My biggest takeaway from the Ravens game....

[Kontradiction]

Do you have a job or a wife? I'd be fascinated to know how your "I've been proven correct" line works in other circumstances where you definitely haven't been proven correct but say it anyway.

Ah, the ad hom. Always lets me know the opposition is waving the white flag. I have a job, but no wife. Just a girlfriend for now. Thanks for your interest.

At times, Brady locks onto one receiver too much.

You're moving the goal posts now. Your original claim, which you later backed up in Post #47, was that he's doing it consistently, calling it an "issue". Every quarterback makes a bad read at times. This is no different with Brady. I would agree if you had said that. But to call it an "issue" and then try to back up your stance with the amount of targets that Edelman has gotten, is a little absurd. Again, Brady throws to Edelman because he gets open more quickly than most other receivers in the NFL. He loves the open man and, if Edelman is open when he looks, that's where the ball is going. If Edelman is doubled and Mitchell/Hogan/White/Bennett are open, the ball will go there as you have seen with the pics and the link I provided you.

In the Ravens game, Edelman was targeted 15 times, more than White, Mitchell, Bennett, Lewis and Blount combined. Passes to Edelman were completed less than half the time, while the rest of the team had 3 incompletions combined. At that rate of targeting, Edelman would obliterate the record for most targets in a season. Edelman is 30 and still not 100% from his surgery. He is an important part of the Patriots' chances and for that reason alone shouldn't be targeted as much as he has.

And, again, those targets are mixture of Edelman being open quickly, the way the defense is defending him and other receivers, and the game plan. But that's why he's getting the ball to Edelman. Going forward, those targets could, and likely will, decrease depending on the same factors. Brady isn't simply "locking onto" Edelman just to do it. There's a good reason why the ball is going there. This has been shown to you throughout the thread.

I'm sure we could produce several pictures of completions to other receivers (the Bennett TD comes to mind) where they weren't wide open, but Brady made the throw and completion. Would you look at those pictures and say, "nah, go to Edelman again." You seem to want to justify every pass to Edelman as it is. Maybe Edelman's targets should be doubled. Let's murder him.

Actually, for Brady, Bennett is open. He was single covered and had a step on the defender. The result was that the ball went to him and he got 7. And I haven't done anything of the sort. Saying so is essentially just you constructing another straw man.

It may be, as @Tony2046 suggests, that the excessive targeting is intentional, to lay groundwork for later. Perhaps. But even if that's the rationale, the lack of efficiency for those drives and the wear and tear on Edelman being targeted a historic number of times, is likely not worth it.

What lack of efficiency are you referring to? The Pats put up 30 on the best defense in the league.

I'm sure you will respond by saying "I have been proven correct. Also, I am seven feet tall." or some such nonsense, but I'm done.

That's fine. Again, if you have evidence that can somehow prove your point then I'm welcome to it. I don't see anything posted in this thread that corroborates that. By the way, in the time it took you to write out this and other replies to me, you could have posted the evidence that I requested earlier. And, finally, you should realize that you're debating with someone that, in the ten years that I've been here, has had zero issue in admitting I'm wrong. I come to this forum welcoming changes in perspective. If you can provide me with said evidence, I wouldn't have any issue whatsoever admitting that I was incorrect. I just don't see it.

 

[Kontradiction]

You said his claim, if true would warrant trade discussion. It wouldn't.

I'm not going to address anything else because we're living on different planets.

Sure it would. If he's locking onto one receiver in favor of others that are open, he's putting himself and the team at risk of turnovers which would cost games. It also means that Brady is no longer doing job #1 for any quarterback. That would warrant a discussion about moving on because, clearly, Brady will have lost it.

 

[Tony2046]

Do you have a job or a wife? I'd be fascinated to know how your "I've been proven correct" line works in other circumstances where you definitely haven't been proven correct but say it anyway.

In several pics here (which are, of course, not always even that helpful, as they're by definitions snapshots in time that change instantly. It looked like Russell Wilson was all clear on that pass....oops.)

Brady famously said his favorite receiver is the open one. Brady is great. At times, Brady locks onto one receiver too much. In the Ravens game, Edelman was targeted 15 times, more than White, Mitchell, Bennett, Lewis and Blount combined. Passes to Edelman were completed less than half the time, while the rest of the team had 3 incompletions combined. At that rate of targeting, Edelman would obliterate the record for most targets in a season. Edelman is 30 and still not 100% from his surgery. He is an important part of the Patriots' chances and for that reason alone shouldn't be targeted as much as he has.

