A handful of halftime observations from Gillette Stadium:
* The hats and T-shirts can come out early. Not only are the Patriots crushing the Jaguars, but the Texans are cruising against the Dolphins. Barring an epic turn of events both here and in Miami, the Patriots have won the AFC East and are bound for the playoffs.
That's great news not just for the banged-up Tom Brady, but also for Vince Wilfork (out), Ty Warren and Stephen Neal (still not playing every snap). All four can either leave the game early next week or sit out entirely.
* Maroney coughs it up. For someone who fumbled so rarely early in his career, Laurence Maroney appears to have caught fumblitis lately. The running back let the ball slip away at the goal line -- sound familiar? -- to end what to that point had been as impressive of a drive as the Patriots have put together all year. An 18-yard run by a slaloming Kevin Faulk and a 14-yard pass to Ben Watson in the red zone set up the play that should have ended in a touchdown -- but instead ended in a turnover.
Maroney did not return to the game for the rest of the half. Faulk and Sammy Morris handled the duties in the backfield from that point on, rushing for 36and 83 first-half yards, respectively.
* Patriots' offensive line dominates. For the first time all season, the Patriots debuted their best offensive line all at once: Matt Light, Logan Mankins, Dan Koppen, Neal and Sebastian Vollmer. Not coincidentally, the Patriots marched right down the field -- Light, Mankins and Koppen opened some huge holes on the left side of the line -- on their first drive.
Dan Connolly replaced Neal on the first play of the second quarter, the touchdown pass from Brady to Chris Baker. It seems as though the Patriots decided to be careful with Neal, who sat out for two drives before returning.
That didn't mean Connolly was done, though: The veteran lined up as a fullback and threw a huge lead block to spring Morris on a 55-yard run through the right side. Connolly then led Morris through the left side for a one-yard touchdown run that pushed the Patriots' lead to 21-0 in the second quarter.
* Patriots rotate along defensive line. Likewise, the Patriots have been careful with the snaps played by defensive end Ty Warren. Mike Wright started the game at defensive end with Ron Brace at nose tackle -- but when Brace appeared to get pushed off the line on the Jaguars' first couple of runs, Wright moved to nose tackle with Warren in at defensive end.
That drive ended with safeties Brandon Meriweather and James Sanders coming up from the secondary on back-to-back plays and making huge stops on short-yardage runs.
On the Jaguars' next two drives, Warren went back to the bench and Myron Pryor played nose tackle between Green and Wright.
* Banta-Cain is able. A week after tallying three sacks in Buffalo, outside linebacker Tully Banta-Cain kept building his case for a bid to the Pro Bowl. Banta-Cain, one of the few constants as the Patriots shuffled between their base defense and the mill-around defense they debuted against the Bills, has been the best defensive player on the field.
On back-to-back plays early in the second quarter, Banta-Cain sacked David Garrard and forced a fumble that the Jaguars managed to recover. On the very next play, Maurice Jones-Drew tried to run against that mill-around defense with no down linemen -- and Banta-Cain drilled him after a gain of just two yards. On the first play of the Jaguars' next possession, Banta-Cain and Wright combined to drop Jones-Drew for a one-yard loss.
* Oh, yeah: Moss and Welker. It's not fair to characterize it as Welker doing the dirty work and Moss getting the glory. On the biggest play of the Patriots' fourth scoring drive, Moss cleared out the defensive backs with a deep route down the right sideline, and Welker ran into the vacated team to catch a lob for a 29-yard gain.
(No one gets to gripe about Moss not trying this week.)
Welker has eight catches -- breaking his own single-season record in the process -- for 93 yards, and Moss has caught two passes, both for touchdowns.
Showing posts with label banta-cain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label banta-cain. Show all posts
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Tully Banta-Cain's Pro Bowl year
(First things first: Great read from Adam Kilgore in Friday's Globe about the underdog mentality that has driven Tully Banta-Cain since his NFL career began.)
The film analysts at ProFootballFocus.com listed five Patriots on their Pro Bowl cheat sheet this week. Three of them -- Logan Mankins, Wes Welker and Vince Wilfork -- should be no-brainers. Stephen Neal already has been covered in this space.
The fifth? It's not Tom Brady. It's not Randy Moss. It's not Jerod Mayo. It's not Brandon Meriweather or Matt Light or Leigh Bodden.
It's Tully Banta-Cain.
Even before his three-sack effort at Buffalo a week ago, the afterthought of an outside linebacker had earned strong consideration for a trip to Miami for the Pro Bowl. His 8.5 sacks this season rank him sixth in the AFC -- including fourth among outside linebackers, behind only Denver's Elvis Dumervil, Pittsburgh's James Harrison and Pittsburgh's LaMarr Woodley.
