Pats Pulpit - Patriots vs. Jets: Game Day UpdatesPats Pulpit: A New England Patriots Communityhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/51321/pp-fav.png2014-10-17T00:04:09-04:00http://www.patspulpit.com/rss/stream/67518782014-10-17T00:04:09-04:002014-10-17T00:04:09-04:00Blocked! Patriots defeat Jets 27-25
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<figcaption>Jared Wickerham</figcaption>
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<p>Five things we learned from the New England Patriots' 27-25 victory over the New York Jets.
</p> <p>Five things we learned from the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.patspulpit.com/">New England Patriots</a>' 27-25 victory over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.ganggreennation.com/">New York Jets</a>:</p>
<p><b><span>Tom Brady</span> and the offense are still clicking. </b>If there was going to be a defense that managed to take Tom Brady off of his hot streak, it would be Rex Ryan and the Jets. Despite the injuries the Patriots had on their interior line, and despite the ferocious defensive line of the Jets, the protection held up very well. Brady was on point tonight. He was moving in and out of the pocket, had trust in his line and receivers, was generally accurate (completion % hurt by drops), and made some awesome throws in the face of pressure and off of his back foot. It would have been nice to see the running game get going. However, the Patriots did have the ball very much, and why would they turn away from the passing game when the Jets could not stop it?</p>
<p><b><span>Shane Vereen</span> is still Shane Vereen, and <span>Jonas Gray</span> will have a role. </b>It was telling that <span>Brandon Bolden</span> had just a single carry in this game. His role is on special teams. Other than that, he's a deep reserve. Jonas Gray looks to be the next man up as the team's power runner. He did not get a whole lot of run tonight (3 carries, 12 yards), but he was clearly ahead of Bolden on the depth chart. Shane Vereen though, might have been the player of the game. He caught a 49-yard touchdown on the opening drive on a wheel route that was benefited from a blown communication in the Jets' secondary. In the second quarter, he caught another Brady touchdown. With Stevan Ridley down for the year, it's good to see that Shane Vereen is back to doing Shane Vereen things.</p>
<p><b>The Patriots run defense might be really bad. </b>This was the run defense the Patriots saw in week one against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thephinsider.com/">Dolphins</a>. They couldn't do a thing to stop <span>Chris Ivory</span> and the Jets' running attack tonight. <span>Vince Wilfork</span> and <span>Chris Jones</span> were consistently pushed off the ball, <span>Rob Ninkovich</span> couldn't hold the edge, and linebacker <span>Jamie Collins</span> was extremely weak from the 3-4 RILB spot. Yep, all miss <span>Jerod Mayo</span> right now. And Sealver Siliga. On the bright side, <span>Casey Walker</span> continued his strong play as both a pass rusher and in run defense. He seems like quite the find. Not exactly sure what the solution will be here, but the Patriots should probably consider moving Collins out of the middle and bringing in <span>Deontae Skinner</span>.</p>
<p><b>Penalties are hurting New England's secondary.</b> Yeah, this was obvious. The Patriots had, what, five defensive holding calls tonight? They were back breaking penalties - <span>Chandler Jones</span> had two sacks called back on them. <span>Brandon Browner</span> was flagged twice, <span>Logan Ryan</span> flagged twice, and Revis flagged once. Sure, some of the calls were suspect. In fact, the entire game was atrociously reffed. Nonetheless, the Patriots need to learn to adjust their playing style and technique. On a side-note, hats off to <span>Geno Smith</span>, who looked poised as he led the Jets up and down the field.</p>
<p><b><span>Danny Amendola</span> and <span>Chris Jones</span> get their redemption. </b>It was really nice to see Danny Amendola get going tonight. He showed up throughout the game as a kick returner, and looks like a keeper there. He also showed up late in critical moments. He caught a beautiful back shoulder throw from Tom Brady in the fourth quarter for a touchdown. It was his first touchdown of the year. Then, after the Jets cut the score to 27-25, Amendola made a clutch recovery of an onsides kick that bounced off the leg of <span>Brandon LaFell</span>.</p>
<p>Chris Jones had a redemption of sorts too. Last year, he was penalized on a questionable personal foul call on a missed field goal that ultimately led to the Jets winning on their second chance. Tonight? He blocked the game winning 58-yard yard attempt from Nick Folk. Yeah, that's a storybook ending.</p>
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<p style="text-align: left;">Overall, tonight was not the prettiest win. Still, they were coming off of a short week in which they lost their captain and signal caller on defense in as well as one of their top emotional leaders and their best running back in Stevan Ridley. They were playing a desperate Jets team, a division rival that was playing inspired and motivated football. This was still an impressive win, and regardless, the Patriots are now 5-2.</p>
https://www.patspulpit.com/2014/10/17/6992547/patriots-vs-jets-final-score-5-things-we-learned-from-new-englands-27Greg Knopping2014-10-16T22:05:09-04:002014-10-16T22:05:09-04:00Halftime: Patriots Lead Jets 17-12
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<figcaption>Jim Rogash</figcaption>
