Ndamukong Suh: Patriots are definitely beatable

[Pandarilla]

Confusion is a great start. If you can show a certain coverage shell pre-snap and roll into another post-snap then you can delay the proper read in hopes that your pass rush or blitz gets home in time to disrupt the QB or move him off his spot to alter the timing of the routes.

Pattern Match coverage (which was developed by Belichick and Saban during their years together in Cleveland right before Modell uprooted the franchise) is another that provides a lot of answers in that it the defense plays zone at the snap and in underneath coverage but ends up being man once routes are declared.

Here's an example of Pattern Match I posted in the Stars and System Guy thread:

Spoiler

All in all, defense is always at a disadvantage to the offense and when your facing a QB like Brady who has seen it all in his 17 year career and counting, you're pretty much at his mercy if you can't get pressure and provide confusion consistently.

I remember Brady saying Zach Thomas' 4-3 defense was nothing exotic, it's just that we were so good at it.

Were they using these schemes back then?

 

[Avalanche of Wins]

That pattern match seems so confusing to me, relying on young players in the secondary to read things and matchup mentally with the likes of brady and edelman is not something id want to be relying on. though i like your first point, disguising our coverage intentions more pre-snap would be a great start.

 

[Sons Of Shula]

I remember Brady saying Zach Thomas' 4-3 defense was nothing exotic, it's just that we were so good at it.

Were they using these schemes back then?

Charlie Weiss was a main catalyst in innovating and installing the modern twist on the Erhardt-Perkins scheme for the Patriots in 2000. That also happened to be Brady's rookie year. The Patriots slowly implemented the system and eased Brady into it as well. They stuck to some of the traditions of the E&P system of it being a run first system for many years before turning it into the complex scheme we see today. Brady was a low 60% completion and 2/1 TD to INT passer in his first 5-6 years and it wasn't until Belichick trusted him to take the reigns that he unfurled the multiplex pass first scheme that the Patriots used for their 16-0 run in '07 and forward.

So that said, Zach Thomas only saw that NE offense as a Dolphin for one season (1-15).

 

[Sons Of Shula]

That pattern match seems so confusing to me, relying on young players in the secondary to read things and matchup mentally with the likes of brady and edelman is not something id want to be relying on. though i like your first point, disguising our coverage intentions more pre-snap would be a great start.

We'll be a heavy zone defense. Our main hope vs teams like the Patriots will be an efficient and high scoring offense. Our defense won't do anything to confuse savvy QB's coverage wise besides a post snap coverage shell rotation. Even then the majority of our changes will simply be b/w Cover 2 & 3. We don't have the DB's for Cover 1 (Man Free), nor the coverage backers underneath to consistently use Cover 4.

 

[BigNastyFish]

Cheaters can be hard to beat when the game is in "play."

I still cannot believe the incredibly inept performance of the Falcons finding a way to lose a won game.

In my account the Cheats still don't have one legit Stupid Bowl title. Not one.

And you know Vince Lombardi has been vomiting in his grave for quite a few years now!

My opinion. Of course.

NE Sucks like no other team. Has ever sucked!!!!!!!

 

[Sons Of Shula]

I still cannot believe the incredibly inept performance of the Falcons finding a way to lose a won game.

So were Marino's/Dolphin comebacks just a result of the opposition finding a way to lose the game?