According to ProFootballFocus.com, he's been the third-best 3-4 outside linebacker in the AFC this season -- again behind Harrison and Woodley -- and that's despite having played the majority of his early-season snaps as a defensive end rather than as an outside linebacker. He unofficially has been credited with seven hits on the quarterback and 18 quarterback pressures. He consistently has been the Patriots' best defensive player this season, even ahead of run-stuffing nose tackle Vince Wilfork. He's made the offseason trade of Mike Vrabel almost a non-issue.
Banta-Cain was nowhere to be found on the leaderboard when Pro Bowl fan voting was complete. He still, though, deserves to make the trip to Miami.
The film analysts at ProFootballFocus.com listed five Patriots on their Pro Bowl cheat sheet this week. Three of them -- Logan Mankins, Wes Welker and Vince Wilfork -- should be no-brainers. Stephen Neal already has been covered in this space.
The fifth? It's not Tom Brady. It's not Randy Moss. It's not Jerod Mayo. It's not Brandon Meriweather or Matt Light or Leigh Bodden.
It's Tully Banta-Cain.
Even before his three-sack effort at Buffalo a week ago, the afterthought of an outside linebacker had earned strong consideration for a trip to Miami for the Pro Bowl. His 8.5 sacks this season rank him sixth in the AFC -- including fourth among outside linebackers, behind only Denver's Elvis Dumervil, Pittsburgh's James Harrison and Pittsburgh's LaMarr Woodley.
According to ProFootballFocus.com, he's been the third-best 3-4 outside linebacker in the AFC this season -- again behind Harrison and Woodley -- and that's despite having played the majority of his early-season snaps as a defensive end rather than as an outside linebacker. He unofficially has been credited with seven hits on the quarterback and 18 quarterback pressures. He consistently has been the Patriots' best defensive player this season, even ahead of run-stuffing nose tackle Vince Wilfork. He's made the offseason trade of Mike Vrabel almost a non-issue.
Banta-Cain was nowhere to be found on the leaderboard when Pro Bowl fan voting was complete. He still, though, deserves to make the trip to Miami.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Nagging injuries slowing Patriots down
From ESPN's Adam Schefter this morning: "Tom Brady will play today -- but those ribs, and that finger, and that shoulder, and that knee, are a little worse than people realize."
Brady hasn't looked like himself for the last two weeks.
The Patriots haven't looked like themselves, either.
Maybe injuries have been a factor for both.
The Patriots' injury report has looked a little bit like its 53-man roster this month. Seventeen players were listed as questionable for the game at New Orleans, and 14 were listed as questionable a week ago against Miami. Nine were listed as questionable for today's game against the Carolina Panthers -- including Brady, who was listed with injuries to his right shoulder, his right finger and his ribs. Among other notables:
* LB Tully Banta-Cain (shoulder)
* WR Julian Edelman (forearm)
* DE Jarvis Green (knee)
* OT Nick Kaczur (ankle)
* OG Stephen Neal (ankle)
* RB Fred Taylor (ankle)
* DE Ty Warren (ankle)
Not one of those players were full-go during any of the Patriots' practices this week. Not one of those players will be full-go even if they're activated today. On top of that, defensive tackle Myron Pryor did not practice at all this week and almost certainly will not be active today.
Football, of course, is a game of injuries. But the Patriots have been hit hard with nagging injuries at key spots -- especially along the offensive line. Season-ending injuries can be crippling to a team, but if its best players spend week after week dealing with pain that limits their mobility or strength, well, that's almost as tough to deal with.
Brady hasn't looked like himself for the last two weeks.
The Patriots haven't looked like themselves, either.
Maybe injuries have been a factor for both.
The Patriots' injury report has looked a little bit like its 53-man roster this month. Seventeen players were listed as questionable for the game at New Orleans, and 14 were listed as questionable a week ago against Miami. Nine were listed as questionable for today's game against the Carolina Panthers -- including Brady, who was listed with injuries to his right shoulder, his right finger and his ribs. Among other notables:
* LB Tully Banta-Cain (shoulder)
* WR Julian Edelman (forearm)
* DE Jarvis Green (knee)
* OT Nick Kaczur (ankle)
* OG Stephen Neal (ankle)
* RB Fred Taylor (ankle)
* DE Ty Warren (ankle)
Not one of those players were full-go during any of the Patriots' practices this week. Not one of those players will be full-go even if they're activated today. On top of that, defensive tackle Myron Pryor did not practice at all this week and almost certainly will not be active today.
