Sports fans are superstitious.
Many have pregame habits that border on the clinical definition of Obsessive \ Compulsive disorder. It matters not if we wear a "lucky" jersey, don't wash our socks for the entire season or have a candlelight prayer session for an hour before the game.
Really, anything we do doesn't alter the outcome of any game - but don't waste your breath telling any of us that. We are in denial.
As for me, I make Chocolate Chip Cookies - not just any ordinary cookies, but a delightful confection known to my family and friends as "Karma Kookies"Recipe here.
Not for every game, mind you, just the big ones - and for the New England Patriots, early season games don't get any bigger than their match up with the Buffalo Bills this Sunday.
The Patriots travel to western New York with a two-game albatross on their necks, losing heart breakers to Arizona and Baltimore, while the 2-1 Bills are riding high after victories over Cleveland and Kansas City. While being 1-2 after only 3 games is not really cause for panic or even concern, the fact that New England is struggling to find an identity, and facing a division foe raises the stakes.
Conversely, history has shown us that the Buffalo Bills starting fast isn't necessarily a reason for optimism, particularly when their two victories have come at the expense of the Chiefs and Browns - not exactly the cream of the crop in the National Football League.
Both teams normally feature a two-headed monster attack that can dominate a game, but the sad nature of the NFL dictates that injuries can change the dynamics of an offense. It happened to the Patriots in February's Super Bowl when Rob Gronkowski's ankle was too damaged for him to affect the outcome of the game, and also two weeks ago when Aaron Hernandez suffered a similar debilitating injury.
It also happened to the Bills in the first 3 games this season when first Running back Fred Jackson, and then battery mate C.J. Spiller went down with knee injuries - and, as it turns out, all four players are listed as either out or questionable for Sunday's contest.
But what do we know about the Bills, exactly? Truth is, what we think we know is not always what it seems.
At their best, the Bills have the ability to control a game on the ground. At their worst, they have to rely on the arm of Ryan Fitzpatrick. If neither of their prized running backs are able to go, the Bills will be forced to go to the air, which, depending on which Fitzgerald shows up, could be good or bad.
The good Fitzgerald will read the coverage and determine where the ball is going before the snap, relying on a three step drop and his receivers to gain initial separation against man coverage, and front the coverage in zone. There won't be many big plays in this scenario, but it is highly efficient and can move the chains.
The bad Fitzgerald will become impatient with this scheme and start to audible and improvise. With his average arm strength mixed with his penchant for putting his average receiving corps in bad positions, he throws a lot of balls where you wonder who he was throwing to - many times to the opposition.
In the Bills' quick-strike, Horizontal Spread offense...you know what? Screw this.
Any monkey with an IQ above that of a jar of peanut butter can tell you that the Bills have an average quarterback, average receivers, an athletic offensive line and two of the best running backs in the NFL.
Their defense is soul of this team, because 50 Million dollars guaranteed for a defensive end says so.
On paper, the Patriots should absolutely destroy this team. The gap in talent, which has always been the bitch-kitty for the Bills, is evident. Where the gap narrows is where intestinal fortitude is concerned. You can throw stats on paper all day long and argue that logic precedes all else, but what this game boils down to is who wants it more.
Where is the heart? Where is the moxie, the mojo, the desire? Thus far in this young season, it's mostly all been with the Patriots' opponents.
And why not? One should not need additional motivation to go up against the reigning AFC Champion, the standard bearer of football for the past dozen years - no matter the semantics, no matter the stats, the underdog mentality motivates all of New England's foes.
The Patriots had that mentality all last year. Fighting through injury and attrition, the defense being held together with duct tape and a prayer. Go ahead and disrespect us, the team said collectively, we'll beat you just to prove you wrong. At first the media lambasted New England, but they kept winning despite the fact that the defense, statistically, was one of the worst in the NFL.
They were the underdogs. They kept telling themselves that each week, and it was a marvel to watch. With an offense this talented, a coaching staff this brilliant and a fist full of undrafted free agent rookies playing their hearts out, the Patriots emerged from the pack and willed their way into the Super Bowl. There is no other way to describe the run we saw from them last season. It was pure will, pure heart.
They came into this season as clear-cut dynasts. They had Tom Brady with so many weapons at his disposal that it seemed that there was no way for a defense to contain them, let alone stop them. They drafted deftly, bringing in enough talent on defense to be the attackers, to dictate to the opposing offense. The youngest team in Bill Belichick's tenure had dynasty written all over them...
But somewhere along the line, they lost that edge, that underdog mentality. It matters not where or how it was lost, just that it is gone. The mental toughness that defined this team should have carried them through the Cardnials' game after star greyhound Aaron Hernandez went down with an ankle injury, but the team collapsed into a funk and was never able to fully recover.
That same mental toughness should have allowed them to finish off the hated Baltimore Ravens last week, to overcome their emotional motivation, but they collapsed once more, surrendering a two score lead with 7 minutes to play.
Some will argue that they just were unlucky, and if that's the case, go ahead and transfer luck to them by wearing that lucky jersey, by wearing those pungent socks. Pray for them, if it relieves your anxiety - but I'm done with making Karma Kookies, because I realize my superstition is dumb and fruitless and will only serve to make me fat.
The Patriots have to make their own karma, their own luck - and that comes from playing with the heart of a champion. It's that heart that helps to overcome the loss of an integral player. It's heart that causes them finish off an opponent when the have them down.
This afternoon's contest is about more than what their record is at the end of the day. It's about rediscovering that intestinal fortitude that made them the improbable victors from the AFC last season. It's about rising above the mounting injuries.
It's about smash mouth football, lining up and saying here we are, just try and stop us - no trickery, no cuteness. There is no room for those things in Patriots football.
The Patriots need to rediscover their mojo, and it is on them alone. Karma Kookies can't help them.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Lesson Learned: Be careful where you step...
Now, was that so hard?
For months the NFL and the Referee's Union have been locked in a death struggle over pensions, salaries and the like - months of the refs being locked out, constant bitching an whining from both sides, rude dissension from all involved.
The NFL told us that we would still have games, which was cool.
We didn't care. I mean, these were referees, right? Football is football. No matter what level, the fundamentals are the same. The Pro game is different from what the replacement refs were used to, but the dynamics were the same. Use the preseason games as training games for the refs and everything will be fine.
So when the preseason started and the replacement refs began their 2 month struggle to grasp the nuances of the professional game, we looked at them like new puppies: They were uncoordinated, couldn't see very well and left messes all over the field. It was cute, we said. Things will be OK once they grow into the job.
But as the preseason evolved into the regular season, we saw that the cute puppies had not been trained as well as we would have liked. They were a bit more coordinated, but didn't seem to want to cooperate with each other. They still couldn't see very well, and they left bigger messes all over the field, and the NFL was left holding the bag, so to speak.
The NFL defended their new breed, not giving in to the rude grumblings from the neighbors about the steamers on their property, about the trash being strewn everywhere, about the pitiful whining.
They're still young, the league told us, they will get better.
But they didn't. As they grew into the role, the disobedience became more pronounced, the messes became larger, the garbage became overwhelming...and the big dogs, the coaches, started bearing their teeth, barking incessantly at the new refs, some even snipping. The entire kennel was in chaos...
...Then a Monday night in Seattle.
The weekly national showcase of the NFL was in the Emerald City. ESPN cameras were rolling and everyone in the country (except Jerry Jones) was glued to the tube for the showdown between the Seahawks and the fearsome Green Bay Packers. It was a defensive struggle, the young defensive brutes of the Seahawks pummeling the superstar quarterback of the Packers to the tune of 8 sacks in the first half.
Yellow flags were flying everywhere and, just as had been the case since the beginning of the replacement ref debacle, the game had so many stoppages for penalties and review that it had no flow to it. And just when the contest had mercifully reached the final seconds and Seattle had one last chance to mount a drive to win the game, a turning point was reached that would settle the labor dispute between the NFL and it's referees.
On the final play of the game, Seahawk Quarterback Russell Wilson lofted a high, arching spiral toward the end zone where a group of his teammates mixed with Green Bay defenders were gathered, awaiting the ball.
What happened next instantly became the stuff of legend, and it became clear that it was time to take the puppies on a one-way drive to the country. No need to revisit the play, dubbed "The Inaccurate Reception" by the national media - the entire fiasco has been documented, ad nauseum...
Still, neither side in the labor struggle could agree on anything except that the integrity of the most popular sport in the civilized world was disintegrating before their eyes, and that if they wanted to save the sport they needed to start conceding demands - rapidly.
48 hours later, Labor peace.
The American public can tolerate just about anything, unless it's a brace of unruly puppies leaving stinky messes all over their football fields. Fortunately, the NFL finally recognized this, and broke out the baggies, achieving labor peace for the next 8 years.
Hopefully, both sides have learned to tread lightly when dealing with the integrity of the game - otherwise, they might step in something so repulsive that the American public wants nothing to do with them any longer.
For months the NFL and the Referee's Union have been locked in a death struggle over pensions, salaries and the like - months of the refs being locked out, constant bitching an whining from both sides, rude dissension from all involved.
The NFL told us that we would still have games, which was cool.
We didn't care. I mean, these were referees, right? Football is football. No matter what level, the fundamentals are the same. The Pro game is different from what the replacement refs were used to, but the dynamics were the same. Use the preseason games as training games for the refs and everything will be fine.
So when the preseason started and the replacement refs began their 2 month struggle to grasp the nuances of the professional game, we looked at them like new puppies: They were uncoordinated, couldn't see very well and left messes all over the field. It was cute, we said. Things will be OK once they grow into the job.
But as the preseason evolved into the regular season, we saw that the cute puppies had not been trained as well as we would have liked. They were a bit more coordinated, but didn't seem to want to cooperate with each other. They still couldn't see very well, and they left bigger messes all over the field, and the NFL was left holding the bag, so to speak.
The NFL defended their new breed, not giving in to the rude grumblings from the neighbors about the steamers on their property, about the trash being strewn everywhere, about the pitiful whining.
They're still young, the league told us, they will get better.
But they didn't. As they grew into the role, the disobedience became more pronounced, the messes became larger, the garbage became overwhelming...and the big dogs, the coaches, started bearing their teeth, barking incessantly at the new refs, some even snipping. The entire kennel was in chaos...
...Then a Monday night in Seattle.
The weekly national showcase of the NFL was in the Emerald City. ESPN cameras were rolling and everyone in the country (except Jerry Jones) was glued to the tube for the showdown between the Seahawks and the fearsome Green Bay Packers. It was a defensive struggle, the young defensive brutes of the Seahawks pummeling the superstar quarterback of the Packers to the tune of 8 sacks in the first half.
Yellow flags were flying everywhere and, just as had been the case since the beginning of the replacement ref debacle, the game had so many stoppages for penalties and review that it had no flow to it. And just when the contest had mercifully reached the final seconds and Seattle had one last chance to mount a drive to win the game, a turning point was reached that would settle the labor dispute between the NFL and it's referees.
On the final play of the game, Seahawk Quarterback Russell Wilson lofted a high, arching spiral toward the end zone where a group of his teammates mixed with Green Bay defenders were gathered, awaiting the ball.
What happened next instantly became the stuff of legend, and it became clear that it was time to take the puppies on a one-way drive to the country. No need to revisit the play, dubbed "The Inaccurate Reception" by the national media - the entire fiasco has been documented, ad nauseum...
Still, neither side in the labor struggle could agree on anything except that the integrity of the most popular sport in the civilized world was disintegrating before their eyes, and that if they wanted to save the sport they needed to start conceding demands - rapidly.
48 hours later, Labor peace.
The American public can tolerate just about anything, unless it's a brace of unruly puppies leaving stinky messes all over their football fields. Fortunately, the NFL finally recognized this, and broke out the baggies, achieving labor peace for the next 8 years.
Hopefully, both sides have learned to tread lightly when dealing with the integrity of the game - otherwise, they might step in something so repulsive that the American public wants nothing to do with them any longer.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Referees Compromise; Deal with NFL close
Working past midnight on Tuesday evening, the Referee's Union has reached an agreement with the NFL on two of the major issues preventing the officials from working NFL games.
As owners and mediators worked in unison, the NFLRA representatives issued a compromise to the League on the issue of increasing the number of officials under the employ of the NFL. Previously, the league had wanted to increase the number of active crews, which the refs had scoffed at, citing lack of job security as the league could weed out current refs that weren't performing up to league standards.
Under the compromise, the league will implement a Developmental program, employing 21 officials that will be with mentored and trained by current active league officials. The developmental officials will not be members of the union, will not work any games and will not be eligible to sub in until trained to the level that the NFL expects officials to be trained.
In addition, the referee's union has agreed that the pool of money to pay the existing officials will remain the same. When and if any of these developmental referees reach the standards and efficiency of an NFL Official, they will be considered for NFLRA membership. If membership is granted, the league will increase the money pool to accommodate the increase in salary.
These breakthroughs may indicate that the referees and the NFL are indeed very close in reaching a contract. One remaining obstacle is the issue of the pension plans for the refs. The league refuses to budge on it's stance of looking for all officials to go to a 401k, the NFLRA offered to have all new officials on a 401k and existing NFLRA members grandfathered in under the old pension.
The NFLRA on Tuesday offered a shorter-term grandfathering, but the owners are reluctant to make any compromise, though the league has brought in Benefits experts to help solve the impasse on the pension issues.
This news of the referees compromising comes as no surprise, as the Officials union's demands have been met with rude dissent among owners, who consider the union's demands as excessive given that, currently, the Referees are part-time employees of the league.
As owners and mediators worked in unison, the NFLRA representatives issued a compromise to the League on the issue of increasing the number of officials under the employ of the NFL. Previously, the league had wanted to increase the number of active crews, which the refs had scoffed at, citing lack of job security as the league could weed out current refs that weren't performing up to league standards.
Under the compromise, the league will implement a Developmental program, employing 21 officials that will be with mentored and trained by current active league officials. The developmental officials will not be members of the union, will not work any games and will not be eligible to sub in until trained to the level that the NFL expects officials to be trained.
In addition, the referee's union has agreed that the pool of money to pay the existing officials will remain the same. When and if any of these developmental referees reach the standards and efficiency of an NFL Official, they will be considered for NFLRA membership. If membership is granted, the league will increase the money pool to accommodate the increase in salary.
These breakthroughs may indicate that the referees and the NFL are indeed very close in reaching a contract. One remaining obstacle is the issue of the pension plans for the refs. The league refuses to budge on it's stance of looking for all officials to go to a 401k, the NFLRA offered to have all new officials on a 401k and existing NFLRA members grandfathered in under the old pension.
