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Pats Posits: Oh My Gronk, We’re Not Going Undefeated!

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Between this game and the one against the Giants a couple weeks ago, I’m pretty sure this Patriots regular season is going to put me into an early grave. 

I’m still trying to wrap my head around the Broncos game and it’s long been over. Obviously the Rob Gronkowski “injury” was a dark moment and I am still in shock that the early reports are that he’ll only be out a week, maybe.

In those moments as Gronk writhed in pain, all Patriots fans went through the same thought – “welp there goes our Super Bowl hopes”. In the moment that was a legitimate thing to believe, but even if Gronk was done for the year I wouldn’t totally rule the Patriots out given the state of the NFL this year. Not with Tom Brady still throwing. And not with our first legitimate defense since 2007.

I’ve never experienced a season like this one, which is refreshing in some ways. The Patriots will still in theory have all their major parts back (except Dion Lewis) for the playoffs. Can they all instantly click to win three games? That’s the question to ponder now.

No matter how many silver linings we spin, this loss still hurts. The Hightower injury – being reported as an MCL sprain – is significant. And the OPI calls on Gronkowski, that seem meant to single him out purposefully, are troubling.

Plenty else to digest, here are the belated Pats Posits…

– A favorite saying of mine is that you can’t truly appreciate a win until you’ve completely accepted that you’re probably not going to win. Super Bowl 49 was the greatest example of that, and now I’ve got the same feeling on a player basis with Gronk.

– We all accepted he was done for the year, that there was finally an injury that would really, really hurt, but now alas, Gronk will be back. Perhaps this is what we needed to break the weekly injury string. Perhaps.

– A brief bit on the penalties and then I’m done complaining about them. I’m not usually one to complain too much about calls but last night’s were just too egregious to ignore. The Chung PI was marginal at best, but I can live with it. I’ve been living with marginal PI calls forever as most of the NFL has. But the Gronk OPI is a disconcerting trend because it seems like he’s being targeted unfairly. The Pats have no choice but to keep playing and make them call it 100 times, because once you tell Gronk to avoid contact at the top of his stem he’s going to play tentative. I just pray to the Football Gods it’s not a Gronk OPI call in the playoffs that does us in because that will set me on fire.

– Rob Gronkowski was walking seemingly fine and the initial reports are that it is not serious but I still wouldn’t mind giving Chandler a game to play a lot. I know he’s had issues with drops but I think he might be the kind of player who benefits from being a central focus for a game or two. We saw it on the game-tying drive when he had a couple big catches. If we can break him out of the funk, get Gronk fully healthy, they could finally live up to their “Twin Towers” expectation.

– I have to say it was an impressive game-tying drive after seeing Gronk go down. You just had to know they were going to be shell shocked after that. Still Brady rallied them down the field and that is incredibly promising for the core of this team that will need to take them to the Super Bowl, especially the offensive line and Brady. That is the Patriots heart we’re used to seeing in the face of adversity.

– Some are probably killing the defense today, but it was pretty simple that once Hightower went down and Chris Harper fumbled the table was perfectly set for the Broncos comeback. I’d like to think Hightower was that critical to the run defense being so good in recent weeks, but it certainly looks that way.  Kevin Duffy of MassLive.com pointed out that with Hightower in the game, the Broncos had 15 rushes for 43 yards. After Hightower went down, they had 17 carries for 136 yards and three touchdowns.

– The end of course ruined what was really an exciting defensive performance until the wheels fell off. Logan Ryan was superb for most of the game as was Malcolm Butler until the end. It shouldn’t have gotten to that point, but I remain confident that with Hightower and Collins back in the lineup this is a championship calibre defense.

– The Broncos made the plays (and got the calls) but they really don’t scare me much down the road. The only focus now is staying ahead of the Bengals because the Broncos have another loss or likely two in them. The Bengals have had great injury luck this year and I still think that’s the AFC Championship game no matter what.

