Some observations after 3 exhibition games

[BradyManny]

I'll grant you inconsistency, but when he does get off his block, he makes the tackle. I still thought overall, he looked pretty good again, with a few plays where he was just taken out completely.

Honestly, of the two, I'm more worried about Bruschi right now. Mayo, you expect the inconsistency and you expect a guard to knock him over every once in a while. Based on the last two games, and I didn't really focus on him tonite, but Bruschi isn't getting off blocks and is getting pushed around, and isn't making plays in the running game.

Quoting myself. Just checked the box score and noted Bruschi had 7 tackles. Shows why I'm not good at making judgments at full speed on first watch Or shows why tackle stats are misleading.

 

[SVN]

spot on...

Brady will get killed with that type of Oline...

i think brady will also manage the line and the offense better and throw it much more assuredly and quickly. not to mention the bottomline according to me - The players dont get excited to play for cassell. With brady in their faces they will play better.
iam just worried about the defense which seems at times like same frustrating/giving up 3rd down defense from last yr.

 

[Mr.Muhozi]

the o-line needs to step it up or brady is in trouble

 

[NJPatsfan26]

i think brady will also manage the line and the offense better and throw it much more assuredly and quickly. not to mention the bottomline according to me - The players dont get excited to play for cassell. With brady in their faces they will play better.
iam just worried about the defense which seems at times like same frustrating/giving up 3rd down defense from last yr.

Yeah I would agree....it comes down to the QB who is in charge.....from what I can see it dosent look like the players are happy to play with cassell.....but only time will tell....

 

[Canada's #1 Pats Fan]

Can anyone comment on what they saw out of Hobson - if he played.

 

[DefenseRules]

Can anyone comment on what they saw out of Hobson - if he played.

I forgot about him. I don't remember seeing him on the field either.

 

[Deus Irae]

Can anyone comment on what they saw out of Hobson - if he played.

I forgot about him. I don't remember seeing him on the field either.

And that could be significant in and of itself.

 

[tombonneau]

The best thing to come out of this preseason is I'm sure we won't be seeing any "Matt Light sucks!!" posts for quite awhile.

 

[PATRIOT64]

Saturday Night Live.... not ready for prime time. It's to be expected from any rookie, but the team seems to have really placed all their eggs in his basket, and that's going to cause some problems until he steps it up. I'd feel much better if they had Seau on staff, even if it was only to go in on days when Mayo was struggling.

If I was Seau and looked at this defense so far I would 'say ow!' what are you crazy Bill?,I am not coming back for that,I am only 1 guy!.

 

[BradyManny]

Hobson is long shot to make the roster at this point, IMO. Guyton has surpassed him on the depth chart. Hobson comes in with the 3rd stringers and isn't even playing particularly well with them. He seems to get gobbled up by the guards. Major disappointment - he was advertised to be just the opposite and have the strength to take on guards and be a factor in run support.

 

[Leave No Doubt]

The best thing to come out of this preseason is I'm sure we won't be seeing any "Matt Light sucks!!" posts for quite awhile.

I'll make the first Matt Light Is God post

 

[BradyManny]

Oh and one other thing worth tossing out there was that the Pats blitzed with the ILBs a lot more this week than previously - OK they hadn't even really done it before, but Mayo looked good on those blitzes, even if the QB managed to get it off in time.

 

[Deus Irae]

Oh and one other thing worth tossing out there was that the Pats blitzed with the ILBs a lot more this week than previously - OK they hadn't even really done it before, but Mayo looked good on those blitzes, even if the QB managed to get it off in time.

His speed has the potential to really cause trouble for opponents, especially with Thomas and Vrabel on the wings. It's going to be the first season since Bruschi's stroke that teams will really need to take the ILB blitz into account.

 

[BradyManny]

His speed has the potential to really cause trouble for opponents, especially with Thomas and Vrabel on the wings. It's going to be the first season since Bruschi's stroke that teams will really need to take the ILB blitz into account.

Yup, will most definitely be a nice added dimension. He can lay some pretty big hits, too. He got to Kolb too late on one play, but he shook him up.

 

[italia44]

Saturday Night Live.... not ready for prime time. It's to be expected from any rookie, but the team seems to have really placed all their eggs in his basket, and that's going to cause some problems until he steps it up. I'd feel much better if they had Seau on staff, even if it was only to go in on days when Mayo was struggling.

You should stick to watching SNL reruns.I've focused on the LB's for all 3 games.

Mayo has been the best player out there...period.His job is to take on the blocker in the hole,so Tedy or the safety can make the tackle.Numerous times Mayo has blown up the FB or the blocker in the hole.

Tedy can't do this anymore,he can't get off the block.

Woods numerous times has failed to seal the edge,he doesn't read...he just reacts and gets sealed inside.

If you're thinking of getting Seau because of Mayo,you're dreaming.Tedy is more of problem than Mayo.

Mayo is going to be a stud...he played almost the whole game last week and 3 quarters tonite.He has played more than any other starter.....for good reason.

Crable is raw,but already he sets the edge on the outside,unlike Woods or Redd,tonite.
I would not be afraid to put him in if Vrabel
goes down.

From what I've seen,i would not shirk from a comparison between Mayo and Patrick Willis.That's how good I think this kid can be.

 

[Deus Irae]

You should stick to watching SNL reruns.I've focused on the LB's for all 3 games.

