"When you get off to a bad start as a quarterback in the National Football League, there's two things, of course, you can do: You can get really conservative and worry about making a mistake, or you go out there and you toughen up and be aggressive and tell your guys, 'I might throw six today. Just be ready.'"
-- Phil Simms, CBS
Analysts predictably were all over Randy Moss after the Patriots' season-ending loss to the Ravens on Sunday, a game in which one of the best big-play wide receivers in the NFL did next to nothing in an offense that already was missing its most prolific wide receiver.
Some of the blame, though, has to fall on the quarterback throwing him the ball. If the Patriots are to remain an elite team going forward, Tom Brady simply has to find a way to get the ball to Moss even if opposing teams are scheming to stop him.
Moss can't just be a decoy receiver. Moss caught more passes for 40 yards or more than any receivers in the NFL other than DeSean Jackson, Andre Johnson and Miles Austin, but he only seemed to be able to go deep against teams without elite safeties.
If Brady isn't going to throw to Moss down the field, he isn't going to throw to anyone down the field -- and he certainly didn't on Sunday.
After a slow start to the season in which he averaged fewer than 10 yards per completion in each of his first two games, Brady averaged 10 or more yards per completion in each of the Patriots' final 14 games, including a loss at Miami in which Brady hit Moss deep downfield in the first quarter and averaged 18.5 yards per completion.
On Sunday against Ed Reed the Ravens, Brady averaged 6.7 yards per completion -- by far his lowest number of the season.
It wasn't a matter of not throwing the ball. It was a matter of not throwing the ball anywhere near Reed -- and that's where his connection with Moss starts to get more than a little scrutiny.
Brady threw the ball in the area of Reed three times in the first quarter, the third being the pass for Sam Aiken that Dominique Foxworth broke up and Reed plucked out of the air, the second of the three interceptions Brady threw on Sunday.
From that point on, he just did not throw at Reed.
Only once the rest of the way -- a total of 39 pass attempts if you include plays nullified in some way by penalty -- did Brady throw the ball even close to the Ravens' ball-hawking safety. Moss caught just five passes in the game, but the only one that could be considered a deep ball came in the final two minutes when Reed was content to sit back in a prevent defense and allow Moss to operate underneath him.
Other than that? Here's what the Brady-to-Moss connection produced:
* In the second quarter, Moss had breathing room in the back of the end zone with Reed four or five yards away from him, but Brady threw the ball away rather than take the chance;
* In the third quarter, Moss curled back toward the sidelines, well in front of Reed, and caught a pass at the first-down marker for 14 yards;
* Later in the third quarter, Moss caught short, quick passes for six yards, five yards and four yards, respectively.
That's it. Statisticians said Brady threw the ball in the direction of Moss seven times on Sunday, but two of those attempts were throw-aways either at Moss' feet or well over his head. In terms of passes with actual intention, Sam Aiken and Sammy Morris were targeted just as much as Moss was.
Even on Reed's interception, Brady was throwing the ball to Aiken. Moss just happened to be on the same side of field as Aiken, giving Reed an opportunity to get over quickly and snatch the deflected pass out of the air.
(Just to be clear: Aiken had never had more than 11 receptions in an entire season before injuries and ineffectiveness forced him into an expanded role with the Patriots this year. Only once before this season had Aiken ever caught more than two passes in an NFL game.)
This isn't a "Good pitching always beats good hitting" situation. Hall of Fame-caliber wide receivers ought to be able to compete with Hall of Fame-caliber safeties. San Diego's Vincent Jackson certainly found his share of seams against Reed when the Chargers met the Ravens in Week 2.
That means Moss has to find ways to get open against safeties like Reed -- but that also means Brady has to trust Moss to come away with the ball even when he's going up against Reed.
Showing posts with label brady. Show all posts
Showing posts with label brady. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Halftime analysis: Ravens 24, Patriots 7
Halftime observations from a game that could be far more out of hand than it is:
* Ray Rice doesn't waste any time. Center Matt Birk and right guard Marshal Yanda together shoved Vince Wilfork out of the way, and right tackle Michael Oher sealed off Ty Warren to create a seam for Ray Rice on the first snap of the game. Rice waited for a moment for the hole to develop and then cut to his right, back through the line. Left guard Ben Grubbs brushed against Wilfork and then got in the way of linebacker Jerod Mayo.
Only safety Brandon Meriweather was left -- that's Pro Bowl safety Brandon Meriweather, to be specific -- and Rice torched Meriweather as easily as if Meriweather was standing still.
The result was a stadium-deflating 83-yard touchdown run -- and only a sign of what was to come.
* Ed Reed is everywhere. When a fluky turnover on a punt gave the Patriots the ball deep in Baltimore territory, Brady had a chance to throw a dart to Randy Moss in the back of the end zone. Ravens safety Ed Reed was eight or 10 feet from the Patriots' best wide receiver, probably not close enough to make up the distance if Brady really zipped it in there.
Brady instead threw the ball out the back of the end zone -- a sign of just how terrified he is to throw anywhere close to where Reed is.
Reed was in position on Moss when Terrell Suggs turnstiled Matt Light off the edge on the Patriots' first drive of the game, forcing the quarterback to hesitate long enough for Suggs to get there and knock the ball loose. Later in the first quarter, after Brady already had thrown an interception to Chris Carr, Reed pounced on a pass deflected by wide receiver Sam Aiken and intercepted it.
When you consider that the Patriots haven't really thrown a pass in the direction of Moss, presumably the primary assignment given to Reed, it's amazing he's made the number of plays as he has.
(In a related story, Brady looks awful: His first interception was even worse than his first, a short pass thrown right at the hands of Carr. The three-time Super Bowl winner has 38 passing yards so far.)
* Ray Lewis is everywhere, too. The Patriots have had no answer for the linebacker who made a compelling case this week that he has plenty of football left in him. He's making a compelling case today, too.
Lewis dodged Laurence Maroney and drilled Brady for a seven-yard loss on the first snap of the Patriots' second series. He then got back in Brady's face to force an incomplete pass on first-and-10 on the next series. Late in the second quarter, Lewis tore through a gap and dropped Kevin Faulk for no gain on a second-and-8 draw.
Lewis finished the first half with eight tackles, including four solo tackles.
* Julian Edelman is doing everything anyone could expect. The rookie wide receiver -- he was just learning how to play the position a year ago, don't forget -- caught a touchdown pass in the second quarter and broke three different tackles on a nifty 28-yard punt return just a few minutes later.
Injured wide receiver Wes Welker hobbled out for the opening coin flip on crutches and watched the rest of the game from Robert Kraft's box. Edelman, obstensibly his replacement as the Patriots' slot receiver, was dropped for a loss on his first reception but looked in the second quarter like he was starting to find some gaps in the defense.
* Kevin Faulk came to play. Not that this should be a surprise to anyone, but the versatile running back has been the Patriots' most dependable player on the field. Faulk has 36 rushing yards and 25 receiving yards, including an 18-yard catch-and-run to dig the Patriots out of their own end late in the first quarter.
Of the Patriots' 61 yards from scrimmage in the first half, Faulk has 61.
(Brady has lost 16 yards to sacks, and the entire rest of the roster has combined for 16 yards.)
* Ray Rice doesn't waste any time. Center Matt Birk and right guard Marshal Yanda together shoved Vince Wilfork out of the way, and right tackle Michael Oher sealed off Ty Warren to create a seam for Ray Rice on the first snap of the game. Rice waited for a moment for the hole to develop and then cut to his right, back through the line. Left guard Ben Grubbs brushed against Wilfork and then got in the way of linebacker Jerod Mayo.
Only safety Brandon Meriweather was left -- that's Pro Bowl safety Brandon Meriweather, to be specific -- and Rice torched Meriweather as easily as if Meriweather was standing still.
The result was a stadium-deflating 83-yard touchdown run -- and only a sign of what was to come.
* Ed Reed is everywhere. When a fluky turnover on a punt gave the Patriots the ball deep in Baltimore territory, Brady had a chance to throw a dart to Randy Moss in the back of the end zone. Ravens safety Ed Reed was eight or 10 feet from the Patriots' best wide receiver, probably not close enough to make up the distance if Brady really zipped it in there.
Brady instead threw the ball out the back of the end zone -- a sign of just how terrified he is to throw anywhere close to where Reed is.
Reed was in position on Moss when Terrell Suggs turnstiled Matt Light off the edge on the Patriots' first drive of the game, forcing the quarterback to hesitate long enough for Suggs to get there and knock the ball loose. Later in the first quarter, after Brady already had thrown an interception to Chris Carr, Reed pounced on a pass deflected by wide receiver Sam Aiken and intercepted it.
When you consider that the Patriots haven't really thrown a pass in the direction of Moss, presumably the primary assignment given to Reed, it's amazing he's made the number of plays as he has.
(In a related story, Brady looks awful: His first interception was even worse than his first, a short pass thrown right at the hands of Carr. The three-time Super Bowl winner has 38 passing yards so far.)
* Ray Lewis is everywhere, too. The Patriots have had no answer for the linebacker who made a compelling case this week that he has plenty of football left in him. He's making a compelling case today, too.
Lewis dodged Laurence Maroney and drilled Brady for a seven-yard loss on the first snap of the Patriots' second series. He then got back in Brady's face to force an incomplete pass on first-and-10 on the next series. Late in the second quarter, Lewis tore through a gap and dropped Kevin Faulk for no gain on a second-and-8 draw.
Lewis finished the first half with eight tackles, including four solo tackles.
* Julian Edelman is doing everything anyone could expect. The rookie wide receiver -- he was just learning how to play the position a year ago, don't forget -- caught a touchdown pass in the second quarter and broke three different tackles on a nifty 28-yard punt return just a few minutes later.
Injured wide receiver Wes Welker hobbled out for the opening coin flip on crutches and watched the rest of the game from Robert Kraft's box. Edelman, obstensibly his replacement as the Patriots' slot receiver, was dropped for a loss on his first reception but looked in the second quarter like he was starting to find some gaps in the defense.
* Kevin Faulk came to play. Not that this should be a surprise to anyone, but the versatile running back has been the Patriots' most dependable player on the field. Faulk has 36 rushing yards and 25 receiving yards, including an 18-yard catch-and-run to dig the Patriots out of their own end late in the first quarter.
Of the Patriots' 61 yards from scrimmage in the first half, Faulk has 61.
(Brady has lost 16 yards to sacks, and the entire rest of the roster has combined for 16 yards.)
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Brady thrives with Wes Welker
Before Wes Welker got to New England, Tom Brady had never accumulated a quarterback rating of better than 92.6 in any season. Even as the Patriots went 12-4 in 2006, Brady's quarterback rating of 87.9 ranked him ninth in the NFL -- behind, among others, Damon Huard, Tony Romo, Carson Palmer, Marc Bulger and Philip Rivers.
Wes Welker changed all that.
In the two seasons in which Brady and Welker have played together -- keeping in mind that 2008 was very abbreviated -- Brady has been a significantly better quarterback with Welker on the field than without him.
Welker missed Weeks 2 and 3 and left the Patriots' Week 17 early enough that Brady essentially played the entire game without him. Consider these numbers:
Brady without Welker (Weeks 2, 3 and 17)
Completion percentage: 56.5 percent
TD-INT ratio: 1-2
Quarterback rating: 69.4
Brady with Welker (2007, Weeks 1, 4-16 of 2009)
Competion percentage: 68.5 percent
TD-INT ratio: 77-19
Quarterback rating: 110.9
Wes Welker changed all that.
In the two seasons in which Brady and Welker have played together -- keeping in mind that 2008 was very abbreviated -- Brady has been a significantly better quarterback with Welker on the field than without him.
Welker missed Weeks 2 and 3 and left the Patriots' Week 17 early enough that Brady essentially played the entire game without him. Consider these numbers:
Brady without Welker (Weeks 2, 3 and 17)
Completion percentage: 56.5 percent
TD-INT ratio: 1-2
Quarterback rating: 69.4
Brady with Welker (2007, Weeks 1, 4-16 of 2009)
Competion percentage: 68.5 percent
TD-INT ratio: 77-19
Quarterback rating: 110.9
Playing Tom Brady in the second half
The Globe's Bert Breer had it right: The Patriots did have a good reason to play Tom Brady in the second half.
