Houston Breakdown

[Box_O_Rocks]

'Cause I just got here, and aparently am the only mod with the glue stick.

Glue stick or glaucoma stick?

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Fourth Quarter, 14:18, NE 37, Hou 7

Kickoff: Gostkowski to 3 yards deep in the end zone, returned 22 yds to Houston 19: Gostkowski had another beautiful directional kick that was taken well outside the right numbers - about five feet from the sideline. Houston’s return man ran back to the middle trying to find an open lane and was stretched out nearly to the left numbers where Chad Scott brought him down. Great lane discipline by the coverage unit, literally forcing the KR to run the width of the field.

Note: Hill is in for Warren, Mays is in for Vrabel, Hobbs in for Scott - it also looks like Woods is in for Colvin, but I can’t get a clear look at the number, it just doesn’t look like Colvin’s mannerisms.

1st and 10: Dayne up the middle for 11 yds. Analysis: Pats in a standard 3-4. Houston in a 2 wide, I formation, TE right. Hill and Woods were playing pass, as was Banta-Cain who dropped into zone coverage as they rushed. Smith, Green, and both ILBs were playing run. Hill and Woods were easily taken outside by the TE and RT. Smith was chipped by the RG and turned to the left by the C. The RG came off the chip and locked onto Mays who held his ground three steps back and hadn’t come up as fast as Bruschi who was already in the hole. Bruschi tried to slide around the FB but got too far outside and was only able to get a hand on Dayne as he shot past. Mays was unable to get off the block. Sanders came up fast and made the first real hit and Banta-Cain came in from the other side and got a shoulder into Dayne to help Sanders bring him down.

1st and 10: Carr to TE Daniels, intercepted by Samuel. Analysis: Houston in a 2 wide, TE right, FB offset right. Pats played pass from the start, rushing Banta-Cain and the DL, with Woods dropping into a shallow zone and both ILB dropping a little deeper. Hill was doubled by the RG/RT, Smith got a good push on the C and drove him back into Carr at the same time Banta-Cain beat the LT inside to swipe at Carr as he threw. It was a 5 step drop with the ball going out flatfooted on 3 mississippi. Carr appeared to telegraph the throw looking right the whole time. Samuel released the WR and stayed in a middle zone on the right side, where he read the throw and cut underneath the TE running a square-out. Samuel stepped out of bounds on the Houston 5. Hill did a good job after being checked by the double-team, he kept his head up and got a big paw up in the air to keep Carr honest.

Score: NE 37, Hou 7

Assessment: The reserves struggled with their reads and communications. I’m not sure if Woods and Hill rushing while everybody else stayed home was a designed play, it did take them out of the play. Mays was either staying back since the LG slot was occupied by Green and not an open cutback lane, or he failed to read and react in time to support Bruschi and evade the RG.

Grades

DL C Hill and Smith need the reps, they didn’t excel and didn’t completely blow their assignments.
OLB B- Banta-Cain was in the middle of things on both plays, Woods appeared to be a little lost, but trying to think his way through - not developed yet.
ILB C Bruschi looked good, though Dayne did beat him in a bus-sized hole. Mays showed his inexperience, but I like his size.
CB A
S A
DC A

 

[PatsFan37]

Re: Houston Breakdown (slightly OT)

Heath Evans has been doing so much better as a blocker this year, he is turning into a very good FB.

Between now and March, we'll hear a lot of noise from the media about re-signing Graham and Samuel, and rightly so. You'll never hear them talk about Wright and Evans, both of who are signed only through this year. Like signing Hochstein, who really came through in the crunch on several occasions, signing these less well-known but consistent players is critical to maintaining depth.

(Wasn't there a reporter who was absolutely screeching about depth? If he wants to report on A$ante $amuel, as he spells it, he should mention Wright and Evans as well.)

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Re: Houston Breakdown (slightly OT)

Between now and March, we'll hear a lot of noise from the media about re-signing Graham and Samuel, and rightly so. You'll never hear them talk about Wright and Evans, both of who are signed only through this year. Like signing Hochstein, who really came through in the crunch on several occasions, signing these less well-known but consistent players is critical to maintaining depth.

(Wasn't there a reporter who was absolutely screeching about depth? If he wants to report on A$ante $amuel, as he spells it, he should mention Wright and Evans as well.)

Wright is a lock, he's ERFA for one more year. Evans, Graham, Samuel UFA's, Evans should be an easy re-sign...I think Hawkins is on a two year deal, I'll have to check Miguel's pages, same for Chad Scott...Woods, Mays, Childress all ERFA, Yates I believe is an RFA...lot's of quality depth and developmental guys to track.

