Patriots Pregame Thread Pats-Ratbirds thread

[FCB02062]

Does McDaniels have it in him to harken back to 2006 when he basically eschewed the run game in the first half and threw on 27/33 plays against Minnesota on the road? Up until that game Minnesota had only been giving up 70 yards/game on the ground. Pats built a 17-0 lead on the road and never looked back. As good as Maye has been I don't think McDaniels (or maybe it's Vrabel) trusts Maye enough to throw 43 times like Brady did in that Monday night in Minnesota in 2006.

 

[PatsFan2]

Does McDaniels have it in him to harken back to 2006 when he basically eschewed the run game in the first half and threw on 27/33 plays against Minnesota on the road? Up until that game Minnesota had only been giving up 70 yards/game on the ground. Pats built a 17-0 lead on the road and never looked back. As good as Maye has been I don't think McDaniels (or maybe it's Vrabel) trusts Maye enough to throw 43 times like Brady did in that Monday night in Minnesota in 2006.

You Run just to keep the Defense honest; whether you're good at it or not. Maye might need his First 300yds Game: IF our Defense is going to be missing key players. Stafford threw for 457 last night: I think 300 for Maye is doable.

 

[turkeyneck]

Having watched a lot of Henry when he was down here, he went nowhere when touched at the line or inside the LOS. Once he got beyond the line into the secondary or so and a head of steam, tough to take down.

That would be encouraging if we currently had the meat to accomplish step one. As it is, step 2 seems inevitable...

 

[patfanken]

Does McDaniels have it in him to harken back to 2006 when he basically eschewed the run game in the first half and threw on 27/33 plays against Minnesota on the road? Up until that game Minnesota had only been giving up 70 yards/game on the ground. Pats built a 17-0 lead on the road and never looked back. As good as Maye has been I don't think McDaniels (or maybe it's Vrabel) trusts Maye enough to throw 43 times like Brady did in that Monday night in Minnesota in 2006.

And maybe when Maye is in his 7th year, we will do that again. We had a great run defense at one point and some guy from Cinci blew it apart. Also. we don't need to have a great run game. We need to have run attempts. 80+ yds will be fine as long as we have over 25 attempts (not including the kneel downs )

 

[Real fan 02]

You Run just to keep the Defense honest; whether you're good at it or not. Maye might need his First 300yds Game: IF our Defense is going to be missing key players. Stafford threw for 457 last night: I think 300 for Maye is doable.

Twin.. we need to take a page out the Brady/McDaniels book.. if the defense is allowing us to to run.. then run.. take the check downs and utilize the TEs..

Simply put.. doing that will allow for efficiency and ball control.. defense is banged up no Spillane and suddenly the defensive line has trouble with containment.. it's going to be on the offense.. Henry won't be stopped.. remember what he did to us in the playoffs?

 

[PatsFan2]

Twin.. we need to take a page out the Brady/McDaniels book.. if the defense is allowing us to to run.. then run.. take the check downs and utilize the TEs..

Simply put.. doing that will allow for efficiency and ball control.. defense is banged up no Spillane and suddenly the defensive line has trouble with containment.. it's going to be on the offense.. Henry won't be stopped.. remember what he did to us in the playoffs?

They have D Henry we have T Henderson: our guy is no secret to the NFL they know what he can do. IF we play Discipline we should be able to bottle up the Bigger Henry. Our DL Needs to make that Initial Contact don't let him get a head of steam. Barmore and Tonga have to be Monster against the Run.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

So for narrative purposes (fan brags etc.) with a win, we can say that since the beginning of the run that ended in the Bills game, we have only lost once, to the favorite for the AFC championship (and now, ironically due to schedule, their division) [whoops did I say that? Not, obviously, the division... I got the Broncos/bye favorite merged with the Bills bc 63 YO]. We haven't lost back-to-back games all season, and even in the "bad old days" at the beginning of the season, never lost by more than a TD (and by 4 against Buffalo).

It's not like we have nothing to play for; win out and the division is ours. Don't win it and there's a chance of losing it to the Juggalo Jills. I personally want to boot them from the division championship, then assuming we meet, boot them from the playoffs. Make it a "changing of the guard" story, not a "neck and neck" story. Do it en route to a ring, well, that's the real prize.

