Idle Thoughts – insomnia edition

[patfanken]

As the year long losing battle with the injury bug continued, there have been a lot of games this year when it seemed like our team was due for a loss. But none looked more daunting than the prospect of playing a team that has had our number even in better times, when they are desperate for a win, at their house, on a hot streak, so when the great majority of the "experts" picked the Ravens to win, it was hard to criticize their picks

So like so many others, when I read that Solder, and Thompkins had not made the trip, I had only my eternal optimism to hang my hat on the Pats coming out of Baltimore with a win. Logic and common sense certainly didn't leave a lot of hope for success. Think about it.

1. The offensive line was starting a LT who hadn't played the position for any length of time since college about 8 years ago, and a back up RT who was playing with a bad shoulder. Two guys going up against 2 pro bowl pass rushers.... on the road. Just when we thought it was the interior of the OL that was the problem.

2. A banged up defense that had made the likes of Jason Campbell, Kase Keenon, and Ryan Tanyhill look like all stars going against the reigning superbowl MVP , who just happened to be getting one of his key receivers back in the groove in Dennis Pitta

I mean this was not looking too promising. Then, of course when we see the results, all we can do is simply go “Wow”, tip our caps (once again), and thank the Lord for being Pats fans. Here are my observations for this week

Disclaimer: I have to admit I watched the game while participating in a poker Tournament, so my observations might have suffered from a lack of concentration. I know for a fact my poker game did.

On Offense

1. LaGarrett Blount continues to improve his game and his impact on the offense grows weekly. I was against this trade and it made no sense to me at the time. I still contend that for the first half of the season nothing I saw in Blount made me change my position. He still looked like the guy TB fans told us ran like a scat back, didn't pick up the tough yards and rarely fell forward.

Kudos the Pats coaching staff because somehow they got this kid's head on straight and for the last 4 games Blount has run like the prototype 250 lb RB. He has earned that playing time....and my respect.

2. Continuing on the RB's, I thought it was noteworthy that BB trusted Ridley with the bulk of the ball carrying on that key drive in the 4th quarter that ended any hopes the Ravens had for a Pats-like comeback. And he was rewarded for that confidence when Ridley got 2 of those critical first down with gritty runs and a lot of yds after contact. Blount and Ridley make a formidable pair of RB's and they will be a key element for the Pats offense in their playoff run

3. I thought the OL had a great game. Brady had more time than last week, and only 2 sacks and the team rushed for 144 yds against the 11th best rush defense in the league. Mankins was particularly strong, despite getting beat by Suggs on a nice inside move..... ONCE. For the most part, Brady had enough time, and run game was more than adequate.

4. I'm embarrassed to say I don't even know who played LG, but whoever it was, he did a fine job and it should be noted. Just an addition feather in Dante's cap.

5. Manning may have broken Brady's TD record, but Brady showed once again why he is the better QB. He did all the right things to help his team navigate a difficult game situation. No QB had made more with less. He is truly a pleasure to watch.

6. My hopes for Aaron Dobson to develop into an impact WR grow each week. I know he he only had one catch, but it was on one of his misses that I noticed something that is becoming apparent....at least to me. One of the key elements in a great WR's repertoire is the ability to gain separation just as the ball gets there. That's what Dobson did on that long pass that just missed....and not for the first time. He seems to have the ability to separate from the defender at that critical time. And while the pass went for not, it bodes well for the future/ Anyone else see that?

7. I think Hooman has earned the right for a few more targets going forward. He's certainly no Gronk, but I think it would help the offense if he got a few more looks

 

[patfanken]

Defemse:

1/ The much maligned Pats rush D continues to improve, IMHO. The Pats gave up only 90 yds to the 3 Raven RB's. Sure its not great run D, but they aren't being carved up like they were in that stretch of games after Kelly, Wilfolk and Mayo had all been sent to IR

2. Rob Ninkovich isn't ever going to the Pro Bowl, but there isn't a team in the league that wouldn't love to have him on their D. He is the epitome of the term “solid”. All he does is his job, and he does it well. The move he made on that key 4th and one is a perfect example. He starts the play as a LB, then moves to DE. Shifts to the inside a bit when he sees Flacco move under C, and then executes a nifty move to slip the block to get into the backfield and make the tackle of Rice.

