Week 1 Patriots vs Dolphins: Five Things to Recap
by Richard Hill on Sep 13, 2011 4:06 PM EDT
in Opinion/Analysis
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PrintWord of the Game: "Control"
1. Patriots Defense vs Miami's Running Game - The Patriots were tasked with stopping the Dolphins' potentially potent running game. All of their running backs have the ability to be a game changer at any time and Reggie Bush was asked to pace the game. On the opening drive, it appeared as if the Patriots couldn't stop the Dolphins from moving the ball as Reggie Bush picked up yards at his own leisure. Add the fact that Chad Henne waltzed into the end zone and it seemed as if the night was going to be a long one.
Well, as soon as Gary Guyton was replaced by Dane Fletcher, the Dolphins couldn't run the ball. At all. They gained a total of 98 yards on the ground, which doesn't sound like a shut out. However, quarterback Chad Henne was the team's leading rusher with 59 yards. When their lead running back is held to under 40 yards and under a 3.5 yards/carry rate, it usually means the defense is stopping the run. Consider this battle won by the Patriots.
On the other hand, I also stated:
Hopefully, the Patriots can stop the Dolphins' run game and force them to take to the air.
And we all know how that turned out...
2. Patriots' Third Down Defense - Another success! The Patriots held the Dolphins to a 2/14 conversion rate on 3rd down. That's enormous. Due to the large Patriots' leads, the Dolphins went for it on 4th down a considerable amount and converted on 4/5 attempts, but that still means the Patriots were 6/19 on "Last Stand" downs. That's 31.5% for those doing the math, which is years ahead of the 47% conversion rate of last year's defense, and is right in line with their preseason conversion rate. Hopefully, the Patriots can keep opposing offenses around (or below) the 30% mark for the rest of the season.
3. Patriots' Offensive Line - The offensive line was one of the biggest surprises for me. Tom Brady had so much time in the pocket that he wasn't even stepping up into the pocket to throw around the pass rushers; he had so much space he was a statue. While Matt Light was pushed to the ground a couple times, he managed to keep Tom Brady clean the entire night. Logan Mankins looked like himself. The Dolphins wanted to test rookie Nate Solder against Cameron Wake and Solder definitely held his own against one of the league's elite pass rushers. Brian Waters was awesome and looked much better than Dan Connolly at guard.
And while we're speaking of Dan, he did a great job replacing the injured Dan Koppen at center. Connolly is much better off at center instead of guard because it allows him to be a complementary blocker, which is how he thrives. Koppen will definitely be missed, but I don't believe the offensive line will miss a beat. It's unfortunate that Koppen's in a contract season, but don't be surprised if this is one of his final seasons with the Patriots.
I stated:
However, if Light plays well (he normally chooses to deteriorate at the end of the season), Logan Mankins is his usual self, Koppen helps Waters to the right and Solder plays out of his mind, then the offensive line might not miss a beat. However, it's unlikely for all of those cards to fall into place at the same time so watch for Brady to get hit a couple times.
Well, it seems as if Belichick stacked the deck in the Patriots' favor. Win for the Patriots.
4. Tom Brady's Accuracy - Brady had an okay day passing the ball. I guess. Preseason ended and he was no longer trying to force chemistry with the receivers and he stuck the ball where the players he could trust could catch it. Aaron Hernandez. Wes Welker. Rob Gronkowski. Deion Branch. Those four were key parts of the receiving game. Even Matthew Slater made an appearance. Chad Ochocinco remains a mystery, but he will be a valuable piece of the offense as the season grows older and he has more time in the system (although that line-up penalty was awful).
Brady also threw a ricochet interception that was a bad throw, but the interception was just a bad bounce. At least that streak is over and he can focus on scoring points. He looks like he hasn't missed a regular season beat. Win for the Patriots.
5. Patriots' Run Offense - The Patriots only posted 106 yards on the ground, but they averaged over 4.8 yards/carry and were moving the ball at will. When the Dolphins dropped players into the secondary, Danny Woodhead was there to take the free yardage. It definitely seems as if the run game was complementing the passing game (duh), but it also seemed like the Patriots never forgot about the run game, which is an improvement over last season. It seemed as if BenJarvus Green-Ellis or Danny Woodhead would get the ball right when the Dolphins were cheating backwards into coverage. Great balance, in my opinion. Slight win for the Patriots.
