SB Nation - Jarvis Green

New York Jets Run Offense vs. New England Patriots Run Defense

John B — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:23:54 -0000

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The Pats give up 110 yards per game on the ground, which is in the middle of the pack. Two excellent run defenders on the line, Jarvis Green and Ty Warren are nursing injuries and are not certain to play. Don't be fooled, though. This is going to be a tough matchup. The Jets have to figure out how to handle Vince Wilfork. Wilfork has been almost impossible to block this year. Almost every week in this space, you see me talk about how important it will be for Nick Mangold to handle the other team's nose tackle. This week it's more pronounced than usual. Wilfork isn't a great pass rusher, but he can blow up opposing run games.

The Jets also need to focus their blocking schemes on Jerrod Mayo, the second year linebacker with 39 tackles in 6 games. He missed the first contest. New England has other quality run defenders at the linebacker position. Pierre Woods, a rotational player who had a big game in last year's visit to Foxborough, is one of them. So is Adalius Thomas. Woods could see a lot of time depending on Tully Banta-Cain's injury status. Inside linebackers Gary Guyton and Eric Alexander are both nursing injuries that could hamper their effectiveness and leave a lot on veteran Junior Seau. This might be something the Jets can exploit if Mangold can hold Wilfork in check.

New England's secondary is very good in run support. Shawn Springs' coverage skills are in decline, but he's been effective against the run. So has Leigh Bodden, New England's other corner and safeties Brandon Merriweather and Brandon McGowan. This is a game where Leon Washington's ability to make people miss may be missed.

We'll see eight men in the box a lot with the rookie quarterback as we do every week. If that doesn't work, we may see nine to try and force Mark Sanchez to win the game like we did in Week 2. The offensive line has a tough task winning these matchups.

New York Jets Pass Offense vs. New England Patriots Pass Defense

John B — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:55:39 -0000

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The Patriots have offered a number of different defensive looks the past few weeks. Watching the game against the Dolphins two weeks ago, I noticed a subtle move. Vince Wilfork lined up at right end in the 3-4 trying to create a mismatch against the left side of Miami's line. Last week against the Colts New England operated a lot out of the 4-3 with Ty Warren out of the lineup and Derrick Burgess and Tully Banta-Cain at end. Warren is fighting an ankle injury. He's questionable. Whether he starts or not, I think we'll see a few wrinkles from Bill Belichick, changing up the looks on Mark Sanchez.

I would guess we could see Wilfork at end a few times trying to use his power against D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Alan Faneca, who may struggle to contain him. If the left side gets tied up, it will free up edge rushers, such as New England's best, Tully-Banta Cain (3 sacks). Banta-Cain is questionable with a rib injury. I could see Belichick utilizing a look like this to use Rex Ryan's overload blitzes against him. With Warren banged up and Jarvis Green also nursing an injury, we'll see a lot of Mike Wright on the line. Wright has been effective as a pass rusher.

I think the Jets should max protect to keep Sanchez standing. The Pats are probably going to attack him. They've seen on film the rookie mistakes he's made and will try to force more. I'm also expecting eight in the box. Belichick teams try to take away what you do best. For the Jets, owners of the league's top rushing attack, that's run the football. Patrick Chung has also been an effective blitzer from the safety spot.

If the Jets can keep Sanchez standing, they have some decent matchups. Braylon Edwards is a tough matchup for Leigh Bodden. He might need help in the form of Brandon Merriweather and other safeties, which will leave Jerricho Cotchery against an aging Shawn Springs, returning to the lineup from a knee injury and a mix of rookie Darrius Butler and Jason Wilhite. Cotchery always seems to play well against New England. He'll have a good chance to do so again. Dustin Keller should remain Sanchez's primary read, though. It's important not to make mistakes. Keller's a safety valve, and aside from Merriweather and Jerrod Mayo, New England's linebackers and safeties aren't great in coverage.

The Jets did a lot to exploit New England's pass defense in the second half of the first game. This was without Braylon Edwards. As long as they can keep Sanchez upright, they'll have some favorable matchups again. I do not expect this platform to affect Sanchez. Less than a year ago, Mark lit up the Rose Bowl. Obviously, this is a tougher defense, but the pressure of the game won't get to him. Aside from Banta-Cain and Wright, the Pats don't really have any great pass rushers in their front seven. Adalius Thomas and Derrick Burgess have ability but haven't really lit the world on fire this year. The Jets just need to do what it takes to keep Sanchez standing.