The Patriots already have a history of playing Brady extensively in Week 17 games that didn't mean much to them. The Patriots, though, yanked Brady late in the first half, and it looked like they'd already decided to fold the tents and take it to the playoffs.
Brady then reappeared and played most of the second half -- something that has left 98.5 radio personality Gary Tanguay, among others, dumbfounded with disbelief. Brady even endured a couple of big hits and threw an interception before Hoyer once again replaced him for the final drive of the game.
"We didn’t really have anything set," Belichick said when asked about his roster management. "We just went out and played."
Belichick is no idiot. He's won three Super Bowls because he has a reason for what he's doing. There's one pretty good reason to keep Brady in the game as long as possible: Brady had to start to figure out how he was going to run his offense without having Welker as his safety valve. Welker almost certainly is done for the season, and Brady will have only three practices this week to start getting used to playing without Welker.
Yes, Brady already has played without Welker -- but one of those games was his Week 2 disaster against the Jets, a game in which Brady completed 48.9 percent of his passes and compiled a season-worst quarterback rating of just 53.1.
Injuries are freak things. They happen.
If the Patriots are going to advance deep into the playoffs without Welker, Brady has to figure out how to operate the offense without his most prolific wide receiver. Sunday's second half gave him a chance to start that process.
The Patriots already have a history of playing Brady extensively in Week 17 games that didn't mean much to them. The Patriots, though, yanked Brady late in the first half, and it looked like they'd already decided to fold the tents and take it to the playoffs.
Brady then reappeared and played most of the second half -- something that has left 98.5 radio personality Gary Tanguay, among others, dumbfounded with disbelief. Brady even endured a couple of big hits and threw an interception before Hoyer once again replaced him for the final drive of the game.
"We didn’t really have anything set," Belichick said when asked about his roster management. "We just went out and played."
Belichick is no idiot. He's won three Super Bowls because he has a reason for what he's doing. There's one pretty good reason to keep Brady in the game as long as possible: Brady had to start to figure out how he was going to run his offense without having Welker as his safety valve. Welker almost certainly is done for the season, and Brady will have only three practices this week to start getting used to playing without Welker.
Yes, Brady already has played without Welker -- but one of those games was his Week 2 disaster against the Jets, a game in which Brady completed 48.9 percent of his passes and compiled a season-worst quarterback rating of just 53.1.
Injuries are freak things. They happen.
If the Patriots are going to advance deep into the playoffs without Welker, Brady has to figure out how to operate the offense without his most prolific wide receiver. Sunday's second half gave him a chance to start that process.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Tom Brady's second-best season
Tom Brady has completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes twice this season. He's thrown at least one interception in four of his last five games -- and seven of his last nine. He's thrown three or more touchdown passes just four times. Barring a big game on Sunday against Houston, he won't come within 20 touchdown passes of the number he put up the last time he played a full season. He's finished with a quarterback rating under 75.0 three times since Thanksgiving.
Suffice to say, this hasn't been Brady's best season.
It has, however, been his second-best.
Consider the Brady leaderboard in a number of statistical categories:
Passing yards
1. 2007, 4,806
2. 2009, 4,212
3. 2005, 4,110
Completion percentage
1. 2007, 68.9
2. 2009, 65.7
3. 2001, 63.9
Yards per attempt
1. 2007, 8.3
2. 2009, 7.81
3. 2004, 7.79
Interception percentage
1. 2007, 1.4 percent of passes
2. 2009, 2.2 percent
3. 2006, 2.3 percent
Touchdown passes
1. 2007, 50
t-2. 2002, 28
t-2. 2004, 28
t-2. 2009, 28
Quarterback rating
1. 2007, 117.2
2. 2009, 97.4
3. 2004, 92.6
Brady likely will never again have the type of season he had in 2007, a season in which he broke Peyton Manning's single-season record for passing touchdowns (49) and came just short of breaking Manning's single-season record for quarterback rating (121.1). It stands with Manning's 2004 and Dan Marino's 1984 as one of the three greatest seasons ever put together by an NFL quarterback.
By that standard, Brady has had a disappointing season.
By any reasonable standard -- including one in which you consider that he's still barely a year removed from knee surgery -- Brady has had the second-best season of what almost certainly will end up as a Hall of Fame career.
Suffice to say, this hasn't been Brady's best season.
It has, however, been his second-best.
Consider the Brady leaderboard in a number of statistical categories:
Passing yards
1. 2007, 4,806
2. 2009, 4,212
3. 2005, 4,110
Completion percentage
1. 2007, 68.9
2. 2009, 65.7
3. 2001, 63.9
Yards per attempt
1. 2007, 8.3
2. 2009, 7.81
3. 2004, 7.79
Interception percentage
1. 2007, 1.4 percent of passes
2. 2009, 2.2 percent
3. 2006, 2.3 percent
Touchdown passes
1. 2007, 50
t-2. 2002, 28
t-2. 2004, 28
t-2. 2009, 28
Quarterback rating
1. 2007, 117.2
2. 2009, 97.4
3. 2004, 92.6
Brady likely will never again have the type of season he had in 2007, a season in which he broke Peyton Manning's single-season record for passing touchdowns (49) and came just short of breaking Manning's single-season record for quarterback rating (121.1). It stands with Manning's 2004 and Dan Marino's 1984 as one of the three greatest seasons ever put together by an NFL quarterback.
By that standard, Brady has had a disappointing season.
By any reasonable standard -- including one in which you consider that he's still barely a year removed from knee surgery -- Brady has had the second-best season of what almost certainly will end up as a Hall of Fame career.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Halftime report: Panthers 7, Patriots 7
A handful of observations from a lackluster first half:
* Boos rain down. It's hard to believe this is virtually the same offense that broke record after record just two seasons ago. Tom Brady and his cohorts were booed after a third-and-12 pass went for just two yards, and they were booed even louder when a third-and-4 pass behind Sammy Morris slightly was dropped.
A couple of ticky-tack penalty calls saved the Patriots from more boos on their next drive. Ben Watson drew a questionable pass-interference call down the right sideline, and third wide receiver Isaiah Stanback drew a defensive holding call in the end zone after Brady had missed on a pass toward Randy Moss. Kevin Faulk ran through a big hole in the middle of the line for a touchdown -- the Patriots' first in almost four full quarters of action.
* Ugly day for Moss. A summary of the first half for the Patriots' big-play wide receiver:
-- Lets a pass slip through his hands deep over the middle;
-- Sees Chris Gamble intercept a pass -- albeit an off-target pass -- thrown in his direction;
-- Catches a pass down the middle of the field only to allow linebacker Dan Connor to punch it free.
First-half numbers: One catch for 16 yards and a fumble.
The ineffectiveness of Brady -- 8-for-15 for 59 yards and an interception -- isn't helping. Moss had no shot at the pass that Brady air-mailed through the back of the end zone.
But the Patriots' most dangerous weapon, once again, hasn't been all that dangerous.
* Rotation at offensive line. With Sebastian Vollmer returning to action, the Patriots have gone with a straight rotation at offensive tackle. Nick Kaczur and Matt Light started the game, but Vollmer substituted first for Light and second for Kaczur, moving from left to right tackle and back again. Kaczur has had all kinds of trouble with Pro Bowl defensive end Julius Peppers, and it'll be interesting to see if the Patriots stick with the rotation or go exclusively with Light at left tackle and Vollmer at right tackle.
* Tight end blocking. Tight end Chris Baker has only had one pass thrown in his direction, and it bounced off his helmet. But catching passes isn't all Baker does. The tight end was the lead blocker on a pair of 17-yard runs in the first quarter, escorting Laurence Maroney around the left side and then pulling through the middle of the line in front of Sammy Morris.
Patriots running backs have 86 rushing yards on 16 carries thus far, an average of 5.4 yards per carry.
* Boos rain down. It's hard to believe this is virtually the same offense that broke record after record just two seasons ago. Tom Brady and his cohorts were booed after a third-and-12 pass went for just two yards, and they were booed even louder when a third-and-4 pass behind Sammy Morris slightly was dropped.
A couple of ticky-tack penalty calls saved the Patriots from more boos on their next drive. Ben Watson drew a questionable pass-interference call down the right sideline, and third wide receiver Isaiah Stanback drew a defensive holding call in the end zone after Brady had missed on a pass toward Randy Moss. Kevin Faulk ran through a big hole in the middle of the line for a touchdown -- the Patriots' first in almost four full quarters of action.
* Ugly day for Moss. A summary of the first half for the Patriots' big-play wide receiver:
-- Lets a pass slip through his hands deep over the middle;
-- Sees Chris Gamble intercept a pass -- albeit an off-target pass -- thrown in his direction;
-- Catches a pass down the middle of the field only to allow linebacker Dan Connor to punch it free.
First-half numbers: One catch for 16 yards and a fumble.
The ineffectiveness of Brady -- 8-for-15 for 59 yards and an interception -- isn't helping. Moss had no shot at the pass that Brady air-mailed through the back of the end zone.
But the Patriots' most dangerous weapon, once again, hasn't been all that dangerous.
* Rotation at offensive line. With Sebastian Vollmer returning to action, the Patriots have gone with a straight rotation at offensive tackle. Nick Kaczur and Matt Light started the game, but Vollmer substituted first for Light and second for Kaczur, moving from left to right tackle and back again. Kaczur has had all kinds of trouble with Pro Bowl defensive end Julius Peppers, and it'll be interesting to see if the Patriots stick with the rotation or go exclusively with Light at left tackle and Vollmer at right tackle.
* Tight end blocking. Tight end Chris Baker has only had one pass thrown in his direction, and it bounced off his helmet. But catching passes isn't all Baker does. The tight end was the lead blocker on a pair of 17-yard runs in the first quarter, escorting Laurence Maroney around the left side and then pulling through the middle of the line in front of Sammy Morris.
Patriots running backs have 86 rushing yards on 16 carries thus far, an average of 5.4 yards per carry.
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.
Monday, December 7, 2009
The Patriots really aren't that good
It's the popular idea today: The Patriots didn't necessarily do anything egregiously wrong in their loss at Miami on Sunday. The Patriots don't necessarily have some sort of mental block when it comes to winning on the road. The Patriots aren't necessarily gag artists who can't live up to expectations.
The Patriots might just not be all that good.
Given the numerous factors that go into winning and losing football games, it's a tough theory to try to prove. With help from our friends at ProFootballFocus.com, though, we'll give it a shot. Here's a position-by-position look -- with stats up to date entering play entering play in Week 13 and thus not including Week 13 -- at how the Patriots rank when compared to their counterparts around the NFL:
(Note: The PFF.com rankings include every aspect of the game -- meaning wide receivers are evaluated on their run-blocking as well as their pass-catching, and linebackers are evaluated on their pass coverage as well as their tackling.)
Center
1. Ryan Kalil, Carolina
2. Nick Mangold, N.Y. Jets
3. Jake Grove, Miami
13. Dan Koppen, New England
Guard
1. Jahri Evans, New Orleans
2. Steve Neal, New England
3. Carl Nicks, New Orleans
12. Logan Mankins, New England
Tackle
1. Joe Thomas, Cleveland
2. Willie Colon, Pittsburgh
3. Jake Long, Miami
5. Sebastian Vollmer, New England
14. Nick Kaczur, New England
45. Matt Light, New England
Tight end
1. Kevin Boss, N.Y. Giants
2. Jason Witten, Dallas
3. Dallas Clark, Indianapolis
18. Chris Baker, New England
33. Ben Watson, New England
Wide receiver
1. Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis
2. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona
3. Vincent Jackson, San Diego
9. Wes Welker, New England
18. Randy Moss, New England
45. Sam Aiken, New England
Running back
1. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville
2. Ray Rice, Baltimore
3. Ricky Williams, Miami
9. Kevin Faulk, New England
49. Laurence Maroney, New England
Quarterback
1. Drew Brees, New Orleans
2. Brett Favre, Minnesota
3. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis
10. Tom Brady, New England
Offensive analysis: The Patriots have two players who rank among the top five at their position in the NFL. Both -- Neal and Vollmer -- were injured against Miami. Wes Welker remains a playmaking machine. Brady ranks ahead of names like Carson Palmer, Eli Manning and Joe Flacco but behind David Garrard, Kurt Warner and Matt Schaub.
