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Patriots vs. Raiders All 22 Thoughts: Offense Edition

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And now I jump into the All 22 review of the offense, something I’ve been putting off all day. Let’s see if it’s as ugly as I remember…

 Still bugs me that the offense would go shotgun on snap one. The Raiders run defense stunk. Running on the first play of the game is almost expected. How about some play action? At least I like the attempt to get LaFell going right off the bat.

Just a gross first possession and that’s disconcerting because they literally had all week to plan it.

And we’re going to the power run game in possession two, something they should’ve done off the bat. Pretty good success until a holding penalty and they can’t get out of the hole. This sums up their problems right now, one step forward, one step back…

 3rd-and-22 on the second possession, in the words of BB “not what we’re looking for.” And that’s it for the first quarter. No wonder there were boos.

Edelman slips a tackle and picks up a first down early in the second quarter. Nothing seems to be easy right now, just getting that first down required Edelman to make someone miss.

Quick WR screen to Edelman next play illustrates how the Pats can’t really run the same arsenal of screens with their four tackle OL. Cannon and Devey are not getting out in space like Mankins and Neal used to.

This lack of quickness is also generally apparent in the regular run game where Cannon/Devey just don’t get off blocks and into the second level fast enough to spring any big runs.

Again, 3rd-and-7 and Vereen has to break a tackle to pick up the first down. Because an 8 yard route is apparently asking too much right now.

This is called “not biting on play action”. Luckily Edelman draws the PI. First down. Yay.

Gronk being Gronk on his touchdown as he beats a pretty ugly attempt at a double team by Oakland. He’s certainly still the red zone weapon we need.

Gronk plowing into contact near the end of the half is a good sign. This has been a pretty good drive with some good throws by Brady. Glimpses here and there for the offense but it’s taken far too long to show something just now.

Goalline situation at the end of the half is totally FUBAR. Would’ve loved to see a power run right into the end zone but it’s not even close. Vollmer gets juked, allowing the LDE to close down. Hole’s there for a second but closes quickly as no one else gets any push.

Then the bad snap and we’re kicking a field goal. They made some plays in the first half, but nothing was easy except for Gronk’s TD.

Hard to come out of the locker room at the half much worse than this: 3 yard pass, run for 2 yard loss, false start, 5-yard loss on sack, Punt. Yikes. 

Here’s that sack:

It’s 4 Raiders rushing and 5 Patriots protecting, yet both Tuck (91 abusing Devey one-on-one) and Smith (94 taking advantage of poor communication by Solder/Cannon) get to Brady. Just awful. The worst part is how down the OL look after it goes down.

Then they come out and get a false start penalty on the first play of the next drive. That one was on Gronk.

Brady finds LaFell over the middle the next play and that’s something I like. That’s the start they were looking for on the first possession of the first half.

Solder gets pushed into the backfield with one hand by the defensive tackle and he looks as lost as I’ve ever seen him look, physically and mentally. See below for the next play where he’s beaten immediately, Brady hasn’t even handed off the ball yet:

As other All 22 reviews have mentioned Khalil Mack is legit. So quick off the ball and strong. Very much reminds me of Von Miller. He beats Solder cleanly on the next 3rd down for the sack.

Tim Wright makes a grab and it’s nice to see him get involved. Plays like this give me hope, but only if they can figure out how to protect the quarterback.

Pats get to the goal line and move Vollmer over to the left side with Solder to try to get some kind of push and they get none. Ridley might’ve been the better choice than Vereen there.

Gronk drops a TD. Oh well, that rarely happens. Just another example of how off they are right now.

And now Amendola misses a TD grab, the kind that Welker used to be money at. More signs of the times.

At this rate I am not sure if Brady or Edelman could make it through the season healthy. They’re getting killed out there.

Brady finds Gronk on 3rd-and-15 and that’s a nice play with nice protection. Wow, that took all game. Must be because Stork is in there.

Look out, Tommy!! Seriously, this kind of stuff will get Brady killed this year. Note the Solder olay.

