-like passes this game with only marginal success. I understand why the Pats put these plays in, concidering what they saw on film, but what suprised me was that they kept on going to them long after it was clear that the Rams were reacting to them so well.
b. Like I mentioned before, the key for Josh McDaniels post-Gronk is going to be how to create the kind of "chunk plays" they were getting from Gronk this season. The guy was averaging TWENTY ypc for god's sake,
c. This is a Rams defense that has held teams to less than 15 points six times this season, including the 3 they put up against the Seahawks early in the year. They are not as bad as they showed in the Saints game. It is fair to say their offense sucks, but that defense isn't a "tomato can" and the Pats managed to protect their QB and have 6 scoring drives, and still left more than a dozen points on the field.
The media will look at this game and see it as an offensive disappointment. I look at as being the first step in the post Gronk part of the season. Think about it: Dallas put up 17 points this week and there is NO one who is worrying about the Dallas offense.
6. Defense- Front seven - Now is the point in the season where people are going to have to start to realize that this team has a VERY good run defense. The 37 yd performance today will drop the Pats down to averaging 94.3 ypg which would put them 8th in the league, if everyone else holds there positions. But more importantly isn't what they've done over an entire season, its what they've done over the last few games. 37 today, 68 vs the Jets, 118 vs the Niners (with 4o of that coming by the QB) and 88 vs Seattle. Remember the best team in the league is averaging 74(Ravens) and 89ypc gets you in the top 5.
Again these stats are only indicators of how a team is playing, but the point is that in a year where Gronk is gone and 30 point games will likely not be automatic, we have a defense that is "getting better" as the year goes on.
a. FINALLY, it seemed like Matt opened the defensive play book and not only ran some blitzes, but more often than not rushed just 4 or 5 but moved those pieces around to great effect. The McClellan sack was a great example where he started out on the edge and came all the way inside to make the play. The 4 sacks (for anyone who actually gives a sh!t about that stat) will move the Pats into a tie for 13th in the league. Of course not great, but now at least respectable. BTW- the Bronco's lead the league with just 10 more than the Pats.
c. Van Noy and McClellan are starting to make their presence felt in a good way. I missed Van Noy's pick but it sounds like it was a great athletic play. McClellan got a lot of snaps against the Run game and showed up well.
d.I would have hoped that Mingo would be playing a more relavent role in the regular defense by now, but it doesn't seem to be happening.
e. Sheard seemed like he played a strong game today, and showed up a couple of time in pass coverage including a dropped pick
f. Ninko's best game this season. BTW- I bet the Pats lead the league in at least one defensive category. Number of times they allow the QB to escape after getting 2 hands on him. Not a great category, but it happened again today.
7. DB's - How can you complain when you allow only 166 passing yards and 66 came in complete garbage time. BTW- on that play Butler anticipated an out at the first down marker, and got completely fooled. What was disappointing was there wasn't a single safety nearby. I don't know if that was a blown coverage, or the Pats called a play that gave no safety help. At any rate I REALLY hated that the Rams scored that last TD.
a. Malcolm Butler is playing very well (the long pass not withstanding). He was in perfect position against Britt on that long pass that was perfectly thrown by Goff early in the game. Butler got both hands on it. Late in the game his hit that dislodged a ball on a pass play was just another example on just why he's a special player. He is very good, if a tad below elite, in coverage. He is one of the best run support and tackling CB's in the league. He hits like he's 230. And he is on the field every game and almost every play. He's been the definition of "dependable" since he's been a starter I think the COMBINATION of those things make him a top 10 CB in the league, and that may be too conservative an estimate.
b. I thought the announcing team at Fox was head and shoulders above what we've been getting on CBS recently, but was gettng a little annoyed at the constant talk about dropped balls by the Rams receivers. Yes they did drop some balls, but IMHO, more than a few of those dropped balls were the DIRECT result of a good play by one of our DB's on the hit, and they were rarely getting any credit for it.