Football, of course, is a game of injuries. But the Patriots have been hit hard with nagging injuries at key spots -- especially along the offensive line. Season-ending injuries can be crippling to a team, but if its best players spend week after week dealing with pain that limits their mobility or strength, well, that's almost as tough to deal with.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Putting pressure on Drew Brees
The consensus this week is that the Patriots can't blitz Drew Brees -- and the statistics bear that out. The Patriots can't sit back and let Brees stand in the pocket, either -- and the statistics bear that out, too.
"He's on fire right now," outside linebacker Tully Banta-Cain said, "and if you don't have any water to put it out, he's going to keep burning you up."
Check out the Brees profile on ProFootballFocus.com:
* When Brees isn't pressured, he has a completion percentage of 74.6 and a quarterback rating of 115.7;
* When Brees is blitzed, he has a completion percentage of 64.8 and a quarterback rating of 87.6;
* When Brees is under pressure, he has a completion percentage of 45.8 and a quarterback rating of 71.7.
Translation: If the Patriots send corners or safeties on blitzes, Brees is going to burn them. But if they can get pressure on Brees with just four (or maybe five) pass-rushers, they're going to have a chance to force some bad throws.
"He makes quick decisions," Banta-Cain said. "He's got a quick release, so it's very tough and frustrating for a lot of defense because you can get to him and he's still getting the ball off. ...
"It's just a 'Hope for the best' type of thing. You can't say, 'Well, we don't want to blitz him' because now you're allowing him more time to get the ball off. It's just one of those things where you've got to execute at a high level -- and if there's a mistake somewhere in their front five, we take advantage of it."
The best way to do that will be by attacking left tackle Jermon Bushrod and right tackle Jon Stinchcomb, the two weak links on the Saints' offense line.
That's why Banta-Cain and Adalius Thomas are such keys for the Patriots. Banta-Cain had two sacks against the Jets and the all-but-dismissed Thomas played perhaps his best game of the season. Here's Thursday's Union Leader story for more on why the two linebackers are so key to the Patriots' game plan against Brees:
***
Thanksgiving came a few days early for Adalius Thomas this week.
“Certain games, you have good games – as we call it, you eat more than you do in other games,” the Pro Bowl linebacker said on Sunday.
Thomas, heading into last weekend, had been one of the Patriots’ biggest disappointments of the season. Inactive against Tennessee in Week 6, Thomas had just one tackle against Tampa Bay in Week 7 and didn’t do much in Week 10 in Indianapolis even after injuries to Tully Banta-Cain and Rob Ninkovich.
He hadn’t, as they’d say, eaten all that much.
But Thomas feasted against the New York Jets on Sunday, finishing with a hit on the quarterback and a tackle for a loss in what might have been his best game in an otherwise disappointing season.
And with Thomas looking like he’s turned a corner, the Patriots’ corps of linebackers might be as solid as it has been all year. Reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Jerod Mayo is healthy and making plays, Gary Guyton is growing into his role in the middle of the defense, and Banta-Cain has surprised almost everyone by growing into the Patriots’ best pass-rushing threat.
Highlights for Thomas, though, had been few and far between – until Sunday:
* With the Patriots leading 14-0, Thomas dropped running back Shonn Greene at the line of scrimmage for a one-yard gain on first down, and he drilled quarterback Mark Sanchez to force an incomplete pass on second down. The Patriots then forced an incompleted pass on third-and-9, and the Jets punted;
* After the Patriots extended their lead to 24-0, Thomas got in front of running back Thomas Jones as he tried to get around the edge – and when Jones cut back to the middle, nose tackle Vince Wilfork buried him;
* Two plays later, with wide receiver Brad Smith lined up behind center in the Jets’ version of the Wildcat, Thomas not only got in the face of Smith to force him to pitch the ball but also was in on the tackle of Greene four yards behind the line of scrimmage.
“I certainly made more plays today than I have in the past,” Thomas said on Sunday.
The re-emergence of Thomas couldn’t come at a better time. Most teams don’t blitz New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees because he’s so good at picking out weaknesses in the secondary. If Thomas and Banta-Cain, the Patriots’ primary pass-rushers, can do their jobs without any extra help, the Patriots can put pressure on him without exposing themselves elsewhere.
“He pretty much can pick up a defense and pick out the weak points and the strong points of every defense before the play is even snapped,” safety Brandon Meriweather said. “It’s going to be a challenge for us.”
