Idle thouughts - The "what a difference a week makes" edition

[patfanken]

Last week at this time no on knew when Gronk and High would be back. It looked like an uphill fight to gain a bye or complete home field advantage, and the OL looked in complete shambles. The run game was non-existent. Receivers were dropping balls at an alarming rate. This week.....not so much.

1. As games play out each week should be reinforcing some of the important lessons that we should be absorbing. Last week we were painfully reminded how important special teams were, and how big play TO's that turn into TD's are extremely difficult to overcome.

It should have also told us just how good this team actually is, in that it gave up 21 points on Special teams and offensive TO's and STILL should have won that game. As BB said after the KC game last season, "I actually felt good about our team because of the way they fought back, even when it was out of reach". He must have felt good about the way this undermanned team fought back from a 21 deficit mid way through the 4th quarter, to come within an eyelash of tying the game.

2. But the big question was, could this team go back on the road and win a game against a hot team with a lot on the line. Would this actually be the first 3 game losing streak in 13 years? This game had all the earmarks of a very tight physical game that would be decided until well into the 4th quarter. Well based on what I saw, the Pats pretty much coasted home and were in total control of this game from the outset.

3. In my opinion the OL took some steps forward tonight. There was a little more push in the run game, and a lot better protection from the passing game. Mercellous, Watt, and Clowney are 3 accomplished pass rushers that were shut down until well into the 4th quarter when Clowney got 2 sacks, and one was a no block gift brought about by a VERY inexperienced interior OL.

Think about it. Our interior OL was made up of two 4th round rookies and a 2nd year man who has missed half the season. There has been zero time for this version of our OL to start to build up some much needed continuity and rhythm. I think we got back the bulk of our OL back for the Eagle game that has to take us through the playoffs. In its first outing, it pretty much sucked, as Brady continued to keep getting hit on 30% of his drop backs.

Well today I opine that it was better, and when that QB hits stat gets dragged up this week, it will be better. Baby steps here, but I expect the OL to get better over the next 3 games, and while it will never reach the continuity level we all hoped for when the season started, It will be a lot more consistent and effective than it has the last month.

4. Very interesting offensive game plan tonight. We continued to see more of the conservative, passive Pats offense that we've seen in recent weeks. It is almost like Josh has put the training wheels on this offense and he isn't going to take them off until he gets his OL stabilized, and more of his offensive weapons back.

Once again, instead of going for the jugular. on 3rd and 8 we run a draw and pick up the sure 3, instead of taking any risk of no getting it. We have see a lot more of that kind of decision making over the last few weeks, more so than any other time in the last 5 seasons.

5. Scott Chandler has his 2 most productive weeks, and doesn't get a single target. James comes off probably what will be his biggest game in his NFL career, racking up over 100 yards of receiving and doesn't see a sniff until the 4th quarter, winding up with 4 catches for 36 yds. Such is the fate of skill players in the Pats system. One week it is your day, the next it simply isn't.

6. This is true of the QB himself. After 2 straight games of over 300 yds in passing, where Brady was almost apoplectic in his frustration, Brady barely got over 200 in this game (226) and seemed pleased as punch with the offensive effort......in general. The biggest point he mentioned was that the offense didn't commit any of the big errors we've seen from the team the past 2 weeks.

7. The move Mercelous made on Ryan Stork was a thing of beauty. Clouney's 2nd sack was nothing more than a mental error by Stork/Jackson, and you or I could have almost gotten to the passer on that stem. Meanwhile Clowney is getting all the accolades and Mercelous is an after thought.

8. Our DL's play seems to be getting better all the time. This week's newcomer to shine was Akeem Hicks. His 2 sacks show up his potential to be an interior penetrator, as well as a solid run stopper. He has already been very solid in limited snaps so far this season, but he made at least 3 impact plays this game. I think his value will only increase over time. I will be very interested to see what he can become after a full off season here and a full TC.

9. Jabal Sheard must pinch himself every night to make sure he doesn't wake up in the morning to find himself back in Cleveland. This must seem like football heaven for him after slaving away, unwatched and unappreciated. In a game where Chandler Jones was missing in action, Sheard once again showed that he is not only the Pats best FA this off season, he is probably among the top 5 best FA signings accross the entire NFL.

10. I'm happy Matt Patricia's name is starting to get some run. He is doing a great job with this defense. I can't remember a defense in the BB era that moves around as much and does so much blitzing.....and it is really effective most of the time.