– If there’s something to worry about it’s the running game. Blount can’t get going on his own. White and Bolden can’t make anyone miss. Every game since Lewis went down has been ugly and I would advocate adding someone who can get through the line quickly. Not sure if that player is out there. But what’s distressing is that no one knew Lewis would be that good, and plenty of us thought Blount and White WOULD be the lead backs. So if there was a place that should’ve been a little further addressed this offseason it should’ve been running back. Or at least not cutting Jonas Gray? 

– Vollmer to LT and Cannon back to RT worked well but I thought it was Josh Kline’s worst game and some pressure up the gut hurt a few times. So now that Stork is back at center and we’re coming down the stretch I’d like to see a set line that we stick with. Just figure out the Mason-Kline-Jackson of it all at guard and then roll with it.

– If Gronk and Hightower are back sooner than later this was a good loss. Why? Because the pressure of being undefeated is off and let’s face it, this team isn’t a 16-0 team nor should we care or want them to be. Second, this was a loss that pissed off Brady and Belichick and that always locks . This is the kind of loss the 2007 Patriots could’ve used. Nothing was really exposed about these Patriots that we didn’t already know. Yeah, their run defense went down the tubes after Hightower went out, that’s troubling but not surprising. And really, given the emotion of the end of the game after Gronk, I can’t say I was shocked they laid a turd defensively after it. Those will be plays to look at closer on the rewatch, but I still feel pretty confident about the Pats’ chances of getting to the Super Bowl. It’s just going to be a matter of whether or not Brady can pick things up at an elite level with Edelman/Amendola/Gronk after potentially not playing with them for a while.

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pottsisstarksheart:

Brandon Bolden goes 63 yards for a touchdown, the longest reception of his career!

https://www.patspropaganda.com/pottsisstarksheart-brandon-bolden-goes-63-yards/

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pottsisstarksheart:

Just throw it to Gronk and let him do Gronk things. Touchdown!

https://www.patspropaganda.com/pottsisstarksheart-just-throw-it-to-gronk-and/

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https://www.patspropaganda.com/325/

New England Patriots Gameplan: Week 12 at Denver Broncos

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How quickly the dynamics of this game have changed. Instead of another Tom Brady
– Peyton Manning duel we’re getting a defensive battle that could see the over/under remain below 40.

Regardless of who is or isn’t playing, this is an important game in the AFC and if the Pats are without Danny Amendola
, they’re going to have to find a way to move the ball on a very stout defense that has all the pieces necessary to stop them.

But the Patriots’ defense are no slouches either and they should give Brock Osweiler plenty of problems in his second start, even if the Pats are still without Jamie Collins , as expected.

The Patriots have had their struggles in Denver, winning there just once (2011) since Tom Brady lost his first playoff game there in January of 2006.

What do the Pats need to do to get to 11-0 and put a tight grip on the top seed in the conference? Here’s my gameplan…

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Offensive Gameplan

The entire offensive gameplan really hinges on Danny Amendola’s availability, and if he can’t go things are going to be a little scary against a defense with as much talent as we’ve faced.

But here’s the thing, in three games since 2007 Brady has thrown for 1028 yards, 12 touchdowns and 0 interceptions against Wade Phillips (’07 HC Cowboys, ‘12 DC Texans (x 2)). And none of those teams were exactly pushovers. So it would seem Brady has a pretty good handle on Phillips’ scheme.

Replicating that kind of execution with Chris Harper as the primary chain mover might be a little tough and that illustrates the bigger problem – the Broncos man coverage. The hardest skill for a wide receiver is beating man coverage before the pass rush gets to the quarterback. Can the Pats’ receivers defeat Talib/Harris? They’re gonna need Amendola.

My gameplan offensively is simple and the big piece is giving James White a chance to start. Don’t run Blount into the teeth of the defense right out of the gate. Spread them out and try to establish the quick man-beating passing game. Don’t completely ignore the run, but let White run some screens and draws before moving to any power game with Blount.