The better the Patriots’ linebackers can do their jobs, particularly in terms of pressuring Brees without blitzing, the better the chance the Patriots will have of slowing down the Saints’ high-powered offense. Two different running backs have at least 100 carries and 500 rushing yards this season, and three different receivers have at least 30 receptions and 450 receiving yards. That doesn’t even include Reggie Bush, a multifaceted threat who has 277 rushing yards and 207 receiving yards so far this season – and who drew a Marshall Faulk comparison from Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
“You’ve got to be careful of them matching up,” Belichick said. “They definitely put a lot of pressure on you on that. If you match up with them, you’ve got to do a good job with it. They don’t make it easy for you. And it’s not just getting the right people on the field, but then it’s also finding them because you don’t know where they are going to be. They mix that up a lot, too. They do a good job ‘formation-ing,’ even the normal formation that looks the same. They vary the receiver splits, they move the tight end around, so the same formation can look different on 10 different plays, it really can.”
The more complicated the offense, in many ways, the simpler the defense must be. The Patriots didn’t play well within their simplified defense in a loss at Denver – but, then again, the loss at Denver might have been the worst game Thomas has played since he joined the Patriots.
If the Pro Bowl linebacker can play against the Saints the way he played against the Jets, the Patriots might just do what they couldn’t do in Denver in Week 5 – or, for that matter, in Indianapolis in Week 10 or in New York in Week 2. They might just win.
"He's on fire right now," outside linebacker Tully Banta-Cain said, "and if you don't have any water to put it out, he's going to keep burning you up."
Check out the Brees profile on ProFootballFocus.com:
* When Brees isn't pressured, he has a completion percentage of 74.6 and a quarterback rating of 115.7;
* When Brees is blitzed, he has a completion percentage of 64.8 and a quarterback rating of 87.6;
* When Brees is under pressure, he has a completion percentage of 45.8 and a quarterback rating of 71.7.
Translation: If the Patriots send corners or safeties on blitzes, Brees is going to burn them. But if they can get pressure on Brees with just four (or maybe five) pass-rushers, they're going to have a chance to force some bad throws.
"He makes quick decisions," Banta-Cain said. "He's got a quick release, so it's very tough and frustrating for a lot of defense because you can get to him and he's still getting the ball off. ...
"It's just a 'Hope for the best' type of thing. You can't say, 'Well, we don't want to blitz him' because now you're allowing him more time to get the ball off. It's just one of those things where you've got to execute at a high level -- and if there's a mistake somewhere in their front five, we take advantage of it."
The best way to do that will be by attacking left tackle Jermon Bushrod and right tackle Jon Stinchcomb, the two weak links on the Saints' offense line.
That's why Banta-Cain and Adalius Thomas are such keys for the Patriots. Banta-Cain had two sacks against the Jets and the all-but-dismissed Thomas played perhaps his best game of the season. Here's Thursday's Union Leader story for more on why the two linebackers are so key to the Patriots' game plan against Brees:
***
Thanksgiving came a few days early for Adalius Thomas this week.
“Certain games, you have good games – as we call it, you eat more than you do in other games,” the Pro Bowl linebacker said on Sunday.
Thomas, heading into last weekend, had been one of the Patriots’ biggest disappointments of the season. Inactive against Tennessee in Week 6, Thomas had just one tackle against Tampa Bay in Week 7 and didn’t do much in Week 10 in Indianapolis even after injuries to Tully Banta-Cain and Rob Ninkovich.
He hadn’t, as they’d say, eaten all that much.
But Thomas feasted against the New York Jets on Sunday, finishing with a hit on the quarterback and a tackle for a loss in what might have been his best game in an otherwise disappointing season.
And with Thomas looking like he’s turned a corner, the Patriots’ corps of linebackers might be as solid as it has been all year. Reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Jerod Mayo is healthy and making plays, Gary Guyton is growing into his role in the middle of the defense, and Banta-Cain has surprised almost everyone by growing into the Patriots’ best pass-rushing threat.
Highlights for Thomas, though, had been few and far between – until Sunday:
* With the Patriots leading 14-0, Thomas dropped running back Shonn Greene at the line of scrimmage for a one-yard gain on first down, and he drilled quarterback Mark Sanchez to force an incomplete pass on second down. The Patriots then forced an incompleted pass on third-and-9, and the Jets punted;
* After the Patriots extended their lead to 24-0, Thomas got in front of running back Thomas Jones as he tried to get around the edge – and when Jones cut back to the middle, nose tackle Vince Wilfork buried him;
* Two plays later, with wide receiver Brad Smith lined up behind center in the Jets’ version of the Wildcat, Thomas not only got in the face of Smith to force him to pitch the ball but also was in on the tackle of Greene four yards behind the line of scrimmage.
“I certainly made more plays today than I have in the past,” Thomas said on Sunday.