Sunday Fish Fry, Part I: This Chowda not "Dolphin Safe," but pulling in the nets no easy task

JohnHannahRules — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:00:34 -0000

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New England Patriots safety Brandon Meriweather (31) with a pick-6 in London two weeks ago. Disciplined play from the safety position will be a key this week against Miami Dolphins. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

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Well friends, we're in it now. With the bye week in our rear-view, the true meat of the schedule is here. In what promises to be an absolutely brutal five week stretch, New England will face, in order: Dolphins, Colts, Jets, Saints and Dolphins. If that doesn't look like a sphincter-clenching run through the briar patch of the AFC, then you must know something about football that I don't. Or you're clueless and at this point I'm prepared to go with that. Other than the Steelers, the Pats will have played the class of the Conference by the time all is said and done, plus the best the NFC has to offer. Right now, we're 1-1 against better teams, with a squeaker over Baltimore and an overtime heart-breaker at Mile High (I hate playing in Denver).

High School, college or pro, the best teams discipline themselves to focus on only the next game. It is for the fan to agonize and prognosticate over what the future holds. But that's all part of the fun and the media are more than happy to help us along. Below the fold, I've swiped wholesale Tim Graham's first half/second half graph, analyzing the relative strength of schedules for the AFC East. Under the heading of "it figures," the 'Phins have the easiest road the playoffs. The hardest row to hoe belongs to your New England Patriots.

Take a gander, but this week we face the first game of our annual series against Miami. Since that's what's on the menu, let's get out our tartar sauce and lobster bibs and look at how to catch some Phish. Part I is a look at the Dolphins on offense and some of the challenges they pose.

(Note: Part I may also be the only part I get to, as I need to be on the road this weekend. But if it isn't, I'll be taking a look at the Miami defense in Part II.)

AFC strength of schedule: Weeks 9 through 17
Team	Opp. record	Opp. win pct.
New England Patriots	38-28	.576
Indianapolis Colts	38-29	.567
Kansas City Chiefs	35-31	.530
New York Jets	30-27	.526
Baltimore Ravens	34-31	.523
Houston Texans	29-28	.509
Oakland Raiders	29-28	.509
Denver Broncos	32-33	.492
Buffalo Bills	28-29	.491
Tennessee Titans	32-34	.485
Jacksonville Jaguars	32-25	.478
San Diego Chargers	31-34	.477
Pittsburgh Steelers	30-35	.462
Miami Dolphins	30-35	.462
Cleveland Browns	25-32	.439
Cincinnati Bengals	29-38	.433
AFC strength of schedule: Weeks 1 through 8
Team	Opp. record	Opp. win pct.
Cleveland Browns	38-20	.655
Miami Dolphins	33-19	.635
Tennessee Titans	32-19	.627
Oakland Raiders	34-25	.576
Cincinnati Bengals	29-22	.569
Baltimore Ravens	29-22	.569
Kansas City Chiefs	27-24	.529
Denver Broncos	26-25	.510
New York Jets	29-30	.492
Buffalo Bills	28-31	.475
San Diego Chargers	23-28	.451
Pittsburgh Steelers	23-28	.451
New England Patriots	22-29	.431
Houston Texans	25-34	.424
Jacksonville Jaguars	21-30	.411
Indianapolis Colts	17-33	.340

The two-headed monster: Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. Coming out of Auburn, Ronnie Brown weighs 230 pounds. He's not slow, he doesn't shy away from contact and he's smart with the football. That's a good thing, because in the catPhish offense, he's the guy that makes ballhandling decisions. He'll throw, too. He's only 1 of 4 this year, but that one went for over 20 yards.

Unlike a team might do if it were running the 'cat as a gimmick, Miami will frequently pull quarterback Henne off the field altogether, rather than splitting him out wide. They do this for a couple of reasons: first, it discourages the corner blitz -- a quick way to stuff up the 'cat if you're asking a QB to get in the way. Second, because they trust Brown to throw the occasional pass, defenses can't load up against the run. They have to honor the pass at least a little bit.

That puts Brown on the field with Ricky Williams along with a full compliment of blockers.

The attraction of the single wing for most amateur teams that run it is the misdirection piece. It lets you move the ball effectively against bigger or faster defenses by using their superior ability against them. You can line up with a smaller line, or slower backs, and still grind out yards by getting defenders to chase players instead of staying home and playing their assignments. That's one way it works.

The other way it works is by taking that misdirection piece and complimenting it by smashing you in the mouth at the same time. That's what Miami does. As Vince Wilfork said, "They're not trying to trick you. They're going to try to run the ball." Their two-fisted, body-blow approach to running the ball is balanced with the much-maligned Ricky Williams.

I will say straight out: I am a fan of Ricky's. There are two reasons for this: First, when it came about that Ricky likes the reefer, the cry that went up condemning him was so loud and so strident that you'd have thought that he beat his girlfriend. Or obstructed a murder investigation. Or broke a teammate's jaw. Except all that he did was a) smoke weed and b) admit that maybe football isn't the most important thing in the world. In fact, it might not even be the most important thing in Ricky's world. Second, Ricky fought with and overcame social anxiety disorder, in public. So anything he does in the way of paying back the 'Phins on his contract, rehabilitating his image, or being a success, I'm willing to celebrate.

via blogs.philadelphiaweekly.com

Plus, he brings the wood. Ricky is averaging 5.4 yards per carry right now, more than he ever has. He's also catching the ball, with 15 receptions for an average of 12.3 yards per catch. As Belichick said, "I think either one of those backs could be the back for anybody." The Jets, the Saints and the 'Phins are the only teams that run more than they throw. They aren't fooling around.

