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I have to admit right off the top that I DIDN'T pick the Pats for my football pool this week. I just couldn't get past the Bailey Zappe factor AND the fact that we were playing the #1 offense in just about every category and a great running attack. In my defense I wrote a post the other day where I thought the Pats had a real chance to win IF they got 200 passing yds and 150 rushing yd AND win the TO battle. PLUS, IMHO, the coaching arrow lay heavily toward the Pats. While the Lions may want to run through a brick wall for their coach because they like him so much, the fact is that as far a game planning go, it was a home run. It fact now that I'm reading this, I'm kind of kicking my own but for not picking them. The reasoning is kind of obvious. (duh)
Well I usually count 4th down stops as TO's so when you add up those to the 2 legit TO's and it was 8-1 in our favor. It's kind of hard to lose even though the last couple were forced on the Lions the others were just big stops. In fact they ALL were. big stops Even if you don't agree, with 4th down stops being TO's, we still had 2 so called legit TO's and a defensive score. That usually enough to win a game.
OTHER OBSERVATIONS - disclaimer. I watched the game while I was playing poker so I might have missed some stuff. Let me know if I am wrong in any of this stuff below
1. There IS no QB controversy and Mac Jones does NOT have to be looking over his shoulder at Bailey Zappe - While Zappe performed admirably, in fact better than anyone had the right to expect. The fact that the offense managed 22 points was more the result of the OUTSTANDING defense and the 0-6 on 4th downs than by Zappe's brilliance. (not to mentions Nick Folk's amazing consistency). The only pass completion that went over 15-20 yds in the air was the TD to a WIDE open Meyers who walked the last 5 yds into the endzone. Every OTHER "long pass" were no where near their intended receiver.
All the way home I heard from fans calling in the post game shows talking about Zappe's greatness, even though through almost 2 complete games he has YET to throw for more than 200yds In fact today was the first time he cracked 100. Make no mistake he has done a great job of throwing to the right man and completed just about every short pass he had to make. He was calm, with no happy feet under what little pressure he was under, and made a lot of good reads at the LOS. Also remember that while the Lion offense was at the top of league, their defense was at the BOTTOM. So as nice as it was to see the offense only punt twice, it will be harder for Zappe as the defenses get better and teams get more film on him.
BTW- this was a brilliantly conceived and called football game. And this goes back to how well they practiced and prepared their offensive game plan. If you DON'T think this was a well coached team and prepared offense this game then PLEASE go back and learn more about the game.
Patricia was clearly calling the plays today, BUT Bill was in control of the offense. It was to Bill that Zappe went to during TO's This division of labor was what they decided worked best for Zappe. It should also be noted that the Lions already weak pass defense saw members of their secondary falling like October leaves all through this game. That didn't hurt Zappe's results. Remember for the first 3 years of Tom Brady's career Bill was his QB coach. Clearly he was Zappe's for this game and I hope this relationship continues for all the QB's
My guess is that Zappe will get the start next week too. Mac didn't look like he was even close to playing or even taking practice snaps last week. The Browns defense was at the middle of the pack (14th), but what does even mean given that the Pats D was ranked 22nd IIRC, and they just pitched a shutout against the top offensive team in the NFL. But we have a lot of time to talk about the Browns. This has been a crazy first quarter of the season. LOTS of stunning results all around the league, But this is my QB comment for the game and I'm sticking to it.
2 OL - If this were to be graded I'd give them a solid B. They clearly played brilliantly in pass protection and that INCLUDES the RB, especially Stevenson who Bill highlighted his pass blocking in his presser. The OT's pretty much ERASED the #2 pick in the draft Hutchenson holding him to 2 tackles 0 sacks 0 QB hits and to my eyes 0 QB pressures. But I am a hard marker and even though the Pats were playing mostly against 8 man fronts all game, I got pissed at how many runs went for 1 yd or less. Even Stevenson got about 95 of his yds on just 3 plays. On the plus side there were very few runs for losses which is key. But I'd really like to see more push from the OL so those 1 yd gains become 3 yd gains. Probably not being fair here, but it was 29-0 so I have to be critical of some one.