The re-emergence of Thomas couldn’t come at a better time. Most teams don’t blitz New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees because he’s so good at picking out weaknesses in the secondary. If Thomas and Banta-Cain, the Patriots’ primary pass-rushers, can do their jobs without any extra help, the Patriots can put pressure on him without exposing themselves elsewhere.
“He pretty much can pick up a defense and pick out the weak points and the strong points of every defense before the play is even snapped,” safety Brandon Meriweather said. “It’s going to be a challenge for us.”
The better the Patriots’ linebackers can do their jobs, particularly in terms of pressuring Brees without blitzing, the better the chance the Patriots will have of slowing down the Saints’ high-powered offense. Two different running backs have at least 100 carries and 500 rushing yards this season, and three different receivers have at least 30 receptions and 450 receiving yards. That doesn’t even include Reggie Bush, a multifaceted threat who has 277 rushing yards and 207 receiving yards so far this season – and who drew a Marshall Faulk comparison from Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
“You’ve got to be careful of them matching up,” Belichick said. “They definitely put a lot of pressure on you on that. If you match up with them, you’ve got to do a good job with it. They don’t make it easy for you. And it’s not just getting the right people on the field, but then it’s also finding them because you don’t know where they are going to be. They mix that up a lot, too. They do a good job ‘formation-ing,’ even the normal formation that looks the same. They vary the receiver splits, they move the tight end around, so the same formation can look different on 10 different plays, it really can.”
The more complicated the offense, in many ways, the simpler the defense must be. The Patriots didn’t play well within their simplified defense in a loss at Denver – but, then again, the loss at Denver might have been the worst game Thomas has played since he joined the Patriots.
If the Pro Bowl linebacker can play against the Saints the way he played against the Jets, the Patriots might just do what they couldn’t do in Denver in Week 5 – or, for that matter, in Indianapolis in Week 10 or in New York in Week 2. They might just win.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Key matchups along the line of scrimmage
Bill Belichick loves to get immobile quarterbacks on the run. Heck, any good defensive coach loves to get immobile quarterbacks on the run. It's the best way to get even the most precise passers to start throwing uncharacteristic interceptions. The Colts, too, will be looking for ways to get to Tom Brady and get him out of the pocket and moving around -- just as Belichick and the Patriots will be trying to do to Peyton Manning.
With that in mind, here's a look -- with the help of ProFootballFocus.com -- at some of the key matchups along the line of scrimmage and the matchups each team hopes to exploit:
Getting to Peyton Manning
* OLB Tully Banta-Cain against LT Charlie Johnson.
Johnson, a fourth-year left tackle, surrendered two sacks and five quarterback pressures in a miserable game against Mario Williams and the Houston Texans a week ago. For the season, Johnson has allowed 17 quarterback pressures in eight games and ranks near the bottom among offensive tackles.
Banta-Cain, meanwhile, has been a revelation as a pass-rushing linebacker. He ranks with the best in the league in hits on the quarterback -- only Anthony Spencer, Aaron Kampman, DeMarcus Ware and Lamarr Woodley have more. Overall, he ranks as the third-best 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL this season behind only Harrison and Ware.
* DE Mike Wright against LG Ryan Lilja
Lilja has tended to perform better this season as a run-blocker, but he's had his two best games in pass protection in the last two weeks. He allowed zero sacks and zero quarterback pressures against the Texans.
Wright saw his role diminished by the emergence of Myron Pryor and didn't have a spectacular game against the Dolphins when the injury to Jarvis Green bumped him back into the starting lineup. Against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4, however, Wright was the best pass-rusher the Patriots had, recording two sacks, one hit on the quarterback and two other quarterback pressures.
Getting to Tom Brady
* DE Dwight Freeney against LT Sebastian Vollmer
With Matt Light unlikely to play, duty on the Colts' pass-rushing demon falls to Vollmer, a rookie who has handled himself awfully well so far this season. He actually has the third-best rating among Patriots' offensive linemen and has had three straight impressive games since he took over as the starter.
But he hasn't yet played against Freeney, who has 10 sacks, nine hits on the quarterback and a whopping 26 pressures so far this season. He's been the best 4-3 defensive end in the NFL so far this season -- and he's the toughest test Vollmer has faced yet.
* DE Robert Mathis against right tackle Nick Kaczur and right tackle Steve Neal
Statistically, Kaczur and Neal have been the Patriots' two best pass-blocking offensive linemen, though Kaczur seems to have stumbled of late in that department. Neal has spent the season as the Patriots' most consistent offensive player -- but that means he often finds himself standing around with not much to do as opposing teams opt not to go after him on passing downs.
