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Pats Posits

Pats Posits: Lil’ Bit of Adversity in Dallas

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It had pretty much been smooth sailing for the New England Patriots
through the first three games of their season. But in Dallas things weren’t quite as easy as they had been and the offense struggled for extended periods to protect Tom Brady
.

The quick throws weren’t there early on but the Patriots offense remained patient and eventually found spots to exploit Dallas’ defense. 

The Patriots’ defense looked every bit as dominant as you’d hope they’d look going against this depleted Cowboy offense. But you can never dismiss a great defensive performance in the NFL and that was what this was.

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There were plenty of times no-name QBs threw for lots of yards on the Patriots defenses of 2010-2012. This is a different defense, and one that is possibly better than last year’s because of their array of pass rush options. 

There were questions about the run defense coming into this one, but it’s clear the Pats can stop the run when they want to. All the edge players were strong and the inside tackles didn’t give up a lot of ground. 

Most exciting of all was seeing the Pats play some press man like they did last year. They’ve played plenty of man defense this year, but haven’t tried to be physical at the line of scrimmage. That changed against the Cowboys and never allowed Weeden to find a rhythm through the air.

Now the stage is set for a visit to the Colts on prime time next Sunday night (followed by my yearly Pats excursion to the Jets game). It will be a fun two weeks of football. But first, the Posits…

Dont’a Hightower and Nate Solder.
That’s all I really care about coming out of this one. Yes, we saw Brady take a beating and bounce back strong, but there hasn’t really been a significant injury in a while. Hightower looked in clear pain, and I can’t imagine something like a broken rub doesn’t take at least a couple weeks. Solder spoke to the media afterwards, so that’s a good sign. And really, Cannon wouldn’t be that bad.

No season is without adversity and this team has yet to really face any. On one hand you’re just waiting for something bad to happen, but sigh relief when no one gets carted off. Hopefully Hightower is back sooner than later and the health train can keep chugging.

A lot to like from the defense, who have really been sparked by Jabaal Sheard. He’s the finisher they’ve really needed to rotate in with Ninkovich and Chandler Jones. Sheard gets used all over the place. All were strong on the edges and with their rushes.

Jamie Collins is on everyone’s next superstar list and he keeps living up to those expectations. He’s simply all over the place on defense, making plays at every level with raw athleticism, speed and length.

Hard not to love the Pats showing some aggressive press man coverage and actually doing okay with it. That will need further evaluation this week. Seemed like there might’ve been more McCourty closer to the LOS, and Jordan Richards got more playing time this week after a strong debut against the Jags.

Malcolm Butler seemed like he made Terrance Williams invisible. Now it’s Terrance Williams, but still.

Jerod Mayo is likely about to be thrown into the fire and I’m not sure he’s ready for it. As soon as Bostic is ready to go, it should make for an interesting situation. Healthy Mayo is still better than Jonathan Freeny, but not by much.

Need to dive into the numbers this week, but I have some concerns about the short yardage game on both sides of the ball. 

Wasn’t a big Easley game but I saw him blow up a run pretty well. Curious the snaps on him and the rest.

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Dion Lewis
, I’m running out of things to say. What an electric, exciting player and he just keeps blowing minds and breaking ankles! Brady targeted him 11 times, more than Gronk and Edelman combined. Every time you think he’s about to go down he gets three more yards.

I’m okay with continuing the OL rotation going a bit longer, it’s why they’ll be fine has to miss time. Cannon catches a lot of crap but when he’s had to step in and start he’s been fine. It’s the experimenting at guard and the quick rotation in at tackle when he plays poorly. 

That’s a good Cowboys front and they had a good gameplan. All the tackles were beat, but it’s the inside I’m more curious to focus on. The OL will be fine.

Edelman had a couple brain farts and a couple clutch plays. Bit of a trend this season, but he’ll clean it up. Brandon LaFell will come back at a good time as neither Keshawn Martin nor Aaron Dobson can replicate his presence.

Yes, I turned the page to the Colts pretty quick. The North East Remembers.

