New England Patriots and Areas of Concern
by Middlesex on Oct 12, 2011 8:34 AM EDT
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In no particular order...
Less concerned now than last week:
Safeties. James Ihedigbo(44) was a very solid step over either Josh Barrett or Sergio Brown. Great instincts, can tackle, excellent blitzer. Saw few flaws in his performance. It'd be mind-boggling if he does not get the start vs. the Cowboys.
Corners: Devin McCourty had his quietest and therefore best game of the year. Leigh Bodden is looking better now that he's rested. But how much of this was because of Mark Sanchez's flaws? We'll see vs. Romo.
Tom Brady: Had a better game against the Jets than he did against Oakland. Being at home helps, I guess.
More concerned now than last week:
Linebackers, namely Gary Guyton and Brandon Spikes: I have never been big on Gary Guyton and he really did not do the greatest job at MIKE. Brandon Spikes clearly needs more reps. Dane Fletcher is more deserving of the inside-linebacker spot and the green dot on his helmet. Guyton doesn't have the same speed he had at the combine years ago.
Left Defensive End, namely Shaun Ellis: He hasn't been a factor in either stopping the run game or stopping the pass game. Perhaps he needs more time in the 4-3 or the byeweek to heal up but he seems a step slower than we can afford.
Chad Ochocinco: He's the 3rd WR for an offense that uses far fewer 3-WR sets than a lot of other teams. I always thought he was more of an insurance policy incase Branch or Welker got injured rather than a guy vying for the #1 or #2 spot. However, he has been showing a tendency to make mental errors. Offsides, and at one point we burned a timeout to avoid a penalty for his taking a bad formaton.
Most impressed by;
Andre Carter once again. He's suppose to be a beast against the pass game but he's also a beast against the run game. PFF rightfully speculated that he might have been the best defender we had on the field. Despite his size he plays like he could do either RDE or even LDE.
Brian Waters once again. Either he or Andre Carter have thus far proven to be the best free-agent transactions that we've made. He's been a beast in the run-game and has brought a lot to the right side of our defensive line. PFF has him ranked high for right-guards, which is all the more impressive because he was a left-guard for almost his entire career before coming to New England.tool.
The views expressed in these FanPosts are not necessarily those of the writers or SBNation.
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Gary Guyton had 9 tackles
I thought he stepped his game up from Oakland and played solidly. Brandon Spikes wasn’t so hot on pass defense, but made some key stops against the run. My impression of him overall was that he played solid too.
Shaun Ellis may have missed Shonn Greene on his touchdown run, but I’m giving him a pass after he completely blew up LaDainian Tomlinson on that play. Awesome. Wonder if he had been waiting for a chance to do that, lol.
Agreed about Ochocinco: 2 for 23 and 1 first down; two stupid penalties.
I’m liking James Ihedigbo more and more. He was fired up to play his former team but not Seymour-fired up making too many errors and taking stupid penalties.
Here’s hoping McCourty gets his first interception of the season Sunday.
Keep the faith!
Yep, Romo can be a bit of a gunslinger.
Here’s hoping McCourty gets his first interception of the season Sunday.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
Some people can learn from the mistakes of others, while some people need to pee on the electric fence themselves.
My life has been a trivial pursuit. Trivia: where three roads meet.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Oct 12, 2011 11:55 AM EDT up reply actions
I thought Guyton's coverage was much better...
…since he was asked to watch the outlet. He’s good in that role. I didn’t see an improvement against the run, but I think he has his value as the outlet defender instead of the TE defender.
by Richard Hill on Oct 12, 2011 11:58 AM EDT up reply actions
Probably right there.
Do you really want to trust Witten to Guyton?
It is what it is
Just put Chung/rotation on him.
Same as Gates.
"Perhaps it was the Noid who should have avoided me." Mayor Adam West
How did that work out?
I only watched part of that game – I like Chung as a player, did he compete well against the much taller Gates? Witten relies more on strength/positioning than Gates does, who is an athletic marvel.
Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.
Gates had 0 catches
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
Some people can learn from the mistakes of others, while some people need to pee on the electric fence themselves.
My life has been a trivial pursuit. Trivia: where three roads meet.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Oct 14, 2011 6:49 PM EDT up reply actions
I'll still take the Witten/Chung matchup
Due in part to Witten being Romo’s relief valve- I don’t think the same can be said for Gates for Philip Rivers. Seems like Mike Tolbert fills that “need” for him.
Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.
by Nickthegrip on Oct 15, 2011 11:42 AM EDT up reply actions
You don't think Rivers looks for Gates early in his progressions?