Mathis almost certainly will go after Kaczur -- and if he can wreak half the havoc on Kaczur that he did on Arizona right tackle Levi Brown in Week 3 (one sack, three quarterback hits, eight quarterback pressures), Brady might be in trouble.
* Colts linebackers against Laurence Maroney
As frustrating as it's been for Patriots fans to watch Maroney run the ball, he's actually been worse this season when he's been trying to block for Brady. If the Colts send a blitzer that's assigned to Maroney, that blitzer might not have much issue getting to Brady.
With that in mind, here's a look -- with the help of ProFootballFocus.com -- at some of the key matchups along the line of scrimmage and the matchups each team hopes to exploit:
Getting to Peyton Manning
* OLB Tully Banta-Cain against LT Charlie Johnson.
Johnson, a fourth-year left tackle, surrendered two sacks and five quarterback pressures in a miserable game against Mario Williams and the Houston Texans a week ago. For the season, Johnson has allowed 17 quarterback pressures in eight games and ranks near the bottom among offensive tackles.
Banta-Cain, meanwhile, has been a revelation as a pass-rushing linebacker. He ranks with the best in the league in hits on the quarterback -- only Anthony Spencer, Aaron Kampman, DeMarcus Ware and Lamarr Woodley have more. Overall, he ranks as the third-best 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL this season behind only Harrison and Ware.
* DE Mike Wright against LG Ryan Lilja
Lilja has tended to perform better this season as a run-blocker, but he's had his two best games in pass protection in the last two weeks. He allowed zero sacks and zero quarterback pressures against the Texans.
Wright saw his role diminished by the emergence of Myron Pryor and didn't have a spectacular game against the Dolphins when the injury to Jarvis Green bumped him back into the starting lineup. Against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4, however, Wright was the best pass-rusher the Patriots had, recording two sacks, one hit on the quarterback and two other quarterback pressures.
Getting to Tom Brady
* DE Dwight Freeney against LT Sebastian Vollmer
With Matt Light unlikely to play, duty on the Colts' pass-rushing demon falls to Vollmer, a rookie who has handled himself awfully well so far this season. He actually has the third-best rating among Patriots' offensive linemen and has had three straight impressive games since he took over as the starter.
But he hasn't yet played against Freeney, who has 10 sacks, nine hits on the quarterback and a whopping 26 pressures so far this season. He's been the best 4-3 defensive end in the NFL so far this season -- and he's the toughest test Vollmer has faced yet.
* DE Robert Mathis against right tackle Nick Kaczur and right tackle Steve Neal
Statistically, Kaczur and Neal have been the Patriots' two best pass-blocking offensive linemen, though Kaczur seems to have stumbled of late in that department. Neal has spent the season as the Patriots' most consistent offensive player -- but that means he often finds himself standing around with not much to do as opposing teams opt not to go after him on passing downs.
Mathis almost certainly will go after Kaczur -- and if he can wreak half the havoc on Kaczur that he did on Arizona right tackle Levi Brown in Week 3 (one sack, three quarterback hits, eight quarterback pressures), Brady might be in trouble.
* Colts linebackers against Laurence Maroney
As frustrating as it's been for Patriots fans to watch Maroney run the ball, he's actually been worse this season when he's been trying to block for Brady. If the Colts send a blitzer that's assigned to Maroney, that blitzer might not have much issue getting to Brady.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Banta-Cain a quiet star on Patriots' defense
Tully Banta-Cain made a brief appearance in the Patriots’ locker room at Gillette Stadium yesterday, sporting a sweatshirt with No. 97 across the front.
Banta-Cain, of course, wears No. 95 on the field. Jarvis Green, who wears No. 97, underwent knee surgery last week and could miss up to a month. And while Banta-Cain might have taken the concept of replacing Green a little too literally, there's something to be said for the way the pass-rushing specialist has fortified the Patriots' front seven so far this season.
Banta-Cain had 43 tackles and 5.5 sacks in the final season of his first go-round with New England, a season that earned him a lucrative free-agent deal with San Francisco. Through seven games this season, he's on an even better pace -- he has 21 tackles and three sacks and, according to ProFootballFocus.com, has been the Patriots' second-best defensive player so far this season.
When the linebacker/defensive end re-signed with the Patriots, most assumed his role would be as a pass-rusher on third down and as a tackler on special teams. Against Tampa Bay a week ago, however, Banta-Cain played 50 of the game's 61 snaps and finished with six tackles and four quarterback hurries, including two hits on the quarterback.
