Patriots Preseason Game 3 Stock Report
by Greg Knopping on Aug 27, 2010 11:00 AM EDT
in Opinion/Analysis
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PrintWhile the Patriots struggled as a team at times in their 36-35 loss to the St. Louis Rams last night, there were some bright spots individually, as well as some players who struggled.
Stock Up
Jerod Mayo/Brandon Spikes: Both linebackers shined at times. Spikes in particular had a few nice blitzes on the quarterback, one of which nearly ended up as an interception. Mayo combined for 10 tackles, while Spikes had seven total tackles.
Ron Brace: The second year defensive lineman had seven total tackles and a sack for Brace. He also saw a lot of time with the first unit and looks like he will be a significant part of the team's defensive line rotation in 2010.
Brandon Tate: Started the game with a kick return touchdown, and also had a couple of catches.
Rob Gronkowski: The more I watch Gronkowski, the more I become a fan of him. He really takes advantage of his size, and made two touchdown grabs last night, one of which was a shoestring, diving, highlight reel play.
Run Defense: The run defense, overall, was solid. Tully Banta-Cain and Derrick Burgess made some nice plays on the edge, as well as Darius Butler at cornerback.
Pat Chung/Brandon Meriweather: Both of these guys were all over the field making tackles. Chung delivers a solid, hard hit every time he makes a tackle. Brandon Meriweather also had a good game, nearly intercepting a pass and showing improved tackling.
Pass Blocking: Tom Brady seemingly had a perfect pocket every time he dropped back to pass. This was particularly obvious on the 65 yard bomb to Randy Moss.
Tom Brady: While he suffered from uber-conservative play-calling in the first half, he was lights out once he got to air it out.
More on whose stock was down following the jump!
Stock Down
Offensive Play-calling in First Half: The Patriots offense was too conservative in the first half. Too many dink and dumps, they never established the running game. Once Bill O'Brien let Brady start slinging the ball more, the offense looked a lot better.
Darius Butler: While Butler had a couple of excellent plays against the run, he really seemed to struggle in coverage throughout the game.
Defense as a Team: There were some strong individual performances as defense, but they never put it together collectively, and had a lot of stupid penalties. At times, the starting defense made the game very difficult to watch.
Marques Murrell: Struggled getting a pass rush, and looked lost at times. Also lost his spot as a starting outside linebacker to Derrick Burgess after Tully Banta-Cain returned from injury this week.
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The only problem with Brace was not his game, but the fact,
..he limped off before halftime with leg injury. On the field: 7 tackles and a sack. Impressive.
by frogfromthemud on Aug 27, 2010 11:06 AM EDT reply actions
Once Burgess was back, I thought that Murrel lost the job pretty much right away, assuming belicheck intended burgess to start.
I don’t know who I’d rather start opposite Banta-Cain. I thought Murrel was pretty good yesterday, but then again, I can’t remember any pass rush from him either.
I hope Jermaine will be able to play in WK 4, unlikely as it seems.
I'm also a Raider Fan dammit!!! RAIDER NATION!!!!
Down with Big Brother!
I couldn't stomach the attitude.
The defense, collectively, checked out.
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 27, 2010 12:23 PM EDT reply actions
Also the offense(in some way)
only 4 first downs in the entire first half…
ugh.
I'm also a Raider Fan dammit!!! RAIDER NATION!!!!
Down with Big Brother!
by patriotguy2 on Aug 27, 2010 12:37 PM EDT up reply actions
But they kept trying.
I didn’t see anyone short a block or drag ass back to the huddle or mope around.
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 27, 2010 12:38 PM EDT up reply actions
yep.
I'm also a Raider Fan dammit!!! RAIDER NATION!!!!
Down with Big Brother!
by patriotguy2 on Aug 27, 2010 12:44 PM EDT up reply actions
on a side note: Meriweather did not stop laughing at the sideline...
