Mike Dussault

Pats-Jets Q&A with Turn on the Jets

November 24, 2016 by Mike Dussault

Happy Thanksgiving! In the spirit of the day I’ve joined forces with a rival blogger once again to get some intel on the enemy!

It may be hard to believe but one of my favorite football bloggers out there is Joe Caporoso who runs TurnontheJets.com. Joe writes his site the same way I try to write mine, with level-headed and insightful analysis, so over the years we’ve enjoyed trading emails talking football. No, it’s not just a “you suck. no, you suck” marathon, and hopefully you can glean some insight into the game this weekend from someone who follows the Jets as closely as yours truly follows the Pats.

Here’s our back-and-forth for this weekend!

MD: What’s gone wrong with the Jets this year? Even I am shocked (and yes, a bit dismayed) that they’ve fallen apart and now I’m seeing calls for Bowles to be fired. How did it come to this so quickly?

JC: To start, they have the worst quarterback in the NFL by a decent sized margin. It is hard to appreciate just how bad Ryan Fitzpatrick has been without watching him week to week but it has been ugly. The Jets are basically starting every game with an anchor tied to their foot at the bottom of a lake with him under center. Outside of that, they have had severe regression in key areas like redzone efficiency and turnover margin coupled with player regression from Darrelle Revis, Calvin Pryor, Brandon Marshall and Marcus Gilchrist among others. So basically, everything is broken. Bowles is becoming the primary scapegoat because he’s been bad this year but few people want to dig deeper into the larger problems with this roster.

How Bend-Don’t-Break-y is this Patriots Defense?

November 23, 2016 by Mike Dussault

One thing I’ve learned over the years of studying Bill Belichick’s defense is that as long as they don’t give up big plays, tackle well and get red zone stops, he’s satisfied.

It’s never an aggressive, send-the-house blitzing style. It’s controlled and fundamentally solid. And usually it works. But that doesn’t mean it’s not frustrating to watch.

We call it the “Bend-Don’t-Break” and it’s become the annoying mantra of a Patriots defense that often struggles to get off the field with consistency. By tracking yards-per-drive and plays-per-drive we get a sense of how much they bend. By tracking points-per-drive and turnovers-per-drive (along with red zone and third down), we get a sense of how much they break.

So how does 2016 stack up with the previous B-D-B defenses? Let’s take a look at the long-term stats.

Patriots-49ers Film Review: Defense Edition

November 22, 2016 by Mike Dussault

Let’s dive into the All-22 to take a look at the Patriots defensive performance against the 49ers on Sunday.

— The Patriots started the game with a three-and-out, sending Patrick Chung on a blitz both on second and third down, with him picking up the punt-forcing sack on the third down. Little bit of extra aggression (sent five) early on was nice to see.

— On the second series, the 49ers picked up a first down on third-and-nine that sparked a scoring drive. Old friend Chris Harper, he of 2015’s Harper’s Muff, lost Malcolm Butler out of a bunch set and went for 19 yards. Appeared to be some kind of miscommunication by the trio of cornerbacks, or it might’ve been on Hightower who vacated the flat to cover the tight end even though McCourty already had him.

— Seemed like a conscious effort to attack the defensive left side of the offensive line, with the three down lineman (Flowers-Branch-Brown) shaded to that side. All three were effective in holding their ground against the run here on the second drive.

— 3rd-and-8, 49ers get 26 with a pass to RB Draughn with Hightower in coverage. Problem was again out of a bunch set where Hightower applied a jam but it occupied him long enough for Draughn get get wide open downfield.

— One interesting development this season has been the extensive use of Devin McCourty in the box. Puts another spin on re-signing Duron Harmon this offseason. If Harmon walks, McCourty won’t have as much flexibility.

— Pats made a goal-line stand to force the field goal (Bend-Don’t-Break yo), and Vincent Valentine’s first down run stuff was a big reason why.

Pats Posits: Winning in the Rain

November 21, 2016 by Mike Dussault

My second Pats Pilgrimage of the season was a brilliant-though-wet success, raising my record at games attended to 12-3 since 2006. I am always surprised by how many Patriots fans show up for away games and this one was close to 2014’s in San Diego. There’s nothing quite like the pure joy of passionate Pats fans assembling on the road to cheer our favorite team on.

It was clear we were in Foxboro west from the moment arrival.

First I was accosted on the BART after landing by an airport employee who had been waiting 16 years for Tom Brady to play in his home city. He was more fired up that I was! From that point there were just Patriots fans every where you looked and by the time we got to the stadium it looked like they outnumbered the 49ers fans.

When Brady came out for warmups the stadium exploded. Every section he walked by erupted in cheers, and during the game there were multiple “Brady” chants throughout. I’ve had two amazing game experiences this season that were just loaded with Brady love.