The obvious implication is that you have to stop the run. At times, the Jets and the Saints had eight men in the box to do that. Can the Patriots follow suit, and will that work?

Phlying Phish: We all know Chad Henne is young. He's starting at least a year ahead of schedule, and he's struggling a little bit. But one thing that he has which Chad Pennington does not is a cannon. Henne can air it out if he gets the chance. We know our pass rush has been anemic, and we know that Miami has a good offensive line. Who is catching Henne's passes?

The Patriots match up well, in my opinion, against the Dolphins pass-catchers. The Dolphins' two leading receivers are Davone Bess and Greg Camarillo, with Ted Ginn Jr. in the number three slot. Ginn's troubles with route running and catching (you know, the two things receivers do) have been mentioned before. He's probably the most explosive return man in the East, though. Bess has had similar trouble of late, with two fumbles and a dropped ball in the last two games. Still, if Henne has a go-to wideout, it's probably Bess.

Don't sleep on Brian Hartline. He's only got 10 catches, but they've gone for 157 yards -- highest average on the team. He's the kind of gut-punch white slot receiver that always seems to kill us (see, Stokley, Brandon).

Patriot Pride: Defense used to be the name of the game in New England, forget what you heard from the press. During the second Super Bowl Run in 2003, New England enjoyed one of the finest defenses to play the modern game. That unit grew old as the offense matured and later days have seen lots of fireworks, but no championships. I believe the defensive side of the ball is on the way back.

There has been an enduring impression, created over the past few years, that the Patriots defensive backfield is weak. That is no longer true. I expect to see Brandon McGowan playing close to the line -- perhaps getting a "shadow Ricky" assignment -- in his key run support role. The Patriots will rotate corners through according to matchups, down and distance, and who seems to have the hot hand. I'm going to predict that UConn's own Darius Butler pulls down another pick and that Brandon Meriweather does at least one thing that blows your mind (in a good way).

That leaves the front of the house, and what is still something of a soft underbelly. I hope that someone shows that to the fellas, 'cause they're going to have to man up this week. If you grew up watching the Dolphins of Dan Marino, as I did, you'll remember a team with a questionable running attack and an erratic defense. Well, this is not your father's Miami Dolphins. These guys aren't going to carry the fight with the pass -- they want to run it down your throat.

The Patriots have been good against the run, but only when they're concentrating. The front 7 have yet to put together a complete game in that way, and every team we've played has seemingly had at least one drive where they ran through, over and around our guys. We can't have that this week, which makes it an even tougher time to lose Jarvis Green. Pryor, Wright and probably Brace are going to have to step up and match Wilfork and Warren.

I'm not worried about Mayo, but I am worried a bit about our outside linebackers. There isn't one among the five of them (Banta-Cain, Burgess, Ninkovich, Thomas and Woods) who hasn't had some trouble setting the edge this season. I think Ninkovich and Banta-Cain have been the most consistent in that regard, but maybe this is finally Thomas's week to show us the real deal. I hope so, because you don't want to see Ricky Williams get into the flat.

Special Note: Tyler Thigpen can throw and run, and Pat White can run and throw. If you're looking for the Dolphins to launch a surprise on the league by slashing the Pats like they did last year, I'd look for more passing out of the catPhish. White could be dangerous on some of Williams' sweep-style plays, particularly if he pulls up and chucks it. Vice versa for Thigpen out of Brown's customary slot. He's not averse to running outside the tackle.

Overall, I think this game will come down to our safeties. The Dolphins are going to break off their share of runs. The key will be to limit big plays and that goes to discipline in the middle of the secondary. Run-force is a critical role for the secondary as a whole, but a misdirection running attack is a great opening act for play-action passing. If Meriweather and McGowan can keep everybody on the same page while making their own correct reads, the Dolphins will eventually screw up. You can't win it all with a run game -- since the invention of the forward pass, no one has. Dan Henning has shown that he won't stick with it anyway, even if it's working. If our safeties have solid outings, we'll be able to keep the score down.

Then it will be up to our offense to hang up some points.

(For the record, I hadn't yet read Bruschi's Breakdown when I wrote this up. In it, he tips safety play as a key.)

Dolphins vs Patriots: Miami's Keys to Victory

Matty I — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:15:20 -0000

I'll take some more of this, please.

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Huge. There's no way around it. That's what Sunday's game between the Dolphins and the Patriots up in Foxborough is. It's huge - for the Dolphins, at least.

