Breer's points on the game

[SVN]

http://cowboys.beloblog.com/archives/2007/10/rush_judgment.html#more

http://cowboys.beloblog.com/archives/2007/10/personnel_groupings.html#comments

 

[NYPatsFan]

http://cowboys.beloblog.com/archives/2007/10/rush_judgment.html#more

http://cowboys.beloblog.com/archives/2007/10/personnel_groupings.html#comments

I was just about to post this myself. I found it very interesting. Here's what Breer wrote...

Pressure
3-man pressure: 0 of 50 plays (0 first half/0 second half)
4-man pressure: 19 of 50 plays (12/7)
5-man pressure: 27 of 50 plays (15/12)
6-man pressure: 4 of 50 plays (2/2)

Brady vs. 4-man pressure
First half: 6-12, 72 yds.
Second half: 5-6, 26 yds., TD; 1 rush, 3 yds.
Total: 11-18, 98 yds., TD; 1 rush, 3 yds.

Brady vs. 5-man pressure
First half: 9-13, 134 yds., 2 TDs, 2 sacks
Second half: 8-11, 125 yds., TD, sack
Total: 17-24, 259 yds., 3 TDs, 3 sacks

Brady vs. 6-man pressure
First half: 1-2, 7 yds.
Second half: 2-2, 24 yds.
Total: 3-4, 31 yds.

WHAT IT MEANS: A four-man rush, even out of a 3-4 base, is standard. So the Cowboys sent an extra man more than half the time, while rarely sending the house, and seemed to get burned badly because of it. If you add the 5- and 6-man pressure numbers, Brady was 20-28 for 290 yards and three touchdowns when the Cowboys blitzed. We'll have plenty more on some adjustments made by the Cowboys in the Tale a little later on.

It seems to me that Brady has been blitzed so often over the years that he's learned to make very quick decisions. Perhaps opposing defenses are better off sending 4 guys than 5 or 6. Of course, not every team has the defensive line that Dallas does.

 

[MrBigglesWorth]

I thought it was extremely KEY that they got Welker back involved in the passing game. No one man can cover him.

 

[JoeSixPat]

It was really worth a try for the Cowboys to try to pressure Brady... other teams haven't as much and have gotten burned...

The Cowboys tried and they also got burned.

There WERE certainly times when the Pats offense was out of sync - I just don't know if one can credit the Cowboys with that or not.

What was MOST clear to me about the game is how the team responded when they were down 24-21.

How did they respond? By outscoring the Cowboys 26 - 3.

THAT'S pretty significant. The Defense can play at high level on command and so too can the Offense.

 

[mgcolby]

I miss Breer!

 

[ctpatsfan77]

It was really worth a try for the Cowboys to try to pressure Brady... other teams haven't as much and have gotten burned...

The Cowboys tried and they also got burned.

"Many men have tried."
"They tried and failed?"
"They tried and died."
--Dune

 

[njpatsfan]

I miss Breer!

Hmmm .... before you express your manlove, perhaps you may want to note how much this blog entry match's up with Reiss's post on his blog .... back in September.

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/reiss_pieces/2007/09/pass_protection.html

#

The Patriots' pass protection was excellent in Sunday's season opener.

Was it a result of the Jets rushing just three players? Or did the Patriots grade out highly while facing a steady diet of blitzes?

In all, there were 29 dropbacks by quarterback Tom Brady, who was knocked to the ground just once. Brady finished 22 of 28 for 297 yards and three touchdowns, and had one carry for four yards when all his targets were covered.

The standard pass rush is four defenders. Anything more than that constitutes a blitz.

Here is a look at what the Jets did and how the Patriots fared against it:

# 3 rushers
Amount: 9 of 29 dropbacks
Results: 7 of 8 for 67 yards; 1 rush, 4 yards
Quick hit: Lone incompletion was Wes Welker's first-quarter drop on third down

# 4 rushers
Amount: 4 of 29 dropbacks
Results: 3 of 4 for 75 yards, 2 TDs
Quick hit: TDs to Watson and Moss came against four-man rushes

# 5 rushers
Amount: 7 of 29 dropbacks
Results: 3 of 7 for 48 yards, TD
Quick hit: TD to Welker came against five-man rush; as did 33-yard bomb to Moss

# 6 rushers
Amount: 5 of 29 dropbacks
Results: 5 of 5 passing for 46 yards
Quick hit: Moss' first catch, for 18 yards, came against 6-man rush

# 7 rushers
Amount: 4 of 29 dropbacks
Results: 4 of 4 passing for 61 yards
Quick hit: All four catches made by Moss

FINAL ANALYSIS: In all, the Jets blitzed 16 of 29 times. When the Jets brought two or three extra rushers, that's when the Patriots made them pay, as New England completed all nine passes against six- and seven-man rushes. It is interesting to note that when the Jets brought seven rushers, Randy Moss was on the receiving end of all four passes, which could be a tendency opponents will key upon. Meanwhile, when the Jets played conservative and rushed just three, Tom Brady had plenty of time in the pocket and was patient in making plays. If not for the Wes Welker drop against a three-man rush, the Patriots would have been perfect against that as well.

Fact is, that there is very little originality in the journalism business.

R