Okay, 5:18 left with a chance to seal the game. Let’s see how this goes…

Ridley 1 yard run (at least Stork planted Antonio Smith, first OL aggression I’ve seen today), coverage sack loses 8 yards, LaFell grabs one for 15 yards but it’s not enough and we’re punting. Gross.

Thank Hoodie the defense got the stop at the end to avoid overtime because that really could’ve gone either way.

 This was awful start to finish and I have to say I feel a little worse about the long term outlook of the offensive line. Solder especially is depressing with how bad he played.

At least there were some flashes from some weapons and I think LaFell especially is headed in the right direction. But as I wrote on Monday everything starts with the offensive line and they were horrible in this game.

Patriots vs. Raiders All 22 Thoughts: Defense Edition

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Tuesday afternoon means All 22 review! You really haven’t watched the game until you’ve seen the whole field. I continue to be amazed by the thing I missed and what I pick up watching it. Here comes this weeks defense edition:

Dropping Easley out of rush and into coverage. Reward for his interception?

Seems like they’re getting a little more comfortable using Chung in Cover 2. Smart, can’t be in Cover 1 every time he’s on the field.

Really hope Siliga isn’t out for long, he and Wilfork are a tough combination inside to move. It’s really what makes the Pats run defense go. There’s been plenty of 34/43 talk as there is every year, but the overriding early down philosophy is have two space eaters inside with five athletic players around them who can make plays. 

On Oakland’s 3rd-and-7 conversation on their second possession I’d tally it up to great execution over Logan Ryan not having good coverage. Ryan is physical at the line but Carr gets the ball out on time and the receiver makes a great catch. Maybe Ryan could’ve been a little more physical, but he had the right idea.

Nate Ebner came on in the Pats’ dime defense and drew man coverage on tight end Rivera in the first quarter. Chandler Jones knocked down the pass intended for Rivera, but Ebner was right there and would’ve made the tackle.

Tavon Wilson with a good read and tackle early in the second quarter. Though I’m a bit surprised he isn’t at the Money dime LB spot over Ebner, it’s good they’re getting him involved. He’s a physical player and could be needed if Chung gets hurt.

When Duron Harmon comes on it seems like they like him as the deep safety with McCourty playing up a bit more. 

Another nice play by Ebner on another third down. Covering the running back as he comes out of the backfield, Ebner plants and makes a strong downhill tackle to force the punt. Seeing what they must see in him, though I’m curious if he stays in this role once Collins is fully healthy.

Chandler Jones gives the olay to the tight end trying to block him and makes a tackle in the backfield. What a start to the season by Jones.

I’m not sure Chris Jones can anchor vs. double teams like they’d need him to as a space eater inside. Again, hope Siliga isn’t out long. Jones probably a better fit against passing teams where he can one-gap.

Dont’a Hightower has had a great start to the season as well, but perhaps one of the bigger reasons why is Mayo’s return and his presence in coverage. It’s really freed Hightower up to do a bunch of different things.

Holy Hoodie, Joe Vellano just made a play against the Wildcat in the early third quarter – held his ground, got off the block and made the tackle. Maybe not all is lost with him just yet.

Revis may have given up a catch in the early third quarter on a quick out, but man is he strong. He just held on with one hand and didn’t let go.

Can’t say it enough – Vince Wilfork is a beast. He’s still quick off the ball and driving linemen into the backfield. So so impressive.

Third quarter, Logan Ryan comes on a corner blitz. Don’t see those too often from NE’s defense so it’s worth noting. Pass fell incomplete as the wide receiver didn’t recognize he needed to break off his route.

Three safety look with Harmon/Chung/McCourty in the late third, first time I think we’ve seen that today I think. Nice coverage by Chung on the fullback on a 9 route. Might be a gameplan thing as Oakland started targeting Reece more and more.

Another three safety look on third-and-long, with Ebner playing an underneath zone and Harmon deep. Ebner with the tackle. He does close hard.