---
Overall, I'd give the Patriots around 9.5/10 on completing these tasks, with half a point missing from the run offense (it worked, but it wasn't as dominant as the other facets of their game). Great work Patriots and hopefully there will be continued improvement heading into the Chargers game.
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Although he didn't need it much...
I really liked the mobility that Brady displayed last night. Brady is usually a statue in the pocket. He doesn’t like to move around. And when he’s forced to by an incoming defender, he’s usually tripped up or sacked immediately. Yesterday, even when the superb offensive line let in a few defenders after Brady, Brady was able to step up or to the side and still complete the plays. Nice job TB12.
Cyril P
liryc715@yahoo.com
I would never ever describe TB as a statue in the pocket.
After all those years of Bledsoe I would never put that moniker on Brady. Brady is excellent at stepping up in the pocket to avoid the rush when he can. When he does get wrapped up Brady goes down right away because he is paranoid about ball safety in the pocket. I don’t have the quote but he has said specifically that.
It's his...
When he does get wrapped up Brady goes down right away because he is paranoid about ball safety in the pocket.
…Gumby tactic too.
Brady is usually a statue in the pocket.
Not true.
by frogfromthemud on Sep 13, 2011 8:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Agreed.
I’m using statue meaning that there was literally no pressure or reason for him to move. Typically means that a quarterback has no sense of awareness and gets drilled. Brady has incredible awareness- it’s just that he had so much time.
by Richard Hill on Sep 13, 2011 9:02 PM EDT up reply actions
Agree.
Brady is fantastic with his footwork. Indeed, he arguably has the best footwork of any QB in the NFL. It is one of the keys to his incredible accuracy. In addition to knowing how to move ‘just enough’ to avoid rushers, he always positions himself to get clear vision / passing lanes and complete step through on his throws.
You almost never see Brady take an off-balance throw or one with an incomplete motion. Even when ‘missing’ he makes sure to miss down low, to avoid picks.
Off balance, half-throws result in the ducks that tend to float into defender’s hands.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
yeah Brady did a great Ben Watson impression chasing down the Dolphin player after the INT to save a pick6
by i luv this site on Sep 14, 2011 12:01 AM EDT up reply actions
Brady couldn't chase down a mailbox.
"Perhaps it was the Noid who should have avoided me." Mayor Adam West
LOL - true
but he can very deftly side-step an oncoming mail truck!
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
yeh meant that comment as sarcasm… watching Tom running after the INT was sorta funny he is slower than a lineman
by i luv this site on Sep 15, 2011 12:00 AM EDT up reply actions
I do think
Pats could use a little more attention up the middle Henne was stripping us with easy pick ups most of the night, no knock on him I would want this to happen to any QB who does it, I think a safety or linebacker should have been there to take his head of his shoulders.
Not going to spy Chad Henne like he's Mike Vick.
But the pass rush scheme will be different against Philly anyway, try and keep contain on him and not give openings for him to use his legs.
"Perhaps it was the Noid who should have avoided me." Mayor Adam West
Nice right up, but clearly you and I disagree on what a balanced offense is
Overall the Pats had 22 rushing attempts to 48 passing.
Pats only ran consecutive running plans on two occasion in the entire game.
They only ran 4 times TOTAL in the 4th Q.
As much as I understand the passing game was working well and nearly unstoppable last night, at some point you’d like to see them pound it out on the ground, save Brady’s arm, help the patch work OL and help the D.
I’d agree they made the Phins pay with the runs they did execute, but I’d hardly say it was a balanced attack.
I think the only reason the ratio was like that is because the Dolphins strength is their front seven.
Why would you gear your offense around running into your opponents strength. You would just be bangin your head on the wall in futility. Its especially silly since the passing game was so blatantly dominant.
Still questions marks
We need a new center. Id Cameron can do well then we have right guard, right tackle and left guard sewn up. Solder will take over at Left by years end unless tonight was a miracle.
I didn’t see enough to judge our safeties. How did Barrett do? Devon is going to have a tough, tough year I think teams are going to go at him and it would not surpirse me at all to see Dowling take over that spot. Devon is a great player but I don’t think he’s big enough or fast enough to hang with the tall and 225plus lbs receivers.
The defense? I don’t know why everybody is so optimistic. I though Haynesworth looked weak(not the Ted Washington ) I was hoping for. Mayo looked mediocre but that’s only because Guyton weakens that unit when he’s in and why no Spikes? I wonder if that kid is going to be traded there are few things I’ve read about some unusual twitter postings. Anybody know about that?