A win up in New England would pull the Dolphins within one game of the division lead and give the Dolphins a 4-0 record within the division - which would mean a win over Buffalo later on in the year would give the Dolphins the tie-breaker over the Patriots regardless of how their second meeting plays out in Miami. So let's be real about this game - it's a season-defining game, though at this point I think every game for the Dolphins is critical. But that's what putting yourself in a 2-4 hole does - it magnifies every game from here on out.

So what do the Dolphins have to do to leave Foxborough with a win for the second consecutive time? A lot, of course. But these three factors are among the most important.

Pressure, Pressure, Pressure
This is probably the most obvious key for the Dolphins - and yet it's also the most important. We know how dominant New England's passing attack can be. In my opinion, there is no better duo at the wide receiver position than Randy Moss and Wes Welker. They each have their own strengths and roles and they compliment each other absolutely perfectly.

It's no coincidence that the Patriots have the second best passing offense in the NFL and have been sacked the third fewest times all season. It's also no coincidence that in two of their last three losses with Tom Brady under center, it's been outstanding, relentless pass rushes that have slowed New England's dynamic offense - scoring just 23 combined points in those two games. The two games I'm referring to, of course, are the Super Bowl against the Giants back in February of 2008 and the Pats' week two loss to the Jets back in September. In each of those games, Tom Brady was under constant duress. The Giants got to Brady for five sacks. The Jets didn't actually record any sacks. But if you watched that game, you'd know that the various blitz packages the Jets were sending did enough to force Brady to have to throw the football well before he wanted to.

In those two games, Brady connected on just 55% of his throws and averaged just 5.07 yards per attempt. That's the blueprint the Dolphins will look to follow on Sunday.

To accomplish this, the Dolphins will obviously need big performances out of Jason Taylor and Joey Porter. But it goes beyond just those two. Randy Starks has been outstandthing this year and another big performance out of him would be terrific. Cameron Wake has been quiet since his big week against Buffalo, but I think we might see a little bit more of him on Sunday. I also expect t o see more of those safety blitzes we saw last week with Gibril Wilson and Yeremiah Bell.

The Pats will likely be without starting left tackle Matt Light, which means the Dolphins should have even more opportunities to get to Brady. They can't let those opportunities go to waste.

Pound the rock, but keep Pats honest
We all know the blueprint for what the Dolphins must do on offense against the Patriots. They have got to establish the ground game with Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams against a rush defense that is average at best. The Patriots are allowing 4.5 yards per carry on the ground this season, with is in the bottom third of the league. But teams have been forced to abandon the run against New England because they fall behind early. The Dolphins have got to prevent that from happening by getting the ground attack going early.

Of course, the Patriots know this. Bill Belichick can probably tell us all the exact number of times the Dolphins have ran the football out of every formation - 'Wildcat' included. And with him having had two weeks to prepare for this game thanks to New England's bye week, I'm sure we'll see some looks out of this Patriot defense that nobody has seen all year. But keep in mind that they traded away Richard Seymour prior to the season and Jarvis Green is out with a knee injury, meaning Mike Wright - a player with minimal starting experience - will be starting at the defensive end spot opposite Ty Warren, who is nursing an ankle injury himself.

With that said, though, it's important that the Dolphins do their best to prevent the Patriots from loading up on the run like the Saints and Jets have done the past two weeks. There were times on Sunday when the Jets actually had nine men in the box. That's because teams don't respect Miami's group of receivers nor do they think Dan Henning will call plays for Chad Henne to throw some deep balls.

This week I hope to see Henning give Henne a chance to make some plays down the field, which would help keep New England's defense honest and prevent their two athletic safeties from inching closer and closer to the line of scrimmage. The Patriots aren't exactly loaded in the secondary, either. So there will be plays to be made if Henning just gives Henne a shot. I know we all want to remain committed to the run. But I just don't think Belichick is going to let the Dolphins have a chance to get Ronnie and Ricky rolling. He's going to go all out to stop those two - as he should. It'll be up to Miami's offense to give Belichick a reason to stop loading up against the run.

Make a game-changing non-offensive play
Last week, the Dolphins beat the Jets thanks to three game-changing plays that were made in the other two phases of the game - not on offense. Ted Ginn's two kickoff returns for touchdowns and Jason Taylor's fumble return for a touchdown spotted the Dolphins 21 non-offensive points. This week, the Dolphins need another big play in New England.

There's no way around the fact that Miami's offense isn't nearly as potent as the Patriots are on offense. That's why the Dolphins really do need some kind of huge game-changing play in one of the two other phases of the game. The Patriots are 19th in the league in kickoff coverage, allowing 23.5 yards per return. Prior to last week, the Jets were allowing only 20.5 yards per kickoff return - one of the lowest totals in the entire league - before Ted Ginn and the Dolphins' return unit sliced the Jets up for 299 kickoff return yards on just 6 returns, including Teddy's two touchdowns. So there's no reason why the Dolphins can't get a big play or two to, if nothing else, swing the field position battle and build some momentum.