 

[pats1]

First Half

Kickoff: Banta-Cain from the NE 24, 9 yd. return, Banta-Cain took the short kick on a bounce.

Offensive Series #1 Punt

Contributor: Pats1
Time: 15:00 remaining in the first quarter
Statistics: 4 plays (1 run, 3 pass), 12 yards (-2 run, 14 pass), time of possession was 1:57
Breakdown: 1 green play (0 run, 1 pass) for 12 yds., 3 red plays (1 run, 2 pass) for 0 yds. (-2 run, 2 pass)

1st and 10 NE 33

Result: Pass, Dillon, dumpoff under pressure, 12 yds.
Analysis: 3 WR, 1 right vs. 4-2 in press, with Graham in motion left to right. The FS came down to pick up Graham, and the CBs stayed in man. Kaczur and Neal both got bull rushed back on the snap, with Brady drifting backwards and Super Mario breaking free from Kaczur right in Brady’s face. Koppen and Mankins released out in a designed screen protection, followed by Neal and Dillon, who caught the dumpoff behind the pass rush. The WRs and TE cleared the CBs out deep, but Neal was still unable to catch up to the NB coming across the field. However, Koppen knocked the FS out of bounds out ahead, allowing Dillon to follow the sideline for the extra yards and a first down.

1st and 10 NE 45

Result: Run, Dillon, left guard, -2 yds.
Analysis: 2 WR left with an I-form backfield vs. 4-3 in press. Houston had 8 in the box, with the SS creeping up weak side. Light turned the RDE out and a Mankins/Koppen double-team on the RDT opened a hole on the left side. Evans came up through it, but the SLB blew right through him to fill up the hole. Graham got abused on the right side, with Super Mario driving right past him to help stack up the run on the left. Kaczur picked up the WLB well, but Neal faced a similar fate as Graham with the LDT. The MLB would help push back the pile for a loss of 2 yds.

2nd and 12 NE 43

Result: Pass, Caldwell, quick out, 2 yds.
Analysis: Shotgun 5 WR, with Thomas and Dillon split, and Graham right wing vs. 4-3 with the OLBs on the slots. Kaczur attempted a cut block on the right side that Super Mario evaded, but in the process removing himself from the throwing lane. Brady took a quick 3-step drop and fired it over to Caldwell, who tried doubling back away from the two defenders but then dove at the feet of the MLB. Houston never had any DB on Dillon wide right, and instead a CB came across the field before the snap and ended up right behind the WLB. Those two got a quick jump on Caldwell’s quick out, instead of being cleared out by Dillon’s deep route.

3rd and 10 NE 45

Result: Pass, Gaffney, Incomplete, sideline fly, pass dropped.
Analysis: Shotgun 3 WR with Faulk at RB, Thomas left wing, 2 WR left vs. 3-3 press with LB and SS blitz look. The SS backed off, but all 3 LBs came in on a blitz. Light and Kaczur took care of the DEs, Mankins took care of the NT, and Faulk helped Koppen and Neal scrum the LBs to give Brady a pretty good pocket. Gaffney was 1v1 on the CB with the FS covering too much ground to help out and the SS covering Thomas short. Brady floated the pass perfectly down into Gaffney’s hands, but Gaffney started looking forward towards the end zone before he had full control of the ball, and it found its way right through his arms to the ground.

4th and 10 NE 45

Result: Punt, Walter, to the HOU 19, Wynn evades an overpursuing Hobbs on the catch before Izzo sheds to trip him up, 36 yd. punt, 14 yd. return.

Score: New England 0 – Houston 0

Assessment

Very uneven drive. What started out as a methodical short-passing game suddenly turned into a chuck-it-up deep game on 3rd and 10. On the lone running play, the FB and weak side blocking was suspect, allowing Houston to stack blockers up and take Dillon down for a loss. Still, this came with 8 men in the box, and Houston gave a similar look on 3rd down. To me, the wiser pass from Brady would have been about half the distance as Gaffney’s, to either Thomas or Brown/Caldwell in single coverage across the middle. If the defense blitzes, you hit them where the blitzers vacated. The read on the Caldwell pass was sketchy too – Brady either thought Caldwell could beat the two unblocked defenders on the outside or he missed the CB coming across the field late. If an adjustment was made, Dillon was wide open on the edge and with a loft pass, could still be running right now. I didn’t see any motioning, so I’m also wondering why lining up a TE and RB at WR is an effective strategy.

