Pre Game Thread- We are on to the Cowboys

[SHOWTIME15]

Yes they held Brady and TB to 19 ….in the POURING rain!!!! This week only 20% chance of rain …..I think Dallas will have potential to score more points in these conditions

Brady is used to playing in bad weather conditions...so no excuse for him. However, we may need some rain vs Dak

 

[SHOWTIME15]

 

[Mack Herron]

 

[ralmat55]

I certainly hope it means that Mills is good to go, because SloJuan ****ing Sucks; and who knows with Shaun Wade getting paid for doing nothing...

That's still No ****ing Reason to sign Jalopy Tavai to the 53 while we still have JaWrong Bentley & Harvey Lang-banger on it... What a ****ing Horrible waste of precious roster space right there...

With Tavai’s promotion, there are now 12 LB/Edge players on the 53 including Patriots “best defensive player “Dietrich Wise and mostly STers, Langi and King. So, 10 players dedicated to a position where at most they have 4 players on the field at any time.

Compare that to having 4 RBs two of whom are practically rookies and one who’s been primarily a STer throughout his career on the roster.

Also, compare that to having 10 DBs including 2 mostly STers(Bethel and Davis) and a rookie who’s been inactive every game leaving you with 7 players on the game day roster when you have, at least, 5 DBs on the field for just about every snap.

That’s a very lopsided roster to say the least. Hopefully, it portends further roster moves, but I wonder sometimes whether Bill has just entered the “you kids get off my lawn; where’s my pudding” stage of life.

 

[Pats1971]

Brady is used to playing in bad weather conditions...so no excuse for him. However, we may need some rain vs Dak

What Brady is used to has nothing to do with what the other guys are used to. Lots of drops.

 

[Tottie]

Brady is used to playing in bad weather conditions...so no excuse for him. However, we may need some rain vs Dak

If it was up to you Brady would play with only 8 players on offense in a tornado and you'd still credit Bill if somehow they scored points.

 

[Tony2046]

wow....you should have two pom poms and a short dress. 9-3? You think this team that had to get a phantom call on a roughing call will rattle off the next 6 wins? Jesus.

You're negativity is getting old quick.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

What Brady is used to has nothing to do with what the other guys are used to. Lots of drops.

and lots of overthrows

 

[Dingleberry]

This is at least the 2nd time you have mentioned “construction” guys. What does that mean ?

It means John Gruden wouldn't like him?

 

[Bruins29]

It means John Gruden wouldn't like him?

Yeah. I don’t know. Drop kick flute seems to think that if you work in construction you can’t be a knowledgeable poster. As if construction guys are stupid. I am not in construction but what does ones career have to do with sports knowledge?

isn’t that the kind of judgemental stuff we are trying to get away from here?

seems really lame and juvenile and ignorant.

 

[Dingleberry]

Yeah. I don’t know. Drop kick flute seems to think that if you work in construction you can’t be a knowledgeable poster. As if construction guys are stupid. I am not in construction but what does ones career have to do with sports knowledge?

isn’t that the kind of judgemental stuff we are trying to get away from here?

seems really lame and juvenile and ignorant.

Oh, a snobby, elitist wannabe!

I was getting more of a Village People vibe. I always preferred the Indian myself.

 

[venecol]

I think the tampa game had too much emotion and weirdness to be compared to others. I do hope its pouring rain though, that would be one way to slow them down.

Teams are still developing a book on Jones. So I think they will learn not to blitz him all the time.

Funny, though. Teams seem to be approaching him just they they approach most rookie QBs they don't have a book on and try to rattle him.

Personally, I would game plan against him like I would game plan against Brady. I think he has a lot of Brady in him and some of the weaknesses in his game might be very similar to Brady's weaknesses.

Nobody is game planning him like he's Brady. They'll game plan him like he is Mac, the rookie QB that has of yet effectively thrown the ball deep.

The Cowboys are unquestionably the hardest offense to defend in the NFL. Dak is second in passer rating & the cowboys are 3rd as a team in rushing ypc at 5.3. It's rare to have an offense that is elite at both. The 2012 patriots are probably the last pats team to do so with both TEs, Welker, Lloyd & in the passing game & Ridley adding 1200 on the ground. That team scored 35 PPG & this Cowboys team is at 34 PPG.

The Pats can play it one of two ways:

• Give up the run with light boxes & slow the game down. We've seen this gameplan a few times. Moreno getting 200+ yards & forcing the Peyton to hand the ball off in 2013 Broncos vs. Patriots - Box Score - November 24, 2013 - ESPN
  
  
• Put an eighth defender in the box & let Jackson & Jones vs. Cooper & Lamb decide the game

Regardless of which way they go the pats offense will need to score in the high 20s this week to have a chance IMO.

Agree with your top assessment of DAL. However, Elliot & Pollard will carve through a light box, rush for 173 yards and score 2 or 3 TDs. Once they have the lead, they'll control the TOP and force us to play catch up by having Mac make riskier throws. Their secondary isn't great, but is very opportunistic. DAL has a +7 TO diff. (#2) w/ 10 INT (#1). They won't be dropping INTs like HOU did. Pats are at -3 TO diff. (#25).

