Some Replies/thoughts on PATFANKEN@ Post
OFFENSE
1. OL - I had great expectations for the OL pre-game and none for the Atlanta pass rush. I also had no respect for the Falcon rush D. It was a game where I thought the Pats OL would dominate the LOS.
Well; for the first 40 minutes of the game I was dead wrong. During that time Brady is sacked 5 times (some of them coverage sacks) and hit many more times besides. For the first 40, it looked like the Falcons were following "the blueprint" perfectly. It looked like they shut down the run game completely. They were hitting Brady and making him look extremely uncomfortable in the pocket, and they forced 2 turnovers including that soul crushing pick 6.
The key to winning any game in this era is forcing FG's not TD's, turning the ball over, and have your offense make chunk plays (over 20 yds), and the Atlanta D was doing doing that to a T.....but only for the first 40 minutes.
But there are a lot of stats that were hidden in the seeming rout that was going on. The Pats had a huge time of possession lead in the first half, and while the run game looked completely stuffed, I was surprised that when I added up the rushing total, it was over 100 yds. Who would have thunk.
Individually, I don't think anyone in the OL was innocent in what happened over the first 40 minutes. It looked like even our great OT's were allowing hits and might have be responsible for some sacks. Shaq Mason got blown up on the first sack, and when you give up 5 sacks in less than 40 minutes no one is not guilty of something.
But that all changed in the the final 20+ minutes of the game. Brady was virtually untouched and it looked like a different Atlanta Defense. But in defense of the OL. 2 of the players we all worried about pre-game was Beasley and Hageman. Hageman had just 2 tackles, and Joe Velano with 1 assisted tackle did more than Beasley who didn't make the stat sheet. So the OL had to be doing something right all night.
The fact is that in the end we have two very good OT's and a very young interior who did OK and will get better as time goes on. All in all we have good things to look forward to in the future.
Love the season Marcus Cannon had and he had a stand out game in my humble opinion.
3. RB's -
a. I doubt anyone here has been more critical of James White than I have been in his 3 years with the team. Especially this year when I felt he was in the way of my binky, DJ Foster. And while I never doubted his hands, for the first 2 years he was always tackled by the first man who touched him. He was a horrible runner.
Well White has become ANOTHER in the long line of guys who just simply get better the longer they are here. He's another testiment to the Pats coaching staff and the "Patriot way". Because James White (who still isn't a good runner), is infinitely better than he was, and was obviously critical to the Pats' success last night. Plus we should note that rather than a liability he was early in his career, White has become a good pass blocker. Kudos to him and shame on me.
I was delighted with White's performance, not least because I called it in another thread in lead up to game,. (Shameless self praise)
b. Lewis - Was a big disappointment. He didn't seem to run the ball well, made a bad decision on ST's on a KO, and put the team in a hole, was no factor in the passing game, and had a drop. I don't know if its the knee, but even in the regular season, he was no where near the explosive player he was in 2015 pre-injury. Hopefully he can get at least some of that back.
I was also disappointed in Lewis but apparently he tweaked a hamstring during the game.
4. QB - What can you say. What Brady accomplished in the last 20 minutes of that game is simply remarkable. But what makes it so incredible is the fact that by Brady standards he did it after being very mediocre for the first 40. Normal NFL QB's can't usually overcome those bad starts. They can't suddenly recapture their focus to do what Brady did. And with Brady its become a regualr occurrence, and something we see over and over again in the most pressure packed moments. The suerpbowl vs Seattle is and obvious example, but even in the loss to Denverin the AFCCG, think about that comeback to be in possition to tie the game....on the road after the beating he took.
I would just like to add that (ironically), that TB12 had the longest Patriot run in the game, 15 yards.
No doubt getting hits affects Brady just like every other QB in history,but history shows us it never beats him, especially in the most important games of the year. So lets FINALLY put that "myth" to rest.
As we know, that Myth is BS. He is one tough Football player.
5.
a. One area that the Pat offense has recently sucked is in 2 point plays, or passing plays from the 2. The Denver 2 pointer comes immediately to mind. Not only did it fail, it failed miserably. Final play of the Seattle game this year was another expample of a big play from the 2 that not only failed but just looked ugly. SO it can as a great surprise that the Pats made BOTH of their 2 pt coversions. AND looked good doing it.
Knowing BB, because of that failure in Seattle game, it would not surprise me to hear it was practiced extensively since, (somewhat like the Malcom Butler interception on the pick play in SB49)
So in the end Ken 
, I would like to add that the way the game started my family and I were hugely disappointed and all I was hoping for at 25 pts down was to show some fightback and make the score respectable, while hoping to myself that a miraculous comeback might take place. To be honest I did not expect it to occur.
Lastly, in the end,, I want to thank you for all your time, effort and insights during the whole season. Your posts are always a great read and for me, somewhat educational on this great game of Football.