11. I know its redundant to bring it up again, but given how much crap they've taken over the past few years, they deserve it. Patrick Chung and Logan Ryan deserve continued praise for the work they are doing in the 2ndary. Chung continues to make plays in the secondary each and every games, as well as being a fine run stopper.

Hopkins had been tearing up the league during the the Texan's winning streak, yet with some part time help from the S's, Ryan pretty much shut down one of the hottest WR's in the game.

Meanwhile Malcom Butler continues to thrive in his rendition of being a poor man's Revis. I sometimes feel bad for the kid watching him have such great position on some of these receivers only to have to hold my heart in my throat wondering if the catch is going to be made anyway. I think if he was 2 inches taller, he'd be a household name by next year, and all those "hold your breath" pass defenses, would be clean break ups.

BOTTOM LINE - Who would have "thunk" it, but our secondary really IS better than last season's version.

11. OT - If there was one good thing that came out of that loss to the Eagles was the fact that with the win Chip Kelly got a little more breathing space from the media and so called "experts" who seem to be out to get him.

I like Chip partially because he's a New Englander and started his coaching career here, but mostly because he's an outsider. He's different and unafraid to do what he thinks is ultimately in the best interest of his team. Now I don't think he's above criticism any more than any coach is, but I just hate it when the mediots go after him for basically going against the common wisdom. I find most of the criticism he's taking is really mean spirited and personal.

I believe if given the opportunity to put his vision into action I think he'll be a consistently successful HC in this league. I'm rooting for him to win the NFCE. I know BB likes him and that's good enough for me.

12. We have 3 games left and the ball is "in our court". One last tough game on the road against the Jets. The Titans are playing for next season and Miami might already have their bags packed by the time we get to town (or they might treat it as their superbowl and try to win one for Campbell) But the fact remains that not only do we control the top seed, Cinci and Denver both have tougher schedules to face over the final 3 games.....and both now have QB questions to anwer.

13. The good news is we really did control this game well. The bad news is that the injury list CONTINUUUUUUUEEESS, though it seems none look like they are long term problems.

14. I don't know about you but, I have no problems with the Panthers getting to 16-0. It would be a nice feat for them. However as we all know all too well, 16-0 is not the goal of the season. All that matter is winning the LAST game of the season. Everything that happens prior to that game is only relevant in that it allowed you to GET to that final game.

Did I mention I hate these Sunday night games almost as much as the Thursday night ones. Here it is past 2am and I have almost no idea about what I'm writing about any more, and I can't imagine the editorial mistakes I have made and am too tired to check on. If the product this week is a little rough, and isn't rife with profound insights, blame it on the Sunday night game and not me. After all, if Ron Borges can have a 2 decade career in the Boston media without any sort of accountability, why shouldn't I have that same privilege.

 

[Joker]

I'm glad YOU do all this work, PFK. My meager brainpan would short circuit trying to put together 1/10th of what you do.

 

[meatface]

Clowney getting all the accolades is all about the narrative, and narratives are almost always stupid.

Sent from my KFSOWI using Tapatalk

 

[doesntmatter1]

I concur w/ just about everything except #9. It was way more their horrible rt#72 than Sheard. I was happy he wasnt benched for some reason.

I have ALWAYS been a Logan Ryan fan but I didnt think he had the raw foot speed to cover Hopkins deep and expected possibly his worst game. I am so glad to be wrong on this one.

 

[PScottman]

Patrick Chung and Logan Ryan deserve continued praise for the work they are doing in the 2ndary.

Ken, my take away on Ryan this year is he took much more from Browner than Revis IMHO. He has become much more aggressive and physical at the line than in the past. His jams are forceful and go a long way in disrupting timing routes/first reads and that has helped his natural good quickness later in the route.

 

[Fencer]

I'm glad YOU do all this work, PFK. My meager brainpan would short circuit trying to put together 1/10th of what you do.

If you didn't moisten it with so much alcohol there might be fewer short circuits.

 

[convertedpatsfan]

I like Chip too, and appreciate his fresh view on a lot of things. But he shouldn't be buying the groceries. For one thing, he has no clue what anything costs.