Defensively, the Dolphins will see a ton of passes fly through the air as Tom Brady is expected to throw the ball early and often against Miami's secondary. To date, Brady has thrown just 4 interceptions so making that big game-changing defensive play obviously will not be easy. But he also isn't afraid to put the ball up for grabs - especially in the direction of Randy Moss. And for the first time in a while, the Dolphins have at least two capable corners who can make a big play. Sean Smith and Vontae Davis both have excellent ball skills. Now I'm not saying I expect some kind of big play - but I wouldn't be surprised, either.

Five Questions For Three Patriots Blogger

Dave the Falconer — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:00:27 -0000

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Bill Belicheck flinches at the thought of Patriots fans answering questions in an honest and straightforward manner. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

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No longer satisfied with the answers of a single blogger, I filled my pack with provisions and headed out into the foothills of Massachusetts. When I emerged, hours later, I had bagged three bloggers, all of them able to answer my arcane questions about the very nature of the New England Patriots.

I want to give a shout out to the fine folks at Pats Pulpit, NE Patriots Draft and Patriots Daily. It was great corresponding with everyone, and getting a variety of answers should generate a little more debate amongst you, the readers of the ~~best~~ most Falcons blog on the net. Check out all the answers after the jump.

Dave the Falconer: Have Tom Brady's struggles thus far been related to rust coming off an injury, or is there something else going on there?

MaPatsFan, Pats Pulpit: I think rust is a legitimate concern for us Patriots fans. Brady has said that he feels his mechanics are not quite what they used to be. I've also read, from Brady and his receivers, that they're still working on their connection. It's especially hard for Joey Galloway, our #3. It's easier with Randy Moss and Wes Welker considering the 2007 streak, but there's still a year's worth of stuff to make up.

NE Patriots Draft: I think it is rust, but more because of the lack of timing. Brady has looked a bit tentative at times, presumably due to the injury, but quick routes and dump-offs are being missed. That leads me to believe that after a few more games, the timing will click back in.

Patriots Daily: Rust is definitely a factor. However, he's still adjusting to the knee, and because of that, his footwork isn't what it needs to be. He's been throwing off the back foot more, and it has impacted his accuracy. He was also flattened by Albert Haynesworth in the preseason and injured his shoulder a little bit. It hasn't been mentioned too much as a problem, but you've got to think that the rust, the knee and the shoulder all are conspiring against him right now. I fear it may be a few more weeks before we see him back to his old self. A comparison often made around here is Peyton Manning last year. He struggled, and the Colts struggled in the early going because of his knee surgery, but he eventually put it together. We're hoping for similar results here.

DtF: I've had the chance to watch your running game quite a bit over the last couple of years, and I have to ask....is Laurence Maroney ever going to get it going? Do you guys need a true feature back, or does the committee approach work well?

PP: We've been hoping, for many years, that Laurence would breakout as that workhorse back we've all been looking for. At this stage, and given what I've seen, I don't see it happening. I think the backfield by committee approach is here to stay in New England. In 2008, we were #1 in the AFC East and #6 in the NFL; it seems to work for us.

NPD: I think Maroney is running very hard this year. He is taking a yard gain this year, where before he would dance and end up losing ground. He has had a few negative plays, but those were mainly the fault of our left tackle.

PD: Maroney has had injury problems, and some question his toughness. However down the stretch in 2007 and in the first two playoff games that season, he was everything you want in a running back. Last year he missed most of the season after injuring his shoulder. The Patriots seem to favor the committee approach just to try and limit the wear and tear on their backs. Fred Taylor looked good last week against the Jets, and I can see him getting an increased role this week. Sammy Morris had been their best back in the first half of the last two seasons, but wore down as the season went on. I think the Patriots are trying to keep them all fresh, while at the same time allowing them to play enough to stay sharp. It's a tough balance to achieve, especially when you're throwing the ball so much. I'm hoping you'll see a bigger commitment to the run until Brady can get his issues settled down.

DtF: If you were the Falcons, how would you defend against Randy Moss?

PP: Force him away from his sideline routes. He's a gazelle, not a jackrabbit. While he's learning to be the latter, he's much happier on routes that take a bit of time to get up to speed. Once he IS up to that speed, he's hard to catch. Turn him inside or under 10-15 yards and he struggles.

NPD: I would bump him at the line, and roll a safety over to his side all day. The Patriots haven't shown that they can stretch the field across from Moss, and the Jets used this tactic to perfection.

PD: Either a straight double-team, or a tight man-to-man coverage with safety help over the top. That seems to be the most effective, though Moss has made some adjustments by going over the middle more this preseason and regular season - more than I've ever seen him do. The Jets had success with Darelle Revis last week, but I'm sure it also helped that Wes Welker wasn't playing. If Welker is in the game, it's going to be tough for any defense to completely shut off Moss.