3. RB's - Well I've been on the Stevenson bandwagon for a while. If this were 10 years ago, he'd have been getting 20-25 carries a game for a while now. The kid is going to be an all pro RB in a very short period of time if he doesn't become one this year. Maybe its just me, but I kind of see his running style as being a lot like Levion Bell during his best years with the Steelers. Stevenson is VERY patient at the LOS often waiting for the hole to appear. He has a lot of the same explosion through the hole when he makes his decision AND he makes people miss. Maybe not AS patient as Bell who often waited too long and was tackled for losses, but I still see it in Stevenson. I would like to see more routes given to Rho, That 15 yd screen was a thing of beauty. He has really soft hands.
With a hammy, I'm betting Harris is likely to miss next game. Anyone know when Ty Montgomery is coming back? If not we COULD see Pierre Strong get some run next week. Either way, how many people would take the under on 25 touches for Stevenson next week?
4. TE's - or rather Hunter Henry. Got to run more routes that make him to lead target. The first catch for 23 was great, but the 3yd first down catch where he caught the ball low AND away is why he needs to see 6-10 balls every game.. I wouldn't even mind seeing him involve in a 3 man bunch. Just a thought.
5. WR's - So anyone ELSE miss Jacobi Meyers? Now it might be because they were seeing so many 8 man fronts, but he was open on SO many of his catches. I'm not talking about the Meyers' catches we are used to seeing where he is covered and Mac throws to the perfect spot in a tight window to complete the throw. No this was Julian Edelman open where he had his man turning his shoulders. AND he was WIDE open on the TD throw. He ran a great zone route and could walk in. I remember thinking in the first game that Meyers looked a little quicker this season. This game proved it, at least to me. He's going to improve his game for the 3rd year in a row.
Thronton got bloodied and caught a couple for 7 whole yds, but at least he got in the game and shook off the rust a bit.]
Adams and Aghular got shut out and had one target between them, which Nelson fumbled up into a pick. I am hoping that was more a game plan decision, than they both sucked and were never open. BTW, that happens, receivers drop good passes all the time even the BEST of them. It WAS however unlucky that 3 bounces later it winds up in a DB's hands Both have had their moments this year. I join the rest of you wishing it was more consistent.
Anyone else see Bourne's brief dust up with Bill on the sideline. It looked to me that Kendrick was trying to explain why he did what he did on a play, and Bill was having NONE of it. It was probably nothing because I saw him back in the game periodically very soon after though he had only that one target. He was my sure shot breakout player for this year and I'm having a hard time figuring out why he hasn't been more effective and targeted more. Still early in the season (I hope) Anyone else see it.
BTW- if there is a link to a Utube of Bourne's catches last year, put it in a reply please. I'd like to get a feel of why he was getting open last year and why not this one.
DEFENSIVE general thoughts:
Hard to do nothing but shout good things when your team shuts out the best offense in the league. Now the Vikings, WFT, and the Saints don't have what anyone would call a stellar defenses, and the Philly game was week one. But still ANY time you shut out an NFL team it is a major accomplishment. But like most games it comes down to the TO's and teams rarely overcome a defensive score (which would be a great stat to have....anyone?) let alone going 0-6 on forth down. Not only very good overall, but GREAT in the clutch.
But the bottom line the team gave up JUST over 100 yds rushing (101) and held an explosive RB to just one 20 yd run all game, Good bend but don't break run defense holding the other team to under 4ypc (3.7) AND of course making 2 big run stuffs on 4th down. Again tip of the cap to the guys who scouted Detroit because it was VERY rare to see a receiver wide open, just about 4 or 5 times over 35 attempts. Most of the time even on receptions there was tight coverage both from DB's AND the LB's, but more on that later.