The running back situation is the weakest spot on our offense and although I agree with most everybody on 98.5 and weei that the patriots place the leave value on that position I think Ridley becomes the starter if healthy.
The tight ends. If Hernandez does not hit a growth block this year he may have a shot at being an alternate in the pro-bowl.
Cameron? No idea who he is.
I think the defense was pretty good last night. Give them a few games to gel and get up to speed and I think we have a solid group there.
Deep in enemy territory
Totally disagree on Haynesworth
Credited with two incredible tackles (including that ridiculous one-armed take down on Bush while sandwiched between two defenders) and drew two key holding penalties from Richie Incognito. I saw the pocket collapse a couple times and he came close to a couple sacks. As time goes on he will become more and more the disruptive force he can be, but for an initial observation, I thought he was spectacular.
Dan Connolly did just fine at Center and I see him improving now that he’ll be doing all the reps.
We’re such spoiled Pats fans. A dominating, record-breaking Week 1 road victory at a historically tough location, and we still rip the team a new one ;)
Can I Scream?
at least you admit it
but in all seriousness, New England looked really sharp
Brad James
Follow me on Twitter
With Coach Zorro on our side, we will slice opponents to ribbons. Tim Tebow gives me hope and I already have faith and charity in my heart! I see a propitious future rife with Lombardis for our Broncos!
by the new Bradfather on Sep 13, 2011 6:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Haynesworth is still getting his legs under him
he hasn’t played in a long time, very little preseason, and they are working him up to full speed. Sure, would be nice if he was there already, but he made an impact last night, and it is very encouraging to know that he will continue to improve over the next couple of weeks. We haven’t seen him at full power yet.
Albert ended up playing right around 30 snaps.
Even in peak shape, I don’t think we’ll see him play more than 35-40 in a typical game, just given the role he is to play and the way the rotations work.
Given the heat, that shows he’s in much better shape than I think a lot of folks were thinking.
Not surprising since he spent much of the preseason working out out of sight of anyone!
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
I think it is very premature to predict McCourty to have “a tough, tough year”
Speed is not an issue with McCourty. It’s a two way street with McCourty, Sure they
can throw it at a 225 pound receiver but they will risk having McCourty snag it for
an interception. I think there are things McCourty can do to rectify the miami situation. The
litmus test comes when McCourty matches up with Marshall again. I think Marshall
will find the going more difficult next time.
by prioris on Sep 13, 2011 7:25 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Mcourty will be fine, not worried at all.
by furiousd on Sep 14, 2011 12:41 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
The Dolphins receivers present a very tough matchup for any corner.
Bess can get open against just about anyone. Marshall can overpower just about anyone. Fasano is both slippery and strong. Hartline is more than serviceable, too. Everyone assumes the Dolphins’ offense is supposed to be terrible, but when Henne plays like he did last night – stepping up in the face of pressure and making incredibly accurate throws – that offense has serious potential. The defense performed admirably, McCourty included.
True but you don't feel that he has been taken advantage of from the preseason? It seems like QB's go after
him. Now don’t get me wrong, if i have a guy like Marshall, imma try and get to him regardless of who the CB is. But it seems like he is being targeted. And throwing the ball his way, seems to work for the QB, no?
In GOD I TRUST>In BB i trust......faith where it belongs!!
Life is about who makes it, not who makes it the fastest! Drive slow homie.
Yeah
QBs went after him last year too, and look what happened.
by indy pats fan on Sep 14, 2011 4:11 PM EDT up reply actions
You are totally wrong
..on Haynesworth and on the RBs too. Albert was disruptive. The 2 holding calls almost translates as 2 sacks.
The running backs were very effective when they were asked them to run. At 2nd and long Woodhead made some unreal 8-9 runs. They converted in short yardage whenever they were called to do it Both run 4.9/attemp. Lawfirm scored a TD. They were good in blocking and blitz pick up. They did everything they were asked to do.
by frogfromthemud on Sep 13, 2011 9:06 PM EDT up reply actions
..and as for Devon
…you are panicking early. the other cases you are flat out wrong;) (Ted Washington better than Haynesworth? Good grief…)
by frogfromthemud on Sep 13, 2011 9:09 PM EDT up reply actions
totally agree on all points.
