ckparrothead
Premium Member
Len Pasquarelli wrote a very good indepth article on the Patriots and what team will step up and beat them. He didn't name specific teams but he did apparently consult with a lot of the NFL's offensive and defensive coordinators about strategies playing against the Patriots. The interesting part for me was this quote...
http://espn.go.com/nfl/columns/pasquarelli_len/1433346.html
Does anyone else think that this basically sounds exactly like our defense? Except for the "man-under" which basically changes from game to game whether or not we're playing that way (against the Colts we did not for fear of Marvin Harrison).
This is what we do on defense. We play the cover 2. We press cover. We are extremely physical with the receivers. We do "man-under" AND, very importantly, last year we enjoyed a modicum of success against the Patriots. If I remember correctly, were it not for a fumble at the goal line by Lamar "I'm either fumbling or not getting yards" Smith, we would have had a very good chance of sweeping the Pats in the series. In our first meeting we beat the pants off Wonderboy Brady.
What concerns me is this following quote...
I hope that we will be able to get the push up the middle like we use to with Daryl Gardener, but I fear that we will not.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/columns/pasquarelli_len/1433346.html
From a schematic standpoint on the defensive side, the consensus is that an opponent has to reciprocate against New England with a healthy dose of its own medicine. That means plenty of "Cover 2" looks with "man-under" in the short and intermediate zones. It also means mixing in press coverages against the wide receivers, who have collective explosiveness in and out of cuts and who add yards after nearly every catch.
The addition of free agent Donald Hayes and second-round draft choice Deion Branch have provided Brady with two outside playmakers. Despite the size dimension Hayes brings, however, the Pats' wide receivers still rate as one of the smaller groups in the league. And while they are elusive, the feeling is they can be roughed up a bit, jammed to prevent easy releases into their routes
Does anyone else think that this basically sounds exactly like our defense? Except for the "man-under" which basically changes from game to game whether or not we're playing that way (against the Colts we did not for fear of Marvin Harrison).
This is what we do on defense. We play the cover 2. We press cover. We are extremely physical with the receivers. We do "man-under" AND, very importantly, last year we enjoyed a modicum of success against the Patriots. If I remember correctly, were it not for a fumble at the goal line by Lamar "I'm either fumbling or not getting yards" Smith, we would have had a very good chance of sweeping the Pats in the series. In our first meeting we beat the pants off Wonderboy Brady.
What concerns me is this following quote...
"They're attacking more now, so you have to come at Brady more often on first down, change up on him early in the possession," said one opposition linebackers coach whose team faces New England in the second half of the schedule. "He's a smart kid, and (Weis) is terrific in what he does with him, but he's still young. There isn't a quarterback in this league who doesn't get rattled at some point. But I think to get to Brady, you have to come inside on him. Compress the pocket from the inside, you know?"
I hope that we will be able to get the push up the middle like we use to with Daryl Gardener, but I fear that we will not.