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Boy the title for this post came really easy this week. The Pats made 3 unforced turnovers, gave the Ravens anywhere between 17-21 points, plus all the momentum in the world, and STILL wound up with a 7 point lead, and the ball on the Ravens 20, first and 10 when the clock hit 0.00. This is a team that has been questioned all season, and keeps on winning DESPITE not following the script that a lot of successful Pats teams have followed in the past. That being, creating lots of turnovers (and they haven't), not turning the ball over (and up to this game they were the best in the league), and Tons of sacks (now tied with a bunch of teams with 28, ten behind the Broncos)
This team is just winning DESPITE not following the "script" but being THAT good all around that they can play a choppy game on offense and STILL put up 30 on the #1 defense in the league after giving away one TD and, as I said, finish the game again inside the opponents 20. So lets get started on the break down
Offense:
1. OL - All I heard all week was how tough the Ravens pass rush is going to be now that everyone was healthy, well they got one coverage sack on a blitz by Weddle and are now just one ahead of your "hapless" NE Patriots. I guess perception is everything in sports media these days.
Meanwhile Brady had plenty of time for most of his 38 drop backs and if he was more willing to look to his RB's instead of locking on Edelman he would have had a few more completions. But where the OL REALLY shown was rushing the ball over 90 yds and 4ypc against the best rushing D in the league INCLUDING 2 rushing first downs to close out the game when the Ravens knew it was coming.
On the negative side there were 3 holding calls even if some WERE questionable, that have to be cleared up since they all were drive killers. But once again the OL has proven that they have long since ceased to be one of the "questions" they need to be answered. It's December now and they might not have the rep of a Dallas or Oakland OL, but they have very quietly become one of the most consistent groups in the league. I'd be interested in seeing what PFF or Football outsiders say.
2. RB's I would have liked to see Dion Lewis get 2 or 3 more runs, but Blount ran very well and got the most of what was there, and his effective running is what made the play action pass game VERY productive this game. James White was once again very effective in the passing game. In fact I think he and Lewis should have been used more, he even had a decent 5 yd run. But Josh PLEASE do not give him the ball 1st and goal on the 3. OK? Not when you have Lewis to put in the same situation.
3. Receivers - I didn't think Julian had nearly the number of "drops" Sean McDonough tried to attribute to him. Brady, for some reason was again trying to force the ball into him when he was being well covered. So IMHO, Julian had a decent game.
Hogan had some explosive plays even before the long TD. And Mitchell looks as smooth as glass on every ball that is thrown to him (which I wish was more often). He didn't just catch that TD pass, he SNATCHED it. On this team, only Gronk catches the ball that way. It is a beautiful thing to behold. He will only get better.
FINALLY some Marty ball. Good for him. It is very clear to me that the team is really managing his reps and targets due to his injuries. Tonight he made the most of them. I'd try to get him through the Denver game, and then shut him down for the last 2 game to get him as healthy as he can be for the playoffs We will need him for those games.
4. QB- Brady started slowly but was good when he had to be. We are getting spoiled when a 65% completion rate seems low for him. The Pats had a good 50% completion rate on 3rd down, and it might have been better without the 3 holding calls. He once again locked on to Julian too much and missed some open RB's And the pick on the GL was probably his worst play of the year. But this commentary only goes to show how spoiled we've become to criticize a guy who threw for over 400 yds and 3 TDs against the "best defense in the league"
Defense
5. So maybe this defense ISN'T this team's fatal flaw in real life When the only 2 TDs you give up start their drives from the 2 yd line and 21 yd line respectively you aren't playing bad defense. Felger is going to have think about starting a new narrative to feed his followers after this week. Cyrus Jones is an easy target, so it will likely be him.
6. Kudos to Matty P for a brilliant scheme this week. He put pressure on Flacco all night without having to rush more than 4 ninety percent of the time and often just 3. He constantly forced Flacco to go to his check downs most of the night well before he actually had to. I look for more of the same type of thing to confront to Trevor Simeon next week.
7. Front 7- Really good work vs the run though I thought Dixon made a few too many yds after contact late in the game (He's a nice looking RB IMHO) But for the most part there was very little there for the Raven running game. McClellin was in on 10 tackles and had his best game as a Patriot. Van Noy was OK, but blew one RB coverage tackle by getting out there late I recall, so that's all he gets is an OK (nice deflection though). Also some nice work in coverage by the DE's today who when "jump ball joe" went to his check downs he was throwing to covered receivers ready to be tackled for short gains. Hightower was again very solid in both coverage and run game, but sorry, I want a bit more from a guy who wants to be one of my top 5 cap guys next season.
BTW- I was led to beleive that only athletic freaks like Jamie Collins could jump over 2 lines and block FG's. Was I being misled?
