The Ratbirds indeed have a stout run defense, especially up the middle, but it's still important that we try to gain yards & 1st downs on the ground in order to not only make our passing game, especially the play-action game, more effective but also to keep their QB on the sidelines in the hope that as he does he grows more impatient and therefore becomes more susceptible to mistakes... I would prefer however that our runners & blockers attack the G-T & T-TE gaps rather than the C-G gaps where their defense is toughest.
The best way to attack them through the air is 1) Ensure that their two EDs, Jayson Oweh & the ageless Justin Houston (why can't we find Judon a cagey vet tag-team partner like him?) aren't living in the pocket... Pats did a good job last week vs Highsmith, but let's see how they'll do vs a double-edged sword (better than they did vs Miami I hope)... 2) Use more motion, bunches & other pre-snap disguises to confuse the less-experienced members of their secondary... 3) Use a Lot More play-action to force those same players to early commitments and the experienced but hobbling ones to make more starts & stops in their coverage as a means of testing their health...
All of these suggestions are predicated on 4) Not having our QB suck - again.
The Bawlmore ground attack is effective not because of their RBs but because of their QB & OL... Our defense must first establish the middle as a no-go zone for those RBs; if it can't then it's gonna be a loooooong day... Judon & Wise & whoever else must then set the hardest edge they might have to set all year long; they CANNOT get caught upfield or in front of the QB unless they're about to take him down... Breaking that jumpy ****ing punk's legs would be, like, totally ****ing cool too.
Because of the limits placed on our EDs, I don't expect much pressure from our pass rush to help our DBs, so this is gonna have to be a coverage game, and a mostly zone/facing the QB so they know at all times where he is type of coverage, and that means being patient & disciplined... WITHOUT MYLES OF SPACE BRYANT ON THE FIELD, EVER!
Still fear that the Murderer-Worshippers will win, but they shouldn't put up 38 points on us either... 23-24 will more than likely be enough.