His first offseason in charge has been nothing short of a disaster. He justified a lot of the moves by saying they were about money, but that makes little sense. The McCoy deal was supposedly about saving money, but then $8M for Murray and another $4M for Mathews quickly evened that out. Foles was $1.5M, Bradford close to $13M. And that Byron Maxwell deal...are you ****ing kidding me?

Maybe with more experience, he'll get better at it. But it's clear he botched his first opportunity at it.

 

[luuked]

Scott Chandler has his 2 most productive weeks, and doesn't get a single target. James comes off probably what will be his biggest game in his NFL career, racking up over 100 yards of receiving and doesn't see a sniff until the 4th quarter, winding up with 4 catches for 36 yds. Such is the fate of skill players in the Pats system. One week it is your day, the next it simply isn't.

I am pretty sure that Chandler was closer to being inactive due to his knee injury than Gronk. He was there as insurance in case Gronk had an issue but not more. Hope he gets some time to heal up now until the Jets game. I still think his presence -- especially in those 3 TE sets -- will be a huge help in the playoffs.

The move Mercelous made on Ryan Stork was a thing of beauty. Clouney's 2nd sack was nothing more than a mental error by Stork/Jackson, and you or I could have almost gotten to the passer on that stem. Meanwhile Clowney is getting all the accolades and Mercelous is an after thought.

Sometimes you gotta tip your head to the other team for good plays. That spin move was exceptional and would have gotten most of the centers in the NFL beat. Similarly, the big play Butler gave up was simply a great route at the right situation. Yes Butler gambled a bit but I can't be too upset about it.

Jabal Sheard must pinch himself every night to make sure he doesn't wake up in the morning to find himself back in Cleveland. This must seem like football heaven for him after slaving away, unwatched and unappreciated. In a game where Chandler Jones was missing in action, Sheard once again showed that he is not only the Pats best FA this off season, he is probably among the top 5 best FA signings accross the entire NFL.

I am slowly getting concerned about Chandler Jones. Somehow it seems to be his MO to fade away towards the end of the year but this time he doesn't have injuries as an excuse for it. The games against Denver and the Eagles were opportunities for him to come in big with plays to justify a big contract. IMO despite all his potential so far he has not really earned a big extension and there is no way I prioritize him over Hightower or Collins.

When the DL and pass rush gets into rhythm and clicks they are better than what Denver has once Ware starts his annual Winter decline.

I know its redundant to bring it up again, but given how much crap they've taken over the past few years, they deserve it. Patrick Chung and Logan Ryan deserve continued praise for the work they are doing in the 2ndary. Chung continues to make plays in the secondary each and every games, as well as being a fine run stopper.

Agree about Ryan, but am concerned about Chung. It worked out yesterday but a different team with a better TE will catch most of those Ryan Griffin drops. Those would have set up the Texans in scoring positions. He has played beyond expectations since coming back but I am afraid that playoff caliber teams will be able to exploit him.

The good news is we really did control this game well. The bad news is that the injury list CONTINUUUUUUUEEESS, though it seems none look like they are long term problems.

After seeing how the Bengals season took a turn for the worse on a innocent looking hit I have to say that despite all the injuries yesterday we still got lucky. On Watt's late hit on Brady, during the first touchdown , both of them land extremely close to Vollmer who is engaged with a DL. Both keep rolling on the floor right into Vollmer's extended right leg. If Brady is pushed a bit farther or Watt uses slightly more force we might have had a serious injury on our RT/LT right there.

Similarly, on a later play Watt rolled into Brady's ankle and just fell short of really rolling over it. If he makes his initial move with slightly more momentum we are talking ankle sprain as best case and a broken ankle as worst.

 

[DarrylS]

My go to bed was too late, but my get up time is the same as usual.. another ass dragging day.

I agree with your take on conservative offense, we tried some stuff last week and it did not do all that well. IMO it should have been kept under wraps until the "tournament"..

Brady did not have gaudy numbers, but had very nice numbers.. will take a 116 QB rating any day of the week, particularly against a team that was getting a lot of press about being defensively dominant.. he also was not hit as much as he was the last three games..

You remove Scott Chandler from the offense, injury or classic BB, "rope a dope"?? Next week he might have a different role..

It is clear that LaFell is a #3 receiver who is cast into a role he is not familiar with, last year when he was the third option he was clearly more successful than this year when is asked to do more.

Thought BB's head was going to explode after the Keyshawn Martin fumble, for now lets just use Amendola on punts..