Interesting stat that I'm not sure what to make of:
The Pats didn't have a single player who had more than 5 tackles, BUT they had NINE guys who had 5 or 4, another 5 who had 3.. and 23 who had at least 1. Want to talk about TEAM defense. Just sayin'
1. DL - They set the tone of the game on that 4th and one with a clutch stop in the first period. Now people will all come down on Dan Campbell for this call, but I think I would have done it too. Here you are on the road against a 3rd string rookie (low pick) so you don't expect a dynamic offense. You have the best run offense in the league even with your best RB out, plus the Pats haven't been exactly stellar against the run so far this year, and you are almost to midfield. The odds seem to be in your favor. I hated the play he called, but not the fact he went for it.
What I loved what the Pats DL did was to apply inside pressure on Goff for most of the day. Not immediate pressure but great 2nd effort pressure that for the most part was aided by good immediate coverage that forced Goff to hold the ball that extra second or two before the real pressure came at him. I'd be interested in knowing how many pressures the Pats put on Goff in this game. So while they only had 2 sacks and 6 QB hits, I would be surprised if they didn't have 15-20 hurries.
I thought Barmore played a really solid game. However I'm still waiting for him to be MORE than "solid" and stand out on 3 or 4 plays a game. Make more of an impact. We've seen enough flashes of this kind of play, but not nearly enough on a consistent basis. I want more and I want it NOW! (stamping my feet and pouting)
2. LB's- On the way back home from the game (I got CRUSHED) I heard a great stat. Matt Judon now has 5 sacks in his first 5 games. He is the ONLY player in Patriot history to accomplish this feat. Think of all the great pass rushers that the Pats have had from Andre Tippett to Chandler Jones and this is the first time this has happened. Now Bill has never valued the big sack masters like Von Miller. During the first 2 decades of this Century when the Pats were a constant champion contenders We RARELY had double digit sackers. Willy never did it (though be might have earlier with Parcells or Pete) Vrbel had 14 in 2007 IIRC and CJones did it a couple of times and was shipped out. It SHOULD be noted that the Pats were usually in the top 10 in sacks during those years, but they rarely had it coming from one or two guys. It was more like a team stat where sacks were schemed rather be the result of an individual's effort. So it is even more remarkable that Judon is doing this. Good for him. But that being said, I'd rather he have 5 sacks in the LAST 5 games. just sayin'
The rest of the LB crew should be getting an A for effort in coverage. I knew we'd get better coverage from McMillan and Wilson, but I almost couldn't believe my eyes on Jones' pick that it was Tavai in the receivers pocket 20 yds down field. WTF I didn't think he could cover a RB in the flat, let alone a WR at the 2 yd line. He broke off his zone coverage and make a great angle to get in position for the ball to bounce off his back....IF Jones hadn't already jumped the route to make the pick. Which would have been harder if Tavai's coverage hadn't made it impossible for the receiver to come back for the ball. I don't remember getting this kind of coverage from our LB's last year. Speed is a beautiful thing.
3. DB's Outstanding in general, but what I perceived as a REAL question mark the first week of September has become the most consistent part of the defense. Game after game (for the most part) the Pats secondary has BEEN in position in pass coverage. MADE key tackles both in the run or pass game and played just constantly good football. For the most part they have minimized YAC with good tackling. Wade was out for this game and I don't think JJones played much (I could be wrong) yet we got Mills back who has continued to play a level of CB well beyond out expectations. Jones had another pick (can anyone say Assante Samuel clone), and even the boards favorite DB whipping boy, Miles Bryant made a great punch out on the GL.
So for the most part, so far, our deepest preseason fears about our secondary have been answered and the answer is that our secondary is fine.
It should also be noted since it doesn't fit into the numbered designations how the Pats TEAM defense by the S's and LB's erased TE TJ Hockenson and held the Lions 2nd best target to 1 catch for 6 yds on 4 targets. It looked like the Pats basically beat the snot out of the guy at the LOS and LB's and S's were very physical with when he DID finally get of the LOS. This was a key because like a lot of the great TE's TJ is Goffs safety net. He didn't have that today because Bill (or rather Steve/Jarad) took him out. I hope they continue that strategy on to the next game.
