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Patriots Week 2 Kickoff: Minnesota Vikings

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Last Meeting: It’s been four long years since the Pats last saw the Vikings on Halloween 2010. The Patriots won 28-18, knocking Brett Favre from the game in the process. Adrian Peterson had just 92 yards on 25 carries, something the Patriots will hope to repeat this weekend.

Early Outlook: The Vikings won on the road in St. Louis last weekend and with two explosive playmakers in Adrian Peterson and Cordarrelle Patterson, but with old friend Matt Cassel at the helm they have their limitations.

Notes: It’s hard to get the stink of the Miami game off and the challenges that the Vikings present are the perfect opportunity to bounce back, but their tackling will be critical.

The Vikings had major success handing the ball off to Patterson, where his speed is on display. It will be on edge players Hightower and Ninkovich to keep him contained.

Mike Zimmer had success against the Pats as the defensive coordinator of the Bengals last year. Doesn’t look like they do anything too exotic which helps in preparation for playing them. I expect him to try to bring pressure up the middle at Brady, something that was a little easier when he had Geno Atkins though the Vikings front seven is still pretty good.

Everson Griffen should be a good challenge at defensive end, but Brian Robison might be the bigger problem.

Sharrif Floyd was one of my favorite players coming out a couple years ago, he was the pre-Easley Easley and he also went to Florida.

Cassel’s arm doesn’t scare me, but his ability to run does. This game should be won in the trenches, not downfield. Though Norv Turner’s offense relies on downfield shots, the back end will have to be ready.

Siliga and Wilfork look like the best combo at DT in this one. Try to prevent the Vikings from running it up the gut every play, which I’m sure they’ll be tempted to do after the Miami tape.

With fairer conditions I think the Pats can pull back on the heavy rotations on both sides of the ball. Would prefer to see them build some continuity with one group.

How about Solder-Cannon-Wendell-Connolly-Vollmer for the whole game and see how it goes?

It was reinforced for me last week that BB will only have Revis follow a receiver if he thinks shutting that one guy down is key. He’ll certainly pick his spots, but a good defense balances man and zone, and with the Vikings’ threats on the ground I think the CBs stay on their respective sides this week as they did in Miami.

This game seems out of the Pats’ comfort zone defensively as they’ve evolved to be more of a pass-stopping defense. Thus it’s a good test and good experience to balance their game.

It sounds simple but if they just tackle they should be fine. They are the more talented team.

3 GIFs That Defined Patriots’ Loss to Dolphins

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On Tuesdays this season I’ll feature a few GIFs that sum up how the game went. Whether they’re big plays or forgettable ones, I’ll try to capture the spirit of the thing.

This first one comes in the third quarter with the Pats holding a lead. Hoomanwanui whiffs as Cameron Wake explodes off the edge, Ridley can’t get over the pick him up and the late rusher makes sure Brady has nowhere to go. For all the criticism and focus on the interior of the line, they weren’t very good on the edges either.

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On this next one the Pats are already in a hole on second down. 2nd-and-20 is never an easy down and distance but Devey and Solder are beaten cleanly right away and Brady doesn’t even know what happened.

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Finally, one play to sum up the defense’s struggles is this one. Wilfork and Siliga have him the backfield and a stop here would’ve given Brady the chance for a game-winning touchdown drive, but they can’t stop him and the game was effectively sealed.

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As much as I would’ve loved to include Brady’s TD pass to Gronk or the long pass to Edelman those were just quick glimpses of what this team is capable of. I’m sure there will be plenty more of those this season and I hope to be GIFfing all of them.

Stats

Sub: 42 of 74 (41 in nickel, 1 in dime) 
Base: 31 of 74 
Heavy: 1 of 74 

3 WR/1 TE/1 RB – 49 of 86 
2 WR/2 TE/1 RB – 14 of 86 
2 WR/1 TE/1 FB/1 RB – 13 of 86 
3 WR/2 RB – 6 of 86 
3 WR/1 FB/1 RB – 3 of 86 
1 WR/2 TE/1 FB/1 RB – 1 of 86 

Box Score

Best of the Week in PatsPropaganda

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Just one more day until the Patriots kickoff the 2014 season! Hard to believe that we’re about to put another offseason behind us. In retrospect, I think the Pats addressed a lot of their weaknesses this offseason in ways they didn’t in years past. Is there depth ideal in some spots? Nope, but that’s the case with almost every NFL team. Still, I’ll put their front line against anyone. How this year plays out will depend on injuries and luck, both of which are unpredictable. But you know they’ll go after it with everything they’ve got.