Our D continues to impress, Jones was not a major factor, but Sheard and the rest of the D line was cast into prime time, this is one of those games that fans will lament about how #95 was missing, but BB will ascend to the podium about how well he did his job. What do we all know??

Our D backfield is indeed real, and kick ass..

We are 11-2, down the home stretch.. hope for good news on the Easly/McCourty/LG/Freeney injuries..

I am very freaking tired, again.. no need for late games.

 

[JayNM]

About Brock Osweiler, an Iddle thought of my own.

He has one serious problem with his throwing mechanic. I wonder when this will became evident, but apparently the Raiders picked up (maybe it was by accident, I don't know). Brock's throws usually go DOWN after he releases the ball. Moreover, his releasing point is actually just above his shoulders.

So, even though he is 6'7'', this makes so easy to deflect in the line. If I am an D-Coordinator, i would just instruct my guys to swap for the ball, because it looks like he doesn't take advantage of being that tall. The Raiders had 3 or 4 deflected passes on the second half alone.

I wonder when this will be talked fully, if at all, but something that I'll be checking going forward

 

[patfanken]

A couple of more thoughts in retrospect:
.
1. I must have really been tired not to have mentioned Leonard Johnson in the OP. It isn't too often that a defensive player can come off the street on a Wednesday and make an impact on the next Sunday. Johnson was right on those two pass plays to make plays on them. Plus IIRC, both were 3 down plays.

I read where he was on the field for about 70% of the the defensive snaps, so I'm sure there were some "not so good plays" as well, though none were obvious. I don't know where Caserio finds these guys but you can't dispute the results. I only wish the tall CB had worked out. The down side is that Johnson is ANOTHER 5'1o guy among a LOT of DB's we have that are around 5'10 or eleven.

2. It used to be an official would throw his flag, tell the re.f his call, and the ref would make his announcement to the crowd. End of story. Now almost EVERY flag is followed by a summit conference where an endless discussion is waged before a decision is made on the field.

This over scrutiny of officials has them second guessing themselves to the point of near paralysis. The end result are games that are closer to 4 hours than 3. Refs are part of the game. Its a game where mistakes will be made and they should be dealt with by fans much like the ones coaches and players make. It is fair to complain about them, but we should move on.

3. That being said, outside of the delays, I thought the Triplet crew didn't do a bad job overall. They didn't litter the field with flags, like they had in some games (only 10 flags on both teams). Yes I would agree with most fans that they shouldn't have overturned the White catch because the evidence was so inconclusive, but that was just ONE play and was incredibly close either way. The same went for the the fumble that wound up being called an incompletion. I wasn't thrilled with either call, but at least I understood why they were called the way they were, and neither were obvious blunders.

Do I believe there is cheering that goes on at 354 Park Ave every time the Pats lose? Absolutely. Do I believe that they will go out of their way to make life difficult on us every chance they get? Absolutely! Is there a conspiracy to have the refs sway games in our opponents favor? Not so much. I admit there are some games where I would swear on a stack of bibles that it is happening, but not every game, and this certainly didn't qualify as one.

4. Malcolm Butler got fully torched on a move by Washington last night that led to a 45 yd completion and the Texans' first 3 points, He did his best Assante Samuel imitation. He guessed, and he guessed wrong. The play made be even more impressed by him. Why you may ask? Because pf what he did AFTER he was beat. In the aftermath of the play, we forgot that Butler recovered to the point where he got BACK in the play to the point when the catch was made Butler looked like he had his hand on the ball almost simultaneously. I also liked that he was will to take a chance on a play he saw on film to jump a route.

Malcolm Butler has proven his is not just a one play wonder, and he's been doing it all season....and the kid just keeps on getting better and proves it even on plays where he gets beat.

5. I can't help almost start to gush about the future potential of our secondary. With the quantum leaps that BOTH Ryan and Butler have shown to go along with the Harmon, Chung, and McCourty, plus Colman and the good looking prospect we IR'd this TC, and Brown; the competition for CB roster spots will be at a premium and the 5 guys who make the team will likely be the deepest and most talented group this team has seen in a LONNG while. (now if we only can get some size to go along with the competence). Very exciting for the future.

6. Talk about one play having a big impact on the entire game, think about Hoyer missing an open man on 3rd down at the end of the first half. That missed pass directly led to the Pats increasing a narrow one score lead by 10 points before the Texans saw the ball again.

