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Film Review

Review/Preview: 5 Things We Watched & 5 Things to Watch

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Last week, I asked these questions about the Point-least Game ever. Here’s what I came up with for answers.

terrance-knighton-nfl-new-england-patriots-minicamp-1

Credit: Winslow Townson – USA TODAY Sports

1. What the hell is happening on defense, specifically at LB?
A: Um, a whole lot. For a more philosophical look read Mike’s piece on BB’s defense 2.0. Also Doug Kyed touched on it in his mailbag.
This defense is jacked with talent, more importantly versatile talent, quick, smart, instinctive guys who will play through the whistle. Shea McClellan looks the part, he was in on nearly everything when he was out there. In front of him, the DTs were able to push into the running lanes early and often; really nice depth there and I think Alan Branch could be cut. Also Pot Roast’s gut is as advertised.

How is that guy a pro athlete?

The player that I was most excited to see was Kamu Grugier-Hill. He looked lost, not a surprise for a 6th round pick, but multiple times he was too anxious to go after his coverage assignment, even if they were staying in to block and even when his assignment was pointed out to him, he got caught up in the wash somehow. His coverage skills apparently stand out in practice, but he doesn’t possess the size at LB to make significant contributions in the running game, as evidenced by his several back-tapping assisted tackles. It is an intriguing enough idea (a coverage specialist LB), but the dude needs time. And protein.

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Patriots vs. Saints: Jimmy G Review

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When discussing and analyzing Jimmy Garoppolo’s performance, whether at practice or the first preseason tilt against the Saints, it is important to do so in an isolated manner. That is, if we continue to compare every single one of his moves to that of Brady’s, we’re putting the guy in an impossible situation.

After the live watch, I thought of JG’s showing on Thursday as uneven, and felt a little underwhelmed. I admittedly fell into the “but Brady” trap. It’s also important to note that while he had Bennett at his disposal at tight end, his starting receivers were Chris Harper and Aaron Dobson, both currently fringe roster players.

After focusing on solely Jimmy while going over the tape Friday morning, there were enough positive moments to get excited about the prospects of him performing at a high level over the first month of the season and beyond (whether in a Pats uniform or not).

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Patriots-Saints: Offensive Line Film Review

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As part of this film review I will look at every single offensive play from the first preseason game. The ultimate goal is to highlight some of the accomplishments, failures, and features of the Patriots offensive line play during the game. We’ll also take a peek at some of the rotation details and grade their overall play.

-Joe Thuney played an outstanding game

–Nate Solder looked terrible early, improved as game went on

–Marcus Cannon was surprisingly good, one of most consistent lineman in this game. I was shocked.

–Shaq Mason looked pretty bad throughout the entire game. He wasn’t technically sound and made mental errors. Very disappointed.

-Andrews and Stork were both pretty strong. Andrews was probably slightly better.

–Josh Kline was solid playing both tackle and guard in the first preseason game

-Waddle was slightly better than Fleming, but neither were very impressive

-It’s evident that Barker feels more comfortable at guard than tackle

–Ted Karras was okay. Good to see that he can play center as well as guard.

-Not enough playing time to judge Halapio, Kerbyson, Milton.

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Patriots vs. Broncos AFCCG Film Review

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I feel like I finally saw the game for the first time just now, getting a chance to look at the All-22 film. For those of you who were lucky enough to miss it, I came down with a killer stomach bug Saturday afternoon that destroyed me through the night. That made watching the game on Sunday less than optimal.

There was no pregamming. No pump up music or good food or drinks. I could barely muster the strength to coordinate my Patriots outfit for Hoodie’s sake! Nope, spent the game sipping Gatorade and nibbling on saltines, praying that the nightmare unfolding before me was just some kind of fever dream.

Alas it was not. But there was plenty on here to make me sick if I already hadn’t caught whatever Jamie Collins had the middle of this season.

There’s been plenty of great film review already out there, but I had to take a look for myself and most of what has been discussed was confirmed. But here’s what I saw with my own eyes.

First, let’s say I can’t wait to go back to Denver next year even though we have no idea who their QB will be. Every time we go there we kill ourselves with un-Patriot-like football. Football is a game of inches and that was very true in this one. 

