2015 Patriots Football

[kozlodoev]

If you missed Tom Brady's interview on WEEI today, do yourself a favor and spend 40 minutes on it when they publish the audio stream online.

Oh my.

Lots of talk about Alex Guerrero and quackery (Brady didn't do himself any favors, I think). Hope they publish the full thing.

edit: Here's the audio feed. Also, their speech recognition software appears to be absolutely horrible 

[Donoghus]

Hicks trade already appears to be paying dividends.  Solid first game for him yesterday.

D-Line had a very solid game.

[kozlodoev]

Hicks trade already appears to be paying dividends.  Solid first game for him yesterday.

D-Line had a very solid game.

We'll need Hicks if Hightower has to miss any time. Also the OL suddenly looks like it's made of Swiss cheese. What gives?

[PhoSita]

Hicks trade already appears to be paying dividends.  Solid first game for him yesterday.

D-Line had a very solid game.

We'll need Hicks if Hightower has to miss any time. Also the OL suddenly looks like it's made of Swiss cheese. What gives?

My guess would be the Pats are using a good number of young, inexperienced linemen and the scouting is catching up on them a little bit.  Also Greg Hardy is a good pass rusher, for whatever else he may be.

[kozlodoev]

Hicks trade already appears to be paying dividends.  Solid first game for him yesterday.

D-Line had a very solid game.

We'll need Hicks if Hightower has to miss any time. Also the OL suddenly looks like it's made of Swiss cheese. What gives?

My guess would be the Pats are using a good number of young, inexperienced linemen and the scouting is catching up on them a little bit.  Also Greg Hardy is a good pass rusher, for whatever else he may be.

I was  busy chasing a toddler around the room, but my impression was that they were beating off the edge more than in the middle -- and that's where you've got Solder, Vollmer, and Cannon, who are supposedly your most experienced linemen. Sure, Hardy is a handful, but the way Solder handled (or didn't handle) him was unacceptable.

[PhoSita]

Hicks trade already appears to be paying dividends.  Solid first game for him yesterday.

D-Line had a very solid game.

We'll need Hicks if Hightower has to miss any time. Also the OL suddenly looks like it's made of Swiss cheese. What gives?

My guess would be the Pats are using a good number of young, inexperienced linemen and the scouting is catching up on them a little bit.  Also Greg Hardy is a good pass rusher, for whatever else he may be.

I was  busy chasing a toddler around the room, but my impression was that they were beating off the edge more than in the middle -- and that's where you've got Solder, Vollmer, and Cannon, who are supposedly your most experienced linemen. Sure, Hardy is a handful, but the way Solder handled (or didn't handle) him was unacceptable.

Ahh, I didn't get to watch much of the game.

Solder is solid but he seems to just get flat out beaten in some games.  Cannon is combustible, too.

[Neurotic Guy]

Hicks trade already appears to be paying dividends.  Solid first game for him yesterday.

D-Line had a very solid game.

We'll need Hicks if Hightower has to miss any time. Also the OL suddenly looks like it's made of Swiss cheese. What gives?

My guess would be the Pats are using a good number of young, inexperienced linemen and the scouting is catching up on them a little bit.  Also Greg Hardy is a good pass rusher, for whatever else he may be.

I was  busy chasing a toddler around the room, but my impression was that they were beating off the edge more than in the middle -- and that's where you've got Solder, Vollmer, and Cannon, who are supposedly your most experienced linemen. Sure, Hardy is a handful, but the way Solder handled (or didn't handle) him was unacceptable.

Ahh, I didn't get to watch much of the game.

Solder is solid but he seems to just get flat out beaten in some games.  Cannon is combustible, too.

Wendell back soon and Stork back in a few weeks make this a deep and versatile O-line.  However, if no one is quick enough to hold the edge on strong, speed rushers like Hardy or Miller, Brady is going to find himself being chased, hurried or on his butt.   This can be solved with double-teams, but leaves receivers easier to cover.  I think it will be solved. 

[kozlodoev]

Wendell back soon and Stork back in a few weeks make this a deep and versatile O-line.  However, if no one is quick enough to hold the edge on strong, speed rushers like Hardy or Miller, Brady is going to find himself being chased, hurried or on his butt.   This can be solved with double-teams, but leaves receivers easier to cover.  I think it will be solved.