3-4 defensive end
1. Justin Smith, San Francisco
2. Randy Starks, Miami
3. Corey Williams, Cleveland
11. Ty Warren, New England
(Neither Jarvis Green nor Mike Wright has played enough snaps at 3-4 end to qualify.)
Defensive tackle
1. Kevin Williams, Minnesota
2. Kelly Gregg, Baltimore
3. Vince Wilfork, New England
3-4 outside linebacker
1. DeMarcus Ware, Dallas
2. James Harrison, Pittsburgh
3. Tully Banta-Cain, New England
Inside linebacker
1. Ray Lewis, Baltimore
2. Patrick Willis, San Francisco
3. Nick Barnett, Green Bay
33. Gary Guyton, New England
39. Jerod Mayo, New England
Cornerback
1. Charles Woodson, Green Bay
2. Darrelle Revis, N.Y. Jets
3. Antoine Winfield, Minnesota
14. Leigh Bodden, New England
61. Darius Butler, New England
68. Shawn Springs, New England
81. Jonathan Wilhite, New England
Safety
1. Ed Reed, Baltimore
2. Reed Doughty, Washington
3. Nick Collins, Green Bay
14. Brandon Meriweather, New England
68. Brandon McGowan, New England
Defensive analysis: The dismal rankings of the Patriots' cornerbacks shouldn't be surprising. Whoever it is that watches film for ProFootballFocus.com, though, also is having a tough time finding impact plays made either by Mayo or McGowan. The disappearance of Mayo in particular -- he has 64 tackles in nine games this season, but raise your hand if you remember the last impact play he made -- might be one of the most under-discussed subplots of the Patriots' collapse. That might be worth a separate film breakdown and discussion in this space.
Credit should go to Tully Banta-Cain, however, who really is having a Pro Bowl-caliber year rushing the passer. Entering play Sunday, PFF.com had credited Banta-Cain with five sacks, seven hits on the quarterback and 13 pressures -- and he'd missed just two tackles all season.
The Patriots might just not be all that good.
Given the numerous factors that go into winning and losing football games, it's a tough theory to try to prove. With help from our friends at ProFootballFocus.com, though, we'll give it a shot. Here's a position-by-position look -- with stats up to date entering play entering play in Week 13 and thus not including Week 13 -- at how the Patriots rank when compared to their counterparts around the NFL:
(Note: The PFF.com rankings include every aspect of the game -- meaning wide receivers are evaluated on their run-blocking as well as their pass-catching, and linebackers are evaluated on their pass coverage as well as their tackling.)
Center
1. Ryan Kalil, Carolina
2. Nick Mangold, N.Y. Jets
3. Jake Grove, Miami
13. Dan Koppen, New England
Guard
1. Jahri Evans, New Orleans
2. Steve Neal, New England
3. Carl Nicks, New Orleans
12. Logan Mankins, New England
Tackle
1. Joe Thomas, Cleveland
2. Willie Colon, Pittsburgh
3. Jake Long, Miami
5. Sebastian Vollmer, New England
14. Nick Kaczur, New England
45. Matt Light, New England
Tight end
1. Kevin Boss, N.Y. Giants
2. Jason Witten, Dallas
3. Dallas Clark, Indianapolis
18. Chris Baker, New England
33. Ben Watson, New England
Wide receiver
1. Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis
2. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona
3. Vincent Jackson, San Diego
9. Wes Welker, New England
18. Randy Moss, New England
45. Sam Aiken, New England
Running back
1. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville
2. Ray Rice, Baltimore
3. Ricky Williams, Miami
9. Kevin Faulk, New England
49. Laurence Maroney, New England
Quarterback
1. Drew Brees, New Orleans
2. Brett Favre, Minnesota
3. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis
10. Tom Brady, New England
Offensive analysis: The Patriots have two players who rank among the top five at their position in the NFL. Both -- Neal and Vollmer -- were injured against Miami. Wes Welker remains a playmaking machine. Brady ranks ahead of names like Carson Palmer, Eli Manning and Joe Flacco but behind David Garrard, Kurt Warner and Matt Schaub.
3-4 defensive end
1. Justin Smith, San Francisco
2. Randy Starks, Miami
3. Corey Williams, Cleveland
11. Ty Warren, New England
(Neither Jarvis Green nor Mike Wright has played enough snaps at 3-4 end to qualify.)
Defensive tackle
1. Kevin Williams, Minnesota
2. Kelly Gregg, Baltimore
3. Vince Wilfork, New England
3-4 outside linebacker
1. DeMarcus Ware, Dallas
2. James Harrison, Pittsburgh
3. Tully Banta-Cain, New England
Inside linebacker
1. Ray Lewis, Baltimore
2. Patrick Willis, San Francisco
3. Nick Barnett, Green Bay
33. Gary Guyton, New England
39. Jerod Mayo, New England
Cornerback
1. Charles Woodson, Green Bay
2. Darrelle Revis, N.Y. Jets
3. Antoine Winfield, Minnesota
14. Leigh Bodden, New England
61. Darius Butler, New England
68. Shawn Springs, New England
81. Jonathan Wilhite, New England
Safety
1. Ed Reed, Baltimore
2. Reed Doughty, Washington
3. Nick Collins, Green Bay
14. Brandon Meriweather, New England
68. Brandon McGowan, New England
Defensive analysis: The dismal rankings of the Patriots' cornerbacks shouldn't be surprising. Whoever it is that watches film for ProFootballFocus.com, though, also is having a tough time finding impact plays made either by Mayo or McGowan. The disappearance of Mayo in particular -- he has 64 tackles in nine games this season, but raise your hand if you remember the last impact play he made -- might be one of the most under-discussed subplots of the Patriots' collapse. That might be worth a separate film breakdown and discussion in this space.
Credit should go to Tully Banta-Cain, however, who really is having a Pro Bowl-caliber year rushing the passer. Entering play Sunday, PFF.com had credited Banta-Cain with five sacks, seven hits on the quarterback and 13 pressures -- and he'd missed just two tackles all season.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Saints beat Patriots on line of scrimmage
The theory here is that the respective secondaries of the Patriots and Saints actually had very little to do with the outcome of Monday's game. The theory here is that the game came down to two factors:
* The Saints' ability to get pressure on Tom Brady with just three rushers, freeing up others to double-team Randy Moss and Wes Welker;
* The Patriots' inability to get pressure on Drew Brees even with five rushers, leaving the secondary shorthanded while still allowing Brees to step confidently into every throw.
Let's compare a pretty similar play-action pass play run by both the Saints and the Patriots in the first half -- and their dissimilar results:
The first-and-10 call was a play-action pass out of the I-formation with two receivers running down the middle of the field. Tight end Jeremy Shockey (88) ran the shallow route, and wide receiver Robert Meachem (17) ran the deep route.
The Patriots read run all the way -- safety Brandon Meriweather (31) crept toward the line of scrimmage even before the ball was snapped -- but that wasn't the only issue. Linebackers Rob Ninkovich (50) and Adalius Thomas (96) both blitzed from the outside and were picked up by the left and right tackles, respectively, with help from the Saints' two backs. Each of the Patriots' three defensive linemen were handled one-on-one by the New Orleans guards and center -- as detailed here, the strongest part of the Saints' offensive line -- and got nowhere near Brees.
With Shockey and Meachem converging in the same neighborhood, safety Brandon McGowan (30) couldn't just read the eyes of Brees to figure out where the pass would go. McGowan guessed Shockey -- and that left Jonathan Wilhite (24) in one-on-one coverage with Meachem. Wilhite never had a chance.
Had the Patriots gotten some pressure on Brees with their five pass-rushers, though, things might have turned out very differently. The coverage of Wilhite actually was pretty good, and a little pressure on Brees might have meant a pass that wasn't quite so precise.
The Patriots ran a similar play in the first half, a play-action pass with two targets down the field, but didn't get even close to the same results. Here's the diagram:
The Patriots lined up with Laurence Maroney and ran a play-action fake on second-and-8, a similar fake to the one Brees ran with his running back. Like the Saints, the Patriots sent just two receivers out wide -- Welker (83) and Moss (81) -- and kept two other skill-position players in the backfield to block.
The Saints, however, sent only four pass-rushers at Brady and dropped their other seven defenders into coverage. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is known as a blitz-happy coach, but he there actually were plenty of snaps on Monday that Williams sent only three pass-rushers at Brady and dropped eight into coverage.
Welker, the wide receiver who torched the Jets a week ago, lined up against Baltimore castoff Chris McAlister (29) -- but while McAlister ran with him underneath, safety Roman Harper (41) jumped into the play to cut off any pass underneath. Double coverage.
On the other side of the field, the recently signed Mike McKenzie (34) lined up deep against Randy Moss and stayed deep. Middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma (51) dropped back to cover the underneath route to Moss, and free safety Darren Sharper (42) stayed deep in case Moss suddenly took off for the end zone. Triple coverage.
Given time, Brady almost certainly would have found one of his two receivers -- or one of his tight ends (in blue on the line of scrimmage) eventually would have drifted into the flat to catch a dump-off pass. That's why so many teams blitz Brady: Given time, as talented as his receivers are, someone always is going to get open for him.
But Brady didn't have time.
Tight end Chris Baker (86) actually went in motion before the snap, moving from the right shoulder of Nick Kaczur (77) to the left shoulder of Ben Watson (84). Immediately after the ball was snapped, center Dan Koppen pulled to get to the same place, the outside shoulder of Watson, and was in position for a blitz that never came. Outside linebacker Scott Fujita (55) showed blitz, but he hung back to guard against the dump-off pass Brady loves so much.
Because Baker motioned, though, he left Kaczur one-on-one against Bobby McCray -- and McCray steamrolled him. (The Saints attacked the edges of the Patriots' line, often ignoring guards Logan Mankins and Stephen Neal -- a perfect example of exploiting a weakness.) At the same time, while Mankins (70) handled defensive tackle Remi Ayodele (92), Watson couldn't quite handle defensive end Will Smith (91). Neither Baker nor Koppen was in a position to help because they were at the end of the line waiting for a blitz that never came.
The end result: The Saints sent four pass-rushers against seven blockers -- and two of those four pass-rushers still got free. Smith busted through the hole between Watson and Mankins, and McCray ran around Kaczur like he was a slalom pole. Brady never had time to look for either Welker or for Moss -- let alone for Maroney (39), who was leaking out of the backfield to be a last-ditch outlet.
The Patriots ran almost the same play the Saints had run when they scored their third touchdown. Because the Saints won the battle at the line of scrimmage, though, they turned a potential touchdown into a sack for a loss of four yards -- and the Patriots eventually would have to settle for a field goal.
* The Saints' ability to get pressure on Tom Brady with just three rushers, freeing up others to double-team Randy Moss and Wes Welker;
* The Patriots' inability to get pressure on Drew Brees even with five rushers, leaving the secondary shorthanded while still allowing Brees to step confidently into every throw.
Let's compare a pretty similar play-action pass play run by both the Saints and the Patriots in the first half -- and their dissimilar results:
The first-and-10 call was a play-action pass out of the I-formation with two receivers running down the middle of the field. Tight end Jeremy Shockey (88) ran the shallow route, and wide receiver Robert Meachem (17) ran the deep route.
The Patriots read run all the way -- safety Brandon Meriweather (31) crept toward the line of scrimmage even before the ball was snapped -- but that wasn't the only issue. Linebackers Rob Ninkovich (50) and Adalius Thomas (96) both blitzed from the outside and were picked up by the left and right tackles, respectively, with help from the Saints' two backs. Each of the Patriots' three defensive linemen were handled one-on-one by the New Orleans guards and center -- as detailed here, the strongest part of the Saints' offensive line -- and got nowhere near Brees.
With Shockey and Meachem converging in the same neighborhood, safety Brandon McGowan (30) couldn't just read the eyes of Brees to figure out where the pass would go. McGowan guessed Shockey -- and that left Jonathan Wilhite (24) in one-on-one coverage with Meachem. Wilhite never had a chance.
Had the Patriots gotten some pressure on Brees with their five pass-rushers, though, things might have turned out very differently. The coverage of Wilhite actually was pretty good, and a little pressure on Brees might have meant a pass that wasn't quite so precise.
