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Certainly in the red zone and third down, where they’ve been most weakened the last two weeks. I mean, Gronk alone has been the most dominant red zone and third down weapon in the NFL the last three seasons, so talk about being exactly what the Hoodie ordered.
There’s no question things will be better once all three of them are back, but in my view, Gronk is the key.
That’s a lot of hypotheticals, but really, if the Pats had gone 19-0 it’s hard to argue that they wouldn’t be the best team of all-time. And really, as it stands, they’re clearly the best team ever to not win the Super Bowl for whatever that counts. So, then they would’ve won 4 out of 7 Super Bowls, including the undisputed greatest team of all-time. That looks pretty good to me to say they’d be the greatest coach-QB combo ever.
Still, I think in the long run the two Super Bowl losses to the Giants are ultimately a positive point in their career discussions, because it comes with playing in eight conference championships, winning six of them. Not to mention both of their Super Bowl losses came on the final drive. That’s a very thin line.
So what does it all mean? I don’t really get too wrapped up in ranking who’s the greatest of all-time whether it’s the team, coaches or players. All I know is that there has never been a better run in NFL history and I’ve enjoyed every moment of it.
A fourth Super Bowl win would really be the perfect way to come full circle, especially considering it would be with just BB/TFB from the 2001 win. That’s pretty amazing when you think about it.
Which I’d actually be okay. In fact that was kind of what I was saying a lot this offseason. Look, the pass defense has been the achilles heel of this team for the past three seasons, and as we saw last year, when they had their best run defense in a decade, that it still didn’t matter much, even against the Ravens who have traditionally been a run-first team.
So I’m really not that concerned about it, but I think part of it is that Spikes was not himself the first two weeks for whatever reason. He can singlehandedly destroy a run game.
We’ll see how it plays out in the coming weeks, but if the pass defense keeps playing well I’m fine if it comes at the expense of the run defense a little bit. But with their defensive line and linebackers I’d expect the run D will still be top-10.
I think we could see him take on even more of a role than he did last week. I’ve made no secret that he’s my favorite back on the roster, no offense to Ridley, I just like how aggressive Bolden runs plus his ability to catch the ball is pretty underrated.
So maybe I’m a little bit biased in his favor, but I’d look to see him get an increased role this week, especially if the Pats aren’t protecting a lead and need to throw the ball a lot.
Chatham: Contain Gonzo to ground Falcons | Boston Herald
This:
The second thing I’ll be watching is the matchup of Jacquizz Rodgers (5-foot-6, 196 pounds) and Jason Snelling (5-11, 234 pounds) vs. the Patriots linebacker group. The Pats have had success in the past couple weeks “hug” rushing on running backs with linebackers. This is often misunderstood as “blitzing,” but it’s simply running toward the man you’re covering and forcing him to declare whether he’s blocking or going out for a route. The trick this week is both backs are sometimes in the backfield together, creating essentially a two-back look where both are run/pass threats. Over aggressiveness in a hug-rush and these backs will call the linebacker’s bluff — feign a block and slip out into the pattern on check-downs or screens uncovered. Both have done this, and are dangerous run-after-the-catch players.
Let’s hear it people, what’s on your mind??
I don’t think it’s been that bad actually. The Jets were tough to run on, but they have a good front. Otherwise the Pats ground game yardage totals vs. the Bills and Bucs would’ve ranked 5th and 6th last season. I think that’s surprisingly good considering the passing game hasn’t been the same threat it was last year to keep defenses from loading up the box and on their heels. Especially with the no-huddle which has essentially disappeared this year.
From Chris Price:
On the year, the Patriots have operated out of a no-huddle on 17 of the 225 plays from scrimmage, a rate of 8 percent. That’s a sizable step down from the last two years when they averaged 25 percent during the regular season.
As for Ridley, I think people were overselling him as the lead back thinking he was going to get the vast majority of the touches. Though I still don’t really get it with LeGarrette Blount, I’m a big Brandon Bolden fan, and it looks like all three backs will get their carries. Yes, it’s the runningback-by-committee and they’ll ride the hot hand.
I think part of the reason for using Blount so much vs. Tampa was because it was his old team and whenever possible BB uses that kind of motivation to his aid.
In trying to restore his authority, Goodell undermined his credibility As strong of an unbiased takedown of the Commish and the NFL that you’ll find written on this whole farce. I mean I know we’re supposed to only count what people who have lost to the Patriots and are now in the media think or […]