…and I did not stop being annoyed with it…
by frogfromthemud on Aug 27, 2010 2:41 PM EDT up reply actions
Rob Gronkowski is the man. If he stays healthy, he’ll have a long, highly productive (and likely underrated) career.
by Brian Galliford on Aug 27, 2010 12:42 PM EDT reply actions
Thanks. He looks like the real deal - preseason of course.
Spiller’s been looking good for you guys.
My life has been a trivial pursuit. Trivia: where three roads meet.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Aug 27, 2010 12:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Brace
============
Second-year defensive lineman Ron Brace, who left Thursday’s preseason game against the Rams in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury, is undergoing an MRI to determine the severity of the injury, according to his representatives.
============
any predictions on brace
i hope deaderick “the durable” comes thru
thats bad luck
although brace started late the last 2 games he has played well when called upon. he was one of few bright spots on last nights defense. i hope it isnt serious.
brace didn't have any significant injuries last year
so we hope for the best. most superbowl teams should be able to withstand these type of injuries. almost every team has loads of injuries during season.
true but i think the defensive line
is the a little weak right now so i wanted to have brace as a member of the rotation. we need a game changing pass rusher from anywhere i dont care if its a ilb a olb def end anyone anywhere cause burgess and banta cain as much as i like them i would like them a whole lot more if they were backups and not starters. i like banta cain as a role player i just really think last season was a mirage of sorts 10 sacks but 7 of them came in 3 games and 3 in 13 others.
and the Boston Globe...
just presented this to make my day:
2d quarter, 2d and 8 on NE-20: Tully Banta-Cain, -5 yards, encroachment
2d quarter, 2d and 5 on NE-5: Patrick Chung, -2 yards, encroachment
2d quarter, 3d and 8 on SL-27: Banta-Cain, -15 yards, roughing the passer
3d quarter, 3d and 9 on SL-48: Darius Butler, -5 yards, illegal contact
3d quarter, 2d and 10 on SL-10, Brandon Spikes, -15, roughing the passer
4th quarter, 2d and 10 on NE 49, Marques Murrell, -15, roughing the passer
It just hurts. (and imagine here an emoticon in agonizing pain) :D
They really spread them around.
TBC with 2 that’s it.
My life has been a trivial pursuit. Trivia: where three roads meet.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Aug 27, 2010 3:32 PM EDT up reply actions
yeah, Pats run in committee...
..and make silly mistakes in committee. There is no feature fool in the village. (If there were, the solution would be easier :D )
by frogfromthemud on Aug 27, 2010 3:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, there's not a name on that list (except Murrell) that we weren't expecting big things from.
My life has been a trivial pursuit. Trivia: where three roads meet.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Aug 27, 2010 3:51 PM EDT up reply actions
last thing that concerns me is penalty stuff
this will happen from time to time. also remember that the refs can make bad or more likely selective calls
if 10 people holding on field, usually one player will be targeted while others escape the wrath
refs can have a difficult job. ideally they let very minor things go but keep the focus on significant violations meaningful to outcome of games. sometimes they have to hit people with penalties to get back control of game. sometimes refs have bad day like players.
And now Mike Reiss says what I felt...
..but because only saw the game once was too coward to say:
Contrary to the initial impression during the Patriots’ 36-35 loss to the Rams on Thursday night, pressure wasn’t the main issue for the defense.
The Patriots had success in that area, forcing rookie quarterback Sam Bradford to get rid of the ball quicker than he wanted at times. Other times, Bradford’s quick release negated the pressure.
The primary Patriots breakdowns, which came to light after re-watching the first half, were in coverage.
yeah. I thought it was mostly coverage.
but it seemed we were trying more zone yesterday.
The only reason I say this was because I saw a lot of our secondary stay in one area most of the time. I did see plenty of man as well, but I can’t help but shake the feeling that we played zone a lot more than usual…
I'm also a Raider Fan dammit!!! RAIDER NATION!!!!
