Hybrid SuperBeast!! Patriots Merge 2004, 2007, & 2010 Offenses!!

[mayoclinic]

This post inspired me to look up the previous best rushing years we've had (in terms of overall rushing yards). The best in the BB era was 2008, the Brady-less year. This year we're on pace to finish about 30 yards less than that year but comfortably the 2nd best season under BB in overall yards, ahead of 2004. The rushing stats may take a hit the next 2 weeks though some tough run D's.

Maybe. Personally, I hope that the Pats will stay committed to the run. They proved they could run it against Miami. The showed too much respect to Baltimore and especially Seattle in terms of abandoning the run, and both teams were later shredded by other teams. I think the Pats' offense is completely different when they commit to run/pass balance.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

Maybe. Personally, I hope that the Pats will stay committed to the run. They proved they could run it against Miami. The showed too much respect to Baltimore and especially Seattle in terms of abandoning the run, and both teams were later shredded by other teams. I think the Pats' offense is completely different when they commit to run/pass balance.

You and me both. I think Ridley's proving that even when struggling if you feed him enough it's worth the effort. Eventually he can string off some good gains.

 

[mayoclinic]

Bucky Brooks on why the Pats' offense is built for post-season success:

New England Patriots' offense built for postseason success - NFL.com

It's pretty basic: Brady + Gronk/Hernandez/Welker + Ridley and the running game = unstoppable.

 

[mayoclinic]

Reiss posted some numbers regarding use of the shotgun in different games this season:

Brady & the shotgun tracker - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston

The Pats went back to a fair amount of shotgun against the Dolphins (35/79) after using it relatively sparingly in the 2 weeks before. The weeks that they've used it the most heavily are also the weeks in which the offense has generally been least productive: 60/87 against Seattle (23 points), 47/82 against Arizona (18 points), 42/80 against the Jets in the first game (29 points in OT). The other 2 games in which they used it a lot they scored 31 and 30 points (45/94 against Denver, 41/82 against Baltimore).

In general, I'd like to see more run-pass balance and play-action and not as much spread. It has a role, and an important one, but when the team gets too spread out they get too predictable.

 

[Kontradiction]

Bucky Brooks on why the Pats' offense is built for post-season success:

New England Patriots' offense built for postseason success - NFL.com

It's pretty basic: Brady + Gronk/Hernandez/Welker + Ridley and the running game = unstoppable.

It's only unstoppable of the OL can protect The Franchise.

 

[Snake Eyes]

Bucky Brooks on why the Pats' offense is built for post-season success:

New England Patriots' offense built for postseason success - NFL.com

It's pretty basic: Brady + Gronk/Hernandez/Welker + Ridley and the running game = unstoppable.

Unfortunately it's TFB + Gronk/Ahern/WW or Ridley, they don't function as an integrated whole, it's either one or the other

 

[mayoclinic]

Unfortunately it's TFB + Gronk/Ahern/WW or Ridley, they don't function as an integrated whole, it's either one or the other

Yeah, that's something that I've been wanting for a long, long time. And I think Ridley has receiving skills that are underused.

I'd like to see a 2 RB-2 "TE"-1 WR set with Welker, Ahern, Vereen, Fells and Ridley. Hernandez and Vereen are both capable of lining up wide or in the backfield, or going in motion. I think the Pats could do some interesting things with the combined skill set of that group. Use Vereen the way they were using Edelman and Welker together at times. Integrate the running attack more. When Gronk comes back, there will be an added dimension to the offense that wasn't there before.

 

[captain stone]

The Pats went back to a fair amount of shotgun against the Dolphins (35/79) after using it relatively sparingly in the 2 weeks before. The weeks that they've used it the most heavily are also the weeks in which the offense has generally been least productive: 60/87 against Seattle (23 points), 47/82 against Arizona (18 points), 42/80 against the Jets in the first game (29 points in OT). The other 2 games in which they used it a lot they scored 31 and 30 points (45/94 against Denver, 41/82 against Baltimore).

In general, I'd like to see more run-pass balance and play-action and not as much spread. It has a role, and an important one, but when the team gets too spread out they get too predictable.

And for the love of Ganja, get rid of the damned empty backfield. I believe that all of the sacks the Doofins had
vs Brady came when the backfield was empty.
Words alone cannot come close to describing how much I hate that Brady-killing formation.

