October 2010
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A Trinity of Horrifying Pats Stats Articles
There was a holy trinity of horrifying Pats stats articles today. I thought about linking to all of them at one point or another because, while totally sobering and scary, they are pretty interesting too. I figured the best thing to do would be to put all three on one page and then leave it up to you if you want to look at them or not.
So proceed with caution from this point on. It ain’t...
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September 2010
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This Week In Dumb Patriots Commentary
It’s one thing when you get your occasional clueless Patriots messageboard posts or tweets stating something that is completely and utterly false about the team, but it’s another thing all together when it’s one of the so-called “pundits” whose voices are heard by millions start spreading misinformation and false insight.
Of course based on how the Patriots defense...
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Dolphins Game As Big As They Come
I must first say that I respect the hell out of the team that the Miami Dolphins have become since 2007. They’re still a little rough around the edges (see their game against the Jets) but they are a big, physical football team that is going to compete from start to end and force you to beat them.
I never like to blow the importance of games out of proportion, especially in early October,...
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Patriots Ranked 6th in Football Outsiders DVOA
After three weeks the Patriots have by far the number one offense in the NFL as far as the Football Outsiders are concerned. Their defense? 27th. Sounds about right, doesn’t it? Special Teams are ranked 17th. Overall they’re 6th, up one spot from 7th last week.
The Top 10:
Green Bay Packers
Kansas City Chiefs
Pittsburgh Steelers
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
New England...
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WatchPatriots History Tuesday: 1985 Patriots
I have clear memories of the 1985 season and their magical playoff run. Wish I still had my Squish the Fish t-shirt. Perhaps that would be a good thing to go looking for on a swag hunt.
John Hannah was a guest on Bill Simmons’ BS Report last week and he spoke a little about how disappointed the team was after Tony Eason was named the starter for the...
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Patriots Defense By the Percentages
Thru 3 games…
Base 3-4 Defese: 80 of 202 plays = 40%
Sub Packages: 118 of 202 plays = 60%
Short Yardage: 4 of 202 plays = 2%
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Percentage of...
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Reiss Breaks Down Crable's Snaps →
I don’t know if Mike Reiss wanted to send me a personal present today but alas he has broken down each of Shawn Crable’s snaps against the Bills. The way I saw it was that this was a “get your feet” wet experience for Crable. He didn’t look out of place and really, in his first real game since his 2007 college season that’s really all you can expect. The...
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Debunking the 4 Biggest Patriots Myths
As expected today was “Pile on the Patriots Defense” day by all those who seemed shocked that this group of rookies and second/third year players are not instantly a shutdown defense. Yes, letting the Bills put up as much offense as they did was a little scary, but not entirely unexpected, unless you still thought Tedy Bruschi, Rodney Harrison, Ty Law and Willie McGinest were still...
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Notes on a Patriots - Bills Shootout
After yesterday’s swiss cheese defensive performance most of Patriots nation is probably wondering this morning how we’re going to stop the many strong offenses left on the 2010 schedule.
Well, let’s continue to remember that young defenses with good coaching are supposed to improve as the year goes by. We’re used to seeing veteran defenses around here, but as we’ve...
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New England Patriots Game Plan: Buffalo Bills
We’ve all had it pounded into our heads this week that theBuffalo Bills ”are just what the Patriots need right now”, with constant reminders that the Pats have beaten them thirteen times in a row. No one is giving the Bills a chance, and that’s a little scary.
On paper the Bills look like one of the worst teams in the NFL and will be starting a new quarterback (Ryan...
Patriots Game Graph: Week 2 →
This looks frighteningly like the game graphs of much of 2009. Check out this article from the summer to see what I mean by the “death plunge”.
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Could Kyle Arrington Start at RCB? →
Mike Reiss points out that Arrington got some first team reps this week over Darius Butler. I’ve always found Arrington to be an intriguing player. He was an unstoppable Special Teams demon after being promoted from the practice squad in 2009, a move that was forced somewhat by the Browns trying to poach Arrington to their active roster.
Arrington showed up well in the preseason with some...
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Three Biggest Patriots Surprises
As we all lick our chops and await the release of anger and aggression upon the hapless Buffalo Bills, I had to pick the three biggest surprises 2 games into the Patriots season.
1. Meriweather Reduced Playing Time.
2. Aaron Hernandez/Rob Gronkowski Appear to live up to hype.
3. Ron Brace, starter at defensive end.
Anyone else?
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““He practices hard, he communicates with the quarterback. He challenges the...”
– Tory Holt on Randy Moss
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Patriots Ranked 7th in Football Outsiders DVOA →
If you don’t know how to read Football Outsiders DVOA advanced stats I highly recommend you figure it out (they have in depth explanations on the site). Basically they grade each play based on the situation (so getting 2 yard on 1st and 10 gets a low grade, but getting 2 yards on 4th and 2 gets a high grade), and the Patriots are one team known to use their stats.