The Patriots ran a similar play in the first half, a play-action pass with two targets down the field, but didn't get even close to the same results. Here's the diagram:
The Patriots lined up with Laurence Maroney and ran a play-action fake on second-and-8, a similar fake to the one Brees ran with his running back. Like the Saints, the Patriots sent just two receivers out wide -- Welker (83) and Moss (81) -- and kept two other skill-position players in the backfield to block.
The Saints, however, sent only four pass-rushers at Brady and dropped their other seven defenders into coverage. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is known as a blitz-happy coach, but he there actually were plenty of snaps on Monday that Williams sent only three pass-rushers at Brady and dropped eight into coverage.
Welker, the wide receiver who torched the Jets a week ago, lined up against Baltimore castoff Chris McAlister (29) -- but while McAlister ran with him underneath, safety Roman Harper (41) jumped into the play to cut off any pass underneath. Double coverage.
On the other side of the field, the recently signed Mike McKenzie (34) lined up deep against Randy Moss and stayed deep. Middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma (51) dropped back to cover the underneath route to Moss, and free safety Darren Sharper (42) stayed deep in case Moss suddenly took off for the end zone. Triple coverage.
Given time, Brady almost certainly would have found one of his two receivers -- or one of his tight ends (in blue on the line of scrimmage) eventually would have drifted into the flat to catch a dump-off pass. That's why so many teams blitz Brady: Given time, as talented as his receivers are, someone always is going to get open for him.
But Brady didn't have time.
Tight end Chris Baker (86) actually went in motion before the snap, moving from the right shoulder of Nick Kaczur (77) to the left shoulder of Ben Watson (84). Immediately after the ball was snapped, center Dan Koppen pulled to get to the same place, the outside shoulder of Watson, and was in position for a blitz that never came. Outside linebacker Scott Fujita (55) showed blitz, but he hung back to guard against the dump-off pass Brady loves so much.
Because Baker motioned, though, he left Kaczur one-on-one against Bobby McCray -- and McCray steamrolled him. (The Saints attacked the edges of the Patriots' line, often ignoring guards Logan Mankins and Stephen Neal -- a perfect example of exploiting a weakness.) At the same time, while Mankins (70) handled defensive tackle Remi Ayodele (92), Watson couldn't quite handle defensive end Will Smith (91). Neither Baker nor Koppen was in a position to help because they were at the end of the line waiting for a blitz that never came.
The end result: The Saints sent four pass-rushers against seven blockers -- and two of those four pass-rushers still got free. Smith busted through the hole between Watson and Mankins, and McCray ran around Kaczur like he was a slalom pole. Brady never had time to look for either Welker or for Moss -- let alone for Maroney (39), who was leaking out of the backfield to be a last-ditch outlet.
The Patriots ran almost the same play the Saints had run when they scored their third touchdown. Because the Saints won the battle at the line of scrimmage, though, they turned a potential touchdown into a sack for a loss of four yards -- and the Patriots eventually would have to settle for a field goal.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
No time, no chance
Check out Tuesday's Union Leader for a look at how the pressure brought by Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis forced the Patriots to speed up their tempo in the second half -- and the part the pressure played in the game-changing fourth-and-2 stop.
According to unofficial stopwatch work done by this reporter, Brady averaged 2.33 seconds between the snap and the release of the ball on his six drop-backs in the first quarter. He averaged 1.76 seconds from snap to release on his 12 drop-backs in the fourth quarter.
Even when the Patriots went to the play-action in the fourth quarter, they did so with short passes in mind -- two screen passes to Wes Welker and a short completion to Welker in the flat.
Brady held the ball for 3.4 seconds -- again, obviously, an unofficial number -- when he hit Randy Moss for a deep pass to set up the Patriots' first touchdown in the first quarter.
That was a luxury he didn't have in the fourth quarter. He held the ball for 1.8 seconds on the third-down incompletion in the direction of Welker, and he held the ball for 1.4 seconds on the fourth-down pass to Faulk that came up short of the yellow line.
If he'd held the ball for any longer, though, he'd have been drilled -- keep an eye on Freeney at the top of the screen during the game's decisive play.
No time. No chance.
According to unofficial stopwatch work done by this reporter, Brady averaged 2.33 seconds between the snap and the release of the ball on his six drop-backs in the first quarter. He averaged 1.76 seconds from snap to release on his 12 drop-backs in the fourth quarter.
Even when the Patriots went to the play-action in the fourth quarter, they did so with short passes in mind -- two screen passes to Wes Welker and a short completion to Welker in the flat.
Brady held the ball for 3.4 seconds -- again, obviously, an unofficial number -- when he hit Randy Moss for a deep pass to set up the Patriots' first touchdown in the first quarter.
That was a luxury he didn't have in the fourth quarter. He held the ball for 1.8 seconds on the third-down incompletion in the direction of Welker, and he held the ball for 1.4 seconds on the fourth-down pass to Faulk that came up short of the yellow line.
If he'd held the ball for any longer, though, he'd have been drilled -- keep an eye on Freeney at the top of the screen during the game's decisive play.
No time. No chance.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Patriots-Titans halftime: It got ugly fast
Much like the last time the Patriots played at Gillette Stadium in the snow, this one got out of hand early. The key difference: The Arizona Cardinals had wrapped up a playoff berth and were playing out the string, but the Tennessee Titans came into this game 0-5 and had to be playing with a sense of desperation.
(Every loss by the Titans, by the way, benefits the Patriots, who own the Titans' second-round pick. At the rate they're going, the Titans are going to be handing the Patriots the No. 33 overall pick in next year's draft in exchange for the third-rounder they received last April.)
It's 45-0 at the half and getting more absurd by the minute.
Assorted halftime notes:
* The Patriots didn't have a play of 40 yards or longer entering today's game. They had three in the first half: Laurence Maroney rushed for a 45-yard touchdown, a huge play in the immediate aftermath of a knee injury suffered by Sammy Morris, and Tom Brady hit Wes Welker for a 48-pass down the left side to set up a field goal. Brady then hit Randy Moss on a playground-style flea flicker for a 40-yard touchdown pass midway through the second quarter.
Brady finished the first half with what has to be the best first-half statistics of his career: 24 completions on 28 attempts for 345 yards and five touchdowns. Brady had six touchdown passes all season coming into today's game -- and he threw for five touchdowns in the second quarter alone. Of his first 20 pass attempts, his only incomplete pass was a deep ball for Moss that seemed to get knocked down by the wind.
It wouldn't be surprising to see Brian Hoyer take all of the second-half snaps. No sense playing Brady in consitions like this with the score looking like it does.
* Morris, by the way, needed quite a bit of help to get to the locker room in the first quarter and has not returned to the game. The injury was to his left knee.
* Rookie Sebastian Vollmer started in place of the injured Matt Light and didn't look much like he was making his first career start. It was Vollmer, in fact, who keyed Maroney's touchdown run in the first quarter, pulling from the left side into a gap on the right side and leading Maroney right through the first and second levels of the Titans' defense.
The Patriots have done their part to make life easier for Vollmer, though, frequently lining tight end Chris Baker up alongside Vollmer to help take care of Pro Bowl defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch. When Brady hit Welker for that 48-yard pass, it was Baker who had primary duty on Vanden Bosch and Vollmer who chipped away at him.
But on a sideline pass to Sam Aiken late in the second quarter, Vollmer deftly shed Vanden Bosch to fend off blitzing cornerback Ryan Mouton and give Brady a chance to get rid of the ball. And on the next play, the screen pass that Kevin Faulk took 38 yards for a touchdown, Vollmer was matched up one-on-one with Vanden Bosch and held the defensive end off long enough for the screen to take shape.
Then again, on the touchdown pass to Welker that closed out the half, Baker took on Vanden Bosch by himself and left Vollmer to block no one at all.
* The absence of Adalius Thomas didn't prevent the Patriots from going back to their traditional 3-4 defense. Jarvis Green, Ty Warren and Vince Wilfork started along the defensive line, and Derrick Burgess took the spot at outside linebacker that one would have expected Thomas to fill. The alignment left out Mike Wright, but when the versatile defensive lineman rotated into the game to give Wilfork a blow, he recovered a Kerry Collins fumble to set up the Patriots' third touchdown.
Tully Banta-Cain, Rob Ninkovich and Pierre Woods all have seen time at outside linebacker in the 3-4 defense.
(Every loss by the Titans, by the way, benefits the Patriots, who own the Titans' second-round pick. At the rate they're going, the Titans are going to be handing the Patriots the No. 33 overall pick in next year's draft in exchange for the third-rounder they received last April.)
It's 45-0 at the half and getting more absurd by the minute.
Assorted halftime notes:
* The Patriots didn't have a play of 40 yards or longer entering today's game. They had three in the first half: Laurence Maroney rushed for a 45-yard touchdown, a huge play in the immediate aftermath of a knee injury suffered by Sammy Morris, and Tom Brady hit Wes Welker for a 48-pass down the left side to set up a field goal. Brady then hit Randy Moss on a playground-style flea flicker for a 40-yard touchdown pass midway through the second quarter.
Brady finished the first half with what has to be the best first-half statistics of his career: 24 completions on 28 attempts for 345 yards and five touchdowns. Brady had six touchdown passes all season coming into today's game -- and he threw for five touchdowns in the second quarter alone. Of his first 20 pass attempts, his only incomplete pass was a deep ball for Moss that seemed to get knocked down by the wind.
It wouldn't be surprising to see Brian Hoyer take all of the second-half snaps. No sense playing Brady in consitions like this with the score looking like it does.
* Morris, by the way, needed quite a bit of help to get to the locker room in the first quarter and has not returned to the game. The injury was to his left knee.
* Rookie Sebastian Vollmer started in place of the injured Matt Light and didn't look much like he was making his first career start. It was Vollmer, in fact, who keyed Maroney's touchdown run in the first quarter, pulling from the left side into a gap on the right side and leading Maroney right through the first and second levels of the Titans' defense.
The Patriots have done their part to make life easier for Vollmer, though, frequently lining tight end Chris Baker up alongside Vollmer to help take care of Pro Bowl defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch. When Brady hit Welker for that 48-yard pass, it was Baker who had primary duty on Vanden Bosch and Vollmer who chipped away at him.
But on a sideline pass to Sam Aiken late in the second quarter, Vollmer deftly shed Vanden Bosch to fend off blitzing cornerback Ryan Mouton and give Brady a chance to get rid of the ball. And on the next play, the screen pass that Kevin Faulk took 38 yards for a touchdown, Vollmer was matched up one-on-one with Vanden Bosch and held the defensive end off long enough for the screen to take shape.
Then again, on the touchdown pass to Welker that closed out the half, Baker took on Vanden Bosch by himself and left Vollmer to block no one at all.
* The absence of Adalius Thomas didn't prevent the Patriots from going back to their traditional 3-4 defense. Jarvis Green, Ty Warren and Vince Wilfork started along the defensive line, and Derrick Burgess took the spot at outside linebacker that one would have expected Thomas to fill. The alignment left out Mike Wright, but when the versatile defensive lineman rotated into the game to give Wilfork a blow, he recovered a Kerry Collins fumble to set up the Patriots' third touchdown.
Tully Banta-Cain, Rob Ninkovich and Pierre Woods all have seen time at outside linebacker in the 3-4 defense.
Patriots still looking for big plays
(This story appeared only in the print edition of the Union Leader.)
Bill Belichick hasn’t missed a chance this week to tweak his quarterback – and to drive home a point: The Patriots haven’t opened up the field the way they once did.
Two years ago at this time, the explosive Patriots offense already had three completions of 40 or more yards. One year ago at this time, even with Matt Cassel under center, the Patriots had two completions of 40 or more yards.
So far this season? Zero.
Brady’s 36-yard completion to Randy Moss against Denver last Sunday – the only reception Moss had all afternoon – was the longest pass the quarterback has completed this season. Wes Welker, a slot receiver who has more than 1,000 receiving yards in each of the last two seasons, hasn’t yet caught a pass for a gain of more than 20 yards – let alone 40.
“There’s only one way to do it, and that’s to go out there and work on it,” Brady said. “You’ve got to hit them. That’s why you play quarterback. You’ve got to go out and the complete the balls that are there when we have opportunities down the field. You don’t get them often, and when you get them, you have to really take advantage of them.”
