Bad News Everyone - [Lombardi opinion on matchup vs Eagles]

[jah]

Or expose their LBs and overrated Safeties with out RBs out of the backfield.

Fun fact: Since Wentz went down, Philly's 3rd down D has worsened. That's not a coincidence. Outside of Minny collapsing Sunday, and a one off outlier explosion from their offense, Brady should be able to take full advantage of their 3rd down D.

Lastly, As much as Fletcher Cox and Curry are good players, they aren't better than people like Heyward and Tuitt and NE has dominated them upfront.

Should be interesting to see how BB attacks Chris Long. I mean, I would attack long on the edge and run it at him, and then just know he's going to use that same power/swim move way up past the line of scrimmage.

Besides maybe Calais Campbell, I don't know if this year's offense has played against DL as good as Fletcher Cox.

 

[RIpats88]

OMG. Nick Foles sucks. First of all, he's played in 3 playoff games in his career. In 2017 he had a 76.7 passer rating during the regular season throwing a grand total of 5 TDs in seven games. Pump the brakes. Foles is a backup QB. In the three games before the Vikings game, the Eagles did not score a touchdown. Foles started them all.

Based on one game at home, outdoors against the Minnesota Vikings, you're sizing up Foles for a bust in Canton. The Vikings have not won a road playoff game since 2004. They were not ready for prime time. The Patriots are a completely different story.

pretty much this. People seem to have a bad case of remembering only what they saw last week. he certainly is a capable backup, but last week was really the outlier in his performance since taking over the job.

 

[SVN]

Erstwhile self-proclaimed Belichick consigliere Mike Lombardi has declared that this is a "horrendous" matchup for the Patriots and he expects the Eagles to win "come hell or high water".

Lombardi seems to base this on the fact that the stuff that JAX did in the first half is evidently similar to what Kansas City in week 1, which gave NE so much trouble. Furthermore, he claims that PHI is the best team the Brady-BB era Patriots have faced in the Super Bowl (!!!). I guess Seattle, Atlanta, the '04 Eagles, and the god damn Greatest Show on Turf slipped his mind.

Objectively I don't really see the argument. Sure Philly has looked formidable, and Foles is going to be a starter somewhere next year. But the Patriots defense has come leaps and bounds from week 1, the defense played very well in the second half yesterday. They'll have two weeks to prepare for the read option stuff. TEN ran similar concepts and they had no problem with it. The real issue is how dumpoffs and wheel routes continually exposed our weak linebacking corps--but honestly that was an issue last year too. Thank GOD Sproles is out.

Point being, Lombardi is overselling, probably because he looks like a total ******* for inexplicably trashing on Pederson so much at the start of the year, so now he wants to get back into Philly's good graces (good luck). I listened to GM Street a lot this year just because Lombardi always has a good anecdote or two, but his prognostications seem to always have an agenda (and he wants you think he's way more plugged in than he really is). Keep in mind he also picked Pittsburgh to go to the Super Bowl over New England, so this isn't exactly a vaunted track record we're up against here.

Well i dont know about lombardi but the first thing i thought about the eagles was that they run the same offense as chiefs which we had tons of problems with esp all the crossing routes and bunch formations in the WC offense.

 

[Tony2046]

Which doesn't tell me anything. Even before the Jags game you had people saying both 'Pats run the kind of offense that give the Jags trouble' and others 'The Jags run the kind of defense that gives Tom trouble'. Which the hell is it? I'd love to know how favorable our matchups are against the Eagles.

There will be a preview thread that a few of the guys here run before most games. You'll get a lot out of that. If I get time to do some film scouting I will contribute to that thread as well.

 

[Uptown]

If healthy, Rob Gronkowski could be the difference maker in Super Bowl LII. The Eagles have been great defending wide receivers and running backs, but have struggled against tight ends.

 

[TB12TheGoat]

If healthy, Rob Gronkowski could be the difference maker in Super Bowl LII. The Eagles have been great defending wide receivers and running backs, but have struggled against tight ends.

View attachment 19422

I’m not buying the RB stat. I’ve seen eagles fans saying they are going to have a tough time covering White and Lewis

 

[Uptown]

I’m not buying the RB stat. I’ve seen eagles fans saying they are going to have a tough time covering White and Lewis

I agree. Not many teams, if any (besides JAX) can handle our RBs.

 

[TB12TheGoat]

I agree. Not many teams, if any (besides JAX) can handle our RBs.

