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Patriots.com Exclusive: Inside the Patriots locker room after beating Jacksonville
Did you ever get the feeling that Matthew Slater just can’t wait to be 60 years old, sitting out on his front steps giving out advice to all the neighborhood kids? Anyway, can never get enough videos from inside the locker room.
The New England Patriots are off to one of their more impressive starts of recent memory, pounding the Jags and moving to 3-0 as they enter their early bye week of the 2015 season.
The Pats’ often look a little choppy early in the year but this season they’ve come out of the gate picking up right where they left off winning the Super Bowl last season. Now the comparisons to 2007′s 16-0 squad are starting to pour in and I think it’s another case where we need to Ignore the Noise.
A lot can happen over the next four months and I don’t need to tell anyone how the NFL season is as much about attrition as it is about talent. Yes, the Pats have looked like the AFC favorite through three games, but there’s just such a long way to go and so much can happen.
Honestly, 16-0 was exhausting for the the 2007 team and had they broken the pressure with a loss, like one they should’ve lost in Baltimore, it might’ve had them a little fresher once they got to the Super Bowl. Put it this way, we’ve been there, done that with 16-0 and I don’t really have much interest in doing it again. Let’s just worry about homefield advantage in the playoffs and the rest will take care of itself.
On to the Posits…
First, congratulations to Tom Brady on TD pass number 400. I haven’t missed a single game since 2005 so I’ve seen the vast majority of his TDs and I feel lucky as a fan to root for a player who has been so dominant. Now if we can only understand what Danny Amendola was thinking giving the ball away to a random fan. And to think he almost looked ready to launch it into the 300s after he initially scored.
I just don’t know what else to write about Dion Lewis, has there ever been a player who’s kicked around the league and then suddenly looks like the best third down back in football? He’s incredibly slippery and almost always makes the first defender miss. Not to mention he always gets at least two more yards than he should. Such a fun player to watch and if he can stay healthy for all 16 games he’ll be the perfect addition to the Gronk/Edelman aspect of the offense.
One of my bigger concerns (and it wasn’t even a major one yet) was the run defense and I thought they looked a lot better yesterday against the Jags. Simply put, guys were getting off blocks and winning one-on-ones. Encouraging to see them make progress in this area.
Thank Hoodie they benched Bradley Fletcher (it was much deserved), but they also gave Tarrell Brown the day off which meant Logan Ryan saw a lot of snaps and rookie Justin Coleman made his debut. Ryan continued to look up and down as he has throughout his career but Coleman stepped right in and didn’t look out of place in is first action of his career. I’d expect to see him get some time in the slot over Ryan after the bye.
A lot of the lower end guys on the depth chart saw action yesterday and none impressed me more than Jordan Richards who was active and physical in his first extended snaps on defense. I always laugh at those who think the Patriots had a guy rated too high on their board. The simple fact is that a thinking defense like the Patriots’ needs thinking players and sometimes when you merge the two you see a player who is much better than he was in college where itâs more about physical talent.
Dominique Easley was once again flying off the ball but watching live I felt he was almost more effective against the run, though he had his moments against the pass. A strange problem is that sometimes Easley is so fast off the ball it creates creases in the running game and leads to big runs. But can you really tell a guy to not get into the backfield so fast?
Easley has been incorporated in a very useful way, generating disruption on early downs. The Pats used to get killed when teams tried to pass on 1st and 2nd down because their linemen were two gapping and got no pressure. Now they put Easley in there and he offsets that problem. Meanwhile on third down they’re now going with all linebackers to rush the passer. Only thing I wonder is why it took Belichick this long to go pass-rush happy. It should pay dividends.
The picture is a lot clearer to me now as far as the run game goes. The short passing game with Lewis and the slot receivers is now the early-down running game equivalent.
LeGarrette Blount is instead the hammer to bring in once the lead is established. But I don’t think we’ll see a lot of Blount early in games unless the Pats really think the opposition’s run defense stinks.