8. General defensive thoughts
The turnovers are coming, the turnovers are coming. Nice to be +2 again and the picks were especially wanting. Coming into the last quarter of the season, lets see how we do.
8. ST's - Again the coverage teams did a great job on one of the most dangerous return teams in the league.
b. Going 4-4 with 3 of them being 45ys and over should make a lot of fans and media more comfortable about Gotskowski. Interesting note, think about all the hand wringing we've had over his performance and right now he's hitting on 83% of his FG's, which isn't that far from his career average of 87%. I think that the fact that over the last 3 seasons prior to this one, where he averaged a 92% coversion rate, set the bar so high, that by being "merely"very good caused panic in the nation. Remember there was a time that if you had a FG kicker that was above 60% he was an all pro, and kicking a 5o yd FG was something that was done only at the end of a game (BTW- a that time the goal posts were wider than they are now.
c. Ryan Allen has done a great job while he's been here, but you could see why BB gushed about Heckert all week. What a cannon that guy has.
9. General thoughts
a. I thought the officiating was better than I'd expect from a Boger game. The Pats did lose penalty war, 30-46, but until the last drive most were on the offense and the 3 holding calls were a big reason for some drives stalling. But mostly it seemed the officials stayed out of the game and they didn't disturb the flow of it.
b. The Ravens destroyed the Dolphins, and will be all fired up to get here on Monday. Beyond fighting for their lives for a playoff spot in a very mediocre AFCN, the Ravens are one of those rare teams that LIKES to play the Pats.
Have I mentioned lately that I HATE the Ravens more than any team in the league, and root for any team that plays them. Right now if I had to make a hate list, it would be the Ravens, Colts, and Jets, and there would be a big gap between the first and 2nd teams. It will be a very good time for a really good offensive game, combined with a continued up turn by the D in sacks and TO's. I do NOT want to lose to those evil assh*les.
c. That being said this will be a great week for the board to actually concentrate on the upcoming game, rather than some of the other stuff we tend to talk about.
d. Anyways my company is complaining about by absence and lack of attention, so I'll cut it off early and let the conversation begin. Please feel free to comment, disagree (with words), and add to what I've observed.
So now that I've saved you endless hours of listening to the mediots, lets start the breakdown
Disclaimer: I missed most of the 3rd quarter because I have company and had to make a pizza run, so I missed the Van Noy pick, so I wouldn't mind seeing a clip of it.
Offense:
1. OL - The concept of "getting better" is someting that is often lost in the hype. A lot of mediots and some fans see only what is happening in the moment and think that that is what it is and will always be. Our OL has been getting better as the season goes along. We have an exceptionally young interior OL with a rookie and 2 second year guys, and it seems to me the protection has improved a lot recently and the run blocking has gotten a bit better too.
All the pre-season questions and fears seem to be answered in a very positive way. Cannon has been a rock. Solder has picked up his game and is playing very well, and the young guys in the middle are improving by the game. Now this is NOT an OL that is going to be mentioned in the same breath as the Oakland and Dallas OL's, but they have come a LONG way from what we saw in Denver last January. BTW- since this will be the 2nd sackless game in row, I wonder where the Pats stand in allowing sacks.
2. Receivers.-
a. Boy, Malcolm Mitchell looks smooth running his routes, almost casual. There is a lot to like about that kid. For some reason he looks a lot better than a rookie with just 24 catches and just over 300 yds in 12 games in the NFL. He very much reminds me of David Givens. His attitude seems so perfectly Patriot-like. It's like you know when he goes home tonight he won't be thinking about all the catches, yards, and the TD he got. He will be obsessing about that drop he had on the last drive that cost the team a first down
b. Amendola's injury is going to hurt more than his stats imply. Amendola hasn't had many catches this season, but most of those were either impact plays or first downs. Today was a perfect example. IIRC, all 3 were for first downs. If he's not there next week, look for DJ Foster to get some reps in the slot or using one of the other RB's in the Amendola position.