Albert also showed he is in a lot better shape than many of the ‘pundits’ have been claiming – he was in for, I think right around 30 snaps. And he looked a hell of a lot fresher than most the Miami defense!
That catch by Marshall over McCourty was just a sick circus catch. McCourty was blanketed on him and 9 times out of 10 that’s an incomplete pass.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
Ted Washington and Haynesworth are very different players
Ted was the Immoveable Object. Albert is the Irresistible Force. Ted was great for anchoring a D-line, nobody was getting past him. Albert is more the disruptor type, charging forward more often then not, getting after the qb. . So if you were expecting Ted, well, I’m not sure why you were expecting Ted.
Think of it this way:
NT: Vince Wilfork – Kyle Love – Ron Brace
DT: Albert Haynesworth – Myron Pryor
DT/DE: Shaun Ellis – Mike Wright
All have different roles.
by Richard Hill on Sep 14, 2011 1:23 AM EDT up reply actions
When you say balance...
do you mean between run and pass or between Benny and Danny? If it’s the latter then I definitely agree with you. I though they did a great job of putting the backs in at the right times to utilize their strengths. I was really impressed with both of them. Oh, and our fullback. Dane Fletcher. LOL I love that Brady looked to him in the end zone, even if they didn’t connect.
Deep in enemy territory
Yeah, I thought they balanced the RBs to maximize their strengths...
…Woody to move the chains, BJGE to bring the defenders closer. I did think they showed enough balance between the pass and the run for this game. This does not mean that it’s the same balance against the Steelers or the Ravens on the Jets. The Dolphins were giving up yards up the middle, so why run the ball for the sake of “balance” if the yards were available via the tight ends? “Balance” is a matter of doing enough of running and passing to keep the defense honest and the offense did that. It would be a problem if they threw this much and they weren’t producing through the air.
by Richard Hill on Sep 13, 2011 6:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Wow
the Patriots were the best of MNF, my Broncos were the worst. Tom Brady almost sets a single-season passing yardage record, falling only a few yards short of Norm Van Brocklin’s 544. Someone’s getting that record this season, why not Brady against the Chargers Sunday! When New England clicks like this, I don’t know how you guys can be stopped
Brad James
Follow me on Twitter
With Coach Zorro on our side, we will slice opponents to ribbons. Tim Tebow gives me hope and I already have faith and charity in my heart! I see a propitious future rife with Lombardis for our Broncos!
by the new Bradfather on Sep 13, 2011 6:40 PM EDT reply actions
I felt bad for Orton
not very classy for the fans to be booing him week one, and some foolios chanting Tebow.
Well my friends
not all of us Broncos fans feel that way, I was “supportin’ Orton” if you will as a good Broncos fan should as I watched on TV. If you guys watched this live, I hope your bosses didn’t mind if you were a bit snoozy! Anyway, Orton can still do good things for us. Between you and I, some of my fellow Broncos fans are pissing me off.
Brad James
Follow me on Twitter
With Coach Zorro on our side, we will slice opponents to ribbons. Tim Tebow gives me hope and I already have faith and charity in my heart! I see a propitious future rife with Lombardis for our Broncos!
by the new Bradfather on Sep 13, 2011 7:48 PM EDT up reply actions
The Raiders are a very much improved team, too.
They have a hell of a lot of tough, versatile running backs lead by McFadden and a good O-Line. And their defense is still tough even without Asomugha. Richard Seymour looked as good as he has in years.
Campbell looked rusty and awkward at times, but he’s going to be competent with that running game to take the pressure off him.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
That is true
I am not a proponent of saying good things about the Raiders, but dang it, we have to be better to beat them. Thanks for the banter! Beat the Chargers, Felipe Rivers needs some humility. Who better to give it to him than Belichick and Brady!
Brad James
Follow me on Twitter
With Coach Zorro on our side, we will slice opponents to ribbons. Tim Tebow gives me hope and I already have faith and charity in my heart! I see a propitious future rife with Lombardis for our Broncos!
by the new Bradfather on Sep 14, 2011 2:28 PM EDT up reply actions
The Good ,The Bad,The Ugly
The Good-Nate Solder in his 1ST pro start runs cat quick pass rusher extraordinaire Cameron Wake into the ground on all but two plays…again..in his 1st game as a pro…talk about upside! The Bad- NFL bad boy Albert Haynesworth shows up to play and makes Henne hurry his throws on important 3rd downs and is partially if not fully responsible for two holding penalties which is as good as two 10 yard sacks! The Ugly- Chad Ocho costs us huge completion gain with CARELESS penalty. I’ll cut him the same slack I cut Tony Romo for his decisions in the 4th quarter against the Jets…which is NONE! Also I’m tired of hearing about his learning curve. It’s not like he has to memorize the Torah. I seem to remember Randy Moss coming to the Pats and catching TD passes from the gitgo…Unless Ocho is getting on and off the short yellow bus each trip to and from Foxboro stop treating this guy with kid gloves!!
