Armchair Coaches analyze New England Patriots 6-7 loss against Cincinnati Bengals

by MaPatsFan on Aug 24, 2009 11:58 AM EDT

UPDATE: DB Analysis is in

Howdy faithful. After the snoozefest that was a 6-7 loss to the Bengals, our Armchair Coaching staff provided me their analysis. We're missing a few positions, so if you haven't please email that analysis to patspulpit at gmail.com. I've also noticed a few coaches placing their thoughts as comments on this blog. Please send your analysis to the email above instead; I'd like to publish all the entries at the same time in one story.

Without further delay, here's your coach's analysis after the jump.

Mike-Dub provided an overall game analysis (check then game thread for a quarter-by-quarter breakdown)

Brady was decent… Otherthrew Welker and Moss once… Plays right after he took a lot of pressure or got hit he looked calm and confident…

O’Connell didn’t really do to much other than the last drive for the Pats to close out the half and almost leading the Pats to a game winning touchdown or field goal before Green-Ellis fumbled…

And Hoyer was alright for an undrafted free-agent…

Green-Ellis I though had some decent runs other than his fumble in the end of the game…

Taylor had some good runs too…

Also Ventrone had a few good catches in the 3rd and 4th quaters…

OL needs to do better… Can’t allow the QB’s to be pressured to much( which I’m sure they won’t during the season)…

Defense looked OK… Stopped the run well but could have done better on the Bengals passing plays…

Overall didn’t really learn much from the game except our OL needs to be much better than they were during the regular season and even the final 2 pre-season games!

Hardscores on the Defensive Line:

4.9, 15, .5

4.9: Brian Leonard averaged 4.9 yards on 7 carries, the longest at 9 yards. It's also the rushing average for the entire team. When an offense can look at 2nd-and-5 that often, it really opens up the rest of the playbook.

15: While a 45 yard rush skewed his numbers, DeDe Dorsey averaged 15 yards a carry - take out the big run and he's still around 5 yards.

.5: The highest sack totals throughout the defensive line, and that belongs to Steve Williams - who shared it with 3rd stering CB Darius Butler.

On the plus side, Cedric Benson was shut down when he was on the field, only able to average 2.8 yards/carry over 10 carries.

The DL had a bend-but-don't-break performance, as you can tell by the score, but there certainly are a few adjustments that need to be made among the back-ups.

jmm1776 on Tight Ends:

It was clear from the beginning that BB wanted to test the 4 WR plays with the first-stringers. To my knowledge, there wasn't a TE in the game for the time that Brady was on the field. I don't think this means a departure form BB involving TEs in the passing game (see last week's game), but rather simply focusing on the 4 WR set.

Based on the stats, it doesn't appear that any of the TEs played a major role in this game. Thomas led TEs with one catch for 7 yards, and Baker was without a catch. DeVree and Watson didn't suit up for the game; I don't remember, but I think Watson could be injured, since I think I remember hearing he was out of practice recently.

From ba-shiznit, we look at Quarterbacks:

Tough night for the boys. Looks like Brady still needs to knock some rust off the long ball throws. 4 for 8, ouch. O’Connell had 1 good series out of 5 before the half. Bad field position didn’t help him though. Hoyer moved the ball some. The second string linemen really held us back tonight with the penalties, negating some 1st downs. Green Ellis was really having a nice game up until that lost fumble in the red zone. I’d really like for him to make the roster. Looks like Keith Rivers found his form for this season after doing much of nothing in his rookie season last year, after being picked 1 spot before Mayo in the 08 draft. He knocked down a couple passes from what I could tell off NFL.com. Looks like Manning found his game against the Iggles. 2 TD’s and no picks in the 1st quarter. Is it going to be another 12 win season for those guys again? Blah.

[Update: 8/24/09, 11:55 ET] Our "European Connection", bartHML, chimes in with a DB analysis:

Butler: I think he was the best player among the DBs. He had 5 tackles, one of them saved a TD, and he was all over the field (as far as a cornerback can). He had a clean pass breakup and another time he caused an incomplete pass with a hit. Played a lot in the second half after Springs was pulled.

Sanders, Meriweather: Starting safeties made sure tackles, some of them were nice open-field ones. Nothing special.

Bodden: Almost nothing went to his direction.

Springs: Played 1,5 quarters. Had one missed tackle resulting in a big gain.

Wheatley: The weakest link. Missed tackle on Chad resulted in a 35 yard gain. Henry constantly beat him on comeback routes. Two TDs were caught over him, although one was called back. At the TD, McGowan blitzed so Wheatley did not have safety help. He turned late and Henry simply ran past him.

McGowan: Had 6 tackles, also a sure tackler. Had a forced fumble.

Chung: As advertised, he was seen all over the field, close to the LOS and deep back. He was around the ball, although he also had a missed tackle on DeDe Dorsey's long run. He was on the field for two punt returns: the first one he muffed, and at the second one he danced a little too much after cathcing the ball.

Jamar Love and Herana-Daze Jones both had a penalyt against themselves.

Wilhite missed the game because of injury.

That's what I've got after cruising through the site, looking for comments. If I've missed your analysis, please send it to me at the address above. Thanks!!

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Comments

Good thoughts guys

by Patsfan4life on Aug 24, 2009 12:17 AM EDT reply actions

Thanks, Guys (and/or gals)

It’s so hard to tell from some of the screen names.