Its not just that he makes that play, but that he seems to make them so often. The guy is a decent pass rusher, a great run stopper, and versatile as all hell. There is almost no position that he can't line up in the front 7 and be effective. His value to the Pats can't be over estimated

3. Chandler Jones gets all the pub, and while I love his all around play, I wish he was able to be more of an individual threat as a pass rusher. I say this while acknowledging he is clearly the best pass rusher the Pats have, and 11.5 sacks is not something to sneeze at, especially in the Pats system. However I'd like to think that he's more than what we're seeing. I'd like to see a few more sacks and a LOT more pressures. Maybe that will come in time. But we are going to need to see more in the Playoffs if we are going to go deep into them,

4. Interesting to note that BB went out of his way to praise and defend Dant'a Hightower AGAIN. I say this acknowledging that I have been one of those vocal about my disappointment in his seeming lack of any impact plays by him. But clearly Hightower has been pretty successful at doing what the Pats are asking him to do. It could be that that Pats simply haven't been putting him in the position to make those impact plays that seem to impress the media and fans.

Clearly BB loved Jerad Mayo long before he started to make more of those “impact plays” that critics complained about the last few years. I think he could be very effective as an inside blitzer if given more opportunities. We saw a glimpse of that potential on that key 4th down rush when he got off the ground and pressured Flacco.

I think Mayo's injury has hurt Hightower. I think he's been asked to play Mayo's role on the defense and while he's done a decent job at it (at least according to BB, not that he'd know more than us ) That role doesn't necessarily play to his skill set. Somehow I don't think we've seen the best of Hightower and might not see it until Mayo returns.

5. Logan Ryan is an NFL CB - Who knows if he'll develop over time into something special, but at this moment he's at least a guy that you aren't afraid will pee his pants when he's on the field. He seems to be in position most of the time. He has good ball skills. And he's a physical player who seems to play bigger than he actually is.
This is key to the Pats because it gives them 3 guys that can play the outside CB position (when healthy). That will allow Arrington to concentrate on being the Slot guy, and give Patricia the position flexibility to be more creative in his coverages and blitzes.

6. As an eternal optimist Tavon Wilson's pick 6 gives me hope for him to become more than a core special teams player, which seems to be his role right now. He had more than a decent rookie year, IMHO, but somehow over the course of TC, he lost Bill's confidence and Harmon passed him on the depth chart. It could simply be a matter of confidence, and this pick will elevate his. When you get to THAT level of play, you can't underestimate the importance of having and keeping confidence in yourself. and how that effects your play on the field

7. Speaking of Harmon, his play continues to evolve as he sees more snaps. Maybe its time to start thinking that Wilson's lack of playing time has less to do with his inadequacies, and more to do with Harmon's abilities. I was particually impressed by his range when he replaced McCourty. He got to passes on the sidelines on a couple of occasions enough to make an impact.

8. Also nice to see Jaime Collins continue to make the most of his increased snaps. His near pick late in the game was just a glimpse of this kid's freakish athleticism. He's still evolving, but the future is looking brighter.

9. Enough on Gregory already. Aside from that missed tackle which was likely the result of him hurting his arm/shoulder earlier in the game, he played well. WTF do you want from the guy? Maybe we deserve that fan ranking from last week.

General Thoughts

1. This referee crew certainly didn't help the league's image. They got a lot of things wrong. 2 Baltimore challenges were correctly overturned, and the Amendola “fumble” was also overturned. They also blew the Pats PI to a certain degree. I thought the contact in the endzone was incidental, HOWEVER the guy grabbed Edelman's jersey TWICE, on the route, so at worst it should have been holding. While the correct call, IMO should have been a PI, but ball placed around the 5. The call on Gregory was awful, and clearly a make up call. I sincerely hope this is the last we will see of them.

