Are Bru's Skills In Sharp Decline?

[pats1]

I fear for you, Flutie/Psycho.I got flamed by some when I suggested this last spring.

But it's true. He's slowing down big time. And now that he's on artificial turf, he's being exposed more.

 

[JoeSixPat]

I wasn't implying Bruschi was ready to go, just that he's not going to be somersaulting over the line. They need to groom somebody younger to play alongside him as well as a great DE/OLB pass rusher.

Look how Maroney has given Dillon a new lease on life. I think Corey would have been ready to pack it in, but I can see him as a short ydge. and backup for a year or two now.

I was responding more to the report than to you.... but no one is going to argue against getting some young LB talent on the roster

 

[pats-blue]

I wasn't implying Bruschi was ready to go, just that he's not going to be somersaulting over the line. They need to groom somebody younger to play alongside him as well as a great DE/OLB pass rusher.

Look how Maroney has given Dillon a new lease on life. I think Corey would have been ready to pack it in, but I can see him as a short ydge. and backup for a year or two now.

Actually he DID a couple of weeks ago, he didn't come nearly as close o making the play as he did last year but he did the EXACT same thing. They never showed it again and you only saw it in the intitial far away "full field" shot as the play started.

I realy can't see how Bru is only "making tackles down the field" as some suggest as the Pats are #3 in Yards per rush and if Bru was so weak now I can't see how we could maintain that with such a weak link...

 

[LloydBraun]

Bruschi's strength has always been his ability to know what the offense is going to do before they do it. That ability does not change with age.

He has been slowed by injuries the last 2 years, and he is getting older, but he is still getting it done. Check the stats. As he gets older they will start bringing in better cover guys on passing downs, but he is still getting it done.

The media has focused all year on the lack of WR's, the Pats are declining, etc. Therefore, they have focused less on the "name" players.

Keep running at 54, we'll be fine.

 

[PaulNEPats]

He's not the playmaker he once was (totally understandable after the stroke), and he's getting up there in age. I still think the Defense is better with him on the field than off of it. And I think you can say that for at least a couple more years. Just don't expect the Tedy Bruschi of old, that's all.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Ugh, we're dooooooommmmmmed again.

First we have PFT quoting another source that claimed Bruschi was targeted 10 times for runs by Chicago...Chicago was running to one side, the right, whether Bruschi or Vrabel was lined up there. Chicago's big gainers came against nickel packages. So PFT is using someone's bullcrap reporting as the basis for their analysis. Of course it could just be that Pees is using Tedy differently, it could be that the OLBs are that much better pass rushers you were better off dropping Tedy into coverage. It could be that Seau is that much weaker in coverage that you drop Tedy back in coverage. It could be that teams were looking elsewhere when passing - like deep against a banged up secondary with reserve safeties playing back...

Tedy is playing heavier than he was in his hey-day. He was scheduled to play the Ted Johnson role with Monty Beisel playing the speedy Tedy Bruschi role - seems like that would affect his play just a bit.

Needless to say, I'm not enamored of the effort by PFT or any other news source to fully analyze the situation.