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Patriots vs. Vikings All 22 Thoughts: Offense Edition

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Not much doing on the first possession – a three and out. The commitment to establish the run is clear, but they didn’t have much success off the left side of the line on the first two runs.

As mentioned by Greg Bedard last night, on the first pass attempt of the second possession there was just Dobson running a route. Everyone else was blocking. Yes, they’re trying to establish some confidence but yikes.

Cleaner blocking in the run game on the second possession, with nice lead/edge blocks from Hooman and Develin on Ridley’s five yard run.

Edelman fly sweep! Teams are going to figure out how to defend this play pretty quick as almost every NFL team is running them this year it seems.

The WR slip screens haven’t been working well this year so far, and I’d include the RB screens as well. With the heavier and less experienced line this probably shouldn’t be a surprise. But they just can’t seem to get that one block that springs them for a big gain.

Still scratching my head how we’re in the second quarter and we’ve seen about as much Hooman and Develin as Dobson/Amendola/LaFell. For a team that lacked playmakers last year they’re still seemingly avoiding their playmakers.

Still, what a rocket on third-and-15 to Edelman to pick up a much-needed first down. This was one of my Three GIFs plays.

Brady stood in there tough and took the hit to deliver a perfect touchdown lob to Edelman. Great play that he clearly audibled into.

The Pats were stopped short on 3rd-and-1 in the second quarter. The hole was there for a second, but Connolly couldn’t quite make his reach block and that was enough to delay Ridley from squirting through. Harrison Smith also filled and tackled like a force of nature. He’s a good player.

And now it’s the Brady and Edelman show. I expected to see a little more balance this year on offense, that’s for sure. Most puzzling though is how little Vereen was involved in the game plan. He needs to get the ball in space more often.

Really solid run blocking on the last play of the third quarter where Vereen picked up 12 yards. Sustained blocks, good movement and vision from Vereen. More of that please.

Cannon got stunned by the initial punch by the DT and that’s how Brady was sacked in the fourth quarter. It did seem like there was time for him to unload it, but it appeared he was staring down Edelman who was bracketed. See below:

Lastly, All-22 is a much better way to get a good look at the offensive line and I really liked what I saw from Bryan Stork upon further review. Sustains his blocks, shows good strength. Would not be surprised if he starts to see more time. 

Patriots vs. Vikings All 22 Thoughts: Defense Edition

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Thank Hoodie the NFL puts All-22 film up now, it’s really so much better to help understand what kind of coverages and route combinations are being run. And the end zone cam is perfect for seeing gap alignment.

Early on the Pats rotated through odd and even fronts, running primarily Cover 1 Robber, with Chung in the box. Essentially the Pats traded Steve Gregory for Chung. Chung might get pulled off the field in coverage packages, but he’s definitely a better presence for the “Robber” spot that the Pats play a lot of. So far his weaknesses have been well-hidden.

One Chandler Jones’ 2nd quarter sack it was a great example of team defense. Jones got an initial hand on Cassel, though he probably had enough time to dump it off had the coverage not been perfect. Siliga came through on a stunt and destroyed the pocket. That’s when Jones finished him off.

On Revis’ interception he did the proverbial “ran the route better than the receiver”. His perfect outside leverage prevented the receiver from breaking out of his cut, from there Revis just sprinted right to where the ball was delivered and there was nothing Jennings could do.

Remarkable that even without Browner and Dennard the defense was still able to play a lot of press man. They slipped in some off-man as well, but Press Cover 1 Robber was the coverage of choice.

On third-and-three in the second quarter we saw some zone coverage with two deep, Mayo in the deep middle, four underneath defenders waiting to pounce on the underneath pass. It worked perfectly.

For all the talk of Hightower’s improved pass rush, dropping him into short zones eliminated the underneath passes that gashed the defense on the first drive. Hightower moves better in space than he’s gotten credit for.

Seemed like Ebner was the dime linebacker while Wilson was just the base strong safety to give Chung a breather. Interesting how they’re rotating a deep group of safeties.