2. Anyone else shocked by Miami's stinkbomb in Buffalo. No starting QB, no Stevie Johnson, everything to play for, and the Bills pitch a shutout on an offense that looked awfully good against us. Clearly the Pats better come to play next week or they will likely be forced to play on wildcard week.

BTW- the Miami loss shows again how hard it is to win on the road in this league, and makes the Pats win in Baltimore even more impressive.

3. OK, this week we have seen both Vareen and McCourty leave the game. Both will be VERY iffy for next week, though will likely return for the playoffs. Clearly Dennard was healthy enough only for emergency use, and both Arrington and Gregory showed great courage coming back after they had both been hurt. When is this ever going to stop for God's sake. This is just NUTS. What a year for injuries, but what a year for maximizing what you go to play with. It only confirms to me 3 things I have aways believed about the NFL\

a. EVERY guy who is able to make an NFL roster is both a fantastic athlete, and a great football player. Even the guys we fans don't know about

b. The talent gap between all the teams in the league is much smaller than we realize. I would think about only 5%.

c. Coaching has a bigger impact in the NFL than any other professional sport. In no other team sport can coaching overcome a talent gap than the game of football, and this is on ANY level. The great thing that BB does so well and SO under the radar, is to get his team to so fully believe that EVERYONE on their roster is capable to play when his number is called. Its easy to pay lip service to the notion of “the next man up”, but BB has the Pats actually believing it....and it shows.

You would think that coaching would have less of an impact in the NFL, because the quality of the coaches who get to that level is just so good, that they would offset the impact. It only shows just how good BB really is, and its even more impressive that he has done it so consistently and for so long.

BTW- maybe BB's greatest hidden talent is his ability to coach coaches. Football coaching is truly a group effort, and the good coaching that allows the Pats to be this good for so long under so much adversity, comes form a LOT of good coaches, not just one. Josh McDaniels, Matt Patricia, etc have all come thru a process that have produced a number of very good coaches over the years.

Interesting note (well maybe only interesting to me), but while the Pats success has a lot to do with the quality of its coaches, IIRC, they have the SMALLEST number of assistant coaches in the league.

 

[BradyManny]

Good thoughts, as always, Ken.

Re: Jones - it's hard for me to tell without rewatching (which I haven't done this year) or really focusing on him while watching the game (which I didn't do). But I did see them double him at times, which would explain why he wasn't in there on some plays. I think he's our best rusher, but would agree, he's not a guy who is a threat to pressure all day - but there's not many guys who are.

Ultimately, I think a more consistent pass rush will come when we have guys who can pressure inside. If Kelly hadn't gotten hurt, or if Armstead played, maybe we'd have something, but now we just gotta make do.

Re: Hightower - it was his best game in a while, and I think it's no surprise that the play up front has been better. Like you say, Hightower has not been in position to succeed since May went down, but Siliga adds 25 lbs to that front, and is making life easier for the LBs behind him. Hightower looked to be in better position, made better tackles, had a nice blitz, and even was OK in coverage. Good game for him.

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

I was going to say if this was the insomnia edition, it should have been made much earlier. But, Poker probably kept you from getting to the computer.

And as you say if the talent level is within 5% for each team (barring those true unique players like a moss), then coaching and/or system really does have to make the difference. The one attribute of BB is that he understands what he wants from his system and how to leverage players skills to their fullest advantage. the real trick is he gets players to believe in the system and understand their role. Their role might limit their stats, but will make each player more effective.

That is why he is such a great coach and really why he needs to make the personnel decisions. he can take a "C" player and put him in the right situation to use his abilities to make him more like a "B" level player.