The most egregious miss came on a third-and-12 in Sunday’s first quarter, a deep pass on which Moss was all alone in the back of the end zone. Brady overthrew him. It wasn’t all that close, either.
Those are the types of plays that have some wondering if doctors removed Brady’s ability to throw the deep ball while they were operating on his knee.
“We hit them in practice,” the quarterback said. “In practice, everyone looks pretty good all the time. … It’s really a matter of how it comes down on game day and the level of execution. I’ve got to do a better job of hitting those deep ones.”
But it’s not just about Brady.
“It’s all of us,” said Sam Aiken, pressed into duty as the third wide receiver early this season. “It’s all 11 that’s on the field. It’s not just one person. It’s all of us.”
WHEN THE TITANS RUN: Don’t question Chris Johnson on his speed. The former first-round pick out of East Carolina ran a 4.24-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Draft combine 18 months ago, the fastest time at that workout and more than 0.05 seconds faster than any player ran at last April’s workout.
“I guess I’m the fastest guy in the NFL right now,” Johnson said.
It’s not as if other players are challenging him to footraces, either.
“They do, but they be playing around,” Johnson said. “They’re really not serious about the situation. I don’t think anybody is serious or ever really put anything up that they could beat me or anything like that.”
Johnson rushed for more than 1,200 yards a year ago, and he had the full attention of opposing defenses even before his 197-yard outburst against the Houston Texans in Week 2.
“Even going into that game, defenses concentrate on me by putting eight or nine men in the box, hoping we don’t pass, double teaming me and all that,” he said. “A lot of guys are focused and keying in on me right now, but I can’t use that as an excuse. I just have to still make plays I can make.”
WHEN THE TITANS PASS: The Patriots always prepare for every player on a team’s active roster so as not to be unprepared should that player be put in a key position in a game.
“There’s always the possibility that a practice-squad player could come up as well,” said Belichick, ever the worrier.
This week, though, there’ll be special focus on Tennessee backup quarterback Vince Young. Titans coach Jeff Fisher announced after last Sunday’s game that veteran Kerry Collins would be his starting quarterback again this week, and “I’ve not wavered off that,” Fisher said in a conference call with reporters this week.
But with a team as desperate as the winless Titans, the Patriots will have to prepare for all possibilities. The added challenge? Collins is a traditional drop-back quarterback while Young is a college-style scrambler built more like a fullback than a quarterback, and he’s not easy to bring down once he gets going in the open field.
“It’s two different people when you talk about Collins and Young,” Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork said. “When he’s in the game, of course, it’s a different approach. But our plays don’t change. It’s just a different mindset from a defensive standpoint.”
WHEN THE PATRIOTS RUN: As Patriots running backs have fallen by the wayside – Fred Taylor remains out with an ankle injury and Laurence Maroney remains plagued by ineffectiveness – more and more has fallen on the shoulders of Sammy Morris.
The veteran was used exclusively as a fullback in the season opener and had just two carries in the Patriots’ Week 2 loss to the New York Jets. Against the Broncos last Sunday, though, Morris had 17 carries for 68 yards. He also had as a pair of receptions – including one for 35 yards.
It was a year ago just at this time, in fact, that Morris had his most productive game of the season: He carried the ball 16 times for 138 yards, including a four-yard touchdown run, in a romp over the Broncos in mid-October of last year.
WHEN THE PATRIOTS PASS: After left tackle Matt Light left last Sunday’s game with a knee injury, Belichick opted to insert rookie Sebastian Vollmer into that spot – and his offense proceeded to run the ball on six straight snaps. The sequence seemed to be designed to give Vollmer a chance to get his feet under him, a chance to get up to speed in his first significant action in an NFL game.
Should Light be unable to go again on Sunday – he was listed as doubtful on Friday’s injury report – the Patriots will have to decide whether to play it safe again with their rookie left tackle. For Brady to connect on his deep passes, he’ll need a little extra time in the pocket, and he doesn’t yet have the comfort level with Vollmer he has with Light.
Then again, right tackle Nick Kaczur could move across the line and give Vollmer a chance to ease into the starting lineup at left tackle – as much as going up against Pro Bowl defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch qualifies as easing in.
Bill Belichick hasn’t missed a chance this week to tweak his quarterback – and to drive home a point: The Patriots haven’t opened up the field the way they once did.
Two years ago at this time, the explosive Patriots offense already had three completions of 40 or more yards. One year ago at this time, even with Matt Cassel under center, the Patriots had two completions of 40 or more yards.
So far this season? Zero.
Brady’s 36-yard completion to Randy Moss against Denver last Sunday – the only reception Moss had all afternoon – was the longest pass the quarterback has completed this season. Wes Welker, a slot receiver who has more than 1,000 receiving yards in each of the last two seasons, hasn’t yet caught a pass for a gain of more than 20 yards – let alone 40.
“There’s only one way to do it, and that’s to go out there and work on it,” Brady said. “You’ve got to hit them. That’s why you play quarterback. You’ve got to go out and the complete the balls that are there when we have opportunities down the field. You don’t get them often, and when you get them, you have to really take advantage of them.”
The most egregious miss came on a third-and-12 in Sunday’s first quarter, a deep pass on which Moss was all alone in the back of the end zone. Brady overthrew him. It wasn’t all that close, either.
Those are the types of plays that have some wondering if doctors removed Brady’s ability to throw the deep ball while they were operating on his knee.
“We hit them in practice,” the quarterback said. “In practice, everyone looks pretty good all the time. … It’s really a matter of how it comes down on game day and the level of execution. I’ve got to do a better job of hitting those deep ones.”
But it’s not just about Brady.
“It’s all of us,” said Sam Aiken, pressed into duty as the third wide receiver early this season. “It’s all 11 that’s on the field. It’s not just one person. It’s all of us.”
WHEN THE TITANS RUN: Don’t question Chris Johnson on his speed. The former first-round pick out of East Carolina ran a 4.24-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Draft combine 18 months ago, the fastest time at that workout and more than 0.05 seconds faster than any player ran at last April’s workout.
“I guess I’m the fastest guy in the NFL right now,” Johnson said.
It’s not as if other players are challenging him to footraces, either.
“They do, but they be playing around,” Johnson said. “They’re really not serious about the situation. I don’t think anybody is serious or ever really put anything up that they could beat me or anything like that.”
Johnson rushed for more than 1,200 yards a year ago, and he had the full attention of opposing defenses even before his 197-yard outburst against the Houston Texans in Week 2.
“Even going into that game, defenses concentrate on me by putting eight or nine men in the box, hoping we don’t pass, double teaming me and all that,” he said. “A lot of guys are focused and keying in on me right now, but I can’t use that as an excuse. I just have to still make plays I can make.”
WHEN THE TITANS PASS: The Patriots always prepare for every player on a team’s active roster so as not to be unprepared should that player be put in a key position in a game.
“There’s always the possibility that a practice-squad player could come up as well,” said Belichick, ever the worrier.
This week, though, there’ll be special focus on Tennessee backup quarterback Vince Young. Titans coach Jeff Fisher announced after last Sunday’s game that veteran Kerry Collins would be his starting quarterback again this week, and “I’ve not wavered off that,” Fisher said in a conference call with reporters this week.
But with a team as desperate as the winless Titans, the Patriots will have to prepare for all possibilities. The added challenge? Collins is a traditional drop-back quarterback while Young is a college-style scrambler built more like a fullback than a quarterback, and he’s not easy to bring down once he gets going in the open field.
“It’s two different people when you talk about Collins and Young,” Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork said. “When he’s in the game, of course, it’s a different approach. But our plays don’t change. It’s just a different mindset from a defensive standpoint.”
WHEN THE PATRIOTS RUN: As Patriots running backs have fallen by the wayside – Fred Taylor remains out with an ankle injury and Laurence Maroney remains plagued by ineffectiveness – more and more has fallen on the shoulders of Sammy Morris.
The veteran was used exclusively as a fullback in the season opener and had just two carries in the Patriots’ Week 2 loss to the New York Jets. Against the Broncos last Sunday, though, Morris had 17 carries for 68 yards. He also had as a pair of receptions – including one for 35 yards.
It was a year ago just at this time, in fact, that Morris had his most productive game of the season: He carried the ball 16 times for 138 yards, including a four-yard touchdown run, in a romp over the Broncos in mid-October of last year.
WHEN THE PATRIOTS PASS: After left tackle Matt Light left last Sunday’s game with a knee injury, Belichick opted to insert rookie Sebastian Vollmer into that spot – and his offense proceeded to run the ball on six straight snaps. The sequence seemed to be designed to give Vollmer a chance to get his feet under him, a chance to get up to speed in his first significant action in an NFL game.
Should Light be unable to go again on Sunday – he was listed as doubtful on Friday’s injury report – the Patriots will have to decide whether to play it safe again with their rookie left tackle. For Brady to connect on his deep passes, he’ll need a little extra time in the pocket, and he doesn’t yet have the comfort level with Vollmer he has with Light.
Then again, right tackle Nick Kaczur could move across the line and give Vollmer a chance to ease into the starting lineup at left tackle – as much as going up against Pro Bowl defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch qualifies as easing in.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Myths abound about Patriots offense
Fans and analysts alike are all over Tom Brady and the Patriots this week for their ineffectiveness against the Broncos' defense. Brady's lost it, they're saying. He's still rusty, they're saying. This isn't 2007 anymore, they're saying. The Patriots need to run the ball more, they're saying. It's all Gisele's fault, they're saying.
(They don't always make sense.)
In a nip-and-tuck game against the Broncos a week ago, Brady finished with 19 completions on 33 attempts for 215 yards and two touchdowns. His Patriots lost on a field goal in overtime, their second loss of the season. With as well as the Patriots' defense has played, though, much of the blame for the defeat has fallen upon a quarterback that set an NFL record for passing touchdowns the last time he played a full season.
Brady, though, is far from a shell of his former self. If he'd hit Wes Welker on a third-and-4 slant in the fourth quarter -- Brady thought Welker was going to stop and sit in the seam, but Welker saw daylight and kept going -- he'd have been the hero. If he'd hit Randy Moss on a third-and-4 out-route in the opening drive of the third quarter, even, he'd have moved the chains and at least had a chance to pin the Broncos deep in their own territory to start the second half. Instead, though, he air-mailed Moss and hit Welker in the ankle and got nothing out of either of those two plays.
It's not about the run game or the shotgun or anything like that. It's about simple execution. Let's take this chance to debunk a few myths about the Patriots' offense:
* The emphasis on the shotgun is the issue.
Some first-half stats for Brady from Sunday's loss to Denver:
* Under center: 3 for 6 for 54 yards
* Shotgun: 11 for 13 for 98 yards and two touchdowns
If you can go an entire half against a quality defense and complete 11 out of 13 passes and score two touchdowns, you're doing just fine. The beauty of the West Coast offense, Bill Walsh's short passing offense based on high-percentage passes, is that it's difficult to defend even if opponents don't have to defend against the run. With the variety of options available -- short passes, long passes, screens, etc. -- it can be unpredictable all by itself.
And on the Patriots' first drive of the second half, Brady missed equally badly on a throw to Welker from under center and a throw to Moss from out of the shotgun. It's not the formation. It's the execution.
* It's Gisele's fault.
"I got married a few years ago, too, but nobody talked about that," running back Kevin Faulk said memorably during training camp.
You said it, Kevin.
People get married. Brady got married. Big deal.
* The Patriots need to run the ball more.
Sure, the Patriots need to run the ball to keep opposing defenses honest. But while there's something to be said for the rhythm of a running back, there's also no guarantee that running the ball more often means a team will run the ball more effectively.
The Patriots ran the ball 27 times for 96 yards against the Broncos, an average of 3.6 yards per play. The Patriots tried to throw the ball 33 times, including incompletions, and gained 215 yards through the air -- an average of 6.5 yards per play.
Neither number is particularly outstanding. The Patriots rank 25th in the NFL in rushing average and 22nd in the NFL in passing average. But when you have as big a disparity as the Patriots have -- and only a handful of teams do -- doesn't it make sense to do most what you do the best?
* The lack of a third receiver is the issue.