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<p>Halftime update as the Patriots lead the Jets 17-12 in week seven.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.patspulpit.com/">Patriots</a> have been gashed defensively, but have yet to allow a touchdown, and currently lead the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.ganggreennation.com/">Jets</a> 17-12 at halftime.</p>
<p>The run defense has been a work-in-progress. That's nice. The run defense has been terrible. <span>Nick Mangold</span> and the Jets line have overpowered the Patriots front, with the linebacker play from the Patriots leaving a lot to be desired.</p>
<p>Offensive, aside from two 3-and-outs, the Patriots have moved the football well. The Patriots have two touchdowns from <span>Tom Brady</span> to <span>Shane Vereen</span> and tacked on a late field goal.</p>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #292929; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><span>As always, our rules for in-game threads:</span></div>
<blockquote style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 40px 1em 0.75em; border-left-width: 3px; border-left-color: #153056; padding: 0px 15px; font-family: 'Sentinel SSm A', 'Sentinel SSm B', Georgia, serif; font-style: italic; color: #292929; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; background-color: #ffffff;">
<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; line-height: 1.5;" class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph3">Personal attacks are never permitted, in any case, even against trolls. If a troll posts on the game thread, simply flag the post and notify one of the moderators.</p>
<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; line-height: 1.5;" class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph4">We'll allow some of the "in the moment" PG-13 language. But try not to curse or use foul language, we won't accept it.</p>
<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; line-height: 1.5;" class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph5">Do not post any links to illegal online streams. Whatever you do on the internet is your own business, but we simply cannot have the links posted here.</p>
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<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 1em; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; line-height: 24px; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;" class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph6">Let's go Patriots!</p>
https://www.patspulpit.com/2014/10/16/6991939/halftime-patriots-lead-jets-17-12Greg Knopping2014-10-16T21:06:12-04:002014-10-16T21:06:12-04:00Patriots Jump to 7-6 Lead on Jets
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<figcaption>Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Patriots lead the Jets 7-6 in the 2nd quarter of their week seven match-up.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.patspulpit.com/">New England Patriots</a> have jumped to a quick 7-6 lead on the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.ganggreennation.com/">Jets</a> on a 49-yard <span>Tom Brady</span> to <span>Shane Vereen</span> touchdown that was aided by a communication breakdown in the Jets secondary.</p>
<p>The Jets then tacked on a pair of field goals to cut the lead to one, and are currently dominating the time of possession.</p>
<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 1em; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; line-height: 24px; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;" class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph2">Feel free to use this post as an open thread to discuss tonight's game. For Jets coverage, head on over to <a href="http://ganggreennation.com">Gang Green Nation</a>.</p>
<div><span>As always, our rules for in-game threads:</span></div>
<blockquote style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 40px 1em 0.75em; border-left-width: 3px; border-left-color: #153056; padding: 0px 15px; font-family: 'Sentinel SSm A', 'Sentinel SSm B', Georgia, serif; font-style: italic; color: #292929; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; background-color: #ffffff;">
<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; line-height: 1.5;" id="paragraph4" class="pgh-paragraph">Personal attacks are never permitted, in any case, even against trolls. If a troll posts on the game thread, simply flag the post and notify one of the moderators.</p>
<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; line-height: 1.5;" id="paragraph5" class="pgh-paragraph">We'll allow some of the "in the moment" PG-13 language. But try not to curse or use foul language, we won't accept it.</p>
<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; line-height: 1.5;" id="paragraph6" class="pgh-paragraph">Do not post any links to illegal online streams. Whatever you do on the internet is your own business, but we simply cannot have the links posted here.</p>
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<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 1em; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; line-height: 24px; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;" id="paragraph7" class="pgh-paragraph">Let's go Patriots!</p>
https://www.patspulpit.com/2014/10/16/6991737/patriots-jump-to-7-6-lead-on-jetsGreg Knopping2014-10-16T19:12:30-04:002014-10-16T19:12:30-04:00Patriots Inactives: Hightower Back, Browner Debuts
