Playoff defense vs. regular season defense

[dannydyn]

I can’t help but wonder where was this defense all season long? Year after year, we complain about the lack of aggression and pass rush, just to find out this defense is fully capable of playing smashmouth, punch in your face style. The defensive performance in the 3 playoff games impressed me beyond my wildest imaginations. Clearly we have the talent and personnel to rush the passer, and play aggressive and physical games. I’m just not sure why we haven’t utilized that style all season long.


Any thoughts?

 

[Ring 6]

This is a game plan team, that has a basic conservative philosophy. The defense dominated this game on first down, taking away the run and making them one dinensional.
We are always situationally aggressive. Last night was a game where that situation presented itself a little more.
A review of the film will show we played a lot of zone, and that we didn’t blitz a crazy amount and rarely all our blitzed.
I think this is another case of thinking good play means they were aggressive and bad play means they weren’t, but players make plays under both situations.

 

[convertedpatsfan]

The scheme is pretty much the same but the actual play calls in certain situations can differ.

This was an interesting breakdown of Flores and how his play calling differed from Patricia the previous season.

How Has the Patriots Defense Evolved Under New Play Caller Brian Flores? | CLNS Media

It also takes time for new players to fully integrate which is why you usually see improvements in the second half of the season after a ton of hand-wringing performances early on.

 

[dannydyn]

 

[reflexblue]

Pretty amazing how the pats defense flipped the script from playing mediocre a good deal of the season starting with the jete game. Must have been sandbagging the league, luling them into complacence. I did see this happen in the past all though its apples and grapefruits. During one of his tour de-france wins lance armstrong seemed to be hurt or over the hill. For a week or so he wasn't dominant, at the end of the day he'd come in back in the pack, announcers were taking about taling about this might be the end for him. Then the first day in the mountain section, on a steep grade and a switchback turn he just took off leaving everybody behind, way behind. He eventually won the tour that year, and it did appear that he used acting that he wasn't his old self as a strategy. Off course maybe he had run out of dope for the first ten days of the tour.

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

• Some of it probably has to do with getting more time with bye weeks (1st round and 2 weeks between conference and SB)
• Another factor is having more film to show tendencies
• Another factor is the refs tend to swallow the whistle more
• Team was relatively healthy (compared to any time in the past)
• Time of Possession helped keep the defense fresh
• Defense definitely peaked at the right time as well
• Pats are awesome and have plenty of post season experience
• Lastly, this was a team that loved playing for each other. Not that other years didn't, but it just seemed to have that slight extra edge to it