It's not that opposing defense are ignoring Sam Aiken in favor of Moss and Welker. Aiken is drawing coverage. On the third-and-4 pass Brady sailed high over Moss in the third quarter, star corner Champ Bailey was lined up across from Aiken and was completely taken out of the play. Moss was open. Brady missed him.
That was the case throughout the game. Moss and Welker were open. Brady just hasn't been making the throws.
Most NFL teams don't have three Pro Bowl-quality wide receivers. The Patriots don't need three Pro Bowl-quality wide receivers. The Patriots need their quarterback to connect with the wide receivers he has.
(They don't always make sense.)
In a nip-and-tuck game against the Broncos a week ago, Brady finished with 19 completions on 33 attempts for 215 yards and two touchdowns. His Patriots lost on a field goal in overtime, their second loss of the season. With as well as the Patriots' defense has played, though, much of the blame for the defeat has fallen upon a quarterback that set an NFL record for passing touchdowns the last time he played a full season.
Brady, though, is far from a shell of his former self. If he'd hit Wes Welker on a third-and-4 slant in the fourth quarter -- Brady thought Welker was going to stop and sit in the seam, but Welker saw daylight and kept going -- he'd have been the hero. If he'd hit Randy Moss on a third-and-4 out-route in the opening drive of the third quarter, even, he'd have moved the chains and at least had a chance to pin the Broncos deep in their own territory to start the second half. Instead, though, he air-mailed Moss and hit Welker in the ankle and got nothing out of either of those two plays.
It's not about the run game or the shotgun or anything like that. It's about simple execution. Let's take this chance to debunk a few myths about the Patriots' offense:
* The emphasis on the shotgun is the issue.
Some first-half stats for Brady from Sunday's loss to Denver:
* Under center: 3 for 6 for 54 yards
* Shotgun: 11 for 13 for 98 yards and two touchdowns
If you can go an entire half against a quality defense and complete 11 out of 13 passes and score two touchdowns, you're doing just fine. The beauty of the West Coast offense, Bill Walsh's short passing offense based on high-percentage passes, is that it's difficult to defend even if opponents don't have to defend against the run. With the variety of options available -- short passes, long passes, screens, etc. -- it can be unpredictable all by itself.
And on the Patriots' first drive of the second half, Brady missed equally badly on a throw to Welker from under center and a throw to Moss from out of the shotgun. It's not the formation. It's the execution.
* It's Gisele's fault.
"I got married a few years ago, too, but nobody talked about that," running back Kevin Faulk said memorably during training camp.
You said it, Kevin.
People get married. Brady got married. Big deal.
* The Patriots need to run the ball more.
Sure, the Patriots need to run the ball to keep opposing defenses honest. But while there's something to be said for the rhythm of a running back, there's also no guarantee that running the ball more often means a team will run the ball more effectively.
The Patriots ran the ball 27 times for 96 yards against the Broncos, an average of 3.6 yards per play. The Patriots tried to throw the ball 33 times, including incompletions, and gained 215 yards through the air -- an average of 6.5 yards per play.
Neither number is particularly outstanding. The Patriots rank 25th in the NFL in rushing average and 22nd in the NFL in passing average. But when you have as big a disparity as the Patriots have -- and only a handful of teams do -- doesn't it make sense to do most what you do the best?
* The lack of a third receiver is the issue.
It's not that opposing defense are ignoring Sam Aiken in favor of Moss and Welker. Aiken is drawing coverage. On the third-and-4 pass Brady sailed high over Moss in the third quarter, star corner Champ Bailey was lined up across from Aiken and was completely taken out of the play. Moss was open. Brady missed him.
That was the case throughout the game. Moss and Welker were open. Brady just hasn't been making the throws.
Most NFL teams don't have three Pro Bowl-quality wide receivers. The Patriots don't need three Pro Bowl-quality wide receivers. The Patriots need their quarterback to connect with the wide receivers he has.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Light injury could hamper Patriots' pass game
It's not hard to find a pattern in the offensive scheme the pass-happy Patriots employed immediately upon the knee injury suffered by left tackle Matt Light:
1st and 10: Kevin Faulk run, gain 4
2nd and 6: Sammy Morris run, gain 3
Third and 3: Kevin Faulk run, gain 1
(First down by penalty)
First and 10: Sammy Morris run, gain 6
Second and 4: Sammy Morris run, gain 5
First and 10: Sammy Morris run, gain 3
This from a team that has so heavily emphasized the pass through five games that analysts are wondering if they're trying too hard to capture the magic of the backyard football-esque 2007 season. ("Hey, Randy, fake like you're running a slant toward the flower beds and then just go deep -- waaaaay deep. Ain't no way Uncle Frankie can cover you.")
Light again missed practice on Thursday but was spotted in the locker room walking without a limp. Tight end Chris Baker refused to answer any questions regarding the way blocking schemes would change if, hypothetically, Light couldn't go, let alone any questions specifically about Light. There's no way to know this early if Light will be ready to go on Sunday.
And for an offense still trying to rediscover its big-play capability -- "Coach hammered into us today that we haven’t had a pass over 40 yards yet this year," quarterback Tom Brady said on Wednesday -- the absence of Light could be a big factor.
When Light went out on the first play of the fourth quarter, Bill Belichick opted to send rookie Sebastian Vollmer into the game at left tackle rather than shift Nick Kaczur over to right tackle. It was classic Belichick; the coach seems to be opposed to the idea of shifting tackles from side-to-side during the game, but it's hard to believe that philosophy still applies with a week to prepare.
(The Baltimore Ravens lost their left tackle against the Patriots a couple of weeks ago and moved their right tackle, rookie Michael Oher, across to the left side. Said Belichick a day later, "I was a little surprised what they did with that. They moved Oher over to left tackle and put (Marshal) Yanda in there at right tackle. I was surprised they moved Oher, but I’m sure they know what they were doing. I’m not questioning them. I’m just saying I didn’t really see that move coming.")
Vollmer might again play left tackle on Sunday. Kaczur might shift to left tackle with Vollmer taking over at right tackle. Either way, though, if the Patriots are without Light, they're going to be playing their two offensive tackles out of their comfort zones -- and it's going to hamper their ability to complete some of the deep passes for which they're still searching.
Deep passes naturally require more out of the offensive line -- the quarterback needs extra time in the pocket as he's waiting for his wide receivers to get off the line of scrimmage and away from jamming cornerbacks. Brady has an understanding with and a faith in Light from their years of playing alongside each other, and he isn't going to have that with Vollmer based on three brief fourth-quarter drives last Sunday.
When Vollmer made his debut, the Patriots ran the ball on six straight plays. That, of course, might be their way of getting their rookie left tackle acclimated to the speed of the NFL game -- but if he wasn't already up to speed after months of minicamps and training camp, Sunday's fourth quarter probably wasn't going to flip the switch.
If Vollmer is playing left tackle in place of Light on Sunday, you not see some of those long pass plays you're longing to see. The Patriots might have no choice but to play it conservative.
1st and 10: Kevin Faulk run, gain 4
2nd and 6: Sammy Morris run, gain 3
Third and 3: Kevin Faulk run, gain 1
(First down by penalty)
First and 10: Sammy Morris run, gain 6
Second and 4: Sammy Morris run, gain 5
First and 10: Sammy Morris run, gain 3
This from a team that has so heavily emphasized the pass through five games that analysts are wondering if they're trying too hard to capture the magic of the backyard football-esque 2007 season. ("Hey, Randy, fake like you're running a slant toward the flower beds and then just go deep -- waaaaay deep. Ain't no way Uncle Frankie can cover you.")
Light again missed practice on Thursday but was spotted in the locker room walking without a limp. Tight end Chris Baker refused to answer any questions regarding the way blocking schemes would change if, hypothetically, Light couldn't go, let alone any questions specifically about Light. There's no way to know this early if Light will be ready to go on Sunday.
And for an offense still trying to rediscover its big-play capability -- "Coach hammered into us today that we haven’t had a pass over 40 yards yet this year," quarterback Tom Brady said on Wednesday -- the absence of Light could be a big factor.
When Light went out on the first play of the fourth quarter, Bill Belichick opted to send rookie Sebastian Vollmer into the game at left tackle rather than shift Nick Kaczur over to right tackle. It was classic Belichick; the coach seems to be opposed to the idea of shifting tackles from side-to-side during the game, but it's hard to believe that philosophy still applies with a week to prepare.
(The Baltimore Ravens lost their left tackle against the Patriots a couple of weeks ago and moved their right tackle, rookie Michael Oher, across to the left side. Said Belichick a day later, "I was a little surprised what they did with that. They moved Oher over to left tackle and put (Marshal) Yanda in there at right tackle. I was surprised they moved Oher, but I’m sure they know what they were doing. I’m not questioning them. I’m just saying I didn’t really see that move coming.")
Vollmer might again play left tackle on Sunday. Kaczur might shift to left tackle with Vollmer taking over at right tackle. Either way, though, if the Patriots are without Light, they're going to be playing their two offensive tackles out of their comfort zones -- and it's going to hamper their ability to complete some of the deep passes for which they're still searching.
Deep passes naturally require more out of the offensive line -- the quarterback needs extra time in the pocket as he's waiting for his wide receivers to get off the line of scrimmage and away from jamming cornerbacks. Brady has an understanding with and a faith in Light from their years of playing alongside each other, and he isn't going to have that with Vollmer based on three brief fourth-quarter drives last Sunday.
When Vollmer made his debut, the Patriots ran the ball on six straight plays. That, of course, might be their way of getting their rookie left tackle acclimated to the speed of the NFL game -- but if he wasn't already up to speed after months of minicamps and training camp, Sunday's fourth quarter probably wasn't going to flip the switch.
If Vollmer is playing left tackle in place of Light on Sunday, you not see some of those long pass plays you're longing to see. The Patriots might have no choice but to play it conservative.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Safety help on wide receivers
Derrick Mason had six catches for 77 yards and a touchdown on the Ravens' first drive against the Patriots on Sunday. He had one catch for 11 yards after that.
Adjustment, much?
"We played more split-safety coverage after the first drive," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said during a press conference on Monday. "I don't think that was all of it, but I think that might have had something to do with it."
For the layman, here's how Belichick described split-safety coverage: "Where there’s a safety over the top of the receivers, which gives the corners an opportunity to play down on them a little bit tighter because they are backed up -- as opposed to having a middle of the field safety on the outside perimeter routes, there isn’t anybody behind him."
Along those same lines, Belichick was asked immediately after the game on Sunday why the Patriots spread the ball out so much and used their running backs so much in the passing game.
"Well, they played a lot of coverage over Randy (Moss), like we expected, with (Ed) Reed over the top, and so they took a lot of those plays away," he said.
Let's go to the chalkboard to figure out a little bit about how the Patriots and Ravens utilized their safeties to take away their opponents' best wide receiver -- and how that played to the Patriots' advantage. (Mason and the Patriots' safeties will be highlighted in yellow.)
First quarter
Baltimore's first drive
First-and-10, 33-yard line going in
Mason already had three catches to this point in the game, including a catch for 17 yards to kick-start the drive deep in Patriots' territory. The Patriots lined up in a basic 3-4 defense with two cornerbacks and two safeties. Some specifics:
* The Ravens split two wide receivers out to the left, and safety Brandon McGowan and cornerback Leigh Bodden lined up across from them. Bodden lined up across from Mason.
* Jonathan Wilhite, the other corner, lined up opposite tight end Todd Heap on the opposite side.
* Brandon Meriweather lined up as the deep safety.
Mason and Mark Clayton, the other wide receiver, both ran relatively short routes, and with Meriweather still playing center field, Bodden had to give Clayton more than enough cushion to make a catch for 12 yards and a first down:
The result: An easy first down.
Contrast that to the way the Ravens defended the Patriots on a play on which Tom Brady was forced to throw a dump-off pass to Laurence Maroney. This time, Moss and the Ravens' safeties are highlighted in yellow.
First quarter
New England's second drive
First-and-10, 45-yard line going out
Some highlights:
* The Patriots lined up two wide receivers to the right of the formation -- Moss and Wes Welker -- and two tight ends to the left.
* The Ravens lined up in a nickel defensive package with three defensive linemen and three linebackers with three cornerbacks and two safeties available in coverage.
* When Welker went in motion at the snap, it looked like this:
Correctly anticipating a pass, the Ravens dropped into coverage -- and by splitting their safeties, Reed was able to focus mostly on Moss going deep while Dawan Landry, the other safety, mostly played center field on the other side.