I keep hearing about the Patriots not having a deep threat. This is true to an extend, but I think Dobson can do that for us (as you pointed out his ability to separate). That might be a key, depending on weather, for the post season. otherwise, who would be better than Brady on short-intermediate throws. in any condition, let alone cold and/or windy conditions. Plus, they have the dynamics in a run game that can be very successful in the post season.

 

[nabwong]

9. Enough on Gregory already. Aside from that missed tackle which was likely the result of him hurting his arm/shoulder earlier in the game, he played well. WTF do you want from the guy? Maybe we deserve that fan ranking from last week.


.

Gregory clearly needs work on growing 4 inches, putting on 30lbs and changing his name to Lopamaua. :bricks:

 

[Pat the Pats Fan]

Agree with you on the coaching. BB is the quintessential coach that will "beat you with his and beat you with yours".

BTW, I have spent the better part of last night and this AM on many of the Ravens boards and listened to their media. It helps that I live in MD. The biggest complaint isn't about the players, the refs or even the Pats. Its that the Ravens coaches didn't have the team prepared to play AND they didn't seem to adjust to the game. Down 20-0 with about 8 minutes to play in the game and they attempt a field goal? When questioned in his press conference, Harbaugh actually stated he thought they were down 2 scores, not three? When pressed, he said he would get back to the questioner tomorrow? WTF

 

[Rob0729]

As to Jones, most pass rushers (even the elite ones) are more streaky than consistent. Rarely do you see a pas rusher in on the QB on most plays in a game on a consistent game by game basis.

Yes, Jones needs to be more consistent, but I saw him double and even triple teams quite a bit yesterday and throughout the year. I think the lack of a consistent interior rush gives opposing teams the luxury to put more effort on him.

 

[Gumby]

Defemse:


2. Rob Ninkovich isn't ever going to the Pro Bowl, but there isn't a team in the league that wouldn't love to have him on their D. He is the epitome of the term “solid”. All he does is his job, and he does it well. The move he made on that key 4th and one is a perfect example. He starts the play as a LB, then moves to DE. Shifts to the inside a bit when he sees Flacco move under C, and then executes a nifty move to slip the block to get into the backfield and make the tackle of Rice.

Its not just that he makes that play, but that he seems to make them so often. The guy is a decent pass rusher, a great run stopper, and versatile as all hell. There is almost no position that he can't line up in the front 7 and be effective. His value to the Pats can't be over estimated

.......

1. This referee crew certainly didn't help the league's image. They got a lot of things wrong. 2 Baltimore challenges were correctly overturned, and the Amendola “fumble” was also overturned. They also blew the Pats PI to a certain degree. I thought the contact in the endzone was incidental, HOWEVER the guy grabbed Edelman's jersey TWICE, on the route, so at worst it should have been holding. While the correct call, IMO should have been a PI, but ball placed around the 5. The call on Gregory was awful, and clearly a make up call. I sincerely hope this is the last we will see of them.

.............

Nink was quoted in one of the stories after the game as to how he read that play; he said his key was seeing Flacco move up (and-or how he moved up) under center; from that he knew it was a run (either sneak or "direct run" by the rb [toward the A/B gaps I assume he meant]) and then talked about how he disguised his move-recognition to be able to get by the OL. Good tidbit, sorry I already closed the window - dont remember globe/herald..

The REFs, the Refs, aaaaarrrrrgggghhhhh when will it ever stop?????

I honestly think sometimes these guys have been so conditioned-programmed from on high that they have just given up all pretense of calling an even game.
Someone needs to chart these calls and see if the BOGUS COUNT goes up as the BLOWOUT FACTOR INCREASES. You would have to analyze tape; because I think the GREATER CONSPIRACY is the CALLS THAT ARE NOT MADE, rather than the stupid calls that are.
Go-to-Hell may or may not have specific refs in his pocket (like last year's SB social promotion) with specific instructions to help this or that team; but it certainly seems like the refs are instructed to go hard on a team that is starting to blow someone away (keep it tight and keep the audience on the tube, we gotta charge the advertisers).
Well, enough conspiracy nut-job thoughts for now.