The Pats just hung in there and kept fighting when it seemed like the game was hanging by a string multiple times. Despite all the negative attention being heaped on everyone this week, this game was winnable in spite of it all.

Yes, Wade Phillips deserves a ton of credit but it was nothing the Pats haven’t see and shredded before. The problem was that they weren’t expecting it, weren’t ready to counter it and once Brady couldn’t get locked in the game was a struggle.

Nothing sums this up better than seeing Julian Edelman wide open on a couple plays yet Brady is forcing it deep to Bolden. Seriously I pray I never have to watch a Brandon Bolden-centric ground game ever again. It’s like Matthew Slater at wide receiver. You’re awesome at special teams. Stick to what you’re awesome at.

Hard to ask for the defense to do too much better than they did. Yes the first drive was gross but also aided by a questionable PI call. Collins blew two coverages that resulted in touchdowns but outside of those two plays there were barely any legitimate big plays made on the defense. Anderson’s 30-yard run in the fourth quarter was the only real breakdown.

All things considered the defense did everything they had to do to let the offense win the game. Take that defensive performance in any other season-ender and the Pats probably win. Could we have used another takeaway? Sure. But they forced punt after punt and only gave up three points after the half. What else can you ask?

Collins and Hightower led the way, but Brown and Branch were standouts as well. The secondary all stayed right with their guy in man coverage and limited YAC. Matt Patricia must be driving himself crazy because the defense was good enough to win despite facing two turnovers and multiple short fields.

Nuggets:

Malcolm Butler’s stop on third-and-1 where he takes off like he’s shot out of a cannon to tackle Anderson for no gain in the third quarter was such a clutch play. Butler deserves every bit of praise he gets now as a #1 corner. 

Amendola seemed like he was hurt after every play. Very curious to see what the offseason holds for him.

The troubling thing about the offensive line and likely why Gugs got the axe, was how out of sync they looked. There was no rhythm, especially in the run game. And even when they brought in Fleming to go max protect, Miller blows right by him for the worst sack of the day. Just unacceptable because they looked clueless.

Sebastian Vollmer will be having nightmares about Demarcus Ware, who owned our veteran tackle almost every down. Even at the end, Ware just kept coming and Vollmer just didn’t have the foot speed to compete.

Just too painful to ever watch the failed two-pointer again. Gronk was so so wide open. 

Can’t believe how Brady hung in there and just kept fighting after taking the beating of his life. And to think they were just a play or two away from winning this thing is such a testament to Brady and the team’s mental toughness. They went down like champs should go down, swinging to the last.

After a full two days of reflection and taking a calm look at the film the fire has already started for the 2016 season for me. And yes, we get to go back to Denver. With pretty much this entire team coming back the Pats will clearly be the AFC favorites come September, but we all know it’s a win in Mile High that will be the big thing we all want.

Patriots vs. Eagles Film Review

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Little late on my film review this week, usually I like to get these things over with after a loss. Still it was good to get a closer look at things and shockingly I started with the offensive side of the ball.

Here’s what stood out in the All-22.

– The Eagles rushed only three guys a lot in this one, often with four deep defenders and their other four in the middle zones. It was effective because the offense is just not as sharp as it was with Edelman and Gronk.

– Keshawn Martin is playing the Edelman role in the offense now, but he struggles to get open quickly and definitely doesn’t have the surest hands either. Another thing that stuck out with him was how he couldn’t quite run the rub routes like Edelman does. This is a fine line between doing it well and getting a penalty, he just doesn’t have the experience and savvy quite yet.

– Replacing Gronk was done by committee as expected, you can’t just plug Chandler into the Y-TE role and ask him to block like Gronk does so Watson and Williams had magnified roles. Chandler (at the 46 yard line) should’ve gotten the ball on the first third down of the game below, instead Brady tried to hit LaFell deep, a recurring theme in this one. Just seems like Brady doesn’t quite trust Chandler yet and when he does go to him Chandler’s been inconsistent. Still a work in progress there.

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– I’d like to see more of James White, or at least see him made more of a focal point in the offense rather than just a rotational guy, which he still seemed to be despite his best statistical game of his career. Each week he’s taking small steps, but if the Pats are going to make a Super Bowl run I believe they have to embrace White more.