DtF: With Richard Seymour traded and Jerod Mayo hurt, how is your front seven looking thus far?

PP: As a 4-3, I'd say they're ok. I'm still waiting for a strong pass rusher to emerge; I thought Derrick Burgess would be that guy, but I haven't seen it yet. As a 3-4, I'm concerned with the back 4. We're really struggling to fill the ranks at ILB with Tedy Bruschi retired and Jerod Mayo out for 5 more weeks. I'm worried at this point.

NDP: After looking silly against the Bills and Fred Jackson, the front seven looked much improved against the Jets. Gary Guyton, filling in for Jerod Mayo, is the key to stopping the run this week.

PD: It's been decent. Mayo's injury hurt a lot more than the trade of Seymour. Mayo was to be the centerpiece of the defense, and a big reason why they were doing more 4-3 formations. The idea was that Mayo would be freed up to make plays all over the field. Gary Guyton has replaced Mayo for the time being, and though he led the team in tackles against the Jets, he had some struggles out there. Adalius Thomas was pretty much invisible last week, and that just can't happen. The run defense has been solid overall, with Vince Wilfork and Ty Warren still in place up front. The problem has been getting pressure on the quarterback, and that is where they need improvement. Mike Wright and Jarvis Green have been the primary replacements for Seymour, and need to get to the QB for the defense to be more well-rounded.

DtF: What's your prediction for the game on Sunday?

PP: My sense is this is the game Brady will come out. I've been listening to his pressers enough to know he's aggravated by his performance and will be working hard to make an impact this coming Sunday. However, the Falcons have a lot to play for, specifically dominance of the NFC South or, at the very least, stay tied with the Saints. I think this game could go either way, but it'll be very close: 24-21.

NDP: 27-24 Patriots in overtime. The Falcons are a great team, but I feel like they don't have the secondary to stay with the Patriot receivers. If they are able to get to Brady early though, Atlanta has the ability to win by double-digits.

PD: I really hate predictions, probably because I'm so awful at them. I don't see Brady solving all his problems in one week, so that's a plus for the Falcons. I hope there is a bigger focus on the running game, especially since the Falcons have lost Peria Jerry. Matt Ryan should have success throwing to Tony Gonzalez whenever he wants, but I think the Patriots defense will make a big play or two this week. The home field will mean a lot to the Patriots in terms of comfort especially for Brady and the offense. I see a pretty tight game here, maybe 24-17 Patriots.

Thanks again to everyone who participated! Here's to a great game on Sunday.

New York Jets Run Offense vs. New England Patriots Run Defense

John B — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:00:31 -0000

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It would be nice if the Jets could establish the run early and take a lot of pressure off their rookie quarterback. I think Bill Belichick will do whatever it takes to prevent that from taking place. The Pats will probably stick eight or even nine in the box to force the Jets to throw the ball. Mark Sanchez made the Texans pay and eventually forced them to respect his arm, which opened things late for Thomas Jones.

This is not a vintage Pats front seven, especially with Jerod Mayo sitting this one out. Mayo is vying with David Harris for the title of top young inside linebacker in the division. Mayo had 20 tackles on Thursday night in Foxborough back in 2008. That will leave Eric Alexander and Gary Guyton to man the inside. This leaves a pair of matchups as key. Nick Mangold against Vince Wilfork is always an elite battle. So will be Ty Warren against Brandon Moore and Damien Woody.

Jarvis Green is a quality starter, replacing the departed Richard Seymour at defensive end. The Bills broke some runs going after him. I wouldn't expect the Jets to test him much. Gang Green loves to run right to Warren's side, away from the left, where D'Brickashaw Ferguson's limitations in the run game are a factor. The Jets are going to challenge Wilfork and Warren, sending Tony Richardson and pulling Alan Faneca to the side often. If they can control the pair up front and hit the second level, there will be favorable matchups and opportunities for Thomas Jones to break big gains. This will force safeties Brandon Merriweather and James Sanders to call the box home. Merriweather and Sanders are going to spend time in the box, but if the Jets run effectively, Bill Belichick will have to play there more than they want. It will open up a lot for Mark Sanchez, and the rookie looks like he can exploit it. Of the outside linebackers, Adalius Thomas is very good against the run, but Tully Banta-Cain and Derrick Burgess are strongest against the run. Pierre Woods did have a big game against the Jets last season.

I expect Brian Schottenheimer to have a few tricks up his sleeve. Plenty of gimmick looks out of the Seminole formation and perhaps some run-pass options for Brad Smith to try and catch the Pats off guard. The Jets had some success out of an option look with Smith two years ago.

I'm thinking this game comes down to Mark Sanchez. I see the Pats doing everything they can to stop the run. If New York establishes the ground game early, it could be a really really fun day for the New Yorkers.