Different skill sets.
Moss was asked to run down the field and use his speed to get open and catch the ball. That’s about it. Ocho is being asked to run Branch’s route tree which hasn’t been run well by anyone other than Branch.
by Richard Hill on Sep 13, 2011 8:34 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
I agree with you Richard...
Ocho was not the part of the no huddle. So what? Why should he? Welker and Branch are the 2 WRs Brady had the best chemistry with(ever), and Gronk, Herndo and Woodhead looks like as perfect additions to the groupe. So no Ocho when no huddle=no problem.
But the line up penalty disturbs me.
by frogfromthemud on Sep 13, 2011 9:16 PM EDT up reply actions
what a deep recieving corps
This is a potent offense, and when Ocho gets on the page, it will be slightly better for the depth. Let’s face it, Branch, always loved him, but has not had a full healthy year in forever, even last year, so Ocho will get his chances as the year goes on. But dang, Branch, Welker, Ocho, Hernandez, Gronk, Edelman, Woody, Tate!, and sooner or later, Price too!
Tate? Someone is out of the loop.
Replace him with Slater.
Taylor Price will be the starter by the end of the season (Said before Training Camp)
It was his first snap, wasn't it?
Nerves, I’m guessing.
"Perhaps it was the Noid who should have avoided me." Mayor Adam West
The line up penalty happens to wide-outs more often than others
usually when they are split wide. Though in this case, he wasn’t that far from the TE, still, it does happen.
I’m sure he was pretty nervous, too.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
Moss had a whole off-season of OTAs, sessions and full preseason.
Ocho will need another 2-3 weeks before he’ll have had a roughly equivalent exposure to the system.
Plus, as Richard & others mentioned:
a) Ocho’s meant to be more than a sideline route runner and
b) When we go no-huddle constantly, you have to have guys on the field who know every play by heart.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
I agree. Ocho has landed in a very complex system, and it is reasonable to expect that it will take time for him to master the nuances of this route running design.
What’s great is that Brady threw for 517 yards and Ocho only contributed 14 yards to the total. And, Price didn’t even play.
I hope Price plays this week. He and Vereen.
Ocho hasn’t gotten it as yet. If Price is ready, he may be ahead of Ocho in the playbook knowledge.
In GOD I TRUST>In BB i trust......faith where it belongs!!
Life is about who makes it, not who makes it the fastest! Drive slow homie.
Very true .. and what a great situation to be in – Ocho developing while Price takes the stage. Their depth chart is ridiculously good when you consider that Slater is #6, and he’s terrific as well.
I also hope both Vereen and Ridley enter the rotation. With so many games, and the expectation that the PATS will play into the playoffs, using all four RB’s early and often would keep them all healthier and game ready. And, I could easily see the four of them total 2000+ yards on the ground.
Yes u mademention of the 2,000+ yards before lol
And before you repeat it, i’ll just write it for you, “4 TE’s is grand” lol
/Sorry couldn’t resist.
Notice how Brady twice in the game went deeo to Slater? The first one was caught for 46yrds but the second one was dropped. Shows that Brady has no problem taking advantage of a coverage and going deep if he see’s a nice match up.
In GOD I TRUST>In BB i trust......faith where it belongs!!
Life is about who makes it, not who makes it the fastest! Drive slow homie.
;-)
I agree that the deep looks do not have to be defined by having an elite WR. In fact, I think the PATS have an advantage having four good WR’s (Branch, Ocho, Slater, Price) because defenses will undoubtedly use single coverage on certain plays – like the Slater 46yd catch – and Brady will audible on those downs.
Moss did require double coverage (or at least constant safety attention), but I don’t think the passing attack will miss a beat not having an elite WR because of the multiple targets they have. Hopefully, we will see a continued effort to pass to the RB’s coming out of the backfield. That will further complicate the coverage schemes.
