PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

NESN/Howe: Film Breakdown Shows Tom Brady Was Thrown Off By Steelers’ Man Coverage, Disguised Blitz Schemes

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NESN/Howe: Film Breakdown Shows Tom Brady Was Thrown Off By Steelers’ Man Coverage, Disguised Blitz Schemes

Good stuff here from Howe, and it seems like Dick Lebeau did in fact do just what we talked about last week in terms of doing the Mangini-esque “everybody walking around” presnap thing. Here’s a nice little nuggett:

The Steelers also used another effective tactic to disguise their blitzes. At the time of the snap, there were 24 occasions when at least six defensive players were in the box within one yard from the line of scrimmage, almost making it look like a picket fence. The Steelers show that look on a regular basis, but it’s extremely tough to recognize where the pressure will be generated. They used another wrinkle by occasionally using just one or two down linemen in the middle of that formation.

They blitzed with at least five pass rushers about half the time out of that look. Some of the blitzes were very basic and could have been recognized before the snap based on the location of the tight end or running back, but the Patriots didn’t pick them up as well out of that look. With that type of formation, the offensive linemen have to be perfectly on point with their blocking assignments because there’s almost no time to adjust.

PFF/Palazzolo: Re-Focused Patriots @ Steelers

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PFF/Palazzolo: Re-Focused Patriots @ Steelers

Good stuff as always from Palazzolo and here’s your Gary Guyton nugget…

LB Gary Guyton (-3.1 Pass Cov) saw 32 plays in coverage, and managed to give up first downs on all four completed passes in his area. He even benefitted from two Pittsburgh dropped passes. Many will point to his interception as a sign of good pass coverage, but it was a small sample as he showed up negative on 10 of 12 graded plays on the day.

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Just the thing Patriots fans need to forget about the ugly Steelers loss…

Eli’s coming to town!

https://www.patspropaganda.com/just-the-thing-patriots-fans-need-to-forget-about/

Closing the book on the Steelers loss

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This will be my final post on the Steelers loss as we turn the page to a challenging Giants squad. Just some quick hit thoughts and we’re burying the football on this one.

– Even with two days perspective I’m not going to try and sugar coat anything, the glaring softness of the Patriots defense that we’ve become horribly familiar with was back in all its non-glory and it’s justifiable for us to wonder if this defense has the talent to win when it’s all on the line.

– The only point of positivity that I will cling to is that this is a young defense, and in a scheme where communication is vital it has to be expected to have bumps in the road. Still, with 3 of 4 starters back from last season in the base secondary this excuse won’t last forever.

– I’m surprised more teams haven’t gone directly after Guyton and Ninkovich in pass coverage. I’m really starting to question if we’ve already seen Ninkovich’s ceiling. If he’s going to play SLB in the 4-3 and he is a liability in coverage teams will continue to attack him.

– If Fletcher can get back healthy I’d love to see him take some snaps from Guyton.

– I’m not overly concerned with the offense though their point totals have declined each and every week of the season. But one thing that does concern me is the amount of man coverage they’re seeing more and more of each week. This is where you need explosive playmakers who can gain separation off the line, and this was the real reason we saw Chad Ochocinco brought in. The receiver group is going to have to show they can beat tight man coverage and that someone can bust the top off the defense.

– Bill O’Brien spoke today about getting Taylor Price more involved and with his speed I couldn’t agree more. He could be the answer instead of Ochocinco, but he needs experience in games. Keep putting him in there.

– Brandon Spikes might be a liability at times in pass coverage but I will take him over Guyton everyday of the week and twice on Sunday. I think he and Mayo are the only linebackers on the roster I’m convinced are building blocks for the future.

– If you thought the third down performance was bad against the Steelers (10/16 = 62%) don’t forget what Peyton Manning did to this defense last year: 11/14 = 78%. Though the Pats D were able to get 3 interceptions and that was the difference in the game.

– Ultimately this was the 7th game of the season, and I’m not going to make overarching judgements of BB’s personnel moves until the season is over. Each Patriots team is judged by how their season ends, and until we see where the defense and offense are in January I’ll hold off on the report cards for who should and shouldn’t have been acquired or let go.

– Sometimes losses like this are a good thing in the long run, but let’s just say the defense is absolutely on double secret probation. If they don’t start putting together some consistent efforts there will have to be some major personnel moves made this off-season.

PatsFans/Logue: A Look at 3rd Downs vs. Steelers

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PatsFans/Logue: A Look at 3rd Downs vs. Steelers

If you were going to point the finger at one solitary thing that lost the Steelers game for the Pats it has to be 3rd down defense in my opinion. If the defense forces just one punt from the ten 3rd downs they allowed to be converted it could’ve made the difference in a one score game.

As Belichick pointed out on WEEI on Monday the Steelers have one of the best 3rd and long offenses in the NFL, so the Pats should’ve been better prepared. I know we’re all feeling pretty dismal about the Pats legitimate Super Bowl hopes but let’s just remember, this is a young defense that is struggling with communication. That is something that will get better over the course of the season. If they’re communicating and have everyone on the same page and still fail to make plays then we can talk further about the talent level.

Ian does a great job in the article and includes some really great pictures to help break it down. Below is the 3rd down I found most maddening,it’s a 3rd and 15 in the 3rd quarter.

Peter King reveals some Patriots nuggets from Michael Holley’s upcoming “War Room”

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Michael Holley’s new book “War Room” will be released next week and Peter King reveals some Patriots nuggets:

• Scouts were ticked off in 2006 that Belichick overrode their reports and picked Laurence Maroney in the first round (apparently on the strong advice of Josh McDaniels’ brother Ben, one of the Maroney’s college coaches) and Chad Jackson in the second round – even after receivers coach Brian Daboll said he didn’t want to coach Jackson.

• After the Boston Herald reported (incorrectly, as it turned out) that the Patriots had taped a Rams practice before the 2002 Super Bowl, Belichick went to his captains and asked if he should address the team about it – just before the Super Bowl they played against the Giants in February 2008. The captains said no, so Belichick didn’t talk to the team about it.

• Defensive keystone Vince Wilfork didn’t like the trade of Mike Vrabel to Kansas City before the 2009 season. “That trade ticks me off. Right now. Still. When I heard about it, I said, ‘What the f— is going on?’ If you want to talk about the Patriot Way, you start with Vrabel.’ ”

• It wasn’t just management that came to dislike free agent signee Adalius Thomas. It was the players. Tedy Bruschi on Thomas: “He started to question a lot of things in meeting. ‘Why are we doing that?’ ‘Why don’t we just do this?’ He stopped buying in on what the coaches thought. He really did think he had all the answers, you know? And that’s what he turned into: the answer man. That’s when I was on my way out and I was glad to get out at that point.”