The NFLRA on Tuesday offered a shorter-term grandfathering, but the owners are reluctant to make any compromise, though the league has brought in Benefits experts to help solve the impasse on the pension issues.
This news of the referees compromising comes as no surprise, as the Officials union's demands have been met with rude dissent among owners, who consider the union's demands as excessive given that, currently, the Referees are part-time employees of the league.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Personal Foul: The eggs aren't cooked right
As a young man in my early 20's, I was an aspiring...nothing.
Fresh and on the streets after a 4 year stint in the Navy, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. And as long as I still had the enormous bankroll that I had acquired from being out to sea for much of that 4 years, I was just a goofy kid out on a lark every day.
The party lifestyle soon dried up my liquidity and I quickly found myself in need of money - so I took a job as a dishwasher in an upscale restaurant. Many times was I called upon to watch a simmering pot, or to crack a case of eggs - nothing big....
...there is a point to be made here, just be patient...
One morning two of the cooks called out and the Chef pressed me into service. He gave me a brief low-down on how to flip an egg in a pan and I found myself right in the middle of this controlled chaos, the Chef robotically calling out orders like a cadence, "Western Omelet" or "Two over easy" were my keys. I did the best I could given my 30 seconds of culinary training, but my efforts were not good enough for one of the waitresses, a surly 30 something brute of a woman who always treated everyone (Except the Chef) as if they were trying to get something over on her.
As she screamed at me for overcooking an egg, the Chef's voice boomed over hers, shocking everyone in the kitchen, "Give him a break" he shouted, "He's a dishwasher, he's doing the best he can." - she screamed even more loudly that she could do it better...
Watching the games this weekend, listening to the commentators, listening to the fans, reading comments on the few football pages that I frequent on Facebook, I could sit back, close my eyes and see that chunky, foul-mouthed incorrigible waitress telling me that I wasn't good enough, then opening my eyes and witnessing the same thing happening to the replacement referees. From being in this position, which many of us have, shouldn't we feel a bit of empathy for the poor slobs that have been pressed into service?
But I digress. I had zero experience.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but football is football. It isn't like the NFL went out and hired a bunch of Kelly Girls. They hired people who have been officiating football games for a while now, and it makes one wonder if the football players in Division 3 schools are getting jobbed just as badly as the Patriots and Packers did this past weekend.
The NFL has recruited these High School and Division 3 college referees to fill in for the locked out Professional referees. Just as I had been pressed into service that fateful morning, so have these men. I was horrible, and they are horrible.
And the "Speed of the game is different" or the "Rules are much more complex" argument, doesn't hold water in anyone's eyes - not any more, not after the carnage that we witnessed this past weekend.
Pass Interference is Pass Interference. Holding is Holding. A kick is either good, or it is not. When your Quarterback throws an interception in the end zone, your team doesn't get 6 points.
At first, the sentiment was "Give them a break, they're high school and college Refs doing the best they can.", and I bought into that - some of the rules, I thought, are different and the speed of the game is a little faster. But that sentiment has quickly evolved into "these guys suck and they have to go", which I now buy into, and something that should give pause to both combatants in this filthy drama. Which brings us to the crux of the problem.
In any negotiation, there must, be design, be two sides.
On one side, we have the National Football League. The Shield. The entity that brings us a game that's sometimes larger than life, a corporation which funnels Billions of dollars through it's coffers annually, and makes a tidy proifit - and on the other, we have the unions, the Referee's Union in this instance.
The NFL, as condition of employment, wants some of it's referees to be full-time employees with annual salaries consisting of numbers with 6 digits. The NFL wants to discontinue their pension plans and, in it's place, is offering a 401K. The NFL wants to add 3 more officiating crews to their employ, stating that it would reduce travel stress and improve the quality of the officiating by enabling them to smoothly weed out a referee who is not performing up to par...
On the other side we have the Referee's Union. Professional referees come from all walks of life. Some are Lawyers, some are business owners. Many make more money from their "Day Jobs" than they do from officiating games.
Many are wealthy and have their own pensions or 401k's already in place. The referees have countered that they would accept the Retirement plan restructuring provided all current employees remain on the current plan (which the league has balked at). Many are in business to succeed, and are all about replacing employees that are not performing in a manner which is acceptable.
So...what's the problem here?
It's difficult to fault the NFL for wanting to run their business like a business. It's difficult to fault the NFL for wanting their product on public display. It's not difficult to fault the referees union for declining to adhere to what on the surface seems to be the same demands that the referees put on their own people, or are demanded of them in their "Day Jobs".
That is in-your-face hypocrisy.
The only demand that the NFL is making that could be considered unreasonable is wanting a small number of thier referees to be full-time employees, essentially having to give up control of their practices or businesses. There are no such demands on the players. They could bag groceries in the off season if they chose, and no one would care so long as they showed up for training camp in shape and ready to ball.
Neither side is willing to budge, so we are left with what amounts to 1700 Chefs being scrutinized and supervised by a handful of dishwashers, being screamed at by surly waitresses - and the results are predictable:
The eggs aren't cooked right.
Fresh and on the streets after a 4 year stint in the Navy, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. And as long as I still had the enormous bankroll that I had acquired from being out to sea for much of that 4 years, I was just a goofy kid out on a lark every day.
The party lifestyle soon dried up my liquidity and I quickly found myself in need of money - so I took a job as a dishwasher in an upscale restaurant. Many times was I called upon to watch a simmering pot, or to crack a case of eggs - nothing big....
...there is a point to be made here, just be patient...
One morning two of the cooks called out and the Chef pressed me into service. He gave me a brief low-down on how to flip an egg in a pan and I found myself right in the middle of this controlled chaos, the Chef robotically calling out orders like a cadence, "Western Omelet" or "Two over easy" were my keys. I did the best I could given my 30 seconds of culinary training, but my efforts were not good enough for one of the waitresses, a surly 30 something brute of a woman who always treated everyone (Except the Chef) as if they were trying to get something over on her.
As she screamed at me for overcooking an egg, the Chef's voice boomed over hers, shocking everyone in the kitchen, "Give him a break" he shouted, "He's a dishwasher, he's doing the best he can." - she screamed even more loudly that she could do it better...
Watching the games this weekend, listening to the commentators, listening to the fans, reading comments on the few football pages that I frequent on Facebook, I could sit back, close my eyes and see that chunky, foul-mouthed incorrigible waitress telling me that I wasn't good enough, then opening my eyes and witnessing the same thing happening to the replacement referees. From being in this position, which many of us have, shouldn't we feel a bit of empathy for the poor slobs that have been pressed into service?
But I digress. I had zero experience.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but football is football. It isn't like the NFL went out and hired a bunch of Kelly Girls. They hired people who have been officiating football games for a while now, and it makes one wonder if the football players in Division 3 schools are getting jobbed just as badly as the Patriots and Packers did this past weekend.
The NFL has recruited these High School and Division 3 college referees to fill in for the locked out Professional referees. Just as I had been pressed into service that fateful morning, so have these men. I was horrible, and they are horrible.
And the "Speed of the game is different" or the "Rules are much more complex" argument, doesn't hold water in anyone's eyes - not any more, not after the carnage that we witnessed this past weekend.
Pass Interference is Pass Interference. Holding is Holding. A kick is either good, or it is not. When your Quarterback throws an interception in the end zone, your team doesn't get 6 points.
At first, the sentiment was "Give them a break, they're high school and college Refs doing the best they can.", and I bought into that - some of the rules, I thought, are different and the speed of the game is a little faster. But that sentiment has quickly evolved into "these guys suck and they have to go", which I now buy into, and something that should give pause to both combatants in this filthy drama. Which brings us to the crux of the problem.
In any negotiation, there must, be design, be two sides.
On one side, we have the National Football League. The Shield. The entity that brings us a game that's sometimes larger than life, a corporation which funnels Billions of dollars through it's coffers annually, and makes a tidy proifit - and on the other, we have the unions, the Referee's Union in this instance.
The NFL, as condition of employment, wants some of it's referees to be full-time employees with annual salaries consisting of numbers with 6 digits. The NFL wants to discontinue their pension plans and, in it's place, is offering a 401K. The NFL wants to add 3 more officiating crews to their employ, stating that it would reduce travel stress and improve the quality of the officiating by enabling them to smoothly weed out a referee who is not performing up to par...
On the other side we have the Referee's Union. Professional referees come from all walks of life. Some are Lawyers, some are business owners. Many make more money from their "Day Jobs" than they do from officiating games.
Many are wealthy and have their own pensions or 401k's already in place. The referees have countered that they would accept the Retirement plan restructuring provided all current employees remain on the current plan (which the league has balked at). Many are in business to succeed, and are all about replacing employees that are not performing in a manner which is acceptable.
So...what's the problem here?
It's difficult to fault the NFL for wanting to run their business like a business. It's difficult to fault the NFL for wanting their product on public display. It's not difficult to fault the referees union for declining to adhere to what on the surface seems to be the same demands that the referees put on their own people, or are demanded of them in their "Day Jobs".
That is in-your-face hypocrisy.
The only demand that the NFL is making that could be considered unreasonable is wanting a small number of thier referees to be full-time employees, essentially having to give up control of their practices or businesses. There are no such demands on the players. They could bag groceries in the off season if they chose, and no one would care so long as they showed up for training camp in shape and ready to ball.
Neither side is willing to budge, so we are left with what amounts to 1700 Chefs being scrutinized and supervised by a handful of dishwashers, being screamed at by surly waitresses - and the results are predictable:
The eggs aren't cooked right.
Monday, September 24, 2012
New England Patriots Gameday: The Tell-Tale Silence
Presently I heard a slight groan, and I knew it was the groan of mortal terror. It was not a groan of pain or of grief --oh, no! --it was the low stifled sound that arises from the bottom of the soul when overcharged with awe.
The groan, audible as one but breathed forth by many, as the faithful from the New England village of Foxborough, overcome with awe...their charges, their team had lost again...
...and in the land of Poe, a cheer arose. Another great victory, the forces of the Raven had vanquished another foe, just as the hapless madman had in the poem. But there would be no police, no investigation of the shriek - just the words of a frustrated fan.
And in the end, there was no acute hearing, no delusion that would allow the victors to be vexed by the sound of the defeated visitors' hideous heart, for their foe had none...not on this night...
Yes, he was stone, stone dead. I placed my hand upon the heart and held it there many minutes. There was no pulsation. He was stone dead. His eye would trouble me no more.
The New England Patriots seemed to have it all: the glamorous Quarterback with many, weapons at his disposal, at his beck and call. Receivers, running backs, all cut from quality cloth. The defenders, young and stout, muscular and violent - strapping men, as if Michelangelo himself had carved them and placed them on the field of battle, fairly brimming with confidence bordering on arrogance.
Their reputation preceded them. Led by a man with such a voracious appetite for destruction that victory sometimes waned in it's shadow. Misguided in his endeavor? Certainly not! For a man that insists on this violent style can rarely be questioned - yet how is it that he has built an army that has no use for the lifeblood of victory?
The faithful groaned but once, as seven minutes had yet to pass to complete the contest, for they knew (from long experience) what was to come. Their heroes had no heart, no will to kill off their opposition, and watching the inevitable had caused them to shink back in abject horror.
Because they knew. It felt so wrong that had we been present we would have gathered our children and headed for the tunnel, shielding their eyes for it was too horrible for those so young to witness - the sound of their still hearts being agony enough...
Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God! --no, no! They heard! --they suspected! --they knew! --they were making a mockery of my horror!-this I thought, and this I think. But anything was better than this agony! Anything was more tolerable than this derision! I could bear those hypocritical smiles no longer! I felt that I must scream or die! and now --again! --hark! louder! louder! louder! louder!
Yes! The sound of silence was deafening!
But, through all of this madness, a glimmer of hope. Their heroes had battled to the end, though the outcome of the contest was never in doubt - so there was indeed a chance that the whole could become more than the sum of it's parts, should they discover what was missing...
The heart - metaphoric, as no person could survive without it's physical presence - the instinct to finish the job, to dictate to their foe, to overcome the disability thrust upon them by the greed and stubbornness of others, to overcome those things out of their control.
And we as fans will suffer through another week of grief, anger and resignation - silently hopeful that their heroes' equally silent hearts will again start beating - and not just beating, but beating loudly enough that they remember what it was like to be the victors, to be heard, to be cause for anxiety among men that would be foe, to emit the loud heart beat of a champion...
And have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over-acuteness of the sense? --now, I say, there came to my ears a low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I knew that sound well, too. It increased my fury, as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage...
The groan, audible as one but breathed forth by many, as the faithful from the New England village of Foxborough, overcome with awe...their charges, their team had lost again...
...and in the land of Poe, a cheer arose. Another great victory, the forces of the Raven had vanquished another foe, just as the hapless madman had in the poem. But there would be no police, no investigation of the shriek - just the words of a frustrated fan.
And in the end, there was no acute hearing, no delusion that would allow the victors to be vexed by the sound of the defeated visitors' hideous heart, for their foe had none...not on this night...
Yes, he was stone, stone dead. I placed my hand upon the heart and held it there many minutes. There was no pulsation. He was stone dead. His eye would trouble me no more.
The New England Patriots seemed to have it all: the glamorous Quarterback with many, weapons at his disposal, at his beck and call. Receivers, running backs, all cut from quality cloth. The defenders, young and stout, muscular and violent - strapping men, as if Michelangelo himself had carved them and placed them on the field of battle, fairly brimming with confidence bordering on arrogance.
Their reputation preceded them. Led by a man with such a voracious appetite for destruction that victory sometimes waned in it's shadow. Misguided in his endeavor? Certainly not! For a man that insists on this violent style can rarely be questioned - yet how is it that he has built an army that has no use for the lifeblood of victory?
The faithful groaned but once, as seven minutes had yet to pass to complete the contest, for they knew (from long experience) what was to come. Their heroes had no heart, no will to kill off their opposition, and watching the inevitable had caused them to shink back in abject horror.
Because they knew. It felt so wrong that had we been present we would have gathered our children and headed for the tunnel, shielding their eyes for it was too horrible for those so young to witness - the sound of their still hearts being agony enough...
Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God! --no, no! They heard! --they suspected! --they knew! --they were making a mockery of my horror!-this I thought, and this I think. But anything was better than this agony! Anything was more tolerable than this derision! I could bear those hypocritical smiles no longer! I felt that I must scream or die! and now --again! --hark! louder! louder! louder! louder!
Yes! The sound of silence was deafening!