Here’s the best of the week:

PatsPropaganda: Week 1 Gameplan

Erik Frenz/Bleacher Report: 10 Predictions for the Patriots season

Jeff Howe/Boston Herald: Persistent Bill Belichick grows into Champion

PatsPropaganda: 10 Patriots Who Will Breakout in 2014

Deadspin: Why Your Team Sucks: New England Patriots

Erik Frenz/Boston.com: What makes the Patriots offense so difficult for Wide Receivers?

I also announced a partnership with NRG this season which will mean lots of giveaways here on the site! Yay!

New England Patriots Gameplan: Week 1 at Miami

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The New England Patriots open their 2014 season on the road in Miami against the Dolphins, and as all divisional matchups in Week 1 go, this one will be down to the wire.

Season openers are always filled with mistakes, turnovers and general sloppiness. Teams don’t know exactly what to expect, they haven’t been tackling much, and with gameplans that have been in incubation since April, there are always some surprises.

Offensive Strategy: Picking a method of attack is even tougher this season because the Patriots have a great “inventory” (as Brady puts it) of offensive firepower… at least here in Week 1 it looks that way. 

I’m going with what I think will be the bread-and-butter of 2014, 11 personnel as the primary package. Edelman is a constant but the surprise could be a combination of using both LaFell and Dobson on the outside, with Vereen in the backfield. Hooman should be the primary tight end until the red zone, when Gronk (assuming he plays) enters the game.

The key – attacking their undersized corners with the Pats’ big weapons, including Wright. Their linebackers are fast and need to be worn down using the third tackle-as-tight end package.

I’m not worried about pushing the pace of the offense at this point in the season, though I’m sure they’ll hurry up at select moments. But it’s more about execution, especially being on the road and in physically-demanding conditions. 

Defensive Strategy: Expecting a hybrid 34/43 with Wilfork/Vellano in the middle and Ninkovich/Chandler on the edges. Collins/Hightower are the OLBs and should be tasked with Charles Clay, Collins especially. With Mayo in the middle he’ll have an eye on Tannehill.

Man-to-man defense is the easiest coverage to run when there might be some unexpected wrinkles from the Dolphins offense, so let’s put Revis on Wallace, Dennard on Hartline and Arrington on Gibson. Though they’ll rotate, I’d bet Harmon plays more snaps than Chung.

Miami will definitely push the pace so it will be important to keep substitutions to a minimum. Easing Siliga/Easley will be an important rotation on the DL, as will Buchanan/Moore at DE.

Rotating players to stay fresh in the heat might be challenging.

If Revis can neutralize Wallace, the Pats have a numbers advantage against Hartline, Gibson and Clay. That’s what Revis Island brings to the party.

The Dolphins should test the Patriots run defense. I would. No more Brandon Spikes, Hightower likely on the edge and Wilfork coming off an injury should tempt the Dolphins to  really attack the middle of the defense with their ground game. 

Keep Brady off the field. Chew clock. Hang on to the ball. It’s a good game plan vs. 12 if you can do it the entire game. 

Points of Emphasis

1. Clean Football – In a tight game, the mistakes often make the difference and a season opener in tough conditions is prime territory for a sloppy game. We all know the Patriots’ reliance on winning the turnover battle – with a better defense that could change this year – but this week it doesn’t. Playing safe with the ball and being aware of the situation are paramount in a game like this.

2. Attack the Middle of the OL – The Pats finally have the makings of a team whose pass rush must be respected and this is their debut. Expect a rotating number of faces lining up and down the defensive line to attack the interior of the Phins’ OL. Dominique Easley is expected to play and could have an impressive debut even in limited action.

3. Keep Their Heads Spinning on Defense – Tom Brady has a number of unique weapons at his disposal and it will be important to never let Miami get a bead on what they’re trying to do. This will be done by a constantly rotating set of personnel at receiver, tight end and running back. Imagine the difficulty of covering Edelman one snap, Tim Wright the next, then Kenbrell Thompkins the next.

4. Hold the (middle of the) Fort – Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer will have to be at their best against Miami’s talented edge rushers, but they should be up to the task. There have been plenty of questions surrounding the interior of the Pats’ line this offseason and there are even more now after Logan Mankins was dealt. Now is the time for Josh Kline, Ryan Wendell and Dan Connolly (and whoever else) to answer those questions.

And can the defense get back to stopping the run like they did before last year? Mayo moving back to middle linebacker is something to watch. 

5. Win – Getting the W is all that matters, no matter how ugly, you’ll take them however you can get them at this time of year. This could be the toughest divisional game of the season and if the Pats can come out of it 1-0 it would a great (and record-tying) start to the season.

Which ten patriots need/will have a breakout season and why did you pick then

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Ten’s a lot but let’s take a stab at it because there are certainly a handful of players that need big years to take the Pats to the next level. 