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<figcaption>Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The New England Patriots have announced their inactives for their week seven match-up against the New York Jets.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.patspulpit.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">New England Patriots</a> have announced their inactives for their week seven match-up against the <a href="https://www.ganggreennation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">New York Jets</a>:</p>
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<p><span>Bryan Stork</span>, C; <span>Dan Connolly</span>, G; <span>James White</span>, RB; <span>Aaron Dobson</span>, WR; <span>Nate Ebner</span>, S; <span>Malcolm Butler</span>, DB; <span>Cameron Fleming</span>, OL</p>
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<p>Let's start with the big news: Cornerback Brandon Browner will make his debut tonight. Linebacker Dont'a Hightower is active for the first time in three weeks following a knee injury. Hightower will likely lead the Patriots defensive huddle without <span>Jerod Mayo</span>.</p>
<p>The big surprise: Brian Tyms is active over Aaron Dobson. The Patriots likely felt they didn't need five receivers active, so Dobson sits in lieu of the deep threat Tyms.</p>
<p>Bryan Stork and Dan Connolly are both inactive with concussions, as expected. <span>Chris Barker</span> will be active after being promoted from the practice squad earlier today.</p>
<p>In a surprise, rookie runner James White is inactive, as <span>Jonas Gray</span> has jumped him on the depth chart. This is likely due to Gray's ability to run the ball between the tackles. Gray and <span>Brandon Bolden</span> represent the only true "early down" backs on the roster.</p>
<p>One more pleasant surprise: <span>Dominique Easley</span> is back in the mix and active. He should help the Patriots in both 3-man and 4-man fronts.</p>
https://www.patspulpit.com/2014/10/16/6991287/patriots-inactives-vs-jets-hightower-back-browner-debutsGreg Knopping2014-10-16T18:29:50-04:002014-10-16T18:29:50-04:00Patriots vs. Jets: Fantasy Advice
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<figcaption>Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>Fantasy football start / sit advice for the Patriots' week seven match-up against the New York Jets.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.patspulpit.com/">New England Patriots</a> host the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.ganggreennation.com/">Jets</a> in a Thursday Night Football match-up tonight. While it may be kind of nice to get some football earlier than usual, it also means that we need to set our line-ups earlier. He's our start/sit advice for the Patriots tonight:</p>
<p>Start</p>
<p><b><span>Tom Brady</span>, QB: </b>The Jets are actually a more difficult match-up than you might imagine for the passing game, and Brady struggled against them last year. But Brady is on a roll, and it's tough to sit him at the moment.</p>
<p><b><span>Shane Vereen</span>, RB: </b>With Ridley out, Vereen will definitely see some more touches. He won't get a huge chunk of Ridley's, but he'll definitely see some extra carries and likely more total snaps played.</p>
<p><b><span>Rob Gronkowski</span>, TE: </b>With Jimmy Graham hampered, Gronk could be the best fantasy tight end in the world. Could be in for a big night, as the Jets have struggled to cover tight ends this year.</p>
<p><b><span>Julian Edelman</span>, WR: </b>He's overdue for a touchdown, and the Patriots are likely to throw a lot of quick passes with the Ridley and interior line injury.</p>
<p>Sit</p>
<p><b><span>Brandon Bolden</span>, RB: </b>Give the running back rotation a week to sort itself out before playing Bolden or any Patriots back not named Shane Vereen, especially considering the Jets' tough run defense.</p>
<p><b><span>Brandon LaFell</span>, WR: </b>Hey, at least LaFell has landed himself on the sit list. He's on the map now and is the Patriots' clear #2 WR, but is more of a WR4 in all formats.</p>
<p><b><span>Tim Wright</span>, TE: </b>Until he actually starts playing some consistent snaps, sit him. Role is simply too unpredictable to even be a TE2.</p>
https://www.patspulpit.com/2014/10/16/6991207/patriots-fantasy-football-start-sit-advice-vs-jetsGreg Knopping2014-10-16T17:48:25-04:002014-10-16T17:48:25-04:00Tom Brady's 200th Game<blockquote>
<p><p>Tom Brady is going for win 153 in his 200th regular season game. The Panthers franchise has 147 wins. Jaguars have 144. Texans have 82. Ravens at 162.</p></p>
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<div class="source"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/pp_rich_hill/status/522860273766793216">Rich Hill on Twitter</a></p></div>
https://www.patspulpit.com/2014/10/16/6991035/1413495818Rich Hill2014-10-16T15:29:28-04:002014-10-16T15:29:28-04:00BREAKING: Pats Call Up Jonas Gray, Chris Barker
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<figcaption>Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Patriots make some last minute shake-ups as they enter their Thursday Night Game against the Jets.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.patspulpit.com/">Patriots</a> are making some last minute roster updates prior to their Thursday game against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.ganggreennation.com/">Jets</a>. New England had been planning on placing the injured <span>Jerod Mayo</span> and <span>Stevan Ridley</span> on the injured reserve, ending their seasons, and had to make two corresponding roster moves.</p>
