Analysis

An Appreciation of James Develin

November 24, 2016 by Sam Hollister

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Well, it was another relatively easy victory for the Patriots despite defensive struggles in the first half. It was good to see the defense, specifically the secondary, rebound a bit in the second half, as they were able to do just enough for the Patriots to coast through the majority of the fourth quarter, giving Brady and Edelman a victorious homecoming.

Brady had another great day, throwing for 280 yards and four touchdowns, but the rushing attack stole the show in my opinion. The Patriots rushed for their highest yards per carry total on the season, averaging 5.7 YPC, and racked up their second-highest yardage total on the ground of the year. A large part of that success was the play of James Develin, who played a season-high 34 snaps and constantly carved out lanes for LeGarrette Blount to run through on the way to his second-highest rushing total thus far in 2016.

How Bend-Don’t-Break-y is this Patriots Defense?

November 23, 2016 by Mike Dussault

One thing I’ve learned over the years of studying Bill Belichick’s defense is that as long as they don’t give up big plays, tackle well and get red zone stops, he’s satisfied.

It’s never an aggressive, send-the-house blitzing style. It’s controlled and fundamentally solid. And usually it works. But that doesn’t mean it’s not frustrating to watch.

We call it the “Bend-Don’t-Break” and it’s become the annoying mantra of a Patriots defense that often struggles to get off the field with consistency. By tracking yards-per-drive and plays-per-drive we get a sense of how much they bend. By tracking points-per-drive and turnovers-per-drive (along with red zone and third down), we get a sense of how much they break.

So how does 2016 stack up with the previous B-D-B defenses? Let’s take a look at the long-term stats.

Examining the Defensive Line’s Struggles Against Seattle

November 16, 2016 by Sam Hollister

Sunday night saw the Patriots defense completely and totally dominated by Russell Wilson and the Seattle offense, with the Seahawks much-maligned offensive line controlling the line of scrimmage for the majority of the game. While the Patriots defense has underperformed for the majority of the season thus far, this was a new low for the unit, who were gashed time and time again by Wilson and running back CJ Prosise.

While Seattle is not without a lack of talent on the offensive side of the ball, their offense thus far in 2016 has been a mediocre unit with one glaring weakness that nearly every team they played had been able to exploit: the aforementioned offensive line. Because of this, I pin the majority of the blame for the defenses struggles on the defensive line, who were unable to generate any kind of pressure on Wilson to affect his throws, and failed to contain Prosise, who had just 30 career rushing yards to his name prior to the contest.

Why Did Pats Dump Collins, Easley and Chandler Jones Again?

November 14, 2016 by Mike Dussault

Before I get into this let me say that I think most hold Bill Belichick to an impossible standard. He’s the best coach in NFL history, but that doesn’t mean he hits on every draft pick or that every personnel decision he makes turns out right. Better than the league average? Yup. More often right than not? Yes. But he’s not perfect and I don’t expect him to be.

I know the likes of Dan Shaughnessy think that bloggers like me are nothing more than fanboys who wave pom poms and blindly think everything Belichick does is infallible. But after how the Patriots defense has looked through nine games, even I have a hard time not casting a critical eye on the moves made by Belichick since last offseason.

By themselves, getting rid of Dominique Easley, Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins could’ve been easily dismissed and swept under the rug. But collectively jettisoning first round picks from 2012 and 2014 and a second round pick from 2013 now seems even more extreme as we’re forced to watch a defense that can’t get off the field, can’t disrupt a quarterback, and looks generally lifeless when they’re supposed to be rounding into form.

Why did we rationalize getting rid of them all again? Locker room cancer and was going to want too much money and freelancing? Something like those? Well at this point I’d happily take all those “problems” back since all three had more energy and life to their game than anything we’re seeing from the Patriots defense now.

Kyle Van Noy is another Protypical Patriot

November 13, 2016 by Pete Smith

New Linebacker Kyle Van Noy will be part of the triumvirate effort in replacing Jamie Collins role in the Patriots defense. While Elandon Roberts and Barkevious Mingo have both played for the Patriots, barring an inactive designation, tonight will mark Van Noy’s first time on the field in New England.

It is unclear how the Patriots will choose to use Van Noy, who after being acquired via trade state he was, “happy to be wanted” in New England, and that the his former team, “didn’t know where to put [him].” Could this be another classic Belichick steal? Honestly, he might be.

Patriots’ Do Your Job Keys vs. Seahawks in SB49

November 10, 2016 by Mike Dussault

If you haven’t watched the Do Your Job documentary from NFL Films above, stop reading this blog and get on it right now. This, along with Bill Belichick’s A Football Life, are the two most critical must-watch pieces about the dynasty Patriots. Nowhere else will you find the kind of look behind the curtain that these two shows provide.

One of my favorite parts (and no, it’s definitely not the Deflategate act) was where the Patriots coaches talked about their keys to the game going into Super Bowl 49. It’s worth a quick look back since this Seahawks team is very much like the one they saw in Arizona and the keys are likely to be very similar.

If you want to hop to the part where they talk about these keys, fast forward to 22:30.

The Rematch: Week 10 Seattle Seahawks Scouting Report

November 9, 2016 by Adam Magnacca

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It’s been a while since Russel Wilson has seen Malcolm Butler (outside of his nightmares of course), but the time is now for a Super Bowl rematch. While the teams are not the same as they were that fateful night, the concepts and key players remain largely the same. Belichick himself said that there was much to glean from their last meeting so let’s hope the result is the same.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Seattle Seahawks, aka, “The Dirty Birds”

Week 10 vs Seattle Seahawks

Sunday November 13

8:30 pm EST, NBC

Low 40’s 0% chance of rain, 6 mph winds

Opponent/Patriots Stats
Seahawks: 5-2-1

Notable Games: A nail biter Monday night against Buffalo, the team squeaked out a win over Rex Ryan’s squad. The game was marred by bizarre officiating and a controversial foul where it appears Richard Sherman lunged at Dan Carpenter‘s legs during a kick. The team also played in one of two (!) ties in the NFL this season versus the Cardinals with 6 (!!) points apiece.

Common Opponents: Arizona Cardinals (Pats win, SEA tied), Miami Dolphins (Both teams won), Buffalo Bills (SEA won, Pats won 2nd time, lost 1st match up).

History vs. Pats: Super Bowl XLIX in 2015 (Pats won 28-24). This is Seattle’s 2nd game at Gillette Stadium, the first coming in 2004. The last 3 contests between the teams have been away from Foxboro. The most recent Seattle victory against the Pats was a 24-23 game in 2012.

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