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New England Patriots Links 10/13/11 - O-Line Preps for Rob Ryan's 'Kitchen Sink' Defense

By Marima

Bill Belichick talks about how the Dallas defense is able to be so stingy against the run.

They have a lot of good players. They have a good scheme. They play good technique. They're strong, they're physical up front and they're fast. They don't give up many plays. You look at a lot of plays and the play starts you think, "There's a hole, this looks like a pretty good play' and all the sudden four guys hit him for a two-yard gain. They close very quickly. [Anthony] Spencer and [DeMarcus] Ware on the edge, I mean they're a problem. The inside linebackers especially [Sean] Lee runs well. Their defensive linemen are active. They really run well. They have good team speed. They haven't given up very many plays period - run or pass. That one of the big reasons, they converge on the ball so quickly. They have a lot of team speed - it's the fastest team we've played this year. Like I said, you look at plays and you stop the film and you say, "Looks like this is going to be a good play" and then it just collapses. They do a good job running the ball and they have a lot of fast guys.

Tom Brady explains how it's tough to prepare for a guy like DeMarcus Ware.

Sure, yeah. He can get after a quarterback as good as anyone we play. He's powerful, he's fast off the edge, he's got a bunch of different moves. It's not like you just set on the speed-rush and he'll speed-rush you and then he'll power you right into the quarterback. The first play of the season he sacked [Mark] Sanchez when they were playing the Jets and kind of had an up-and-under move. If he gets going early he's going to be a problem all day, so we've got to make sure we really account for him on every play.

It's tough to prepare for those guys. They're unique player. If we had someone like that on our team - there're just not many guys like that in the league. When you play a guy like that, you've just got to… the tackles and tight ends know they're up for a challenge. You try to give them help at times but at other times they're on their own, they've just got to stop them. As a quarterback you don't just drop back there and hold it and see how long you can hold it all day because eventually they're going to get there. You've got to make sure your making the right reads and that my passes and the timing of my passes are coordinated with our protection.

Logan Mankins says the Cowboys defense could be one of the fastest the Patriots will face.

"They’re really fast. The d-line’s fast, the linebackers are fast," Mankins remarked.

"A lot of that goes to effort," Mankins offered. "They’re all good players, and you throw effort on top of that … you see a lot of gang tackling. The running back’s getting hit by a lot of guys and the rest are running to the ball. Their defense is playing really good [football]."

"[DeMarcus] Ware, he’s a special player. He’s right up there in the best players of the league. He’s a problem if you let him become a problem."

TEAM TALK

LOCAL LINKS

  • Christopher Price sees the Patriots prepping for another week against another Ryan.
  • Mike Reiss serves up some quick-hit thoughts and observations from the Patriots locker room Wednesday.
  • Julian Benbow focuses on the Patriots starters who earned their playing time by first paying their dues on special teams.
  • Ian Rapoport notes one thing that separates Tom Brady from the rest of the pack is how his mind functions in those 20 seconds before the snap.
  • Mark Farinella reports Logan Mankins and the offensive line know they have to fix the breakdowns that allowed the Jets four sacks on Tom Brady.
  • Christopher Price looks at how the Patriots effectively employ the no-huddle offense to make the difference in a game.
  • Mike Petraglia hears from Andre Carter, who has more experience playing the Cowboys.
  • Mike Reiss spotlights some interesting comments by Bill Belichick on  Brandon Spikes and how his preseason ankle injury set him back.
  • Christopher Price focuses on Bill Belichick's assessment of Jermaine Cunningham and Brandon Spikes, who have both seen their growth stall this year.
  • Dan Duggan points out Patriots lead back BenJarvus Green-Ellis is tied with Adrian Peterson for the most rushing TDs since the start of the 2010 season.
  • Chris Forsberg explains why the Patriots would send BenJarvus Green-Ellis out wide in a spread formation against the Jets.
  • Mike Reiss recaps Bill Belichick's breakdown of four key plays from the Jets victory.
  • Karen Guregian sees one of the key matchups in Sunday's game to be Dez Bryant vs. Devin McCourty.
  • Chris Forsberg reports Dez Bryant and Devin McCourty, linked in the 2010 draft, will meet on the field Sunday in Foxborough.
  • Dan Duggan hears Al Haynesworth talk about how he's not satisfied with his play and can 'get a lot better'.
  • Christopher Price breaks down Tom Brady's targets in the New England passing game so far this season.
  • Mike Reiss updates the penalty list, noting that the Patriots have limited their penalties for the second straight week.
  • Mike Reiss tells us who earned the practice players of the week award for Week 5.
  • Tony Massarotti writes that last Sunday, for the first time in a long time, the Patriots imposed their will on an opponent in all facets of the field.
  • Monique Walker Patriots Notebook: Bill Belichick and the Patriots have no problem calling DeMarcus Ware the best player the Patriots will have seen this season; Logan Mankins is aware of the Cowboys' speed; Injury updates - Sebastian Vollmer returned to limited practice yesterday; Wes Welker wants to remain with the Patriots; Jason Garrett sees Albert Haynesworth doing an outstanding job; Brandon Spikes is improving daily.
  • Ian Rapoport Patriots Notebook: Tony Romo is still known around the league more for his failures than his successes; Wes Welker is atop the NFL leaderboard with 45 receptions and 740 receiving yards; Andre Carter had an impressive game Sunday and says he is "still hungry"; Vollmer, Edelman & Woodhead returned to limited practice; Patriots locked up reserve OL Ryan Wendell through 2013.

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