Drive Grades

QB ‘B’ - Good passes, but could have made better reads
RBs ‘C’ - Evans gets an ‘F’ for his blocking, but Faulk an ‘A’ for his
WRs ‘A’ blocking, ‘D’ catching - No excuse for Gaffney
TEs ‘D’ blocking, ‘Incomplete’ receiving - Graham had trouble with Super Mario on the run
OL ‘B’ - Good pass blocking, mediocre run blocking
OC ‘C’ - Why the deep pass?
Punt Unit ‘B’

 

[pats1]

Offensive Series #2 Downs

Contributor: Pats1
Time: 13:03 remaining in the first quarter
Statistics: 4 plays (4 run, 0 pass), 9 yards, time of possession was 1:52
Breakdown: 3 green plays (3 run, 0 pass) for 0 yds., 1 red play (1 run, 0 pass) for 9 yds.

1st and 10 Hou 33

Result: Run, Dayne, left tackle, 0 yds.
Analysis: 2 WR left with FB left and TE right vs. 3-4. Scott and Samuel were the CBs, with Scott and Sanders playing off the WRs and Samuel floating off the TE. Banta-Cain also slid out over the slot WR, but came in to meet the FB at the LOS. This wide block, along with Sanders beating the WR outside, caused Dayne to bounce inside a run that was originally intended to the outside. Seymour couldn’t shed a LT block, but was in the right place at the right time to roadblock Dayne on his cutback inside. Warren schooled the RT backside to put an end to the run. Elsewhere, Vrabel took on the LG, Wright the C, Bruschi the RG, and Colvin the TE.

2nd and 10 Hou 33

Result: Run, Dayne, right guard, 9 yds.
Analysis: 2 WR split, TE right, I-form backfield vs. 3-4 press with LB blitz look. The TE originally started outside right, then motioned inside before the WR motioned from wide to slot too. Samuel backed off that WR as Sanders came up. All LBs but Bruschi were showing blitz, with Colvin setting the edge right on the TE, Vrabel getting caught inside on the RG, and Banta-Cain dropping back into a short zone. Seymour took on the LT backside, and Wright stood tall against the C. The LG pulled but tripped over OL legs, with Dayne just barely avoiding his body in the hole. Warren drove the RT into the backfield but right past the run. The FB sealed Bruschi inside, putting the last nail in the front seven’s coffin. Luckily, Sanders patiently waited on the WR for the play to come his way, then broke off in a flash to trip up Dayne and send him stumbling forward. Without Sanders’ play, only Hawkins stood in Dayne’s way.


3rd and 1 Hou 33

Result: Run, Dayne, right guard, 0 yds.
Analysis: 1 WR right with TE split and FB right vs. 3-4. Scott was showing blitz left, while Samuel gave the WR a small cushion right. On the backside, Scott and Banta-Cain were allowed to come in free, with Banta-Cain catching Dayne from behind and stopping his momentum. Seymour didn’t even need to take on any blockers, as the rookie LTE dove into the LT, sending both to the ground. The LG pulled, and Wright pushed the C down into the LTE/LT pile, allowing Wright to be the main stopper of Dayne. Warren broke inside of the RT to finish off Dayne. Elsewhere, Bruschi kept back, Vrabel took on the RG, and Colvin set the edge on the LG and FB.

4th and 1 Hou 33

Result: Fake Punt, run, Simmons, up the middle, 0 yds.
Analysis: Once the clock was re-started and nothing besides the protector Simmons talking to the line was happening, the Pats knew something was up. The two “LBs” started to creep up, and when Simmons went under center and took the snap, the middle of the DL plowed forward. Mays was right there to meet Simmons behind the wall and with Evans, took him down.

Score: New England 0 – Houston 0

Assessment

Outside of that one run where Houston executed well and had the numbers advantage, the Pats’ front seven dominated Houston’s OL. I was also impressed with Sanders’ tenacity in getting to the ballcarrier on the runs. There were actually very few double teams, allowing the DL to do some serious block shedding.

Drive Grades

DL ‘B’ - Warren could have stopped that 9 yd. run in the backfield
OLBs ‘B’
ILBs ‘B’ - Vrabel and Bruschi took on blocks, but weren’t able to break them
CBs ‘A’
Ss ‘A+’
DC ‘A’
PR Unit ‘A+’

 

[pats1]

A few amendments to the last drive:

First, it should be Defensive Series #1, not Offensive Series #2.