I don't know for sure, but did anyone think the Pats ran a little more man coverage than what is usual lately?
Well I usually count 4th down stops as TO's so when you add up those to the 2 legit TO's and it was 8-1 in our favor. It's kind of hard to lose even though the last couple were forced on the Lions the others were just big stops. In fact they ALL were. big stops Even if you don't agree, with 4th down stops being TO's, we still had 2 so called legit TO's and a defensive score. That usually enough to win a game.
OTHER OBSERVATIONS - disclaimer. I watched the game while I was playing poker so I might have missed some stuff. Let me know if I am wrong in any of this stuff below
1. There IS no QB controversy and Mac Jones does NOT have to be looking over his shoulder at Bailey Zappe - While Zappe performed admirably, in fact better than anyone had the right to expect. The fact that the offense managed 22 points was more the result of the OUTSTANDING defense and the 0-6 on 4th downs than by Zappe's brilliance. (not to mentions Nick Folk's amazing consistency). The only pass completion that went over 15-20 yds in the air was the TD to a WIDE open Meyers who walked the last 5 yds into the endzone. Every OTHER "long pass" were no where near their intended receiver.
All the way home I heard from fans calling in the post game shows talking about Zappe's greatness, even though through almost 2 complete games he has YET to throw for more than 200yds In fact today was the first time he cracked 100. Make no mistake he has done a great job of throwing to the right man and completed just about every short pass he had to make. He was calm, with no happy feet under what little pressure he was under, and made a lot of good reads at the LOS. Also remember that while the Lion offense was at the top of league, their defense was at the BOTTOM. So as nice as it was to see the offense only punt twice, it will be harder for Zappe as the defenses get better and teams get more film on him.
BTW- this was a brilliantly conceived and called football game. And this goes back to how well they practiced and prepared their offensive game plan. If you DON'T think this was a well coached team and prepared offense this game then PLEASE go back and learn more about the game.
Patricia was clearly calling the plays today, BUT Bill was in control of the offense. It was to Bill that Zappe went to during TO's This division of labor was what they decided worked best for Zappe. It should also be noted that the Lions already weak pass defense saw members of their secondary falling like October leaves all through this game. That didn't hurt Zappe's results. Remember for the first 3 years of Tom Brady's career Bill was his QB coach. Clearly he was Zappe's for this game and I hope this relationship continues for all the QB's
My guess is that Zappe will get the start next week too. Mac didn't look like he was even close to playing or even taking practice snaps last week. The Browns defense was at the middle of the pack (14th), but what does even mean given that the Pats D was ranked 22nd IIRC, and they just pitched a shutout against the top offensive team in the NFL. But we have a lot of time to talk about the Browns. This has been a crazy first quarter of the season. LOTS of stunning results all around the league, But this is my QB comment for the game and I'm sticking to it.
2 OL - If this were to be graded I'd give them a solid B. They clearly played brilliantly in pass protection and that INCLUDES the RB, especially Stevenson who Bill highlighted his pass blocking in his presser. The OT's pretty much ERASED the #2 pick in the draft Hutchenson holding him to 2 tackles 0 sacks 0 QB hits and to my eyes 0 QB pressures. But I am a hard marker and even though the Pats were playing mostly against 8 man fronts all game, I got pissed at how many runs went for 1 yd or less. Even Stevenson got about 95 of his yds on just 3 plays. On the plus side there were very few runs for losses which is key. But I'd really like to see more push from the OL so those 1 yd gains become 3 yd gains. Probably not being fair here, but it was 29-0 so I have to be critical of some one.