c. Edelman's best game this season. God that kid takes some horrendous hits and gets up an keeps on going. There are tough receivers and then there are really really tough receivers. Edelman is in the latter group.
d. Hogan - keeps on showing his value. Interesting that they never took a shot deep with him in this game. He will need to expand on his "big" play catches. The thing the Pats will miss the most without Gronk will be he was averaging 20yds per catch. Hogan is a guy we need to make more chunk plays. Today that was clearly not in the game plan for him
e. Marty - Im not sure why Bennett wasn't a more pivotal player in the passing game today, but clearly he wasn't with only 4 catches, about 3 or 4 targets and NOTHING down field. For some reason, this was not in the game plan.
3. QB- A very unspectacular and effective game by Brady. Back over 70% again in his completion percentage, and was in control most of the game. He wasn't sacked and only hit a few times (unlike Goff). I'm sure Brady will be pissed they didn't convert on those 4 drives that ended in FG's and a 3rd down coversion rate of only 25%. THOSE are the things the Pats offense needs to improve on going forward, but for today it was more than enough to win this game.
4. RB's Blount was again the best RB on the field. But I would be happier if his more than respectable 4.8ypc were more consistent. He had his long TD run, and 4 or 5 eight yd gains and the rest were pretty much stuffed. Lewis AND White ran hard and moved the ball. Having Lewis back there gives the Pats a legitimate run threat when he is in there and that HAS to help the rest of the offense. Remember, this is still August for Lewis. We have a while before we see his A game, in the meantime, what we are getting is pretty good.
White deserves kudos for the the great play in made on the tipped ball that easily could have been a pick, and wound up a short completion. I even think he is running harder than I've seen in the past. Nothing that makes me want to give him the ball on a run, but still better than it used to be.
5. General offensive thoughts:
a. The Rams were gashed by screen passes last week, and clearly they learned their lesson. The Pats ran about a dozen screen or screen-like passes this game with only marginal success. I understand why the Pats put these plays in, concidering what they saw on film, but what suprised me was that they kept on going to them long after it was clear that the Rams were reacting to them so well.
b. Like I mentioned before, the key for Josh McDaniels post-Gronk is going to be how to create the kind of "chunk plays" they were getting from Gronk this season. The guy was averaging TWENTY ypc for god's sake,
c. This is a Rams defense that has held teams to less than 15 points six times this season, including the 3 they put up against the Seahawks early in the year. They are not as bad as they showed in the Saints game. It is fair to say their offense sucks, but that defense isn't a "tomato can" and the Pats managed to protect their QB and have 6 scoring drives, and still left more than a dozen points on the field.
The media will look at this game and see it as an offensive disappointment. I look at as being the first step in the post Gronk part of the season. Think about it: Dallas put up 17 points this week and there is NO one who is worrying about the Dallas offense.
6. Defense- Front seven - Now is the point in the season where people are going to have to start to realize that this team has a VERY good run defense. The 37 yd performance today will drop the Pats down to averaging 94.3 ypg which would put them 8th in the league, if everyone else holds there positions. But more importantly isn't what they've done over an entire season, its what they've done over the last few games. 37 today, 68 vs the Jets, 118 vs the Niners (with 4o of that coming by the QB) and 88 vs Seattle. Remember the best team in the league is averaging 74(Ravens) and 89ypc gets you in the top 5.
Again these stats are only indicators of how a team is playing, but the point is that in a year where Gronk is gone and 30 point games will likely not be automatic, we have a defense that is "getting better" as the year goes on.
a. FINALLY, it seemed like Matt opened the defensive play book and not only ran some blitzes, but more often than not rushed just 4 or 5 but moved those pieces around to great effect. The McClellan sack was a great example where he started out on the edge and came all the way inside to make the play. The 4 sacks (for anyone who actually gives a sh!t about that stat) will move the Pats into a tie for 13th in the league. Of course not great, but now at least respectable. BTW- the Bronco's lead the league with just 10 more than the Pats.
c. Van Noy and McClellan are starting to make their presence felt in a good way. I missed Van Noy's pick but it sounds like it was a great athletic play. McClellan got a lot of snaps against the Run game and showed up well.
d.I would have hoped that Mingo would be playing a more relavent role in the regular defense by now, but it doesn't seem to be happening.
e. Sheard seemed like he played a strong game today, and showed up a couple of time in pass coverage including a dropped pick
f. Ninko's best game this season. BTW- I bet the Pats lead the league in at least one defensive category. Number of times they allow the QB to escape after getting 2 hands on him.