Brady, despite all the time in the world given to him by a lackluster pass rush, could find no one open downfield and instead threw a dump pass to Laurence Maroney:
Let's skip ahead to the Ravens' next drive and the adjustment the Patriots made on Derrick Mason.
Second quarter
Baltimore's second drive
Third-and-10, 38-yard line going in
In a fairly obvious passing situation, the Patriots went to the dime formation they used frequently the rest of the way, employing three defensive linemen, two linebackers and six defensive backs. Make sure to note:
* Meriweather, McGowan and James Sanders, all safeties, all were on the field at the same time. Both Meriweather and Sanders played so deep they were actually out of the picture on the CBS broadcast.
* Mason lined up by himself on the left side of the formation.
* Bodden, rather than giving Mason a wide cushion, crept up to the line of scrimmage at the snap to give Mason a bump before he could get into his route.
Adjustment, much?
"We played more split-safety coverage after the first drive," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said during a press conference on Monday. "I don't think that was all of it, but I think that might have had something to do with it."
For the layman, here's how Belichick described split-safety coverage: "Where there’s a safety over the top of the receivers, which gives the corners an opportunity to play down on them a little bit tighter because they are backed up -- as opposed to having a middle of the field safety on the outside perimeter routes, there isn’t anybody behind him."
Along those same lines, Belichick was asked immediately after the game on Sunday why the Patriots spread the ball out so much and used their running backs so much in the passing game.
"Well, they played a lot of coverage over Randy (Moss), like we expected, with (Ed) Reed over the top, and so they took a lot of those plays away," he said.
Let's go to the chalkboard to figure out a little bit about how the Patriots and Ravens utilized their safeties to take away their opponents' best wide receiver -- and how that played to the Patriots' advantage. (Mason and the Patriots' safeties will be highlighted in yellow.)
First quarter
Baltimore's first drive
First-and-10, 33-yard line going in
Mason already had three catches to this point in the game, including a catch for 17 yards to kick-start the drive deep in Patriots' territory. The Patriots lined up in a basic 3-4 defense with two cornerbacks and two safeties. Some specifics:
* The Ravens split two wide receivers out to the left, and safety Brandon McGowan and cornerback Leigh Bodden lined up across from them. Bodden lined up across from Mason.
* Jonathan Wilhite, the other corner, lined up opposite tight end Todd Heap on the opposite side.
* Brandon Meriweather lined up as the deep safety.
Mason and Mark Clayton, the other wide receiver, both ran relatively short routes, and with Meriweather still playing center field, Bodden had to give Clayton more than enough cushion to make a catch for 12 yards and a first down:
The result: An easy first down.
Contrast that to the way the Ravens defended the Patriots on a play on which Tom Brady was forced to throw a dump-off pass to Laurence Maroney. This time, Moss and the Ravens' safeties are highlighted in yellow.
First quarter
New England's second drive
First-and-10, 45-yard line going out
Some highlights:
* The Patriots lined up two wide receivers to the right of the formation -- Moss and Wes Welker -- and two tight ends to the left.
* The Ravens lined up in a nickel defensive package with three defensive linemen and three linebackers with three cornerbacks and two safeties available in coverage.
* When Welker went in motion at the snap, it looked like this:
Correctly anticipating a pass, the Ravens dropped into coverage -- and by splitting their safeties, Reed was able to focus mostly on Moss going deep while Dawan Landry, the other safety, mostly played center field on the other side.
Brady, despite all the time in the world given to him by a lackluster pass rush, could find no one open downfield and instead threw a dump pass to Laurence Maroney:
Let's skip ahead to the Ravens' next drive and the adjustment the Patriots made on Derrick Mason.
Second quarter
Baltimore's second drive
Third-and-10, 38-yard line going in
In a fairly obvious passing situation, the Patriots went to the dime formation they used frequently the rest of the way, employing three defensive linemen, two linebackers and six defensive backs. Make sure to note:
* Meriweather, McGowan and James Sanders, all safeties, all were on the field at the same time. Both Meriweather and Sanders played so deep they were actually out of the picture on the CBS broadcast.
* Mason lined up by himself on the left side of the formation.
* Bodden, rather than giving Mason a wide cushion, crept up to the line of scrimmage at the snap to give Mason a bump before he could get into his route.
Mason went straight for the end zone. Bodden got a little bit of a bump on him and then passed him off, chasing a little bit but sitting back in zone coverage. McGowan, right in the middle of the formation, pursued Mark Clayton and Kelley Washington, the two receivers on the right side of the formation.
That left Meriweather and Sanders, the deep safeties, to pursue Mason. The wide receiver actually seemed to beat the coverage, but quarterback Joe Flacco threw off his back foot and gave Meriweather a chance to come all the way across the field and knock the ball away to save a touchdown:
Had the Patriots still been playing one safety deep rather than what Belichick called "split-safety" coverage, Meriweather wouldn't have been in the area to go knock down the pass: He would have been up in coverage and involved with either Clayton or Washington and nowhere near where the ball came down.
It's easy to see how playing an extra deep safety helps defend an opponents' best receiver -- but it also demonstrates how the Patriots won Sunday's game.
The split-safety coverage of the Patriots all but nullified Mason as a weapon. The coverage of Reed all but nullified Moss, too. All three times Moss caught the ball, Reed was uninvolved in the coverage. When Brady hit Moss for a touchdown, Reed was coming on a blitz from the outside -- and Brady only barely got the pass away before Reed was on him.
But the reason the Patriots won was because they had other weapons to employ. Nine different receivers caught passes for the Patriots on Sunday, including all four of the team's active running backs. One of the biggest plays of the game was a fourth-quarter pass Brady threw to running back Sammy Morris, split out wide, a pass Morris took for 14 yards that set up a field goal and pushed the Patriots' lead to six points.
(Reed, on that play, was playing in the middle of the field -- and Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins went out to block him before he could get to Morris.)
The Ravens, on the other hand, needed a big play from Clayton at the end of the game -- and Clayton let a perfect pass from Flacco hit him right in the numbers.
That was the difference.
The Denver Broncos don't have a safety like Reed, but they do have one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL in Champ Bailey. It'll be interesting to see if they do what the Ravens did or if they do what the Jets did -- isolating their top corner on Moss while using their other 10 defenders to put extra pressure on Brady.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Carrying two QBs means extra roster spot
Roster spots in the NFL are precious commodities. With injuries creating so much week-to-week uncertainty, every one of the 53 roster spots teams have must be devoted with a specific purpose in mind -- and sometimes with more than one purpose. The more versatile a player, after all, the more value a team can pump out of his roster spot.
"When you look at all the things that have to be done on your football team – offense, defense, special teams, goal line to multiple receivers and multiple defensive back groups, nickels, and dimes, and three receivers and four receivers and all that — you’ve got to have a team that can do the things you want it to do, in terms of personnel groupings, and has some depth on that," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said during a press conference in early September. "(You) also have to be able to handle all the responsibilities in the kicking game, from gunners, to inside coverage people, to wedge blockers, to guys that can play on the wing in the punt team and all that. You look at a lot of people doing different things in training camp to kind of evaluate your depth, and then when you come down to getting your roster, you have to make sure that all those spots are covered. It’s really a mosaic of all of that.
"It’s not a third-down running back versus another third-down running back. It’s all the things that come into play that those players would do, or the other value that they would bring to your roster that, if they do them, then you don’t need somebody else somewhere else to do them. Or if they don’t do them, then you do need somebody somewhere else or somehow you’ve got to those things filled.
"It’s a very inexact science. With 53 players, which is really only 45, you just can’t have the depth that every coach would like to have. Some positions you have it. At other positions, you don’t. I don’t think there’s really any way to ever have the kind of depth that all the NFL coaches would like to have on their roster. It’s just not possible."
To wit: The Patriots traded a conditional draft choice to the Ravens for linebacker Prescott Burgess in order to create a little depth in the aftermath of the injury to Jerod Mayo. Less than a week later, Vince Wilfork went down with an ankle injury and the Patriots signed defensive tackle Terdell Sands -- waiving Burgess to make room. If Burgess didn't remaining practice-squad eligibility, the Patriots would have lost him.
But there are ways to be flexible.
The Patriots right now have just two true quarterbacks on their roster: Future Hall of Famer Tom Brady and untested rookie Brian Hoyer. Isaiah Stanback, a wide receiver originally drafted by the Dallas Cowboys who was a quarterback in college at Washington, is listed as a quarterback on the Patriots' practice squad. But he's not even on the active roster -- let alone eligible to play in case of an emergency.
The NFL instituted the third-quarterback rule in 1991 to give teams a chance to have an extra quarterback handy just in case both other quarterbacks somehow were injured in the same game. The third quarterback is the 46th man on a 45-man active roster. If he appears in a game before the fourth quarter, both of the other two quarterbacks become ineligible to appear in the game under any circumstances.
In some ways, it's a free roster spot -- and that's true, if you're just looking at the 45-man roster each team brings with it into Sunday games.
But in the context of a 53-man roster, a third quarterback is something of a waste. Here's why:
1. If the third quarterback is needed in a game, that game probably is already lost. Few teams can afford to carry two top-notch NFL quarterbacks, let alone three, and it's unlikely that the third quarterback would do any better than a running back with a little Wildcat training.
2. Mediocre quarterbacks are available all over the free-agent wire. Andrew Walter is still out there. Jeff Garcia and Patrick Ramsey are free agents, and quarterbacks like Brooks Bollinger, J.P. Losman and Tim Rattay popular the rosters of the upstart UFL. (No, really.) If a quarterback gets injured on Sunday, a newly acquired quarterback can be at practice on Monday.
3. As detailed above, with special teams an important consideration, roster spots are precious.
Carrying just two quarterbacks isn't unique to the Patriots. Five other NFL teams have just two active quarterbacks on their roster -- Chicago, Green Bay, Jacksonville, the New York Giants and Tennessee.
Three teams actually have four quarterbacks on their active roster -- Carolina, Miami and the New York Jets. But one of those teams is dealing with an injured quarterback, and another is dealing with a terrible quarterback. There's a little method to the madness there.
To make a two-quarterback roster work, though, a team has to have someone they'd be willing to throw back there in case of an emergency. You can't just forfeit, and you probably can't run the old Wing-T with Kevin Faulk or Fred Taylor for a quarter or two.
That's where Julian Edelman comes into play for the Patriots. Edelman spent most of his life playing quarterback and only switched to wide receiver at the conclusion of his college career, aware that his NFL prospects were better as an athlete than as a signal-caller. If Brady and Hoyer both got hurt in the same game, there's no question Edelman could get back into the pocket and run around and throw a few passes and generally not embarrass himself.
The more versatile a player is, the more a team can do with its available roster spots. Without Edelman, it's likely the Patriots would have hung onto Walter just in case of emergency. Now, though, Edelman can serve as the team's third receiver and punt returner and No. 3 quarterback -- and that means the Patriots were able to shore up their depth on the defensive side of the ball with acquisitions like Prescott Burgess and Terdell Sands.
"When you look at all the things that have to be done on your football team – offense, defense, special teams, goal line to multiple receivers and multiple defensive back groups, nickels, and dimes, and three receivers and four receivers and all that — you’ve got to have a team that can do the things you want it to do, in terms of personnel groupings, and has some depth on that," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said during a press conference in early September. "(You) also have to be able to handle all the responsibilities in the kicking game, from gunners, to inside coverage people, to wedge blockers, to guys that can play on the wing in the punt team and all that. You look at a lot of people doing different things in training camp to kind of evaluate your depth, and then when you come down to getting your roster, you have to make sure that all those spots are covered. It’s really a mosaic of all of that.
"It’s not a third-down running back versus another third-down running back. It’s all the things that come into play that those players would do, or the other value that they would bring to your roster that, if they do them, then you don’t need somebody else somewhere else to do them. Or if they don’t do them, then you do need somebody somewhere else or somehow you’ve got to those things filled.
"It’s a very inexact science. With 53 players, which is really only 45, you just can’t have the depth that every coach would like to have. Some positions you have it. At other positions, you don’t. I don’t think there’s really any way to ever have the kind of depth that all the NFL coaches would like to have on their roster. It’s just not possible."