But, through all of this madness, a glimmer of hope. Their heroes had battled to the end, though the outcome of the contest was never in doubt - so there was indeed a chance that the whole could become more than the sum of it's parts, should they discover what was missing...
The heart - metaphoric, as no person could survive without it's physical presence - the instinct to finish the job, to dictate to their foe, to overcome the disability thrust upon them by the greed and stubbornness of others, to overcome those things out of their control.
And we as fans will suffer through another week of grief, anger and resignation - silently hopeful that their heroes' equally silent hearts will again start beating - and not just beating, but beating loudly enough that they remember what it was like to be the victors, to be heard, to be cause for anxiety among men that would be foe, to emit the loud heart beat of a champion...
And have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over-acuteness of the sense? --now, I say, there came to my ears a low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I knew that sound well, too. It increased my fury, as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage...
New England Patriots Gameday: Momentum
How important is momentum in a Professional football game?
Josh McDaniels apparently didn't get it.
The Patriots don't need to use trick plays. With the offensive fire power that the Patriots possess, they have the ability to line up and take it to any defense in the league, yet they continue to try them - and they play themselves right out of drives with them.
With just under 8 minutes left in the 1st half and the Patriots driving, they tried a reverse with Edelman, losing 13 yards and,more importantly, all of their momentum. The Ravens drove the ball right down the field after the ensuing punt and took the lead. In fact, the Ravens scored Touchdowns on three consecutive drives.
Fortunately for New England, their dormant offense showed up in Baltimore just in time and matched the Ravens score for score - and then, finally, using the no huddle (and more traditional play calling), the Patriots regained the momentum midway through the 3rd quarter and were able to hang 30 points on the proud Ravens' defense.
But ultimately it wasn't enough as the Ravens kicked a last second field goal to score a wild 31-30 victory to improve to 2-1 on the season.
New England fell to 1-2, the first time that they've been under .500 in almost a decade.
Brady was fantastic, finding Brandon Lloyd and Wes Welker seemingly at will in one of the most curiously officiated games in recent memory, even given the fact that we've seen 3 weeks of replacement officiating.
But in the end, the Patriots' defense couldn't hold the suddenly potent Baltimore offense.
Josh McDaniels apparently didn't get it.
The Patriots don't need to use trick plays. With the offensive fire power that the Patriots possess, they have the ability to line up and take it to any defense in the league, yet they continue to try them - and they play themselves right out of drives with them.
With just under 8 minutes left in the 1st half and the Patriots driving, they tried a reverse with Edelman, losing 13 yards and,more importantly, all of their momentum. The Ravens drove the ball right down the field after the ensuing punt and took the lead. In fact, the Ravens scored Touchdowns on three consecutive drives.
Fortunately for New England, their dormant offense showed up in Baltimore just in time and matched the Ravens score for score - and then, finally, using the no huddle (and more traditional play calling), the Patriots regained the momentum midway through the 3rd quarter and were able to hang 30 points on the proud Ravens' defense.
But ultimately it wasn't enough as the Ravens kicked a last second field goal to score a wild 31-30 victory to improve to 2-1 on the season.
New England fell to 1-2, the first time that they've been under .500 in almost a decade.
Brady was fantastic, finding Brandon Lloyd and Wes Welker seemingly at will in one of the most curiously officiated games in recent memory, even given the fact that we've seen 3 weeks of replacement officiating.
But in the end, the Patriots' defense couldn't hold the suddenly potent Baltimore offense.
New England Patriots on Paper: Horrible sanity
"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result."
If we are to believe this quip from Albert Einstein to be true, then the Baltimore Ravens have been insane for quite some time.
How else can one view the Ravens? For a dozen years now, the Ravens have been one of the better teams in the NFL, relying on violent defense and their ground game to propel them to a 124-84 record during that period, making the playoffs eight times since 2000, and winning the AFC North three times (2003, 2006, and 2011).
None of these successes have translated to a Super Bowl appearance, however, yet the Ravens have never changed their mode of operation, doing the same thing over and over again, game after game, season after season - the very thing that makes them successful in the regular season proving to be their achilles heel when it really matters.
Tough defense will always be part of the recipe for championship teams but, increasingly, having a good balance on offense is just as key an ingredient - something that Baltimore has never been able to boast. They can run the ball down your throat and their defense can stymie you for significant stretches of a game, but if they happen to fall behind, they've never had the mind-set nor the horses to score quickly...until last season.
That last minute drive in the AFC Championship was a thing of beauty. Flacco took the team on his shoulders, driving the Ravens down to the Patriots' 13 yard line - and then Patriots' safety Sterling Moore happened to them - twice - and the rest, as they say, is history.
But the one thing that Ravens fans can take to heart from that drive is that their Quarterback had backed up his words and became an elite Passer. The Ravens are no longer insane, or have they just entered into a what the great poet Edgar Allen Poe once mused as a "long interval of horrible sanity!"?
But what do we really know about Joe Flacco?
Well, we know that his peers respect him, but perhaps not enough. He sits at #74 on the list of the top 100 players in the NFL, being the 9th rated Quarterback on the list - but Flacco thinks he should be at the top of that list...
“I assume everybody thinks they’re a top-five quarterback. I mean, I think I’m the best. I don’t think I’m top five, I think I’m the best. I don’t think I’d be very successful at my job if I didn’t feel that way."
...and we could beat that into the ground, but he's right. The fact is that Flacco has thrived in Baltimore, starting every game since being drafted #18 overall in 2008, compiling a 45-21 record speaks to more than just defense and his running game. He has prototypical size and a missle launcher for an arm, which he trusts a little too much as he is intercepted often - 47 in his four years - trying to squeeze a ball into his recievers instead of throwing it away.
The Coaching staff has been increasing his responsibilities each year, this season adding more of an up-tempo flow to go along with his fine new recieving corps that has the potential to be lethal.
Torrey Smith (Who is questionable for tonight's game due to the death of his brother early this morning) is a rocket that can easily stretch the field vertically while ultimate tough guy Anquan Boldin demands attention both inside and outside the numbers and newcomer Jacoby Jones is a burner - but Tight End Dennis Pitta could end up being Flacco's favorite reciever when all is said and done. He has great size and speed and has already caught 13 balls in the young season, averaging over 10 yards per catch.
And when speaking of recieving threats, one would be remiss in omitting the impact that Pro Bowl Running Back Ray Rice has. Not just a safety valve, Rice caught 76 balls for over 700 yards in addition to his standard 1,300 yards on the ground and rarely is pulled from the field. Rightfully so, Rice is considered to be the Ravens greatest offensive threat and will be targeted by Bill Belichick as the man that has to be contained.
Protecting Flacco, his offensive line is a mixed bag, probably something like we saw with the Cardinals last Sunday. The interior line consists of a nice mix of youth and Geritol as Anchor Matt Birk starts at Center for something like his 30th season and is bookcased by guards Ramon Harewood and Logan Mankins look-a-like Marshal Yanda . Together, these three form an imposing run blocking trio as well as protect Flacco's grill.
But while Flacco's face may be protected, the same can not be said about his backside. Michael Oher, whose inspirational story was made into a movie a few years back, is a solid run blocker but his technique and nastiness as a pass blocker has not developed as hoped - and as a result, Flacco has taken some nasty hits. Right Tackle is a revolving door, so it's a good thing for Baltimore that their Tight Ends are as good as blockers as they are recievers.
Defensivesly, the Patriots focus should be on Rice. In the first two weeks, Belichick's defensive charges have managed to completely shut down Tennessee's Chris Johnson and Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald, so is there any reason to assume that they can't shut out Rice as well?
Indeed, there is. With Rice being a more versatile talent than either of the afore mentioned stars, it will be tougher to key on him - perhaps requiring a shadow safety like Tavon Wilson. Rice has a similar skill set to that of Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk, and must be contained inside the tackles in the running game, and chipped as he comes out of the backfield as a recieving threat.
In the recent past, the key to containing Rice was for New England to push out to an early lead and force the game into Flacco's hand. In years past, this strategy has been good enough. But now, with Flacco gaining more responsibility and having more weapons to throw to, the task is no longer the better option - more or less, it's now a game of pick your poison.
Who knows? Perhaps the Patriots play the Ravens straight up, matching strength against strength. The way that the New England Defense has shown major improvement in the first two games, that may be enough to get the win.
But what do we really know about Joe Flacco?
Well, we know that his peers respect him, but perhaps not enough. He sits at #74 on the list of the top 100 players in the NFL, being the 9th rated Quarterback on the list - but Flacco thinks he should be at the top of that list...
“I assume everybody thinks they’re a top-five quarterback. I mean, I think I’m the best. I don’t think I’m top five, I think I’m the best. I don’t think I’d be very successful at my job if I didn’t feel that way."
...and we could beat that into the ground, but he's right. The fact is that Flacco has thrived in Baltimore, starting every game since being drafted #18 overall in 2008, compiling a 45-21 record speaks to more than just defense and his running game. He has prototypical size and a missle launcher for an arm, which he trusts a little too much as he is intercepted often - 47 in his four years - trying to squeeze a ball into his recievers instead of throwing it away.
The Coaching staff has been increasing his responsibilities each year, this season adding more of an up-tempo flow to go along with his fine new recieving corps that has the potential to be lethal.
Torrey Smith (Who is questionable for tonight's game due to the death of his brother early this morning) is a rocket that can easily stretch the field vertically while ultimate tough guy Anquan Boldin demands attention both inside and outside the numbers and newcomer Jacoby Jones is a burner - but Tight End Dennis Pitta could end up being Flacco's favorite reciever when all is said and done. He has great size and speed and has already caught 13 balls in the young season, averaging over 10 yards per catch.
And when speaking of recieving threats, one would be remiss in omitting the impact that Pro Bowl Running Back Ray Rice has. Not just a safety valve, Rice caught 76 balls for over 700 yards in addition to his standard 1,300 yards on the ground and rarely is pulled from the field. Rightfully so, Rice is considered to be the Ravens greatest offensive threat and will be targeted by Bill Belichick as the man that has to be contained.
Protecting Flacco, his offensive line is a mixed bag, probably something like we saw with the Cardinals last Sunday. The interior line consists of a nice mix of youth and Geritol as Anchor Matt Birk starts at Center for something like his 30th season and is bookcased by guards Ramon Harewood and Logan Mankins look-a-like Marshal Yanda . Together, these three form an imposing run blocking trio as well as protect Flacco's grill.
But while Flacco's face may be protected, the same can not be said about his backside. Michael Oher, whose inspirational story was made into a movie a few years back, is a solid run blocker but his technique and nastiness as a pass blocker has not developed as hoped - and as a result, Flacco has taken some nasty hits. Right Tackle is a revolving door, so it's a good thing for Baltimore that their Tight Ends are as good as blockers as they are recievers.
Defensivesly, the Patriots focus should be on Rice. In the first two weeks, Belichick's defensive charges have managed to completely shut down Tennessee's Chris Johnson and Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald, so is there any reason to assume that they can't shut out Rice as well?
Indeed, there is. With Rice being a more versatile talent than either of the afore mentioned stars, it will be tougher to key on him - perhaps requiring a shadow safety like Tavon Wilson. Rice has a similar skill set to that of Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk, and must be contained inside the tackles in the running game, and chipped as he comes out of the backfield as a recieving threat.
In the recent past, the key to containing Rice was for New England to push out to an early lead and force the game into Flacco's hand. In years past, this strategy has been good enough. But now, with Flacco gaining more responsibility and having more weapons to throw to, the task is no longer the better option - more or less, it's now a game of pick your poison.
Who knows? Perhaps the Patriots play the Ravens straight up, matching strength against strength. The way that the New England Defense has shown major improvement in the first two games, that may be enough to get the win.
Friday, September 21, 2012
New England Patriots On Paper: The Bernard Pollard Saga
The Great Magnet played a cruel joke on the Patriots last Sunday afternoon, but nowhere near as cruel as the one he played on the Baltimore Ravens last January.
Eerily similar, both games featured epic endings: The Ravens losing to the Patriots after driving the length of the field with mere seconds to play, having to settle for a field goal attempt that would have tied the game after Ravens' receiver Lee Evans failed to haul in a Joe Flacco pass in the end zone that would have won the game and sent Baltimore to it's second ever Super Bowl...
...while the Patriots lost to the Cardinals after New England's defense miraculously forced a fumble in the waning moments, also having to settle for a field goal attempt after Danny Woodhead's game-winning touchdown run was nullified by a phantom holding call...
...and both kickers missed their attempts wide left. The biggest difference between the two incidences is that the Patriots lost in an early season struggle, while the Ravens failed on one of the biggest stages in sports...
Many football fans would look at the crazy ending to New England Patriots loss to the Arizona Cardinals and think, "well, that's Karma for you".
Truth is Karma doesn't work like that.
Hard work, attention to detail, sweat, blood, film room, training table...That's what makes Football Karma.
Football is cyclical - It has no omnipotent being that dishes out justice to keep the playing field level. Al Davis and Richard Nixon and Hunter Thompson are not lounging around the patio section of the Heaven Hilton sipping on Mai Tais and hand selecting who deserves to win and who deserves to lose...
...or are they? Regardless, both teams have been on a their high cycles for the better part of the past decade, but many times not high enough, as it turns out.
Both teams have recently been to the zenith - to the edge - close enough to touch the brass ring, only to have it ripped out of their hands, probably by the snot-nosed kid riding the Unicorn in front of them. For Brady, it's that hick kid from New Jersey with the slow drawl - "Look! That Manning kid just took Little Tommy's trophy - again! Let's go beat up his parents!"
Indeed. And his big brother, too. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Peyton Manning and his Broncos visit Foxborough two weeks from this Sunday. The focus this week are the formidable Ravens and their tough guy defense.
Because when you think Ravens, you think defense. You think Ray Lewis, you think Ed Reed. You think Bernard Pollard? Strange as it may seem, with the manner in which the Patriots' offense prepares to attack the Ravens, the hated Pollard may be the player that has the most impact for Baltimore.
No, he's not going to cripple another of our star players, not on purpose (according to him) anyway. What the Ravens' hard-hitting safety will do is fill in as the nickle linebacker, most likely in coverage on Tight End Rob Gronkowski while fortifying a Ravens' linebacking unit that isn't nearly as fearsome as they were even a year ago, though still formidable - and that's exactly where the Patriots' offense would like to operate. But to do so, they will have to get past one of the most feared defensive lines in the NFL.
That fearsome defensive line and a savvy secondary sandwich a linebacking corps that took major hits in the offseason as attrition and age and injury have sapped some of their mojo. Last year's Defensive Player of the Year Terrell Suggs is gone for the season with a snapped Achilles tendon, and coupled with the defection of edge-setting linebacker Jarrett Johnson to the Chargers and Ray Lewis' trouble in coverage has the Patriots breathing a little easier, but not much, especially in light of the talent along the defensive line.