Now, Jackson was having a filed day against the CBs, so it wasn’t as obvious in slowing them down, but Gates only had two targets for the day.
If they can hold Gates from having an impact, they can do the same with Witten. He probably won’t get blanked, but they can stop him from affecting the game (if they choose to take him out, and not Austin/Bryant)
"Perhaps it was the Noid who should have avoided me." Mayor Adam West
Yah, Shaun Ellis blew up LT on that play...
…and when that play happened all my friends were like “oooo!” But nothing came of that play. That one play in how many snaps? I was looking for him to do more against the Jets. If there was one game this year where he should have had a decent game, it was against his oldteam(he was the longest-tenured member of the organization…) at New England. Ellis is playing like he’s old or dinged up. I’ll give him more time to get accustomed to the new system but he just hasn’t been impressive, and if I’m not mistaken, he’s been guaranteed more money than we’ve guaranteed to Haynesworth. Ellis doesn’t seem to win a lot of one-on-one matchups. With Haynesworth at least, his very presence in the interior causes offenses to avoid running the ball up the middle.
As for McCourty… don’t think he got any of his interceptions last year until week 6, no?
It is what it is
Ellis's blowup of LT...
…took out the LB behind him and left an open passing lane to Kerley for the touchdown. It was a terrible play.
by Richard Hill on Oct 12, 2011 11:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Well, of course...
it resulted in a TD. I was just saying I didn’t mind seeing Tomlinson blown up, that’s all.
Keep the faith!
You just know he went and sat on the bench with his jacket on after that.
"Perhaps it was the Noid who should have avoided me." Mayor Adam West
Haha I loved seeing it...
…especially because we won. I was just thinking, “ugh…Ellis…you aren’t helping yourself here.”
by Richard Hill on Oct 14, 2011 7:52 AM EDT up reply actions
How is it Ellis' fault that Anderson got tripped up?
He had nothing to do with it. He beat his blocker, who should have been flagged for tripping since LT clearly intentionally tangled their legs as he was going down.
Deep in enemy territory
Ellis didn't beat his blocker...
…LT took him out of the play- sort of. Ellis removed himself from the play and, by doing so, left his own lane and took out the player behind him. That’s Meriweather status.
by Richard Hill on Oct 14, 2011 7:54 AM EDT up reply actions
I don't think it's a LB
It’s 44, Ihedigbo. 44 over pursued Sanchez and left the lane open for either running or passing. When he realized his err and tried to recover, he stumbled. Pat Chung had no choice but to peek and loss the receiver. Easy TD. Ihedigbo made 2 mistakes and both results in TD.
Me: Words can fool men but Nature doesn't give a damn!
David Brooks: The premise of the current financial regulatory reform is that the establishment missed the last bubble and, therefore, more power should be vested in the establishment to foresee and prevent the next one.
by MadDogExtra on Oct 13, 2011 11:38 AM EDT up reply actions
Pardon my spellings & Grammar errors.
loss → lost
Me: Words can fool men but Nature doesn't give a damn!
David Brooks: The premise of the current financial regulatory reform is that the establishment missed the last bubble and, therefore, more power should be vested in the establishment to foresee and prevent the next one.
by MadDogExtra on Oct 13, 2011 11:46 AM EDT up reply actions
Holme's TD is a combined mistake of both DB & 44
NE played man2man with help of safety over the top (44 on the left zone). The far left CB had very good technique, jammed and rerouted the opposing receiver, in effect took the receiver out of the game. The other DB (24) had poor technique, should recognized this is a pass all the way by looking at the stance of the right tackle. He missed jamming Holme and falling behind. 44 took the inside while Holme broke to the corner. There goes the TD.
I was overly critical of BB during the game but after watching defense replays a few times, I think NE DBs besides the starters are very poor in techniques and disciplines. The DC called the right plan but their backup DBs can’t executed properly. No pressure from the front 4 will only magnify the weakness of the DBs and I think if the front 4s can’t step up during the next game, the Cowboys will have their way with NE’s DB and possibly win (if Mr Hyde doesn’t show up).
Me: Words can fool men but Nature doesn't give a damn!
David Brooks: The premise of the current financial regulatory reform is that the establishment missed the last bubble and, therefore, more power should be vested in the establishment to foresee and prevent the next one.
by MadDogExtra on Oct 13, 2011 12:28 PM EDT up reply actions
right tackle -> right guard
No coffee → robotic thinking
Me: Words can fool men but Nature doesn't give a damn!
