Nice writeup from James Christensen, showing how the Pats got mixed up in coverage against the Texans on a couple big plays. Obviously, man defense is a lot easier to play than zone while trying to recognize routes. Once Dennard is back (and he was at practice today), they’ll be able to go back to primarily using man, the defense they’ve excelled in this season.
I was there for five years,” Belichick said. “It was five important years in my life, for myself, my family and all that. Obviously, we’ve all moved on, and I have a job to do here and that’s where my loyalty is, is to Robert (Kraft), the Patriots organization and this football team. So it’s no different than how I feel, honestly, about the Colts, or the Lions or the Broncos. I feel differently about the Jets. We won’t put them in that category.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/i-was-there-for-five-years-belichick-said-it/
Patriots Take 2: Tom Brady shredded Wade Phillips blitz in shootout – Going Deep – Boston.com
Patriots Take 2: Tom Brady shredded Wade Phillips blitz in shootout – Going Deep – Boston.com
Good stuff as always from Frenz (we’ll be back with a podcast tomorrow)…
Despite all their changes and injuries on defense, the Patriots have used 186 unique lineup combinations on defense, which is actually the 11th-fewest in the NFL. However, they’ve fielded 11 different starting units on defense, tied with the Chicago Bears and San Diego Chargers for the second-most different combinations.
Patriots were fortunate to hold on in Texas – Sports – The Boston Globe
Patriots were fortunate to hold on in Texas – Sports – The Boston Globe
It’s not getting much mention yet this week, but the Pats o-line is certainly starting to string together a good stretch of games. Especially the interior guys, who were inconsistent early this season.
Center Ryan Wendell and right guard Dan Connolly had a little trouble at times, but the offensive line was excellent overall in pass protection, allowing only one sack in 42 passing plays. We counted 16 Houston blitzes, and Watt seemed to twist or stunt on every single play. But the five offensive linemen worked well together, correctly handled their assignments, and kept Tom Brady clean for most of the game. Nate Solder had a really nice bounce-back game after allowing two sacks to the Broncos’ Von Miller. Logan Mankins had another nice game, but did miss a block that would’ve sprung Vereen for a big gain on a screen pass.
Grading the Patriots vs. Texans: Halftime adjustments key New England win | masslive.com
Grading the Patriots vs. Texans: Halftime adjustments key New England win | masslive.com
The All-22 film reviews are pouring in this morning. Good stuff from all the beat guys and I try to pick out nuggets that stood out to me in my own watching of it. Here’s one from Nick Underhill…
One negative about the switch to more 3-4 looks: Rob Ninkovich and Chandler Jones are often forced to drop into coverage. Ninkovich dropped back into coveage 10 times Sunday, while Chandler Jones dropped back five times. If it’s about getting the best 11 men on the field and putting them in a position to succeed, a 4-3 look with Chandler Jones and Ninkovich as the ends and either Jamie Collins or Dane Fletcher essentially taking the place of one of the defensive linemen may be a stronger front.
FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Week 13 DVOA Ratings
FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Week 13 DVOA Ratings
Here’s the Week 13 DVOA ratings and they point out what we all know:
You can see how the Patriots have completely turned things around to become the same team they’ve been the last few years. The offense is awesome again, and the defense, now riddled with injuries, is once again below average. The special teams, as always, are excellent.
From Weeks 1-8:
- Offense 18th
- Defense 11th
- Special Teams: 2nd
From Weeks 9-13
- Offense: 2nd
- Defense: 21st
- Special Teams: 9th
Still, I think if you looked specifically at the defensive breakdown, it wouldn’t be the same old “great against the run, can’t stop any legit passing attack” we’ve seen the last three seasons. Now it’s the opposite, and we’ll see if that makes any difference in the post season.
The overall season DVOA ratings:
Overall: 5th
Offense: 6th
- Pass: 8th
- Run: 9th
Defense: 16th
- vs. Run: 31st
- vs. Pass: 9th
- vs. #1 WR: 7th
- vs. #2 WR: 30th
- vs. Other WR: 17th
- vs. TE: 10th
- vs. RB: 10th
Special Teams: 4th
When you have two challenges, I don’t see anything wrong with the concept of ‘you can challenge any two plays that you want,’” Belichick said. “I understand that judgment calls are judgment calls, but to say that an important play can’t be reviewed, I don’t think that’s really in the spirit of trying to get everything right and making sure the most important plays are officiated properly.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/when-you-have-two-challenges-i-dont-see/