The Ravens use Defensive Tackle Haloti Ngata much the way that the Patriots use Tight End Aaron Hernadez on offense, moving him all over the line to create mismatches. He's nearly impossible to move in the running game and always demands double teams. Ngata is just one of many reads that Brady will have to make in setting up his pre-snap protections and adjusting the receiver's routes - and it's a good thing that Brady is the master at running the no huddle because he may need that long to account for all of the Ravens...
...Particularly in protection. As will be the story all year, the Patriots' offensive line will be in the spotlight, but for all the wrong reasons. It features a 2nd year former college Tight End as Brady's blindside protector, a make-shift interior line anchored by a Pro Bowl guard coming off ACL surgery and a Right Tackle with a bad back. That certainly doesn't sound like a recipe for success - and it isn't, particularly in pass protection - but this is a tough, capable group when it comes to run blocking and pulling out on screens.
Brady may have lost his most versatile weapon in Aaron Hernandez, but it doesn't mean he can't attack the Ravens where they are most vulnerable. The key is to keep Baltimore's aggressive pass rushers off balance, so it is imperative that New England has early success in the short passing game. There is no need to try to stretch the field vertically - the key is to keep the corners outside of the numbers horizontally while targeting Welker and Gronkowski in the cleared out zones, and perhaps a newly-acquired Kellen Winslow up the seam to occupy the safeties. The Patriots won't get many big plays this way, but they can eat up yards and clock by keeping the chains moving.
Which also opens up holes for the running game. Stevan Ridley is at his best taking one cut and initiating contact, which helps him bounce off of the would-be tackler and gain yards after contact. Danny Woodhead and Shane Vereen may have roles as well, particularly the speedy Vereen taking a pass in the flat and using his elusiveness to move the sticks.
The Ravens defense is Fearsome, about that there is no doubt. But they are not impenetrable. The Patriots have the tools to move the ball and score points, but it is up to Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels to put them in the proper position to make plays and be successful, and to use the no-huddle offense to his advantage to try and catch Baltimore's defense in the wrong formation, creating positive mismatches, a tactic that has been used too seldom thus far in the young season.
It has been said that New England's offense can make you feel like you are in the wrong formation every time. This is one game where the Patriots really need that to be true.
Josh McDaniels, time for you to shine.
Eerily similar, both games featured epic endings: The Ravens losing to the Patriots after driving the length of the field with mere seconds to play, having to settle for a field goal attempt that would have tied the game after Ravens' receiver Lee Evans failed to haul in a Joe Flacco pass in the end zone that would have won the game and sent Baltimore to it's second ever Super Bowl...
...while the Patriots lost to the Cardinals after New England's defense miraculously forced a fumble in the waning moments, also having to settle for a field goal attempt after Danny Woodhead's game-winning touchdown run was nullified by a phantom holding call...
...and both kickers missed their attempts wide left. The biggest difference between the two incidences is that the Patriots lost in an early season struggle, while the Ravens failed on one of the biggest stages in sports...
Many football fans would look at the crazy ending to New England Patriots loss to the Arizona Cardinals and think, "well, that's Karma for you".
Truth is Karma doesn't work like that.
Hard work, attention to detail, sweat, blood, film room, training table...That's what makes Football Karma.
Football is cyclical - It has no omnipotent being that dishes out justice to keep the playing field level. Al Davis and Richard Nixon and Hunter Thompson are not lounging around the patio section of the Heaven Hilton sipping on Mai Tais and hand selecting who deserves to win and who deserves to lose...
...or are they? Regardless, both teams have been on a their high cycles for the better part of the past decade, but many times not high enough, as it turns out.
Both teams have recently been to the zenith - to the edge - close enough to touch the brass ring, only to have it ripped out of their hands, probably by the snot-nosed kid riding the Unicorn in front of them. For Brady, it's that hick kid from New Jersey with the slow drawl - "Look! That Manning kid just took Little Tommy's trophy - again! Let's go beat up his parents!"
Indeed. And his big brother, too. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Peyton Manning and his Broncos visit Foxborough two weeks from this Sunday. The focus this week are the formidable Ravens and their tough guy defense.
Because when you think Ravens, you think defense. You think Ray Lewis, you think Ed Reed. You think Bernard Pollard? Strange as it may seem, with the manner in which the Patriots' offense prepares to attack the Ravens, the hated Pollard may be the player that has the most impact for Baltimore.
No, he's not going to cripple another of our star players, not on purpose (according to him) anyway. What the Ravens' hard-hitting safety will do is fill in as the nickle linebacker, most likely in coverage on Tight End Rob Gronkowski while fortifying a Ravens' linebacking unit that isn't nearly as fearsome as they were even a year ago, though still formidable - and that's exactly where the Patriots' offense would like to operate. But to do so, they will have to get past one of the most feared defensive lines in the NFL.
That fearsome defensive line and a savvy secondary sandwich a linebacking corps that took major hits in the offseason as attrition and age and injury have sapped some of their mojo. Last year's Defensive Player of the Year Terrell Suggs is gone for the season with a snapped Achilles tendon, and coupled with the defection of edge-setting linebacker Jarrett Johnson to the Chargers and Ray Lewis' trouble in coverage has the Patriots breathing a little easier, but not much, especially in light of the talent along the defensive line.
The Ravens use Defensive Tackle Haloti Ngata much the way that the Patriots use Tight End Aaron Hernadez on offense, moving him all over the line to create mismatches. He's nearly impossible to move in the running game and always demands double teams. Ngata is just one of many reads that Brady will have to make in setting up his pre-snap protections and adjusting the receiver's routes - and it's a good thing that Brady is the master at running the no huddle because he may need that long to account for all of the Ravens...
...Particularly in protection. As will be the story all year, the Patriots' offensive line will be in the spotlight, but for all the wrong reasons. It features a 2nd year former college Tight End as Brady's blindside protector, a make-shift interior line anchored by a Pro Bowl guard coming off ACL surgery and a Right Tackle with a bad back. That certainly doesn't sound like a recipe for success - and it isn't, particularly in pass protection - but this is a tough, capable group when it comes to run blocking and pulling out on screens.
Brady may have lost his most versatile weapon in Aaron Hernandez, but it doesn't mean he can't attack the Ravens where they are most vulnerable. The key is to keep Baltimore's aggressive pass rushers off balance, so it is imperative that New England has early success in the short passing game. There is no need to try to stretch the field vertically - the key is to keep the corners outside of the numbers horizontally while targeting Welker and Gronkowski in the cleared out zones, and perhaps a newly-acquired Kellen Winslow up the seam to occupy the safeties. The Patriots won't get many big plays this way, but they can eat up yards and clock by keeping the chains moving.
Which also opens up holes for the running game. Stevan Ridley is at his best taking one cut and initiating contact, which helps him bounce off of the would-be tackler and gain yards after contact. Danny Woodhead and Shane Vereen may have roles as well, particularly the speedy Vereen taking a pass in the flat and using his elusiveness to move the sticks.
The Ravens defense is Fearsome, about that there is no doubt. But they are not impenetrable. The Patriots have the tools to move the ball and score points, but it is up to Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels to put them in the proper position to make plays and be successful, and to use the no-huddle offense to his advantage to try and catch Baltimore's defense in the wrong formation, creating positive mismatches, a tactic that has been used too seldom thus far in the young season.
It has been said that New England's offense can make you feel like you are in the wrong formation every time. This is one game where the Patriots really need that to be true.
Josh McDaniels, time for you to shine.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
New England Patriots On Paper: Leverage
Bill Belichick is a leverage junkie.
Just ask him, he'll admit it. What head coach at any level of football doesn't subscribe to the notion that the way to consistently win football games is by influencing the outcome by dictating terms to the opposition?
It's not the only way, of course, but it is by far the most fun.
The ability to move the ball at will, to line up against your foe and have them back on their heels before the ball is ever snapped - hell, before the game even starts - that is solid gold in the eyes of a coach. It's a licence to gain a psychological advantage - to mess with their minds, as it were, and there is a certain swagger that results from this ability.
That swagger is made possible by having a Quarterback that is a master of your system; who is capable of standing at the line of scrimmage, surveying the field, the alignment, the packages that are in place - and he has an athlete at his disposal so versatile, so dangerous from as many as five different positions in the offense that you can move him around to take advantage of any mismatch just by calling an audible - and when you have that kind of leverage at your fingertips, that kind of leverage can be intoxicating.
And when a Leverage Junkie loses that edge, the results can be disastrous. Panic ensues, tensions rise, judgement becomes suspect, confusion reigns and the patient begins reaching for things that just aren't there...
He may never admit it, but Bill Belichick centered his entire offensive playbook around that ability. And now that his "X-factor" is shelved for at least a few weeks with an severe ankle sprain, his offense has become suddenly vulnerable - not merely because he has lost the ability to dictate to the defense, but because his team has lost it's swagger because of it.
It was a powerful thing to witness, the offense's collapse last Sunday. After Hernandez went down early in the game, the offense became dormant, but somehow the Patriots still had a 3 point lead - but when the tides turned on a special team's miscue in the third quarter that effectively allowed the Arizona Cardinals to take the lead, the defense then allowed a long scoring drive to hand the upstart Cardinals an 11 point lead that they never relinquished.
The ending to that game will live forever in annals of Patriot lore, so there's no reason to go into that, well documented as it already is. What does need exploring, however, is how do the Patriots rediscover that swagger? Aaron Hernandez will not be back until mid-October, and the offense resembles something more kin to last season than what Belichick has envisioned for this one...
...and what is wrong with that? It was prolific. It featured Rob Gronkowski, Deion Branch, Wes Welker, Tom Brady and, yes, Aaron Hernandez. The running game has improved with Stevan Ridley. They don't have the Juggernaut offense that they had hoped to feature this season, but they have an excellent one if used to it's potential. Throw in the fact that the Defense appears to be markedly improved, and you have a better version of last season's AFC Champions.
It's a luxury that no other team in the NFL can boast. Belichick was changing the offense from the one that came within inches of winning the Super Bowl to one that would march into New Orleans and take the Super Bowl by force - but having to temporarily fall back on the former may just be a blessing in disguise, and Belichick knows this. He resigned Branch on Tuesday to go along with his sort-term (?) plug & play option at Tight End in Kellen Winslow, so his options remain intriguing, and the Patriots remain one of the top teams in the NFL.
So for now, the distracting talk of Wes Welker's status has been abated - he's going to get his reps. Julien Edelman has emerged as a solid slot guy in his own right, Branch is the intermediate threat that Hernandez is so good at, Lloyd will continue to make defenses respect the game outside the numbers and Gronkowski will continue to bulldoze any and all defenders in his path - and we are left to absorb the possibilities. If this offense gets on a roll, imagine what it will look like once Hernandez is fully healthy and ready to rock...
In the interim, for the Patriots' offense to regain that swagger and confidence, the Patriots must go into Baltimore this coming Sunday Night and beat the Big, bad Ravens - and not just beat them, but to go in there and take the game from them, to dominate them, just like Bill had it drawn up all along.
Anything less would mean failure, and Leverage Junkies like Bill Belichick are not in that business.
Just ask him, he'll admit it. What head coach at any level of football doesn't subscribe to the notion that the way to consistently win football games is by influencing the outcome by dictating terms to the opposition?
It's not the only way, of course, but it is by far the most fun.
The ability to move the ball at will, to line up against your foe and have them back on their heels before the ball is ever snapped - hell, before the game even starts - that is solid gold in the eyes of a coach. It's a licence to gain a psychological advantage - to mess with their minds, as it were, and there is a certain swagger that results from this ability.
That swagger is made possible by having a Quarterback that is a master of your system; who is capable of standing at the line of scrimmage, surveying the field, the alignment, the packages that are in place - and he has an athlete at his disposal so versatile, so dangerous from as many as five different positions in the offense that you can move him around to take advantage of any mismatch just by calling an audible - and when you have that kind of leverage at your fingertips, that kind of leverage can be intoxicating.
And when a Leverage Junkie loses that edge, the results can be disastrous. Panic ensues, tensions rise, judgement becomes suspect, confusion reigns and the patient begins reaching for things that just aren't there...
He may never admit it, but Bill Belichick centered his entire offensive playbook around that ability. And now that his "X-factor" is shelved for at least a few weeks with an severe ankle sprain, his offense has become suddenly vulnerable - not merely because he has lost the ability to dictate to the defense, but because his team has lost it's swagger because of it.
It was a powerful thing to witness, the offense's collapse last Sunday. After Hernandez went down early in the game, the offense became dormant, but somehow the Patriots still had a 3 point lead - but when the tides turned on a special team's miscue in the third quarter that effectively allowed the Arizona Cardinals to take the lead, the defense then allowed a long scoring drive to hand the upstart Cardinals an 11 point lead that they never relinquished.
The ending to that game will live forever in annals of Patriot lore, so there's no reason to go into that, well documented as it already is. What does need exploring, however, is how do the Patriots rediscover that swagger? Aaron Hernandez will not be back until mid-October, and the offense resembles something more kin to last season than what Belichick has envisioned for this one...
...and what is wrong with that? It was prolific. It featured Rob Gronkowski, Deion Branch, Wes Welker, Tom Brady and, yes, Aaron Hernandez. The running game has improved with Stevan Ridley. They don't have the Juggernaut offense that they had hoped to feature this season, but they have an excellent one if used to it's potential. Throw in the fact that the Defense appears to be markedly improved, and you have a better version of last season's AFC Champions.
It's a luxury that no other team in the NFL can boast. Belichick was changing the offense from the one that came within inches of winning the Super Bowl to one that would march into New Orleans and take the Super Bowl by force - but having to temporarily fall back on the former may just be a blessing in disguise, and Belichick knows this. He resigned Branch on Tuesday to go along with his sort-term (?) plug & play option at Tight End in Kellen Winslow, so his options remain intriguing, and the Patriots remain one of the top teams in the NFL.
So for now, the distracting talk of Wes Welker's status has been abated - he's going to get his reps. Julien Edelman has emerged as a solid slot guy in his own right, Branch is the intermediate threat that Hernandez is so good at, Lloyd will continue to make defenses respect the game outside the numbers and Gronkowski will continue to bulldoze any and all defenders in his path - and we are left to absorb the possibilities. If this offense gets on a roll, imagine what it will look like once Hernandez is fully healthy and ready to rock...
