Idle thoughts - the "cast off" edition

[Ring 6]

Mike, the only thing I can think of off the top of my head is that the cold dictated that decision. I would assume that at the start of the game everyone would be at their warmest and feel the most comfortable. As the game wore on the discomfort will rise. Even coming out of a warm locker room at half time wouldn't mitigate the hour and a half they had spent on the field entirely.

Anyway it seemed to have worked. They moved right down the field on the opening drive to score, and by the time they got into their 2nd and third drives it looked like the cold got to them a bit.

That's the way I see it

I can tell you that I felt the warmest and most comfortable for the first drive.

 

[CaffeineMan]

I have a question @patfanken

The Patriots won the toss and chose to receive, instead of electing to get the kick-off at the start of the second half, which they normally do. Anyone have an idea why they made that decision?

I read speculation somewhere that seemed plausible: They were trying to start fast and get a big lead so they could shut down some starters earlier.

 

[n1997y]

Yes, I thought it must have to do with the cold, but I couldn't quite think why. Though they do like the score-at-the-end-of-the-first-half-score-at-the-start-of-the-second model. And they DID score at the end of the first half. Anyway, thanks for your thoughts.

I'm sure BB will explain it all in detail to Mike Reiss at a press conference when he asks.

BB: it was cold. Next question.

 

[DarrylS]

Mike, the only thing I can think of off the top of my head is that the cold dictated that decision. I would assume that at the start of the game everyone would be at their warmest and feel the most comfortable. As the game wore on the discomfort will rise. Even coming out of a warm locker room at half time wouldn't mitigate the hour and a half they had spent on the field entirely.

Anyway it seemed to have worked. They moved right down the field on the opening drive to score, and by the time they got into their 2nd and third drives it looked like the cold got to them a bit.

That's the way I see it

I believe that this has been verified, as they wanted to take the ball and score first.. it worked.

 

[supafly]

Mike, the only thing I can think of off the top of my head is that the cold dictated that decision. I would assume that at the start of the game everyone would be at their warmest and feel the most comfortable. As the game wore on the discomfort will rise. Even coming out of a warm locker room at half time wouldn't mitigate the hour and a half they had spent on the field entirely.

Anyway it seemed to have worked. They moved right down the field on the opening drive to score, and by the time they got into their 2nd and third drives it looked like the cold got to them a bit.

That's the way I see it

Also possible that there was some hope in getting an extra first half possession leading to a score as it may have allowed for sitting some starters at the half if the lead was sufficient enough. Belichick was asked about it but didn’t provide any clarity.

 

[luuked]

Also possible that there was some hope in getting an extra first half possession leading to a score as it may have allowed for sitting some starters at the half if the lead was sufficient enough. Belichick was asked about it but didn’t provide any clarity.

I thought he was pretty insightful on the decision:

Patriots had weather in mind by taking the ball instead of deferring

As Bill Belichick has said in the past, extreme weather can lead to prioritizing taking the ball, which would then allow the Patriots to choose which direction they would want to kick toward in the fourth quarter in the event a game-winning field goal was needed (because the opponent gets the ball to start the second half, the Patriots would choose the direction).

 

[supafly]

I have always laughed at the common wisdom that "no one wants to see the Ravens in the playoffs", and that they were a threat to NE at Foxboro cause they won a game back in 2009 there. I thought the Ravens would have been easy picking for the Pats and would have LOVED to play them and in one sense I'm sad they won't be in the hunt. On the other hand, how can you hate it when the Ravens lose. At least now we won't have to hear Harbaugh whine about the Pats getting a Saturday start.

While I agree with you that this year’s BAL team was quite flawed (although opportunistic on defense), the concern was probably due to a bit more than “just” a one year upset in 2009. They also celebrated their trip to the SB on our home field in the AFCCG in 2012, having held us to 13 points.

