X's & O's Hou@NE -- REWATCH Thread

[Wheelman]

great BB breakdown here
gameplanning based on preseason game (so not that unimportant)
in game gameplanning based on expected adjustment from opponent

That breakdown was masterful! It was awesome to see how they pick up on things and then make adjustments to it!

 

[Tunescribe]

Full game rebroadcast tonight at 8 on NFLN. This will be the full three-hour game, not condensed version.

 

[Hammer of Thor]

Here you go. I added plays # 142 and 143 with 144 because they were all Gillislee runs.

Thanks - much appreciated, hopefully I'll have some time later to go over this.

 

[Tony2046]

Thanks - much appreciated, hopefully I'll have some time later to go over this.

I'll be working on @NE-VT 's request tonight. Of course he had to order up the 27 course buffet.

 

[NE-VT]

I'll be working on @NE-VT 's request tonight. Of course he had to order up the 27 course buffet.

Luckily, I think there was some over-lap with plays you already grabbed.

Feel free to skip stuff also, I don't want to overeat!

 

[Tony2046]

Luckily, I think there was some over-lap with plays you already grabbed.

Feel free to skip stuff also, I don't want to overeat!

I was just kidding. I enjoy doing this. Your feedback has been great.

 

[NE-VT]

Big Plays

VP#10 @ 6:42

I think Tony’s analysis is correct. As Watson scrambled we lost zone discipline and left someone open on the other side.

It looks like we were in a cover 3 (4 underneath zone, 3 deep). I think Chung is to blame on this one. As the far left zone, there is no way he should be chasing a receiver so far into the middle. IMO, it makes more sense for Butler to follow the receiver over into the middle since he is one of the deep zones and McCourty was focusing more on the right side. There are 4 underneath zones, so Chung should not have followed on the other hand.

It is a bit concerning how many times his name is coming up in these missed plays.

 

[NE-VT]

Play# 134 @ :43

Our defensive formation is a bit strange here. On the surface it makes sense. It is 3rd and 1, and Texans are in a tight formation that looks conducive to running. We have 8 players in the box, and they are all in a line ready to protect that 1 yard. The strange part is that we have both LBs in a two-point stance in the A gaps.

The Texans run directly at those LBs in the A gaps. Van Noy gets blown way off the LOS, while Roberts holds a bit more; he gets off his block enough to get one arm on the RB, but can’t take him down before he gains the needed yard.

We really missed Hightower on this play. It makes me wonder how we managed to stop them on that 3rd and 1 at the end to force the FG before we got the ball back for our final drive.

 

[luuked]

It looks like the Texans are using a cover 1 robber. Basically, M2M with 1 deep safety and 1 safety playing shallow zone. It is a good call to help take away short and intermediate passing routes over the middle, forcing the OL to hold for long enough for deep throws. I believe it is called “robber” because the safety that sneaks up into intermediate coverage often gets interceptions if the QB mistakes it for cover 2 man and throws the intermediate route over the middle.

Just to expand on that a little bit in terms of Robber vs. Rat.

The way I understand it a Rat is usually a LB that plays around 5 yards off the LOS that has his eyes on the QB to protect against him running but also can hit crossers through the shallow mid.

Whereas the Robber as @NE-VT perfectly explained is usually a safety coming down a bit -- as DMac did on some snaps against the Texans --that works the over routes but still kinda keep his eyes on the QB.

Obviously, keeping an eye on a mobile QB is extremely important on snaps where you play man because most of your defense has their backs turned to the QB and if the pass rush screws up contain then you are in a world of trouble without someone dedicated to watch the QB.

FYI, I used pretty much Mayos words from the most current Quick Slants podcast (around ~ 32:00) in this write up.

 

[luuked]

It is a bit concerning how many times his name is coming up in these missed plays.

I agree but am kinda relieved after seeing all of this that most issues are communication/scheme understanding related and not some kind of physical issue.

