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

[ScottishPatriots]

Keep talking, we're all learning to hate the mostly irrelevant Atlanta Falcons

I've also never seen a fanbase so arrogant for a team with zero winning history, reminds me of Panthers fans last year before the Broncos dominated them.

 

[goheels22002]

The Falcons are a top 5 team in virtually every offensive category. It's no fluke they are in the Super Bowl. The Falcons scored points on 54% of their drives this season. These guys move the ball and they finish. By comparison, the Patriots scored on 44% of their drives.

Freeman is correct in saying that defenses can take away one thing or another, but not everything. They're very, very good. Play around with this sortable chart and you'll find few weaknesses on this team, offensively.

2016 NFL Standings & Team Stats | Pro-Football-Reference.com

Their defense is another matter. It's mediocre to poor. They haven't played a team like the Patriots who can match them drive for drive. This one has the feel of the Patriots - Panthers Super Bowl.

 

[The Gr8est]

This one has the feel of the Patriots - Panthers Super Bowl.

Hopefully this time the Pats will try a different strategy than the "lose both of your starting safeties and be stuck with special team players taking base reps" strategy they were using at the end of the Panthers game.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Hopefully this time the Pats will try a different strategy than the "lose both of your starting safeties and be stuck with special team players taking base reps" strategy they were using at the end of the Panthers game.

Gawd. No DMC or Chung? At least Duron Harmon is starting caliber.

Imagine Jordan Richards and Nate Ebner back there?

I bet they'd go Harmon and play 4CBs if DMC and Chung went out and only use Nate/Richards close to the LoS

 

[fnordcircle]

That was Tom's body double or he was having an out of body experience. I refuse to believe he was of sound mind and body to say what he did

Yeah - I just rewatched it yesterday before sending it to a friend who had never heard about it. It is still so uncharacteristic that I find it jarring.

As much as you can love someone who doesn't know you exist and never will know and has no impact in your life that is how much I love Tom Brady. But ooooh how I wish that he hadn't said that.

 

[bormio]

The point has been made - but is important. Our tackling on checkdowns has been superb (once we stopped having Roberts trying to chase backs). If Atlanta thinks they are going to convert on 3rd down with short stuff and YAC, they are going to punt a lot.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Yeah - I just rewatched it yesterday before sending it to a friend who had never heard about it. It is still so uncharacteristic that I find it jarring.

As much as you can love someone who doesn't know you exist and never will know and has no impact in your life that is how much I love Tom Brady. But ooooh how I wish that he hadn't said that.

No one is perfect. I've said so many dumb things in life I can't keep count anymore.

I chalk it up to the 18-0 stress and pissed off/frustrated with the high ankle sprain He tried to overcompensate for his weakened condition by being ****y.

Only rationalization can make over it...

 

[fnordcircle]

No one is perfect. I've said so many dumb things in life I can't keep count anymore.

I chalk it up to the 18-0 stress and pissed off/frustrated with the high ankle sprain He tried to overcompensate for his weakened condition by being ****y.

Only rationalization can make over it...

I think he let his guard down and said how he actually felt. Probably due to the factors you say above. I think he probably felt insulted that Plaxico predicted 17 points given how we were playing, but that was the classic "do your talking on the field" moment.

Nobody's perfect, but my heterocrush Tommy comes close. Just a shame that of all the years and times to let something like that slip...

 

[Sam Bam Cunningham]

Speaking of media hyperbole, we have some going on right here. Can anyone show me ONE item where a doctor, team official, or even an adam shecter like reporter has come out and said that Mack has a high ankle sprain that might sffect his play.....even one.

Yet some how in the thread its gone from specualtion of a high ankle sprain to gospel.

About the OP, who cares. I've pretty much turned off the media coverage of this game other than here and PFT. The game's going to be played between the lines and pretty much ALL of what happens before it is meaningless and a collossal waste of time.

Trust me. These are two good teams. I think the Pats are slightly better because of the coaching QB, and defense. But even that doesn't matter. The team that can create the most TO's and score the most TDs when the get to the red zone will win. Its just that simple. EVERY one of the Pats apperances in the superbowl under BB have been decided by LESS than a TD. There is no reason to believe that this one will be different.


T

Not to bring up the 2003 team yet again, but I think this SB could be very similar o the one against Carolina which coincidentally was also in Houston. That one as you remember kind of turned into a shoot out at the end. Pats got off to a big lead, but in that game TB had a critical

The Falcons are a top 5 team in virtually every offensive category. It's no fluke they are in the Super Bowl. The Falcons scored points on 54% of their drives this season. These guys move the ball and they finish. By comparison, the Patriots scored on 44% of their drives.

