Is today's game a major barometer for this defense?

[DarrylS]

Think our Safeties will have a big day, and may see three of them on the field a lot... a key to stopping Miami may be "spying" Ronnie Brown.. otoh, suspect that Henne may look better than he actually is... but the strength is the run game and that will be what we try to take away..

 

[JSn]

I get the feeling that vs. an offence like this, the D is better off watching the O-Line off the snap than the HB. Does that make sense?

 

[Kontradiction]

I get the feeling that vs. an offence like this, the D is better off watching the O-Line off the snap than the HB. Does that make sense?

That's always the case. They teach you that in pee wee football. The lineman that you are lined up against is going to dictate where the running back is going by the direction in which he blocks you. As a defender, you always want to keep your eye on the football at all times, of course. But the lineman is going to dictate where the runner is going 100% of the time.

 

[JSn]

That's always the case. They teach you that in pee wee football. The lineman that you are lined up against is going to dictate where the running back is going by the direction in which he blocks you. As a defender, you always want to keep your eye on the football at all times, of course. But the lineman is going to dictate where the runner is going 100% of the time.

PeeWee football? Nice. Man, I don't think it starts around here until high school and the coaches suck donkey balls.

Anyway, yeah - I thought that made sense. Would the O-Line block in the opposite direction at times for a fake-out (outside run), or is that super-unlikely?

 

[ALP]

Breaking down the New England run defense.

Its been hinted at that the Patriots might struggle to stop the Miami run game - the Patriots are ranked 15th in rushing yards conceded per game and 22nd in yards conceded per run.

Buffalo:

Patriots Conceded 90 yards @ 4.7
Buffalo averages 113 yards @ 3.95

NY Jets

Patriots conceded 117 yards @ 3.8
Jets average 186 yards @4.94

Atlanta Falcons

Patriots conceded 58 yards @ 3.4
Falcons average 120 yards @4.1

Baltimore Ravens

Patriots conceded 116 @ 6.8
Ravens average 126 @ 4.4

Denver Broncos

Patriots conceded 103 yards @ 4.1
Denver averages 127 yards @ 4.2

Tennesee Titans

Patriots conceded 193 yards @ 5.4
Titans average 157 @ 5.6

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Patriots conceded 89 yards @ 3.4
Tampa Bay averages 100 yards @ 4.4

The only game that the opposition has run for more yards than their season average (excluding the Patriots game) is the Titans game - and that game was a ridiculous blowout.

On average the Patriots are allowing 23 yards per game less than their opponents average over the rest of the year.

The closest comparison in games gone by is probably the Jets game.

The Jets rank 1st in the NFL in rushing yards per game - yet the Patriots shut them down - conceding 70 less yards than their average.

Out of the 7 game played so far this year the Patriots have conceded more yards per carry than their opposition averages over the year only twice.

So far this year the Patriots have faced 4 of the top 11 rushing teams in the NFL, including the top two.

Nothing here suggests to me that the Dolphins are going to be able to run on the Patriots.

no make ur point even more....

lets take the 3 games were by ypc, the pats did worse than average....

bills game: we focused on stopping evans, TO and the rest of the passing game, at the expense of the running game, if we geared at the running game (which we prob will now that evans and TO are seen to suck yet again) it would have been horrible for the bills

titans game: at that point, we really didnt care what the titans did....they ran it to get the game over with, and we were playing prevent so that they could not get the quick score....it wouldnt have mattered either way....the avg is that high b/c johnson had a couple of long runs....i dont see those in a close game

our worst rushing performance this year was prob agaisnt the ravens....and that avg is NOT do to long runs, the ravens were running consistently on us.....except when it mattered, when it turned to 3rd and 2, 4th and 1 or anything like that....in obvious run downs, where the the ravens HAD to run, they couldnt get squat


so i agree, our run defense is not bad, its at the very least above average....i imagine well contain the wildcat in the same way we did during the second meeting b/w us and the phins last year....

 

[Kontradiction]

PeeWee football? Nice. Man, I don't think it starts around here until high school and the coaches suck donkey balls.

Anyway, yeah - I thought that made sense. Would the O-Line block in the opposite direction at times for a fake-out (outside run), or is that super-unlikely?

Extremely unlikely. Defenders are often too quick and powerful for that to work, in any level.

 

[fair catch fryar]

Completing an accurate strike to a running receiver that far away in snow is legit. Titans or no.

Agreed, but IMO that particular pass had the look of a lame duck until it was in Randy's hands. Any good DB or safety would've probably been able to knock that one away.