Our RUN defense...

[MrBigglesWorth]

Disagree. No way you can feel completely comfortable with Bruschi at ILB for an entire season without a consistent backup/LB rotation. And did someone mention Mayo-flavored Koolaide? Anyone thinking he's going to be plugged right in at LB is sipping some.

who is he keeping the seat warm for?

so BB just figured let's put him with the first unit?

 

[JMarr]

who is he keeping the seat warm for?

so BB just figured let's put him with the first unit?

he's definitely just keeping the seat warm. yea, my money's on bruschi as being our top run-stuffing weapon this year.

 

[bradmahn]

Hobson and Seau rotating with both Bruschi and Mayo, hopefully.

Hobson hasn't looked nearly as good as Mayo and Mayo has been running against/with better competition. Seau isn't on the team.

Why do you have more faith in a re-tread who hasn't shown a thing as an ILB in New England than in the 10th overall pick, a player who has earned time with the ones and has held his own in doing so?

he's definitely just keeping the seat warm. yea, my money's on bruschi as being our top run-stuffing weapon this year.

Good thing the Pats play two ILBs... one spot for the run-stuffing weapon and one spot for the guy who can cover.

 

[jeffbiologist]

Hey chicken little...Did you get all flustered and bent out of shape in 04 when they got crushed by the Bengals in preseason?? Oh..by the way they won the Super Bowl that year....I just think there is a large overreaction here..that is all..

I am neither flustered nor bent out of shape. I am not reacting to the game, I am anticipating alot of teams running more than usual at us if the games are closer...it only makes sense. I suggested that even last year our run defense stats werent legit because the opposition was always playing from behind. Now if the games are closer our POSSIBLE run defense flaws are more exposed.
Now this isnt 04 is it?? We arent coming off a SB win are we?? We have lost in the playoffs 3 years in a row right?? Like I said, lay off the Mayo-flavored Koolaid til the kid actually DOES something(good OR bad). Now until this year BBs experience with LBs hasnt been with rookies, and YES there is a difference beyond skill level. Its football IQ. Now the rookies have alot of study partners but when the test comes around they will be out there alone. And I would suggest that BB will expose them as little as possible. Remember Peyton targeting Alexander in the playoffs a couple years ago? Think he is reading this forum and is scared of our #1 pick? Think again.

 

[Deus Irae]

I am neither flustered nor bent out of shape. I am not reacting to the game, I am anticipating alot of teams running more than usual at us if the games are closer...it only makes sense. I suggested that even last year our run defense stats werent legit because the opposition was always playing from behind. Now if the games are closer our POSSIBLE run defense flaws are more exposed.

And you were never proven correct, so why moan about it again after week 2 of the exhibition season?

Now this isnt 04 is it?? We arent coming off a SB win are we?? We have lost in the playoffs 3 years in a row right?? Like I said, lay off the Mayo-flavored Koolaid til the kid actually DOES something(good OR bad). Now until this year BBs experience with LBs hasnt been with rookies, and YES there is a difference beyond skill level. Its football IQ. Now the rookies have alot of study partners but when the test comes around they will be out there alone. And I would suggest that BB will expose them as little as possible. Remember Peyton targeting Alexander in the playoffs a couple years ago? Think he is reading this forum and is scared of our #1 pick? Think again.

Mayo's done much that is good. Again, however, it's preseason. I can agree that people should neither be writing songs about Mayo's greatness nor singing funeral dirges for Cassel's career, but the "85 yards" argument is just silly.

As for Dynasties losing Super Bowls, come on. Those dynasties that didn't lose Super Bowls didn't get to them. Has a team ever won more than 3 Super Bowls in a 4 season stretch? When you realize that the answer is "no" (Steelers did win 4 in 6), perhaps you'll be able to relax.

 

[Wotan_the_Wanderer]

It was made because I havent seen Hobson do anything and I think there is some Mayo-flavored Kool-aid out there making the rounds. I would be ALOT more confident with either Seau in camp or a draft pick playing well in a backup role.