David Brooks: The premise of the current financial regulatory reform is that the establishment missed the last bubble and, therefore, more power should be vested in the establishment to foresee and prevent the next one.
by MadDogExtra on Oct 13, 2011 12:36 PM EDT up reply actions
More blitzes please
I would like to see some more safety/corner blitzes since we don’t really have a guy than can come flyin’ off the outside edge. I mean, if Josh Barrett and Sergio Brown can’t cover anyone back there you might as well send ’em after the qb..thoughts?
As far as Ocho is concerned..how much longer can Brady keep covering for him when he’s not producing on the field? I think it may be time to re-evaluate.
I'm fine with blitzes, but you need to disguise them which means don't overuse them.
The time to evaluate Ocho will be the buy which is coming up soon. It might mean the Price is right.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
Some people can learn from the mistakes of others, while some people need to pee on the electric fence themselves.
My life has been a trivial pursuit. Trivia: where three roads meet.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Oct 12, 2011 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Ihedigbo is better at blitzing than
Brown or Barrett. Those two would do us more good if they were kicked off the team to make room for others who know how to, oh I don’t know, tackle maybe? The presence of them both played no small part in our loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Ocho should be kept around. People forget that Deion Branch has a history of being injury-prone…
It is what it is
You mean the 'bye' :)
I always thought Price should see the field more..but obviously the coaches see something different as of right now. I looked at Price’s combine stats and compared them to DeSean Jackson and it was pretty interesting.
Taylor Price – 6’1, 204 lbs, 4.40 in the 40
10 yd split – 1.50 , 20 yd split, 2.52 , Vertical Leap = 37 in.
Desean Jackson – 5’9, 169 lbs, 4.35 in the 40
10 yd split – 1.53 , 20 yd split 2.52 , Vertical Leap = 34 in.
So, Price is slightly taller and weighs about 40 lbs heavier, yet he still has the speed to get deep. I think having Ocho around is hindering his development…BUT..we shall see said the zen master.
I told you Marima Price woildn't play.
From now we should just assume they’re red-shirting him until they’ve made a final decision on Ocho. It beats getting disappointed every sunday
Taylor Price will be the starter by the end of the season (Said before Training Camp)
Shame too because
as nice as Welker did out there on returns, we really didn’t need to be risking him on special teams where tackles are much faster than usual.
It is what it is
Yep, I've written bye like 6 times today, and here I drop the homophone. Thanks for the pick up.
Like they’re there and their. Sometimes I just miss one.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
Some people can learn from the mistakes of others, while some people need to pee on the electric fence themselves.
My life has been a trivial pursuit. Trivia: where three roads meet.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Oct 12, 2011 5:52 PM EDT up reply actions
I sat here for 2 minutes trying to figure out if you were just being punny.
"There's no place like it, and it's ours." - Stephen King on Fenway Park
by 808BostonSportsFan on Oct 13, 2011 3:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Who me?
Well, yeah actually, that’s just like me. Nevermind.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
Some people can learn from the mistakes of others, while some people need to pee on the electric fence themselves.
My life has been a trivial pursuit. Trivia: where three roads meet.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Oct 13, 2011 4:29 PM EDT up reply actions
He might see limited action soon,
but don’t expect more than limited action. The feeling I have is they want to develop him and Vereen more.
It is what it is
Who said that?
I’d call Joe Buck a tool, but that would imply he’s useful for something.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
Some people can learn from the mistakes of others, while some people need to pee on the electric fence themselves.
My life has been a trivial pursuit. Trivia: where three roads meet.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Oct 12, 2011 5:54 PM EDT up reply actions
LOL
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
Some people can learn from the mistakes of others, while some people need to pee on the electric fence themselves.
My life has been a trivial pursuit. Trivia: where three roads meet.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Oct 13, 2011 9:14 AM EDT up reply actions
Not really related to your thoughts on Spikes exactly
but, hindsight being 2020, I think there could be some truth to his “hell on earth” twitter comments referring to his inability to get healthy and play. BB made some comments today that were basically that he’s improving and they expect big things once he gets up to speed, which I don’t think he’d make if there were some real issues with him behind the scenes.
It’s just speculation on my part, but I can’t help but think he’s exactly the kind of player we’ve been needing. Lives for football, loves to play, and gets really fired up on the field. I know he isn’t perfect, but he’s really growing on me.
Deep in enemy territory
I just worry about where is head is at maturity wise
He’s a tough, physical LB with excellent football instincts, I don’t know the specifics of his 4 game suspension last season, but that was very disappointing because he was playing good football when that happened.
Specifics, as much as possible.
He took an ADHD medication, on the restricted substances list but can still be taken after authorisation from the NFL, without authorisation from the NFL. Legal mumbo jumbo, same as the (relevant) Spygate issue.
"Perhaps it was the Noid who should have avoided me." Mayor Adam West
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