Such a smooth Revis-esque play by Logan Ryan to undercut Patterson’s route on his interception. Cassel shouldn’t have tried that throw but there wasn’t anywhere else to go with it. That’s one thing sticking out with the All-22 – just how good the coverage is across the board.

Pats sent 6 rushers on Dont’a Hightower’s third quarter sack from their dime package. Man-to-man coverage was perfect behind it.

Easley was used entirely inside as a pass rusher, just like he should be. He showed good explosion and violence early on but I think he seemed to run out of gas in the fourth quarter. Understandable considering how he saw no game time in the preseason.

Kyle Arrington’s blitz from the slot was well-timed. I thought the Pats did some experimentation being a little more aggresive. PFF had them blitzing on 10 of 44 snaps which is on the high end for BB.

Three GIFs that defined Patriots win over Vikings

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Sticking with the positive this week with three plays that really stood out to me as game-defining. Could’ve put any number of the penalties in GIF form but that would feel like a waste, even though those really defined the game.

You’ll also notice I didn’t use the Chandler Jones field goal block because that one has already been GIFfed and everyone is well aware of what a huge play that was.

First, we start with Devin McCourty’s interception, a play that might been the unofficial start of the Patriots actually playing football this season. Things didn’t look good on the first drive for either side of the ball. Then, after a nice punt from Ryan Allen, McCourty makes this great play on the ball.

photo mcourtypick_zps3dcddc47.gif

There were a few throws of Brady’s that stood out (and weren’t nullified by penalties), but this one was just a much-needed strike. With the Vikes poised to get good field position of a punt, Brady threaded the needle on third-and-14 to pick up the first down en route to taking a 10 point lead. 

photo bradythird_zps8ab92403.gif

No defender has been more impressive for the Pats this season than Dont’a Hightower. Hightower has been used more in a pass rushing role at times and he’s delivered with good pressure. He’s just so strong he can over power running backs trying to block him, but also get underneath a tackle like he does here. This sack effectively sealed any chance of a comeback from happening.

photo HighSack_zpsc58028ee.gif

Personnel

Sub: 45 of 68 (32 nickel, 13 dime) 
Base: 22 of 68 
Heavy/short-yardage: 1 of 68 

2 WR/2 TE/1 RB – 26 of 67 
3 WR/1 TE/1 RB – 21 of 67 
1 WR/2 TE/1 FB/1 RB – 12 of 67 
2 WR/1 TE/1 FB/1 RB – 5 of 67 
3 TE/1 FB/1 RB – 2 of 67 
3 WR/1 FB/1 RB – 1 of 67 

Previous Three GIFs:

@ Miami Dolphins

Pats Posits: Notes on the Patriots-Vikings Rewatch

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The New England Patriots bounced back on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings to even their record at 1-1. It was still an ugly affair – with the Pats getting called for a whopping 15 penalties for 163 yards.

The general NFL sentiment and betting expectations were not favorable to the Patriots after their opening weekend loss, but with big games just around the corner, including a Monday Night Football matchup in Kansas City on the horizon, the Pats look to be coming into form. You can read more on the best NFL news here.

It’s always better to take a second, emotion-less look at the game before going to the All-22 film. I finished this game feeling a great sense of “what if”.

What happens when this offense cuts their excessive penalties? They will be tough to stop. And the defense looks like they are starting to find their stride and that’s a good thing – the season is about to get very real, very soon.

Here are my observations on the rewatch.

Hard for the penalties not to be the first thing that jumped out immediately. So many positive plays and momentum were killed by flags. Just unprecedented and I’m not sure why the Patriots are the worst team in the NFL right now in penalties. They just have to be better and the results should really make a huge difference.

Packages:

Standard

  • Ninkovich-Wilfork-Siliga-Chandler
  • Hightower-Mayo-Skinner

34

  • Wilfork-Siliga-Chris Jones

Nickel/Dime Combos

  • Easley/Jones inside, Easley only in dime.