I never drank the spiked Hobson Kool-Aid and in fact noted he was not even guaranteed a roster let alone be in contention to fill Junior's shoes when first signed. I'm also not in the Mayo can do no wrong camp. Look, I don't think anyone is suggesting that the rookie is a bust or can't play. All we're saying is that it'd be nice if he were brought alone more slowly because it's obvious he's going to be a player. He just needs some seasoning. And until then, you're preaching to the choir on Seau.

On only hang-up I see on BB not signing him now might be that Seau's not fully healed from his rotator cuff as I believe it was reported by Ms. Young. BB's brought in Chad Brown during the season and I see no reason why he'd rule out bringing in Seau when fully healthy. In addition to an excellent, starting LB crew, we also need guys who can play in rotation or as replacement when one of the starters are dinged up. Both the Jets and Fish have solid, deep running games in case anyone hasn't noticed.

 

[MrBigglesWorth]

he's definitely just keeping the seat warm. yea, my money's on bruschi as being our top run-stuffing weapon this year.

so we play a 3-4. who are your two starting inside linebackers?

 

[BradyManny]

A couple of things about our run defense.

1.) It looked to me like the Pats LBers struggled to get off blocks in the first half.

2.) The ILB's were horrible, especially Mayo. He blew up a FB in the hole on one play, while the RB went scampering on by untouched.

Watch the first few series again, I thought that Mayo, with the exception of a few plays, did his job. Within those series, you're referencing one play he made a mistake, and I can think of another where he seemed to commit too quickly and let Dunn (or Bennet?) hit a hole for a sizable gain because of it. Overall, on rewatch, I thought he was good, he took on guards and generally had the strength to get off and make plays.

Also, one thing I noticed when I rewatched the first couple series was that TB was coming at us with power packages and in terms of scheme, we did nothing to counter it - mainly b/c it was an exhibition.

On top of this, Wilfork was not commanding double teams as he normally was, freeing up the guards who immediately got into the second level to deal w Bru and Mayo. I don't pretend to be an expert, but what it really looked like to me was that the struggles in the running game were as much a function of these factors than anything else. Which makes me much less worried than I was on Sunday nite watching it. If it had been the regular season, like I said in the breakdown thread, I'm guessing we bring up a safety into the box to counteract those 2TE sets and those 2TE+1FB sets.

 

[Dragda]

Bruschi is a two-down player now, and will probably be rotating with a defensive back more often than another linebacker.

If Mayo isn't going to start at ILB, who is?

At this point, he's the only LB besides Bruschi to see any significant playing or practice time at ILB with the ones. The guy behind him the last week has been Guyton. It certainly looks like Mayo will be getting a lot of playing time to start the season and barring Hobson suddenly "getting it," he looks to be the most competent option.

I think we'll see more than a little of Thomas at ILB. Hobson, Crable, Woods, and Vrabel will be our primary OLBs.

 

[JMarr]

so we play a 3-4. who are your two starting inside linebackers?

REALLY?? We're running a 3-4 this year? You do know your football.

Who are my starting inside LBs? YAWN.....ok i'll play along: As of RIGHT NOW, 1) Bruschi;
2)Hobson, Mayo, Guyton--who the hell knows at this point.
My guess would be Hobson starting vs. KC. My hope is that Mayo will emerge early in the RS. That would exceed any realistic expectations.

So let me try to make this as clear for you as I can:

1. I love Bruschi. But he is in steep physical decline He will be more frequently overmatched by physical running teams as the season wears on. This could be a PROBLEM.

2. To say that Mayo is already ready to step in as the other ILB based on what we've seen and heard about him so far is a joke. Throw some cold water on your face. Hobson could very well turn out to be a bust.

3. The answer to these potential quandries? Junior Seau is one.

 

[GrogansArmy]

Its not news that our winning big last year took alot of teams out of their gameplans early and often abandoning the run. We play the AFC and NFC west, teams which emphasize the run. Our front 3 are very good and with hope big Sey is back in his all-pro form. But our ILBs have been suspect, and I hesitate to point to the 170+yds the Bucs ran on us. YES, mostly on our subs, but our depth at NT/DT is at least as suspect as our depth at QB.
Like with Brady, I hope we can change the game and open it up because I dont think this defense is built to play close games. And we have to find another 10 turnovers from somewhere after Asante left. I could be wrong, but the success and failure of this team lies with the health and productivity of BOTH #12 and #75.