Second, on the below play, Warren took the on RTE, not RT - Vrabel took on the RG, not RT - and Wright shed BOTH the RG and C:

3rd and 1 Hou 33

Result: Run, Dayne, right guard, 0 yds.
Analysis: 1 WR right with TE split and FB right vs. 3-4. Scott was showing blitz left, while Samuel gave the WR a small cushion right. On the backside, Scott and Banta-Cain were allowed to come in free, with Banta-Cain catching Dayne from behind and stopping his momentum. Seymour didn’t even need to take on any blockers, as the rookie LTE dove into the LT, sending both to the ground. The LG pulled, and Wright pushed the RG and C down into the LTE/LT pile, allowing Wright to be the main stopper of Dayne. Warren broke inside of the RTE to finish off Dayne. Elsewhere, Bruschi kept back, Vrabel took on the RT, and Colvin set the edge on the LG and FB.

 

[pats1]

Offensive Series #2 Touchdown

Contributor: Pats1
Time: 11:11 remaining in the first quarter
Statistics: 7 plays (5 run, 2 pass), 42 yards (39 run, 3 pass), time of possession was 3:05
Breakdown: 4 green plays (3 run, 1 pass) for 36 yds. (33 run, 3 pass), 2 black plays (2 run, 0 pass) for 6 yds., 1 red plays (0 run, 1 pass) for 0 yds.

1st and 10 Hou 42

Result: Run, Dillon, left guard, 7 yds.
Analysis: 2 WR split with I-form backfield and TE left vs. 4-3 press. Graham came in motion and stopped before the snap behind RG, with the FS coming into the box in response. This effectively gave the Pats two lead blockers. On the left side, Light kicked the RDE out, Mankins got help from a Koppen chip on the RDT and kept him outside just enough for Dillon to get by. Koppen, after his chip, took on the SLB, who bounced off and helped on the tackle. Neal and Kaczur turned the RG and RT well outside to open a large hole up the middle. Evans and Graham came up through the middle and took on the MLB and WLB, with Dillon splitting between them. On the right, Kight ignored the LCB to take on the FS. Even though the FS took a step back on the snap, Kight still wasn’t able to catch up to get the angle and the FS helped the SLB make the stop. Caldwell blocked the RCB, and the SS stayed deep.

2nd and 3 Hou 35

Result: Pass, Brown, play action, Incomplete, short post pattern, pass thrown wide.
Analysis: 2 WR split with 2 TE split vs. 4-3 press. Thomas came in motion left to right, next to the standing Graham. This was followed by a play action to that right side, with Thomas coming back across behind the line in what would have been a wham block, and then out in a route. Thomas would have been open in the flat if he didn’t get caught up in the scrum of pass rushers in the middle. Graham and Kaczur took care of the LDE on the right, but the RDE and DTs pushed back on the rest of the OL to close in the pocket. This forced Brady to reach up and throw over the line, to Brown, who had beaten the LCB with the help of the play action. Brown found the void in-between the SLB and MLB zones, but hesitated just enough on his cut for the pass to be just out of his reach inside.

3rd and 3 Hou 35

Result: Pass, Caldwell, quick hitch, 3 yds.
Analysis: Shotgun 3 WR with RB left and TE right vs. 3-2 press with LB and FS blitz look. On the left side, Brown came in motion to behind the slot WR. The FS backed off his blitz and went into a short zone, but both LBs and the NB came in. With 6 DBs, this left the CBs and DB in man on the WRs and the SS in a deep zone. This left Faulk open in the left flat, but Brady still chose to go to Caldwell on a quick sideline hitch. He nailed Caldwell right in the chest, and despite the LCB dragging Caldwell back, forward progress gave Caldwell the first down. On the blitz, Light took the WLB, Mankins the RDE then SLB, Koppen/Neal the NT then RDE, and Kaczur/Graham the LDE. The throw was off before the NB could get to Brady.

1st and 10 Hou 32

Result: Run, Faulk, up the middle, 3 yds.
Analysis: 2 WR and 1 right with TE left vs. 4-3 press with SS off slot. Neal and Kaczur turned the LDT and LDE out to open things up. Koppen met the WLB out ahead. That left Mankins and Light to slant against the RDT and MLB, with both Mankins and Light ending up on the ground and the MLB and RDT tackling Faulk. Graham was overmatched on the left by the RDT and WLB. It very well could have been a zone blocking scheme, with Faulk taking his one cut behind Mankins and Light and upfield. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to do so when your key blockers both fall on their faces and you have to jump over them, into the awaiting hands of a LB.