Freeman is correct in saying that defenses can take away one thing or another, but not everything. They're very, very good. Play around with this sortable chart and you'll find few weaknesses on this team, offensively.

2016 NFL Standings & Team Stats | Pro-Football-Reference.com

Their defense is another matter. It's mediocre to poor. They haven't played a team like the Patriots who can match them drive for drive. This one has the feel of the Patriots - Panthers Super Bowl.

Even if it is true....you do NOT say it. You are supposed to act like you have been here before. By the way they have been stopped a couple of times and they are not invincible.
They scored 15 points against the Eagles.

 

[Tunescribe]

Aaand the Falcons' inexperience at being in a Superbowl and playing against a BB coached team begins to appear.

I have the vague feeling that in Foxboro, the Patriots are all business as usual.

 

[PatsBoy12]

Doesn't seem like that aggressive of a statement, kind of like how the media made Brady's "We're only going to score 17 points? Haha" into some "diss" to the Giants.

It's pretty hard for me to really dislike this Falcons team actually.

The media didn't do that. The statement itself did.

 

[fightingirish595]

He is right in the sense that their offense has an effective running game and passing game. One doesn't really feed off the other. But our defense is effective at stopping the run without committing numbers

 

[Ethanga62890]

I don't see what he said as that bad. I'm sure he's aware the pats are the best d in football and will be a challenge. Our offense is one of the best all time and one of the most versatile. He's simply saying in my mind at least they won't be shut down under 20 points. Not that we're gonna hang 40.

 

[FourierSeries]

Freeman frustrated with his role and his agent is crying about him deserving elite RB money. All of this during SB week.

Agent: Devonta Freeman deserves 'elite back' pay from Falcons

 

[The Brandon Five]

I think he let his guard down and said how he actually felt. Probably due to the factors you say above. I think he probably felt insulted that Plaxico predicted 17 points given how we were playing, but that was the classic "do your talking on the field" moment.

Nobody's perfect, but my heterocrush Tommy comes close. Just a shame that of all the years and times to let something like that slip...

There were other warning signs before the game started:

Simmons: 'Free fallin' out into nothing' - ESPN Page 2

1. Before the pregame introductions, the Patriots were jogging off the field and the Jumbotron caught Brady briefly break stride to shake hands with Pat O'Brien. This bothered me for some reason -- somewhere along the line, the team and the quarterback almost became too famous, as symbolized by that handshake and the fact Brady would have run right by O'Brien six years ago because he would have wanted to flip out in the tunnel and inexplicably head-butt Bledsoe over and over again. Look, I'm not blaming Brady for the handshake. This was the season when his fame transcended sports and morphed into something else, and part of that "something else" involves the occasional random pregame handshake with the likes of Pat O'Brien. You have to do things like this when you're famous, even if you don't really want to do them. At the same time, I thought this was a terrible omen and a defining moment of the season. In the Super Bowl, you'd much rather be the "Nobody believes in us!" team than the "Not only does everybody believe in us, but our QB shakes hands before games with Pat O'Brien" team. You just would.

 

[rsd]

There were other warning signs before the game started:

Simmons: 'Free fallin' out into nothing' - ESPN Page 2

I'm sorry but thats Simmons putting a nice story around the outcome of that game and is just anecdotal rubbish.

They lost because they're O-line was injured (no seems to bring up Mankins PLAYED with a torn ACL somehow and Neal got hurt to IIRC) and Brady did more than any QB could expect and still put them in position to win expect for a fluke catch by a no name WR.

Sorry I'm not bitter or anything...

 

[The Brandon Five]

I'm sorry but thats Simmons putting a nice story around the outcome of that game and is just anecdotal rubbish.

They lost because they're O-line was injured (no seems to bring up Mankins PLAYED with a torn ACL somehow and Neal got hurt to IIRC) and Brady did more than any QB could expect and still put them in position to win expect for a fluke catch by a no name WR.

Sorry I'm not bitter or anything...

Mankins played with a torn ACL in the other Giants disaster-bowl. He wrote that article the day after the Super Bowl, so not sure what your point is.

I'm still bitter.

 

[102 Pat]

Freeman frustrated with his role and his agent is crying about him deserving elite RB money. All of this during SB week.

Agent: Devonta Freeman deserves 'elite back' pay from Falcons

So can we put Freeman down for at least 1 fumble sunday?

 

[jah]

There were other warning signs before the game started:

Simmons: 'Free fallin' out into nothing' - ESPN Page 2

Tom Brady was a bona fide celebrity in 2004, let alone 2007. This is a dumb article.

 

[PatsBoy12]

So can we put Freeman down for at least 1 fumble sunday?

I'm hoping so. The game may very well come down to one fumble.