Hump Day Pats Posits

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Plenty to talk about here on the bye week as we reset a bit. It’s a weird season because there’s not much to complain about yet and that has the Mazz’s and Volin’s of the world floundering. (Seriously Volin didn’t like the defensive gameplan that gave up 10 points that could entirely be connected to one blown play and two third-down stops that were negated by a fumble and a penalty.)

Personally I think you can be a homer and support your team but still be critical of their performances. And there’s more to be a fan/blogger etc. than being critical… there’s understanding the schemes and how the coaches are attacking and defending. So while there hasn’t been a Kansas City game for everyone to freak out about there’s still plenty to analyze.

First, there’s been plenty of can the Pats go 16-0 and as I said earlier this week I really don’t want to. I think it makes it harder to win the Super Bowl and I’d prefer to have a motivating loss that exposes some weaknesses and ignites a fire for the team down the stretch.

Again, the NFL season is as much about attrition as anything else. And unfortunately the chances are slim that the Patriots are still as robust as they are right now. 

And yeah, the schedule looks manageable but think about all the losses or near losses to inferior teams over the years. The 2004 team’s loss to Miami sticks out. Not to mention near losses in 2013 to the Browns and Texans. And the Pats finish at Jets/at Dolphins. Those places are never a slam dunk regardless of what the teams are playing for.

So you won’t hear much 16-0 talk around here. We’ve been there, done that and all it taught us was that it’s only the Super Bowl that matters.

I continue to be impressed by Jordan Richards
 in his limited duty against the Jags.  Yeah, Mazz thinks you can’t learn anything from a game like last weekend’s but I think Richards is a prime example of learning something. He reminds me a lot of Patrick Chung
 with his aggressiveness, but the big question is whether or not he has the speed to play on the back end to bump Harmon. We could be seeing more and more of him.

Speaking of rookies, can you believe we’re still waiting on Trey Flowers
 to make his debut? He was possibly the best rookie in the preseason  but has been under wraps the first three weeks. Defensive end depth is really good right now but sooner or later they have to get his feet wet and I’m excited to see what he can do.

My thoughts keep drifting to Dominique Easley
 and just how much he could elevate this defense. His burst off the snap is back and he’s flashing the kind of disruption I’ve been dreaming of since this blog started in 2010. But what has me wondering is how to truly harness his potential. They had him in his best spot – three technique – vs. the Jags, but his burst seems most effective not when it’s clearly a passing down but when the OL is trying to stunt. That opens the gaps for him and he totally screws their entire operation up. But when he’s asked to go one-on-one and the OL gets set it seems like Easley has trouble getting free and getting to the quarterback. That could change and he’s technically still green, but it’s an area to focus on in the coming weeks.

Malcom Brown has been somewhat underwhelming out of the gate, not that it’s a cause for major concern because he has made a couple plays and looked strong in spurts, but I’d like to see a splash play sooner than later from him.

The scary thing for the rest of the NFL is how well the Pats’ drafts since 2010 have turned out. They’re on a crazy roll and the trio of Andrews-Mason-Jackson is exactly what the Hoodie ordered this year. 

New podcast coming tonight as well as a some All-22 Offensive thoughts from the Jags game. And also Frenz and I will be reuniting for a podcast this weekend. Looking forward to talking to my old podmate!

Pats Posits: 3-0 and on to the Bye Week!

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The New England Patriots are off to one of their more impressive starts of recent memory, pounding the Jags and moving to 3-0 as they enter their early bye week of the 2015 season.

The Pats’ often look a little choppy early in the year but this season they’ve come out of the gate picking up right where they left off winning the Super Bowl last season. Now the comparisons to 2007′s 16-0 squad are starting to pour in and I think it’s another case where we need to Ignore the Noise.

A lot can happen over the next four months and I don’t need to tell anyone how the NFL season is as much about attrition as it is about talent. Yes, the Pats have looked like the AFC favorite through three games, but there’s just such a long way to go and so much can happen. 