8. DB's left very little open space for Flacco to throw to and 3 long balls he hit were more about the beautiful throws and fine catches than anything our DB's did wrong. I think he had 3 throws that acounted for about half his passing yds. One was a perfect throw on the sideline against great coverage. One was that great fly-stop route Smith ran and Flacco threw perfectly. And the last one to Perryman when Harmon (I think) got there a half second to late, and Jones didn't get back on. Over all another pretty good game by the DB's . (though clearly there was a blown coverage on the RB TD at the end) It happens and will certianly be a teaching point from BB
I do have to admit my heart kind of stopped when Malcolm went down. He really is an irreplaceable piece for us. After a bit it looked to me like he just got the wind knocked out of him, so I could start breathing again.
And I would be VERY remiss if I didn't mention if Patrich Chung isn't getting any Pro Bowl consideration, he really should be. He hasn't just been good this season. He's been GREAT, and its time people started talking about him more. Are you HEARING me, mediots'
9. ST-, well we certainly saw the yin and yang of it tonight. The great kick by Allen and play by JJones to set up the safety and to 2 consecutive plays by CJones and Slater that gifted 14 points to the Ravens.
10 You can rant and rave all you want about Cyrus Jones. Just remember that Edelman has had NINETEEN fumbles in his Pats career, including 6 in 2013 or the 103 fumbles in Tom Brady's career, including the 12 he had in 2001 (to go along with the 11 he had in 2002 and 13 in 2003) This isn't by any means excusing his blunders, but just to remind you not every Pats player gets off to a smooth start in his Pats career in this area
. In his presser Deven McCourty noted his own struggles in his 2nd year when a lot of people wrote him off as a first round bust. He also noted that when this kind of crap happens you have 2 choices. Go into the tank, or fight your way out of it. He thinks Jones is a fighter. But go ahead, feel free to scapegoat him, if it makes you feel better. :rollleyes:
11. General thoughts:
a. Zack Orr is a REALLY good looking LB. I don't know much about him or even where he came from, but count me among those who were REALLY impressed with this kid's play. He's a good one.
b. I hate Steve Smith for the irritating punk he is, but he can play on my team anytime. He's like Brad Marchand in that regard if you know anthing about the Bruins. Hate him as I may, I love to watch the man compete.
c. On a different vein, that ugly snaggle toothed, big mouthed bastard, Terrell Suggs can take his one assisted tackle, and one QB hit and go f*ck himself all the way back to Baltimore and tell someone THERE that he's still an impact player. He had ZERO impact on this game and he got all together too much face time on this TV show.
d. On the surface the officiating seemed quite even both in numbers and yards in this game, but Hoculi's crew royally screwed the Pats a couple of times. First there was the quick whistle that cost the Pats a turnover on Flower's sack. Then there was the phantom touch on McCourty's pick that cost us over 30yds. Those were the worst of the bad calls. 2 of the holds were very iffy, and on Hogan's flea flicker catch, the only reason that play wasn't a TD was that he was brutally held as he went past his defender which slowed him down enought that he could get back in the play to make a shoe string tackle.
But I can forgive ALL of that simply because they didn't throw any of those 40 yd PI's I was deathly afraid of during this game. I can live with the other crap, but not those.
e. I didn't watch is single minute of NFL football on Sunday and I have to say I really didn't miss it. Remember I lived and breathed football for most of my life from HS on. (That's over 55 years if you are keeping score at home) I was a rabid fan before rabid was even a word used to define fans, as opposed to sick dogs. Now every week the NFL gives me another reason disregard and disconnect from it.
The deflategate II saga is JUST as stupid as the first one was, and only points out to even more casual observers just how INJUST the Pats "punishment" really was. By all rights it really should disappear, just like the first one should have, EXCEPT that I see it as a way to further expose Goodell and his corrupt regime, as Sally Jenkins did so well in here WP article.
But we live in an age where "successful" lying or deflecting is an acceptable political strategy, and even when you have it on tape, you can deny ever saying it and have a LOT of people believe you. So simply just exposing it once like Jenkins did, and letting it go, isn't going to work.
Just because some fans (and Felger) are just tired of talking about it, doesn't mean you just let them get away with it......again. We need the mediots to keep Goodell's feet to the fire, and ask him why he is handling this case so differently than with Pats. Why was PSI such a critical matter to the very" integrity of the game in 2014", and you couldn't care less about it in 2016? Believe it or not, there are some mediots who react to what we feel. We need to make them know we still feel the pain.
The @Joker will never let it die, and neither will I. Wrong is Wrong, and when honest men turn their backs on it simply because it's inconvenient or hard, then Tyranny wins. It's as simple as that.
f. So in the end, I couldn't give a crap about who wins this division or that seed. Just let me enjoy these last 3 games, end the season in reasonable health, and tell me the 3 teams we have to go through to win the Lombardi. The other 31 teams only have meaning for me when they become an opponent of my team....and THEN they will have my undivided interest....for a week.