– Always hate to be critical of Brady but this wasn’t a great game for him. I think part of it is just trying to do too much, looking too hard for kill shots. There are guys open but he’s not finding them and often when he is, they’re dropping the ball. They had 17 third downs against the Eagles and 11 of them were eight yards or longer. That’s not winning on first and second down, and when they really got away from the run in the second half, Brady missing the easy 4-6 yarders really started to hurt.

– Glad that Josh Kline was at practice on Wednesday, but Fletcher Cox pretty much had his way with him all game long.

– Nothing against the guy personally, but Brandon Bolden might be my least favorite Patriots running back of all time. Pretty much the opposite of dynamic. As I’ve said before, he gets what’s there and no more.

– Again, why they abandoned the run in the second half I have no idea. They ran it 8 times in the second half, four of which were Brady sneaks. In the first half they ran it 17 times and averaged over four yards-per-carry.

– The play before Brady’s goal line pick six the Eagles got instant pressure while Cannon/Jackson/Stork and White were trying to block just two guys. Just gross. See below…

– Incredible how smooth Brady was on the trick play where he caught the ball for 36 yards. But right after that came his second interception which I’d say should not have been thrown even if LaFell broke off the route. Too many chuck-it-ups in this one and I feel like Brady was again going for a kill shot when they just needed a score on this drive more than a big play.

– The furious comeback fell just short, but credit to the Pats for hanging in there. Always a good sign and the biggest silver lining that can be taken from this loss. But the other silver lining has to be James White. He earned more trust in this one and is the only new guy showing consistent separation and ability to make defenders miss. We could look back as this being the game that the offense started to return to form with White being a big piece going forward.

Patriots vs. Broncos All-22 Review: Defense Edition

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Had a chance to go back through the All-22 and as always, it was informative. In a lot of ways I don’t feel like I’ve truly seen the game until I watch the All-22, as you can see exactly who the personnel is at all times, what the formations are and what the coverages are.

Little bit more mixing coverages in this one, but on third downs it was all Cover-1 Man. Still plenty of zone throughout the game. In terms of fronts they were so varied, 4-3 under, 3-4. Little of everything.

I know it’s been a popular refrain this week to mention how many rushing yards the Broncos had when Hightower went out, but honestly he wasn’t overly impactful in run defense before he went out with the injury. I was expecting to see him at the center of most of the run tackles, but he was more often playing strong side linebacker where he did a good job setting the edge, or he was more concerned with coverage. 

No, the problem with the run defense is that Freeny and Mayo aren’t that good. Both just lack any pop to make an impact and all of the significant runs the Broncos put together in the first half were often because Freeny was late to fill, went to the wrong hole or simply wasn’t strong enough to physically close a hole. So you put Collins back in there (with Hightower at some point) and they’ll be okay. But if I was attacking this Patriots defense I’d run right at Freeny. Mayo has been better in recent weeks but still lacks that pop he had before the injury. His missed tackle at the end of the first half on the touchdown run was a prime example.

I already wrote about him earlier but Malcom Brown continues to jump off the screen to me. So athletic inside, he consistently splits double teams and makes plays in the run game. He won’t pile on stats at his position but he’s as good a rookie defensive tackle as you’re going to find. Earlier in the third quarter Brown absolutely owned Evan Mathis on a run stop.

Jabaal Sheard is also having a great season and is the perfect fit we all thought he would be. Funny when things work out like that. But he was causing problems all night. Quick and strong off the ball, he’s a beast to deal with and this three-man rotation they have with him, Nink and Chan has been long-needed. He has such a shiftiness to him that makes it tough for blockers to know his intentions. Often it sets them up for a bull rush that they’re not prepared for.

The delayed middle linebacker blitz was a go-to in this one, but it just doesn’t have the same kind of effectiveness when it’s Mayo/Freeny instead of Hightower/Collins. 

13:54 4th Quarter, Pats up 21-7, Broncos at the Pats’ 31 facing third-and-five after the Chris Harper muffed punt. This was the turning point of the game and it’s interesting that here is where the Pats sent a six-man blitz, a rarity for BB. Nobody found a rushing lane and Osweiler had the poise to find Emmanuel Sanders for 17 yards. The next play they’d score and it was a ball game. This is why being aggressive on defense can bite you on the ass.