3. RB's - Well I've been on the Stevenson bandwagon for a while. If this were 10 years ago, he'd have been getting 20-25 carries a game for a while now. The kid is going to be an all pro RB in a very short period of time if he doesn't become one this year. Maybe its just me, but I kind of see his running style as being a lot like Levion Bell during his best years with the Steelers. Stevenson is VERY patient at the LOS often waiting for the hole to appear. He has a lot of the same explosion through the hole when he makes his decision AND he makes people miss. Maybe not AS patient as Bell who often waited too long and was tackled for losses, but I still see it in Stevenson. I would like to see more routes given to Rho, That 15 yd screen was a thing of beauty. He has really soft hands.
With a hammy, I'm betting Harris is likely to miss next game. Anyone know when Ty Montgomery is coming back? If not we COULD see Pierre Strong get some run next week. Either way, how many people would take the under on 25 touches for Stevenson next week?
4. TE's - or rather Hunter Henry. Got to run more routes that make him to lead target. The first catch for 23 was great, but the 3yd first down catch where he caught the ball low AND away is why he needs to see 6-10 balls every game.. I wouldn't even mind seeing him involve in a 3 man bunch. Just a thought.
5. WR's - So anyone ELSE miss Jacobi Meyers? Now it might be because they were seeing so many 8 man fronts, but he was open on SO many of his catches. I'm not talking about the Meyers' catches we are used to seeing where he is covered and Mac throws to the perfect spot in a tight window to complete the throw. No this was Julian Edelman open where he had his man turning his shoulders. AND he was WIDE open on the TD throw. He ran a great zone route and could walk in. I remember thinking in the first game that Meyers looked a little quicker this season. This game proved it, at least to me. He's going to improve his game for the 3rd year in a row.
Thronton got bloodied and caught a couple for 7 whole yds, but at least he got in the game and shook off the rust a bit.]
Adams and Aghular got shut out and had one target between them, which Nelson fumbled up into a pick. I am hoping that was more a game plan decision, than they both sucked and were never open. BTW, that happens, receivers drop good passes all the time even the BEST of them. It WAS however unlucky that 3 bounces later it winds up in a DB's hands Both have had their moments this year. I join the rest of you wishing it was more consistent.
Anyone else see Bourne's brief dust up with Bill on the sideline. It looked to me that Kendrick was trying to explain why he did what he did on a play, and Bill was having NONE of it. It was probably nothing because I saw him back in the game periodically very soon after though he had only that one target. He was my sure shot breakout player for this year and I'm having a hard time figuring out why he hasn't been more effective and targeted more. Still early in the season (I hope) Anyone else see it.
BTW- if there is a link to a Utube of Bourne's catches last year, put it in a reply please. I'd like to get a feel of why he was getting open last year and why not this one.
DEFENSIVE general thoughts:
Hard to do nothing but shout good things when your team shuts out the best offense in the league. Now the Vikings, WFT, and the Saints don't have what anyone would call a stellar defenses, and the Philly game was week one. But still ANY time you shut out an NFL team it is a major accomplishment. But like most games it comes down to the TO's and teams rarely overcome a defensive score (which would be a great stat to have....anyone?) let alone going 0-6 on forth down. Not only very good overall, but GREAT in the clutch.
But the bottom line the team gave up JUST over 100 yds rushing (101) and held an explosive RB to just one 20 yd run all game, Good bend but don't break run defense holding the other team to under 4ypc (3.7) AND of course making 2 big run stuffs on 4th down. Again tip of the cap to the guys who scouted Detroit because it was VERY rare to see a receiver wide open, just about 4 or 5 times over 35 attempts. Most of the time even on receptions there was tight coverage both from DB's AND the LB's, but more on that later.
Interesting stat that I'm not sure what to make of:
The Pats didn't have a single player who had more than 5 tackles, BUT they had NINE guys who had 5 or 4, another 5 who had 3.. and 23 who had at least 1. Want to talk about TEAM defense. Just sayin'
1. DL - They set the tone of the game on that 4th and one with a clutch stop in the first period. Now people will all come down on Dan Campbell for this call, but I think I would have done it too. Here you are on the road against a 3rd string rookie (low pick) so you don't expect a dynamic offense. You have the best run offense in the league even with your best RB out, plus the Pats haven't been exactly stellar against the run so far this year, and you are almost to midfield. The odds seem to be in your favor. I hated the play he called, but not the fact he went for it.