Any way the Patriots are...
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“He is a move player who is as much wide receiver as he is traditional tight end....”
– Scouts Inc.’s Matt Williamson on Aaron Hernandez
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The Patriots Offense Will Evolve Without Faulk
Upon scanning the internets this morning I found a general state of panic and doom amongst many Patriots fans over the loss of Kevin Faulk. Of course, that’s to be expected with New England fans.
Make no mistake, we all know that Faulk was the unsung hero of the Patriots dynasty, but I believe his loss will force the Patriots offense to evolve in a way that will greatly benefit them down...
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PatsCast Ep. 20 (with Jay Shields) →
If you’d like to hear someone who actually knows football talk about the Patriots problems give a listen here. I posted some of Jay Shields’ commentary last week and he provides some great insight into the Pats from a schematic/coaching point of view. Let’s just say you won’t be feeling too great about Bill O’Brien after listening to this podcast. Jay’s one of...
“Woodhead did not travel with the Patriots for their game against the Jets on...”
– Mike Reiss
So there you go, Patriots coaches didn’t even see Woodhead prior to the Jets game. But uh, maybe the should have got him on the phone to see what he knew? Just sayin…
If Kevin Faulk is out for any length of time Woodhead might be an interesting option. We know Fred Taylor...
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Time to Stop Crying About The Jets and Focus on...
The Bills have not beaten the Patriots since the 2003 opener so it might be easy to look past them this week. But here’s a couple reminders…
The Bills should’ve beaten the Patriots in last years opener.
The Bills beat both the Dolphins and the Jets last year.
I know it’s hard to get excited to watch the Patriots play a team they’ve beaten 13 straight times, but...
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WatchTuesday’s are usually the off days in the NFL, so today we’ll try to turn the page from the disappointing Jets loss to the Bills game with a little history lesson. Whether you’re a new Patriots fans or been with them since the early days we should all appreciate the 1976 Patriots. They will also serve as a good reminder of what real disappointment is, putting a week two loss in...
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Belichick WEEI Interview 9/21 →
Must listen every week, though don’t expect to be cheered up.
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Don't Click This Link If You're Feeling Bad About... →
….because it will only make you feel worse. I think the whole “genius” thing was pretty stupid to begin with. Basically BB got called a genius because he’s shut down some good offenses with his Super Bowl defenses. That doesn’t make him capable of turning rookies and second/third year defenders immediately into a Super Bowl defense. Give it time folks, all these...
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Patriots Fan Gets Free Tickets to Jets Game from...
Getting tickets to an NFL game these days can be pretty irritating. You’ll be lucky to find a face value ticket to see a good team play, and more often you’re left to scour ebay and online ticket sites that jack up the prices.
Matthew DeCoste was a Patriots fan in New York who was having a hard time finding a ticket to this past weekend’s debacle against the Jets. After tweeting...
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“The Patriots are a young team, which means they will make mistakes as the year...”
– Michael Lombardi
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Well That Sucked... (Patriots Defense Edition)
I consider myself a fan of offensive football, but a student of defensive football, so I wanted to take another look at the game before posting my thoughts on the defensive performance against the Jets.
First a reminder that this is a young defense and they certainly showed it yesterday. I’m sure Darius Butler is getting killed on the Boston airwaves today, but let’s remember this is...
Wilfork: Sub Runs Killing Pats →
Love when players get specific in their radio interviews as Vince did today. I clearly noticed the effect of sub runs in the second half upon rewatching the game tape, it’s especially noticeable when you see Gary Guyton on the field. Guyton had trouble as the Mike in the base defense last year. Not pinning this all on him, but clearly the Pats need to really focus on this area.
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RUMOR: Pats Interested in Vincent Jackson
I can’t vouch for this guy but he seems to be a New York radio personality that had good sources when the whole Revis deal went down, and he’s saying that those same trusted sources are telling him the Pats are interested in Vincent Jackson.
You can see his twitter feed where he made the announcement here.
We had heard last year that the Pats have Vincent Jackson rated as their top...
Meriweather Explains Why He's Down the Depth Chart →
After yesterday it’s hard not to think the Patriots really needs Meriweather to step up. This is the wrong point in his career to take a step backwards. In year four, after sneaking into the Pro Bowl, he really should be starting to make more big plays and making his presence felt. If he gets on track it would be greatly helpful for a team that badly needs him.
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Well That Sucked (Patriots Offense Edition)...
General thoughts/feelings after the game. I don’t check the stats or look back at anything, just the gut reaction of what I saw unfold.
The good thing about week two losses is that by the end of the season they are a distant memory. But this loss today to the Jets has left me baffled.
Our offense looked like a machine in the first half, moving the ball on the Jets defense yard by yard,...