Easley over center, best spot for him to use his quickness/disruption. Really like combining him and Chris Jones inside, that’s the pass rush interior front I’ve been waiting for a long time.

Start of second quarter – did they send McCourty on a blitz? Seemed like there were a few DB blitzes in this one. Not usually a big tenet of the defense.

Second drive went to double nose with Wilfork/Siliga two-gapping inside and letting Ninkovich/Chandler deal with the edges. This might not be the best interior pass rush package, but it’s probably the most balanced and effective early down package unless it’s one of the better passing offenses. Then I think you work Chris Jones and Easley more into the early down rotation.

With Fleming as blocking TE, Cannon/Devey at G, the Pats were essentially running a 5 tackle offensive line. Hopefully that kind of size can make a difference.

After first drive the Pats started dropping Ninkovich and Hightower (edges) into short zones that would allow them to come downhill and nail any crossing routes.

Third-and-three with time winding down in the second quarter, the Pats send the blitz but Cassel gets it off. Worth taking a closer look at this one on A22. They were spinning the dial a bit on defense.

Tackling and getting off blocks were so much better than last week. That made such a difference and allowed them to overcome the penalties.

Stephen Gostkowski is such an unsung story. To replace Vinatieri as seamlessly as he did is pretty impressive. Now he’s reached that level we had with Vinatieri where you pretty much expect to make every kick and an occasional miss is forgivable.

The defense really settled in during the second half, likely because Minnesota was in a hole. Their physicality and aggressiveness really stood out.

Logan Ryan is such a smooth corner, even when he allows a catch he seems to be right there and immediately makes the tackle. His interception was just the perfect undercut of the route.

Offense still looked sloppy and couldn’t get out of their own way. They’re going to put it all together, probably this weekend, and when they do expect a 2007-ish explosion.

Despite that, Tom Brady was really starting to step into his throws with great accuracy. Second-and-10 pass to Edelman in the third quarter showed how much arm Brady has left. Those are the throws that indicate to me that he’s feeling comfortable with the protection. He wasn’t stepping into them last week.

The thought of Brandon Bolden being the lead back for a full game scares me. I would love to see James White start to eat into Bolden’s limited carries. The rookie just needs to work on pass protection I’m sure, that’s the hardest thing for a rookie RB.

The only sack of the game is mostly on Cannon. I thought Brady had enough time to get the ball out, but the coverage was solid. Cannon was stunned by a good initial punch and that allowed the DL to get by him.

Not enough push from Devey and Stork on Brady’s failed 4th quarter sneak attempt. Good to get Stork’s feet wet though.

Great athletic play by Easley on his interception. He might not’ve gotten any sacks but he’s a handful inside. As he learns to be a better pass rusher in the pros, his production will only go up. He knows how to use his hands that’s for sure.

Not to oversimplify anything, but just eliminate the penalties and I think we’ll be amazed by how good this Patriots team can be. Hard to have any momentum on offense with that many penalties. And I really can’t wait to see this defense go up against a quality passing offense.

I’ll take a look at the All-22 tomorrow to take a closer look at coverages and schemes.

Snap Judgement: Patriots show life in gifted Vikings victory

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The 2014 Patriots have one in the win column and now seem on track to get their season going. Getting Oakland for their home opener is almost as big a gift as the win over the Vikings was.

Don’t get me wrong, defensively the Patriots had as solid a game as we’ve seen around here in a while. Still, it was a formula that the Pats have won a lot of games with – takeaways. 

Four interceptions, five punts and one blocked field goal should have this defense feeling good. But how much is a by-product of no Adrian Peterson and Matt Cassel at quarterback?

We’ll find out for sure after Alex Smith and Andy Dalton, and that’s just the start of it. There are a lot of high-powered offenses coming down the pike.

Schematically, I really liked what the Pats did on defense. They settled into two different main groupings – a 25 hybrid with WIlfork and Siliga, and a pass rush front featuring Easley and Jones.

