PatsPropaganda

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“I do think Josh can have an impact on this game this weekend. Not in terms of his knowledge of Tim Tebow, but more in terms of his knowledge of Denver’s defensive players, and the players in general,” said Mangini, who is currently working as an analyst for ESPN. “Because as a coach, your whole job is to help players improve on their weaknesses. And to try to get them to play better based on trends, but more importantly to take care of those weaknesses. “In this situation, Josh can sit down with Tom (Brady) and say, ‘OK, these are the issues the guys in the secondary have. These are the issues the linebackers or defensive linemen have.’ That’s where I think his biggest impact is going to be.”

It Is What It Is » Eric Mangini: Josh McDaniels will ‘have an impact’ on Saturday night against Denver

https://www.patspropaganda.com/i-do-think-josh-can-have-an-impact-on-this-game/

NFL Weekend Picks

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I’m really bucking the usual PatsPropaganda modus operandi today by making my picks for who will win this weekend, but this is probably the best football watching weekend of the entire year so I feel obligated.

We’ll include both the line and outright winner in case anybody wants to do some mobile NFL betting.

New Orleans (-4) @ San Francisco

I’m taking the Saints both to cover and to win. Maybe in the olden days where “defenses win championships” still applied I’d see the 49ers having a chance, but it’s now a quarterback league and nobody’s playing better than Drew Brees. Alex Smith and Frank Gore would have to play the games of their lives to keep this one close.

Denver @ New England (-13.5)

What kind of a homer blogger would I be if I ever picked against the Patriots in a prediction of any kind? Patriots win and cover. The ingredients for a blowout are all there. Doesn’t mean it will happen, but there’s a very good chance Pats win by 17ish.

Houston @ Baltimore (-7.5)

This one should be close, but I’ll give the Ravens the slight edge because I think their defense and quarterback are a touch better and they’re at home. The Texans should be able to contain Ray Rice with the speed that they have on defense, especially with Brian Cushing, but I just can’t imagine TJ Yates taking out the Baltimore defense in their house, even if Arian Foster has a big day. I lean towards Houston +7.5 on the line.

NY Giants @ Green Bay (-7.5)

The Packers might be the class of the NFC but I’ve seen enough of the Giants over the years to think they can pull the upset off. Let’s not forget how the Patriots beat the Giants in 2007 by a score of 38-35 then lost to them in the Super Bowl. The Packers beat the Giants by the same 38-35 score earlier this year, and I think the Giants will be loose and ready to play. It also helps that Eli Manning has won in Green Bay in the playoffs before.

The One Key to a Patriots Victory Over the Broncos

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As a football blogger you’re required by law to write a “5 Keys to Victory” post before every game. I usually avoid this, mostly because I find five keys to be too arbitrary. Who’s to say a victory doesn’t require ten keys? Or maybe just three?

But for this week’s playoff game I’m busting out all the stops, and I only have one key. Just one simple thing that the Patriots need to do tomorrow to win the game.

That one key… (drum roll)…

Protect Tom Brady.

That’s all it really comes down to. The Broncos can run wild versus the Pats, Tebow can complete more than 50% of his passes (crazy I know), and the Pats running game can sputter to a start like it usually does, but it will not matter if the Patriots offensive line gives Tom Brady time when they pass the ball.

If Brady feels comfortable in the pocket he will pick apart the Broncos no matter who they choose to double cover and take out of the equation.

The one consistent theme of the recent playoff losses (which I’m looking forward to no longer hearing about next week btw) has been Brady under duress which has slowed down the Patriots offense and forced them into turnovers.

So cross your fingers that Logan Mankins is able to prove why Bill Belichick called him “super tough”. That Nate Solder isn’t overwhelmed in his first playoff game. That Sebastian Vollmer is suddenly healthy. That Brian Waters plays like this could be his last chance at a Super Bowl (which it could be). And that Dan Connolly is ready to prove he’s the heir apparent to Dan Connolly.

As this group goes tomorrow so will go the Patriots chance at victory. It’s really just that simple.

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justinferguson:

It’s sad to say we may never see this again..

Brady vs Manning 

I just hope it’s not Peyton in a Jets jersey…

https://www.patspropaganda.com/justinferguson-its-sad-to-say-we-may-never-see/

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What New England needs to do: Establish the running game, aim for 27 rushing attempts When you think about New England’s offense, the first thing that comes to mind is Tom Brady and the Patriots’ devastating passing attack. But the best way to keep the opposing defense honest and open up the secondary for exploitation is to establish a legitimate running game.

Establishing a healthy dose of the run will go a long way to opening up the secondary for the lethal Brady. In their 13 wins this season, the Patriots averaged 28.9 rushing attempts per game. In fact, New England went 7-0 in games in which they ran the ball 27 or more times. But in the Patriots’ three losses, the team averaged only 20.7 carries per game and failed to top 27 attempts in each of those three defeats. Yes, a big second half lead means a team can focus more on the running game in order to drain the clock, but New England ran the ball an average of only 3.25 times more in the second half this season then they did in the first. That’s not a big discrepancy for a team that finished the year ranked second in the NFL in total offensive plays per game (67.6).

The keys to Divisional Round success | National Football Post

https://www.patspropaganda.com/patriots-broncos-tebow-brady-3/

Like Tebow, Patriots Sharpened Spread Offense at Florida – NYTimes.com

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Like Tebow, Patriots Sharpened Spread Offense at Florida – NYTimes.com

Great, interesting stuff…

“They wanted to go to an all-out passing attack with Tom Brady,” Mullen said. “A lot of their interests were in the slot receivers — how do you get the Wes Welkers matched up on a linebacker? In 2007 they had a Randy Moss, who we knew if they get one-on-one we know what we could do. Once they start zone defense, if there is zone coverage, a good slot receiver will be working on linebackers. Josh was never afraid to fit the offense around the players he had.”