It would also be nice to see D. Gronk targeted a couple of times each game since that will further complicate coverage concerns as well. It only needs to happen once or twice to place the defensive coordinator in a difficult decision (who covers which Gronk) – especially in the red zone.
It will be very interesting to see who emerges between Ocho and Price as the “other” WR assuming Branch maintains his level of performance. And, of course, Slater always seems to bring a flash of excellence during his limited rotations.
It’ll be nice if they can create a rotation of RB’s using all four once everyone is healthy. I would expect that each brings a unique quality to the assignment which could be a difference maker over the long haul. And, using all four helps on wear and tear while bringing the two rookies up to a more dependable level should BJGE or Woody be sidelined for any stretch of time.
Bottom line – every win is a great win. At this level of play, every opponent is capable of beating you if you don’t play well enough: i.e. the Browns last year.
I was hoping
to see a bit of Ridley last night…but really no need to show him.
How about Branch's tackling?
Could have taught Meriweather a thing or two.
"Perhaps it was the Noid who should have avoided me." Mayor Adam West
Branch didn't wind up with a pick though...
"Perhaps it was the Noid who should have avoided me." Mayor Adam West
whats up pats fans
Just wanted to stop by to congratulate you on your win. Good luck for the season. Oh, yeah, can you guys do us a favor? Can you guys make sure you beat the hell out of and sweep the damn jests.
Captain of the Landry Jones bandwagon
Chad Henne for the 2012 pro bowl
Member of the Daniel Thomas bandwagon
Vontae Davis and Sean Smith = Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain 2.0
All hail the mighty brandstater
by AnishB15 on Sep 14, 2011 6:44 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Very good game, but where was Ridley?
Thought it was a good game. Bellicheck said in his press conference that they made good plays in all 3 phases of the game. He’s right. Offense was amazing, st was fine. Defense had good and bad. When the offense throws so much, drives are fast and allow the other team offense more time on the field.
Was eagerly waiting to see Ridley in the game, does anyone know if he was active against the Dolphins?
Listed as active, but also on the injury report.
Fenway: "An alternate and better universe, disguised as a ballpark." --Thomas Boswell
Using Woody made the most sense.
The strength of the Fish defense is size and aggressiveness on the DL. Instead of trying to power through them, we used Woody’s speed to just run past them! He hits those tiny gaps so fast and once he’s in the backfield, he’s no longer at a size mismatch against DBs.
Woody showed some damn good ‘power legs’ on a couple of those runs up the middle, dragging and pushing DBs.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
Woody is superb at using his low center of gravity. It did appear from what little we saw that Ridley and Vereen will bring some outside speed and the ability to make people miss in open space. And, BJGE is incredible at finding the end zone. You can’t help but feel very confident in this RB group.
It is quite encouraging that the PATS can put away Miami on the road, and NOT use Price, Ridley, or Vereen in doing so – and use Ocho for one reception.
Still Question Marks
Two people commented on remarks I made comparing Haynesworth and Washington. One of them totally disagreed with me and seems to think Fat Albert(I luv Felger) is better then big Ted was. So I wondered through some stats pages and he’s wrong about that but someone else made a great point. Ted was a plug or wall and Fat Al is a disruptor.
The defense line we had in 03 was incredible! Ted the plug and Willie and Seymour of the edges. I guess I was expecting that kinda defensive production. When I look at that defense though I see Harrison and Law. I don’t think Bodden and Devon will ever be as talented as Law and I don’t think we have a safety that will be as good as Harrison.
I'd wait before passing judgement on McCourty
I mean, he did come in as one of the top CBs in the league his rookie season… Also, it’s way too early to judge Albert either. It takes time to acclimate to not just a new system for that player, but essentially a new base defensive front for the rest of the team as well.
by indy pats fan on Sep 14, 2011 4:10 PM EDT up reply actions
Devin not Devon lol
In GOD I TRUST>In BB i trust......faith where it belongs!!
Life is about who makes it, not who makes it the fastest! Drive slow homie.
Or just call him what he calls himself on his facebook page
D-Mac (and J-Mac is his twin brother on the Titans)
by indy pats fan on Sep 14, 2011 6:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Well, Law has a good shot at going into Canton.
He was the top CB in the league between the primes of Primetime and Champ, the late 90s and early 00s. McCourty isn’t there yet, but he can be in Revis’ class (and he doesn’t hold either) for the next 10 years.
"Perhaps it was the Noid who should have avoided me." Mayor Adam West
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