Malcolm Butler had one bad play yesterday but otherwise continues to look like a top flight NFL cornerback. I kind of enjoy that he keeps making one inconsequential mistake per game that will keep the pressure on him. The job he’s done stepping in as a starter has been remarkable and far above what even the most positive Patriots fans might’ve expected.
Big question right now is what happens to David Andrews once Bryan Stork returns and I’m trying not to spend too much time worrying about it. But I’m very curious to see if Andrews can play some guard after working there a bit this summer. If he can make that switch the Pats suddenly have four very, very good young interior offensive linemen, a spot they badly needed depth in recent seasons.
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New England Patriots Preview and Prediction
My preview and prediction is up on Athlon!
The 2-0 New England Patriots “welcome” the 1-1 Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday at 1pm EST in the last game before their early bye week. Both teams are coming off impressive wins, with the Jaguars knocking off the Patriots’ divisional rival Miami Dolphins.
The Patriots are 14-point favorites, but you can never get too overconfident in September, when the Pats have lost plenty of ugly games to crappy teams over the years, including 2012′s home loss to the Arizona Cardinals. That would be the Cards only road win of the season.
Still, this Patriots team has been clicking right out of the gate, and while they haven’t been perfect, they are healthy and experienced in all the right spots.
Getting to the bye week with a 3-0 record is all that matters, here’s how the Pats can do it.
Gus Bradley comes from the Seattle/Pete Carroll system and the similarities both in players and scheme are immediately evident. Bill Belichick has hit on the pure size of the Jags all week and they should present a physical challenge for the Patriots’ offense.
We only need to look back at the Super Bowl gameplan for a sense of how the Patriots might attack Jacksonville, and once again it’s probably not running the ball into the heart of their defense.
Rather, one of the keys to the offensive Super Bowl gameplan (as we saw in Do Your Job) was to make the defense defend the Patriots’ quickness on crossing routes. Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but yes, it means using guys like Edelman and Amendola underneath and utilizing Gronk on the outside to stretch the defense, especially up the seam as well.
Jared Odrick is disruptive up front, while linebackers Paul Posluszny and Telvin Smith make most of the tackles. But if there’s one player to attack it’s old “friend” Sergio Brown, last seen getting thrown out of the club by Gronk in Indy. Sergio is now playing the Earl Thomas free safety role and guess what? Sergio isn’t Earl and no one knows that better than the Patriots.
Blake Bortles is coming off one of the best games of his career vs. Miami with 273 yards, two touchdowns and, most importantly, no interceptions. Bortles has a stable of big receivers, led by Allen Robinson, one of my favorite Patriots fits coming out in the draft two years ago. Robinson had 155 yards and two touchdowns against the Dolphins in the best game of his career as well.
At 6′3″, 220 Robinson will provide the first size challenge for the Patriots’ cornerbacks, and this is a time where you wish you had someone like Brandon Browner but I digress. Bortles will not hesitate to throw it deep as they had 177 yards deep down the field last weekend. The Patriots struggles against the deep ball over the last five season are well-chronicled, they’ve given up more 20+ passes in that time than anyone else, so expect the Jags to take their shots, ESPECIALLY AGAINST BRADLEY FLETCHER.
TJ Yeldon is a big back who ran well against a very tough Dolphins front, and if there’s one area on defense I’m really not sure about yet it’s the Patriots ability to shut down an opponent’s running game, not that they’ve really made it a point of emphasis yet.
But if I’m the Jags my offensive gameplan is simple: run, run, deep shot. This keeps Tom Brady off the field and will wear down the Patriots’ limited depth at defensive tackle.
So this will be a good game to see how concerned we really should be about the deep ball and the run defense just prior to a week off to address those issues.
