It’s certainly not going to get easier for them as they put more on tape, the opponents get better, and the weather gets worse, even at home. That was one thing about Peyton with the Colts, he always had that dome, but now even his home playoff games he’s going to have to deal with the elements.
I think part of the 2007 Pats running out of steam was that they were playing so angry the first few months of the season, fueled by the Spygate baloney. You can only run on that for so long.
But the interesting corollary is Wes Welker. You look at the Pats teams of 2007-2012 and even in the losses you’ll see Welker still picking up a bunch of catches. For that reason my idea right now, if I’m an opponent, is to focus on Thomas and Decker and force Peyton to throw 15 5-yard passes to Welker to move the ball.
That’s what always killed the Pats offense with Welker. Not only do you force continued execution, you add up hits on Welker and by the end of the game he won’t be as sharp as he was at the start.
I think if teams start to do this in the coming weeks, the wear and tear will start to build up on Welker. Still, Thomas and Decker are great players and Peyton will make some pinpoint throws to them.
The key is just to stay close and make the plays in the clutch, and hope they don’t. But yes, I expect they’ll slow down.