JAX is the only team that can. Seattle couldn’t even handle Vereen with Wagner, Wright, Irvin

 

[Former Fan]

If healthy, Rob Gronkowski could be the difference maker in Super Bowl LII. The Eagles have been great defending wide receivers and running backs, but have struggled against tight ends.

View attachment 19422

Is that QB rating, or that stupid thing BSPN made up?

 

[Uptown]

JAX is the only team that can. Seattle couldn’t even handle Vereen with Wagner, Wright, Irvin

True, but I think Carolina may have at least a shot. Their LBs are pretty athletic.

 

[RIpats88]

JAX is the only team that can. Seattle couldn’t even handle Vereen with Wagner, Wright, Irvin

yeah, Jax linebackers were so fast they got to lewis before he could even turn up field. it was pretty crazy to watch. especially considering that was our bread and butter we gashed the titans with the week before.

I dont think Philly linebackers can necessarily do that.

 

[Uptown]

Is that QB rating, or that stupid thing BSPN made up?

The QB rating allowed when that particular position is targeted.

 

[Former Fan]

The QB rating allowed when that particular position is targeted.

Thanks. I wish places that are using QB rating wouldn't use the abbreviation QBR in their graphics.

QBR to me means BSPN, which means ignore it.

 

[JMC00]

Can anyone tell me what kind of defense Philly runs? Cover 2/ etc? And how Brady has performed against said defenses in the past?

Jim Schwartz's Wide-9, A defense that Gilmore played in for a year and a defense that in 2014 in Buffalo Brady went for 27 of 37 370 yards and 4 TD

 

[Nunchucks]

This is going to be a tough matchup.

 

[JMC00]

Eagles defense

Points Allowed Per Game at home 12.4

Yards Allowed Per Game at home 285.9

Points Allowed Per Game on the road 23.6

Yards Allowed Per Game on the road 332.3


Eagles defense seems to be a different team at home and on the road.

 

[Pats1989]

We should just stay home, I guess.

No, Philly's D is not better than Jax's. Philly's O is better, and was world's better with Wentz this year, and that O kept other teams' O off the field and playing from behind.

Jax's D accomplished their numbers with a horrible offense.

Anytime you get to the SB, you're playing a really good team, and a hot team that had to beat two other good teams, at least, to get there. Atlanta last year was peaking at exactly the right time, playing lights out and with a ton of talent.

How could we possibly handle Julio, the best WR in the league?
How could we stop Ryan and his MVP year?
And those running backs!
And that incredibly fast D!

I'm not discounting Philly at all - watching them early in the year when Wentz was running wild, I thought they could very likely take the Lombardi. It's a testament to their organization that they survived the Wentz injury and still got to the SB.

Jones has made many better catches than the one he missed against Philly, which would have put them out of the playoffs.

Couple of points:

Philly rotates their D, so they won't get tired.
Answer: no huddle, a lot. Don't let them change up.

Philly CBs don't play press, at least when I've watched them. You need to play press against small and quick receivers. NE has a couple of those, yes?

Two teams in the SB who deserve to be there. Should be fun.

ps. Minnesota absolutely fell apart after the pick and the strip sack - they KNEW and still KNOW that there's no way for them to comeback against a good defense.

Matt Ryan and the Atlanta offense had their way with a better Pats D ( Compared to this season) in last season's SB. The Patriots held them scoreless from the end of the third on. But this time around, there can't be another slow start. Chances are slim they pull another huge SB comeback. To your point, I wonder if BB would let Brady go full no huddle ( 90's Bills style) for the entire game? Obviously the problem could be not enough rest for your own D.

 

[Bella*chick]

Has the Patriots ever been the team "nobody wants to face”?

In fairness, they were in 2007. I remember reading on a different teams message board that they were dreading “heading into the buzzsaw” that was the 2007 Patriots.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Side Note: I really hate "cute"! obscure teaser post headlines, so Thanks to the OP or a Mod for adding the clarification

 

[Pats1989]

In fairness, they were in 2007. I remember reading on a different teams message board that they were dreading “heading into the buzzsaw” that was the 2007 Patriots.

Ironically, I'd say the 2014 & 2016 Patriots O performed exceptionally well in the playoffs. The 2007 team was very shaky in the three playoff games. I say ironically, because you'd think the highest scoring offense in NFL history would follow it up somewhat in the postseason. But there were signs from that Baltimore game on that the 07 Patriots weren't some unbeatable juggernaut.

After the Monday night ( or maybe it was Sunday) thrashing in Buffalo, things changed.