Not a great category, but it happened again today.7. DB's - How can you complain when you allow only 166 passing yards and 66 came in complete garbage time. BTW- on that play Butler anticipated an out at the first down marker, and got completely fooled. What was disappointing was there wasn't a single safety nearby. I don't know if that was a blown coverage, or the Pats called a play that gave no safety help. At any rate I REALLY hated that the Rams scored that last TD.
a. Malcolm Butler is playing very well (the long pass not withstanding). He was in perfect position against Britt on that long pass that was perfectly thrown by Goff early in the game. Butler got both hands on it. Late in the game his hit that dislodged a ball on a pass play was just another example on just why he's a special player. He is very good, if a tad below elite, in coverage. He is one of the best run support and tackling CB's in the league. He hits like he's 230. And he is on the field every game and almost every play. He's been the definition of "dependable" since he's been a starter I think the COMBINATION of those things make him a top 10 CB in the league, and that may be too conservative an estimate.
b. I thought the announcing team at Fox was head and shoulders above what we've been getting on CBS recently, but was gettng a little annoyed at the constant talk about dropped balls by the Rams receivers. Yes they did drop some balls, but IMHO, more than a few of those dropped balls were the DIRECT result of a good play by one of our DB's on the hit, and they were rarely getting any credit for it.
8. General defensive thoughts
The turnovers are coming, the turnovers are coming. Nice to be +2 again and the picks were especially wanting. Coming into the last quarter of the season, lets see how we do.
8. ST's - Again the coverage teams did a great job on one of the most dangerous return teams in the league.
b. Going 4-4 with 3 of them being 45ys and over should make a lot of fans and media more comfortable about Gotskowski. Interesting note, think about all the hand wringing we've had over his performance and right now he's hitting on 83% of his FG's, which isn't that far from his career average of 87%. I think that the fact that over the last 3 seasons prior to this one, where he averaged a 92% coversion rate, set the bar so high, that by being "merely"very good caused panic in the nation. Remember there was a time that if you had a FG kicker that was above 60% he was an all pro, and kicking a 5o yd FG was something that was done only at the end of a game (BTW- a that time the goal posts were wider than they are now.
c. Ryan Allen has done a great job while he's been here, but you could see why BB gushed about Heckert all week. What a cannon that guy has.
9. General thoughts
a. I thought the officiating was better than I'd expect from a Boger game. The Pats did lose penalty war, 30-46, but until the last drive most were on the offense and the 3 holding calls were a big reason for some drives stalling. But mostly it seemed the officials stayed out of the game and they didn't disturb the flow of it.
b. The Ravens destroyed the Dolphins, and will be all fired up to get here on Monday. Beyond fighting for their lives for a playoff spot in a very mediocre AFCN, the Ravens are one of those rare teams that LIKES to play the Pats.
Have I mentioned lately that I HATE the Ravens more than any team in the league, and root for any team that plays them. Right now if I had to make a hate list, it would be the Ravens, Colts, and Jets, and there would be a big gap between the first and 2nd teams. It will be a very good time for a really good offensive game, combined with a continued up turn by the D in sacks and TO's. I do NOT want to lose to those evil assh*les.
c. That being said this will be a great week for the board to actually concentrate on the upcoming game, rather than some of the other stuff we tend to talk about.
d. Anyways my company is complaining about by absence and lack of attention, so I'll cut it off early and let the conversation begin. Please feel free to comment, disagree (with words), and add to what I've observed.