1. Jamie Collins – Let’s just get him out of the way first because he’s everyone’s breakout player this year. Collins is what every current NFL team needs, super athletic linebackers who can deal with the ever-growing array of big tight ends and slot receivers (usually outside receivers lining up in the slot). Collins very well could find himself a prototype the rest of the league tries to fill this year. I expect him to do just about everything – coverage, blitzing, stopping the run.

2. Dominique Easley – Simply put, the Patriots haven’t had an interior rusher close to Easley since Mike Wright circa early 2010. This is another necessary player for a modern NFL team – chaos causer inside. You can get by with space eaters but if you can’t collapse the pocket just about every QB in the league will step up and complete a pass. Easley has the chance to make the entire front seven better on passing downs, something they desperately need, especially on third down.

3.Devin McCourty – Some might say he broke out last year, but now with this deep secondary around him and quality pass rushers in front of him, McCourty should cement his place as a top back end safety this season.

4. Sealver Siliga – Maybe this is a little too bold, but I think there’s a chance that Siliga eats into a lot of Wilfork’s traditional snaps this year. He really needs to if we’re going to get a few more years out of Wilfork. Siliga was impressive in camp before getting injured. But he has the perfect body type for the middle of this defense and I think he will prove he’s Wilfork’s heir apparent this season.

5. Alfonzo Dennard – Despite the presence of Brandon Browner I still think Dennard will see plenty of snaps this year, and with Revis/Browner/Arrington/McCourty in the secondary, Dennard should be a frequent target of the opposition. He’s my favorite to lead the team in interceptions this season.

6. Bryan Stork – Maybe this is a pick made more with my heart than my head but Stork could singlehandedly improve the offensive line in the middle – something it badly needs. Stork has the size, strength and tenacity to deal with the bevy of interior rushers the Pats will face this season. I think he overtakes Ryan Wendell by November and doesn’t give up the position for the next 5-10 years.

7. Aaron Dobson – It was a small sample size but seeing Dobson’s size and speed in the final preseason game has me excited about his prospects this season. If he can truly become the field-stretch (aka deeeeeep threat) the Pats need, the Pats offense could hit 2007 level.

8. Shane Vereen – It’s all about health. If he stays healthy Vereen will enter the conversation as the top pass-catching back in the NFL.

9. Tim Wright – Wright is a perfect fit for this offense and it was immediately clear why the Pats coveted him. Defenses will have to pick their poison with the Pats’ offense, but I think Wright could be the guy that causes the most matchup problems, just like Hernandez did.

10. Tom Brady – He wasn’t elite last year, right? This year he’ll be elite.

Patriots Week 1 Kickoff: Miami Dolphins

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Last Meeting(s): The Patriots and Dolphins had two closely-fought battles last season. In the first meeting in Week 8, the Dolphins raced out to a 17-3 halftime lead in Foxboro. The Patriots clawed their way back in to take a 27-17. The Dolphins had a comeback of their own in Week 15, intercepting Tom Brady in the end zone to preserve a 24-20 win.

Early Outlook: Between the heat in Miami, the usual closeness of Week 1 divisional games, and the history of close games last season between these two teams, it’s hard to think this game won’t go down to the very end.

Notes:

Miami is looking to push the pace on offense, something the Patriots defense should be well-versed in after facing their own offense and the Eagles’ this preseason.

The strength of the Dolphins pass rush is on the edges with Cameron Wake and Olivier Vernon, and that matches up well with the Patriots’ strength at tackle. The interior of the Pats offensive line won’t get that stiff of an opening test.

Miami’s feisty cornerbacks Cortland Finnegan and Brent Grimes could be targets to attack with bigger receivers like Dobson, LaFell and Wright.

The Dolphins’ linebackers move well and should be a good matchup for Rob Gronkowski, assuming he plays as BB threw some cold water on that this morning. Getting those LBs matched up on Shane Vereen, Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola will be a goal.

Miami’s receivers should put the Pats’ talented secondary to the test immediately. Mike Wallace, Brandon Gibson and Brian Hartline might get the man-on-man matchup throughout the game. Revis-on-Hartline, with Dennard-on-Wallace with McCourty help over top and Arrington-on-Gibson makes sense.

Rookie Ja’Juan James will start at right tackle for the Phins, expect him to get a rotating combination of pass rushers from Chandler Jones to Rob Ninkovich and perhaps even Dominique Easley. This will include the interior of Miami’s line as well. If there’s a recurring theme of Dolphins losses, it’s Tannehill taking a lot of sacks.

Charles Clay is a Patriots-esque weapon and I expect to see plenty of Jamie Collins in coverage on him. 

My five points of emphasis will be coming Friday and we’ll have more links to matchup articles throughout the week as other good takes pop up.