The 2011 AFCCG here at Gillette also was a hard fought game that came down to a last second Billy Cundiff missed FG that sent us to the SB, and the 2014 divisional game saw us down 14-0 and 28-14, needing an unprecedented rally (at least in NE postseason at home), so I can understand some posters having some uneasiness. The Ravens have felt much more comfortable playing at Gillette in the postseason than any other team, and one could argue that we were fairly lucky to have split those 4 postseason games at 2-2 with them, considering the circumstances.

That said, each year is different so I wouldn’t have been too concerned with them in 2017.

 

[supafly]

I thought he was pretty insightful on the decision:

Patriots had weather in mind by taking the ball instead of deferring

Those comments were in the past, although I should’ve taken his past stance on the matter into account. He didn’t seem to have too much to say on the matter during his presser yesterday, so that’s what I was referring to.

As noted during the presser and in the article, he did go out on the field in shorts and a t-shirt prior to the game, so I assume that he was assessing the situation then.

 

[supafly]

I read speculation somewhere that seemed plausible: They were trying to start fast and get a big lead so they could shut down some starters earlier.

I was wondering the same in terms of that being a consideration yesterday under the circumstances.

 

[luuked]

Those comments were in the past, although I should’ve taken his past stance on the matter into account. He didn’t seem to have too much to say on the matter during his presser yesterday, so that’s what I was referring to.

As noted during the presser and in the article, he did go out on the field in shorts and a t-shirt prior to the game, so I assume that he was assessing the situation then.

I have been around for a bit but can't recall much discussion about taking the ball on coin toss to have a strategic advantage in terms of kicking direction later in the game. It is one of those things I honestly never thought much about but once I read it made immediate sense.

 

[supafly]

I have been around for a bit but can't recall much discussion about taking the ball on coin toss to have a strategic advantage in terms of kicking direction later in the game. It is one of those things I honestly never thought much about but once I read it made immediate sense.

I’m guessing that it may come into play even more at home, knowing the nuances of the wind direction/tendency for some crosswinds going towards the lighthouse.

 

[PP2]

Great post, Ken. One of your best ones.

 

[BTTA]

I thought he was pretty insightful on the decision:
Patriots had weather in mind by taking the ball instead of deferring

One of the more entertaining aspects of being a Pats fan is Belichick's complete unwillingness to make things complicated that aren't, and impatience with anyone who wants to, which we see in his response to the press sometimes. His statement about all this, from the article:

That's also what Belichick said he was assessing during his pregame visit to the field (in shorts and no sleeves).
"We walked out just to see what it was like out there," he said.

 

[Danger Zone]

The Dancing Cat Saloon | Restaurant & Live Music | Bethel New York |

 

[p8ryts]

Just finished Reiss' piece on 7 DB effectiveness citing 0-12 on third down. First, I did think Marquis Flowers was effective but any claims to effective DB play was lost on me. Receivers were open all day and Petty couldn't even come close. At a time when the front is improving the DB's need to step up and start earning their money. That's not just a shot at Gilmore, he's been the most consistent. With Guy,Brown, Branch, Butler, and maybe Francois, the middle is working and with Trey and Van Noy along with Harrison and Wise and maybe Lee, the edge is going to be better. Roberts is still inconsistent but I think that group can do the job. The DB's just need to show that they are the stars of the defense.

 

[ForThoseAboutToRock]

3. ST's - Ryan Allen had his best game of the season pinning the Jets inside their 5 on 3 separate occasion, with a tip of the cap to Slater for downing the ball on 2 of those.

The KO coverage unit was consistently good too allowing only one return to cross the 25, and that was on a really short KO to the 15. Plus kudo to Cardonna for making good snaps all game in these conditions.

Really glad you brought this up. Allen was amazing in the game against the Jete.