It's a ring thing - Which active New England Patriots have hardware?

MaPatsFan — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:49:15 -0000

via farm3.static.flickr.com

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The departure of Patriots icons Richard Seymour, Tedy Bruschi, and Rodney Harrison got me thinking about hardware. I'm not talking screwdrivers and hammers. I'm talking Super Bowl rings. The list seems to get shorter and shorter every season. So here we go.


Player	Year Acquired	Rings
Tom Brady	6th, 2000	3
Matt Light	2nd, 2001	3
Stephen Neal	FA, 2001	3
Kevin Faulk	2nd, 1999	3
Jarvis Green	4th, 2002	2
Dan Koppen	5th, 2003	2
Ty Warren	1st, 2003	2
*Tully Banta-Cain	FA, 2009	2
Benjamin Watson	1st, 04	1
Vince Wilfork	1st, 04	1

*Tully Banta-Cain returns to us after a 2 year stint with San Francisco.

New England Patriots 53 man roster - some thoughts

MaPatsFan — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 03:04:36 -0000

by Stephan Savoia - AP

7 months ago: New England Patriots head football coach Bill Belichick looks over his rookies during football minicamp at the team's practice facility in Foxborough, Mass., Friday morning, May 1, 2009 (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

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We stay with 2 QB's, LB is a bit weak, TE will be a position to watch, OL is stacked on the interior...let's break it down position by position (props to NESilver for his comment in this thread)

Offense: 25

QB: Tom Brady, Brian Hoyer (2) - Odd we keep only 2, but that could change when the season starts.
RB: Laurence Maroney, Fred Taylor, Sammy Morris, Kevin Faulk, BenJarvus Green-Ellis (5) - Solid group.
WR: Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Joey Galloway, Greg Lewis, Saim Aiken, Julian Edelman (6) - Break out the air raid sirens. Edelman looked like "Little Welker".
TE: Benjamin Watson, Chris Baker, Michael Matthews (3) - Like this group, Matthews is a big man which must mean "blocking TE". Baker has good hands which we haven't seen in NE TE's for a long time.
OL: Matt Light, Logan Mankins, Dan Koppen, Stephen Neal, Nick Kaczur, Sebastian Vollmer, Rich Ohrnberger, Dan Connolly, Ryan Wendell (9) - Deep on the interior, Vollmer is the next stud.

Defense: 25

DL: Richard Seymour, Vince Wilfork, Ty Warren, Jarvis Green, Ron Brace, Mike Wright, Myron Pryor (7) - Liking the depth, glad to see Pryor make the roster
DE/OLB: Derrick Burgess, Tully Banta-Cain (2) - Can you say, "4-3?" I knew you could. Here comes the pass rush.
LB: Adalius Thomas, Jerod Mayo, Gary Guyton, Pierre Woods, Eric Alexander, Rob Ninkovich (6) - Might be considered a little thin, possibly why NE is experimenting with a 4-3.
CB: Leigh Bodden, Shawn Springs, Jonathan Wilhite, Darius Butler, Terrence Wheatley (5) - Wheatley barely hung on to his spot. I hope a "shutdown corner" emerges.
S: Brandon Meriweather, James Sanders, Patrick Chung, Brandon McGowan, Matthew Slater (5) - Good group, although Slater will, most likely, be IR'd.

Specialists: 3

K: Stephen Gostkowski - What can I say? One of the best kickers in the league. A machine through the uprights and consistently boots kickoffs into the endzone.
P: Chris Hanson - Game changer. Massive hangtime and very good accuracy.
LS: Jake Ingram - Many laughed when Hoodie drafted Ingram. The rookie wins the long snapper battle.

Injured Reserve

OLB: Shawn Crable - Depressing. The dude can't catch a break.
RB: Chris Taylor
OL: George Bussey - Adds depth for next year.
LB: Tyrone McKenzie - Looking forward to seeing him inside for 2010.

Poll

What do you think of the roster?

Lovin' it!

524 votes

Too early to tell.

722 votes

Hate it.

66 votes

1312 votes | Poll has closed

Patriots Links 7/23/09 - Jarvis Green Wants To Retire as a Patriot

Marima — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:31:09 -0000

Jarvis Green signs autographs at Training Camp last year.

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Chris Gasper clarifies Jarvis Green's desire to extend his contract and retire as a New England Patriot.

If it’s up to Jarvis Green, it will not be his last with the Patriots, despite the fact the reserve defensive end was quoted by a Louisiana newspaper as saying 2009 would be his final season in Foxborough.

"Jarvis wants an extension with the New England Patriots. That’s what he wants,’’ said [Green's agent, Albert] Elias. "We called them about it. We want [him] to remain and retire a New England Patriot. Who wouldn’t? He’s involved in the community. He loves the city. He loves Coach Belichick. He loves [defensive line coach Pepper Johnson]. He’s won two Super Bowls. He’d be foolish to go anywhere else.’’

