AFC Championship Preview: Colts vs. Patriots «
Good in-depth preview from Bill Barnwell, who sees Gronk as the biggest key of the game.
Patriots – Ravens 2014 AFC Divisional Game Turning Point Segment
MUST WATCH!!!! NFL Turning Point is without question my favorite NFL show on TV. No one melds NFL Films footage, behind-scenes-access and X-and-O insight better. It’s always a treat when they feature the Patriots. Here’s this week’s segment from the Ravens game.
‘Inside the NFL’: Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots highlights – NFL Videos
2003 AFC Championship: Indianapolis Colts Vs New England Patriots (Instant Classic)
Good memories here, but if you’re waiting for me to post the 2006 AFCCG they’re not coming. Only good vibes this week.
I will say it’s amazing how those two games felt all about Brady/Manning. Just doesn’t feel the same now.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/2003-afc-championship-indianapolis-colts-vs-new-2/
Stop worrying and learn to love the Patriots. | SportsonEarth.com : Will Leitch Article
Stop worrying and learn to love the Patriots. | SportsonEarth.com : Will Leitch Article
Enjoyed this piece from the always good Will Leitch – a big picture take on a team that really has been so fun to hate for so many ever since the tide started to turn against them after winning three of four Super Bowls.
I doubt many are coming back around to like the Pats again and that’s fine. How many teams in history have lost more big stage games than the Pats have? Some may hold this against them (“They haven’t won anything since Spygate”), but that leaves out the obvious fact that their sustained success is unprecedented. They have won something since Spygate – more games and division titles than anyone.
Just because they couldn’t finish it off and win that final game of the season doesn’t change the conversation.
The line between the Pats having won three Super Bowls and having won five is incredibly thin. Both Super Bowls were lost on the final defensive drive. They’re literally two defensive stops of Eli Manning away from five Super Bowl wins.
That’s not much consolation to Patriots fans, but someday in hindsight those Super Bowl and conference championship losses will be closer to feathers in the cap than they are now.
But who cares about the future. The Pats are one game away from going to going to their sixth Super Bowl and there’s still a couple seasons left before we can consider what the legacy of Belichick and Brady will really be.
In the meantime, another Super Bowl win will all but seal the greatest run of dominance the NFL has ever seen. It’s within reach right now.
Belichick marvels at Gronk’s yapping.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/belichick-being-belichick-belichick-marvels-at/
Patriots, Colts and Blitz Rate
Some really interesting numbers from ESPNBoston.com yesterday and I think they’re worth sharing here.
In the Nov. 16 meeting between the teams, Tom Brady faced the blitz on a season-high 53.5 percent of his dropbacks. He was 11-of-16 against the blitz, converting 11 first downs while averaging 11.0 yards per attempt. Brady had the best Total QBR this season (including playoffs) when facing a blitz – 87.6. Protection and receivers getting open quickly has been a big part of that, as he was sacked on only 1.8 percent of his dropbacks when facing a blitz.
In contrast to the Colts, the Patriots have only blitzed on 20.8 percent of opponent dropbacks this season, which is the second lowest rate in the NFL. The team’s blitz rate has dropped nearly every year over a six-season snapshot (including playoffs).
- 2014: 20.8
- 2013: 23.9
- 2012: 24.7
- 2011: 24.7
- 2010: 26.8
- 2009: 39.4
Blitz rate is such a fascinating stat. Some might think you need to blitz more to get more pressure, but more often a high blitz rate signifies problems in your defense, whether they’re in coverage or getting to the QB with only your front four.
So I don’t find it surprising that as the Patriots defense has been rebuilt from 2009, really Year Zero after the turnover from the Dynasty Defense, the blitz rate has dropped.
Now the Patriots have been able to get better, but not really great, pressure from guys like Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich. Of course, it can always be better, but in a perfect world you’d never have to blitz at all.
Now the Pats pick their spots with well-timed slot corner blitzes or with their versatile linebackers Collins and Hightower.
As for the Colts this weekend, I’d expect we won’t see quite as much blitzing against Brady. Rex Ryan’s game plan, that has been consistently effective except for a couple times, has been more about deception and coverage than blitzing.
He’ll overload one side, then bring a blitz from the other. Or show pressure and drop all but two guys into coverage. If the Colts are smart they’ll go that route, because no one is better than picking apart a blitz than Brady, as they should’ve learned in Week 11.