In the interim, for the Patriots' offense to regain that swagger and confidence, the Patriots must go into Baltimore this coming Sunday Night and beat the Big, bad Ravens - and not just beat them, but to go in there and take the game from them, to dominate them, just like Bill had it drawn up all along.
Anything less would mean failure, and Leverage Junkies like Bill Belichick are not in that business.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
New England Patriots on Paper: Plan B
A deafening hush fell over the Gillette Stadium crowd as Tight End Aaron Hernandez writhed in agony on the plastic turf, the victim of one of the cruelest and most unfortunate injuries a player could suffer. You've seen it a hundred times, a player blocking gets his leg rolled under. Sometimes they hop right up, sometimes they don't.
Aaron Hernandez didn't.
Play continued, and as the game wore on, the figurative dark cloud of despair formed over Foxborough, so dense and so imposing that the Patriots' offense looked as if they were reduced to going through the motions, seemingly lost in that cloud, not knowing what to do or even, it seemed, what direction they should be going.
For the New England Patriots offense, it's time for Plan B. Question is, Do they have a Plan B?
It's hard to imagine that Belichick would go into this season of promise, this season of dominating their opposition with the largest lineup in the history of professional football, the season where Belichick gives the finger to every pundit that ever doubted his genius without a contingency plan...
...shades of Super Bowl 46, when the Patriots' went into the game with mutant Tight End Rob Gronkowski on an ankle so damaged it that needed surgery in the off-season. Not having an alternate plan to accommodate that scenario caused the Patriots' championship aspirations to erode into a last-minute loss and subsequent back-biting and bitching. Surely the Patriots learned their lesson and have their contingency plan in place?
They do. His name is Kellen Winslow.
ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting that Winslow and the Patriots have agreed on a one year deal. In signing Winslow, the Patriots are attempting to stay on Belichick's preferred path of league-wide domination. He is an athletic specimen with obvious NFL pedigree and provides a skill set that allows New England to keep it's Tight End-centric playbook intact while giving Hernandez time to fully recover.
There is still the concern of the perceived lack of mental toughness with the Patriots' offense however, which is more of a concern than simply losing a player.
One can understand simple concern for their comrade. One can not understand, however, how a team with such a tenured and celebrated Quarterback such as Tom Brady, with the Boy Wonder of Offensive Coordinators in Josh McDaniels, with such a grizzled and stoic and seemingly unfeeling Head Coach such as the genius Bill Belichick could possibly lose their composure to a degree as to put on such a surprisingly dismal performance on Sunday, looking lost as the more versatile of their dynamic duo was out for at least this game, probably many more.
Having Winslow in for a cup of coffee in the preseason now appears to be a fortuitous move by the Patriots, as it allows New England to move forward without changing the dynamic of the offense. Hopefully for the Patriots and their fans, they move forward with the intestinal fortitude that we have come to know as synonymous with a Belichick coached team.
Aaron Hernandez didn't.
Play continued, and as the game wore on, the figurative dark cloud of despair formed over Foxborough, so dense and so imposing that the Patriots' offense looked as if they were reduced to going through the motions, seemingly lost in that cloud, not knowing what to do or even, it seemed, what direction they should be going.
For the New England Patriots offense, it's time for Plan B. Question is, Do they have a Plan B?
It's hard to imagine that Belichick would go into this season of promise, this season of dominating their opposition with the largest lineup in the history of professional football, the season where Belichick gives the finger to every pundit that ever doubted his genius without a contingency plan...
...shades of Super Bowl 46, when the Patriots' went into the game with mutant Tight End Rob Gronkowski on an ankle so damaged it that needed surgery in the off-season. Not having an alternate plan to accommodate that scenario caused the Patriots' championship aspirations to erode into a last-minute loss and subsequent back-biting and bitching. Surely the Patriots learned their lesson and have their contingency plan in place?
They do. His name is Kellen Winslow.
ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting that Winslow and the Patriots have agreed on a one year deal. In signing Winslow, the Patriots are attempting to stay on Belichick's preferred path of league-wide domination. He is an athletic specimen with obvious NFL pedigree and provides a skill set that allows New England to keep it's Tight End-centric playbook intact while giving Hernandez time to fully recover.
There is still the concern of the perceived lack of mental toughness with the Patriots' offense however, which is more of a concern than simply losing a player.
One can understand simple concern for their comrade. One can not understand, however, how a team with such a tenured and celebrated Quarterback such as Tom Brady, with the Boy Wonder of Offensive Coordinators in Josh McDaniels, with such a grizzled and stoic and seemingly unfeeling Head Coach such as the genius Bill Belichick could possibly lose their composure to a degree as to put on such a surprisingly dismal performance on Sunday, looking lost as the more versatile of their dynamic duo was out for at least this game, probably many more.
Having Winslow in for a cup of coffee in the preseason now appears to be a fortuitous move by the Patriots, as it allows New England to move forward without changing the dynamic of the offense. Hopefully for the Patriots and their fans, they move forward with the intestinal fortitude that we have come to know as synonymous with a Belichick coached team.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
New England Patriots On Paper: Triskaidekaphobia
The Code of Hammurabi is an ancient Babylonian Law Code dating back to about 1772 BC, containing laws governing behavior, morality and punishments, contracts and pay scales. It is also the earliest reference to the number thirteen being unlucky or evil.
To the Arizona Cardinals, the New England Patriots "13 Personnel" package may the the latest reference.
Introduced as a fact-finding mission at the Patriots' 34-13 beatdown of the Tennessee Titans last Sunday, the formation is perfect for attacking the Cardinals' defense this week. The alignment calls for 1 Receiver, 3 tight ends and 1 running back, which sounds like a short yardage formation - and it can be by replacing the receiver with a fullback - and New England is the only team in the league that has the players to pull it off.
It was wildly successful against the Titans, particularly in the short yardage set, accounting for three touchdowns in 10 total snaps. Arizona will have a chance to study it, to scheme against it, but it is just another way that the Patriots' offense will dictate the pace of the game to the Cardinals - and by the time all is said and done, the Cardinals will be flying home with a serious case of Triskaidekaphobia...
The fear of the number 13 is lodged in folklore throughout history. Besides the Mesopotamian code that for whatever reason omits law #13, there is the Christian counter that Judas, the betrayer of Jesus, was the 13th person to be seated at the last supper table, which also is the first instance recorded of someone being fashionably late.
The Vikings got into the act as the mythical Loki, believed to be the 13th God, intruded on the banquet of Valhalla, to which all the Gods were invited - with the exception of Loki, who nonetheless showed up armed with a spear and a serious attitude that soon ended up making the God Baldr an accidental shishkabob and Loki the first recorded Party crasher...
Even the scientists at NASA thought to defy the Gods of superstition by sending up Apollo 13 at 13:13 hours (military time) and entering the Moon's gravitational pull on April 13th. Command Module Pilot Ken Mattingly even joked about it, stating that he had a black cat walk over a broken mirror under the lunar module's ladder, claiming it to be no big deal - yet an explosion rendered the mission a loss and the astronauts in serious jeopardy.
Madness, all of it. Psychiatrists universally dismiss this phobia as a pile of bad noise, claiming it is a delusion, though in modern culture many hotels omit the 13th floor of their buildings and several airlines omit the 13th row of their seating...
...and there is no cure, neither for this irrational fear nor the Patriots offense.
Consider Rob Gronkowski and Michael Hoomanawanui lined up as in-line Tight Ends, Aaron Hernandez in the slot and Brandon Lloyd outside the numbers - and Brady under center. This is a newer twist as well, as Brady is masterful with the play action, and it works famously in this formation.
The key to the Patriots using this alignment against the Cardinals is that it should, in theory, eliminate the pressure from their young linebackers and pull 2nd year sensation, cornerback Patrick Petersen, out of the play altogether.
Arizona plays in a base 3-4 Defense, as do many other teams in the league. What makes Arizona's defense more difficult to deal with is their size, length and speed. They are a collection of mid-round draft picks and speedy sack artists. Up front, Lightweight Darnell Dockett and mammoth Calais Campbell are the ends, bookcasing nose tackle Dan Williams. Both Dockett and Campbell are fierce penetraters and play the run exceptionally well, while Williams is pretty much a space eater with suspect instincts and motivation who can be pushed around inside.
Normally, the majority of Arizona's pass rush pressure will come from their outside linebackers, O'Brien Schofield and Sam Acho - both recent 4th round picks. Acho is intriguing. He started 10 games last season and ended up with 7 sacks and is very much a diamond in the rough. He, along with Campbell are a fearsome duo rushing from Brady's blindside. Acho is a relentless rusher and Campbell is a force given his combination of size (6' 8", 300 pounds) and length. Campbell can disrupt screens, a staple of the Patriots' offense, if he sniffs them out and gets between New England left tackle Nate Solder and the flat.
In the 13 personnel, Hoomanawanui would be responsible for helping out on the left, nullifying Arizona's size and speed advantage while Acho will have to drop into coverage to help handle the massive underneath size of the Patriots' big tight ends. On the right side, Gronkowski will have to chip either Schofield or a blitzing safety Adrian Wilson before releasing into his pattern while Lloyd escorts Peterson out of the play. Peterson is a special talent that rarely needs help over the top, but his trailing technique makes it easier for a cagey wide out to completely isolate him from the action.
The inside backers are Paris Lenon and Daryl Washington, who provide consistent downhill violence, but are susceptible to the play action as well.
Safeties Wilson and Kerry Rhodes are a bit long in the tooth, but Wilson is still a ferocious hitter when he can reach the action. To promote this, Wilson may be used as either is a blitz linebacker in the nickle or be relegated to deep centerfield as help over the top for the other cornerback, William Gay.
To deal with their speed, Brady will likely line up under center, take the snap, then freeze the linebackers and safeties for a split-second with play action. Ideally, this will give Hernandez and Lloyd the advantage to gain separation. Even if Brady hands off to hard-running Stevan Ridley, there should be plenty of room off tackle for the back to operate after the zone is cleared out by Solder and Hoomanawanui.
And all of this is speculation, of course. The Patriots have the personnel on offense to spread the Cardinals defense out on one play and pull them back in with the 13 on the next - and with the no-huddle expertise mixed into the maw, the Arizona defense has little chance of containing the potent New England offense.
The best that the Cardinals can hope for is to take advantage of their advantage return game to set up short scoring opportunities for their offense. But given the state of that unit, it would be best for return man Patrick Peterson to take any kicks he gets his hands on to the house.
To the Arizona Cardinals, the New England Patriots "13 Personnel" package may the the latest reference.
Introduced as a fact-finding mission at the Patriots' 34-13 beatdown of the Tennessee Titans last Sunday, the formation is perfect for attacking the Cardinals' defense this week. The alignment calls for 1 Receiver, 3 tight ends and 1 running back, which sounds like a short yardage formation - and it can be by replacing the receiver with a fullback - and New England is the only team in the league that has the players to pull it off.
It was wildly successful against the Titans, particularly in the short yardage set, accounting for three touchdowns in 10 total snaps. Arizona will have a chance to study it, to scheme against it, but it is just another way that the Patriots' offense will dictate the pace of the game to the Cardinals - and by the time all is said and done, the Cardinals will be flying home with a serious case of Triskaidekaphobia...
The fear of the number 13 is lodged in folklore throughout history. Besides the Mesopotamian code that for whatever reason omits law #13, there is the Christian counter that Judas, the betrayer of Jesus, was the 13th person to be seated at the last supper table, which also is the first instance recorded of someone being fashionably late.
The Vikings got into the act as the mythical Loki, believed to be the 13th God, intruded on the banquet of Valhalla, to which all the Gods were invited - with the exception of Loki, who nonetheless showed up armed with a spear and a serious attitude that soon ended up making the God Baldr an accidental shishkabob and Loki the first recorded Party crasher...
Even the scientists at NASA thought to defy the Gods of superstition by sending up Apollo 13 at 13:13 hours (military time) and entering the Moon's gravitational pull on April 13th. Command Module Pilot Ken Mattingly even joked about it, stating that he had a black cat walk over a broken mirror under the lunar module's ladder, claiming it to be no big deal - yet an explosion rendered the mission a loss and the astronauts in serious jeopardy.
Madness, all of it. Psychiatrists universally dismiss this phobia as a pile of bad noise, claiming it is a delusion, though in modern culture many hotels omit the 13th floor of their buildings and several airlines omit the 13th row of their seating...
...and there is no cure, neither for this irrational fear nor the Patriots offense.
Consider Rob Gronkowski and Michael Hoomanawanui lined up as in-line Tight Ends, Aaron Hernandez in the slot and Brandon Lloyd outside the numbers - and Brady under center. This is a newer twist as well, as Brady is masterful with the play action, and it works famously in this formation.
The key to the Patriots using this alignment against the Cardinals is that it should, in theory, eliminate the pressure from their young linebackers and pull 2nd year sensation, cornerback Patrick Petersen, out of the play altogether.
Arizona plays in a base 3-4 Defense, as do many other teams in the league. What makes Arizona's defense more difficult to deal with is their size, length and speed. They are a collection of mid-round draft picks and speedy sack artists. Up front, Lightweight Darnell Dockett and mammoth Calais Campbell are the ends, bookcasing nose tackle Dan Williams. Both Dockett and Campbell are fierce penetraters and play the run exceptionally well, while Williams is pretty much a space eater with suspect instincts and motivation who can be pushed around inside.
Normally, the majority of Arizona's pass rush pressure will come from their outside linebackers, O'Brien Schofield and Sam Acho - both recent 4th round picks. Acho is intriguing. He started 10 games last season and ended up with 7 sacks and is very much a diamond in the rough. He, along with Campbell are a fearsome duo rushing from Brady's blindside. Acho is a relentless rusher and Campbell is a force given his combination of size (6' 8", 300 pounds) and length. Campbell can disrupt screens, a staple of the Patriots' offense, if he sniffs them out and gets between New England left tackle Nate Solder and the flat.
In the 13 personnel, Hoomanawanui would be responsible for helping out on the left, nullifying Arizona's size and speed advantage while Acho will have to drop into coverage to help handle the massive underneath size of the Patriots' big tight ends. On the right side, Gronkowski will have to chip either Schofield or a blitzing safety Adrian Wilson before releasing into his pattern while Lloyd escorts Peterson out of the play. Peterson is a special talent that rarely needs help over the top, but his trailing technique makes it easier for a cagey wide out to completely isolate him from the action.
The inside backers are Paris Lenon and Daryl Washington, who provide consistent downhill violence, but are susceptible to the play action as well.
