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Post by patriotsk1d on Jan 19, 2016 14:08:03 GMT -5
Pats barely used more than 5 blockers on passing plays against the Chiefs. I expected they would use at least 6 on most plays to help with KC's pass rush, but only using 5 gave Brady more options, the ball got out quicker, and the 5 man protection was very good. The offensive line is the only potential weak link, but it has been really good when everyone is healthy and was really good last week.
Looked like the offensive line did a much better job communicating with each other. They don't lack talent, but a lot of mental mistakes from this group. This shouldn't really surprise anyone considering the majority of the year has featured a 4th round rookie, 5th round rookie, and UDFA rookie, backup LT, and 3rd string RT. They did an excellent job against KC with their protection.
It will be interesting to see how Denver's oline holds up against our pass rush. Alex Smith avoided several sacks last week and Peyton looked like he was under a decent amount of pressure against Pittsburgh.
I expect a lot of press man coverage, with a lot of Collins/Hightower inside blitzes.
Peyton looked better than I expected last week, but lets not act as if he was good. His receivers dropped 8 passes, but Brady's dropped 6 and yet there is a significant difference in how the two played and KC's defense is a lot better than Pittsburgh's.
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Post by patriotsk1d on Jan 19, 2016 15:23:05 GMT -5
Pats are flying to Denver on Friday. So the plan will likely be Two actual practices(Wednesday and Thursday), probably will do a walkthrough on Saturday, maybe one on Friday before they leave or after they arrive.
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Post by patriotsk1d on Jan 19, 2016 15:51:19 GMT -5
Pats are going to practice Friday at 11 AM, probably more like a glorified walkthrough/scrimmage.
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Post by patriotsk1d on Jan 19, 2016 16:56:20 GMT -5
Mayo is headed to IR. Doesn't change much as he was the 4th guy in the LB rotation behind Hightower, Collins, and Freeny
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Post by patriotsk1d on Jan 19, 2016 17:03:55 GMT -5
That KC game was likely Mayo's last game with the Pats. He has a huge cap hit next year, Pats barely use 3 LB sets, and he was not the same player physically this year. Could still start for a lot of teams that play a lot of true base defenses.
And my guess is Mayo's injury is not long term. Sounds like a shoulder strain or tear, which at most is a 5 week thing. They knew they wouldn't have him this week and our 4th LB is not worth holding a roster spot for 3 weeks.
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Post by Morkim on Jan 19, 2016 17:20:41 GMT -5
Pats barely used more than 5 blockers on passing plays against the Chiefs. I expected they would use at least 6 on most plays to help with KC's pass rush, but only using 5 gave Brady more options, the ball got out quicker, and the 5 man protection was very good. The offensive line is the only potential weak link, but it has been really good when everyone is healthy and was really good last week. Looked like the offensive line did a much better job communicating with each other. They don't lack talent, but a lot of mental mistakes from this group. This shouldn't really surprise anyone considering the majority of the year has featured a 4th round rookie, 5th round rookie, and UDFA rookie, backup LT, and 3rd string RT. They did an excellent job against KC with their protection. It will be interesting to see how Denver's oline holds up against our pass rush. Alex Smith avoided several sacks last week and Peyton looked like he was under a decent amount of pressure against Pittsburgh. I expect a lot of press man coverage, with a lot of Collins/Hightower inside blitzes. Peyton looked better than I expected last week, but lets not act as if he was good. His receivers dropped 8 passes, but Brady's dropped 6 and yet there is a significant difference in how the two played and KC's defense is a lot better than Pittsburgh's. You didn't need much more than 5, considering our best pass rushers were severely limited combined with the very low hold time Brady had.
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Post by patriotsk1d on Jan 19, 2016 17:26:28 GMT -5
Pats barely used more than 5 blockers on passing plays against the Chiefs. I expected they would use at least 6 on most plays to help with KC's pass rush, but only using 5 gave Brady more options, the ball got out quicker, and the 5 man protection was very good. The offensive line is the only potential weak link, but it has been really good when everyone is healthy and was really good last week. Looked like the offensive line did a much better job communicating with each other. They don't lack talent, but a lot of mental mistakes from this group. This shouldn't really surprise anyone considering the majority of the year has featured a 4th round rookie, 5th round rookie, and UDFA rookie, backup LT, and 3rd string RT. They did an excellent job against KC with their protection. It will be interesting to see how Denver's oline holds up against our pass rush. Alex Smith avoided several sacks last week and Peyton looked like he was under a decent amount of pressure against Pittsburgh. I expect a lot of press man coverage, with a lot of Collins/Hightower inside blitzes. Peyton looked better than I expected last week, but lets not act as if he was good. His receivers dropped 8 passes, but Brady's dropped 6 and yet there is a significant difference in how the two played and KC's defense is a lot better than Pittsburgh's. You didn't need much more than 5, considering our best pass rushers were severely limited combined with the very low hold time Brady had. If Brady gets the ball out as quickly as he did, it won't make a difference how good the opponent pass rush is. That is how it was before Edelman got hurt, after that everyone started complaining about how bad our offensive line was. The reality is this offensive line is very beat up, but it shouldn't make any difference in the passing game as long as all the receivers are on the field.
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Post by patriotsk1d on Jan 19, 2016 18:11:52 GMT -5
A better idea on how much of an impact Mayo to IR is: Patriots LBs snaps: Collins 835, Hightower 641, Freeny 640, Mayo 427. Hightower and Collins missed 4 games each. Mayo missed none.
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Post by patriotsk1d on Jan 19, 2016 21:07:28 GMT -5
Pats barely used Gronk over the middle against KC. He did most of his work on the outside, which limited his exposure to injuries. Should see the same game plan this week against the dirtiest team in the league. Chris Harris openly admitted today that the Broncos intend to target his knees. My expectation is that there will be retaliation if Denver does things they usually do after the play.
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Post by patriotsk1d on Jan 20, 2016 20:45:08 GMT -5
Pats actually held a walkthrough today, sounds like there will only be one full practice this week which is not unusual for them at this point in the season. Far more important to let the body rest than have contact practices.
Good news is Slater was the only player who missed the walkthrough and Chandler Jones wasn't even listed on the injury report even though the expectation was his status would be 50/50 this week. Missing a Wednesday practice is usually not a good sign for a players gameday status, but Slater has always been the exception to this rule. I thought his season was over 3 separate times this year and somehow he didn't even miss a game. His special teams value should not be overlooked. KC literally triple teamed him on their punt returns.
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