Game 5. New England & Cincinnati

[Gwedd]

So, who else here is somewhat amazed that game 5 of this season is going to be a showdown between..... wait for it..... the Patriots and the Bengals?

As someone who has followed the Pats since they drafted Jim Plunkett, and watched the Bungels, er, BENGALS rise up a mite these past couple years, I have to admit I'm chagrined a bit at this situation.

The word on the street is that the Pats are ripe for the picking due to injuries and loss of previous stars. The Bengals are on the rise with an explosive offense and a fairly consistent defense.

And yet.......

I am not worried. Maybe it's the homer in me. Maybe it's the late hour. I dunno. What I do know is that this team, the Patriots, over the past 13 years, has found a way to rise above diversity. Injuries, cuts, rookies or veterans, made up crisis, outright lies, whatever. This team seems to find a way to take all of it in, feed upon it, and grow stronger.

Adversity is, for New England, the crucible in which steel is formed, and the media becomes the cold water in which it is tempered.

I'm looking for a great game this weekend, a game with a score whose closeness doesn't indicate how far above the Bengals the Patriots are. I fully expect to see a 5/0 Patriots team when the clock winds down.

YMMV, but that's how I see things.

 

[eom]

yeah, I remember one year people were discounting our 3-0 start, and week 4 at the bengals was supposed to be some kind of test, for some reason.

think it was 2007...........

 

[Gwedd]

yeah, I remember one year people were discounting our 3-0 start, and week 4 at the bengals was supposed to be some kind of test, for some reason.

think it was 2007...........

You are what your record says you are.

Any given Sunday is a new week, and a new beginning. Witness the frikkin' Bills defeating the Ravens, eh?

 

[supafly]

I fully expect to see a 4/0 Patriots team when the clock winds down.

I assume that you meant 5-0 of course.

I too fully expect a win, but the opposition is coming off a loss and has a pretty stingy defense. It will be another test on the road vs a good defense, in a fairly hostile environment.

At the end of it all, I would certainly lean towards our side. I think we're getting better every week.

 

[Gwedd]

I assume that you meant 5-0 of course.

I too fully expect a win, but the opposition is coming off a loss and has a pretty stingy defense. It will be another test on the road vs a good defense, in a fairly hostile environment.

At the end of it all, I would certainly lean towards our side. I think we're getting better every week.

oops....... I corrected the record to read 5/0.

I blame the late hour, and the bourbon.

 

[Ozymandias]

Patriots favoring 3rd WR & FB

One of the things that will be charted on a weekly basis is the positional groupings utilized by the New England Patriots offense, as they reveal player value and take us deeper into the X's and O's of how coordinator Josh McDaniels is attempting to attack the opposition.

The big takeaway through four games has a tie-in to the team's release of rookie tight end Zach Sudfeld on Thursday, and it's that the team is favoring more three-receiver packages instead of multiple tight end packages.

Furthermore, we're seeing more two-back groupings, with fullback James Develin, than we have in recent years from the Patriots. When Develin has been on the field, it's usually been at the expense of a second tight end.

Here is a simplified breakdown of the team's 298 offensive snaps (including penalties, not kneel-downs):

3 or more WRs: 179 of 298
2 backs: 82 of 298
2 or more TEs: 64 of 298

There is a 27-play overlap, which accounts for snaps in which there was a combination of 3 WRs/2 backs and 2-3 TEs/2 backs.

When Rob Gronkowski returns, it makes sense to think we could see an increase in multiple tight end groupings. However, it wouldn't be a surprise if the Patriots still remain a primarily three-receiver attack.

Groupings: New England Patriots favoring 3rd WR & FB - ESPN Boston


I agree with Reiss' overarching point, in that even with Rob back in the fold I still think the team's base offense will be centered around 3 WRs and not 2 TEs like years past. It looks as though this was the plan all along once he-who-shall-not-be-mentioned was arrested.

 

[Brady6]

I expect to see a lot of this today – 3 cornerbacks, 1 safety base defense

We showed this against Tampa 2 weeks ago and I expect to see a lot of it today against the Bengals to help compensate for the loss of Wilfork. The scheme is a standard font 7 (34 or 43 alignment) with 3 cornerbacks and 1 safety making up the secondary, the advantage of this is it keeps Mayo, Hightower and most importantly are best run stopping LB Spikes all on the field at once.

LCB – Talib
RCB – Dennard
STAR – Arrington
SAF – McCourty​

One for Safety: Patriots Secondary Shows New Wrinkle vs. Buccaneers in Week 3 | NEPatriotsDraft.com - 2014 NFL Draft

 

[DaBronxPats14]

Re: I expect to see a lot of this today – 3 cornerbacks, 1 safety base defense

Mother Nature is gonna play a part in Cincy for both teams. If it's Pouring like Thurs Nite Game I went to vs Jets it'll be sloppy. If conditions are slippery wonder if Amendola gets snaps. Don't need him slippin & stretchin out makin it worse.