He started the season played defensive end as part of a 4-3 defensive front but has made a seamless transition to outside linebacker as part of a 3-4 defensive front. The two games he's played at outside linebacker, according to ProFootballFocus.com, have been two of his three best games of the season.
"He came into a situation already knowing about the situation when he came back from San Francisco," Patriots defensive coordinator Dean Pees said. "He’s worked really hard. He's prepared very hard. I think he knows what the expectations were coming back here. He knows what Bill (Belichick) wants and what we expect. He adapted so easily because we already all knew him and knew what he could do and what his strengths and weaknesses were."
The burden of replacing Green, of course, won't fall much on Banta-Cain unless the Patriots decide to go back to a four-man defensive line. The likelier scenario is one in which the Patriots plug in Mike Wright at defensive end as part of a three-man front with Ty Warren and Vince Wilfork, giving them maximum flexibility both up front and in their corps of linebackers.
But replacing someone who's not there is something this Patriots defense knows all about. Tedy Bruschi is gone. Rodney Harrison is gone. Richard Seymour is gone. Mike Vrabel is gone. Jerod Mayo even missed three games with a knee injury -- and the Patriots won two of those three games.
There's no extra pressure with Green out of the lineup for the indefinite future. It's just business as usual.
"We put ourselves under a lot of pressure just to be accountable," Wilfork said. "When we step on the field, we want to make sure we play at a high level."
But not many have played at a higher level than Banta-Cain has so far this season.
Banta-Cain, of course, wears No. 95 on the field. Jarvis Green, who wears No. 97, underwent knee surgery last week and could miss up to a month. And while Banta-Cain might have taken the concept of replacing Green a little too literally, there's something to be said for the way the pass-rushing specialist has fortified the Patriots' front seven so far this season.
Banta-Cain had 43 tackles and 5.5 sacks in the final season of his first go-round with New England, a season that earned him a lucrative free-agent deal with San Francisco. Through seven games this season, he's on an even better pace -- he has 21 tackles and three sacks and, according to ProFootballFocus.com, has been the Patriots' second-best defensive player so far this season.
When the linebacker/defensive end re-signed with the Patriots, most assumed his role would be as a pass-rusher on third down and as a tackler on special teams. Against Tampa Bay a week ago, however, Banta-Cain played 50 of the game's 61 snaps and finished with six tackles and four quarterback hurries, including two hits on the quarterback.
He started the season played defensive end as part of a 4-3 defensive front but has made a seamless transition to outside linebacker as part of a 3-4 defensive front. The two games he's played at outside linebacker, according to ProFootballFocus.com, have been two of his three best games of the season.
"He came into a situation already knowing about the situation when he came back from San Francisco," Patriots defensive coordinator Dean Pees said. "He’s worked really hard. He's prepared very hard. I think he knows what the expectations were coming back here. He knows what Bill (Belichick) wants and what we expect. He adapted so easily because we already all knew him and knew what he could do and what his strengths and weaknesses were."
The burden of replacing Green, of course, won't fall much on Banta-Cain unless the Patriots decide to go back to a four-man defensive line. The likelier scenario is one in which the Patriots plug in Mike Wright at defensive end as part of a three-man front with Ty Warren and Vince Wilfork, giving them maximum flexibility both up front and in their corps of linebackers.
But replacing someone who's not there is something this Patriots defense knows all about. Tedy Bruschi is gone. Rodney Harrison is gone. Richard Seymour is gone. Mike Vrabel is gone. Jerod Mayo even missed three games with a knee injury -- and the Patriots won two of those three games.
There's no extra pressure with Green out of the lineup for the indefinite future. It's just business as usual.
"We put ourselves under a lot of pressure just to be accountable," Wilfork said. "When we step on the field, we want to make sure we play at a high level."
But not many have played at a higher level than Banta-Cain has so far this season.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Patriots get out the bag of tricks
"The Patriots want to blitz," Phil Simms said early in the CBS broadcast of the New England-Tampa Bay game on Sunday, "and they want to put pressure on the quarterback and they want to put pressure on the short routes."
But the Patriots hadn't blitzed. All season long, with Jerod Mayo and without, the Patriots hadn't blitzed. They'd done some shifting between a 4-3 formation and a 3-4 formation while mixing in some nickel and dime, but they'd mostly stayed home and avoided the creative gambles that for so long was the hallmark of Bill Belichick defenses. Against Denver two weeks ago, with the Broncos' "Wild Horses" offense causing all sorts of problems, the Patriots did almost nothing but stay at home in their base defensive packages -- and Kyle Orton picked them apart.