I think people are getting overly worried about a preseason game. We suck in preseason and always will as long as BB is the coach. He doesn't give a crud what happens in preseason. He just wants to evaluate players. Once the real games begin, I doubt we'll have more than two running backs get over 100 yards throughout the season. If that.

Remember all we did was play our base defense against the bucs. When our players are busy laughing it up on the sidelines while getting our ass whoopped, that means to me that they don't take these preseason games seriously.

However, if it was a real game, I'll bet you 100 bucks you wouldn't see them laughing it up while getting their asses kicked. They'd be looking at photos trying to figure out whats going wrong and fix it. In a real game, most teams will be trying to score quick to try and keep up with our high powered offense, as last year proved. Their running game is secondary to scoring quick and keeping up with the pats offense.

 

[MrBigglesWorth]

REALLY?? We're running a 3-4 this year? You do know your football.

Who are my starting inside LBs? YAWN.....ok i'll play along: As of RIGHT NOW, 1) Bruschi;
2)Hobson, Mayo, Guyton--who the hell knows at this point.
My guess would be Hobson starting vs. KC. My hope is that Mayo will emerge early in the RS. That would exceed any realistic expectations.

So let me try to make this as clear for you as I can:

1. I love Bruschi. But he is in steep physical decline He will be more frequently overmatched by physical running teams as the season wears on. This could be a PROBLEM.

2. To say that Mayo is already ready to step in as the other ILB based on what we've seen and heard about him so far is a joke. Throw some cold water on your face. Hobson could very well turn out to be a bust.

3. The answer to these potential quandries? Junior Seau is one.

Why do i keep running into rude trolls that are sarcastic and can't answer a simple question?

You think Mayo isn't starting across from Bruschi but the reality is that he is going to start. If you think junior is gonna be the starter week 1 then that is pretty outlandish.

I was giving you the benefit of the doubt that Bruschi is the top ILB but after that it's Mayo.

 

[jeffbiologist]

I never drank the spiked Hobson Kool-Aid and in fact noted he was not even guaranteed a roster let alone be in contention to fill Junior's shoes when first signed. I'm also not in the Mayo can do no wrong camp. Look, I don't think anyone is suggesting that the rookie is a bust or can't play. All we're saying is that it'd be nice if he were brought alone more slowly because it's obvious he's going to be a player. He just needs some seasoning. And until then, you're preaching to the choir on Seau.

On only hang-up I see on BB not signing him now might be that Seau's not fully healed from his rotator cuff as I believe it was reported by Ms. Young. BB's brought in Chad Brown during the season and I see no reason why he'd rule out bringing in Seau when fully healthy. In addition to an excellent, starting LB crew, we also need guys who can play in rotation or as replacement when one of the starters are dinged up. Both the Jets and Fish have solid, deep running games in case anyone hasn't noticed.

Funny how people are changing their views on Hobson now...But I think its fair to note that until this week he was listed as the starter on the patriots homepage depth chart(noted:unofficial). That changed this week.

 

[patriotsdynasty12189]

Pre effing season!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[RayClay]

A couple of things about our run defense.

2.) The ILB's were horrible, especially Mayo. He blew up a FB in the hole on one play, while the RB went scampering on by untouched. On a long Dunn run in the first quarter, Mayo ran into the back of a Patriot, instead of filling his lane, which is exactly where Dunn ran. Guyton was completely overwhelmed all night.

I don't know this one way or the other (crappy computer feed) but having ILBs think they're doing great while they're not where they should could be the early season theme.

This is what we've avoided by keeping ancient vets and we'll probably have to bite the bullet this year.

 

[BradyManny]

I don't know this one way or the other (crappy computer feed) but having ILBs think they're doing great while they're not where they should could be the early season theme.

This is what we've avoided by keeping ancient vets and we'll probably have to bite the bullet this year.

I think Ochmed may be reacting to too small a sample size when it comes to Mayo. While there's no doubt Mayo may not have the instincts yet, physically - to me at least - I thought he held his own over the course of that first half.