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When the Patriots wake up from this funk, they’ll find themselves in a tremendous position to do it all over again. Aside from Belichick and Brady, the core of the Patriots’ roster is very young, led by safety Patrick Chung (25 years old when the 2012 regular season begins), tight end Rob Gronkowski (23), tight end Aaron Hernandez (22), linebacker Jerod Mayo (26), cornerback Devin McCourty (25), tackle Nate Solder (24), linebacker Brandon Spikes (25), tackle Sebastian Vollmer (28).

“We’ve got a young team,” Mayo said. “This one stings. We’ll remember it for a long time, and this offseason, we’ll get back to work real soon and try to get back to this point. It takes a lot of work to get back to this point. It will be a lot of work.”

There’s also an older generation of leaders who are still in their prime like left guard Logan Mankins (30 years old when the 2012 regular season begins) and defensive lineman Vince Wilfork (30). Of course, add wide receiver Wes Welker (31) to that list, under the strong assumption he’ll be back, either with the franchise tag or a long-term contract.

The Patriots have also amassed a strong group of role players who continued to improve this season, such as cornerback Kyle Arrington (26 years old when the 2012 regular season begins), defensive end Brandon Deaderick (25), linebacker Dane Fletcher (25), safety James Ihedigbo (28), defensive tackle Kyle Love (25), linebacker Rob Ninkovich (28), running back Stevan Ridley (23) and special teamer Matthew Slater (27).

Tom Brady, Patriots Crushed by Super Bowl Defeat, But Optimistic With Talented Young Foundation for 2012 – New England Patriots – NESN.com

https://www.patspropaganda.com/when-the-patriots-wake-up-from-this-funk-theyll/

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Specific to Coach Belichick, I think back to that 2001 championship team and some of the young players that were there, and how it turned them into consistent championship players. If they defeat the Giants in Super Bowl XLVI, you see the potential of that happening with this group. Yes, you have veterans like Brady and Vince Wilfork leading the way, but then you think about Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, Jerod Mayo, Devin McCourty … a player like Patrick Chung, is he your Lawyer Milloy/Rodney Harrison? The potential for another run is there.

Super Bowl 2012 – Bruschi’s Breakdown – Patriots vs. Giants – ESPN Boston

https://www.patspropaganda.com/specific-to-coach-belichick-i-think-back-to-that/

Cosell Talks: The Patriots vs. The Slot Machine : NFL Films Blog

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Cosell Talks: The Patriots vs. The Slot Machine : NFL Films Blog

Cosell on Patriots Alert!!!! I think one of the options Cosell doesn’t mention is using Patrick Chung in coverage on Cruz as well. Chung’s had his issues in coverage this year, but he’s still a better match up than Edelman in my book.  As always I’m sure it will be done by committee, but this is where Belichick’s experimentation during the season can pay off a little bit. The Giants can’t be sure exactly what they’ll see.

What I find truly fascinating in Super Bowl 46 is the matchup of the Giants 3 wide receiver personnel versus the Patriots pass defense. As we know, Victor Cruz almost always aligns in the slot when the Giants go 3 wide. Cruz was the most productive slot receiver in the NFL in 2011. I charted every one of his catches in the regular season and the 3 post-season wins, and the numbers were truly revealing. 75% of his receptions, and 77% of his yards came from the slot. There is no question that’s a strong tendency. 

Recall what Cruz did to San Francisco’s Carlos Rogers in the NFC Championship game. Rogers was the slot corner in the 49ers nickel sub-package. He had an excellent year in that role, a Pro Bowl year. In the first half, with Rogers predominantly matched man-to-man, Cruz had 8 catches for 125 yards.

The paramount point is Cruz is a very difficult assignment in the slot. As I turn my attention to the Super Bowl, I’m struggling to get a handle on the Patriots matchup approach. All season, Bill Belichick has mixed and matched in his secondary, using an unforeseen combination of undrafted and street free agents, and wide receivers like Matt Slater and Julian Edelman.

When the Patriots and Giants played back in early November, the nickel corner was Philip Adams, who three weeks later, was released.