OK the bell just struck 3am, and its a good thing I'm retired. I'm sorry most of you have to go to work tomorrow, but try to find some time to give this a read and add your comments and observations.
This team is just winning DESPITE not following the "script" but being THAT good all around that they can play a choppy game on offense and STILL put up 30 on the #1 defense in the league after giving away one TD and, as I said, finish the game again inside the opponents 20. So lets get started on the break down
Offense:
1. OL - All I heard all week was how tough the Ravens pass rush is going to be now that everyone was healthy, well they got one coverage sack on a blitz by Weddle and are now just one ahead of your "hapless" NE Patriots. I guess perception is everything in sports media these days.
Meanwhile Brady had plenty of time for most of his 38 drop backs and if he was more willing to look to his RB's instead of locking on Edelman he would have had a few more completions. But where the OL REALLY shown was rushing the ball over 90 yds and 4ypc against the best rushing D in the league INCLUDING 2 rushing first downs to close out the game when the Ravens knew it was coming.
On the negative side there were 3 holding calls even if some WERE questionable, that have to be cleared up since they all were drive killers. But once again the OL has proven that they have long since ceased to be one of the "questions" they need to be answered. It's December now and they might not have the rep of a Dallas or Oakland OL, but they have very quietly become one of the most consistent groups in the league. I'd be interested in seeing what PFF or Football outsiders say.
2. RB's I would have liked to see Dion Lewis get 2 or 3 more runs, but Blount ran very well and got the most of what was there, and his effective running is what made the play action pass game VERY productive this game. James White was once again very effective in the passing game. In fact I think he and Lewis should have been used more, he even had a decent 5 yd run. But Josh PLEASE do not give him the ball 1st and goal on the 3. OK? Not when you have Lewis to put in the same situation.
3. Receivers - I didn't think Julian had nearly the number of "drops" Sean McDonough tried to attribute to him. Brady, for some reason was again trying to force the ball into him when he was being well covered. So IMHO, Julian had a decent game.
Hogan had some explosive plays even before the long TD. And Mitchell looks as smooth as glass on every ball that is thrown to him (which I wish was more often). He didn't just catch that TD pass, he SNATCHED it. On this team, only Gronk catches the ball that way. It is a beautiful thing to behold. He will only get better.
FINALLY some Marty ball. Good for him. It is very clear to me that the team is really managing his reps and targets due to his injuries. Tonight he made the most of them. I'd try to get him through the Denver game, and then shut him down for the last 2 game to get him as healthy as he can be for the playoffs We will need him for those games.
4. QB- Brady started slowly but was good when he had to be. We are getting spoiled when a 65% completion rate seems low for him. The Pats had a good 50% completion rate on 3rd down, and it might have been better without the 3 holding calls. He once again locked on to Julian too much and missed some open RB's And the pick on the GL was probably his worst play of the year. But this commentary only goes to show how spoiled we've become to criticize a guy who threw for over 400 yds and 3 TDs against the "best defense in the league"
Defense
5. So maybe this defense ISN'T this team's fatal flaw in real life When the only 2 TDs you give up start their drives from the 2 yd line and 21 yd line respectively you aren't playing bad defense. Felger is going to have think about starting a new narrative to feed his followers after this week. Cyrus Jones is an easy target, so it will likely be him.
6. Kudos to Matty P for a brilliant scheme this week. He put pressure on Flacco all night without having to rush more than 4 ninety percent of the time and often just 3. He constantly forced Flacco to go to his check downs most of the night well before he actually had to. I look for more of the same type of thing to confront to Trevor Simeon next week.
7. Front 7- Really good work vs the run though I thought Dixon made a few too many yds after contact late in the game (He's a nice looking RB IMHO) But for the most part there was very little there for the Raven running game. McClellin was in on 10 tackles and had his best game as a Patriot. Van Noy was OK, but blew one RB coverage tackle by getting out there late I recall, so that's all he gets is an OK (nice deflection though). Also some nice work in coverage by the DE's today who when "jump ball joe" went to his check downs he was throwing to covered receivers ready to be tackled for short gains. Hightower was again very solid in both coverage and run game, but sorry, I want a bit more from a guy who wants to be one of my top 5 cap guys next season.
BTW- I was led to beleive that only athletic freaks like Jamie Collins could jump over 2 lines and block FG's. Was I being misled?