Down with Big Brother!
there was one td to rams tight end
where he was surrounded by patriot players i would say 5 or 6 in 2 to 3 yard circle it was ridiculous.
That looked like he found a good seam in zone defence
Everyone was flatfooted yet in a decent traditional zone position… it just happened he and the QB read the seam in the zones particularly well.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Aug 27, 2010 9:05 PM EDT up reply actions
did you watch the hop?
Non Sibi Sed Patriae.
I love my ZX-6r Kawasaki.
I bleed Scarlet and Grey...A Buckeye for Life
I did indeed
I feel sorry for the LB – it’d be like trying to lasso a Wildebeast.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Aug 28, 2010 12:07 AM EDT up reply actions
i did too cause the lb was my fav player from 06-08 @ OSU
Gronk is too big for a lb to cover unless its a 6’4 lb like vrabel
Non Sibi Sed Patriae.
I love my ZX-6r Kawasaki.
I bleed Scarlet and Grey...A Buckeye for Life
And even then, Vrable wouldn't be able to in pursuit
getting a big guy to jam him on the line might work, but once he’s behind you, he’s gone.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Aug 28, 2010 1:43 AM EDT up reply actions
it’d be like trying to lasso a Wildebeast.
So what’s gnu?
Throwing to TEs is relatively gnu
Also Gnu.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Aug 28, 2010 9:24 PM EDT up reply actions
its preseason
and they were prob trying out different coverage
Non Sibi Sed Patriae.
I love my ZX-6r Kawasaki.
I bleed Scarlet and Grey...A Buckeye for Life
Were I to guess
a) to see how the players play in zone (as opposed to man in the first two games) – basic scouting of your own roster.
b) to not give away all the defensive playbook in the preseason, they vanilla it down (no blitzes) – can’t give away all your fancy packages away in week 3 of the preseason, right?
c) to see who stands up and plays well despite a vanilla playbook and no-pressure D – who can execute best/ take risks/ blow basic plays?
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Aug 27, 2010 9:07 PM EDT up reply actions
Why the heck where they playing zone?
Learning. …Both by the player and the coach.
Re: stock down- Murrell, don't agree
After watching all three games, I think the defense has bigger issues. Watch Murrell especially in game two. He is constantly screaming at people on the line to get in the right spots. No one else seemed to know what in the heck to do. He seems like a smart guy and has my vote for playing time.
I hate to say this, but...
..after watching the first half offensive drives, Brady’s bad decision making killed 3 of them. (with little help from the receivers)
At 3(!) 3rd down, Brady had Welker alone(!) for the first down. Once sitting behind the first down marker (instead Brady forced it to Moss to the sideline who could not grab it in the close coverage of the defender). Twice Welker totally killed the linebackers coverage and was wondering free for a long gain. Once Brady forced it for a long throw to Tate, seemingly decided before the snap, although he had all time of the world, Tate is doubled and Welker totally beats the coverage end is alone. Still perhapsTate could have had it if he goes full speed all the way, but would have been hard, between the CB and safety.
The third you can argue Brady had pass in the run, but Welker had no defender near him in 8-10 yrads, so even if you under or overthrow it would have been enough. Instead Brady went for a safe throw, short to Tate(who was tackled at once short of the 1st down.
And the 4th: Moss could have had the first down, if he reaches toward the first down marker. How close he was? That was the case when Brady argued Belichik for not trying 4th and inches.
As for Welker: he played only in the first half, and 3 times could have been at least a 30+ gain, if Brady chooses him. He had the ball when he broke throw the 3rd time, the result was 39 yards gain. As I wrote: he was in similar or better position twice before, and once Brady had all the time of the world.
As for running game: out of the 5 tries of Morris, 2 were decent 4-5 yards. The other 3: 1 on Morris, but 2 on the center and the left guard. (At one of those games Light and Crumpler beautifully controlled their man, so if the other 2 does not blow it, Morris could have gone at least to the second level) Well, and once Morris just lost his balance a bit unlucky(I think who could have use one of his hands, but he did not)
And yeah, I know: it’s so simple to play this game on the sofa. :D
Great review ... hopefully you can send this to Brady
so he can watch the film with targeted purpose.
