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4 Things Patriots Should Have Learned From Giant Super Bowl Losses

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I’m not really sure which Super Bowl loss to the Giants shocked me more.

In 2007, it seemed inconceivable that Eli Manning would be the one quarterback to hand the Patriots a loss, much less that the Giants defense would hold one of the most prolific offenses in history to a mere 14 points.

In 2012, it seemed like everything had lined up for the Patriots revenge tour. They dispatched the Broncos, the team that ended their season in 2005, the Ravens, the team that had ended their season in 2009, and now had another crack at Eli and the Giants.

Different year, same result. The Pats clung to a fourth-quarter lead, only to see Eli lead a miraculous final drive for the win.

So what should the Patriots have learned from those two losses? Here are four things that stand out:

1. Get Offense Going Early: In 2007, the Giants held the ball for a whopping 16-play, 10 minute opening drive. Yes, it ended in a field goal, but that seemed to set a tone early on. In 2012, the Giants opened with a 10-play, six-minute drive, then, after punting, the Pats gave it right back with a safety.

In both Super Bowls, it was nearly the end of the first quarter before the Patriots put together any kind of a sustained drive. A fast start would be a welcome change this time around and we know how devastating the Patriots can be with an early lead.

2. Protect Brady Up The Gut: This isn’t a news flash, the Patriots offensive line got dominated in both Super Bowl, especially up the gut, which is essentially kryptonite to the Pats favored quick-passing offense. Justin Tuck was at the center of it, combining for 4 sacks in the two Super Bowls, along with 3 QB hits in 2012. 

Bryan Stork’s return to practice this week was a good sign for the Pats. They’ll need him, Dan Connolly and Ryan Wendell to have solid games if the Pats offense is to find its stride. Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer will be tested as well, but it’s the quick pressure up the middle that is most worrisome.

3. Stay Balanced: In the two Super Bowl losses, the Patriots run/pass balance was 28 percent run, 72 percent pass. This only fed into a Giants pass rush pinning back their ears and getting after Brady. In 2012, the Pats only had the ball for 22:55, and had only one drive that lasted more than five minutes. Running the ball is key to controlling the game and burning the clock.

The Pats must try to do a better job of staying committed to the run. It’s not always easy, but they cannot forget about LeGarrette Blount and Shane Vereen getting their share of carries, even if they’re not having success or behind.

4. Make the Last Stop: In spite of everything I just laid out, the Patriots were two defensive stops at the end of both Super Bowls from winning. We saw the defense come through against the Ravens with an interception and it’s a good bet they’ll need to come through in the clutch once again since this Seahawks team has a knack for late comebacks.

Put a Pin In Deflategate

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Today we heard from Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, and in a nutshell, their response to the ongoing “Deflategate” controversy, is that they don’t know how 11 of 12 footballs lost some pressure.

Belichick didn’t care one bit about the PSI of any footballs and seemed to go out of his way to mention he forces his team to play with much worse balls than are ever used in games.

This almost seemed a shot at the Colts for being crybabies, because no one is arguing that a slightly deflated football had any impact whatsoever on the AFC Championship.

As you might expect, I tend to take Belichick and Brady at their word because the way the facts are adding up, I don’t see a huge case against them. And at this point, they are the only ones who have come forward and talked to the media about this situation.

As for the other side, I don’t know what to believe of the accusations anymore and neither the Colts, nor the Ravens (who either voluntarily or involuntarily have joined this goat rodeo) will come forward.

First, we heard D-Quell Jackson alerted his team to this problem. NOPE.

Then we heard the Ravens tipped the Colts off about the Patriots using under inflated balls. NOPE.

So what do we know as fact? Not much. And I’m really starting to question how well the refs tested the balls before the game.

This reddit thread (take it for what it’s worth) uses science (oooooh!) to prove it’s possible the balls could simply lose this kind of pressure given the elements. And let’s remember the difference between legal and illegal is imperceptible. 

The rain had more effect on the ball than losing that bit of air would’ve.

The original timeline (sorry to dip into Serial mode here) had the balls being checked pregame, then somehow losing PSI before being switched out at halftime.

The conspiracy theorists say the Patriots must’ve deflated them somehow before the game. A former ballboy said it would be “very difficult” to secretly deflate 11 balls in that time.

Why would the Patriots run a full covert operation for something that would make no noticeable difference? I know they like to push the line, but that borders on the absurd.

Outside of a smoking gun video of a Patriots employee willfully letting air out of the balls, I’m not sure how the NFL can do much more than levy a fine in the $25,000-$50,000 range. And even then, if the atmosphere was responsible and not a human Patriot employee, even that seems excessive.

Maybe there’s more inside info to come out since the league hasn’t even spoken to Brady yet, but right now, there’s not much of a case against the Pats.

It’s fun to go into outrage mode, but this story seems to be quickly losing the grand controversy steam it’s had for the last three days.

The final chip to fall will be when the NFL finally hands down their punishment, if there even is any.

At this point, I’m really starting to wonder. And maybe in the end this will just be a charade of outrage that does nothing but give the Pats a legitimate “us against the world” mentality for the Super Bowl.

Maybe Deflategate will be the best gift Patriots fans have gotten in the last 10 years.

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This isn’t like playing the Ravens or Jets. Brady will know exactly who the defense is covering by the way the Seahawks line up with few exceptions. By overloading specific sides, like the offensive left, and designing combination routes for those coverages, the Pats can manufacture ways to get open and move the ball.

The Patriots are the ultimate game-plan team, while too many other great offenses stubbornly fail to respect the Seahawks’ strengths. It’s up to Brady to be methodical in his approach.

Patriots offense can dictate plan against Seattle | Jeff Howe (via wordsspokenofwise)

https://www.patspropaganda.com/this-isnt-like-playing-the-ravens-or-jets-brady/