The Ratbirds are a 7-7 team with something to play for and playoff (or even division-winning) aspirations. It wouldn't show we're great, because they're not great. It would show we're consistent, a team that can set aside the previous week and just win the games we should win. These next 3 weeks are like that Chris Rock routine about people who want praise for doing what they're supposed to do. We can only not suck for the next three weeks.

Once the regular season is over, of course, any team at the height of their powers, can lose to any piece of crap team that has a good day (the lesson of the 2007 and 2011 SBs).

But we'll have that "soft sched." chip on our shoulder for every playoff game. This is the first game where people will claim it gives you insight into how we respond to adversity.

Can't wait for Sun. night!

 

[Water Boy]

Barth and Lazar did a good breakdown of the Buffalo game and they expect Baltimore to attack us the same way offensively, defensively and special teams.

They called out Tonga for not having good gap discipline against Buffalo's zone run. Cook consistently cut back into the A gap that Tonga vacated.

They were puzzled by our receivers and Maye struggling against Buffalo's two deep safety look. Maye's torched it before. There was nothing exotic about what Buffalo did.

Harbaugh will be licking his chops on their K return to try and exploit what ever Buffalo was able to do. They used an O line man and "pulled" in some other return blocking. Springer needs to get that **** fixed ASAP.

Gonzo has not looked like an All Pro CB and needs to make plays when he's targeted.

We continue to struggle to cover TEs . That's a huge concern against Baltimore.

We're not generating pass rush with our front 4.

 

[PatsFan2]

Barth and Lazar did a good breakdown of the Buffalo game and they expect Baltimore to attack us the same way offensively, defensively and special teams.

They called out Tonga for not having good gap discipline against Buffalo's zone run. Cook consistently cut back into the A gap that Tonga vacated.

They were puzzled by our receivers and Maye struggling against Buffalo's two deep safety look. Maye's torched it before. There was nothing exotic about what Buffalo did.

Harbaugh will be licking his chops on their K return to try and exploit what ever Buffalo was able to do. They used an O line man and "pulled" in some other return blocking. Springer needs to get that **** fixed ASAP.

Gonzo has not looked like an All Pro CB and needs to make plays when he's targeted.

We continue to struggle to cover TEs . That's a huge concern against Baltimore.

We're not generating pass rush with our front 4.

The Bills were missing their best CB too: a lot of things went wrong last Sunday.

 

[Real fan 02]

They have D Henry we have T Henderson: our guy is no secret to the NFL they know what he can do. IF we play Discipline we should be able to bottle up the Bigger Henry. Our DL Needs to make that Initial Contact don't let him get a head of steam. Barmore and Tonga have to be Monster against the Run.

Twin watch this...

 

[PatsFan2]

Twin watch this...

Watch it already Twin: so nice to see Ed Reed I love him as a player even though he was on that Team.

 

[Brotherblues]

Barth and Lazar did a good breakdown of the Buffalo game and they expect Baltimore to attack us the same way offensively, defensively and special teams.

They called out Tonga for not having good gap discipline against Buffalo's zone run. Cook consistently cut back into the A gap that Tonga vacated.

They were puzzled by our receivers and Maye struggling against Buffalo's two deep safety look. Maye's torched it before. There was nothing exotic about what Buffalo did.

Harbaugh will be licking his chops on their K return to try and exploit what ever Buffalo was able to do. They used an O line man and "pulled" in some other return blocking. Springer needs to get that **** fixed ASAP.

Gonzo has not looked like an All Pro CB and needs to make plays when he's targeted.

We continue to struggle to cover TEs . That's a huge concern against Baltimore.

We're not generating pass rush with our front 4.

This week I'm mostly avoiding media altogether. They were so utterly destroyed in every aspect after 21-0 that spending time reading/hearing a detailed analysis of it is just plain masochism.

Limiting my football thoughts to hoping they bounce right back and punch the ratbirds right in their stupid faces.

 

[Real fan 02]

Barth and Lazar did a good breakdown of the Buffalo game and they expect Baltimore to attack us the same way offensively, defensively and special teams.

They called out Tonga for not having good gap discipline against Buffalo's zone run. Cook consistently cut back into the A gap that Tonga vacated.

