On the comments on the 'vanilla scheme' - this was a pure man-to-man game on both sides, and the Patriots soundly lost.
On the 'blueprint' - well, the good news is that the Patriots look this bad when you can consistently get pressure from the front four. The Patriots have been much better against the blitz, finding the open receiver. Few teams can consistently pressure the passer with just four, and that, hopefully, is solvable.
My review:
QB - Brady was rattled and off. He threw short, he lobbed an interception when he didn't read the safety. Yes, this looked like the performance in the playoffs against the Jets and Giants and so forth. The one TD was on a total defensive breakdown - Welker was uncovered in the middle of the field on a three-TE set play-action, the only receiver out on a route, with zero secondary coverage. 11 defenders bit on the play action; Welker could have run 99 yards. Really nice play action, by the way.
Agreed.
RB - BJGE looked terrible. What was the big difference in the running game? The lack of Ridley. Woodhead was terrific - as much as the Lions could shut down everything else, they could not solve him. He bounced back from the helmet hit in the last game - probably the player of the game for the Pats. If Vereen doesn't play next week, I'll guess IR. This is a complex position - as Belichick is on record, commenting that in the Pat's offense it's not easy for rookies to start. Let's hope Ridley gets back soon. We know what BJGE is - doesn't get caught in the backfield, doesn't break many big plays.
The Law Firm is def. not real explosive. On one 1st-qtr run, he was caught from behind,
by a DLman. On the unconverted 3rd/1, however, he had nowhere to go.
WR - out of synch with Brady. Ochocinco still seems lost. Brady has been trying to get the ball to him, and that's how the INT occurred. Welker and Hernandez look very good. Welker laid a crunching hit on a larger safety after the interception, basically driving his shoulder and trapezius into the returner, stopping him dead. He may not practice this week, but I'd guess no long-term problem. I see nothing from Tate, whether return or receiver. Slater continues to outperform him in both ST and receiver. Slater might be the surprise receiver - he does look fluid with the ball, and shows good hands. Nothing from Branch yet - really, nothing from the outside receivers, it's all Welker and tight ends.
Agreed, on all counts. Ocho has been absolute stinko thus far; Branch has been invisible;
Price made a terrible block on the TE screen to Hernandez, then on the same 1st-qtr drive couldn't catch the inexplicably underthrown pass at the 12; and Slater should be ahead of Tate in the fight for the 53.
TE - as noted, Hernandez is a great weapon.
Agreed; and that OPI call when Gronk gained 15+ yds was complete BS.
OL - in the absence of stunts, the OL was overwhelmed by a big, quick DL. Suh and Williams penetrated consistently, and Avril was unstoppable off the edge. The DT's were through Mankins and Connolly/Ohrnberger quickly, and Avril consistently turned the corner of the LT. Good that Matt Light got a little game action. The Pats do seem thin at G & C. And note that the Lions played without Fairley and Vandenbosch.
Agreed. As an example, on the missed 3rd/1 during the 1st qtr, Connelly had just been taken out, and whoever replaced him completely missed/ignored his block. No push at all for the running game, and no consistently clean pockets for the passing game.
DL - as good as they looked against the Bucs, they looked ineffective against the Lions. Anderson could do nothing. He seems to have a repeated move that wasn't working - drive hard for three steps, pause a split second to unbalance the tackle, then drive again. Every play he was ridden out. I really didn't notice Andre Carter - he had one tackle, but I don't think he played much. Why not? Ninkovich started, and did nothing. Very odd that one game ago the front four generated consistent pressure, and one week later could do nothing. Pryor got a lot of play next to Wilfork; clearly he is high on the depth chart. Not bad against the run, but really ineffective rushing the passer.
Agreed. Anderson do nothing at all to help his cause, and at first viewing nobody else did either, although Landon Cohen did flash v. the 3rd-teamers.
LB - again, as good as Mayo looked a weak ago, he was less explosive. He had some very good looks in coverage. No big plays like a week ago, but in total a pretty complete game. Guyton got the start but did little.
Agreed. Does Mayo have any career INTs yet? Guyton always seemed a step (at least)
behind in coverage, and took a terrible angle on the long screen pass during the Loins' very first drive.
CB - McCourty was hot and cold. He gave up a couple big plays where he initially had coverage, then lost the ball and his receiver adjusted. And he was giving up plays to Burleson, not just Calvin Johnson. Then in other plays he hit the receiver at the exact moment the ball arrived, jarring loose a reception. I have to say corner of the game was Arrington, who played the middle pretty well, and had a slot blitz sack. He also, as Paul Perillo says, clearly discovered 'nutrition at the Pro level.' The guy is jacked. Butler got a lot of, uh, game experience. Not all bad, but lots of coaching moments. They really missed Bodden, and it would be nice if Dowling could play. Many of us scrunched up our faces with the decision to draft oft-injured Dowling, and he has done nothing to appease those critics.
Agreed, though saying that Arrington was CB of the Game is damning with faint praise.
At first viewing, he allowed a quick slant TD sometime after the 1st qtr (the only qtr I've re-watched so far). Butler's speed/quickness usually can't compensate for his lack of instincts. And I wonder if McCourty hurt himself on the long completion v. Burleson during the Loins' very first drive. He looked very shaky the rest of the game.
S - eh. Obviously Sergio Brown is climbing up the depth charts. Sanders played, which was nice. Chung had a couple very good plays in the running game.
Agreed. Our Safeties are who we thought they are. Chung looked indecisive in goal-line coverage, too.
ST - Pats received the ball on kick-offs at the 2-5, and struggled getting to the 15. Gostkowski appears to treat the new kick-off setting as a long field goal, more focused on putting it through the uprights than simply a touchback. He has stated that he is not interested in revising his swing, so to speak, to kick it higher and drop it at the five.
Given how spotty our kick coverage is, maybe that's not a bad thing.
And Tate just seems to always run right into tacklers. Barring a couple of injuries,
there is no way Brandon Tate makes this team.
Guys who looked better after this game: Woodhead, Ridley (his absence was glaring), Hernandez, Slater, Bodden (again in absence).
Guys who looked worse - BJGE, Tate, Ninkovich, OL, Anderson.