On a sidenote that is also why I am not concerned at all about Gilmore. He sometimes looks like he is still processing things as they happen which makes him look a bit indecisive. I think come mid season when he feels comfortable with his new surroundings and can just play instead of thinking he will look very good.

 

[luuked]

It makes me wonder how we managed to stop them on that 3rd and 1 at the end to force the FG before we got the ball back for our final drive.

I thought Dussault had a great writeup about that on PatsPropaganda:

Film Review: Patriots D Gives Tom Brady a Chance - PatsPropaganda

 

[PP2]

great BB breakdown here
gameplanning based on preseason game (so not that unimportant)
in game gameplanning based on expected adjustment from opponent

What makes this even more impressive is that this was a play that they didn't have in the book for that game, it was made up on the spot when McD noticed Hal telling Joe to trap Hogan if he went sideline, so the next time they got that look on D, Hogan faked sideline and went to the out and go.

That kind of attention to detail trickles down from the top (my favorite thing about BB is his attention to detail and his ability to think football 24/7). And it shows why the Patriots are so hard to beat. It's essentially a requirement to play mistake-free football and not to blink, when playing against us.

The other good thing is that this is clear proof of Hogan's 2nd year leap. He is making good progress towards mastering this offense.

 

[captain stone]

This is a fantastic breakdown by Ike Taylor of just how good Brady was in the last drive.

Drive of the Week: How the Patriots beat the Texans in Week 3

Do you mean Ike Taylor the former ****sburg Squealer clown and Patriots hater?
No thanks.

 

[PatsBoy12]

I still felt very discouraged by the secondary, even with the improved play, and particularly awesome tackling, of Malcolm Butler. This was supposed to be a strength group for the team, and it's probably been their biggest defensive weakness. I don't even know what to say about Gilmore to this point that's good. I am a bit disappointed, if I'm being honest, even though the play on display from him is pretty much what he was in BUF. He is inconsistent and always has been, even with the Pro Bowl and all that. He's also a bit stupid at times, which we saw with the PI early in the game. With all that said, it's been three weeks. Revis took a few more games before he started to play up to his standard. I just don't know what Gilmore's standard is yet. I don't know if many people do. Watching him you just always feel like there's some potential he isn't reaching and you worry if he ever will at times (more than it should be). We'll see.

I've been more impressed with the DL and their ability to get pressure and make QB's move off the spot. It hasn't been perfect, and yeah, you'd like to see more consistency. But for a position that many people thought would be a complete disaster, they have not been the worst unit on the D by far. Watson hurt them badly, yes. But we've seen mobile QB's do it to the Pats for years. Their game plan usually seems to be more about maintaining discipline and keeping the QB in the pocket. This is what was really missing on Sunday. They've always done that part better in the past than they did against HOU. The whole D is still a work in progress, and I believe we have the minds and bodies to do it. This will look different in late October - January. Anyway, that's just one of the points I wanted to touch on.

 

[captain stone]

I still felt very discouraged by the secondary, even with the improved play, and particularly awesome tackling, of Malcolm Butler. This was supposed to be a strength group for the team, and it's probably been their biggest defensive weakness. I don't even know what to say about Gilmore to this point that's good. I am a bit disappointed, if I'm being honest, even though the play on display from him is pretty much what he was in BUF. He is inconsistent and always has been, even with the Pro Bowl and all that. He's also a bit stupid at times, which we saw with the PI early in the game. With all that said, it's been three weeks. Revis took a few more games before he started to play up to his standard. I just don't know what Gilmore's standard is yet. I don't know if many people do. Watching him you just always feel like there's some potential he isn't reaching and you worry if he ever will at times (more than it should be). We'll see.

