Devonta Freeman: We can do whatever we want against NE Defense

[MrTibbs]

Absolute bulletin board material!

 

[Le Numéro Douze]

They sure can try whatever they want and may very well succeed doing most of the things they want to do. However, what we have learned throughout the years is that Bill Belichick will find a way to take away what HE feels is their best chance of beating the Pats. We also know that BB isn't afraid to give up yardage to prevent points (limit them to FGs, basically). We also know that a BB-led team has never been blown out in SB.

So, in all probability, it is going to be a close game in which the Patriots will find a way to counter what they feel is the most important aspect of the Falcons' game plan. The question then becomes "is the rest of their game-plan good enough to OUTSCORE the Pats offense?" An offense that was 3rd in scoring despite not having TB12 for 4 games.

In the end, yeah sure, you might do "what you want" on offense and get near 30 points if everything goes right for you - we gave up 30 only once this year if I remember correctly. Pats still can win if that happens.

But, yeah, keep talking.

 

[I.M. Fletcher]

All they need to do is wear their letterman jackets before the game and this has all the makings of an ass whooping.

Oh, you mean like this?

 

[neuronet]

I'm more confident in winning this game than any Super Bowl we have ever played in

I was more confident in 2008. Never again will I be that confident.Never gonna make that mistake again.

As painful as it is to bring up, I made the mistake of starting this f'ing thread on January 25th 2008:
By how many points will the Pats beat the Giants?

 

[Kdo5]

I've never ever dared to have this thought before but...I think we might blow them out.

I've also been having a gut feeling that we are going to smoke them. Haven't been this confident about a Super Bowl game, ever. Even more confident than 2007.

I don't think Brady has ever been more determined in his life. And the defense has adopted "the disrespect card" and will be hungry to prove itself again.

The experience will massively favor the more balanced Patriots. Jump out to an early lead and the Falcons will start puking all over themselves.

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

 

[oldrover]

Hey, Patrick, you're not taking your own advice.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

I've never ever dared to have this thought before but...I think we might blow them out.

I've been thinking along those lines, but am too superstitious to say it...so my formal response is: "The Falcons are a teerrific team and it will come down to the last possession."

 

[neuronet]

Why. why. why. He's obviously a smart guy. Why would he tweet something like this?

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Matt Patricia's pencil is coming out from behind his ear, right about now....

If he didn't know that before, he's not the coach we thought he was.

 

[FourierSeries]

Why. why. why. He's obviously a smart guy. Why would he tweet something like this?

That was tweeted before Freeman's interview. Had nothing to do with what he said.

 

[neuronet]

The experience will massively favor the more balanced Patriots. Jump out to an early lead and the Falcons will start puking all over themselves.

Easy to say, very hard to do against the Falcons. Hope you are right.

We can expect basically to have atmosphere of an away game, like...a San Diego away game with tons of Pats fans. I'm a lot less confident than many posters here. Not sure what game they were watching Sunday afternoon that the Packers played in.

 

[neuronet]

That was tweeted before Freeman's interview. Had nothing to do with what he said.

In general, though, say nothing incendiary before the SB. Give nothing that can be taken out of context by anyone. Basically "I thank God for this opportunity, they are a great football team, our work is definitely cut out for us." Say that over and over.

Basically I want them to be as generic as this:

 

[BelichickFan]

I have no idea how this game will work out. But Falcon yapping will not be a bad thing in terms of allowing the defense to play their favorite "no-one believed in us" card. Unlike Rodney's days of saying it, it's kind of true this year.

 

[A Defiant Goose]

Picking their poison is misleading. Poison kills you. The Patriots will have to let someone have a big day, but whoever that is isn't going to kill them. They won't be able to keep up with NE's variety on offense including their own RBs out of the backfield.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Devonta Freeman: “Pick your poison” when defending our offense

He doesn't seem too concerned about the patriots defense.


He also added this nugget - their offensive game plan doesn't change from game to game.

Well, if we just look at it objectively, he's right. BB will have to decide which part of their game to try to take away and where they're going to put up some yards. Otherwise, "It's the Red Zone, Stupid." The Falcons are going to move up and down the field. The game will be decided by holding them to FGA's instead of TD's.

Yes, even the talking heads on NFLN have figured out that the Pats are unique because they seem to be the only team that can change offenses not only between games, but within games. I think it's because Belichick and Josh require that the players learn multiple schemes.

Few seem to have noticed, but other teams have "accepted" that the CBA limits on practice time also have to limit the Offensive schemes they can put in. The Patriots have gotten around that by demanding of players that they spend the time that they used to spend in pads or on the practice field studying instead.

My honest guess is that they only get away with this because of the winning culture and the lockerroom leadership. On other teams, I could see players, especially divas, refusing to do it and going to the union rep about it.

 

[libra957]

To be fair, they are pretty damn good. I've watched all their games and they move fluidly on offense with little to no resistance from defenses.

 

[Tuck]

Devonta, anything you say can and will be used against you.

 

[IndianPat]

He also added this nugget - their offensive game plan doesn't change from game to game.

That line is the most revealing part of his statement. But is that a curve ball? Has anybody analyzed the Falcons offense to verify if the Falcons approach all their games with the same game plan?
During SB XLIX, I had read that Seattle's game plan on defense stays the same irrespective of the team they are facing. They were right and we exploited their tendency. We scored 4 TD's on them (one drive being frittered away by a Int in the end zone).
Boy, if they have a standard game plan, I can see Patriots limiting them successfully.

 

[Kontradiction]

Let me know how the Patriots are going to defend the RBs receiving out of the backfield, and I'll tell you whether or not the Falcons will be able to do whatever they want on offense.

That's my biggest worry, and has been, since the Pats drew them in the Super Bowl. My best guess is three safeties and dropping Chung in the box since none of the Pats LB's can cover either Freeman or Coleman. That opens up the running game of course as the Falcons would counter that smaller front by trying to pound it at the Pats. But Chung is my best guess.