Belichick’s got a whole new D

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Lost somewhere in between Gronk’s ankle and the Patriots 31st-ranked passing yards allowed is the storyline that the Patriots are returning to the Super Bowl for the first time in four years with an almost entirely new defense.

Take a moment to think about the latest “old and slow” defense that the football pundits are talking about needing a youth movement, the Pittsburgh Steelers. How overwhelming does it seem to have a complete turnover of that defense (save one single starter) and have them back in the Super Bowl in four seasons?

That is no small undertaking when replacing players as talented on that defense, just like it was no small undertaking replacing legends like Bruschi, Harrison, Vrabel and Seymour.

The pundits love to talk about Belichick’s draft misses, and to be sure there have been plenty of them. That’s what happens when you have a ton of draft picks, you’re going to miss on some. But you’re also going to hit on some, and the Patriots have hit on enough to give Pats fans confidence that this defense is going to only get better, and will be very good for a very long time.

Ron Brace might not live up to the 2nd round pick you selected him with. But Kyle Love and Brandon Deaderick have certainly exceeded all expectations anyone had for when they were undrafted and a 7th rounder respectively.

The fearsome foursome I want to focus on are Jerod Mayo, Patrick Chung, Devin McCourty and Brandon Spikes. Now all have had their performance and injury issues over the first few years of their Patriot careers, but their style of play and temperament have become the signatures of this Patriots defense. It won’t always be perfect with them, but they never get down and they certainly never give up.

The result of Super Bowl 46 will of course be over-analyzed to death, with repercussions on the legacies of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. But the Patriots defense, for all it’s faults and imperfections, is set up extremely well for the future and the playoff experience that the players have gotten this year will only be a booster to their development.

Not many organizations in NFL history have the kind of continuity that allows for one person in charge to oversee a complete turnover on one side of the ball. Of course it hasn’t been perfect, but returning to a Super Bowl with an almost entirely new collection of hand-picked draft picks and castoffs from other teams should certainly be a major feather in Belichick’s hoodie.

Patriots to face Giants re-match in Super Bowl 46

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The New England Patriots are quickly righting every wrong that’s happened since they last hoisted the Lombardi Trophy and the Kill Bill-esque revenge tour now will conclude with a shot at the biggest offender of them all.

The Patriots already saw the Giants once this year, and the New England defense couldn’t stop a game-winning drive from Eli Manning that was eerily similar to Super Bowl 42. The Giants are a potent foe, and one who have had the Pats number since seeing 16-0 happen on their home field.

But my initial feeling is that the Patriots know what it takes to beat the Giants and they’ll look at this game feeling like true underdogs, despite whatever the point spread is.

Some quick hit thoughts as I slowly try to come to terms with the fact that we’re going back to the Super Bowl.

  1. With the Super Bowl Patriots it always felt like the bounces just seem to go our way at the right time, and this team has a similar feeling. Obviously the Myra-culous missed field goal was the biggest example.
  2. I can’t help but feel a tiny slight bit bad for Ed Reed and Ray Lewis. That is not an appropriate playoff fate for two warriors like them. But thems the breaks.
  3. I still don’t know what Brady was doing going deep to Slater on that interception. That play would’ve been the talk of the off-season had they lost. 
  4. Thus, I think TFB will come out with something major to prove in the Super Bowl.
  5. Feel great for Patrick Chung and Brandon Spikes. Two of the players I saw as most valuable to the defense are back and making plays.
  6. I wonder the repercussions of this game in the off-season for both teams. The Ravens might get one more shot with Reed and Lewis, maybe.
  7. Woodhead wasn’t as much of a factor as I thought he’d be.
  8. Green-Ellis was his usual reliable self. Ridley not dressing sent a message. There was no more screwing around in this one. The experiments were over. Only the most reliable were going to play. That goes for Ocho too.
  9. How about Matt Light and Nate Solder’s job on Terrell Suggs?
  10. Deaderick and Love were solid, but Wilfork was on another level. I don’t know if anyone knew he would be this capable and this diverse just a few years ago. What a beast, making plays in the biggest moments.
  11. I don’t know if Sterling Moore will even be on the Pats next year but he made two season-saving plays that deserve note and appreciation.
  12. If the Patriots beat the Giants in the Super Bowl I don’t know who there will be really left to hate. We swept the Jets. Colts are starting over. Dolphins/BIlls still MIA. We righted ‘05 Denver loss, ’09 Ravens loss, and (potentially) ’07 Giants loss. Who’s left? 

