Pats-Eagles stats/gameplan/matchup discussion

[mosi]

How confident are you the pats can win?

100%. Not going to lie, I had doubts about the Pats ability to come back in the 2014 SB. But no longer. I have 100% confidence they will fight and try to win in every game. Makes the game much easier to watch. No stress or worry. Faith is a good thing!

 

[drewskie]

Jax exploited our LBs in coverage. Even passes that fell incomplete where there to be had if the throw was better.

I think KC may have done the same thing in the first game of the season.

I would suspect Philly will do the same and exploit that weakness.

Does PHI have the speed demons to exploit this aspect though?

Nelson Agholor is fast and has been used on deception dump offs in the flat for PHI, but really it should be fast RBs (such as Freeman and Coleman for ATL) that are best able to exploit this.

Blount and Ajayi don't strike me as the ones to be able to execute this, would PHI be smart and play more of Smallwood/Clement at the expense of their 2 primary RBs? Even then, none of them are Darren Sproles who is done for the year.

 

[Observer]

BB praised the hell out of Fletcher Cox. I expect him to be invisible in the game now. Can't believe this is the last game of the season and we are in the SuperBowl again! Its been so good that I am surprised we didn't make it in 09, 10, 11, 12, 13.

 

[drewskie]

BB praised the hell out of Fletcher Cox. I expect him to be invisible in the game now. Can't believe this is the last game of the season and we are in the SuperBowl again! Its been so good that I am surprised we didn't make it in 09, 10, 11, 12, 13.

This was our 'transitional' period, even though we ended up making SB 46 with a mediocre defense.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

This was our 'transitional' period, even though we ended up making SB 46 with a mediocre defense.

I don’t think this team had any business being in SB46. They were lucky to beat Baltimore in the AFCCG.

 

[drewskie]

I don’t think this team had any business being in SB46. They were lucky to beat Baltimore in the AFCCG.

They were, but it just goes to show you that even in 'down' years this team puts up 500+ points on the board in the RS and lose a SB by razor thing margins because we didn't make a play and they did.

 

[mosi]

I don’t think this team had any business being in SB46. They were lucky to beat Baltimore in the AFCCG.

Nah, they had that game till Gronk went out. With a healthy Gronk they would have won that SB.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

Nah, they had that game till Gronk went out. With a healthy Gronk they would have won that SB.

Gronk never went out of SB 46. He played injured but to my knowledge he stayed in the game. The reason I said the pats had no business in the SB that year was because of the defense - it was just atrocious.

 

[mosi]

Gronk never went out of SB 46. He played injured but to my knowledge he stayed in the game. The reason I said the pats had no business in the SB that year was because of the defense - it was just atrocious.

He went out in the AFCCG and was clearly not himself in the SB. nothing but a decoy.

 

[Tunescribe]

I don’t think this team had any business being in SB46. They were lucky to beat Baltimore in the AFCCG.

Do you think it's fair to say this year's team is the weakest Patriots Super Bowl roster overall in the BB era?

 

[mcmurtry86]

That's true of most right handed QB in quick passing offenses.

 

[mcmurtry86]

Do you think it's fair to say this year's team is the weakest Patriots Super Bowl roster overall in the BB era?

It's better than 2011 and, if Gronk is healthy, better than 2001,

The 2001 team gets romanticized (rightfully so) but that offensive skill group was below average at every spot and Brady wasn't GOAT Brady. They had a few stars on D, but even then Seymour hadn't become elite and Bruschi/Vrabel were really just in the beginning of their tenures as excellent players. That D was Law, Milloy and a bunch of up and comers mixed in with serviceable scrap heap veterans. Even McGinest was thought to be overrated (wasn't even a starter that year due to inconsistency and performance issues)

Winning 3 out of 4 made those guys icons and was possible because they ended up being good players but at the time, that was not a special team in terms of talent. This year's team has more offensive talent than 2001 had on D and I'd say this year's D is better than the 2001 offense (Trey Flowers, McCourty and Gilmore are all high end talent whereas 2001 offense had no true high end talent)

 

[Uptown]

Both.

How Will the Pats Game-Plan for the Unpredictable Nick Foles?

 

[Tunescribe]

It's better than 2011 and, if Gronk is healthy, better than 2001,

The 2001 team gets romanticized (rightfully so) but that offensive skill group was below average at every spot and Brady wasn't GOAT Brady. They had a few stars on D, but even then Seymour hadn't become elite and Bruschi/Vrabel were really just in the beginning of their tenures as excellent players. That D was Law, Milloy and a bunch of up and comers mixed in with serviceable scrap heap veterans. Even McGinest was thought to be overrated (wasn't even a starter that year due to inconsistency and performance issues)

Winning 3 out of 4 made those guys icons and was possible because they ended up being good players but at the time, that was not a special team in terms of talent. This year's team has more offensive talent than 2001 had on D and I'd say this year's D is better than the 2001 offense (Trey Flowers, McCourty and Gilmore are all high end talent whereas 2001 offense had no true high end talent)

I think it's interesting with this year's team how great coaching has compensated for shortcomings in sheer talent. When I look at talent deficits on this year's team I see an average offensive line (below-average RT) and average/below-average LBs pretty much across the board; good but not great players on DL and same with DBs. This team's greatest talent lies at QB/TE/WR, running backs are good. I worry most about this defense holding up in the Super Bowl.

 

[FCB02062]

It'd be really nice to see the Patriots finally get out to a lead and build on it in the Super Bowl. Get up 14 early, don't turn it over, and give all of us on heart medication a break

 

[mosi]

It'd be really nice to see the Patriots finally get out to a lead and build on it in the Super Bowl. Get up 14 early, don't turn it over, and give all of us on heart medication a break

Yes, I dream about a game like SB 24, where Montana went off with 5 TD and they rolled the Broncos. I am dreaming (and praying!) for something like that.

 

[Kontradiction]

BB praised the hell out of Fletcher Cox. I expect him to be invisible in the game now. Can't believe this is the last game of the season and we are in the SuperBowl again! Its been so good that I am surprised we didn't make it in 09, 10, 11, 12, 13.

I'm not surprised by 09, 10, (we made it in 11) and 13. Those teams had a ton of holes as did the 2011 squad. The 2012 squad is what surprises me and one of the reasons I can't stand Talib.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

I would break out the game tape from both Giants-Eagles games this year. Eli passed for nearly 800 yards total in the two games, by far the highest total allowed by the Eagles this year. One game was early in the season and another late..... Check out whatever he was doing because it worked and the Eagles didn't correct it by the second meeting......

 

[mosi]

I would break out the game tape from both Giants-Eagles games this year. Eli passed for nearly 800 yards total in the two games, by far the highest total allowed by the Eagles this year. One game was early in the season and another late..... Check out whatever he was doing because it worked and the Eagles didn't correct it by the second meeting......

You are right. The Giants were one of the only teams to actually gain more yards against the eagles. Eli had over 300 yards passing in the first game and over 400 yards in the second. You are 100% spot on.

 

[SalemPats]

People talk about Philly rotating players on their D-Line. We play at such a high pace that it's really going to be difficult for Philly to rotate 7 guys. I think we'll be able to move the ball.

If we played at this speed in 07, there's no doubt in my mind we crush the Giants in the SB.