Safeties Wilson and Kerry Rhodes are a bit long in the tooth, but Wilson is still a ferocious hitter when he can reach the action. To promote this, Wilson may be used as either is a blitz linebacker in the nickle or be relegated to deep centerfield as help over the top for the other cornerback, William Gay.
To deal with their speed, Brady will likely line up under center, take the snap, then freeze the linebackers and safeties for a split-second with play action. Ideally, this will give Hernandez and Lloyd the advantage to gain separation. Even if Brady hands off to hard-running Stevan Ridley, there should be plenty of room off tackle for the back to operate after the zone is cleared out by Solder and Hoomanawanui.
And all of this is speculation, of course. The Patriots have the personnel on offense to spread the Cardinals defense out on one play and pull them back in with the 13 on the next - and with the no-huddle expertise mixed into the maw, the Arizona defense has little chance of containing the potent New England offense.
The best that the Cardinals can hope for is to take advantage of their advantage return game to set up short scoring opportunities for their offense. But given the state of that unit, it would be best for return man Patrick Peterson to take any kicks he gets his hands on to the house.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
New England Patriots, on Paper: Crisis of Confidence?
If New England Patriots' Coach Bill Belichick wants to keep his Defensive rookies humble, perhaps he shouldn't let them play against the Arizona Cardinals this Sunday.
Always one to keep his players on an even keel, Belichick was asked earlier this week if there was any reason he might need to remind his rookies who performed well last Sunday that they've only played one game...a slight pause ensued...Mother of God, here it comes....
"Are you kidding me?" he growled, almost playfully. Then a hint of a smile, and did we see a wink?
It was as if the reporter and Belichick had made some sort of deal, where the columnist would toss up questions like throwing meat to a shark. The ensuing feeding frenzy seemed scripted:
"I don't think any rookie has all the answers after one game. I don't think any experienced coach has the answers after one game either. I mean, it's one game. Everybody needs to be coached, everybody needs to improve, there are a lot of things that everybody needs to do better, and I would put the rookies at the absolute top of that list."
Chandler Jones, Dont'a Hightower and Tavon Wilson, rookies all, had spectacular debuts against the Tennessee Titans last Sunday, impacting the game like we haven't seen since -well - forever. They were part of a suddenly young and physical defense that dismantled a proud Titan's running game, had two sacks, caused 2 turnovers and stomped starting QB Jake Locker like a grape.
If the Patriots' defense did that against a halfway decent Titans' offensive line, with Pro Bowl Running Back Chris Johnson averaging 1 foot per carry, just imagine what they're going to do against a pathetic Arizona Cardinals' offensive line, unreliable quarterbacks and suspect running backs...
Whoever the Cardinals' starting Quaterback is going to be is going to be running for his life, and neither John Skelton nor Kevin Kolb are built to perform well under this kind of pressure. When the rush is on, Kolb tends to focus on where the rush is coming from rather than concentrate on his progression, while Skelton apparently doesn't know what a progession is, and tends to throw off his back foot when the rush comes near...
...and the Patriots' pass rush expects to be near the Quarterback often. Very close, like a pig pile. If you think Jake Locker took a beating, wait until you see what happens to either Kolb or Skelton behind what is arguably the worst offensive line in the league.
And therein lies the problem for Belichick. Assuming that the team has watched film on the Cardnials as part of their preparation for Sunday's home opener at Gillette Stadium, the players have to be licking their chops - the snap count being like a bell in some sort of Pavlovian-style football experiment - and it is Belichick's job to keep his young defenders grounded.
How does he do that? Simply, he just brings up the name Larry Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald will "go down as one of the all-time greats, and might end up being the best one ever." Belichick said earlier this week to which Fitzgerald replied , "That’s what he said? It’s an honor that he even knows my name to be honest with you."
An honor that he knows your name?
Gamesmanship aside, Fitzgerald knows that Belichick is busy in his lab, designing some evil formation to contain the perennial All Pro, and Belichick knows that Fitzgerald presents perhaps the most difficult reciever on his schedule to game plan for. Fitzgerald is one of those rare athletes to whom you can throw to even when he’s tightly double-teamed. He levitates fearlessly and frequently wins positioning battles no matter how many defenders are assigned to him. He catches anything within his reach and is equally dangerous after the catch.
And on Wednesday he gave an indication of what the Patriots must do to contain him on Sunday.
"Playing against the Patriots defense there’s not much space to make any catches. I have to find space in that zone, space in that man," he said. "Coach [Matt] Patricia does a terrific job of changing things up and disguising his coverages and I have to worry about that first and foremost just being able to get in space and be able to get my hands on the ball before I can make any plays."
Fitzgerald knows that the way to stop him is to make sure the ball doesn't reach him in the first place - which is up to Belichick's prize rookie Chandler Jones and the Patriots' pass rush to get in the face of whoever is throwing the football, to make them uncomfortable, to cause turnovers, to not let the ball get to Fitzgerald.
Larry Fitzgerald is not the only player that the Cardinals can go to on offense, but he is the only one that can burn a defense consistently. Aside from the abysmal line and inconsistent Quarterback play, there is a running game headlined by a fragile Beanie Wells, two Tight Ends that are one dimensional and a collection of recievers that make more mental errors than catches.
Of course, there are two sides of the ball, and Arizona's defense is the primary reason why the Cardinals have won 8 of their last 10 games going back to last season - but that is for us to ponder on another evening. At this moment, we're trying to figure out how the Cardinals quarterbacks survive this game...
If New England's defense plays against the Cardinals the way they did against the Titans, Belichick may have a serious crisis of confidence to solve: How to keep the beastly Street Thug Defense grounded and humbled headed into their week 3 showdown at Baltimore against the hated Ravens.
Always one to keep his players on an even keel, Belichick was asked earlier this week if there was any reason he might need to remind his rookies who performed well last Sunday that they've only played one game...a slight pause ensued...Mother of God, here it comes....
"Are you kidding me?" he growled, almost playfully. Then a hint of a smile, and did we see a wink?
It was as if the reporter and Belichick had made some sort of deal, where the columnist would toss up questions like throwing meat to a shark. The ensuing feeding frenzy seemed scripted:
"I don't think any rookie has all the answers after one game. I don't think any experienced coach has the answers after one game either. I mean, it's one game. Everybody needs to be coached, everybody needs to improve, there are a lot of things that everybody needs to do better, and I would put the rookies at the absolute top of that list."
Chandler Jones, Dont'a Hightower and Tavon Wilson, rookies all, had spectacular debuts against the Tennessee Titans last Sunday, impacting the game like we haven't seen since -well - forever. They were part of a suddenly young and physical defense that dismantled a proud Titan's running game, had two sacks, caused 2 turnovers and stomped starting QB Jake Locker like a grape.
If the Patriots' defense did that against a halfway decent Titans' offensive line, with Pro Bowl Running Back Chris Johnson averaging 1 foot per carry, just imagine what they're going to do against a pathetic Arizona Cardinals' offensive line, unreliable quarterbacks and suspect running backs...
Whoever the Cardinals' starting Quaterback is going to be is going to be running for his life, and neither John Skelton nor Kevin Kolb are built to perform well under this kind of pressure. When the rush is on, Kolb tends to focus on where the rush is coming from rather than concentrate on his progression, while Skelton apparently doesn't know what a progession is, and tends to throw off his back foot when the rush comes near...
...and the Patriots' pass rush expects to be near the Quarterback often. Very close, like a pig pile. If you think Jake Locker took a beating, wait until you see what happens to either Kolb or Skelton behind what is arguably the worst offensive line in the league.
And therein lies the problem for Belichick. Assuming that the team has watched film on the Cardnials as part of their preparation for Sunday's home opener at Gillette Stadium, the players have to be licking their chops - the snap count being like a bell in some sort of Pavlovian-style football experiment - and it is Belichick's job to keep his young defenders grounded.
How does he do that? Simply, he just brings up the name Larry Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald will "go down as one of the all-time greats, and might end up being the best one ever." Belichick said earlier this week to which Fitzgerald replied , "That’s what he said? It’s an honor that he even knows my name to be honest with you."
An honor that he knows your name?
Gamesmanship aside, Fitzgerald knows that Belichick is busy in his lab, designing some evil formation to contain the perennial All Pro, and Belichick knows that Fitzgerald presents perhaps the most difficult reciever on his schedule to game plan for. Fitzgerald is one of those rare athletes to whom you can throw to even when he’s tightly double-teamed. He levitates fearlessly and frequently wins positioning battles no matter how many defenders are assigned to him. He catches anything within his reach and is equally dangerous after the catch.
And on Wednesday he gave an indication of what the Patriots must do to contain him on Sunday.
"Playing against the Patriots defense there’s not much space to make any catches. I have to find space in that zone, space in that man," he said. "Coach [Matt] Patricia does a terrific job of changing things up and disguising his coverages and I have to worry about that first and foremost just being able to get in space and be able to get my hands on the ball before I can make any plays."
Fitzgerald knows that the way to stop him is to make sure the ball doesn't reach him in the first place - which is up to Belichick's prize rookie Chandler Jones and the Patriots' pass rush to get in the face of whoever is throwing the football, to make them uncomfortable, to cause turnovers, to not let the ball get to Fitzgerald.
Larry Fitzgerald is not the only player that the Cardinals can go to on offense, but he is the only one that can burn a defense consistently. Aside from the abysmal line and inconsistent Quarterback play, there is a running game headlined by a fragile Beanie Wells, two Tight Ends that are one dimensional and a collection of recievers that make more mental errors than catches.
Of course, there are two sides of the ball, and Arizona's defense is the primary reason why the Cardinals have won 8 of their last 10 games going back to last season - but that is for us to ponder on another evening. At this moment, we're trying to figure out how the Cardinals quarterbacks survive this game...
If New England's defense plays against the Cardinals the way they did against the Titans, Belichick may have a serious crisis of confidence to solve: How to keep the beastly Street Thug Defense grounded and humbled headed into their week 3 showdown at Baltimore against the hated Ravens.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
The case for the nickle Safety
"If you run to the ball, great things happen for you.”
That, in a nutshell, is all you need to know about Tavon Wilson.
He gets it. He understands fundamental football. Find the football and tackle the guy who has it. If the football is in the air, get under it, jump to it, don't let the other dude catch it - and if he does catch it anyway, despite your best efforts, make sure he knows that there's a price to pay.
No one saw it coming, the drafting of Wilson. If anyone outside of the Patriots' War Room says that they did, they're lying. The pick stumped ESPN Draft Guru Mel Kiper to the point that he was sputtering out sentence fragments and scrambling through notes for something - Anything - that he could say about Wilson on live television...which was reason enough to like the Patriots' 2nd round pick, number 48 overall, though there is so much more to like...
"Good size and build for safety at the pro level with good top-end speed", reads one of very few complete scouting reports on the 6' 1" 205 pound University of Illinois product. But not good enough to be invited to any post-season All Star games, nor that Combine thing held every year in Indianapolis, of all places. You could say that Tavon Wilson was a player very much under the radar.
A good player, nothing special. Played a little bit of everything on defense. Good special teams ability.
But if you were to ask Tennessee Titans' receiver Nate Washington or Quarterback Jake Locker if Wilson is still under the radar, I'm pretty sure they'd both tell you that his physical play and ball hawking instincts are a large blip on a radar screen filled with Patriots defenders, a unit that suddenly looks like a top defense, so far as mayhem is concerned.
Of course, if simple improvement of the defense is all Bill Belichick had wished for, then mission accomplished. Then again, when has anything been simple when Belichick has something to do with it?
And when is the last time Belichick wished for anything?
Wilson represents Belichick's desire to rule the world - er - football world. A trend-setter his entire coaching career, he always seems to be one step ahead of everyone else. So much so that when he drafted multiple Tight Ends in the 2nd and 4th rounds of the 2010 NFL Draft, he walked right into the Next Big Thing in football without even realizing it.
And two years and countless opportunities for his defenses to practice against them later, even he admits that it's a virtual impossibility to cover Aaron Hernandez, and just as frightening a prospect for a defensive back is to see Rob Gronkowski brearing down on him with a head full of steam, cutting a straight swath towards him, with very little possibility that he's going to juke and cut to avoid the contact....
...and that's where Wilson and fellow 2012 draft pick Nate Ebner come into the picture, perhaps even 7th round pick Alfonzo Dennard as well. The way to contain these brutish Tight Ends and the relentless no-huddle 21 Offense (two Tight Ends, two wide receivers and one running back) is to be in a Nickle formation, utilizing a safety as the extra back instead of a corner. The position requires a cross of Safety and Linebacker skills, good size and the mentality of a young wolverine - the Nickle safety would fulfill the role of shadowing the tight ends while projecting a presence in run support.
The scouting report confirmed these qualities in Wilson, and they have indeed carried over into his first season of playing professional football: "He ran a 4.50-40 at the Illinois pro day, would have tied him for first among all safeties at the combine... Excels in the run game from the secondary, attacks the action with a purpose; shows better explosion versus the run than the pass, not afraid to stick his nose in the pile to make plays...not afraid to lay his shoulder into ball carriers and is a hard hitter, can separate his opponent from the football..."
All of that happened to Nate Washington, Chris Johnson and the rest of the Titans' offense last Sunday. Wilson and defensive captain Jerod Mayo teamed to sandwich Washington as he attempted to haul in a pass from Quarterback Jake Locker, the resulting carnage leaving both Locker and Washington broken.
Earlier, Wilson had snared a tipped ball for his first NFL interception, defended two other throws and stuck his nose in a few scrums. Fellow rookies Chandler Jones and Dont'a Hightower teamed up on a strip sack by the former and return for touchdown by the latter...and by the time the score was out of reach, this defense had gained a great measure of confidence and a bit of swagger - a young defense, perhaps too young to look this good.
Regardless, New England is now prepared to send it's defense up against - it's offense.
Belichick the trend setter has given motivation to the rest of the league, as his success in running the two tight end set with physical freaks Gronkowski and Hernandez is spawning similar evolution on other teams, and with the past two years to study the monster that he created, he is now the most prepared coach in the league at trying to stop it, once the other teams are able to field such a unit.
And maybe the way to stop it is to just have Wilson's gift for simplifying a game that all too often is complicated. "Just keep running" he says, "If you run to the football, great things happen for you."
That's fundamental football at it's most fundamental. And Tavon Wilson gets it.
That, in a nutshell, is all you need to know about Tavon Wilson.
He gets it. He understands fundamental football. Find the football and tackle the guy who has it. If the football is in the air, get under it, jump to it, don't let the other dude catch it - and if he does catch it anyway, despite your best efforts, make sure he knows that there's a price to pay.