I think Allen's punting maybe kept BB from freezing solid on the sideline by warming the depths of his cold heart: Punting tutorial keeps Bill Belichick going on 25-minute conference call

Edit - Link is to ESPN - the gist is that BB talked a lot about Punting after being asked about R. Allen

 

[RobertWeathers]

Just finished Reiss' piece on 7 DB effectiveness citing 0-12 on third down. First, I did think Marquis Flowers was effective but any claims to effective DB play was lost on me. Receivers were open all day and Petty couldn't even come close. At a time when the front is improving the DB's need to step up and start earning their money. That's not just a shot at Gilmore, he's been the most consistent. With Guy,Brown, Branch, Butler, and maybe Francois, the middle is working and with Trey and Van Noy along with Harrison and Wise and maybe Lee, the edge is going to be better. Roberts is still inconsistent but I think that group can do the job. The DB's just need to show that they are the stars of the defense.

Gilmore, Malcolm and Rowe we are good in coverage on Sunday. JJ had a tough time but he did not have safety help.

 

[patfanken]

Happy New Year Ken!

I’m a long time Pats fan who doesn’t post much for 2 reasons.

First reason - I despise the owners. This recent RKK backlash is a joke to someone who’s family had great seasons tickets for almost 20 years at Foxboro and got pushed all the way upstairs right after the SB/new stadium. Not having Brady’s back? Yeah that’s ***** but we were fans before Brady and the Krafts screwed us on our seasons tix so we gave them up the second season at Gillette. It’s a business and we root for the laundry.

Second and more relevant to your contributions the nuances of the game are typically too nuanced for a laymen like me so I usually lurk and try to learn. Your breakdowns are great (can you get a little more technical? There used to be a regular on Patriots Planet that killed it with diagrams. Could you do this?)

Either way thanks for your breakdowns every week.

My thread is some immediate observations based on what I saw on the TV. I leave the technical side to the "rewatch" thread, which for some reason hasn't been started this week, and I want to know why! It's my favorite thread of the week.

 

[patfanken]

New Years Eve has passed and the explosions are finally over. My neighborhood was clearly trying to reenact their own shock-n-awe invasion. Holy sh%t.

Only thing worse than my neighborhood on July 4th or New Years Eve is week 17 of the NFL….aka…..exhibition football. The good news for NE….their week 17 exhibitions ALWAYS mean the Patriots are in great playoff shape. We are so spoiled.

As always ….Great job PFK

I'll just add a couple of thoughts:

Regarding Harrison…….In one breath….watching him try to cover a pass catcher crossing 10 yards deep, I could of sworn I was watching the slowest defender in the NFL. But then I saw this massively muscled man complete a tackle that had no resemblance to any Patriot defender in recent memory. Harrison drove his body through the ball carrier…like a locomotive plowing through a Volkswagen Beetle. I might just buy my first Pats jersey if Harrison destroys a few more subspecies.

Regarding a game plan to stop the NE offense: The numbers show Brady's rapport with his WRs is nothing close to his effectiveness with the RBs + Gronk. If it was me, I'd make Brady beat my team with his WRs. Of course this means teams need the personnel to stop Gronk and few do. KC lost their guy to injury. Pitt didn't have an answer. Let the chess match begin.

Speaking of KC……the Chiefs righted their sinking ship once Reid was removed from play calling. I fully expect KC to return to Foxborough in two weeks and NE will be challenged once again defensively. Somehow the Pats defense has to tenderize Tyreek Hill a la Marshall Faulk 2001.

Great job yesterday Dion Lewis……that was fun to see

Looking beyond: Post 2017 may resemble post 2004……a successful 4 year campaign resulting in opportunities to good to be ignored .

Josh and Matt / Charlie and Romeo……will 2018 be another reset year similar to 2005?

With Hogan missing the last half of the season and Edelman on IR, Brady has essentially been in his first year with most of his outside receivers. Cooks has been very good, but you can see there are still moments where he an Brady aren't quite in synch. Unfortunately this is something only time can cure. Brady was throwing to Julian for 4 years before Edelman "broke out" as his go to receiver. That was a LOT of practices when they could develop that kind of communication level. So like I've said on several occasions, its been good with Cooks, not great. That we hope will only come with time.

 

[patfanken]

Great post, Ken. One of your best ones.

Maybe I should hoist a few libations before I do this every week.