Jackson on Cooper a/o Lamb is probably OK, but JJones will get burnt. AB was getting open all night against him and he's 33 yo. Like Lazar says, it's pick your poison against this team. Definitely agree Pats are going to need to score TDs instead of FGs. They'll probably need to go for it on several 4th downs as well. It'll be tough to beat them because they're red hot right now but it's possible.

I hope we come out with a W. 4 straight home losses would be really bad

When was the last time that happened?

 

[captain stone]

Captain, do you remember if the Steelers reached for him in the 2nd round or was he projected to go that high?

Depends who you ask and what position you project, but a bit high. Some talk of CB coming out but better fit as STs and in the box defender than covering WRs.

Sean Davis NFL Draft 2016: Scouting Report, Grade for Steelers Rookie

POSITIVES A versatile defensive back with experience at cornerback and safety, Sean Davis is one of the most athletic players in the class and is among the best tackling defensive backs in the group...

syndication.bleacherreport.com

After someone has been in the league for so long, rarely do they all of a sudden blossom. But a 6.64 3cone at over 6' tall will always catch the Patriots attention. Great athleticism - might be good on ST as a few of our guys are getting older.

No I didn't think that #58 overall was a reach at that time; I figured that he would go soon once Mackensie Alexander was taken by Minnesota at #54... DBs like him are always gonna be over-drafted a bit because of size/speed, but they're also one of the hardest to project, especially if they have a reputation as a better athlete than football player, with better "skills" than instincts... Reminds me of Eric Rowe, though Rowe wasn't nearly as bad a CB as Davis has been, but he just couldn't stay healthy long enough to more consistently work at his position, because similar to Davis he didn't have natural CB instincts either... And again same as Rowe, Sean Davis has no future as either an Outside or Slot CB; he's a Safety... if he's anything at all.

 

[slash83]

Hopefully Mills is a go this weekend.

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Yeah. I don’t know. Drop kick flute seems to think that if you work in construction you can’t be a knowledgeable poster. As if construction guys are stupid. I am not in construction but what does ones career have to do with sports knowledge?

isn’t that the kind of judgemental stuff we are trying to get away from here?

seems really lame and juvenile and ignorant.

lol @Tony2046 see man, creepy ****. I didn't even ask for the tag lol. There's literally a thread about it with me saying as much. Oh my goodness.

He's talking about me @Bruins29. He post as if he's talking to me lol. Like I saw your post and knew he was somewhere around here.

It's nuts but honestly, no joke. I'll take it over the McDaniels stuff.

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

@WaterfallJumper loved Davis coming out I believe?

 

[Joker]

I thought you were gonna say "Blue horseshoe loves WaterfallJumper Steel.."

 

[PScottman]

Patriots “best defensive player “Dietrich Wise

How Wise hasn't turned this into a promotional deal for Dunkin I have no idea. "You may not know me (at all), but I'm Dietrich Wise also known as "the New England Patriots best defensive player" and when I need that pick me up to really get after the quarterback or stuff that run I get a coffee coolatta at Dunkin!"

Dude must have a crappy PR team, but in all fairness he was probably just as surprised as we were when Collinsworth said that, so he's probably now playing catch up to carpe that diem from receiving that prestigious honor.

 

[Rob0729]

Nobody is game planning him like he's Brady. They'll game plan him like he is Mac, the rookie QB that has of yet effectively thrown the ball deep.

But back in the day, that was how they used to game plan Brady. Brady prior to 2007 had the rep of not being able to throw the deep ball consistently. And many years after that it was the game plan because the Pats frequently didn’t have a deep threat receiver and relied almost solely on the short and intermediate pass.

But they are not remotely game planning Jones as you suggest. They are game planning as a rookie who can get rattled by constant pressure and sending the blitz. It isn’t working. In fact, the Patriots’ offensive game plan frequently does more to stop Patriots drives than the opposing defensive game plan since Jones has no trouble moving the ball between the 20s in a lot of games, but drives stall in the red zone when the Pats get very conservative and throw screens that are easily snuffed out. Are teams playing Jones on their own 15-20 yard line to force Jones to throw deep? That is where Jones is failing in most cases. Not on on the Patriots’ 30.

I am not saying Jones is Brady, but they have very similar playing styles and strengths and weaknesses. And of course it is the same offenses they run. You wouldn’t run the same exactly game plan, but you run a lot of the same like trying to pressure him up the middle over the outside rush, a lot of man and not a lot of zone defense, disguise your coverages and rushes, etc.

And Jones has shown he isn't a typical rookie. He isn't rattled like a rookie. He is more composed and deals with pressure better than most rookies. He doesn't turtle or scramble out of the pocket and make wild throws when a defender is in his face like a lot of rookies do. He can read defenses and make adjustments at the line and doesn't seem to be fooled by a lot of disguised blitzes or coverages. Jones has weaknesses in his game and a lot of it is from his inexperience that he needs to work on and develop, but he doesn't have the big issues that a lot of rookies have that teams like to exploit in a rookie season.

 

[ashley]

getting everyone ready for Thursday