 

[Off The Grid]

And for the love of Ganja, get rid of the damned empty backfield.

I believe that all of the sacks the Doofins had vs Brady came when the backfield was empty.

Words alone cannot come close to describing how much I hate that Brady-killing formation.

Good CHRIST, this Connection is weak, today.

Is it just the Site, or is it my Connection, as well??

In any case: Very strong Point, Brother Stone.

For The Love of Ganja, indeed. :snob:

 

[DocHoliday]

The shotgun is what pretty much tied up the game...

 

[BananaRepublican]

"And now that Brandon Lloyd is stepping in to reprise the role of Randy Moss, the passing game is poised to evolve into some terrifying mutant combination of the 2007 and 2011 versions."

My thought is that his use against the Niners was born from necessity (no Gronk and Welker doubled), and that the necessity dissolves the minute Gronk gets back on the field.

Well, he owned that corner so it's possible that Tom would have gone to him even with Gronk out there. But to me the whole trend is just situational football and could dissolve with a different game plan.

 

[BananaRepublican]

I'd like to see a 2 RB-2 "TE"-1 WR set with Welker, Ahern, Vereen, Fells and Ridley. Hernandez and Vereen are both capable of lining up wide or in the backfield, or going in motion.

It's baffling to guess why they haven't done more of that.

 

[Off The Grid]

The shotgun is what pretty much tied up the game...

Yes, many frantic ComeBacks have been attempted from the ShotGun, and a few of them have actually worked, such as Sunday Night's...But are you honestly saying that you prefer a Formation that allows Defenses to ignore the Run, maul our Receivers, and Tee Off on us and beat Hell out'f Brady??

I think that we've proved pretty conclusively that it works as a Change Up ~ just like it did, Sunday Night ~ but that as a Primary Formation, it ~ and any heavily Pass-Oriented, imbalanced Offense ~ is far more likely to fail in the PlayOffs, as they did for us in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2011.

If that's your Position ~ which is your clear implication ~ then I respectfully ~ and emphatically ~ disagree.

 

[WhoaDirty]

The shotgun does not stop a team from running the ball. Now an empty backfield ...

 

[Off The Grid]

The shotgun does not stop a team from running the ball.

No kidding.

 

[WhoaDirty]

No kidding.

So then there's nothing wrong with the shotgun formation if it's not being used strictly for pass plays?

 

[Off The Grid]

So then there's nothing wrong with the shotgun formation if it's not being used strictly for pass plays?

Excuse my snippyness, Brother Dirty.

To answer your question: I don't like the ShotGun as a Primary Formation, because it's far too passing oriented for my taste, as reviewed above. It certainly has its place, I'd say, but only as part of a mixed menu, I'd hope.

 

[Snake Eyes]

So then there's nothing wrong with the shotgun formation if it's not being used strictly for pass plays?

If a team can effectively run out of the shotgun, and they do so, then I'm ok with it. The big thing is that I don't want to tell my opposition what I'm going to do. Military leaders from the beginning of time have talked about the importance of the element of surprise, why would you voluntarily give that up?

The funny thing is that people make a big deal about how many different formations we use, which I think is vastly over-rated IF you don't do many different things when lined up in them. The 49ers used 1 main formation for the entire first half, which allowed for both running and passing, and it worked very well. For years the Colts were the same way, they'd use few formations but would have tons of plays out of those base formations. In that regard having the same formation is a good thing, it's a poker face which doesnt change, leaving the opposition to guess and make decisions all the time.

Take a look at a vid of Manning's highlights, the plays that are really good, as opposed to arrogantly forcing the ball, are overwhelmingly off of the play action or at least when a running threat is present.

 

[ThatllMoveTheChains!!!]

Excuse my snippyness, Brother Dirty.

To answer your question: I don't like the ShotGun as a Primary Formation, because it's far too passing oriented for my taste, as reviewed above. It certainly has its place, I'd say, but only as part of a mixed menu, I'd hope.

Deep drops and shotgun also seem to increase the odds of the QB taking a brutal hit; speedy DEs and blitzing DBs can often get pretty clean lanes to the QB.

 

[Off The Grid]

Deep drops and shotgun also seem to increase the odds of the QB taking a brutal hit; speedy DEs and blitzing DBs can often get pretty clean lanes to the QB.

Precisely my Point, as stated above ~ though not nearly so colorfully ~ and well worth repeating.