I am dead sure they do not need any notice from me. :D
BB and Brady are as smart as hell, and understanding this game as anybody. Hell, they reacted already in the first half: the last 3 drives by Brady all led to a TD.
by frogfromthemud on Aug 28, 2010 8:17 AM EDT up reply actions
I think you were right when you thought several things were pre-planned
Once Brady forced it for a long throw to Tate, seemingly decided before the snap, although he had all time of the world…
I’m pretty sure you nailed it when you said “decided before the snap”. The Pats used that game as a testing board for game situations – they may well have to force it to Tate and Moss in double-coverage at some point this season, so you might as well test it out against a live opposition in a game that doesn’t matter, so when you need to do it in a game that does, at least you have something to base it off.
Doesn’t make for a pretty game, but they got a Brady-to-Moss long TD bomb under their belts this season, and a few other impressive completions to boot.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Aug 28, 2010 8:41 AM EDT up reply actions
Well, I wrote to another article...
..one of the useful things of the game was (at least it seemed to me so), how just grows Brady’s confidence in Gostkowski play by play. Hernandez was out of the game and Gromkowski made all the profit from it. Also the Crumpler catch was significant in that regard: they will rarely throw to Crumpler, but Brady will not hesitate to do it. So we have now some targets other than Welker, Moss and Faulk. Hernandez, Gronk, Edelman, Tate looks like ones Brady can count on. I have my doubts in Aiken, and Price did not really had too much rep with Brady yet. (I was freaked out from the fact that Brady tried the deep ball for Aiken. For his(Aiken’s) credit, he defended the ball agressivly, when he realised the defender is in a better position to catch it.
by frogfromthemud on Aug 28, 2010 8:51 AM EDT up reply actions
Brady loves Crumpler.
I was expressing much love for the Patriot’s new TE weeks ago.
Great signing. He has proven, sticky hands (even when thrown to by QBs nowhere near Brady’s quality) and is a beast of a blocker.
"He" not "I"
Sigh … I wish we could edit our posts to correct typos.
All QBs love TEs
Sometimes too much – just ask TO about Romo-Witten, he’ll cry.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Aug 28, 2010 8:22 PM EDT up reply actions
one of the Bellichick
quotes from the last few weeks was about needing to be able to pass when the other team knows you are going to pass, and run when they know you are going to run. That might account for some of the play calling, and play focus…though the results were seldom good in this game.
Bombs away
but they got a Brady-to-Moss long TD bomb under their belts this season
Those two bombs serve as notice to the DB’s on every team. That has great value. It opens the underneath for the TE’s. I hope to see Tate and Price sent on a bomb against the Giants to see if they can create separation and generate further concerns for the DB’s.
disagree on two of the plays
On the Moss play that was short of the first down – you have to give credit to the DB. Moss had to secure the ball and had no opportunity or position with which to lean for the 1st down.
On the deep throw to Tate down the left sideline – that was on Tate, not Brady. Tate needs to learn to run through the ball, not leap for it. Losing your feet loses velocity (same problem as the ‘head first dive into first base’). If that throw was to Moss, he runs through the catch and makes it. And that’s not about who’s faster. That’s just technique and experience.
I wonder
And the 4th: Moss could have had the first down, if he reaches toward the first down marker. How close he was? That was the case when Brady argued Belichik for not trying 4th and inches.
Whether that was an issue with that part, or with the route run being too short.
Stock Up Brandon Spikes:
At least once the Rams were able to clearly isolate Spikes speed, and got a TD. I hope that isn’t something that teams can game-plan on. At worst, it can be like what happened to Bledsoe when the Jets showed he was lost when he got pressure up the middle, where everyone thereafter does it.
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