SB Nation - Matt Light

Dolphins vs Patriots: Five Good Questions

Matty I — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 05:15:10 -0000

by Dave Martin - AP

Randy Moss sits on the sidelines following their loss to the Saints on Monday night. For the Dolphins to win on Sunday, their young corners will have to frustrate Randy and company like the Saints did.

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As we've talked about all week, the Dolphins face quite the challenge on Sunday when they welcome the Patriots to Land Shark Stadium. So to talk about the Pats and the game on Sunday, let's welcome in "MaPatsFan" from Pats Pulpit. His responses to my questions are below. Be sure to head over to his blog to see my responses to his questions at some point on Friday.

Matty I: We all saw that game on Monday night. But the one thing that stuck out to me isn't how poorly New England's defense performed. It's how effective the Saints were at containing Wes Welker and Randy Moss. What were the Saints doing to hold them to a combined 99 yards receiving?

MaPatsFan: You noticed that too, huh? ;-) There's a few reasons, but let me start with pressure. There were only 2 sacks for 12 yards, but sacks alone aren't a good indication of pressure. Our offensive line has been dinged up of late and this past Monday we witnessed a serious gashing of the 300 pounders by a defense that wasn't supposed to do that. They were pressuring Brady with only 3 and 4 men; that's a serious knock on Matt Light and crew.

But the most important reason for limiting Wes Welker and Randy Moss had to do with the officiating crew. This crew has been known to "let the players play", to not call a whole lot of penalties. In fact, there was only 4 for 36 yards called against the Saints and none for New England. The "light" penalty calling resulted in our receivers getting banged up off the line, throwing timing off. Actually, banged up is kind - they were abused. No harm no foul if that's the way it was going to be called. I just wish Belichick would've returned the favor.

Matty I: It's to that point in the season where I begin to ask fellow bloggers about how their team's rookies are progressing. So I'll do the same here. In particular, how have Darius Butler and Ron Brace been coming along?

MaPatsFan: Darius Butler is coming along, but at a snail's pace, in my opinion. It could be that he's buried behind a fairly well stocked cornerback stable or he's just not giving Belichick a reason to put him in. Ron Brace is a slight disappointment; drafted 9th in the 2nd round, he's been losing snaps to fellow rookie, Myron Pryor who was drafted 9th in the 6th round.

The biggest surprises of all, however, have been Sebastian Vollmer and Julian Edelman. Vollmer filled in for Matt Light for some games (including Indy) and did an incredible job. In fact, some were calling for Light to move to right tackle and Vollmer to be installed as the starting left tackle. I don't see that happening this season, but Vollmer's excellent showing will give Light something to think about come contract time. Julian Edelman, a college quarterback, has done an incredible job at wide receiver, so well that he's been nicknamed "Welker Jr." (Edelman is about the same size and is mostly in the slot).

Matty I: Even though the Patriots are sitting at "just 7-4" - and I say that because of how good the Pats have been over the past several seasons - their remaining schedule isn't exactly difficult and I'm willing to bet the house that this team makes the playoffs. So with that said, what aspect of the team worries you the most as you prepare to head into the crapshoot that is the NFL Playoffs?

MaPatsFan: Well, if I had to pick one area that worries me the most it would be the lack of a consistent pass rush. Adalius Thomas was supposed to be a good weapon for us, but he hasn't performed like we'd hoped. Derrick Burgess, pulled in specifically to perform that duty, has been a bust for all intents and purposes.

I would also add the lack of depth at wide receiver. Once defenses figure out how to contain Moss and Welker, we simply don't have that many weapons; if you look at the Saints, Brees' 5 TD passes were to 5 different players. That's depth.

Another area of concern is Tom Brady's lack of consistency against quality teams. He's struggled against the likes of Indy and NO. This leads me to believe that he's really not "back" and still has a way to go.

Matty I: In their first meeting, the Patriots did an excellent job to contain Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. But Chad Henne was surprisingly effective because of all the attention being paid to the running backs. Do you expect a similar game plan this week even with Miami being without Ronnie or do you think New England's defense will not sell out as much against the run?

MaPatsFan: At #3 in yards per game, teams have to respect Miami's run game, no question. That may have dulled a bit without Brown, but Williams is still a threat that needs to be dealt with. That being said, I'm not sure I'd call 19/34 and 219 yards surprisingly effective unless you were expecting a lot less. Would I like that contained a bit more? Sure, but I didn't see any long bombs in that game (longest was a 23 yarder to Camarillo) so I'm not sure it's a part of the game Belichick will be too worried about.

