Been a very long time since I started a thread around here, and I felt that this was worth doing so. I watched the game again last night on my DVR and took some notes - here are some observations that may have gone unnoticed that are worth mentioning: - Rex/Pettine were lining Sean Ellis up over center on a lot of 3rd and 3's and 3rd and 4's. These are downs NE typically likes to pass, this provided some extra pash rush and speed on the field. Pace and Taylor were the usual suspects flanking him. - Drew Coleman Sack: Jets create confusion here. Smith looks to be the one blitzing on the play, and they motion Taylor from right to left so he is over the guard. You can see the center call out Taylor and Brady motion towards Smith, all the movement is on the left side of the line. When the ball is snapped Smith does indeed blitz, soaking up a blitz pickup while Pace drops into coverage. The whole time nobody even gave Coleman a glance, he comes in un-touched. Brilliant! - LT TD: What a play call. LT motions out of the backfield and the MLB calls him out, the Patriots are in man coverage, perfect! Sanchez sees this and does not hesitate for a second post-snap. Braylon and Holmes run physical routes acting like a pick/screen while LT heads out to the flat - the LB never had a chance. Very decisive and solid decision by Sanchez. - 3rd & 3 for NE, this play was just after LT TD. We employ 7 DBs, Harris and 3 downlinemen. We use "plaster" coverage and fake the blitz. Brady has nowhere to go with the ball. - 2nd Qt. 8:29 Left - Patriots punt, you can feel the crowd beginning to get uneasy. - 3rd & 4 before the fake punt: Again, we employ 7 DBs, Harris and 3 DL (Taylor, Pryce, Pace). Brady Points out Smith and then Lowery as the blitz pickup. On the snap Lowery drops and covers Woodhead out of the backfield whom Brady assumed would be open. Smith does indeed blitz, but Brady rushes his release to a very well covered Woodhead - nice job, speed on speed! - LT 15 yard run on the first play after fake punt is no good: Sanchez uses a hard count which gives up the ILB Blitz, he drops off, which is good because LT hits the hole he was about to blow-up. Nice job by Sanchez to keep the LB in position. - Revis is SICK!! Almost picks Brady on the pass to Branch just before half, stalling the drive, just amazing coverage. - 3rd and 1 on opening drive of 3rd QT. DeVito is having a helluva'game! He swim moves right through the line and blows up the play so Harris can make the tackle and force the punt. Nasty! - We punt with 10min left in the 3rd QT and Cole comes up with a very nice ST Tackle to hold the punt return to a 2 yard gain. - Noticing how the Pats without a deep threat can't get us off the short routes. We are sitting near the line and keeping tight on everyone - no threat of the bomb so we are in severe press coverage. - Pace's sack was a coverage sack, he held the ball forever. - Harris pressures on the next play, Brady is getting jittery. - Greene 15 yard run w/5mins in 3rd: Braylon with some VERY NICE downfield blocking. Great pull by Slauson to lead the way, he really gets out in front. - On NE TD Drive, we begin to sluff off the line a bit and play some drop coverage..hmmm, not sure why, but guys started to come free. Felt a bit like Dec. 6th, but we get out of this quickly. - Green-Ellis big run on Jets D - we look tired! - Crumpler TD. Nice throw by Brady, we look tired, very tired. We are in a zone and Scott never gets over to help out. Digs is caught looking. - 2 pt. Coversion: Brady still looks emotionless, as if he knows we will switch back our coverages and he will be screwed. - Cotchery BIG Play: Pats are in a base 3-4. Braylone motion shows their zone coverage. Their Safeties are way too far back, not sure if Sanchez sees this, but I like to think he did Patriots to a terrible job of jamming Cotchery at the line, he comes free and takes care of the rest. - Homes TD: We are on the right hash and we toss left, this will be a giveaway in the next game if we don't switch it up. Merriweather moves towards the line leaving single coverage, he gave it up WAY too early. Pro-bowl my ass! - DeVito strip tackle. NE Recovers, but DeVito is having a HUGE impact on this game. - NE Showing too much patience running the ball. BB looks mad, as if he wants to pass more - is Brady hurt? - Ellis with a big big stuff on Woodhead run, swallows