Mayo has been the best player out there...period.His job is to take on the blocker in the hole,so Tedy or the safety can make the tackle.Numerous times Mayo has blown up the FB or the blocker in the hole.

Tedy can't do this anymore,he can't get off the block.

Woods numerous times has failed to seal the edge,he doesn't read...he just reacts and gets sealed inside.

If you're thinking of getting Seau because of Mayo,you're dreaming.Tedy is more of problem than Mayo.

Mayo is going to be a stud...he played almost the whole game last week and 3 quarters tonite.He has played more than any other starter.....for good reason.

Crable is raw,but already he sets the edge on the outside,unlike Woods or Redd,tonite.
I would not be afraid to put him in if Vrabel
goes down.

From what I've seen,i would not shirk from a comparison between Mayo and Patrick Willis.That's how good I think this kid can be.

Well, obviously we disagree on what we've seen to date. Welcome to the discussion, though.

 

[BradyManny]

Mayo has been the best player out there...period.His job is to take on the blocker in the hole,so Tedy or the safety can make the tackle.Numerous times Mayo has blown up the FB or the blocker in the hole.

Tedy can't do this anymore,he can't get off the block.

Woods numerous times has failed to seal the edge,he doesn't read...he just reacts and gets sealed inside.

If you're thinking of getting Seau because of Mayo,you're dreaming.Tedy is more of problem than Mayo.

I'm not completely disagreeing with your assessment on the whole (see my previous post), but with Bruschi at SILB and Mayo at WILB, I believe you have their responsibilities flip-flopped to some extent. It's more often that Bruschi will have to take on the big guards to allow Mayo to make the play. It's not always that clear cut, obviously, but that's my understanding of how SILB v WILB works in a very general sense in our system.

 

[italia44]

I'm not completely disagreeing with your assessment on the whole (see my previous post), but with Bruschi at SILB and Mayo at WILB, I believe you have their responsibilities flip-flopped to some extent. It's more often that Bruschi will have to take on the big guards to allow Mayo to make the play. It's not always that clear cut, obviously, but that's my understanding of how SILB v WILB works in a very general sense in our system.

I agree with your positional analysis.
However,West Coast offenses,like Tampa Bay and Philly don't play this way.

In this type of offense,there is no strong side or weak side.Whether it's a run or pass,they almost always line up their TE on the wing or slot.The LB's almost never get a pre-snap read of who is the WILB or SILB.

Therefore,they need to have both skills and Mayo is better equipped to do this than Tedy.

This is also why the 4-3 is generally better against the W Coast than the 3-4.

I also noticed how BB is adapting to this.He's using Mayo as more of a MLB,with 2 safeties and Tedy as interchangable pieces.

Watch the replay of tonite's game,you'll see how much closer together mayo and tedy are playing.This is because the W Coast presents a more balanced look to the defense.Meaning the WILB and SILB are one and the same,if you know what I mean.

 

[dhamz]

I know there's really not the same game planning per se in the pre-season... but players are NOT trying to make mistakes and I'm seeing a ton of them that come down to sloppy and stupid play, and that's not good enough.

Agree completely.

The lack of execution is the concern. It wasn't a lack of a gameplan issue that leads to 2 ST TDs allowed in 2 plays.

 

[BradyManny]

I also noticed how BB is adapting to this.He's using Mayo as more of a MLB,with 2 safeties and Tedy as interchangable pieces.

Watch the replay of tonite's game,you'll see how much closer together mayo and tedy are playing.This is because the W Coast presents a more balanced look to the defense.Meaning the WILB and SILB are one and the same,if you know what I mean.

Yup, good call - just rewatched the first drive and you are right on both accounts. It was difficult to determine what strong or weak side would've been and Mayo & Bru were asked to play both roles at different points in the drive.

Some notes I have from that first drive, looking at Bru and Mayo specifically...

First 2nd down, 2nd & 10, Bruschi does a good job of clearing the way for Mayo to make the tackle.

On the first 3rd down, 3rd & 7, you can note exactly what you reference here, Bruschi comes off the field and is not replaced by an ILB, Mayo is the lone ILB, with Harrison and Spann both coming up to the line to cover two slot receivers. Spann - who had his first down nite - was beat for the first down.

The ensuing play, 1st and 10, 4 yd gain for Westbrook - Bruschi was absorbed and taken out of the play, Mayo showed again he can get off his blocks and make tackles.

A few plays later on a 1st and 10, I noticed Bruschi a little late in coverage in a dump off, or Bryant not covering enough ground. Tough to tell.

The next 2nd & 5, a big run by Westbrook was Mayo's first mistake of the nite. He whiffed on a tackle and was really the last line of defense, Bruschi had been absorbed again, and Rodney coming in was just late in making the tackle.

The next play, Bruschi's struggles on the drive continues as he whiffs on a tackle on the run to the right, Vrabel, plays it well, breaks off his man to make the tackle. Mayo didn't have a good play either and was physically handled by the guard and taken out.

The first drive, again like last week's first drive, wasn't as ugly on replay. If it weren't for an iffy penalty against Rodney, they probably get off the field earlier. As for Bruschi & Mayo's play, Brusch is always first to diagnose a play, but he isn't as physically strong as he used to be and at times is getting absorbed by blockers and taken out of plays. Maybe that's just preseason and him not playing at full effort yet. Mayo - while not completely consistent - shows the strength to get off blocks, but sometimes he does not read or diagnose plays quickly (on the final play of the drive, he looks a little lost without a duty, maybe a function of the play).