 

[grux]

BTW- maybe BB's greatest hidden talent is his ability to coach coaches. Football coaching is truly a group effort, and the good coaching that allows the Pats to be this good for so long under so much adversity, comes form a LOT of good coaches, not just one. Josh McDaniels, Matt Patricia, etc have all come thru a process that have produced a number of very good coaches over the years.


Add Dante Scarnecchia to list of great coaches. I can't believe how well the offensive line performed yesterday without two of their best lineman.

 

[DarrylS]

As to Jones, most pass rushers (even the elite ones) are more streaky than consistent. Rarely do you see a pas rusher in on the QB on most plays in a game on a consistent game by game basis.

Yes, Jones needs to be more consistent, but I saw him double and even triple teams quite a bit yesterday and throughout the year. I think the lack of a consistent interior rush gives opposing teams the luxury to put more effort on him.

He also seemed to be assuming various roles during the game, holding the edge, pass coverage etc.

His TD was nice...

 

[UK_Pat37]

As to Jones, most pass rushers (even the elite ones) are more streaky than consistent. Rarely do you see a pas rusher in on the QB on most plays in a game on a consistent game by game basis.

Yes, Jones needs to be more consistent, but I saw him double and even triple teams quite a bit yesterday and throughout the year. I think the lack of a consistent interior rush gives opposing teams the luxury to put more effort on him.

Not to mention the times he gets mugged. How on earth not one call went Jones' way I do not know...given the holds they called on us.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Not to mention the times he gets mugged. How on earth not one call went Jones' way I do not know...given the holds they called on us.

Seriously. On the first flag in the sequence of three consecutive holding calls against us, they got Hooman for hooking a guy's arm after missing his block. It was a hold, and they were right to flag it.

In the exact same situation in the second half, Chandler beat his man, who responded by hooking him around the neck and dragging him down from behind. No flag.

I don't think the refs are against us or anything. I think they just make these calls borderline at random, and if you have a guy like Chandler who's getting held on every play, even then you're lucky to get the call once per game. Meanwhile, some other guy can also get one call in a game despite kinda sorta getting held only one time. There's just no consistency at all, and I don't know or care what the source of it is. It just sucks and makes the game less enjoyable to watch.

 

[fester]

Seriously. On the first flag in the sequence of three consecutive holding calls against us, they got Hooman for hooking a guy's arm after missing his block. It was a hold, and they were right to flag it.

In the exact same situation in the second half, Chandler beat his man, who responded by hooking him around the neck and dragging him down from behind. No flag.
.

Speaking as a soccer referee, part of the problem is that Jones is such a beast that he can usually fight through medium sized holds so the context of what constitutes a hold that is deemed worthy of calling may be elevated. I know that when I've reffed elite players, they can be getting whacked but they play through the crap and bury the ball in the back of the net while a lesser play will get displaced/dispossessed/dismembered on less contact and thus get a whistle.

 

[jsull87]

Re the Jones section.

I have rewatched the game and I think I you guys do you'll see the impact Jones has on almost every play.

He had 3-5 QB hits and multiple extra pressures, for Nink's Sack Jones was right there to make the sack as well.

Jones was consistently double teamed with either a TE or the LG. That helped create a lot of room or Blitzers and the other DL men.

It was very obvious to me that he was a big part of Baltimore's game plan ( they more often then not slid the line his way which helped his stunts) and he still had success.

 

[Gwedd]

by Patfanken
4. Interesting to note that BB went out of his way to praise and defend Dant'a Hightower AGAIN. I say this acknowledging that I have been one of those vocal about my disappointment in his seeming lack of any impact plays by him. But clearly Hightower has been pretty successful at doing what the Pats are asking him to do. It could be that that Pats simply haven't been putting him in the position to make those impact plays that seem to impress the media and fans.

And to my mind that is exactly what we fans have a hard time understanding. We see a guy like Hightower, a top-shelf guy from Alabama and we're wondering why he isn't crashing the line, making those big plays we know he's capable of.