McCourty’s missed tackle in the backfield on the second Broncos touchdown was pretty bad. How the running back got outside of Ryan and Butler too was a head scratcher. But again, not really a play Hightower would’ve had an effect on.

Nice goal line stand in the fourth quarter to force a field goal by the Broncos. Who would have ever though Logan Ryan would own Demaryius Thomas?

The three-and-out the defense forced with just under 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter is what I’ll prefer to remember about this game. Physical possession from Alan Branch and Tavon Wilson who both forced incomplete passes with pressure. Wilson drilled Osweiler. Didn’t remember that in the broadcast.

Now comes the last possession of regulation:

36 yard pass to Thomas: This was just a let it go and let your big receiver go up and get it. Could there have been some disruption to prevent Osweiler from stepping into it? Sure. But it’s hard to stop this play when everything clicks.

39 yard pass to Sanders: Flawless pass, barely any time for any rush to get to Osweiler. Just like the last big one to Thomas he just let it go. But perfect placement. Bravo Brock.

Finally the game winning touchdown in overtime was another toss sweep. You’ll notice the Pats have Sheard and Nink on the left side and no true defensive end on the right. But the key block comes on Chung, which effectively blocks not only Chung, but Freeny and Mayo too. There’s simply no defensive end to set the edge and that’s what springs Anderson because he only had to beat Branch in pursuit, McCourty, who can’t get off his block, and Harmon, who just whiffs in the open field.

So yeah, that sucks. Had Chandler Jones been in at his RDE spot, he very well would’ve blown this play up, so I think part of this has to fall on the coaches because the Broncos kept going to this toss sweep with success.

But overall I feel better now after reviewing the defense. Really it comes does to Collins/Hightower > Freeny/Mayo. Generally the run defense was good except for a few big runs, but I think generally it was because the linebackers were just not impact players. The defensive line played well, but once runs got past them there wasn’t anyone to clean it up like Collins and Hightower usually do.

The Broncos made some big key plays, but I think this is a much different game if Collins and Hightower were in there the whole time. Not to make excuses, but I just hope that’s what we have in any January rematch.

New England Patriots Gameplan: Week 11 vs. Buffalo Bills

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It’s been just two months since the Patriots last saw the Bills and put 500 yards up on them, but now the Patriots are a different team, especially on offense, and must find new avenues to deal with Rex Ryan.

The good news is that Sebastian Vollmer
, Marcus Cannon
and Tre Jackson all returned to practice this week, meaning the Pats could have a healthy offensive line for the first time since losing Nate Solder in Week 5. Since Solder went down it’s been a tackle apocalypse and we certainly don’t want to keep rolling out the makeshift offensive line against a defensive front like Buffalo’s.

The Bills are coming off their biggest win of the season over the Jets and have won two-straight. They’re currently 3-1 in the division and very much in the thick of the wild card hunt, so this will be a confident team that should play loose.

Here’s the gameplan to put them down in front of a national audience.

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Offensive Gameplan

Julian Edelman and Dion Lewis accounted for 247 yards and three touchdowns against the Bills in the first game and now the Pats have to figure out a way to replace that production. The biggest issue is that when you look back over the years at how the offense has faired against Rex Ryan’s defenses, it’s the shifty receivers, tight ends and running backs doing most of the damage in the passing game.

Outside receivers like Randy Moss, Brandon LaFell and even Aaron Dobson are just complimentary pieces in these gameplans usually. What gets it done against Rex’s scheme are the quick man-beaters and I wonder how the Pats can adjust without their most reliable man-beater.

The Bills will likely overcommit to take Gronkowski out of the game. Which means LaFell, Danny Amendola, Aaron Dobson and Keshawn Martin will have to step up and play bigger roles.

By the same token, the Pats must find some passing production with their running backs. They didn’t do much with James White or Brandon Bolden against the Giants, but this gameplan is going to require them to be involved. The Bills are 32nd in the NFL covering running backs by Football Outsiders’ DVOA metric. They must be attacked there.

The Pats ran the ball just 15 times in Week 2, a sign of respect for the Bills’ defense, but with reduced passing weapons will they be forced to feed LeGarrette Blount a bit more? Blount was just coming off his one week suspension in Week 2, and that could’ve been a factor as well.