The game itself seemed like a no-win situation outside of a dominating blow out and really, that’s pretty much what we got. I know there were some things that didn’t look great at times and Matthew Slater got hurt, but overall things are progressing and the Pats are in the driver’s seat in the AFC.

More on a great weekend with family and Pats fans and another Patriots win in the Posits…

Patriots Gameplan: Week 11 at San Francisco 49ers

November 18, 2016 by Mike Dussault

Brady returns home.

The Patriots take a much-needed trip to the west coast this weekend to face the 1-8 San Francisco 49ers, and your faithful Minister of PatsPropaganda will be there to cheer them on.

In many ways I think this is just what the team needs, and not just because they’ll get a full dose of Duss cheering. They’re coming off a disappointing loss to a great team, but coming off a bye week where everyone went their separate ways they looked like a team that could use a little time to bond. They’ll leave on Friday and get some extra time together, which will hopefully translate in a similar way to their 2014 trip to San Diego when they traveled straight from a loss to Green Bay.

The 49ers, despite their record, should give the Patriots plenty of problems. Well, with the way the defense has been playing just about any team would give them problems. Still, the Patriots defense is far better than they looked against the Seahawks, and here’s hoping a road trip will help them hit the reset button and start playing like they should. All the media attention that’s been focused on them should certainly help with motivation.

Offensively, the Pats will be more than fine. They likely won’t have Rob Gronkowski, but they’ve never been more prepared to handle a week without Gronk than they are now with Martellus Bennett. Throw in a potential debut of Dion Lewis and there’s plenty of reasons to be excited beyond Tom Brady and Julian Edelman’s first game in their hometown.

What the Pats need to do to get back on track with a win over the 49ers in the gameplan!

Ty Law Named NFL Hall of Fame Semi-Finalist

November 17, 2016 by Mike Dussault

The first of the Dynasty Pats has come up for the NFL Hall of Fame, with Ty Law being named a semi-finalist.

Here’s the 26 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017! #PFHOF17 pic.twitter.com/5z4v6RIMvL

— Pro Football HOF (@ProFootballHOF) November 17, 2016

Law was selected in the first round of the 1995 draft and played 10 seasons with the Patriots and won three Super Bowls, appearing in four. Of all the dynasty defense, Law might’ve had the most flash and broad appeal, although Willie McGinest might have something to say about that. Law made five Pro Bowls and was twice named an All Pro (1998, 2003). 36 of his 53 career interceptions came with the Pats.

Perhaps most interesting about Law is the window he provided into how Bill Belichick values cornerbacks. Here’s a tidbit from a previous article I wrote on how things broke down for Law in New England:

We begin in 2000 with Ty Law and Otis Smith. Law was already in the midst of a seven-year, $51 million deal he signed before Belichick arrived, while Smith, at age 34, was brought in on a veteran minimum deal. Smith would go on to start Super Bowl XXXVI with Law.

Law was the first example of how Belichick valued cornerbacks. In 2004, Law wanted another extension and the Patriots offered him $26 million over four years. Even today that would be the biggest contract extension the Patriots ever awarded to a corner.

Law called the offer an insult and countered with a seven-year deal worth $63 million, including a $20 million signing bonus.

Then-general manager Scott Pioli simply responded “We can’t do that. Save the paper.”

Law would play out 2004 and then be cut in ’05 and sign with the Jets for an almost identical contract to his last, seven years, $50 million. He was released after just one year by the cap-strapped Jets and would then sign a five-year deal with the Chiefs worth $30 million. He would play just two seasons in Kansas City and continue to kick around until he retired after the 2009 season.

It will be interesting to see if Malcolm Butler, the closest thing the Pats have had to a cornerback of Law’s skill, ends up in a similar situation.

15 finalists will be named in January. Law should have a good chance, but of course I think that…

Patriots-Seahawks Film Review: Defenseless Edition

November 15, 2016 by Mike Dussault

After yesterday’s piece I’m not looking to pile on the Patriots defense today in the film review. They’re getting killed throughout the Pats punditry this week and rightly so, but still, there’s a ways to go and there are plenty of talented players who should start playing better. And it’s not like it’s a murderer’s row in the AFC. I still like the Patriots chances against just about anyone. Then it’d be on to the Super Bowl and I’m sure that one would go down to the final play like it always does.

So for all the alarm about the Patriots defense, let’s just remember they’re well-coached, always play their best football in the winter and, oh yeah, still have the best quarterback and best offense in the league. They’ll make a strong run as long as their injury luck continues.

Let’s dive in and take a closer look at some things that stand out, without just trying to take another unnecessary massive shit all over the Patriots defense.