Honestly, 16-0 was exhausting for the the 2007 team and had they broken the pressure with a loss, like one they should’ve lost in Baltimore, it might’ve had them a little fresher once they got to the Super Bowl. Put it this way, we’ve been there, done that with 16-0 and I don’t really have much interest in doing it again. Let’s just worry about homefield advantage in the playoffs and the rest will take care of itself.

On to the Posits…

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First, congratulations to Tom Brady on TD pass number 400. I haven’t missed a single game since 2005 so I’ve seen the vast majority of his TDs and I feel lucky as a fan to root for a player who has been so dominant. Now if we can only understand what Danny Amendola was thinking giving the ball away to a random fan. And to think he almost looked ready to launch it into the 300s after he initially scored.

I just don’t know what else to write about Dion Lewis, has there ever been a player who’s kicked around the league and then suddenly looks like the best third down back in football? He’s incredibly slippery and almost always makes the first defender miss. Not to mention he always gets at least two more yards than he should. Such a fun player to watch and if he can stay healthy for all 16 games he’ll be the perfect addition to the Gronk/Edelman aspect of the offense.

One of my bigger concerns (and it wasn’t even a major one yet) was the run defense and I thought they looked a lot better yesterday against the Jags. Simply put, guys were getting off blocks and winning one-on-ones. Encouraging to see them make progress in this area.

Thank Hoodie they benched Bradley Fletcher (it was much deserved), but they also gave Tarrell Brown the day off which meant Logan Ryan saw a lot of snaps and rookie Justin Coleman made his debut. Ryan continued to look up and down as he has throughout his career but Coleman stepped right in and didn’t look out of place in is first action of his career. I’d expect to see him get some time in the slot over Ryan after the bye.

A lot of the lower end guys on the depth chart saw action yesterday and none impressed me more than Jordan Richards who was active and physical in his first extended snaps on defense. I always laugh at those who think the Patriots had a guy rated too high on their board. The simple fact is that a thinking defense like the Patriots’ needs thinking players and sometimes when you merge the two you see a player who is much better than he was in college where it’s more about physical talent.

Dominique Easley was once again flying off the ball but watching live I felt he was almost more effective against the run, though he had his moments against the pass. A strange problem is that sometimes Easley is so fast off the ball it creates creases in the running game and leads to big runs. But can you really tell a guy to not get into the backfield so fast?

Easley has been incorporated in a very useful way, generating disruption on early downs. The Pats used to get killed when teams tried to pass on 1st and 2nd down because their linemen were two gapping and got no pressure. Now they put Easley in there and he offsets that problem. Meanwhile on third down they’re now going with all linebackers to rush the passer. Only thing I wonder is why it took Belichick this long to go pass-rush happy. It should pay dividends.

The picture is a lot clearer to me now as far as the run game goes. The short passing game with Lewis and the slot receivers is now the early-down running game equivalent.

LeGarrette Blount is instead the hammer to bring in once the lead is established. But I don’t think we’ll see a lot of Blount early in games unless the Pats really think the opposition’s run defense stinks.

Malcolm Butler had one bad play yesterday but otherwise continues to look like a top flight NFL cornerback. I kind of enjoy that he keeps making one inconsequential mistake per game that will keep the pressure on him. The job he’s done stepping in as a starter has been remarkable and far above what even the most positive Patriots fans might’€™ve expected.

Big question right now is what happens to David Andrews once Bryan Stork returns and I’m trying not to spend too much time worrying about it. But I’m very curious to see if Andrews can play some guard after working there a bit this summer. If he can make that switch the Pats suddenly have four very, very good young interior offensive linemen, a spot they badly needed depth in recent seasons.

Pats Posits: Tuesday Edition After Reflection

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Nothing like a victory Monday, and the more I thought about what we’ve seen from the Patriots in the first two weeks, the more I felt I needed some additions to Monday’s Posits.

–  I did touch upon it a little bit, but the versatility of the defense is finally coming to fruition. Everything we wrote about all offseason, about how the defense would be more mix-and-match than ever is coming true. The old days of conventional defense are over. Now Belichick’s defense is truly a player-by-player, matchup-by-matchup amoeba. Look at the athletes we have in the front seven and it’s hard to compare this group to any we’ve seen before.

