PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

After seeing the steady progress and development of the rookie WR’s during the first few games, it was both shocking and depressing to see how flat the offense was against Cinci. How much of that can you blame on a good defense (this was the same team that beat Green Bay) vs. the players not making plays (when they were coming along better)? How much fault, if any, should we put in Brady’s hands? And will the Pats actually try to RUN the ball against the Saints, like they NEED to do to win?

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You touch on solid points and I think all are partially true. Look, anyone who has ever played sports can probably tell you there are certain games where you just don’t have it. You’ll lose to a crappy team, much less a good team on the road.

Here are three simple explanations:

  1. The Bengals have the exact formula known to give Brady problems. They can get pressure with their front four and have a beast in the middle who can push the pocket. This is Giants vs. Patriots Gameplan 101. It also helped that the Bengals offense played conservatively and limited their mistakes. Even still the Pats had their chances. 
  2. The whole offense was flat and the rookie WRs played like deer in headlights. Danny Amendola was back, but was still being managed to the point where he wasn’t a focal point of the offense. I think if you put Vereen and Ridley in this game and it’s likely a Patriots win. 
  3. Brady played bad too. It happens. But again, I see it all as interconnected, and from the second play of the game we saw it coming. Brady gets sacked before he even knows what’s happening and that just set the tone for the rest of the day.

So, the good news is that this was just the fifth game of the season. The Patriots have better football in them and with the return of Amendola last weekend, and Gronk this weekend, the great return to health has begun, at least on offense. Things will get better quickly now. Or at least they should and that’s what I’m expecting.

And you’re right, it starts with the running game. Losing Vereen was a killer, but they should only have to weather four more games without him. Once they can lean on the ground game and get their explosiveness there back, it should open things up and make it easier on the passing game.

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Week 5 Patriots DVOA Rankings

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FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Week 5 Patriots DVOA Rankings

Overall: 12th (last week – 7th)

Offense: 22nd (Pass 18th, Rush 21) (Last week – 15th (Pass 10th, Rush 20th))

Defense: 14th (vs. Pass 13th, vs. Run 20th) (Last week -14th (vs. Pass 11th, vs. Rush 18th))

  • vs. #1 WR: 11th (last week – 3rd)
  • vs. #2 WR: 31st (last week – 31st)
  • vs. Other WR: 15th (last week – 9th)
  • vs. TE: 9th (last week – 15th)
  • vs. RB: 8th (last week – 10th)

Special Teams: 3rd (last week – 4th)

there is no way the pats can beat the saints right?

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Certainly not if they play like they did against the Bengals, but I’m sure they’ll be better. Gronk will help and last week’s loss should light a much-needed fire under them during practices this week.

As I’ve said, last week was a half-step back, but I don’t think it’s crazy to imagine two steps forward this week with Ridley/Gronk/Amendola all playing. 

The Saints are going to be a great test, but a loss is not the end of the world even if lots of pundits will tell you it is. The Pats have lost two in a row in three of the last four seasons, with 2010 being the only exception. They still righted the ship, at least in 2011 and 2012.

This will be a true test for the defense and a chance for them to prove they really are elite. So let’s try to enjoy facing a strong opponent and finding out a little more about the 2013 Pats.

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It’s always incredibly difficult to anticipate the moves of Bill Belichick as a general manager. I will say this: There comes a point when Bill Belichick the coach comes to a conclusion – a conclusion on a player or a positional unit. If these rookie WRs continue to struggle through the holidays (e.g. Halloween, Thanksgiving), he will come to the conclusion they just don’t have it. When he will make a move, you just don’t know, but he will do something about it.

Chat: Chat with Tedy Bruschi – SportsNation – ESPN Boston

https://www.patspropaganda.com/its-always-incredibly-difficult-to-anticipate-the/

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https://www.patspropaganda.com/9834/

Bill Belichick Press Conference Transcript

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Bill Belichick Press Conference Transcript

I think they’re definitely a hard team to prepare for. He does a good job. He doesn’t have a million plays, he’s got a lot of very aggressive concepts and he does them a lot differently with a lot of different personnel groups, different formations so it doesn’t look the same but it’s the same concept, same type of attack but it shows in a lot of different ways. You have a lot of different things to defend. He runs the ball inside, he runs it outside a lot, they attack the width of the field and they certainly attack the depth of the field. They run vertical routes, they run deep seam routes, they run check-downs and screens and those types of patterns too. You have to defend from sideline to sideline; you have to defend from the line of scrimmage really to pretty much the back end line. That’s a lot of space defensively to account for but that’s basically their attack. They can throw one over your head or they can throw a check down to [Darren] Sproles and he can run for 30 yards or a screen to [Pierre] Thomas and he can run for 30 yards. It’s not all posts and bombs, it’s everything. They do a good job of spacing the field, [Drew] Brees does a good job of getting it to those playmakers and those guys do a good job of making plays. You have to defend everything. That’s hard. You have to defend each guy and each part of the field and it’s a lot to defend.