PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

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With Belichick, I think he needs to be careful of overcoaching this week. The Patriots have gone into big games before and said, “Fellas, this is what we did last time. Just forget about it, and this is what we’re going to do this time.” The idea is to bring so much of an adjustment level that it confuses the other side. But at this time of year, I don’t think it’s about confusion. I think that previous game means a lot. I think you watch that game, see what was successful, how you succeeded and how you failed, and translate that to this week. If it worked, keep it in the game plan, and if it didn’t, take it out. I don’t think this is the time of year that you want to tinker too much. Sure, there will be some slight wrinkles and adjustments. I think you can make those on the sideline. But after scoring 42 points on Houston the last time, I don’t know how many changes you really want to make.

Tedy Bruschi’s Breakdown of New England Patriots-Houston Texans divisional playoff game – ESPN Boston

https://www.patspropaganda.com/patriots-texans-3/

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Film Room: AFC Divisional Round

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FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Film Room: AFC Divisional Round

Good stuff here with great all-22 screen shots and I agree with this 100X about Woodhead:

Part of what makes the Patriots so dangerous is, with Tom Brady’s magic at the line of scrimmage and a fast tempo of play, they can gouge defenses with the same concepts again and again -– especially on the ground. Stevan Ridley has given them a very productive run game, but the Patriots are arguably more dangerous with Danny Woodhead in the backfield. Not only is the fifth-year pro a terrific space-oriented runner, he’s a very dangerous receiver when split outside or coming from the backfield. No matter what package the Texans are in, the Patriots will find ways to create favorable one-on-one receiving situations for Woodhead.


We also talked a lot about this on the podcast:

Instead of focusing so much on the run, look for Houston to attack New England’s linebackers in coverage with an array of underneath crossing patterns and screens. This week, the play-action element will be more about setting up proper angles for east-and-west misdirection than it will be about getting linebackers and safeties to bite against the run. That’s because the Patriots will likely be in man coverage, which means eyes will be on receiving targets and not the backfield.

Matchups: Divisional Round – Matchups – Rotoworld.com

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Matchups: Divisional Round – Matchups – Rotoworld.com

This is what it’s all about…

The Texans’ most glaring defensive weakness is inside linebacker play. The Bengals made a fruitless attempt to attack coverage-liability ILBs Barrett Ruud and Bradie James by targeting Jermaine Gresham on seven pass plays. Gresham, vastly inferior to Gronk and Aaron Hernandez, generated a pathetic seven yards on those seven targets, dropping three balls. The Pats likely took note of the Bengals’ mishaps in their game-plan preparation, and where they occurred on the field. Hernandez, Gronkowski, and slot receiver Wes Welker can make good on the opportunities Gresham and Andy Dalton missed. … Brady shredded Houston for four touchdowns, no picks, and 296 yards on 35 throws (8.46 YPA) in the aforementioned Week 14 beatdown. Texans slot cornerback Brandon Harris was Brady’s primary whipping boy.

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All 22 of the Patriots’ Week 1 starters remain on the active roster, which leaves them as the only team of the eight remaining playoff clubs that can say that. Every other playoff contender has at least one player who started for them in Week 1 who is no longer on the active roster, be it due to injury, release or another reason. (An examination of old game books suggests that 2012 is the first playoff run the Patriots have had under Bill Belichick since the 2001 season that all 22 Week 1 starters remain on the active roster).

In rarity, Pats have all starters intact – New England Patriots Blog – ESPN Boston

Interesting stat. Health is one of the most underrated things for good teams, just look at the 2007 Pats who only lost Rosevelt Colvin before their Super Bowl run.

The real question for the Pats this year is can they overcome the little injuries that have bothered many guys on the team all year. Gronk, Hernandez, Spikes, Vollmer, Welker, Gregory, Talib, and Chung have all been dinged up and missed games this year.

The Pats’ Super Bowl hopes likely rest on how healthy that core of guys are. 

https://www.patspropaganda.com/patriots-injuries/

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This quote will definitely be in my Tao of BB book someday…

https://www.patspropaganda.com/this-quote-will-definitely-be-in-my-tao-of-bb-book/