Well, the answer is that WE don't know what HIS assignment was on a particular play. We see a blitz coming up, and then see him drop back and we say WTF? Yet, his assignment for that particular play might have been to cover the slot instead, or something else.

It's nice to be able to sit back and analyze things in hinsight, to be the armchair QB or Coach, but all we have is film and the odd comments from the players & coaches. Unless/until we get access to the playbook, the play called and a chance to see the film, we won't really understand what any particular player was assigned to do on any particular play. Thus our criticism will always have an asterix beside it.

Knowing the Coach still has faith & confidence in him is enough for me right now.

 

[SuperStang83]

Speaking of Jones, I love his style when he gets a QB in his sights! He takes off like a flying squirrel with arms spread wide looking like there is no way a QB can get away from that wing span!

 

[Seacoast Fan]

Great posts as always, PFK .... Always enjoy them even if I rarely add a comment but.... Nothing about special teams?
Probably due to running out of gas after your poker....

But one play I have to call out was that booming 56 yd punt that totally pinned the ravens .... When Slater took the onside route, outran the two blockers and made the tackle after the returner gained all of about three inches. It was a very well coached and well executed ST play .... Illustrating several of your points about coaching and execution by the players.

Your points about BB were spot on. Coach of the year coach of the decade and in my humble opinion, right up there with Lombardi.

 

[Get it shawtaay]

BTW- maybe BB's greatest hidden talent is his ability to coach coaches. Football coaching is truly a group effort, and the good coaching that allows the Pats to be this good for so long under so much adversity, comes form a LOT of good coaches, not just one. Josh McDaniels, Matt Patricia, etc have all come thru a process that have produced a number of very good coaches over the years.


Add Dante Scarnecchia to list of great coaches. I can't believe how well the offensive line performed yesterday without two of their best lineman.

Scar has been an offensive line coach since 1970. I'd hardly consider him to be "groomed by Belichick".

 

[IllegalContact]

I'm not reading too much into the pats/ravens game.......I see it as an anomaly to a degree

the offense did not do much though it ran the ball well enough to keep things going, and brady made enough plays in the passing game.....the big trick is that it was mistake free

you are not going to lose a game being +4 in turnover differential. I liked the first 2 turnovers because people made plays

the 2nd 2 were inconsequential, and not something to carry with you going into your next game.

if the pats play turnover-free and dominate in the running game, then they'll be in every game. if they can keep the pressure off of brady, then the mistake-free will largely happen by itself.

the pats need to take care of business next week and blow away the bills.

as the number 2 seed, nobody is coming to foxboro and winning......the bengals, colts, and chiefs will all be beaten fairly easily here as none of them seem capable of taking much game on the road.....it will come down to a date in denver and I like the pats chances as I believe they will be able to produce with the broncos.

 

[ausbacker]

And to my mind that is exactly what we fans have a hard time understanding. We see a guy like Hightower, a top-shelf guy from Alabama and we're wondering why he isn't crashing the line, making those big plays we know he's capable of.

Well, the answer is that WE don't know what HIS assignment was on a particular play. We see a blitz coming up, and then see him drop back and we say WTF? Yet, his assignment for that particular play might have been to cover the slot instead, or something else.

It's nice to be able to sit back and analyze things in hinsight, to be the armchair QB or Coach, but all we have is film and the odd comments from the players & coaches. Unless/until we get access to the playbook, the play called and a chance to see the film, we won't really understand what any particular player was assigned to do on any particular play. Thus our criticism will always have an asterix beside it.

Knowing the Coach still has faith & confidence in him is enough for me right now.

In regard to the bold, I can't agree with you Gwedd. When you see a guy drop into coverage, it should be obvious what his assignment is. It's much the same when you see someone blow edge contain. Whilst we may not know the exact specifics, they are some damn fine posters who have a very good idea of what players should and shouldn't be doing. To say we have a hard time understanding is doing a disservice to our fandom.