An Independent Patriots Blog
During the New England Patriots – Denver Broncos showdown Grownkowski was able to make an unbelievable play that even left Tom Brady stunned.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/houndsports-video-tom-brady-was-micd-up-last/
Rob Gronkowski may be the most indispensable non-quarterback in football. With him on the field, the Patriots offense has been dominant since the second half of the 2010 season. Without him, the offense has sometimes stagnated. This season, slowing Gronkowski down and slowing the Patriots offense down have been basically the same thing.
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If the Patriots can keep the injury roulette wheel spinning their way, they will have a lethal pass offense to combine with their newly stifling pass defense, a combination that will be hard to beat. That might be the most important “if” of the NFL season.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/rob-gronkowski-may-be-the-most-indispensable/
Good question, the bye week is always a good time to self-reflect a little bit. Here are some areas of question that remain for me.
1. How does the defensive front seven stack up now with injuries, guys returning from injury and the new additions? Siliga can start practicing shortly and is eligible to return after Detroit. How does he stack up rotationally with Alan Branch and Casey Walker?
Similarly, is Akeem Ayers ready to be the every-down defensive end replacement for Chandler Jones? Or was that a Broncos-specific thing? Could Alan Branch be used at DE for run-stopping or a more traditional 34 look? How about Easley? Then there’s Casillas. Can he find a role in the defense?
All these guys need to be further evaluated to find how to best employ them.
2. Develop the Running Game. I’m still not convinced the Pats can run and pick up those gotta-have-it short yards in critical moments. Jonas Grey runs hard, and Shane Vereen has his moments, but continuing to develop the running game is critical as the weather gets worse.
3. Involve Wright/Amendola (Dobson?) more. Teams are going to study what the Pats are doing with LaFell-Edelman-Gronk and do their best to stop it. The way to stay ahead of the curve is to continue to get guys like Wright and Amendola involved in new ways.
Otherwise it seems like the OL and secondary have found what works for now. Dennard is one interesting guy who I kind of like having in our back pocket. He’s presumably developing at slot corner still and has been bumped by Browner, but he’s got to be the best healthy scratch corner in BB’s history. I still think there’s a role for him to play.
Defensively the Patriots had a sound plan as well. They were very multiple in this game. The Patriots played nickel on every passing snap, with 59 percent man coverage and 41 percent zone coverage. They were very multiple within the man coverage concepts too, switching up coverages the whole game. They played just one snap of “two shell” with two deep safeties the whole game. It was mostly either man coverage or “Cover 3” zone.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/defensively-the-patriots-had-a-sound-plan-as-well/
A lot of hard choices were made this week when choosing the three GIFs that defined this big win. What about Edelman’s punt return for TD? What about Gronk’s ridiculous catch? What about Ayer’s third down sack?
All of those were impressive plays, and while I think Edelman’s punt return should certainly be in there, I felt these three really were the ones that cemented the game in the Patriots’ favor.
First, we have Ninkovich’s interception which has been broken down all over the internet the last two days. When you look back at the classic Manning vs. Patriots defense games, this interception fits right in. This pick was one of those instant messages that the Patriots were fooling Manning, at least early on, with their coverage schemes. They’d take the lead for good four plays later on a touchdown pass to Edelman.
There’s nothing like extending a lead from 13 points to 20 points just before halftime. Of course, you always need touchdowns vs. Manning, but to pull out a touchdown on third down in the final seconds of the half, was a huge boost to a team that was already rolling. Of course it helps when three defenders follow Gronk, leaving Vereen wide open.
If the Broncos get a touchdown here on their second drive of the second half, things would’ve gotten interesting in a hurry. On their first possession they drive right through the Pats on a six-play, 57-yard touchdown drive. Instead McCourty delivers a knockout blow to Welker’s back and Browner was there to grab the ball as Welker coughed it up. The Pats would score a touchdown on the next play and the blowout was on.
Previous Three GIFs:
