Dennis & Callahan talk Patriots with the Globe’s Greg Bedard (by WEEIVideo)
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)
Offensive Line Rankings | ProFootballFocus.com
Offensive Line Rankings | ProFootballFocus.com
7. New England Patriots PB = 16th, RB = 3rd, PEN = 1st Even with Logan Mankins less than 100% the line has still come together to play well with nobody more so than Sebastian Vollmer. Special credit to the run blocking of Ryan Wendell, and how Nate Solder has held up at left tackle.
One scout’s breakdown of Patriots-Rams: Another NFC West test for New England – WEEI | Christopher Price
Good read to get educated on the Rams a bit.
“Ultimately, there are three things for the Patriots to keep in mind: The Rams’ offensive line is a winnable matchup. Neutralize the rushing abilities of Chris Long and Robert Quinn – the tackles have to protect the edge. And watch for the inside-outside ability of the two backs: with Jackson and Richardson, they have a nice complementary element.”
Patrick Chung can’t seem to make play – BostonHerald.com
Patrick Chung can’t seem to make play – BostonHerald.com
Here’s some of what Rodney Harrison had to say about Chung in this one:
They’ll give you three or four years. If you’re lucky, they’ll give you four years. That’s if you’re lucky,” said Harrison. “After 2-3 years, if you’re not getting better, and it’s getting to a point where they feel like you can’t really be the great player they want you to be, they’ll go in a different direction. “If they’re willing to spend $6-7-8 million dollars a year on a safety, if you haven’t been out there, and you’re not what they think you should be, I mean, you’ve got to be dominant for that type of money from the Patriots,” Harrison went on. “And if you’re not there, you’re not going to get it. They’ll go out and get somebody else. That’s the harsh reality.”
I was a big fan of Chung at the start of his career and I’ve always loved his aggression, but I think the problem we’ve found is that he just doesn’t excel in one area.
He’s pretty good at a number of things, but he doesn’t have the size to be a dominant in-the-box safety, and he doesn’t have the range or instincts to be dominant on the back end. He’s been tried in the slot a bit too and that’s definitely not his best fit.
Barring a major turn around in both play and healthy I can’t see the Patriots going overboard to re-sign Chung this off-season. I like his leadership, but ultimately it looks like he’s a third safety at best.
Fourth-and-wrong – BostonHerald.com
Fourth-and-wrong – BostonHerald.com
The Patriots have had their issues across the board, but the team’s offense, which is supposed to be its leading unit, has most consistently struggled in a quartet of fourth-quarter mishaps against the Ravens, Broncos, Seahawks and Jets. Here’s a look: Scoring Fourth quarter In those four games, the Patriots have been outscored, 44-9, in the final quarter. Rest of the game The Patriots have outscored their opponents, 208-119, in the other 24 quarters this season.
Patriots pass rush will have to get better – Patriots – Boston.com
Patriots pass rush will have to get better – Patriots – Boston.com
As always Wednesday means the final grades of the last game from Greg Bedard, whose game film analysis of the Patriots I trust more than PFF. This week the focus is on the pass rush and deservedly so. My boy Myron Pryor even gets a shout out.
A couple little nuggets to share:
What coach Bill Belichick isn’t going to do is blitz, at least not against quarterbacks he thinks will self-destruct.
The lack of blitzes is probably partly due to the problems in the secondary — Belichick is not going to take a guy out of coverage when they’re having trouble doing it fully staffed – and partly to Belichick’s patented “play the percentages” defense.
Why would he give Sanchez more room to throw if Belichick believes Sanchez will make a mistake without being induced (which ended up happening)?
Sure, the stats look terrible – 68.3 percent completion rate, 328 yards — but Belichick only cares about the victory, which easily could have slipped away.
The problem is, Belichick lives by his mantra — very well, considering his regular-season record — and dies by it as well. He was probably thrilled that Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson had to settle for so many deep throws. But Wilson ended up hitting on most of them, because of coverage and pressure.
The Patriots are either going to have to get settled in the back end, which would allow for more blitzes, or get better four-man pressure.