They got solid play out of both groupings. They tackled better. The playmakers made plays, with McCourty providing the spark.

The pass rush seemed fairly disruptive, with Chandler and Hightower leading the way. Hightower looked comfortable dropping into a short zone then laying the lumber when a receiver caught an underneath route.

Just amazed at how Wilfork has come back. The presence of Easley and Jones allows them to take Wilfork off the field. This is vital.

I didn’t come away feeling nearly as positive about the offense. They showed flashes and the blocking was certainly better, but they were far from dominant or even consistent.

They wanted to establish the run and they did. That opened up the passing game a bit.

But considering the help they got from the defense, the offense is still a work in progress. Dobson had a nice catch to open the game and then it slipped into Edelman/Gronk only.

Really liked how Ridley ran, he was just exploding out of the backfield.

Overall I think we’re just scratching the surface of this edition of the Pats. Hightower and Chandler are elevating their play in their third seasons and becoming the core playmakers of the defense.

Say what you will about the offensive line transition, but they are bigger inside than they’ve ever been now. The question is whether this size can translate to protection against the better pass rushing interiors?

Looking forward to going back and taking a closer look tomorrow but this was a strong first win of the season.

New England Patriots Gameplan: Week 2 at Minnesota Vikings

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We’re finally on to Week 2, putting the ugly season-opening loss to Miami behind us! The Minnesota Vikings provide just the right kind of tough challenges the Patriots need to face to prove they’re not the team that laid a major egg on the road in Miami last week.

Here’s our game plan!

Offensive Strategy

The Patriots offense was disjointed but effective in the first half against Miami. But it was too reminiscent of last year’s offense that was completely reliant on Edelman and Vereen. Amendola and LaFell were mostly invisible and Brady got locked onto Gronk a little too much. It’s understandable he’d want to get Gronk involved early and often to get back up to game speed, but Gronk’s progress back to normal isn’t going to happen over night. 

The important pieces are Kenbrell Thompkins and hopefully Aaron Dobson. Thompkins flashed a lot of potential this offseason once again, but wasn’t much of a factor against the Dolphins. If Dobson can return and Thompkins can start to make some significant plays, the Pats offense can stop being so one-dimensional with Edelman/Vereen.

This week the Pats have to spread the ball around and when the playmakers have the ball in their hands they have to make plays. 

Defensive Strategy

(Update 9/12 afternoon – Adrian Peterson is no longer playing due to his indictment for reckless or negligent injury to a child). Not having to face the best running back in the game is helpful for the Pats run defense, it’s just a shame why he won’t be playing regardless. 

Cordarrelle Patterson now becomes the primary focus for the Pats’ defense.

The trio of Alfonzo Dennard, Devin McCourty and Darrelle Revis will have their work cut out for them, especially when coming down to contain the inevitable end-arounds the Vikes will run.

Upfront the Pats might want to lean on Wilfork and Siliga in the middle. A return to the double nose 4-3 makes the most sense to me (see below), especially if Jamie Collins is limited or out.

The rotation between Chung and Harmon at safety is one interesting area to watch. Chung is effective in the box but now without Peterson it might make sense to load the back end. The deep pass defense has been an issue in recent years. We assume they’ve been fixed with Revis in the fold, but now it’s time to prove it.

Points of Emphasis

1. Tackle: How different last week’s outcome could’ve been if the Pats had missed just a few less tackles. It might’ve been just a six-point game as Brady got the ball back, setting up a chance to win the game on the final drive, something he’s certainly capable of. It’s little surprise that tackling was so sloppy with the new rules in training camp, but it’s no excuse, they have to be better. Simply wrapping up and making the plays they’re in position to make will make a world of difference this week for the defense.

2. Do Your Job: Too many mistakes were made last week with guys trying to compensate for mistakes and it could be easy to get rattled after the results were so ugly. Players on both sides of the ball must play within the system and within themselves and not try to do too much. Focusing on this kind of thinking is what can get the team back on track playing clean and complimentary football. 