No one saw it coming, the drafting of Wilson. If anyone outside of the Patriots' War Room says that they did, they're lying. The pick stumped ESPN Draft Guru Mel Kiper to the point that he was sputtering out sentence fragments and scrambling through notes for something - Anything - that he could say about Wilson on live television...which was reason enough to like the Patriots' 2nd round pick, number 48 overall, though there is so much more to like...
"Good size and build for safety at the pro level with good top-end speed", reads one of very few complete scouting reports on the 6' 1" 205 pound University of Illinois product. But not good enough to be invited to any post-season All Star games, nor that Combine thing held every year in Indianapolis, of all places. You could say that Tavon Wilson was a player very much under the radar.
A good player, nothing special. Played a little bit of everything on defense. Good special teams ability.
But if you were to ask Tennessee Titans' receiver Nate Washington or Quarterback Jake Locker if Wilson is still under the radar, I'm pretty sure they'd both tell you that his physical play and ball hawking instincts are a large blip on a radar screen filled with Patriots defenders, a unit that suddenly looks like a top defense, so far as mayhem is concerned.
Of course, if simple improvement of the defense is all Bill Belichick had wished for, then mission accomplished. Then again, when has anything been simple when Belichick has something to do with it?
And when is the last time Belichick wished for anything?
Wilson represents Belichick's desire to rule the world - er - football world. A trend-setter his entire coaching career, he always seems to be one step ahead of everyone else. So much so that when he drafted multiple Tight Ends in the 2nd and 4th rounds of the 2010 NFL Draft, he walked right into the Next Big Thing in football without even realizing it.
And two years and countless opportunities for his defenses to practice against them later, even he admits that it's a virtual impossibility to cover Aaron Hernandez, and just as frightening a prospect for a defensive back is to see Rob Gronkowski brearing down on him with a head full of steam, cutting a straight swath towards him, with very little possibility that he's going to juke and cut to avoid the contact....
...and that's where Wilson and fellow 2012 draft pick Nate Ebner come into the picture, perhaps even 7th round pick Alfonzo Dennard as well. The way to contain these brutish Tight Ends and the relentless no-huddle 21 Offense (two Tight Ends, two wide receivers and one running back) is to be in a Nickle formation, utilizing a safety as the extra back instead of a corner. The position requires a cross of Safety and Linebacker skills, good size and the mentality of a young wolverine - the Nickle safety would fulfill the role of shadowing the tight ends while projecting a presence in run support.
The scouting report confirmed these qualities in Wilson, and they have indeed carried over into his first season of playing professional football: "He ran a 4.50-40 at the Illinois pro day, would have tied him for first among all safeties at the combine... Excels in the run game from the secondary, attacks the action with a purpose; shows better explosion versus the run than the pass, not afraid to stick his nose in the pile to make plays...not afraid to lay his shoulder into ball carriers and is a hard hitter, can separate his opponent from the football..."
All of that happened to Nate Washington, Chris Johnson and the rest of the Titans' offense last Sunday. Wilson and defensive captain Jerod Mayo teamed to sandwich Washington as he attempted to haul in a pass from Quarterback Jake Locker, the resulting carnage leaving both Locker and Washington broken.
Earlier, Wilson had snared a tipped ball for his first NFL interception, defended two other throws and stuck his nose in a few scrums. Fellow rookies Chandler Jones and Dont'a Hightower teamed up on a strip sack by the former and return for touchdown by the latter...and by the time the score was out of reach, this defense had gained a great measure of confidence and a bit of swagger - a young defense, perhaps too young to look this good.
Regardless, New England is now prepared to send it's defense up against - it's offense.
Belichick the trend setter has given motivation to the rest of the league, as his success in running the two tight end set with physical freaks Gronkowski and Hernandez is spawning similar evolution on other teams, and with the past two years to study the monster that he created, he is now the most prepared coach in the league at trying to stop it, once the other teams are able to field such a unit.
And maybe the way to stop it is to just have Wilson's gift for simplifying a game that all too often is complicated. "Just keep running" he says, "If you run to the football, great things happen for you."
That's fundamental football at it's most fundamental. And Tavon Wilson gets it.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
New England Patriots On Paper: The Bigs
In basketball coach-speak, they are refered to as, simply, "The Bigs". In Belichick-speak, they are called Tight Ends.
Amid all of the grumbling and blank stares from Patriots faithful, the "Zen Master" has transformed New England's high octane passing game to that of an old-school "Elbows and assholes" Utah Jazz-type team - a plodding, methodical, immovable force. Those Jazz teams struck fear into opponents. They took on all comers, played their opponent's game simply to show them that they could do it better. When they were finished toying with their prey, they would flex their muscles and blow out the other team with sheer brute force.
Those teams were coached by legendary tough-guy Jerry Sloan, and they played to his no-nonsense personality, sometimes taking the village bully routine over the line in order to make a point (Isiah Thomas, meet Karl Malone's elbow...). They were as smash-mouth as you'll ever see from a basketball team. The NBA had seen nothing like them before, and has not since.
Hell, Belichick has enough depth for the Tight End position to field his own basketball team: Rob "The Mailman" Gronkowski, Aaron "Reignman" Hernandez, Daniel "Big Dog" Fells and Michael "Uh oh" Hoomanawanui, all being fed the rock by Tom "Tommy Gun" Brady...
...you could even throw Wes "The Worm" Welker, Brandon "Iceman" Lloyd and Julien "Muggsy" Edelman into the mix for a change of pace...
Basketball rarely translates to football, however. What is being physical on the basketball court would be a Shorts and Shells practice to the Patriots, but the attitude remains the same. Bill Belichick obviously subscribes to the "Tough Guy / No Nonsense" approach that Sloan and his teams embodied - which means get big, tough players, coach them up and then send them out onto the field with hearts full of hate and brains filled with malicious intent...
Make no mistake, this is an offense that will rely heavily on the Bigs, and with this collection of size, athletisism and talent along with a decided nasty streak, defensive coordinators will struggle to come up with a scheme to stop them.
Even Jerry Gray. The Titans' defensive coordinator employs a base 4-3. That's it. a 4-3. On special occasions he will go into a sub package on third down to make things a bit more fun for his players, but it happens so seldom that when it does the Titans' beat writers fly into their "Breaking News" mode...
You would figure that Tennessee's defense would be easy to game plan for, and it is, but the alignment and the player rotation is so efficient and fundimentally sound that they can line up with confidence and say, "This is it, try to get past us."
Generally, with such a basic, seldom changing base, one would think that it would be easy to manipulate the defense, for the offense to take advantage of the limits of the base - but that's what can make the Titans defense so frustrating. They rotate players in and out without going into sub packages, which makes them one of the few defenses that can counter the Patriots no-huddle offense.
But as it will be with all Patriots opponents this season, it's not going to be a matter of the Titans' defense getting beaten, it's a matter of how slow and painful the beating will be.
The Patriots offense can attack from virtually any angle. The infastructure of New England's offense is so fluid, they can create major mismatches on any given play with a simple glance from Brady to his recievers. Most teams audible to take advantage of a potential mismatch in the secondary or to change the line protection package. The Patriots audible to cause the most damage possible.
One AFC General Manager went so far as to claim, "It doesn't matter what package you are in, the Patriots have the ability to make you feel like you're in the wrong one, every time." So with a little backwards thinking, the Titans defense has an advantage over most other team's units due to the simplicity of their approach.
There are just too many weapons for the personnel in this defense to account for. The feeling is that the Titans will use a lot of zone coverages and hope that the pass rush can get to Brady - because if they can't, all of these recievers are capable of winning the position battle, whether it's sitting down in the zone or going over the top of it...
Last season, the Titans ranked an abysmal 31st in the NFL in sacks with a meager 28, but things could be looking up for the line. A 4-3 Defense requires plenty of agility and aggressiveness, and Tennessee currently has a young group of Greyhounds ready to contribute. Picking up Kamerion Wembley in free agency has given some veteran leadership to the youth of the front four. He teams with 2010 1st round draft pick Derrick Morgan as the defensive ends, while the tackle positions are filled with stud run stoppers Jurrel Casey and Sen'Derrick Marks.
But with the Patriots pass-first philosophy, expect to see Casey and Marks rotated out frequently with athletic and undersized 2nd year man Mike Martin and designated pass rusher Karl Klug, who led the team with 7 sacks in his part-time role.
The majority of the Tennessee pressure should come up the middle, or with linebacker Akeem Ayers coming off the edge. The Patriots should be able to counter the pressure with the short passing game as the linebackers and safeties don't match up well with the Patriots' Bigs, not due to lack of talent but more because the 11 allotted players just aren't enough to stop this offense. Tennessee is overmatched even before the opening kickoff.
No sense in going into stats and numbers and projections and protracted trends. The players are going to line up and play to the whistle on both sides - but at the end of the day, the Patriots are just too much for the Titans to handle. And there's no shame in that - it's true for just about every other team in the league.
Amid all of the grumbling and blank stares from Patriots faithful, the "Zen Master" has transformed New England's high octane passing game to that of an old-school "Elbows and assholes" Utah Jazz-type team - a plodding, methodical, immovable force. Those Jazz teams struck fear into opponents. They took on all comers, played their opponent's game simply to show them that they could do it better. When they were finished toying with their prey, they would flex their muscles and blow out the other team with sheer brute force.
Those teams were coached by legendary tough-guy Jerry Sloan, and they played to his no-nonsense personality, sometimes taking the village bully routine over the line in order to make a point (Isiah Thomas, meet Karl Malone's elbow...). They were as smash-mouth as you'll ever see from a basketball team. The NBA had seen nothing like them before, and has not since.
Hell, Belichick has enough depth for the Tight End position to field his own basketball team: Rob "The Mailman" Gronkowski, Aaron "Reignman" Hernandez, Daniel "Big Dog" Fells and Michael "Uh oh" Hoomanawanui, all being fed the rock by Tom "Tommy Gun" Brady...
...you could even throw Wes "The Worm" Welker, Brandon "Iceman" Lloyd and Julien "Muggsy" Edelman into the mix for a change of pace...
Basketball rarely translates to football, however. What is being physical on the basketball court would be a Shorts and Shells practice to the Patriots, but the attitude remains the same. Bill Belichick obviously subscribes to the "Tough Guy / No Nonsense" approach that Sloan and his teams embodied - which means get big, tough players, coach them up and then send them out onto the field with hearts full of hate and brains filled with malicious intent...
Make no mistake, this is an offense that will rely heavily on the Bigs, and with this collection of size, athletisism and talent along with a decided nasty streak, defensive coordinators will struggle to come up with a scheme to stop them.
Even Jerry Gray. The Titans' defensive coordinator employs a base 4-3. That's it. a 4-3. On special occasions he will go into a sub package on third down to make things a bit more fun for his players, but it happens so seldom that when it does the Titans' beat writers fly into their "Breaking News" mode...
You would figure that Tennessee's defense would be easy to game plan for, and it is, but the alignment and the player rotation is so efficient and fundimentally sound that they can line up with confidence and say, "This is it, try to get past us."
Generally, with such a basic, seldom changing base, one would think that it would be easy to manipulate the defense, for the offense to take advantage of the limits of the base - but that's what can make the Titans defense so frustrating. They rotate players in and out without going into sub packages, which makes them one of the few defenses that can counter the Patriots no-huddle offense.
But as it will be with all Patriots opponents this season, it's not going to be a matter of the Titans' defense getting beaten, it's a matter of how slow and painful the beating will be.
The Patriots offense can attack from virtually any angle. The infastructure of New England's offense is so fluid, they can create major mismatches on any given play with a simple glance from Brady to his recievers. Most teams audible to take advantage of a potential mismatch in the secondary or to change the line protection package. The Patriots audible to cause the most damage possible.
One AFC General Manager went so far as to claim, "It doesn't matter what package you are in, the Patriots have the ability to make you feel like you're in the wrong one, every time." So with a little backwards thinking, the Titans defense has an advantage over most other team's units due to the simplicity of their approach.
There are just too many weapons for the personnel in this defense to account for. The feeling is that the Titans will use a lot of zone coverages and hope that the pass rush can get to Brady - because if they can't, all of these recievers are capable of winning the position battle, whether it's sitting down in the zone or going over the top of it...
Last season, the Titans ranked an abysmal 31st in the NFL in sacks with a meager 28, but things could be looking up for the line. A 4-3 Defense requires plenty of agility and aggressiveness, and Tennessee currently has a young group of Greyhounds ready to contribute. Picking up Kamerion Wembley in free agency has given some veteran leadership to the youth of the front four. He teams with 2010 1st round draft pick Derrick Morgan as the defensive ends, while the tackle positions are filled with stud run stoppers Jurrel Casey and Sen'Derrick Marks.
But with the Patriots pass-first philosophy, expect to see Casey and Marks rotated out frequently with athletic and undersized 2nd year man Mike Martin and designated pass rusher Karl Klug, who led the team with 7 sacks in his part-time role.
The majority of the Tennessee pressure should come up the middle, or with linebacker Akeem Ayers coming off the edge. The Patriots should be able to counter the pressure with the short passing game as the linebackers and safeties don't match up well with the Patriots' Bigs, not due to lack of talent but more because the 11 allotted players just aren't enough to stop this offense. Tennessee is overmatched even before the opening kickoff.
No sense in going into stats and numbers and projections and protracted trends. The players are going to line up and play to the whistle on both sides - but at the end of the day, the Patriots are just too much for the Titans to handle. And there's no shame in that - it's true for just about every other team in the league.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
On Paper: Beware the Titans
If the New England Patriots were looking for a stiff test to gauge where their new look defense stands, they couldn't have scripted a better Week 1 opponent than the Tennessee Titans.
While hardly considered prolific, the Titans' offense is nevertheless the type of unit that, in the past, has given the Patriots' defense fits: Over-achieving recievers, mobile Quarterback and an insanely productive running game. By about 4:00pm on Sunday afternoon, we're going know everything we need to know about the New England Patriots defense.
What we do know going into the game is that, on paper, this unit is much improved over the 2011 squad that relied mainly on an assortment of castoffs and undrafted rookie free agents who made just enough plays to help the team to a 13-3 record and a fifth Super Bowl appearance of the Bill Belichick era.
We also know that, despite the brilliant coaching up of these marginal players, Belichick wasn't going to go into the 2012 season having to pull that many rabbits out of his hoodie again. Trader Bill moved up twice in the first round of the draft to get the players he needed to immediately strengthen the front 7, nabbing Defensive End Chandler Jones out of Syracuse and Beastoid linebacker Dont'a Hightower from Alabama.
But it was his later round picks that may just prove to be the surprise difference makers.