<p>The team is bringing up offensive guard <span>Chris Barker</span> and running back <span>Jonas Gray</span> from the practice squad.</p>
<p>Barker was cut during Week 1 of the season as the Patriots made room to sign special teamer Don Jones. Barker was subsequently added to the practice squad. He spent the 2013 season on the Patriots 53-man roster, which means the team thinks highly of him. He will provide depth while <span>Bryan Stork</span> and <span>Dan Connolly</span> recover from their concussions and <span>Cameron Fleming</span> fixes his fingers. Hopefully Barker won't see the field.</p>
<p>Gray is 5'10, 225 pound hammer of a running back who the Patriots signed back in January. He tore his ACL as a college senior in 2011 and has bounced around the league ever since. He has no NFL experience, but was the second best out of the Patriots running backs in the preseason with an average of 2.0 yards after contact (behind Ridley's 2.4 YAC). He forced six missed tackles, which according to Pro Football Focus made him the 7th most elusive running back in the preseason.</p>
<p>Unlike Barker, who we hope won't play, I expect Gray to have a basic role if activated. He will likely be a short yard specialist and a possible red zone weapon. If the conditions are as rainy as expected, the Patriots will need a running back who can attack the defense and make them pay. Gray is possibly that back.</p>
https://www.patspulpit.com/2014/10/16/6987715/breaking-patriots-call-up-jonas-gray-and-chris-barker-practice-squadRich Hill2014-10-16T14:00:05-04:002014-10-16T14:00:05-04:00Week 7 Patriots vs Jets: Winning Points
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<figcaption>Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Patriots host the Jets in a divisional showdown. Can New England separate itself from the rest of the division?</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.patspulpit.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Patriots</a> will be trying to move past the loss of <span>Stevan Ridley</span> and <span>Jerod Mayo</span> and they'll have another divisional dogfight on their hands before getting some extra time to recover. Rex Ryan and the <a href="https://www.ganggreennation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Jets</a> will throw everything they have at the Patriots and, if history is any guide, their current 1-5 record means nothing for how well they'll play New England.</p>
<p>The Jets will likely try and mimic the <a href="https://www.arrowheadpride.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Chiefs</a> defensive game plan from Monday Night Football as the Chiefs current defensive coordinator is a branch off of the Rex Ryan coaching tree. The question is if the Jets have enough personnel to slow down the Patriots.</p>
<p>Hopefully the Patriots can walk away with their fifth win on the season and third in a row. Here's five points for victory.</p>
<p>1) <b>Don't abandon the run</b>. It's easy to do. The Jets have one of the top defensive line and run stopping units in the league. The Patriots will be without Ridley. Regardless, the Patriots <i>need</i> to keep running the ball. The play action is how the Patriots passing attack will create windows down the field for the passing game and it's where <span>Tom Brady</span> is most effective.</p>
<p>2) <b>Protect Tom Brady</b>. One way the Jets always remain competitive is by rattling Brady. They get in his head. They spook him with phantom pass rushes and he crumbles. If the Patriots can stand strong in the pocket and give Brady a couple positive drives early in the game, it will help his composure for the rest of the game and make the passing game all the more potent.</p>
<p>3) <b>Don't sit back in coverage</b>. The Patriots challenged <span>Derek Carr</span> to beat the defense, and Carr took what was in front of him. The Patriots can't sit back against <span>Geno Smith</span> because you can be certain the Jets coaching staff will have easy outlet throws on every down. The Patriots need to attack both the receivers and the backfield in order to get Geno to throw under pressure and force him to make a mistake.</p>
<p>4) <b>Watch out for pick plays</b>. The Jets love to utilize combo routes to spring a receiver free from tight coverage. The Patriots secondary will need to watch out for these quick throws as the <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Bills</a> had<a target="_blank" href="http://www.patspulpit.com/2014/10/13/6968075/how-pick-plays-affect-the-patriots-defenses-press-coverage"> a lot of success doing this</a> on Sunday. The Jets have a lot of players who are dangerous in the open field, namely <span>Jace Amaro</span> and <span>Jeremy Kerley</span>, so it's important the Patriots secondary work on their communication and switch up their man and zone coverages as necessary to eliminate the quick passes.</p>
<p>5) <b>Stout up the middle</b>. The Patriots will miss Jerod Mayo in the run defense so it makes sense the Jets will try and attack the middle of the field. <span>Chris Ivory</span> is a hammer of a running back so the Patriots will have to stay strong up the middle. Expect the Patriots to feature a lot of heavy fronts to prevent the Jets from gaining any traction up the middle of the field. If the Jets control the ball and control the run game, they can limit the Patriots possessions and keep it a low scoring affair. If the Patriots force the Jets to abandon the run and throw the ball, then New England will be in a strong position to win.</p>
https://www.patspulpit.com/2014/10/16/6989045/week-7-patriots-vs-jets-5-points-for-the-gameRich Hill