What I loved what the Pats DL did was to apply inside pressure on Goff for most of the day. Not immediate pressure but great 2nd effort pressure that for the most part was aided by good immediate coverage that forced Goff to hold the ball that extra second or two before the real pressure came at him. I'd be interested in knowing how many pressures the Pats put on Goff in this game. So while they only had 2 sacks and 6 QB hits, I would be surprised if they didn't have 15-20 hurries.
I thought Barmore played a really solid game. However I'm still waiting for him to be MORE than "solid" and stand out on 3 or 4 plays a game. Make more of an impact. We've seen enough flashes of this kind of play, but not nearly enough on a consistent basis. I want more and I want it NOW! (stamping my feet and pouting)
2. LB's- On the way back home from the game (I got CRUSHED) I heard a great stat. Matt Judon now has 5 sacks in his first 5 games. He is the ONLY player in Patriot history to accomplish this feat. Think of all the great pass rushers that the Pats have had from Andre Tippett to Chandler Jones and this is the first time this has happened. Now Bill has never valued the big sack masters like Von Miller. During the first 2 decades of this Century when the Pats were a constant champion contenders We RARELY had double digit sackers. Willy never did it (though be might have earlier with Parcells or Pete) Vrbel had 14 in 2007 IIRC and CJones did it a couple of times and was shipped out. It SHOULD be noted that the Pats were usually in the top 10 in sacks during those years, but they rarely had it coming from one or two guys. It was more like a team stat where sacks were schemed rather be the result of an individual's effort. So it is even more remarkable that Judon is doing this. Good for him. But that being said, I'd rather he have 5 sacks in the LAST 5 games. just sayin'
The rest of the LB crew should be getting an A for effort in coverage. I knew we'd get better coverage from McMillan and Wilson, but I almost couldn't believe my eyes on Jones' pick that it was Tavai in the receivers pocket 20 yds down field. WTF I didn't think he could cover a RB in the flat, let alone a WR at the 2 yd line. He broke off his zone coverage and make a great angle to get in position for the ball to bounce off his back....IF Jones hadn't already jumped the route to make the pick. Which would have been harder if Tavai's coverage hadn't made it impossible for the receiver to come back for the ball. I don't remember getting this kind of coverage from our LB's last year. Speed is a beautiful thing.
3. DB's Outstanding in general, but what I perceived as a REAL question mark the first week of September has become the most consistent part of the defense. Game after game (for the most part) the Pats secondary has BEEN in position in pass coverage. MADE key tackles both in the run or pass game and played just constantly good football. For the most part they have minimized YAC with good tackling. Wade was out for this game and I don't think JJones played much (I could be wrong) yet we got Mills back who has continued to play a level of CB well beyond out expectations. Jones had another pick (can anyone say Assante Samuel clone), and even the boards favorite DB whipping boy, Miles Bryant made a great punch out on the GL.
So for the most part, so far, our deepest preseason fears about our secondary have been answered and the answer is that our secondary is fine.
It should also be noted since it doesn't fit into the numbered designations how the Pats TEAM defense by the S's and LB's erased TE TJ Hockenson and held the Lions 2nd best target to 1 catch for 6 yds on 4 targets. It looked like the Pats basically beat the snot out of the guy at the LOS and LB's and S's were very physical with when he DID finally get of the LOS. This was a key because like a lot of the great TE's TJ is Goffs safety net. He didn't have that today because Bill (or rather Steve/Jarad) took him out. I hope they continue that strategy on to the next game.
I don't know for sure, but did anyone think the Pats ran a little more man coverage than what is usual lately?
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