Not a great rush from Easley on this play either, he was one on one with the center. He needs to win that matchup and I think he will as the season progresses.

Collins clearly not 100 percent at the start of the fourth quarter. Looking stiff as he read a screen but couldn’t break through the blockers to stop it. He comes off next snap.

Another solid play by Vellano on 3rd-and-1 holding his ground. Surprised that he played a lot better than I noticed during the game, albeit in limited duty.

Logan Ryan might’ve been picked on in this game, but I will say this, he’s right there on every completion he gives up and the tackles come immediately. Far cry from what we’ve seen in recent years from Pats DBs.

McFadden picks up 10 yards on the Raiders’ final drive as Chris Jones gets pummeled out of the way. These are the kind of plays that Jones isn’t the best to defend. Wilfork comes in for him next play, while Vellano gets in on the tackle. If Siliga is out Wilfork/Vellano double nose might be the way to go.

Wilfork seals it with the interception. What a game for him!

Three GIFs That Defined Patriots win over Raiders

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It was (looking like) the best of times and the worst of times after the Patriots squeaker win over the Raiders last Sunday.

On defense there were quite a few different options of plays that defined the game, though one choice was infinitely obvious. Defensively I continue to think things are really coming together and again, defense wins championships. If nothing else I’m ready for a Patriots team that is better on the defensive side of the ball. I mean it’s been a decade since the last time that was true.

Offensively, the Pats can’t get much going and look like the same unit that lacked the necessary dynamics to truly take them to the next level. Things still look just a step off up and down the offense, but given the level of compete on this team, I expect we’ll see them take positive strides forward this coming week.

Here are the three plays that defined the game:

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A Gronk TD. Why not? It was just about the only really positive play we saw from the offense, not to mention it saw Gronk beat a double team. That’s a positive sign and as Gronk slowly eases into more and more snaps he should become even more of a factor. Three healthy games down, 16 to go!

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Possibly my favorite play of the game comes on this 3rd-and-1 in the fourth quarter with the Pats clinging to a four-point lead. I love the number o f hard hits that keep the Raiders from picking up the first down. That kind of swarming defense is just what we need.

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Finally, and most obviously, comes Vince Wilfork’s interception. I can’t say it enough – it’s just unreal how Wilfork has come off such a major injury and looks just as good as he was before it. If anything it appears the year off did the rest of Wilfork’s body some good. Let’s just hope they can keep him this way for the rest of the season.

Personnel

Offense

3 WR/1 TE/1 RB – 32 of 73 
2 WR/2 TE/1 RB – 30 of 73 
2 WR/1 TE/1 FB/1 RB – 6 of 73 
2 WR/1 TE/2 RB – 2 of 73 
3 WR/1 FB/1 RB – 1 of 73 
3 WR/2 RB – 1 of 73 
3 TE/1 FB/1 RB – 1 of 73 

Defense

Base: 30 of 60 

Sub: 30 of 60 (20 in nickel/10 in dime) 

2 WR/1 TE/1 FB/ 1 RB – base 4-3 
2 WR/2 TE/1 RB – base 4-3 
3 WR/1 TE/1 RB – nickel – Arrington (short yardage); dime (longer yardage) 
1 WR/2 TE/1 FB/1 RB – base 5-2 
3 WR/1 FB/1 RB – base 4-3 and big nickel

Previous Three GIFs:

@ Minnesota Vikings

@ Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots Gameplan: Week 3 vs. Oakland Raiders

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The Patriots finally have their home opener Sunday against the 0-2 Raiders! While on paper this might look to be a Pats’ blowout, we’ve seen far too many ugly early-season losses to write in a “W” just yet. Let’s remember this is a Patriots team that lost to the Cardinals at home in 2012. The Cardinals wouldn’t win another road game all year. Figure that one out.

The Pats have been saying all the right things this week – what a legend Charles Woodson is, how good Oakland’s pass defense is, that Derek Carr can make every throw. You know the drill.