They were puzzled by our receivers and Maye struggling against Buffalo's two deep safety look. Maye's torched it before. There was nothing exotic about what Buffalo did.

Harbaugh will be licking his chops on their K return to try and exploit what ever Buffalo was able to do. They used an O line man and "pulled" in some other return blocking. Springer needs to get that **** fixed ASAP.

Gonzo has not looked like an All Pro CB and needs to make plays when he's targeted.

We continue to struggle to cover TEs . That's a huge concern against Baltimore.

We're not generating pass rush with our front 4.

The secondary doesn't have a benefit of a pass rush so therefore the coverages get exploited..

Gonzo needs front 7 help so he can take more opportunities to make plays on the ball.. just his contemporaries in Stingley Jr. And Surtain the 2nd have..

This won't happen until next season.

The CBS are being asked to play man and zone.. I get the switching up to keep offenses off tilt however Vrabel said he wanted to play cat coverage they haven't done that this season.

Our two best outside CBs have 0 InInterceptions. Let that sink in..

 

[PatsFan2]

The secondary doesn't have a benefit of a pass rush so therefore the coverages get exploited..

Gonzo needs front 7 help so he can take more opportunities to make plays on the ball.. just his contemporaries in Stingley Jr. And Surtain the 2nd have..

This won't happen until next season.

The CBS are being asked to play man and zone.. I get the switching up to keep offenses off tilt however Vrabel said he wanted to play cat coverage they haven't done that this season.

Our two best outside CBs have 0 Interceptions. Let that sink in..

It's kind of weird that Gono have no Ints and the Closest he came was taken away by WR Drake London.

 

[Real fan 02]

It's kind of weird that Gono have no Ints and the Closest he came was taken away by WR Drake London.

He can't gamble because of the front 7 twin.. we as fans have to realize the defense isn't going to get what they need especially at edge rush until FA/Draft..

We are wasting gonzo without a pass rush..

 

[jdlboot14]

EDGE
I don't see the issue. The starters are Landry and Chaisson, with Jennings and Ponder as the backups.

The issue is - Landry is old and adds no threat. He only pops up on the stat sheet a couple times when our coverage forces the QB to hold the ball over 4 or 5 seconds, and the DT's push the QB into his lap.
Chaisson has moments, but lacks instinct and play recognition, usually running by someone he's supposed to tackle.
Jennings is okay in spots, good in run/edge containment, but has no pass rush speed.
Ponder is young, provides the most explosion of the 4, but has been a liability in run/edge.
So, ya, we have serious issues at DE

 

[PatsFan2]

He can't gamble because of the front 7 twin.. we as fans have to realize the defense isn't going to get what they need especially at edge rush until FA/Draft..

We are wasting gonzo without a pass rush..

Kind of like Tampa having vintage Darrelle Revis playing zone.

 

[PatsFan2]

The issue is - Landry is old and adds no threat. He only pops up on the stat sheet a couple times when our coverage forces the QB to hold the ball over 4 or 5 seconds, and the DT's push the QB into his lap.
Chaisson has moments, but lacks instinct and play recognition, usually running by someone he's supposed to tackle.
Jennings is okay in spots, good in run/edge containment, but has no pass rush speed.
Ponder is young, provides the most explosion of the 4, but has been a liability in run/edge.
So, ya, we have serious issues at DE

Bradyn Swinson says hello while you're naming everybody.

 

[Real fan 02]

Kind of like Tampa having vintage Darrelle Revis playing zone.

Spot on. The sacks we do get are coverage sacks.. gonzo is still a great player he just can't get the TOs this season they are constantly in soft zone..

 

[jdlboot14]

Gonzo has not been great in zone. He gets all the false hype from technical man stats. He absolutely needs to be better.
If he's man vs. Flowers, I'm not that worried, but I am seriously concerned with our inability to cover TE's. Likely & Andrews could eat us up. And if Jones is out, we'll have Woods - who is not goods.
I think we're underestimating how bad our run D has been, and Lamar & Henry are the wrong team to face with our decimated front 7. Missing Williams, Spillane & maybe Elliss & Landry wounded. Not good.
It will take a dominant offensive game to win - and I don't think we have that with a very bad run blocking OL.