I'm not sure the results of the game would have been any different, but it certainly would have been a lot closer.

 

[BelichickFan]

8. Our DL's play seems to be getting better all the time. This week's newcomer to shine was Akeem Hicks. His 2 sacks show up his potential to be an interior penetrator, as well as a solid run stopper. He has already been very solid in limited snaps so far this season, but he made at least 3 impact plays this game. I think his value will only increase over time. I will be very interested to see what he can become after a full off season here and a full TC.

Hicks is a FA after this year so we may not get a chance to find out. The good news, though, is if he's fairly cheap we could get him back whereas if he's too expensive he'll net us a decent comp pick as a FA.

 

[BelichickFan]

5. I can't help almost start to gush about the future potential of our secondary. With the quantum leaps that BOTH Ryan and Butler have shown to go along with the Harmon, Chung, and McCourty, plus Colman and the good looking prospect we IR'd this TC, and Brown; the competition for CB roster spots will be at a premium

I am guessing we'll let Brown go elsewhere. Go into next year with Butler and Ryan and sure things with Johnson, Coleman, Roberts the likely 3,4,5 with some lesser guys like Melvin and maybe a mid round pick competing for those bottom spots. Huge help that we signed Johnson for 2 years, no big deal if we cut him but it means he's not a FA after this year.

 

[turkeyneck]

Do I believe there is cheering that goes on at 354 Park Ave every time the Pats lose? Absolutely. Do I believe that they will go out of their way to make life difficult on us every chance they get? Absolutely! Is there a conspiracy to have the refs sway games in our opponents favor?

It doesn't take much of a conspiracy when Blandino can insert himself into any call that might be a gamechanger. It's a very efficient setup for managing the outcomes of games from NYJFL HQ without having to enroll the officiating crews into the cabal.

 

[sieglo]

It doesn't take much of a conspiracy when Blandino can insert himself into any call that might be a gamechanger. It's a very efficient setup for managing the outcomes of games from NYJFL HQ without having to enroll the officiating crews into the cabal.

Is this true? Do reviews really go to Blandino in NYC?

 

[turkeyneck]

Is this true? Do reviews really go to Blandino in NYC?

Now, officiating experts inside Art McNally GameDay Central in the league’s New York headquarters consult directly with the referee when a review is initiated. Vice President of Officiating Dean Blandino and Director of Officiating Alberto Riveron assist to ensure that calls are being made consistently across the league. Blandino and Riveron begin the review process even as the coach is considering a challenge and making his way to the booth, reducing the review’s impact on the length of the game.

- History of Instant Replay | NFL Football Operations

 

[QuantumMechanic]

Malcolm Butler has proven his is not just a one play wonder, and he's been doing it all season....and the kid just keeps on getting better and proves it even on plays where he gets beat.

I loved the play where he broke up the TD, because he actually broke it up twice!

The receiver skied for the ball and had it in his hands and Butler was able to dislodge it. But as they were both falling to the ground the receiver had re-controlled it and it would have been a catch and TD, but Butler stayed with it to the end and while Butler was on his back he got his hands in as the receiver landed and poked the ball free. A great play!

 

[PatsFanSince74]

About Brock Osweiler, an Iddle thought of my own.

He has one serious problem with his throwing mechanic. I wonder when this will became evident, but apparently the Raiders picked up (maybe it was by accident, I don't know). Brock's throws usually go DOWN after he releases the ball. Moreover, his releasing point is actually just above his shoulders.

So, even though he is 6'7'', this makes so easy to deflect in the line. If I am an D-Coordinator, i would just instruct my guys to swap for the ball, because it looks like he doesn't take advantage of being that tall. The Raiders had 3 or 4 deflected passes on the second half alone.

I wonder when this will be talked fully, if at all, but something that I'll be checking going forward

Actually, the idiot announcers pointed that out during the Pats Denver game. I wonder if people had already started picking up on it...in any event, i'm sure that all their future opponents will be looking at every minute of the tape of how Oakland played him for clues. Sure, the score was close, but I never had a sense that Osweiler was comfortable.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Thanks as always, PFK. One aside: you call Butler a "poor man's Revis." Makes me wonder whether/how the Pats will keep him when his Rookie Contract is up. The national announcers fawn all over him and he's going to expect (and deserve) a payday. Hope he's reasonable.

 

[1960Pats]

What a difference a day makes...