analysis

Of course, I am coming down with a cold during the bye week, why would the Hoodie above grant me full health on the one week I’m not knee deep in trials and tribulations of being a Patriots super fan?

Oh well, we’ll power through it to report some developments from today’s practice.

– First and most important, ROB NINKOVICH was at practice today so we can all breathe a big sigh of relief. It’s one of the first bullets we’ve dodged all season. The rest seem to all be hitting us dead in the chest or head.

– Steve Gregory has a broken thumb and is out a few weeks. Again, that’s decent news considering how many guys have been going on IR. Gregory was playing well so it’s a little disappointing, but I am curious and excited to see Duron Harmon get some snaps. Of course, this means we’ll have a rookie on the back end against Peyton Manning so uh, let’s get hope that maybe Gregory makes it back by then. 

– Pats signed two guys, running back Cierre Wood to the practice squad and wide receiver LaQuan Williams to the 53-man roster. Seems like Austin Collie might be the latest addition to IR.

– Had a chance to re-watch the game last night and the offense was even more impressive this time around. Something about watching the game without the stress of uncertainty that allows me to focus better.

– Excited to see Dane Fletcher playing well. Always felt like he deserved a chance like this. It’s too bad it had to come at Mayo’s expense, but I like what he’s doing out there and think we could see his role increase.

– Dont’a Hightower was a lot better in coverage in this one, that’s a positive sign.

– Alfonzo Dennard hasn’t gotten enough praise this season as all the CB love has gone to Talib, but he’s having an impressive second season. He might make occasional mistakes but he always seems to bounce back with solid plays.

– More to come once we get a look at the All-22 to get a better sense of coverages and route combinations…

Maybe it was daylight savings, but probably it was the 55 points the Pats put up, because I feel great today! Haven’t had a chance to go back and look at the game again, will do so tonight and then all-22 tomorrow, but went back into the stats a bit to confirm some of what I thought I saw yesterday.

Some thoughts…

– This was the game I’ve been waiting for and had a feeling that it would happen either against the Phins or the Steelers. When everyone was all over Brady last week it just made it even more likely. As I’ve been saying for weeks, once Gronk and Amendola are healthy and the line plays like the way they’re capable of, it would be a whole new ballgame.

– Was glad to see Ridley stay in there after his fumble. Hard to really fault him on that, he had no time to tuck the ball away and Brady really shouldn’t have even thrown it to him. What a game for him and proof that what most of us saw was true, Ridley deserved a game where he shouldered the load and he proved how good he really can be.

– Excited about Dobson’s development, he’s literally gotten better and better the last three weeks. This is why you stick with rookie receivers through the first couple months of their careers. Wish the Pats had done so sooner with other receivers in the late-00’s and then the Pats wouldn’t have had such a harsh transition this season, but hey, we’re 7-2 so it’s all relative.

– I know the run defense is a concern but I am somewhat encouraged because of the 20 Steelers rushing plays 11 went for four yards or less. It was just the 30 and 25 yarders that were the big problem. Otherwise their next longest rush was 10 yards. They might not be as good as last year’s Pats run defense, but they can be good enough. Just eliminate those big plays and they’ll be fine.

– The Gregory injury is one where I’m actually kind of excited to see Duron Harmon get a shot. I just really like how athletic and instinctive he’s looked in limited duty so far. Hopefully Gregory isn’t done for the season, he was playing solid. But I’m curious to see how Harmon does. 

– Logan Ryan was moved to the money role after Gregory went out, showing how far Tavon Wilson has fallen down the depth chart.

– The problems with the long gains in the passing game were apparent, but it was as much bad tackling as it was bad coverage on many of them.  The Steelers had 14 plays of 15-or-more yards. 2 were runs, 8 were short passes and four were deep passes (including two that went for touchdowns). 

– This points to two things… one, they need Talib back. Not just for him to shut one guy down, but because of the trickle-down effect. Two, is tackling. Thought they tackled pretty badly in this one. That is something that can be quickly fixed.

– Now the Pats get a break at a great time. It seems like they’ve found what will work for them going forward on offense. That is an undermentioned part of the Pats’ philosophy – the early parts of the year are always about experimentation and finding what works best. Now that they’ve figured it out, expect the roles to become even more clearly defined and the offense to start clicking with more and more consistency.