1. Do what we do on offense: There’s no need to reinvent the wheel this week. The Patriots know how to beat this scheme and it plays into what they do best, they just have to execute. That means making tough catches over the middle and dictating matchups on Gronk and then exploiting them. While it would be reassuring to see LeGarrette Blount get the power running game going, Dion Lewis should be able to replicate what Shane Vereen did against the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. Go fast. Identify the coverage and blow it apart. It’s the Patriots bread and butter.
2. Stop the Run: I asked this question on the podcast Wednesday night: How essential is stopping the run in today’s NFL? Belichick’s evolution to multiple linebacker hybrid packages signals that keeping up with the athleticism on offense is what he really values most. Still, the Patriots have gotten gashed in both games this season, whether by design or not. Stopping the run is about run fits, getting off blocks and making tackles. Those things are often sloppy early in the season, but now is the time to start putting it together. Keep the Jags backs from getting loose, put the pressure on Bortles to win the game with his arm and things should fall into place.
3. Highpoint the Deep Balls: 2014 was a murderer’s row of talented big wide receivers and that’s why Revis and Browner were so important. This year is less so, but the Jags will provide a challenge because our corners are smaller than their receivers across the board. Getting jams in man coverage, or flipping hips and running down the field in zone will be key this week because Bortles is going to take some shots, again, ESPECIALLY AT BRADLEY FLETCHER. McCourty and Harmon will have to be on their games as well. Nothing would make me happier than not allowing any 20+ yard throws.
4. Come Out Fast: We all know the scenario where this game gets ugly for the Pats. They get out to a slow start with a turnover or by allowing a long scoring drive and suddenly the Jags are in the driver’s seat and we’ve got a dogfight. The Pats cannot allow the Jags to be energized by any early positive plays. They must come out, put the hammer down and show them it’s going to be a long day. And then they have to make it a long day with a 60-minute effort because even with an early lead, it will be tempting to sit back and let the Jags back into it.
5. Win (and don’t get injured): Yes the final point of emphasis has always been “win” in these gameplan articles but now I’ve added the injury part because as we’ve seen early this season so much of the NFL season is a battle of attrition. Could there be a letdown after playing such a hyped game in Buffalo? It’s always possible, but returning home for their first Sunday game of the year has to count for something. This is one of those games you want to just check off the list, but the Jags have been knocking on the door of respectability for a long time now under Gus Bradley, and nothing would put them on the map more than back-to-back wins against the Dolphins and Patriots. Especially the Patriots on the road. Belichick seems to have the Pats focused for this one, and getting to 3-0 before a nice bye week would be perfect.
The PatsPropaganda Football Podcast: 9/23
Recorded a new pod last night, with a special guest cricket in the studio chirping away like a little jerk. Hopefully you can’t hear him, but he certainly threw me off from remembering the name of my favorite show, NFL Turning Point. But lots of fun talk about the first two games and a couple things I’m a bit concerned about. It’s a half hour of me blabbing Pats, enjoy!
Thanks to everyone who entered our NRG Patriots #FanEnergy twitter contest today! Here are four finalists (it wasn’t easy to choose!) and now it’s up to you to vote for who wins two tickets to the Pats-Jags game this weekend!
Check out their #FanEnergy pics below and vote for your favorite by Twitter handle in the poll! Poll closes at 11am EST Thursday so we have time to overnight the tickets to them! Happy voting!!
Win two tickets to the Pats-Jags game this weekend thanks to our partnership with nrgenergy! The rules are simple – post a pic on twitter of yourself decked out in Pats gear showing your #FanEnergy. The more creative and fun the better. I’ll pick a few finalists and then everyone can vote for the winner!
The tweet must use #FanEnergy, #Patriots and you’ve gotta tag me, @PatsPropaganda so I see it. The contest starts now (3pm EST) and ends at 8pm EST, at which time I will pick the finalists.
The winner will be picked Thursday morning at 11am EST and they’ll be sent the tickets to Sunday’s game in Foxborough.
Best of luck to all!!
https://www.patspropaganda.com/patriots-jaguars-ticket-giveaway-win-two-tickets/