2nd and 7 Hou 29

Result: Run, Dillon, right tackle, 15 yds.
Analysis: 2 WR split with 2 TE, Thomas split out left and Graham left wing vs. 4-3 press with SS off Thomas and LBs shaded strong. With the majority of the defense left, it certainly helped that the run went to the right, weak side. Kaczur held Super Mario outside just enough for Dillon to squeeze through. He had to really squeeze, as Neal only chipped the LDT before diving into the WLB, and Koppen blocked the RDT in the back/the RDT dove towards Dillon. Caldwell played the LCB well up the sideline, but the FS forced Dillon right into the LCB for the stop. Elsewhere, Mankins sealed the MLB, Graham lost the angle on the LDE, and Light let the LDT take himself out of the play wide.

1st and 10 Hou 14

Result: Run, Evans, up the middle, 3 yds.
Analysis: 2 WR split, TE left, I-form backfield vs. 4-3 with LCB press. The SLB came up in a blitz look lake, screening himself behind a Graham/Light double on the RDE. Inside, Mankins ignored to the RDT, who dove down to take himself out of the play. Mankins and Koppen instead doubled the MLB. Neal muscled the LDT inside and out of Evans’ way, while Kaczur ignored Super Mario and went for the WLB. There had to some type of miscommunication or else this was a poorly designed play that allowed the LDE (Super Mario) to gobble up Evans unblocked. It’s also possible that Neal actually closed the hole inside by dragging the LDT into it. The FB dive is not bad for a change of pace, but not utilizing an 11th player – the RB – is not something you want to do often.

2nd and 7 Hou 11

Result: Draw, Faulk, left guard, 11 yds., TOUCHDOWN.
Analysis: 2 WR split, TE left, I-form backfield vs. 4-3 with LCB press. Light and Mankins allowed the RDE and RDT to pass rush themselves inside, giving Faulk plenty of room on the draw left. On the outside, Brown ignored the RCB and went for the SS. Graham and Koppen sealed the SLB and WLB respectively, and Evans lead blocked the MLB – at the same time roadblocking the FS. That left Faulk enough room to drag the RCB into the endzone.

Extra Point

Result: Converted

Score: New England 7 – Houston 0

Assessment

Not much to complain about here. Blame falls on both Brady and Brown for the incompletion – a duo that you usually don’t need to worry about connecting. The theme with the good field position was just to pound at the defense who only blitzed once, taking away the deep passing game. Dillon’s 15 yd. run brought back memories of 2004, while Faulk didn’t disappoint either on his 11 yd. scamper.

Drive Grades

QB ‘B’ - Bad pass to Brown
RBs ‘A+’ - Good blocking too
WRs ‘A’ blocking
TEs ‘B’ blocking - Good against pass, OK against run
OL ‘B+’ - Very good overall drive, with points off here and there
OC ‘B’ - FB dive and first Faulk runs were sketchy calls

 

[pats1]

Defensive Series #2 Interception

Contributor: Pats1
Time: 8:06 remaining in the first quarter
Statistics: 1 plays (0 run, 1 pass), 0 yards, time of possession was 0:13
Breakdown: 1 green play (0 run, 1 pass) for 0 yds.

Kickoff: Wynn from the Hou 2, 22 yd. return, Wynn was forced into Woods’ arms when Mays busted the wedge.

1st and 10 Hou 24

Result: Pass, tipped at line and INTERCEPTED at HOU 24 by NE – Seymour, 0 yd. return.
Analysis: 2 WR split and 2 TE split vs. 4-3 with LBs blitz look and soft coverage. Only Vrabel came in on a blitz, but the 5-man rush got no pressure on the 6-man protection with the LTE in. The RTE went into the right flat and was picked up by Samuel, with the RWR released deep. Bruschi and Vrabel dropped into zones, and Scott was man on the LWR. The pass was intended for that LWR, as the RB was caught in traffic at the line. Seymour, double-teamed, got his big paw up in the air and tipped the pass, then turned around to catch it.

Assessment

If the pass rush gets nowhere, the next best thing is to get your hands up. Seymour did just that, and the Pats offense was right back on the field.

Drive Grades

DL ‘A’
OLBs ‘A’
ILBs ‘A’
CBs ‘A’
Ss ‘A’
DC ‘A’
KO Unit 'A'