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Hey, I've been on this board for 20 odd years now, and I have NEVER seen a week where the 2nd order of business each week was to talk about the NEXT week's opponent. (the 1st order of business, of course, is to pick apart the game just played like a thanksgiving turkey 
) So unless I've missed the thread, here's one (finally) that we can have a word about. I'll start the ball rolling.
1. The good news is that the Pats usually do well on short weeks because they are usually coached so well. I'm sure Bill had 90% of the game plan done before the Pats flew out to LA to play the Chargers
2. Other pieces of good news include being able to stay in LA and play in a stadium they are now familiar with. No WC flight. No turnaround. No sleep hangover. They also should be more confident about their own play, while still having a lot to prove over these last 4 games.
3. The bad news is that they are playing a team with more talent, and better coaching than what we saw last week. A team that is in the top 5 in BOTH offense and defense. A team well suited to stop the run, which is the only way the Pats offense seems to be moving the ball these days
4. If the Pats decide to pass the ball, the Rams will still have an edge with their secondary.
So what do we do. My mind goes back to a game where the Pats were in Pittsburgh and they had the best defense in the league and they had been DOMINANT against the run. So what did the Pats do. They came out with an offense that featured a NO huddle, 5 wide set, and simply passed them to death. Anyone else remember that game???
So here's the thing. The Rams are already great at stopping the run Given the short week I can only surmise that when you you are playing against a team who's passing attack is beyond abysmal, you just strengthen your already great run defense. But here's the thing. Cam is averaging about 70 passing yds a game over the last 2 games and a lot of that yardage came from YAC on throws at or behind the LOS. Pretty scary, right? BUT Cam is also the same QB who threw for 350+ against the Texans, and close to 400 against Seattle.
So folks, I wouldn't be shocked to see the Pats decide NOT to pound their head against a defense (likely some kind of 8 man front that will look like a 4-4) and air it out.
Look maybe they might try and run the ball (our strength against your strength kind of thing), but they WILL have some kind of offense that will say "hey, I'm not crazy OR stubborn" And the only way we are going to win this game is by having the Offense score over 25 points, and they will have to do a LOT of that through the air. BTW, my impression was that the Rams were predominately a zone team in their coverage. Can anyone confirm or deny this impression?
The defense will likely keep them in the game early on, of course, but it too will falter if the offense doesn't pull its share of the road.
What do you think?
) So unless I've missed the thread, here's one (finally) that we can have a word about. I'll start the ball rolling.1. The good news is that the Pats usually do well on short weeks because they are usually coached so well. I'm sure Bill had 90% of the game plan done before the Pats flew out to LA to play the Chargers
2. Other pieces of good news include being able to stay in LA and play in a stadium they are now familiar with. No WC flight. No turnaround. No sleep hangover. They also should be more confident about their own play, while still having a lot to prove over these last 4 games.
3. The bad news is that they are playing a team with more talent, and better coaching than what we saw last week. A team that is in the top 5 in BOTH offense and defense. A team well suited to stop the run, which is the only way the Pats offense seems to be moving the ball these days
4. If the Pats decide to pass the ball, the Rams will still have an edge with their secondary.
So what do we do. My mind goes back to a game where the Pats were in Pittsburgh and they had the best defense in the league and they had been DOMINANT against the run. So what did the Pats do. They came out with an offense that featured a NO huddle, 5 wide set, and simply passed them to death. Anyone else remember that game???
So here's the thing. The Rams are already great at stopping the run Given the short week I can only surmise that when you you are playing against a team who's passing attack is beyond abysmal, you just strengthen your already great run defense. But here's the thing. Cam is averaging about 70 passing yds a game over the last 2 games and a lot of that yardage came from YAC on throws at or behind the LOS. Pretty scary, right? BUT Cam is also the same QB who threw for 350+ against the Texans, and close to 400 against Seattle.
So folks, I wouldn't be shocked to see the Pats decide NOT to pound their head against a defense (likely some kind of 8 man front that will look like a 4-4) and air it out.
Look maybe they might try and run the ball (our strength against your strength kind of thing), but they WILL have some kind of offense that will say "hey, I'm not crazy OR stubborn" And the only way we are going to win this game is by having the Offense score over 25 points, and they will have to do a LOT of that through the air. BTW, my impression was that the Rams were predominately a zone team in their coverage. Can anyone confirm or deny this impression?
The defense will likely keep them in the game early on, of course, but it too will falter if the offense doesn't pull its share of the road.
What do you think?
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