PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

Signing solder to an extension was high on my list going into the season, with him playing subpar so you think they can pay him modestly while trying to keep Mccourty and revis

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That’s kind of the rub, isn’t it? He was seeming like a high-cost re-signing before having this down year. It’s also hard to read how the Cannon extension feeds into that.

I saw some speculation that Cannon is insurance for Solder should he walk. But what if they’re ready to give Cannon a shot at starting? It’s hard to know for sure because as bad as Solder has been this year, I thought Cannon had been even worse.

It’s a level of protection and I’m sure Cannon’s new deal is incredibly incentive-laden. You can’t hate a Vollmer-Cannon-Fleming tackle group. Maybe there’s even an outside chance Vollmer flips to the left side? That might be a stretch but that’s where he played in college. Still, I think he’s one who could start to degrade quickly given his injury history, though he’s had a very solid year after a shaky start.

But yes, I think between Solder’s falling price tag, along with the rollover cap room and extra cap room, the Pats should have the funds to lock up Revis and McCourty.

Last season toward the end of the year we saw breakout games from Blount and Collins. Which players do you see emerging down the stretch for the offense and defense?

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I was really blown away by Siliga’s performance against the Chargers and I think that is in some part why they can consider shutting down Easley for the season. If he can keep that up he could be a beast down the stretch.

I also think we can look for the new guys to make similar jumps (or maybe just have a “breakout” game) like Blount did last year. That group includes Ayers, Branch and Wright to name just a few. What will be most interesting will be how the manage Ayers once Chandler gets back.

I’d also really like to see Jonas Gray get another chance to carry the load for a game. Maybe that has to wait until the division is (hopefully) clinched this weekend, then they’ll give Gray a ton of carries in the last two weeks. But I really like his burst out of the backfield and think it could be useful when the OL looks like they did against the Chargers.

New England Patriots Game Plan: Week 15 vs. Miami Dolphins

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Sunday is a “hat and t-shirt game”, what more is there to say? With the top seed and the AFC East championship on the line, it’s hard to imagine the Patriots won’t be ready to go for this one.

But divisional games are always interesting, because the teams know each other so well. This game is Miami’s season. Plenty of times AFC East opponents have beaten the Belichick-Brady Pats in September on the road, but beating them in December, in Foxboro when we’re down to the nitty gritty of the season, has been near-impossible.

It might be the last shot for this Miami regime.

This is when the Patriots are at their best and nearly unbeatable without a perfect game. Do the Dolphins have a perfect game in them to sweep the season series against the Pats? I’m not so sure.

Here’s the Pats’ gameplan to sew up their 12th AFC East title in the last 14 seasons.

Offensive Game Plan

Miami is the top-ranked team defending passes to tight ends per Football Outsiders’ DVOA. But they haven’t faced the real Gronk yet, so they’ll be put to the test on Sunday. The Patriots want to be a team that can play any kind of a game, and against teams that struggle to stop the run they can be. But let’s be honest with ourselves, the Patriots are best when they’re throwing the ball, with Brady getting it out quickly. 

Against the Chargers they tried to stick with their power run game even when it wasn’t working. There’s no need to try that against an even-better Miami defense. 

Offensively, the Pats should go pass/spread-heavy early to loosen up the front seven. The trio of Edelman/Gronk/LaFell are deadly once they get going. The sooner that happens the better. Then, if they can establish a lead, they can work in Blount and Gray. I’d like to see more Jonas Gray this week especially, but in the second half.

Defensive Game Plan

Jarvis Landry didn’t have a catch in week one against the Patriots, but has since emerged as Tannehill’s go-to target. While Revis was on Mike Wallace then, it might make sense to shift him to Landry now. The Pats also didn’t have Brandon Browner the first time, so the question is does he matchup on the bigger Charles Clay, or the faster Wallace with over-the-top help? The Past used linebackers and safeties on Clay last time.

The discipline of edge players Ninkovich and Ayers (and maybe Chandler Jones) is essential to keeping Tannehill beat them from the pocket. The Pats will also look to test the interior of Miami’s line with their Double A Gap blitz looks. The Dolphins should be a good test for what has become a staple of the Pats’ defensive game plans.

Five Points of Emphasis

1. Protect Brady: Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, because as I’ve said many times, this could effectively be the only key each week. Give Brady time and there’s a very good chance the Pats win. I’m going back to the well on this one because of the problems Miami’s rushers gave New England the first time around.

Granted, that was still in the experimental portion of the season, when our starting guards were Marcus Cannon and Jordan Devey, but the OL hasn’t exactly been lights out as of late. And a poor performance by Nate Solder or Sebastian Vollmer could swing this game heavily in favor of the Dolphins. There might not be a more intriguing matchup that on the edges of the Patriots defense. But all five of them must have their best game of the season.

2. Say Hello to Our New Run Defense: In the first meeting, the Dolphins ran all over the Patriots, piling up 191 yards on the ground. The Pats certainly had their problems stopping the run early in the season, but over the last couple months they’ve settled down. Throw in the fact that Knowshon Moreno is out for the season and the signs seem clear that Miami won’t be able to rely on their running attack to keep the chains moving like they did the first time around. That puts more pressure on Ryan Tannehill to win the game with his arm.

3. Say Hello to Our Fully-Functional Offense: The Patriots had about as bad of second half as a team can have against the Dolphins in Week 1. Rob Gronkowski played just 38 of 86 snaps. Brandon LaFell had zero catches on six targets. Kenbrell Thompkins was tied with Edelman with nine targets for most on the team. So yeah, this is a much different team now, one that shouldn’t have a second half that looks like this:

4. Spy Tannehill: It seems like quarterbacks who can run have given the Patriots defense their biggest problems this year. Pocket passers like Peyton Manning or Phillip Rivers? No problem. Guys who can move like Aarond Rodgers and even Geno Smith, have been able to extend drives against a Patriots front seven who lose contain or an open running lane. Playing quarterbacks like that require the ultimate discipline, with a delicate balance between pass rushing and maintaining lane integrity. Tannehill cannot be allowed to run for first downs on third down. It sounds simple but this will be a challenge.

5. Win: This will be just the fourth AFC East game of the season for the Pats, yet it’s a chance to win the division. That goes to show how poorly the rest of the AFC East has played outside the division. Everyone’s focusing on catching the Patriots, yet it’s always the outside games that doom the Dolphins/Jets/Bills’ seasons. 

The lead in the conference is also just a half game, so there is no margin for error. This is without question the hardest remaining game on the schedule. There’s nothing to hold back for, it’s time for the 2014 Patriots to collect their first championship of the season.