– Jamie Collins had a slow start last Thursday night but he was all over the place against the Bills. Between him and Hightower, Sheard, Chander, and Ninkovich you can’t put anyone into a box or assume anything about how the defense will play. I know it’s early, but I haven’t felt this good about our front seven since 2007 (and we’re still waiting to see what Easley can do).

– I think it won’t be long before a lot of the x and o football writers at the national level start writing heavily about the style of defense and how Belichick has evolved to deal with the passing game.

– When the Pats let Revis and Browner go this offseason, the general consensus at the time seemed to be that the Patriots would be a lot more of a zone defense now (a critical error in my view then and now). It was really Browner leaving that bugged me most because he was relatively affordable (by my standards but not the Patriots’) and how can you not have a use for a corner that big when you MUST play man defense at times. Well this preseason and into the regular season it’s been clear that the Pats have not abandoned man coverage. They might be a little less physical at the line, but they are okay playing Cover-1 Robber, last year’s majority coverage. So again I’m a little bummed about not retaining Browner, especially considering games against the Jets.

– Fans have to readjust their feelings toward the run game on both sides of the ball. I’ve long been a proponent of “throw to score, run to win” and it’s even more true now. There was no use running into the brick wall with Blount. His time will come. It goes back to needing to win on first and second down against the Bills to avoid third-and-long. Instead of trying to force the run they went with short quick passes on the perimeter. They threw on 29 of 37 first downs.

– The sacks are nice but I think a bunch of them don’t happen with a good pocket quarterback. Only two jump to mind where Chandler and Collins won clean off the line. Otherwise coverage was a big part of taking away the first read. Granted, the rush was getting there before guys could uncover, but I still think there’s pass rush work to be done.  Cough Easley…

Can’t wait to dive into the All-22 today and really get a sense of the schemes they used.

Pats Posits: Things starting to click against Rex and the Bills

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I didn’t quite enjoy this New England Patriots win one as much as I wanted to (highlights here). It looked like it was about to be a blowout until the Pats let the Bills back into the game, and their fans who had left early begging to get back into the stadium (only to see them lose finally). The fourth-down stop and then the strip that quickly gave the Bills some hope made us all clench after thinking it was already in the bag. 

The offense was then forced to put a long drive together and then the defense sealed the game with an interception – a theme in four of the last five games going back to the AFCDG vs. the Ravens. The defense has certainly been clutch in that time.

Offensively the Pats put up over 500 yards and allowed minimum pressure on Tom Brady. They threw it almost 60 times and largely ignored the run, but that’s just smart football.

Defensively, they forced Tyrod Taylor to be a pocket quarterback and he couldn’t complete a non-checkdown pass when the game was in question. The Pats gave up some long runs, but showed some improvement from last week as they continue to get back into real football shape and used to tackling again.

It wasn’t all perfect and there are certainly things to work on, but generally the Patriots showed a lot of potential on both sides of the ball.

Here are the Posits:


Protection – First, a hand for the oft-rotating offensive line who allowed just two sacks and five QBs on 59 dropbacks. Most impressive were the interior rookies who really did a great job all things considered. There were some brain farts like Solder’s missed cut block that led to the strip of Brady, but compared to last year the protection has been good.

The potential loss of Sebastian Vollmer, who left the game with a hand/finger injury, is surmountable with Marcus Cannon whose best fit is at right tackle.

The offense is awesome because Gronk and Edelman consistently make big plays. Now with Dion Lewis making some big ones too it really rounds things out. Add in LaFell and this is a pick-your-poison type sitch.

Jamie Collins – Collins was kind of blah last week, but he was on fire against the BIlls with 2.5 sacks, 2 tackles for loss and 3 QB hits. The way the Patriots are sending their front LB/DEs after the quarterback is a lot of fun and there’s no question Collins is now the best all-around linebacker on the team.

Pats defense allowed three TDs on three red zone trips, a number outside of the norm for them. They were 4-for-13 on third down, a stellar number, and again outside the norm, but this one in a good way.