On Sunday, though, the Patriots blitzed. They blitzed corners off the edge. They blitzed safeties up the middle. They blitzed linebackers from just about everywhere. They didn't blitz too much -- by the count of this reporter, they blitzed on 13 of their 36 defensive snaps in the first half -- but they blitzed enough to keep young quarterback Josh Johnson looking over his shoulder.
And while it didn't make much of a difference against the woeful Buccaneers, who would have lost big no matter what, it did demonstrate that it did demonstrate that the Patriots' new-look defense still is capable of executing the same complex defensive packages as its predecessors.
Here's a look at how the Patriots distributed their blitzes in the first half before the score started to get out of hand:
* Brandon McGowan blitzed four times;
* Jonathan Wilhite blitzed three times;
* Adalius Thomas -- remember him? -- blitzed three times;
* Wilhite and McGowan blitzed at the same time twice, including on the interception that Brandon Meriweather returned for a touchdown;
* Gary Guyton blitzed twice;
* Meriweather blitzed once, doing so in tandem with Thomas;
* Jerod Mayo blitzed once;
* Patrick Chung blitzed once;
* Leigh Bodden blitzed once.
And that's just the first half.
Oh, and the Patriots frequently lined up Tully Banta-Cain and Derrick Burgess at defensive end, flanking Vince Wilfork and Ty Warren, and both Banta-Cain and Burgess are at their best when they're going after the quarterback.
The result?
* Thomas had a quarterback hurry;
* Banta-Cain had two tackles for a loss;
* Chung had a sack and a quarterback hurry;
* Guyton had a tackle for a loss and a quarterback hurry;
* Mike Wright had a sack and a quarterback hurry;
* Myron Pryor had a quarterback hurry and a tackle for a loss;
* McGowan, Meriweather and bodden each broke up two passes.
The Patriots will face the Dolphins at Gillette Stadium in two weeks, a team that sparked the Wildcat revolution across the NFL. The Patriots weren't able to deal with the "Wild Horses" offense the Broncos threw at them, eschewing creativity in favor of conservatism.
It'll be interesting to see if they do the same against Miami.
But the Patriots hadn't blitzed. All season long, with Jerod Mayo and without, the Patriots hadn't blitzed. They'd done some shifting between a 4-3 formation and a 3-4 formation while mixing in some nickel and dime, but they'd mostly stayed home and avoided the creative gambles that for so long was the hallmark of Bill Belichick defenses. Against Denver two weeks ago, with the Broncos' "Wild Horses" offense causing all sorts of problems, the Patriots did almost nothing but stay at home in their base defensive packages -- and Kyle Orton picked them apart.
On Sunday, though, the Patriots blitzed. They blitzed corners off the edge. They blitzed safeties up the middle. They blitzed linebackers from just about everywhere. They didn't blitz too much -- by the count of this reporter, they blitzed on 13 of their 36 defensive snaps in the first half -- but they blitzed enough to keep young quarterback Josh Johnson looking over his shoulder.
And while it didn't make much of a difference against the woeful Buccaneers, who would have lost big no matter what, it did demonstrate that it did demonstrate that the Patriots' new-look defense still is capable of executing the same complex defensive packages as its predecessors.
Here's a look at how the Patriots distributed their blitzes in the first half before the score started to get out of hand:
* Brandon McGowan blitzed four times;
* Jonathan Wilhite blitzed three times;
* Adalius Thomas -- remember him? -- blitzed three times;
* Wilhite and McGowan blitzed at the same time twice, including on the interception that Brandon Meriweather returned for a touchdown;
* Gary Guyton blitzed twice;
* Meriweather blitzed once, doing so in tandem with Thomas;
* Jerod Mayo blitzed once;
* Patrick Chung blitzed once;
* Leigh Bodden blitzed once.
And that's just the first half.
Oh, and the Patriots frequently lined up Tully Banta-Cain and Derrick Burgess at defensive end, flanking Vince Wilfork and Ty Warren, and both Banta-Cain and Burgess are at their best when they're going after the quarterback.
The result?
* Thomas had a quarterback hurry;
* Banta-Cain had two tackles for a loss;
* Chung had a sack and a quarterback hurry;
* Guyton had a tackle for a loss and a quarterback hurry;
* Mike Wright had a sack and a quarterback hurry;
* Myron Pryor had a quarterback hurry and a tackle for a loss;
* McGowan, Meriweather and bodden each broke up two passes.
The Patriots will face the Dolphins at Gillette Stadium in two weeks, a team that sparked the Wildcat revolution across the NFL. The Patriots weren't able to deal with the "Wild Horses" offense the Broncos threw at them, eschewing creativity in favor of conservatism.
It'll be interesting to see if they do the same against Miami.
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