If you like a little deeper insight into offensive football I suggest you drop what you’re doing and click here to see Mike Mayock show you what makes the Patriots so hard to defend.
My Hero
Inside the NFL: Patriots – Bears
New pictures lining the halls of Gillette…
https://www.patspropaganda.com/new-pictures-lining-the-halls-of-gillette/
Matt Light Appreciation Post
Offensive lineman often go unnoticed until they have a bad game but today I’d like to take a second to throw some love at Matt Light. Since becoming the regular starter in 2001 Light has only missed 18 total games. That’s 13 in 2005 and 5 in 2009. Pretty impressive when you consider he’s often facing the other teams best pass rusher and he’s always right in the trenches.
You also have to love Light’s good nature off the field. He’s funny and has that hillbilly charm that makes him seem like the Patriot you’d most want to split a few pitchers with.
When you look around the rest of the league you can find many teams struggling to find that all-important left tackle piece. Some fans love to get on Light’s case if gives up a sack, or say that Sebastian Vollmer should take his job, but they ignore the fact that Light has been protecting Tom Brady’s blindside his entire career and has been a huge part of all the games won and touchdowns thrown. Show me a left tackle that plays ten seasons and never gives up a sack.
Not to mention how well he’s able to move in space and block on the screen passes that the Patriots love to run. He’s been an essential part of the Patriots success both on the field and off it, and never gets any of the credit he deserves.
So this post is for you, Matt Light. Thanks for the decade of work!
In their two losses (Jets/Browns) and their overtime win over the Ravens the Patriots had 0 takeaways. In their other ten wins they had 20.
Greg Bedard via Twitter
https://www.patspropaganda.com/in-their-two-losses-jetsbrowns-and-their/
Patriots Defense 8th in Bendability, Low 20s in Everything Else
The favorite quote mentioned by Patriots fans when people bag on our defense is that it’s a “bend don’t break” style. So yeah, we give up a lot of yards and first downs (i.e. the bend part which feels like we’re getting bent over and violated) before buttoning up when it counts most and holding teams to field goals or no points.
Cold Hard Football Facts has the Pats at 8th overall in Bendability which is just about the only stat I can find out there that gives any sort of a warm, fuzzy feeling about the defense. Even when you look at red zone defense, which should probably also be pretty good if you’re not “breaking”, the Pats are ranked 24th.
Everywhere else you look at stats for the Pats D and they’re not good. The closest thing I can find where they aren’t in the 20s is Defensive Passer Rating where they’re ranked 19th.
In their all-important Defensive Hog index, which CHFF says is the best stat to predict Super Bowl success, the Pats are ranked 27th.
So yes, I know stats are for losers, and the numbers have been getting better over the past few weeks, but let’s not start planning the Super Bowl parade just yet.
Tom Brady Interview 12/15
Here’s TFB keeping it on the level today. They know there’s still much work to be done and improvement to be made.