Fouth down will be an area of focus going forward as they failed on both attempts and failed to steop the Bills’ only fourth-down attempt.

Dion Lewis – Yeah he fumbled for the second game in the row and Ridley would be in the doghouse if he had done that, but Lewis is so explosive and dynamic you can understand why the coaches are letting him work through the ball security issues, especially after two days off. Through two games he sure is making the decision to let Shane Vereen walk look like a good one. How was an electric playmaker like him out of the league last year?

Aaron Dobson had 7 catches on 8 targets for 87 yards for his first significant contribution since 2013 vs. the Steelers. This is just the kind of game Dobson needed to get something going and he should’ve earned some trust from Brady today. I still wish he could catch the ball on the run and pick up extra yards, but he made some tough catches in this one so I’ll take it.

Disciplined defense  – Let’s not get too excited about shutting down a run-first offense after we grabbed the lead, but we saw the many options Belichick has on defense in terms of who he sends, drops or rotates in or out. Collins and Hightower are still the straws stirring the drink as Mayo gets eased back in. But there are a ton of good pieces up front that can play whatever style they need to. 

In beating a dead horse news, Dominique Easley would really tie the defense together. I think they’ll give him through the bye to get healthy.

Chandler Jones gets some criticism for his run defense and that is something to focus on in the re-watch, but against the pass he had the perfect combination of pass rushing without overplaying Taylor. He had 3 sacks, 4 QB hits and 3 tackles-for-loss. Collins might be the team’s best blitzer but Chandler is their best pass rusher and he could be in line for a monster season (extend him asap).

What a catch by Danny Amendola! That guy isn’t a huge part of the offense but he finds ways to come through to help win games. They pay him more than they probably would like to but he’s hand a big hand in some clutch wins – Browns in 2013, Jets in 2014, Ravens/Seahawks in SB run. I’ll take him on my team any game.

Rufus Johnson got snaps as an interior rusher and though he didn’t make any splash plays it will be interesting to see how he did compared to Grissom, who played the role last week. Flowers will probably get his chance vs. the Jags.

Each week it’s becoming clearer that Malcolm Butler has the confidence and swagger of a starter and will not hesitate to get in opponent’s faces. After staying quiet as a rookie, Butler is showing some personality out there and it’s much needed for a secondary that had a lot of Pats fans worried heading into this season. Butler had one interception and almost had a second, one that just evaded his hands and went for a touchdown. Even when he’s beaten it’s not by much. Butler is for real

The one scary part of the defense has to be the target on Bradley Fletcher’s back for deep throws. Tarrell Brown has been good, but Fletcher scares me more than Arrington ever did.

While it made me cringe to see the Bills get back within five points, in the long term it’s a good thing that both the offense and defense had to make plays to win a game on the road. That’s great experience that will help down the road.

All-22 review coming up Tuesday afternoon.

Pats Posits: A win is a win in September

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Had hoped to have these posted a lot sooner today, but unfortunately one of my little Pats padawans woke up immediately after the end of the game with the croup, which sounds like your kid can’t breathe. A trip to the ER and a sleepless night later he is totally fine and I’m finally able to process last night’s win. 

Obviously plenty to talk about, but it’s important not to overreact in September. Not that that will stop most of you because overreacting and complaining is what we Patriots fans do, but there was plenty to like and build upon last night so let’s stick with the positive.

I just can’t get over how good Brady/Gronk are and I don’t know how you go into a game against the Patriots without saying we won’t let Gronk beat us. At least that’s what I know Belichick would do if he was facing the Patriots offense. But the thing is I’m pretty sure Gronk is unstoppable no matter what you do.

Easing Mayo in – Not sure why I just assumed Mayo would hop right in and play a ton, but it’s clear they’re going to bring him back slowly and that makes a ton of sense. I don’t think we’ll truly know the defense’s potential until they’re fully comfortable using Mayo a ton, but I also think there will be more of a rotation against heavy passing teams.