Still, this is Rex Ryan and we know how he will attack Brady and it’s often effective. Their corners Ronald Darby and Stephon Gilmore are playing very well right now, and you have to wonder if one of them sees significant time on Gronk, likely Gilmore.

There’s no question LaFell and Amendola are the big keys if the Bills are actually able to take Gronk away. But the two guys I’m more interested in are Dobson/Martin and Scott Chandler. Dobson intrigues me with his size, but no one knows for sure if he or Martin is higher on the depth chart at the moment.

Yes, the Pats lose a significant player without Edelman, but what they’ll be forced to evolve to is a bigger lineup. This could be the game we’ve all been waiting for from Chandler. 

But even if it’s not him, someone is going to have to step up and play a bigger role, especially on third down. If I was Rex I would double Amendola and Gronk on third downs and force Brady to go anywhere else.

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Defensive Gameplan

The Bills moved the ball right down the field on their opening drive in Week 2 with the Pats playing their usual Cover-1 Man defense, but then the Pats shifted to a Cover-3 for most of the rest of the game and it shut the Bills down until they started letting Tyrod Taylorout of the pocket.

Yes, the BIlls had three touchdown drives with some explosive plays to make the game appear closer than it was. Still, those plays are concerning and should give the Bills more confidence coming into this one than they might’ve had if the Pats kept the throttle down when they were up 37-13.

The Patriots do prefer man defense, so it will be interesting to see if they start out immediately with the Cover-3 coverage that was successful for them. With mobile quarterbacks it’s often better to be in zone anyway since all the coverage defenders aren’t totally consumed with their receiver, allowing the quarterback to make a break for it when he sees an opening.

For that same reason expect a steady and disciplined pass rush designed to keep Taylor in the pocket with one spy dropping off the rush and mirroring him.

But the biggest aspect of the Bills is their run game, ranked #1 by Football Outsiders DVOA and 2nd overall in rushing yards. Meanwhile, the Patriots’ run defense has been outstanding in recent weeks after being a big question mark early in the season and are currently ranked #1 in rushing yards allowed but only 12th in DVOA. This is likely where the game is won or lost and will definitely prove whether or not the Patriots’ run defense is legitimately one of the best in the NFL.

Shut down McCoy and Williams, and force Taylor to beat you from the pocket on long third downs. That’s the recipe for success.

One other interesting area is the Bills are just behind the Pats, ranking 6th in turnover differential. The Patriots often rely on turnovers and if the Bills play as safe with the ball as they have been in recent weeks they might hang around until the end.

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Points of Emphasis

1. Stop the Run: Easily a cliche that could be used every week, but this week it’s an essential key given the run game is the lifeblood of the Bills offense. Malcom Brown and Alan Branch have been outstanding in recent weeks, as have the other rotational DTs. This week we’ll see just how good they really are.

2. Brady-to-Chandler: With Gronk likely doubled and Amendola likely to be locked in a tough matchup with Darby, the Pats must find another reliable option to carry them to January. Scott Chandler has been just a bit out of sync with Brady so far, hitting a few good plays, but also missing some. Chandler could be the forgotten man in Buffalo’s gameplan, opening the door for a breakout game against his former team.

3. Jame White, Now is the Time: For similar reasons to the matchups above, and the Bills’ struggles to cover running backs in the passing game, this is a good time to see what we have with James White. He was solid in a limited role against the Giants, but I’d love to see him get thrown into the fire against the Bills. He might very well make some noise.

4. Disciplined Rush: If they’re stopping the run, the next step is to keep Tyrod Taylor in the pocket and few teams have the kind of discipline to do so like the Patriots do. The Pats shut down Taylor last time until he started getting out of the pocket and making plays downfield. Containing him is vital.

5. Win: Always the fifth key because it’s all that matters, a win here would essentially seal the AFC East title and it’s not even December yet. But most important is finding out how the offense will evolve now without Edelman. They need another threat to step up to stress the defense. Whether it’s White, Chandler, Dobson or Martin who will have Brady’s trust? Then, when Edelman gets back for the playoffs, the Pats will be even deeper and more difficult to stop.

Prediction: Patriots 24, Bills 9