Someone will have to step up this week with or without Amendola. White, Brandon Bolden, Aaron Dobson and LaFell all came through in key spots against the Bills (and Harper would’ve too if not for a Cannon penalty). They’ll need more of those plays from the secondary weapons. If Scott Chandler’s ever going to have a big game, now might be the time.

But really it all feeds into the offensive line. They should be better this week. Phillips won’t run the same kind of deception Rex did (though he would if he was smart), so they should have an easier time picking up the pass rushers. Still, those are some good pass rushers, even without Demarcus Ware, but this week it will be more physical than mental and usually the Pats offensive line are good in games like that.

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Defensive Gamplan

It was fun watching a great cornerback like Darrelle Revis last year and Brandon Browner brought great physicality, but this is a better defense this year and I enjoy watching them far more now.

It goes back to the early and mid-2000′s when we knew the Patriots had the baddest defense on the block. On every big moment in the game you just knew someone would come through with a play and more often than not they did.

Now it’s starting to feel the same way. It’s not all about Ninkovich and Chandler Jones. There’s so much talent and depth, and with the rotation they’re able to keep guys fresh. Dominique Easley, Jabaal Sheard and Malcom Brown are causing chaos up front and it’s been so long since the Patriots have had that.

Now Brock Osweiler plays directly into what the Patriots defense does best – get after the quarterback. No longer does Bill Belichick have to rely on disguising coverage as much against a young quarterback. Now he can show it’s man defense and simply challenge the quarterback to get through his reads to find who can get open before the pass rush gets to him. This isn’t easy against the Pats’ front four now.

There’s no question the Broncos have playmakers who can beat man coverage, so the Pats will likely live or die on their pass rush in this one. But they don’t have to worry as much about containing Osweiler, they can just attack. I like that formula.

Though Malcolm Butler covered Emmanuel Sanders last year and did it well, I think he likely goes to Demaryius Thomas now, with Logan Ryan on Sanders (assuming he plays after sitting out last week).

Otherwise, I like the Patriots’ chances of shutting down the run and putting the game in Osweiler’s hands. The Pats are as stout against the run as I can ever remember, and unless they have their first bad game since September, they should give Brady and the offense a chance to win the game no matter how few points they put up.

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Five Points of Emphasis

1. WRs Win Quick: Best way to attack man coverage and minimize the impact of your pass protection? Get the ball out quick with your wide receivers winning off the line of scrimmage. This is easier said than done, especially against perhaps the best secondary in the NFL. But sitting back on long-developing routes, forcing the pass protection to stop the Denver front for extended time, is not the route to victory in this one.

2. Unleash James White: White hasn’t been asked to do much in two games since Dion Lewis went down, but has done well and come through in some big spots in a limited role. Now why not just throw him into the fire? Start the game with him. See what he can do in a bigger role. He has to be confident coming off two touchdowns against the Bills.  Now is the time to start making him a bigger part of the offense, a part they’re really going to need in January.

3. Unleash the Pass Rush: Just what exactly is the ceiling of this Patriots pass rush with everyone healthy and clicking? We still haven’t seen it and won’t until Jamie Collins is back, but they looked like a really solid NFL defense in recent weeks. I truly believe the defense can (and will likely have to) win this game for the Patriots, even more so than last week against the Bills. Attack Osweiler. Force mistakes. Don’t let them have the time for the deep throws to Thomas and Sanders. That’s the formula. Once they get Collins back, look out. 

4. Win First Down: So many of the Patriots offensive struggles against the Bills were because they struggled on first down and usually ended up in third-and-longs. This week they must find a way to consistently get five yards on first down instead of two. Staying on time with the offense will keep Denver from their comfort zone with long yardage third downs.

5. Win: Yes, the Pats could clinch their division this week, but there’s still a lot to work out before the playoff run. What matters most is getting the top seed and a win in Denver would be a huge tie breaker to hold. They very well might have to play this team again, and perhaps next time they’ll have some version of Peyton Manning. It’s far better to know a potential playoff game would be in Foxboro.

Prediction: Patriots 17, Broncos 14