3. Back to the Double Nose: With Jamie Collins limited on Thursday and missing practice on Friday, there’s  chance the Pats could be short a linebacker this weekend. There are worse games he could miss. I think the best combo upfront would be Wilfork and Siliga inside, with Chandler and Ninkovich at defensive end, returning to the “double nose” defense of the past couple seasons.

If Chris Jones can get back that would be a big boost. Darius Fleming could be thrust into the fire at SLB if Collins is out, but sliding Hightower to MLB and Mayo to WLB might maximize both their effectiveness in the run game.

4. Block: Belichick said Mike Zimmer might just zerox his gameplan from last season when his Bengals defense held the Patriots to just 1-for-13 on third down. The Bengals had back-to-back third down sacks on the Pats first two possessions of the game and that set the tone. Per PFF, they blitzed 14 of 42 snaps, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you have Geno Atkins (which the Vikings do not) it certainly helps. 

There’s no question the Pats protection struggled last week and even when they did get everyone blocked it looked far from smooth. Maybe it was the rotation, maybe it was just early-season jitters, but the Patriots offense has to get it together this week.

5. Win: As always, all that matters is getting that first win of the season. Even with a second loss it’s not time to panic, but this Patriots team needs to find themselves sooner than later. There wasn’t a lot to feel good about after last week’s second half, but there’s a huge opportunity to right the ship this week. Mike Zimmer’s defense had their way with the Pats last year. Overcoming these elements on the road will plant a lot of confidence in the 2014 Pats and put them on track for the kind of season we all expect out of them.

Patriots vs. Dolphins All-22 Thoughts: Offense Edition

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I’m going to break this down by the first and second half because after re-watching the first half I found myself reminded of how good I felt about things.

Were there protection issues? Sure, especially whenever Sebastian Vollmer had to block Cameron Wake without help. I’m not sure what’s up with Vollmer. Is he rusty? Or is he breaking down? He looked a lot stiffer than I remember, but still credit to Wake. He’s a beast and had his way with Vollmer.

Otherwise Brady had time and the offense moved the ball. The protection was sloppy but effective. They found an early rhythm with the three-step passing game.

I can recall three incomplete deep passes from Brady, a statistical point of contention this week, but one was really a throw away and two others were shots to the end zone where the coverage was solid. Can’t blame him for taking those.

In the first half I didn’t notice a discernible difference between the offensive line rotation. Even Devey didn’t look that bad. Was it the smooth operation we’re used to seeing? Not yet, but like I said, it was effective and Brady had time to make throws.

Drives of 13-plays, 80 yards and 11-plays, 94 yards made this certainly look like the Patriots offense we’re used to seeing. But apparently that team never came out of the locker room.

Second Half

 Okay, now there was the ugliness I remember. The turning point was clearly on Brady’s fumble during their first possession of the second half. From there everything just seemed to fall apart.

All the OL had their issues, with Devey and Cannon both getting smoked in one-on-ones that caused Brady to get sacked. Another sack was due to coverage. 

There were also some misreads it seems by Brady where he and the intended receiver didn’t seem on the same page. Agree with Greg Bedard’s observation that the deep ball to Edelman that went incomplete was on Edelman. He should’ve gone upfield.

Credit to the Miami linebacker who stuck with Shane Vereen on his patented wheel route and forced an incompletion.

I used to like Brandon Bolden but I think he’s uber average now. He gets what’s there for him and not a yard more.

It looked to me like LaFell tried to dip his shoulder to avoid contact on his penalty but that ended up with his shoulder in the defender’s head. Right call, but not intentional.

Losing their rhythm at the start of the 3rd quarter set the tone and they could never get it back for more than a play or two. They couldn’t string anything together.

I finished the game feeling like it was there for the taking but the Pats were just too on their heels to take it. It was as if each guy took turns making a costly mistake and the sum of those small parts added up.