I'm sure we could produce several pictures of completions to other receivers (the Bennett TD comes to mind) where they weren't wide open, but Brady made the throw and completion. Would you look at those pictures and say, "nah, go to Edelman again." You seem to want to justify every pass to Edelman as it is. Maybe Edelman's targets should be doubled. Let's murder him.

It may be, as @Tony2046 suggests, that the excessive targeting is intentional, to lay groundwork for later. Perhaps. But even if that's the rationale, the lack of efficiency for those drives and the wear and tear on Edelman being targeted a historic number of times, is likely not worth it.

I'm sure you will respond by saying "I have been proven correct. Also, I am seven feet tall." or some such nonsense, but I'm done.

He's had two games in which he was targeted more than usual. @SF (the homeboy game) and vs Ravens (a psychologically must win game).

I do agree that it's uncomfortable seeing 15 + targets in a game. I hope they reduce that as well.

It'll be interesting how they use them after the Denver game.

 

[Kontradiction]

Edelman is not always his first read. That's clear. Edelman gets open quicker more often than any of the other receivers. That's clear as well.

So my novice mind wants to know or would love to know if Edelman is being used to set up other receivers later in the game by forcing the opposing defense to adjust to him just as we hear you have to have a running game to set up the pass? I think the answer is yes.

It's possible. It's hard for me to comprehend any team that would dedicate single coverage to Edelman anymore, but teams do it. The Ravens did it as well until they tried to adjust and double him. What was clear to me, watching the game and studying it since, is that, when that happened, Brady found other guys. Mitchell, Bennett, and Hogan all scored TD's in this game and White had a 61 yarder. I really do not see what there is to complain about.

 

[Kontradiction]

He's had two games in which he was targeted more than usual. @SF (the homeboy game) and vs Ravens (a psychologically must win game).

I do agree that it's uncomfortable seeing 15 + targets in a game. I hope they reduce that as well.

It'll be interesting how they use them after the Denver game.

Eh, I don't tend to put a lot of stock in targets. There are too many variables that go into determining who gets the most targets. For example, in the 2014 playoffs, Edelman had 14, 11, and 12 targets respectively in those games. I don't think anyone is going to take a look at those results and complain about the amount of targets he got.

 

[mikey m]

Sure it would. If he's locking onto one receiver in favor of others that are open, he's putting himself and the team at risk of turnovers which would cost games. It also means that Brady is no longer doing job #1 for any quarterback. That would warrant a discussion about moving on because, clearly, Brady will have lost it.

Us: TB occasionally throws an INT.
You: one of the qbs biggest jobs is to not throw ints so if he's throwing them he needs to go.

Us: I wish edelman could clean up a few of those drops.
You: a wr's number one job is to catch the ball so if he's not doing that then he gots to go

Us: BB has cut guys a year too early
You: coach's job is to put guys on the field with the best chance to win games, so if he's not doing that, time for a change.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

This team had heart..and can bounce back when **** hits the fan like it did for those 5 mins or so

 

[Kontradiction]

Us: TB occasionally throws an INT.
You: one of the qbs biggest jobs is to not throw ints so if he's throwing them he needs to go.

Us: I wish edelman could clean up a few of those drops.
You: a wr's number one job is to catch the ball so if he's not doing that then he gots to go

Us: BB has cut guys a year too early
You: coach's job is to put guys on the field with the best chance to win games, so if he's not doing that, time for a change.

Yes, I'm aware that your reading comprehension skills are dog ****, Mikey.

 

[mikey m]

Yes, I'm aware that your reading comprehension skills are dog ****, Mikey.

Love you too cutie pie

 

[Tony2046]

Eh, I don't tend to put a lot of stock in targets. There are too many variables that go into determining who gets the most targets. For example, in the 2014 playoffs, Edelman had 14, 11, and 12 targets respectively in those games. I don't think anyone is going to take a look at those results and complain about the amount of targets he got.

Sure. From a fan perspective I want a healthy Edelman going into the playoffs so the amount of targets worry me. But maybe it's unavoidable with both Gronk and Amendola out.

 

[Tony2046]

This team had heart..and can bounce back when **** hits the fan like it did for those 5 mins or so

Absolutely. That was a huge momentum swing. I was steaming during those five minutes or whatever it was. Then Brady throws a dime to Hogan in stride.

I also think that game set them up mentally to demolish the Donkeys.

 

[Kontradiction]

Sure. From a fan perspective I want a healthy Edelman going into the playoffs so the amount of targets worry me. But maybe it's unavoidable with both Gronk and Amendola out.

Plus Lewis not seeing a huge amount of snaps. Everyone forgets how difficult this offense is to master and the other two options are a rookie and a first year player in it. I think they're doing quite well considering.