That's true. It can also be completely offset by the fact that if Solder's injury is any sort of serious, you're stuck with Cannon at LT. Which is... less than optimal, to say the least.

[Csfan1984]

They should have used more two TEs sets. I felt the RB runs and screens are what really slowed the pass rush in the second half. 

[kozlodoev]

They should have used more two TEs sets. I felt the RB runs and screens are what really slowed the pass rush in the second half.

How many snaps did Scott Chandler even play?

[Donoghus]

They should have used more two TEs sets. I felt the RB runs and screens are what really slowed the pass rush in the second half.

How many snaps did Scott Chandler even play?

10.

[Neurotic Guy]

Isn't the good news of this win the versatility of this team and the in-game adjustments that they are capable of making -- and making successfully?  It may have taken a little longer than it should have, but they adjusted to the reality that Solder was no match for Hardy and then managed to get the offense going with a balanced attack.
Also, the Pats defense is at least good enough to dominate a mediocre offense (Dallas: a good O-line, a very good TE, a decent run game, not good QB, and depleted reveiving group). 

I think corner and LT are the only glaring weaknesses on the Pats, while their strengths (including depth) are apparent all around.

On another note, how can Denver continue to eek out these wins? Great 'D' there, but 5-0 seems crazy. 

[kozlodoev]

Isn't the good news of this win the versatility of this team and the in-game adjustments that they are capable of making -- and making successfully?  It may have taken a little longer than it should have, but they adjusted to the reality that Solder was no match for Hardy and then managed to get the offense going with a balanced attack.

I am not sure that was an actual adjustment, Solder go injured.

[KeepRondo]

Hicks trade already appears to be paying dividends.  Solid first game for him yesterday.

D-Line had a very solid game.

We'll need Hicks if Hightower has to miss any time. Also the OL suddenly looks like it's made of Swiss cheese. What gives?

My guess would be the Pats are using a good number of young, inexperienced linemen and the scouting is catching up on them a little bit.  Also Greg Hardy is a good pass rusher, for whatever else he may be.

I was  busy chasing a toddler around the room, but my impression was that they were beating off the edge more than in the middle -- and that's where you've got Solder, Vollmer, and Cannon, who are supposedly your most experienced linemen. Sure, Hardy is a handful, but the way Solder handled (or didn't handle) him was unacceptable.

There are probably a hanfull of edge rushers that are going to beat most offensive linemen. Hardy seemed like one of those guys, so I'm not sure it would had mattered who we had out there. Luckily for the Patriots, the Cowboys didn't beat them in any other part of the game. But it does make me wonder what a more balanced team like the Broncos, who have edge rushers, will do against the Patrios.

[PhoSita]

Yesterday, I was thinking about Peyton's precipitous decline and the fact that the Broncos, despite their weapons, at this point are like a better version of the Jets.  They just grind out games, keep the scoring low, and expect the QB to manage the clock and extend drives long enough to come out with the win.

The problem for the Broncos is that despite their weapons, it's all predicated on Peyton being a gunslinger who can make plays with his arm.

You've got two of the best spread wideouts in the game in Thomas and Sanders, but who is the possession receiver for them?  Who is the pressure valve catching passes at TE or RB?  Owen Daniels?

Their running backs are OK, but similar to the Patriots, the running game is really only successful when the team already has a lead and they can just grind out yards with no urgency to move the ball down field.  It's a frontrunner running game.


What the Pats have done so well is build an entire offense around Brady in a way that allows him to maintain success as he grows older.  Brady's game has never really been predicated on making big plays with his arm, but now more than ever he succeeds simply by getting the ball out really quickly and have a handful of skilled, reliable receivers who can catch short to medium passes and earn some extra yardage.  Then there's that Gronk guy, of course, who can turn a 15 yard pass into a 45 yard play while hardly breaking a sweat. 


I'm sure sometime this season the Pats will run into an opponent that jams them up and knocks Brady on his butt and generally grinds their offense to a halt.  We've seen it before, even when the team is playing really well.  Ultimately, the defense may not be great enough to get them another trophy.  But you've got to marvel at what they've done to maintain success over time.  They've made it possible for Brady to continue playing like a super elite QB even though the only thing that truly stands out about him is his ability to read defenses, get the ball out quickly, and his awareness in the pocket.  I guess it helps that he never really had amazing physical gifts to lean on in the first place.