FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Word of Muth: Crashing the Nickel

Great breakdown of how the Pats ran wild on the Bills, with awesome all-22 screen shots.

I’m sure it wasn’t a coincidence that the Bills defenders that had the best chance to stop the Patriots running game (I only diagrammed two plays but there were probably eight more plays in the same vein) were defensive backs. That’s what game planning is all about: you find areas where you can get the defense into something predictable. In this case, the Patriots knew that if the Bills were in nickel personnel, New England could line up in Strong formations and get defensive backs in a position to be exploited. Once you know what look you are going to get, you can pick the plays with the best chance of succeeding.