The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.

by SlotMachinePlayer on Aug 24, 2009 10:14 AM EDT reply actions

Nice recap, thanks armchair brigade

It seems now that Brady was responsible for one of his own sacks, not Kaczur. Overall sloppiness with penalties and mis-communications seem to be more of a problem than any particular area in my opinion so far. Friday’s prime-time game will be a bit more telling, maybe.

Keep the faith!

by Marima on Aug 24, 2009 10:51 AM EDT reply actions

Let's face it.

The Pat’s O-line has been overrated for a long time now. This particular group will never live down their complete wuss performance against the Giants in my view. The day Matt “Miracle Ear” Light no longer wears the uniform I’m throwing a party.

Unfortunately, we will not be seeing anything better anytime soon. I’m just praying these guys don’t get Brady crippled for life.

Warm up the Duck Boats!!!

by BabeParilli on Aug 24, 2009 2:51 PM EDT reply actions

Thought Brady was gun-shy

One of the rare times I’ll get a chance to see a pre-season game — vacation is nice.

I thought Tom had happy feet. He wasn’t stepping into his throws; it looked like he was playing keep-away sometimes, glad to send the hot-rock to another sucker and take the heat off. His knowledge is sharp, but he looked all-too-happy to not be holding the ball for long.

That has to be at least in part due to the sub-par performance of the offensive line, which doesn’t seem to have cured the communication break-downs that made Cassel one of the most-hit QB’s in the NFL last year. Run-blocking was better than average, but not since the late 2007 season have I seen the stalwart redoubt that guided us to the second two championships of the “aughts.” I’d love to see that return, and soon. A QB recovering from a catastrophic knee injury could sure use that level of security.

DB’s looked a bit lost. Concur that Butler has the tools, but he’s very definitely a work-in-progress. The starting d-line looks f-ing stout. Just a real strength of the team — and good thing. I’m interested to see how a young Mayo will adjust to more 4-3, which puts more block-shedding and in-close play-reading on him. He looked like a potential all-worlder last season with the big boys up front keeping the heat off of him. He’ll have to do more sifting through the wash this year on 4-3 calls. Hopefully, he’ll have improved his pass coverages — he’s going to have to do a lot to cover for TB, who looks slower than ever. At least he didn’t Favre us over the offseason — he’ll show up ’til they tell him to stay home.

A bright spot: BJGE looks absolutely committed. I’d be tempted to release Maroney outright based on what I’ve seen so far. He still has terrible on-field vision. I don’t know if he’s pressing too hard, trying to do too much, or if he’ll never have what BJGE has. If you could marry BJGE’s eyes to Maroney’s speed and size, you’d have the Purple Jesus. As it stands, I’ll take the diminished chance of a big play in exchange for 4 yards average gain. Release Maroney, promote BJGE.

All for now.

As Mr. Sloan always says, there is no "I" in team, but there is an "I" in pie. And there's an "I" in meat pie. Anagram of meat is team... I don't know what he's talking about. --Shaun of the Dead

by JohnHannahRules on Aug 24, 2009 2:59 PM EDT reply actions

Don't blame O-line entirely

In his press conference, Bill Belichick alluded to the fact that it was actually Tom Brady’s fault on the play where he was demolished by Robert Geathers for not recognizing the defense and setting the blocking scheme correctly. And I wouldn’t blame the o-line for the ridiculous amount of sacks last year as much as I would Matt Cassel’s slow decision-making and quick trigger on scrambling with the football. While we should be concerned about the number of holds and false starts against Cinci, let’s not forget that this offensive line unit was the least penalized in the league last year. It’s simply the rust showing itself now. And speaking of rust, I don’t think anyone is denying Tom showed his rust last Thursday either. He’s going to need some time, not only to plant his feet and shift his weight correctly on his throws(particularly the deep balls), but more importantly, to read the defense, set the blocking, and set his checks at the line.

I have on idea why some are for releasing Lawrence Maroney, despite his inability to become purple jesus(haha, classic). Don’t forget the stretch of 100-yard games that he had at the end of 2007. Also, given the depth behind him, I’m not so concerned about his injury history. On top of this, he’s pretty cheap, being in the last year of his rookie contract. I think they’ll keep five backs, given their lack of a true fullback on the roster.

I was more concerned about the defense and its inability to make tackles, especially in the secondary, but also the linebackers to some degree. The all out wiffs they had on some tackles were concerning. I was also not pleased with the lack of forced turnovers. With the exception of Butler’s two point conversion pick, the secondary has not intercepted a ball yet. Altogether they have one turnover in the preseason. While some of the coverage woes from last year have been taken care of, I’m not sure we have any real ball-hawks back there. On the other hand, the first d-line looked dominant, especially Ty Warren and Vince Wilfork. Who’s going to run on those guys on first and second down? Good luck. I thought Warren’s groin surgery’s might slow him down, but noooo.

Overall, a performance that revealed some rust and some potential. I wouldn’t dismiss some of the shortcomings of the game altogether, but I wouldn’t read too much into them either. Can’t wait for Friday. That will be the true test.

by amerrill on Aug 24, 2009 3:52 PM EDT reply actions

So MaPatsFan...

I should just e-mail you my game and quater by quater analysis? Also if you have any questions about my analysis’ or anything my e-mail is mikejdubuque@yahoo.com.

by Mike-Dub on Aug 24, 2009 4:18 PM EDT reply actions