Many scoffed, and many more laughed aloud as Belichick started rattling off names of obscure collegians to be his defenders of the secondary. Even Patriots' faithful had to realign their jaws as names like Tavon Wilson (Who?) and Nate Ebner (Seriously, who?) filtered through their ears into their frontal lobes - but now with square jaws and much anticipation, these draft picks, along with a solid free agent signing of Safety Steve Gregory, assume the duties of working in tandem to stop the opposition's offense.
And not just to stop the offense, because that is no longer good enough. This defenses' task is to dominate, to dictate, to "Hit them when they have the ball, and hit them when they don't".
The Tennessee Titans have long been about ball control and clock management on offense, which goes to figure when you have a running back named Chris Johnson. But as new Head Coach Mike Munchak turns his offense over to 2nd year Quarterback Jake Locker, it appears that the culture of this offense may be changing - finally - with the times.
Grinding it out on the ground is antiquated thinking in this era of high-wire acts and 5,000 yard passers, but the Titans are well equipped to do just that. Johnson is an elite runner, sudden and powerful, decisive, elusive and has speed to burn. Given the fact that he was just a year removed from the NFL's last 2,000 yard rushing season, last year's 1,047yards was a decided down season for Johnson - which speaks a lot for his skill. There were many teams that would have killed for a thousand yards out of their feature back.
Johnson's "down" year could be attributed to him missing all of training camp due to the lockout and his own personal holdout. His offensive line struggled in run blocking as well, as teams were successfully game planning to limit Johnson's impact, but this is a new season and Johnson and his evolving offensive line has had an entire offseason and training camp to get themselves ready for another assault on NFL defenses.
Taking away the offenses' main weapon being Belichick's Modus Operandi, he has a difficult task ahead of him preparing his defenders to deal with the speedy back. “Everybody is at the point of attack,” Belichick mused when speaking of Johnson, “because he has the speed to start one way and go the other to get back to the cutback side of the defense or bounce out in either direction. Really, everybody is at the point of attack when he has the ball.” .
So while the culture changes in Tennessee, having an elite back like Johnson to the carry the load while Locker learns on the job is key...and if Locker fails, it doesn't hurt to have a guy like Matt Hasselbeck waiting on the sidelines to save the day. It's a fortunate situation for the Titans, having a solid Quarterback like Hasselbeck waiting in the wings while the new kid gets real time experience - a luxury that most teams can not boast, nor afford.
The offensive line is a nice mixture of youth and experience and are a solid pass blocking unit, but their run blocking leaves a bit to be desired. The Tackle positions are all set with stout bookends in Michael Roos and David Stewart, but there are questions with the interior positions. 12 year veteran Steve Hutchinson was signed in free agency, but he's getting by on smarts and instinct more than physical ability, while fellow guard Leroy Harris lacks the explosiveness to really get after it in the running game. As was the case last season, Center is position of unknown ability, as youngster Fernando Velasco is set to assume the duties.
While there are questions along the line, the same can not be said for the recieving corps. Kenny Britt is a dynamic and fluid wide reciever, but only when he is on the field. He missed nearly all of last season due to injury, and will also miss this Sunday's contest as he has been suspended by the NFL for being arrested for drunk driving in the offseason.
Britt's maturity and health not withstanding, this is a serviceable group of recievers, as Nate Washington, Damian Williams and Lavelle Hawkins all had career years in Britt's absence. This season, they add rookie Kendall Wright, RGIII's favorite target at Baylor. Wright may not be a big target, but is lightning quick and catches EVERYTHING. Tight End Jared Cook isn't going to remind anyone of Rob Gronkowski, but he is a recieving threat and an accomplished blocker. Cook is going to be vital to Jake Locker's success, particularly as a safety valve when Locker leaves the pocket.
As far as the Patriots are concerned, this is a perfect opportunity to try out their new 4-3 defense and, better yet, their rookie Safties as the Big Nickle Back. Wilson and Ebner should each see significant playing time, with Wilson as the main backup for gimpy Safety Patrick Chung. Ebner has been the surprise of camp as the Rugby player has brought that attitude to the position, playing much bigger than his size and speed would suggest.
Keeping that in mind, the Titans may find it difficult to run consistently on New England's "Street Thug" defense, as the immovable Vince Wilfork clogs the middle while the ends and outside backers look to contain the edges and force Johnson inside where the big hitters roam and the yards are long.
Belichick's defenses have always been pretty successful in taking away the opposition's main threat, so assuming that this success translates to this game, it will be up to Tennessee's young recievers and even younger quarterback to score enough points to offset the Patriots' offensive machine...which enters into the one real remaining question mark on this defense.
While the safety positions appear to be in good hands, New England sports more of the same old thing on the corners - which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but that remains to be seen. Has Devin McCourty gotten over his much-lamented Sophomore Slump? Has Ras-I Dowling gotten over his hip issues that sidelined him nearly all of last season? Can Kyle Arrington carry over his solid play from last season and this past training camp? Can AFC Championship hero Sterling Moore continue his clutch play? How does Alphonzo Dennard fit in the mix?
These questions will be answered as the season rolls on, but with an improved pass rush, a new alignment which allows for more speed and violence from the front seven and the employment of a Big Nickle back with big time ball hawking capabilities, the game this Sunday against the Titans should give the Patriots a better idea of what they really have on defense.
While hardly considered prolific, the Titans' offense is nevertheless the type of unit that, in the past, has given the Patriots' defense fits: Over-achieving recievers, mobile Quarterback and an insanely productive running game. By about 4:00pm on Sunday afternoon, we're going know everything we need to know about the New England Patriots defense.
What we do know going into the game is that, on paper, this unit is much improved over the 2011 squad that relied mainly on an assortment of castoffs and undrafted rookie free agents who made just enough plays to help the team to a 13-3 record and a fifth Super Bowl appearance of the Bill Belichick era.
We also know that, despite the brilliant coaching up of these marginal players, Belichick wasn't going to go into the 2012 season having to pull that many rabbits out of his hoodie again. Trader Bill moved up twice in the first round of the draft to get the players he needed to immediately strengthen the front 7, nabbing Defensive End Chandler Jones out of Syracuse and Beastoid linebacker Dont'a Hightower from Alabama.
But it was his later round picks that may just prove to be the surprise difference makers.
Many scoffed, and many more laughed aloud as Belichick started rattling off names of obscure collegians to be his defenders of the secondary. Even Patriots' faithful had to realign their jaws as names like Tavon Wilson (Who?) and Nate Ebner (Seriously, who?) filtered through their ears into their frontal lobes - but now with square jaws and much anticipation, these draft picks, along with a solid free agent signing of Safety Steve Gregory, assume the duties of working in tandem to stop the opposition's offense.
And not just to stop the offense, because that is no longer good enough. This defenses' task is to dominate, to dictate, to "Hit them when they have the ball, and hit them when they don't".
The Tennessee Titans have long been about ball control and clock management on offense, which goes to figure when you have a running back named Chris Johnson. But as new Head Coach Mike Munchak turns his offense over to 2nd year Quarterback Jake Locker, it appears that the culture of this offense may be changing - finally - with the times.
Grinding it out on the ground is antiquated thinking in this era of high-wire acts and 5,000 yard passers, but the Titans are well equipped to do just that. Johnson is an elite runner, sudden and powerful, decisive, elusive and has speed to burn. Given the fact that he was just a year removed from the NFL's last 2,000 yard rushing season, last year's 1,047yards was a decided down season for Johnson - which speaks a lot for his skill. There were many teams that would have killed for a thousand yards out of their feature back.
Johnson's "down" year could be attributed to him missing all of training camp due to the lockout and his own personal holdout. His offensive line struggled in run blocking as well, as teams were successfully game planning to limit Johnson's impact, but this is a new season and Johnson and his evolving offensive line has had an entire offseason and training camp to get themselves ready for another assault on NFL defenses.
Taking away the offenses' main weapon being Belichick's Modus Operandi, he has a difficult task ahead of him preparing his defenders to deal with the speedy back. “Everybody is at the point of attack,” Belichick mused when speaking of Johnson, “because he has the speed to start one way and go the other to get back to the cutback side of the defense or bounce out in either direction. Really, everybody is at the point of attack when he has the ball.” .
So while the culture changes in Tennessee, having an elite back like Johnson to the carry the load while Locker learns on the job is key...and if Locker fails, it doesn't hurt to have a guy like Matt Hasselbeck waiting on the sidelines to save the day. It's a fortunate situation for the Titans, having a solid Quarterback like Hasselbeck waiting in the wings while the new kid gets real time experience - a luxury that most teams can not boast, nor afford.
The offensive line is a nice mixture of youth and experience and are a solid pass blocking unit, but their run blocking leaves a bit to be desired. The Tackle positions are all set with stout bookends in Michael Roos and David Stewart, but there are questions with the interior positions. 12 year veteran Steve Hutchinson was signed in free agency, but he's getting by on smarts and instinct more than physical ability, while fellow guard Leroy Harris lacks the explosiveness to really get after it in the running game. As was the case last season, Center is position of unknown ability, as youngster Fernando Velasco is set to assume the duties.
While there are questions along the line, the same can not be said for the recieving corps. Kenny Britt is a dynamic and fluid wide reciever, but only when he is on the field. He missed nearly all of last season due to injury, and will also miss this Sunday's contest as he has been suspended by the NFL for being arrested for drunk driving in the offseason.
Britt's maturity and health not withstanding, this is a serviceable group of recievers, as Nate Washington, Damian Williams and Lavelle Hawkins all had career years in Britt's absence. This season, they add rookie Kendall Wright, RGIII's favorite target at Baylor. Wright may not be a big target, but is lightning quick and catches EVERYTHING. Tight End Jared Cook isn't going to remind anyone of Rob Gronkowski, but he is a recieving threat and an accomplished blocker. Cook is going to be vital to Jake Locker's success, particularly as a safety valve when Locker leaves the pocket.
As far as the Patriots are concerned, this is a perfect opportunity to try out their new 4-3 defense and, better yet, their rookie Safties as the Big Nickle Back. Wilson and Ebner should each see significant playing time, with Wilson as the main backup for gimpy Safety Patrick Chung. Ebner has been the surprise of camp as the Rugby player has brought that attitude to the position, playing much bigger than his size and speed would suggest.
Keeping that in mind, the Titans may find it difficult to run consistently on New England's "Street Thug" defense, as the immovable Vince Wilfork clogs the middle while the ends and outside backers look to contain the edges and force Johnson inside where the big hitters roam and the yards are long.
Belichick's defenses have always been pretty successful in taking away the opposition's main threat, so assuming that this success translates to this game, it will be up to Tennessee's young recievers and even younger quarterback to score enough points to offset the Patriots' offensive machine...which enters into the one real remaining question mark on this defense.
While the safety positions appear to be in good hands, New England sports more of the same old thing on the corners - which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but that remains to be seen. Has Devin McCourty gotten over his much-lamented Sophomore Slump? Has Ras-I Dowling gotten over his hip issues that sidelined him nearly all of last season? Can Kyle Arrington carry over his solid play from last season and this past training camp? Can AFC Championship hero Sterling Moore continue his clutch play? How does Alphonzo Dennard fit in the mix?
These questions will be answered as the season rolls on, but with an improved pass rush, a new alignment which allows for more speed and violence from the front seven and the employment of a Big Nickle back with big time ball hawking capabilities, the game this Sunday against the Titans should give the Patriots a better idea of what they really have on defense.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
What does it all mean, Bill?
Rumblings of rude discontent filtered through the service window at Barnies last night, and I didn't even have to go out into the bar to understand why. Bill Belichick had just shocked Patriot Nation, releasing mainstay Wide Reciever Deion Branch, as well as long time Center Dan Koppen and backup Quarterback Brian Hoyer as part of the 22 cuts New England had to make to get down to the 53 Man roster limit.
There was some talk of Koppen and what a shame it was to have to get rid of him, and of the team ridding itself of Hoyer's nearly 2 million dollar contract, but most of the hate and confusion was due to the release of Branch, which came on the heels of the team releasing fellow recievers Donte Stallworth and Jabar Gaffney earlier in the week, leaving the team thin at that position.
After much speculative talk and bad noise, a voice boomed from a table in the corner. "It's Smashmouth", said the gruff construction type who identifies himself only as 'Captain Moe'.
Moe is usually soft spoken and at least smart enough to keep his mouth shut 99% of the time, so when he decides to say something loud enough for everyone to hear him, most folks defer to his wisdom. "Smashmouth football," he continued, "He's getting back to fundamentals. He's going to line up all of these beasts that he's assembled and say 'Stop us if you can'."
All throughout the preseason, the promise of a jaugernaut on the scale of the Greatest Show on Turf has been dancing in the heads of Patriots' faithful, as has the frustration with the recieving corps as they hadn't produced numbers to that end. Confusion reigned as Belichick signed and released recievers like they were hobos that he had invited in for a cup of coffee. Then the team layed out a 90 million dollar investment for thier beastly duo of tight ends after not being able to come to terms with franchise-tagged Wes Welker.
The writing on the wall started to become more pronounced when Stallworth and Gaffney were released - and when the final cuts were announced that left the team with only two pure wide outs, the writing exploded off the wall in vivid color. Let's see...keeping 27 players on defense, and only 22 on offense: 2 Quarterbacks, 4 Running Backs, 4 Tight Ends, 8 Linemen and only 2 recievers (Edelman and Slater not included)...
But let's look at this another way. In reality, Belichick has kept a Quarterback, an H Back, and 20 support personnel.
Not to discount the importance of a Rob Gronkowski or Wes Welker, but with a weapon such as Aaron Hernandez on the field, the key is to use the other "skill" position players to help open things up for the newly wealthy X Factor. Belichick has admitted that his defense can't cover Hernandez in practice, so why not run a traditional Pro Set moving Hernandez around to take advantage of mismatches?
Gronkowski and Welker are arguably the best in the NFL at their positions and normally require double-team attention from the defense. Add the skill of Brandon Lloyd outside of the numbers and the hard nosed running of Ridley and Bolden, there's just not enough defenders to account for Hernandez. Conversely, when Hernandez IS accounted for, someone else will not be.
In other words, the Patriots are primed to dictate to defenses, to physically impose their will on defenses. They are not excessively fast, but they are fast enough, and the entire team reeks of violence - and by the time Belichick is hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in New Orleans this coming February, smarter heads will be trying to come up with a scary nickname to fit this team's style of play, something imposing such as the Philadelphia Flyers' "Broad Street Bullies" or the 1927 New York Yankees "Murderer's Row"...
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