What a couple of weeks it will be. Looking forward to going back and taking another look at the game without heart palpitations. Go Pats!

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Greg Cosell of NFL Films, who may watch as much game film on a week-to-week basis as most coaches, warns that fans shouldn’t get too excited about the Patriots’ performance against the Broncos, and reveals some interesting tidbits about the Ravens.

“The Ravens are a very odd pass game. They’ve got a quarterback who can throw it as well as any quarterback in the league in [Joe] Flacco, but their pass game is very limited conceptually and tactically; it’s not hard to tactically defend,’’ Cosell said. “So it comes down to people. Is it possible that [Devin] McCourty can get beat by Torrey Smith on a go route? Of course that’s possible. McCourty’s been beat this year. So I can’t sit here and tell you, ‘Gee, they’re going to shut down the Ravens,’ but the Ravens are not hard to defend tactically.’’

Against the Texans last Sunday, Cosell counted just eight snaps when Baltimore used its third receiver, Lee Evans, a number that’s nearly unheard of these days. For comparison, the Patriots had four receivers – Wes Welker, Deion Branch, Julian Edelman, and Tiquan Underwood – play at least 10 snaps against the Broncos, plus tight ends Rob Gronkowski, who played all 66 snaps, and Aaron Hernandez, who was on for 57. But Flacco, whom many consider to be the wild card in this game, is a good passer, and the Ravens have the dynamic Ray Rice, who was both their leading rusher and leading receiver.

Cosell has quickly taken a liking to Patriots linebacker Brandon Spikes, whom he called “arguably the most physical and violent inside linebacker’’ in the NFL, and his return to the field three weeks ago, along with the return of safety Patrick Chung, have made a difference.

So much great stuff in this quote, none better than the stuff about Brandon Spikes and Patrick Chung, two players I’ve been a huge fan of since their arrival in Foxboro.

Patriots’ defense may be on the rise – The Boston Globe

https://www.patspropaganda.com/patriots-ravens-20/

2010 Patriots Defensive Snaps vs. Ravens

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2010 Patriots Defensive Snaps vs. Ravens

The defensive snap numbers from last season paint an interesting picture that we might be able to extrapolate from when thinking about how the Patriots defense might be put together for Sunday.

Outside of Meriweather and Cunningham, every one of the defensive players that played the majority of snaps are back. Now, instead of Meriweather playing Free Safety, the Pats will likely put Chung there, with Ihedigbo being the in the box safety. Ihedigbo has had his issues but his size and physicality should be a plus in this one.

On the outside linebacker front you had Mark Anderson playing a huge role against the Broncos. Cunningham played his most snaps to date in last year’s game, a clear sign of how much the Pats wanted to put forth their most stout and physical defensive front seven.

So this is where a major question comes in, do the Pats keep Anderson out there in base or is he too big of a risk in the run game? If they go back to the 4-3 defense we could see an Ellis-Love-Wilfork-Deaderick line up front which might be the best option. Surely Anderson will get some snaps in sub-packages as will Dane Fletcher.

Below are the Pats who played the great majority of the snaps. They were in the 3-4 defense for 75% of the snaps.

  • S Patrick Chung – 77 of 77
  • ILB Jerod Mayo – 77 of 77
  • CB Devin McCourty – 77 of 77
  • CB Kyle Arrington – 76 of 77
  • S Brandon Meriweather – 68 of 77
  • OLB Jermaine Cunningham – 59 of 77
  • OLB Rob Ninkovich – 58 of 77
  • DL Vince Wilfork – 58 of 77
  • ILB Brandon Spikes – 57 of 77
  • NT Gerard Warren – 56 of 77
  • DE Brandon Deaderick – 52 of 77