Butler has huge potential – Yeah, Butler gave up some catches to Antonio Brown but I really like him as a cornerback and is unquestionably the most promising young corner we’ve had since Asante. Even on the completions he gives up he’s right there and the ball just somehow sneaks through. That’s the same thing we saw with Revis. Not that Butler is Revis, but to go man-to-man on a receiver like Brown right out of the gate shows what the Pats think of him.

Pass rush? – If there was one thing that was a little disconcerting last night it was the extended periods of no pass rush, especially in the third quarter. In some ways it reminded me of last year’s infamous Chiefs game where defenders were in position they just couldn’t get off blocks. So it will improve. But it was strange watching Sheard/Chandler/etc. get easily handled at times.

Easley – I’ve been Team Easley since the first time I saw his college tape, but this new injury really took the wind out of my sails with him. I don’t subscribe to “injury prone” very often, but with all the surgeries and rehab you just have to wonder if his hip was weakened during the process somehow. Didn’t look like any kind of hit to it or anything, he was just engaged and crumbled. Not a good sign and I think he’s probably out for a while. This is a headline bummer from the game and while I can’t call him a “bust” just yet, he has a long road ahead of him to prove we can rely on him.

Red zone stops – Say what you will about the Patriots defense, but they looked like the Patriots defense last night, for better or worse. And that boils down to red zone stops. The goal line stand was a game changing sequence, so you have to love the fight they showed. 

Dion Lewis – You could just tell in the preseason that Lewis had the confidence of a veteran and a shifty explosiveness that resulted in a lot of yards-after-contact. I had a feeling he’d get thrust right into the passing back role and he looked right at home. He’s going to be a big part of the offense this year, but I’m curious how Cadet and White will fit in as well. Nice to see a 33 out there again too.

Edelman so good – Edelman is so relentless and such a tough cover. He looked like he just played the Super Bowl last week and picked up right where he left off. Really praying he can stay healthy because with him/Gronk/Brady this passing offense will be unstoppable for long stretches this season.

More coming in the next few days as I review the All-22 and pick the GIFs that defined the game. For now we’re officially on to 2015.

Pats Posits: More on the roster, the week ahead and needed number changes

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– The line between linebacker and safety seems to be disappearing. Linebackers used to only need to be slightly more athletic than offensive linemen, but now they must be able to run and cover tight ends, running backs and sometimes wide receivers, all of which run the gamut of size and speed. Belichick has long experimented with big safeties in the dime linebacker role, but that has seeped into many of the subpackages. 

– This speaks overall to the total athleticism of the defense now. There are just four defensive tackles, each a little different than the other, but generally where the only size exists on the defense. The defensive ends, linebackers and strong safeties all have plenty of crossover in coverage and need to be able to play in space at times.

– The Patriots have always been a gameplan defense but it’s going to be extreme this year. You simply can’t pencil in anyone in a particular side or position. The defensive tackles will be mixed however best fits to attack the offensive line whether it’s having two space eaters inside or using Easley to attack gaps.

– Then there’s the cornerbacks who I think will be in more man-to-man than any of us anticipated, but it will be about matching features, not just Butler on the left/ on the best receiver, etc. The safeties will factor into this as well. Put it this way, tracking the snaps and coverage is going to be a headache this year.

– With Stork back at practice I really have no idea what the OL looks like Thursday night. Although Jackson looks a little better than Mason, I wouldn’t rule out Solder-Mason-Stork-Wendell-Vollmer.

– Travaris Cadet is a wild card because there’s no tape on how the Pats plan on using him. He’s receiver-like in his route running and I think the Pats are going to use him to create a lot of favorable matchups.

– Remember September is always about experimentation, even to the point of losing games unfortunately. Guys are going to get chances in the first four weeks that don’t represent how good they actually are. Guys could be seen in September, get their chance, and never be heard from again if they don’t seize it. So don’t read too much into the lineup week one especially.

– Wouldn’t mind some number changes for Tre Flowers (74), Rufus Johnson (70) or Geneo Grissom (48) today. 52, 58, 59, 90, 98 are open.

– Dion Lewis is the RB to watch vs. Pittsburgh I think.