Shalise Manza Young notes Brady's pocket awareness and presence have always been among his biggest strengths, enabling him to slide away from pressure with that extra split-second to deliver a pass.

But while Brady's left knee may be 100 percent, there's no telling how he is mentally — and the between-the-ears recovery, other players say, is the toughest part about coming back from major knee injuries.

"We're so focused as quarterbacks down on the field, ignoring everything that's going on in very close proximity to you," [Former St. Louis Rams quarterback Trent] Green said. "When you're coming back from an injury, especially where someone hit him low, you need to feel that pocket presence, need to feel it closing. It will be good for him the first few times to get hit. He'll realize, ‘I can stand in the pocket, take the hit and everything will be OK. This is just work as usual.' "

Mike Reiss offers a snapshot of the Patriots at Safety leading up to Training Camp.
Mike Reiss is back with his online chat today at Noon. Always good stuff here.
Christopher Price focuses on Wide Receivers in his Countdown to Camp.
Michael Hurley looks at who will be protecting Brady, the Offensive Line.
Christopher Price reports contract negotiations with rookie LS Jake Ingram have hit a snag, apparently over the proposed signing bonus.
Glen Farley contends there is no shortage of candidates to fill Mike Vrabel's position, and that Shawn Crable might be first in line.
Jeff Howe looks at the Patriots' AFC East competition and says the Jets have serious playoff potential, but they’ve got to establish some offensive balance if they have any plans to get past the Patriots or Pittsburgh Steelers in January.
Patriots Today: Signings, sightseeing, Gostkowski kicking it up in the UK and more. (10 min. video)
Frank Mortimer reports that Foxboro selectmen have delayed approval of the Patriots 2009 home game license, saying security personnel issues remain unresolved.

LONG SHOTS

Fox Sports New England Patriots Team Report and Insider Slant.
Tim Graham (ESPN) AFC East Training Camp preview.
Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) AFC East Training Camp battles.
Kerry J. Byrne (Cold Hard Football Facts) Have we seen the end of New England's dynasty? A whole lot of "ifs" instead of "facts" here.
Adrian Hasenmayer (Fox Sports) Pre-Camp Power Rankings. Pats 2nd behind Steelers. (Colts 10th, ouch!).
Matt Bowen (NFP) A make or break year for Bills.
Michael Lombardi (NFP) Rex Ryan's rookie season.
Gregg Rosenthal (Pro Football Talk) ESPN finally recognizes Roethlisberger story.
Gregg Rosenthal (Pro Football Talk) ESPN explains position on Roethlisberger.

Is the big man back? Vince Wilfork attends Patriots mandatory training camp

MaPatsFan — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:00:20 -0000

More photos » by Michael Dwyer - AP

6 months ago: New England Patriots' Vince Wilfork, left, hits a blocking dummy during the first day of football minicamp at the team's training facility in Foxborough, Mass., Wednesday, June 10, 2009. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

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I like Vince not only as a player but as a character. He's a colorful guy and a fixture on this team. If you ever get a chance to visit The Hall at Patriot Place, stand on Vince's scale and see if you "measure up" to the big man's weight...all 325 pounds of him. And that's exactly what Vince is trying to do with his contract: measure up to those around him.

In the last year of a $2.2 million contract, Wilfork wants to figure out where he stands. Looking like idiots, many players in this situation get characterized as silver spooned babies whining to get out of something they signed. Unlike those morons, Wilfork and his agent have done a masterful job of keeping this above board. Instead of working this lenghty process at the end of the year, when it could be very disruptive, Vince and the Patriots have chosen to get it out of the way early. Both the Patriots organization and Wilfork have kept this classy, describing it as the business of football. Instead of a "I want out of the contract I signed", it's been nicely wrapped as a professional business deal better resolved early.

Vince deserves more money. You simply have to look to his right for evidence. Richard Seymour is in the last season of a $3.6 million deal and Jarvis Green is in the same situation at $2.5 million. Shouldn't the anchor of our 3-4 defense be paid on parity?

"I’m not looking to sign this big-time, going-down-in-history, the best contract there is. I want to be comfortable," he said. "I don’t want to leave. So I’m pretty sure we’re going to do everything in our willpower to make it work."

I have to admit I have no idea what "comfortable" means, but it's easy to guess: some mixture of more money and longer terms. But it is heartening to hear he's not after a "going-down-in-history" deal. It's clear Vince likes playing for the Patriots and wants to get this done.

The way this deal is being done is EXACTLY why the Patriots are the epitome of class. Both player and organization have described this as what it is, a business deal, and have kept the emotion out of it. They've also been respectful of each other in the media, where things can quickly turn into a circus. Classy organizations attract classy players.

Give Vince a "comfortable" deal and let's move on. It's time to win some games.