To wit: The Patriots traded a conditional draft choice to the Ravens for linebacker Prescott Burgess in order to create a little depth in the aftermath of the injury to Jerod Mayo. Less than a week later, Vince Wilfork went down with an ankle injury and the Patriots signed defensive tackle Terdell Sands -- waiving Burgess to make room. If Burgess didn't remaining practice-squad eligibility, the Patriots would have lost him.
But there are ways to be flexible.
The Patriots right now have just two true quarterbacks on their roster: Future Hall of Famer Tom Brady and untested rookie Brian Hoyer. Isaiah Stanback, a wide receiver originally drafted by the Dallas Cowboys who was a quarterback in college at Washington, is listed as a quarterback on the Patriots' practice squad. But he's not even on the active roster -- let alone eligible to play in case of an emergency.
The NFL instituted the third-quarterback rule in 1991 to give teams a chance to have an extra quarterback handy just in case both other quarterbacks somehow were injured in the same game. The third quarterback is the 46th man on a 45-man active roster. If he appears in a game before the fourth quarter, both of the other two quarterbacks become ineligible to appear in the game under any circumstances.
In some ways, it's a free roster spot -- and that's true, if you're just looking at the 45-man roster each team brings with it into Sunday games.
But in the context of a 53-man roster, a third quarterback is something of a waste. Here's why:
1. If the third quarterback is needed in a game, that game probably is already lost. Few teams can afford to carry two top-notch NFL quarterbacks, let alone three, and it's unlikely that the third quarterback would do any better than a running back with a little Wildcat training.
2. Mediocre quarterbacks are available all over the free-agent wire. Andrew Walter is still out there. Jeff Garcia and Patrick Ramsey are free agents, and quarterbacks like Brooks Bollinger, J.P. Losman and Tim Rattay popular the rosters of the upstart UFL. (No, really.) If a quarterback gets injured on Sunday, a newly acquired quarterback can be at practice on Monday.
3. As detailed above, with special teams an important consideration, roster spots are precious.
Carrying just two quarterbacks isn't unique to the Patriots. Five other NFL teams have just two active quarterbacks on their roster -- Chicago, Green Bay, Jacksonville, the New York Giants and Tennessee.
Three teams actually have four quarterbacks on their active roster -- Carolina, Miami and the New York Jets. But one of those teams is dealing with an injured quarterback, and another is dealing with a terrible quarterback. There's a little method to the madness there.
To make a two-quarterback roster work, though, a team has to have someone they'd be willing to throw back there in case of an emergency. You can't just forfeit, and you probably can't run the old Wing-T with Kevin Faulk or Fred Taylor for a quarter or two.
That's where Julian Edelman comes into play for the Patriots. Edelman spent most of his life playing quarterback and only switched to wide receiver at the conclusion of his college career, aware that his NFL prospects were better as an athlete than as a signal-caller. If Brady and Hoyer both got hurt in the same game, there's no question Edelman could get back into the pocket and run around and throw a few passes and generally not embarrass himself.
The more versatile a player is, the more a team can do with its available roster spots. Without Edelman, it's likely the Patriots would have hung onto Walter just in case of emergency. Now, though, Edelman can serve as the team's third receiver and punt returner and No. 3 quarterback -- and that means the Patriots were able to shore up their depth on the defensive side of the ball with acquisitions like Prescott Burgess and Terdell Sands.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Morris a key outlet for Brady
Neither Randy Moss nor Ed Reed had much to do with the outcome of Sunday's 27-21 win for the Patriots, a key victory given that both teams could be jockeying for rungs in the playoff ladder a couple of months from now.
Moss caught a third-quarter touchdown pass but otherwise was a nonfactor, his three catches representing a season low. Reed had five tackles but recorded no interceptions or pass break-ups.
The two effectively neutralized each other. Reed covered Moss, and the Patriots didn't throw the ball in that direction.
"They played a lot of coverage over Randy, like we expected, with Reed over the top," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "They took a lot of those plays away. We had to go to other options -- and we got good production from our backs, our tight ends and some of the other receivers."
One of the primary options was Sammy Morris.
Morris a year ago led the Patriots in carries by a wide margin -- he had almost as many carries as Kevin Faulk and Lamont Jordan put together -- but he went into Sunday's game with only two more rushes this season than quarterback Tom Brady:
1. Fred Taylor, 38 carries for 176 yards
2. Laurence Maroney, 20 carries for 72 yards
3. Kevin Faulk, 11 carries for 40 yards
4. Morris, 7 carries for 20 yards
What Morris has done, though, is play fullback in the 'I'-formation in front of the Patriots' other tailbacks, his 220-pound frame more than enough to lay a hit on a linebacker coming up to fill a gap.
And on Sunday, he did just about everything.
Morris still played some fullback in the 'I'-formation, blocking in front of Maroney on the Patriots' second play of the game. But he did just about everything else, too -- from carrying the ball to splitting out wide and catching passes.
He had a key fourth-and-2 run at the end of the first quarter, taking a handoff as a fullback blasting through a gap and knocking Ray Lewis backwards for two yards. (Brady ran the ball into the end zone two plays later.) Morris then ran a draw play as the tailback in the shotgun, taking a handoff from Brady and dodging safety Dawan Landry en route to a 12-yard touchdown run.
But his most impressive play of the afternoon might have come on an otherwise routine second-and-11 snap early in the fourth quarter. Morris split way wide as the fifth receiver in a five-receiver set, and Brady threw one of the Patriots' signature bubble screens his way. Not only did Morris catch the pass, but he dragged nose tackle Brandon McKinney and linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo down the field for a 14-yard again.
Morris finished the day with 56 total yards -- 21 on the ground and 35 through the air -- on top of his regular blocking duties as a fullback. No Patriots player -- not even Moss, not even Maroney, not even Taylor and not even Wes Welker -- finished with more yards from scrimmage than Morris.
"We definitely want to get back to using a lot of personnel groups, spreading the ball, getting a lot of people involved," tight end Ben Watson said. "That's sometimes when we're at our best -- when there's a lot of people involved in the game plan."
Moss caught a third-quarter touchdown pass but otherwise was a nonfactor, his three catches representing a season low. Reed had five tackles but recorded no interceptions or pass break-ups.
The two effectively neutralized each other. Reed covered Moss, and the Patriots didn't throw the ball in that direction.
"They played a lot of coverage over Randy, like we expected, with Reed over the top," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "They took a lot of those plays away. We had to go to other options -- and we got good production from our backs, our tight ends and some of the other receivers."
One of the primary options was Sammy Morris.
Morris a year ago led the Patriots in carries by a wide margin -- he had almost as many carries as Kevin Faulk and Lamont Jordan put together -- but he went into Sunday's game with only two more rushes this season than quarterback Tom Brady:
1. Fred Taylor, 38 carries for 176 yards
2. Laurence Maroney, 20 carries for 72 yards
3. Kevin Faulk, 11 carries for 40 yards
4. Morris, 7 carries for 20 yards
What Morris has done, though, is play fullback in the 'I'-formation in front of the Patriots' other tailbacks, his 220-pound frame more than enough to lay a hit on a linebacker coming up to fill a gap.
And on Sunday, he did just about everything.
Morris still played some fullback in the 'I'-formation, blocking in front of Maroney on the Patriots' second play of the game. But he did just about everything else, too -- from carrying the ball to splitting out wide and catching passes.
He had a key fourth-and-2 run at the end of the first quarter, taking a handoff as a fullback blasting through a gap and knocking Ray Lewis backwards for two yards. (Brady ran the ball into the end zone two plays later.) Morris then ran a draw play as the tailback in the shotgun, taking a handoff from Brady and dodging safety Dawan Landry en route to a 12-yard touchdown run.
But his most impressive play of the afternoon might have come on an otherwise routine second-and-11 snap early in the fourth quarter. Morris split way wide as the fifth receiver in a five-receiver set, and Brady threw one of the Patriots' signature bubble screens his way. Not only did Morris catch the pass, but he dragged nose tackle Brandon McKinney and linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo down the field for a 14-yard again.
Morris finished the day with 56 total yards -- 21 on the ground and 35 through the air -- on top of his regular blocking duties as a fullback. No Patriots player -- not even Moss, not even Maroney, not even Taylor and not even Wes Welker -- finished with more yards from scrimmage than Morris.
"We definitely want to get back to using a lot of personnel groups, spreading the ball, getting a lot of people involved," tight end Ben Watson said. "That's sometimes when we're at our best -- when there's a lot of people involved in the game plan."
Monday, January 5, 2009
Report: Patriots to franchise Cassel
Several news outlets, starting with the National Football Post, are reporting that the Patriots will franchise Matt Cassel and keep him as insurance against a setback in Tom Brady's recovery.
If that's true, it would mean the Patriots would have made up their minds awfully early in the offseason; they don't have to make the decision to use the franchise tag until Feb. 19, and free agency doesn't begin until Feb. 27.
And why would they make this sort of decision so early? There's only one plausible reason -- the Patriots already anticipate that Brady won't be ready to start the season next fall, so much so that they're willing to tie up 20 percent of their salary cap in the quarterback position.
The good news is that the franchise tender only guarantees a one-year contract, which means the Patriots won't have to pay Cassel after the 2009 season, when a slew of important contracts start to expire and will need extending.
If that's true, it would mean the Patriots would have made up their minds awfully early in the offseason; they don't have to make the decision to use the franchise tag until Feb. 19, and free agency doesn't begin until Feb. 27.
And why would they make this sort of decision so early? There's only one plausible reason -- the Patriots already anticipate that Brady won't be ready to start the season next fall, so much so that they're willing to tie up 20 percent of their salary cap in the quarterback position.
The good news is that the franchise tender only guarantees a one-year contract, which means the Patriots won't have to pay Cassel after the 2009 season, when a slew of important contracts start to expire and will need extending.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Chargers a familiar opponent for Patriots
Patriots coach Bill Belichick compared his team's familiarity with the Chargers to its familiarity with the Colts: "It almost seems like a division game. It does. We end up playing them twice a year."
One of the big matchups of the week will be Randy Moss against San Diego's secondary -- Quentin Jammer and Antonio Cromartie in particular. Moss caught his first deep pass Sunday from Matt Cassel since the season opener, but that only means the Chargers will be more on guard than they otherwise would have been.
Belichick, of course, wasn't about to discuss just how he planned to employ Moss (or Wes Welker or Jabar Gaffney, for that matter) this week.
"We'll try to do what we feel like is best against the way the Chargers are playing us, what those matchups are, and try to get the ball to the guys who can be productive with it," he said. "Depending on how they play us in the passing game, hopefully Matt will make his reads and make good decisions and get the ball to the open player, whether that's Randy or someone else."
He also sidestepped several questions about Tom Brady's surgery -- the quarterback underwent surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament on his left knee on Monday, the Boston Globe reported.
"His first responsibility it do do what he needs to do, and then we'll take it from there," he said.
Belichick closed by saying that the team hasn't done much other than focus on football for the last three days -- but one reporter did say a couple of players were spotted at Alcatraz on Tuesday.
"Hopefully, they were in civilian clothes," Belichick quipped.
One of the big matchups of the week will be Randy Moss against San Diego's secondary -- Quentin Jammer and Antonio Cromartie in particular. Moss caught his first deep pass Sunday from Matt Cassel since the season opener, but that only means the Chargers will be more on guard than they otherwise would have been.
Belichick, of course, wasn't about to discuss just how he planned to employ Moss (or Wes Welker or Jabar Gaffney, for that matter) this week.
"We'll try to do what we feel like is best against the way the Chargers are playing us, what those matchups are, and try to get the ball to the guys who can be productive with it," he said. "Depending on how they play us in the passing game, hopefully Matt will make his reads and make good decisions and get the ball to the open player, whether that's Randy or someone else."
He also sidestepped several questions about Tom Brady's surgery -- the quarterback underwent surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament on his left knee on Monday, the Boston Globe reported.
"His first responsibility it do do what he needs to do, and then we'll take it from there," he said.
Belichick closed by saying that the team hasn't done much other than focus on football for the last three days -- but one reporter did say a couple of players were spotted at Alcatraz on Tuesday.
"Hopefully, they were in civilian clothes," Belichick quipped.
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