him up. - 4th and 13: We employ 3 DL, 7 DBs and Harris (sound familiar?) Harris blitzs but does not really get to Brady, all the hits are in Brady's head, he rushes the throw and misses a WIDE open Branch. - 2nd and 10 2:26 left in the 4th: Lowery steps up to man coverage on Woodhead post-snap again, he does not give it up. The Jets are being very careful to account for Woodhead - nice job! - HUGE hit by Coleman on Welker. Keeping him in-bounds for no-gain. People on JetsBlog were saying we did not need Coleman, thing again! - Greene final TD run: Massive block by TRich, Greene does the rest, outrunning everyone! - Welker dropped a TD pass with :45 left in the game. This happens right after Smith decked him for the second time. You think the physicality of the game is in his head? I do. Hope you guys enjoyed this. I know a lot of it is stuff you saw during the actual game, but these are just some notes I jotted down while watching last night. I usually do this after big wins or losses, always fun to see what we were doing that worked and did not work. Now lets go beat Pitt!
There are now rumors around that Brady cracked something in his foot. But whether that would have made a difference is purely conjecture. I thought the Cotchery play was a killer. The Patriots had finally put together a good drive and brought the game back to a very manageable 3 points and that play and TD took all the wind out of the Patriots.
That's exactly what i was thinking. Eric Smith had it out for welker on sunday as soon as welker's feet came up from the ground to attempt the catch he was hoping eric was no where near him causing him to drop it. "WALK" it off, wes
He did, but it's a "chronic condition," and predates 2010. In fact, "Tom Brady's foot felt better on Sunday in the AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Jets than it has in some time." And "One source said that to say Brady was impacted on Sunday would be "unjust." Article from Comcast New England: http://www.csnne.com/01/19/11/Bradys-fractured-foot-a-long-standing-is/landing_patriots.html?blockID=394010&feedID=3352
DVR is amazing, I used to record games to DVD before that, and VHS before that. It great to be able to see the formations, schemes and packages the Jets and their opponents are in and you can pause to absorb it all. During the game the networks usually have a graphics package put together and they cut back to live-action just before the snap - aggravating at points.
Good OP- I re watched the game and appreciated much more the second time around (knowing the outcome). That would be a good story, especially if it looked like it affected him. He was hopping around like a bunny on a lot of passing plays and never had a limp (not counting the wrist thing). Shirt-Lifters like Brady make me appreciate QB's like Favre more. Never saw Brett look like a deer in the headlights and dive to the turf like Brady did. I did see Farve play through a lot of injuries and win games and not be a bitch about it. And I'm not a Farve fan.
Yup. Rewatching Coleman's sack made me really appreciate how well he got low and used the linemen (offensive and defensive) to hide himself as he came around the edge. The only deficiency of DVR is, like you said, you're at the mercy of the network production and NO network show focuses on action away from the ball. In this game especially, I was really hungry for some looks at the coverage after the snap. But the cameras don't pick it up and the announcers are usually to busy fellating QB's to talk about other things.
Yeah and Sanchez has a a tear in his throwing shoulder. I am now convinced Pats fans are the worst, no one can beat them they can only beat themselves. Which is what they'll be doing while watching us play this Sunday, beating themselves. At this point in the year every single player has a issue somewhere on their body, if you don't you didn't play the game right. Oh and if Brad Smith were in he would've returned 2 kicks for TDs.
Doesn't nfl.com post games online after that let you control the view and a bunch of other stuff? I've never tried but I thought I saw a commercial for it.
Brady has played hurt before and routinely gets surgery after the season. But I don't that was the issue Sunday.
To borrow a phrase from Dierking, this is a giant block of shit that nobody wants to read. Thanks for your thoughts, lets focus on Pittsburgh.