I've been more impressed with the DL and their ability to get pressure and make QB's move off the spot. It hasn't been perfect, and yeah, you'd like to see more consistency. But for a position that many people thought would be a complete disaster, they have not been the worst unit on the D by far. Watson hurt them badly, yes. But we've seen mobile QB's do it to the Pats for years. Their game plan usually seems to be more about maintaining discipline and keeping the QB in the pocket. This is what was really missing on Sunday. They've always done that part better in the past than they did against HOU. The whole D is still a work in progress, and I believe we have the minds and bodies to do it. This will look different in late October - January. Anyway, that's just one of the points I wanted to touch on.

Agree with the assessment of the secondary, especially of Gilmore. Thus far, he isn't the upgrade from Ryan that was generally ass-umed…and he's 30% more expensive too.

Less in agreement about the DL. I don't think they'll improve significantly as currently constituted. They need more help, at both end & tackle, but it will have to arrive from outside the organization.

 

[GaryfromTO]

Watched the replay last night on NFL network as I missed the game on Sunday due to the Bills being rammed down our throats in Toronto.

Brady was certainly leading a charmed life on that last drive. On back to back plays he almost fumbled the ball away and then he almost threw a pick.

He then threw two great pasees to Amendola and Cooks

I guess when you're as talented as Brady, you sometimes have little luck on your side too.

 

[PatsBoy12]

Agree with the assessment of the secondary, especially of Gilmore. Thus far, he isn't the upgrade from Ryan that was generally ass-umed…and he's 30% more expensive too.

Less in agreement about the DL. I don't think they'll improve significantly as currently constituted. They need more help, at both end & tackle, but it will have to arrive from outside the organization.

I hear you, Captain. Much respect. To your point about the DLine, I don't care how they get better so long as they get better. And I think that will happen one way or another. A hallmark of this team for almost the whole BB era (except for a select few seasons) has been that they're always playing better in the latter parts of the season. BB has often said that September is an extension of the preseason and real football begins after Thanksgiving. How does anyone know what the new arrivals will be once they're in the system a few weeks? They maybe won't be lights out, but they'll certainly be far better and more comfortable later on than they are now, no? It seems to be taking all of the new arrivals more time to acclimate than we though across the board, so I think it is just a bit unfair to say the line needs help outside. I'm not saying you're wrong or anything . . . just a bit premature maybe. Wise has shown quite a bit already. Flowers is about what we thought he'd be and has three sacks already. Butler is a revelation. Branch, I feel, might still be rounding into shape. Let's give it another few weeks before we start making hard declarations. A lot can change between now and say week 6-8 and beyond. The team is 2-1 and likely to be 3-1 in the first half of the season. Let's approach the season like a game. You hope to be up after the first quarter (which the Pats will be) as you continue to adjust to things. If things aren't perfect, which they usually are not, you know you have time to fix things before crunch time. We should know that better than any other fan base in sports at this point.

 

[PatsBoy12]

Watched the replay last night on NFL network as I missed the game on Sunday due to the Bills being rammed down our throats in Toronto.

Brady was certainly leading a charmed life on that last drive. On back to back plays he almost fumbled the ball away and then he almost threw a pick.

He then threw two great pasees to Amendola and Cooks

I guess when you're as talented as Brady, you sometimes have little luck on your side too.

All talented players benefit from a few good bounces and calls throughout their careers. Nothin' wrong with that.

 

[Tony2046]

FYI: @NE-VT - Your requested plays are uploading. Good stuff. Uploading usually takes about a half hour but a buffet of requests might take an hour or two or three....

Just wanted to note in a separate post that I added the complete series of plays of 146-152 which had a combination of Houston run and pass plays. I thought it would be interesting to see how the Defense responded to both during a complete series.

BTW: I noticed clear examples of communication errors + scheme errors both in the front 7 and in the secondary. During one particular play (I can't remember the play# atm) McCourty can clearly be seen coaching up a DB after a breakdown.

 

[irishfanatic]

Many thanks to ye guys for taking the time to post all this info. It really does show me that although I think I know about the game, in reality I know very little.
Keep up the good work.