8. DB's left very little open space for Flacco to throw to and 3 long balls he hit were more about the beautiful throws and fine catches than anything our DB's did wrong. I think he had 3 throws that acounted for about half his passing yds. One was a perfect throw on the sideline against great coverage. One was that great fly-stop route Smith ran and Flacco threw perfectly. And the last one to Perryman when Harmon (I think) got there a half second to late, and Jones didn't get back on. Over all another pretty good game by the DB's . (though clearly there was a blown coverage on the RB TD at the end) It happens and will certianly be a teaching point from BB
I do have to admit my heart kind of stopped when Malcolm went down. He really is an irreplaceable piece for us. After a bit it looked to me like he just got the wind knocked out of him, so I could start breathing again.
And I would be VERY remiss if I didn't mention if Patrich Chung isn't getting any Pro Bowl consideration, he really should be. He hasn't just been good this season. He's been GREAT, and its time people started talking about him more. Are you HEARING me, mediots'
9. ST-, well we certainly saw the yin and yang of it tonight. The great kick by Allen and play by JJones to set up the safety and to 2 consecutive plays by CJones and Slater that gifted 14 points to the Ravens.
10 You can rant and rave all you want about Cyrus Jones. Just remember that Edelman has had NINETEEN fumbles in his Pats career, including 6 in 2013 or the 103 fumbles in Tom Brady's career, including the 12 he had in 2001 (to go along with the 11 he had in 2002 and 13 in 2003) This isn't by any means excusing his blunders, but just to remind you not every Pats player gets off to a smooth start in his Pats career in this area
. In his presser Deven McCourty noted his own struggles in his 2nd year when a lot of people wrote him off as a first round bust. He also noted that when this kind of crap happens you have 2 choices. Go into the tank, or fight your way out of it. He thinks Jones is a fighter. But go ahead, feel free to scapegoat him, if it makes you feel better. :rollleyes:
11. General thoughts:
a. Zack Orr is a REALLY good looking LB. I don't know much about him or even where he came from, but count me among those who were REALLY impressed with this kid's play. He's a good one.
b. I hate Steve Smith for the irritating punk he is, but he can play on my team anytime. He's like Brad Marchand in that regard if you know anthing about the Bruins. Hate him as I may, I love to watch the man compete.
c. On a different vein, that ugly snaggle toothed, big mouthed bastard, Terrell Suggs can take his one assisted tackle, and one QB hit and go f*ck himself all the way back to Baltimore and tell someone THERE that he's still an impact player. He had ZERO impact on this game and he got all together too much face time on this TV show.
d. On the surface the officiating seemed quite even both in numbers and yards in this game, but Hoculi's crew royally screwed the Pats a couple of times. First there was the quick whistle that cost the Pats a turnover on Flower's sack. Then there was the phantom touch on McCourty's pick that cost us over 30yds. Those were the worst of the bad calls. 2 of the holds were very iffy, and on Hogan's flea flicker catch, the only reason that play wasn't a TD was that he was brutally held as he went past his defender which slowed him down enought that he could get back in the play to make a shoe string tackle.
But I can forgive ALL of that simply because they didn't throw any of those 40 yd PI's I was deathly afraid of during this game. I can live with the other crap, but not those.
e. I didn't watch is single minute of NFL football on Sunday and I have to say I really didn't miss it. Remember I lived and breathed football for most of my life from HS on. (That's over 55 years if you are keeping score at home) I was a rabid fan before rabid was even a word used to define fans, as opposed to sick dogs. Now every week the NFL gives me another reason disregard and disconnect from it.
The deflategate II saga is JUST as stupid as the first one was, and only points out to even more casual observers just how INJUST the Pats "punishment" really was. By all rights it really should disappear, just like the first one should have, EXCEPT that I see it as a way to further expose Goodell and his corrupt regime, as Sally Jenkins did so well in here WP article.
But we live in an age where "successful" lying or deflecting is an acceptable political strategy, and even when you have it on tape, you can deny ever saying it and have a LOT of people believe you. So simply just exposing it once like Jenkins did, and letting it go, isn't going to work.
Just because some fans (and Felger) are just tired of talking about it, doesn't mean you just let them get away with it......again. We need the mediots to keep Goodell's feet to the fire, and ask him why he is handling this case so differently than with Pats. Why was PSI such a critical matter to the very" integrity of the game in 2014", and you couldn't care less about it in 2016? Believe it or not, there are some mediots who react to what we feel. We need to make them know we still feel the pain.
The @Joker will never let it die, and neither will I. Wrong is Wrong, and when honest men turn their backs on it simply because it's inconvenient or hard, then Tyranny wins. It's as simple as that.
f. So in the end, I couldn't give a crap about who wins this division or that seed. Just let me enjoy these last 3 games, end the season in reasonable health, and tell me the 3 teams we have to go through to win the Lombardi. The other 31 teams only have meaning for me when they become an opponent of my team....and THEN they will have my undivided interest....for a week.
OK the bell just struck 3am, and its a good thing I'm retired. I'm sorry most of you have to go to work tomorrow, but try to find some time to give this a read and add your comments and observations.
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