But who the opponent is doesn’t really matter, it’s all about focusing on the Patriots and improving. The team has shown glimpses on both sides of the ball, but the consistency has been lacking especially on offense. 

Here’s my strategy and points of emphasis that will hopefully get the Pats to 2-1.

Offensive Strategy

Let’s just start with penalties since the Pats are the second-most penalized team in the NFL. Of course this applies to both sides of the ball, but things were especially ugly on the offensive side of the ball. So many great plays were negated by penalties against the Vikings, it was almost laughable.

But those plays show what this offense is capable of, and if they can play “clean”, they’ll be able to establish some kind of rhythm and momentum. That’s what we haven’t see yet from the offense.

Oakland is giving up 200 rushing yards a game, so that’s a good place to start for a variety reasons. The Pats had a similar game plan last week. Establishing the run allows the offensive line to get comfortable, it puts the defense on their toes and opens them up to play action, and it just sets the physical tone for the game.

While we’d all like to see Tom Brady show some kind of chemistry with one of his newer receivers, ultimately scoring points is what matters most. Chemistry will come as the season progresses and expecting Dobson/LaFell/Thompkins/Wright to suddenly steal the spotlight might be a little too lofty.


Defensive Strategy

Usually, Bill Belichick’s philosophy against young quarterbacks is to play coverage and force continuous execution. Almost always this leads to multiple game-changing turnovers, but sometimes it can backfire. See 2009 vs. Mark Sanchez, 2010 vs. Colt McCoy or even 2011 vs. Dan Orlovsky and the Colts.

But now it would appear the Patriots defense has enough talent to actually cause some disruption with only four rushers. Chandler Jones, Rob Ninkovich and Dont’a Hightower should be key, as should Dominique Easley and Chris Jones on passing downs. If those guys are making Derek Carr uncomfortable, it will be nearly impossible for Oakland to win. If Carr has time and establishes a level of comfort an upset is very much possible.

Carr has been fairly balanced in the receivers he’s targeted, with James Jones leading the way so there probably isn’t a need for Revis to shadow anyone. Just playing sound coverage, a strength thus far of the defensive backs, will be key.

Darren McFadden could be a problem if he gets going. I expect the Pats to once again start with Wilfork and Siliga inside for their standard double nose 4-3 run stopping defense. Finally the Pats get a chance to prove they can stop a good NFL running back after the atrocity in Miami.

Five Points of Emphasis

1. Ridley Unleashed

With a bottom-ranked Oakland run defense and the way Stevan Ridley ran last week, this could be a career day for the running back in a contract year. Expect some Shane Vereen mixed in as well, and preferably not much Brandon Bolden. If Ridley gets going early it will only help the passing game as well.

2. Play Action Deep Shots

If the ground game is established early, the Patriots could do huge damage with their play action game. Tom Brady is one of the best ball fake quarterbacks ever to play. If Oakland gets too geared up to stop the run, the Pats should take some deep shots, especially at the expense of strong safety Tyvon Branch.

3. Double Nose Run Stoppage

As is the case with most Patriots opponents, their gameplan will likely be focused on keeping the clock moving with their running game and keeping Brady off the field. The focus will be on the Patriots front seven to stop the run and force difficult down-and-distances for Derek Carr.

4. Make Carr go thru progressions

What cannot be allowed to happen is for Carr to find a rhythm with quick completions to his primary targets. Carr can make any throw despite this being his rookie year. If a receiver is open and Carr has time, he’ll make the throw. As mentioned above, the Pats need to bring pressure with four, but they also cannot allow easy completions by playing soft zones. Expect plenty of press man to force Carr to decide who will get off the line of scrimmage and who won’t.

5. Win

There are few easy games on an NFL schedule and this is as close as the Pats will get to an easy one until the end of the year, if/when the playoff positions have already been decided. From after this game until December it’s all divisional rivals and playoff teams, with the explosive offenses of Chicago and Detroit sprinkled in, and there will surely be a couple losses in there. That’s why the Patriots cannot afford to take this one lightly. 

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.

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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. 

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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.

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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