The defense has a speed issue.

[Kontradiction]

There wasn't a front 7. There was a front 5.
Athleticism wasn't the issue. Size a d getting blocked was.

Let's try to arrive at this naturally: Why was Richards getting LB snaps while Harris was getting two of them? Why would the Patriots be tinkering with that against a team with one of the most explosive sets of skill players in the NFL?

 

[Ring 6]

Let's try to arrive at this naturally: Why was Richards getting LB snaps while Harris was getting two of them? Why would the Patriots be tinkering with that against a team with one of the most explosive sets of skill players in the NFL?

I have no clue why. I am not privy to the game plan. It was an unusual scheme that they have never used before and we can be pretty sure they never will again (as a base, I'm sure it may have a purpose for a snap here or there)
I'm not sure what you are driving at.
It's pointless for people who were not involved in the game plan to guess at what went into developing it.

 

[Kontradiction]

I have no clue why. I am not privy to the game plan. It was an unusual scheme that they have never used before and we can be pretty sure they never will again (as a base, I'm sure it may have a purpose for a snap here or there)
I'm not sure what you are driving at.
It's pointless for people who were not involved in the game plan to guess at what went into developing it.

It's really not. It's pretty easy to connect the dots unless you just simply do not want to see it and would rather dig your heels in instead. They clearly wanted to get their most athletic guys into position in the defensive front in order to try and stop what Kansas City was going to try to do. That's the only logical reason why Jordan Richards would be seeing more snaps at backer than David Harris. They were worried about team speed. The experiment, as you note, fell flat on its face. Not only were they still not athletic enough to stop what KC was doing on the edges, but they were also getting ran over like grass on runs up the gut.

@Tony2046 have you reviewed this on the all-22 yet? I've only seen the highlights and, on those alone, I noticed three plays where KC was able to exploit the lack of speed and athleticism in the defensive front.

• 2:53 - Hunt in the flats takes advantage of Richards in space for the score.
• 6:12 - Pitch to the right, Marsh and Van Noy in the area and Van Noy can't get there in time.
• 6:42 - Van Noy not touched, not able to get to the sideline in pursuit quickly enough, big gain.

And that's just from the highlights. Review of the All-22, and the game itself (which I actually intend to go back and watch this weekend before the storm hits) should show more examples like that on runs off the edge and on read option plays (which were also designed to get the front in pursuit sideline to sideline). You can feel free to make an argument similar to Deus' and point out that it's simply a talent issue. I'll be happy to hear that. The two would coincide at that point since the talent would be lacking in speed as well. It would also point to why they were working out Ayers. But the fact of the matter is that speed is an issue for the defensive unit fielded in Week 1. The Patriots will address this and tie up their loose ends as they see fit.

 

[EddardSnow67]

It's really not. It's pretty easy to connect the dots unless you just simply do not want to see it and would rather dig your heels in instead. They clearly wanted to get their most athletic guys into position in the defensive front in order to try and stop what Kansas City was going to try to do. That's the only logical reason why Jordan Richards would be seeing more snaps at backer than David Harris. They were worried about team speed. The experiment, as you note, fell flat on its face. Not only were they still not athletic enough to stop what KC was doing on the edges, but they were also getting ran over like grass on runs up the gut.

@Tony2046 have you reviewed this on the all-22 yet? I've only seen the highlights and, on those alone, I noticed three plays where KC was able to exploit the lack of speed and athleticism in the defensive front.

• 2:53 - Hunt in the flats takes advantage of Richards in space for the score.
• 6:12 - Pitch to the right, Marsh and Van Noy in the area and Van Noy can't get there in time.
• 6:42 - Van Noy not touched, not able to get to the sideline in pursuit quickly enough, big gain.

And that's just from the highlights. Review of the All-22, and the game itself (which I actually intend to go back and watch this weekend before the storm hits) should show more examples like that on runs off the edge and on read option plays (which were also designed to get the front in pursuit sideline to sideline). You can feel free to make an argument similar to Deus' and point out that it's simply a talent issue. I'll be happy to hear that. The two would coincide at that point since the talent would be lacking in speed as well. It would also point to why they were working out Ayers. But the fact of the matter is that speed is an issue for the defensive unit fielded in Week 1. The Patriots will address this and tie up their loose ends as they see fit.

This is the type of connect-the-dots analysis that can be done well by fans the day after a game. Good post. I like your objectivity.

 

[Kontradiction]

This is the type of connect-the-dots analysis that can be done well by fans the day after a game. Good post. I like your objectivity.

They clearly seemed to be willing to sacrifice the runs up the gut in order to stop the runs and short passes to the outside. They still failed at stopping both. Result? 42-27.

 

[EddardSnow67]

They clearly seemed to be willing to sacrifice the runs up the gut in order to stop the runs and short passes to the outside. They still failed at stopping both. Result? 42-27.

Agreed. They definitely had a difficult time holding the edge. They were slow and beyond that, took bad angles. I'd rather see better angles on 5 yard gains than poor angles on 15 yard gains. So I do think it was a mix of a lack of lateral speed and poor pursuit angles. We don't have a lot of solid edge players.

 

[supafly]

The team has a "not enough talented players in the front 7" issue, which is something we all knew could be a problem. BB will either have to scheme around it or find better players.

I hate to be the guy to ask, but is anyone hearing any rumors regarding Hightower's injury? I initially heard MCL sprain with a 2-4 week timeframe, but that was pretty early after the game had ended.

 

[cmasspatsfan]

I hate to be the guy to ask, but is anyone hearing any rumors regarding Hightower's injury? I initially heard MCL sprain with a 2-4 week timeframe, but that was pretty early after the game had ended.

Mild sprain, may play next week.

 

[BradyFTW!]

I hate to be the guy to ask, but is anyone hearing any rumors regarding Hightower's injury? I initially heard MCL sprain with a 2-4 week timeframe, but that was pretty early after the game had ended.

Tweets this morning were saying mild MCL sprain, mild enough that week 2 may be in play for him (although I'll believe that when I see it).

 

[SammyBlueCat]

The lack of speed & (cat like) quickness were caused by hesitation.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

I dont see any reason to panic about the D. They currently rank #2 in the league at everything !

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

Why they didn't play Harris at all until DH went out...Harris is very slow in coverage

 

[DropKickFlutie]

Van Noy and Marsh are not good linebackers. They need Hightower back and a couple more starting caliber linebackers. Aside from the 1 blown TD pass their biggest problem was lack of any run defense.