Matty I: When all is said and done on Sunday in Miami, what will the final score be and why?

MaPatsFan: Believe it or not, I think this will be fairly close. It's hard to factor out the home field advantage, so I'm thinking 28-21, Patriots. Brady, throwing to Moss and Welker, is 3-0 (2007: 2-0, 2009: 1-0), so I'm inclined to think he's fairly successful against Miami.

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

John B — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:32:12 -0000

by Michael Perez - AP

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Last time the Jets shut down Tom Brady with non stop pressure. That's been their formula for success against Brady in the past, sending men from all angles, confusing his protection, and forcing him to throw early. It's the only way to beat an offense like this. If a quarterback this good has time, he'll find a window. If receivers this good have time, they'll eventually get open.

This kind of matchup favors the Pats. The Jets probably won't change much from what was successful the first time. Why would they? New England has the ability to adjust. It's funny because in the past, New England adjusted to New York's blitzing of Brady by the formula they tried in the first game, spreading the field and getting the ball out quickly. That won't work because the Jets will just send more men than blockers once again. At least one guy will run free to Brady and force an early throw. This time I think the Pats leave in extra blockers. As long as they leave Brady standing, he can find somebody.

In the first game, Darrelle Revis shut down Randy Moss with very little safety help. The Jets played a lot of cover zero and cover one. When he had help, he didn't need it. The one area the Pats found success was working the middle with Julian Edelman, a shifty slot receiver. Wes Welker will be in the lineup this time. He and Edelman will be working the middle a lot. We'll also see a lot of quick throws and screens to Welker and let him make plays. To get to Brady, the Jets are going to have to ask a lot out of Lito Sheppard, Donald Strickland, and Dwight Lowery. If the Jets are going to win, these guys in particular are going to have to cover and tackle well.

I also think the Pats will look to exploit Benjamin Watson and Chris Baker and test out Eric Smith. Eric will be playing Jim Leonhard's role now, not working underneath and as a blitzer in subpackages. We'll also see Kevin Faulk on a lot of screens out of the backfield to try and catch blitzers overpursuing.

One thing to watch on the line is the play of rookie Sebastian Vollmer, who replaced the injured Matt Light about a month ago. Vollmer has held up exceptionally well against some of the best rushers in the game like Dwight Freeney last week. Light had been the weak link on the line. The interior guys, Steven Neal, Dan Koppen, and Logan Mankins, as well as right tackle Nick Kaczur have been good in pass protection. The Jets should focus again on overload blitzes. It's going to be tough to consistently win matchups against these guys. Just overwhelm them to one side and hope the protection can't slide quickly enough.

Game Recap: Colts defeat Patriots, 35-34

MaPatsFan — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:07:57 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

25 days ago: New England Patriots NFL football head coach Bill Belichick speaks at a news conference in Foxborough, Mass. Monday, Nov. 16, 2009, in the aftermath of Sunday's 35-34 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

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I am stunned, but not surprised. I am stunned because as our biggest rival in the AFC, a win would've meant a lot: a chance to go 2-4 against Indy, a better face-to-face record for potential home field advantage (if tie breakers come into play), seeding... you name it. Most of all, I simply wanted to beat Indy. And for a large portion of the game, New England had the upper hand.

I am not surprised because the Colts are that good. When the Patriots get up on a team with as wide a margin as they had, it's usually lights out. Rivals simply can't recover and usually get stymied in all three phases of the game. Not so with the Colts, especially Peyton Manning. I remember thinking to myself that Manning just wasn't clicking with his receivers Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon, and Austin Collie. If he DID begin clicking, it would create problems.

For most of the first half, Tom Brady appeared to be firing on all cylinders and doing an excellent job of finding the weak spots in the Indy defense. As I discussed in my game preview, picking on the young, inexperienced Indy secondary was one of the keys to success and Brady did a good job of that. With the half coming to a close, Brady had managed 24 points and our defense held Peyton Manning and crew to 14, an admirable task. I remember thinking, "This is cool. We seem to have control of the game, but it ain't over until it's over." Boy, was I right.

The third quarter remained scoreless which was ok in my book; maintaining a 10 point lead against Indy for 15 minutes is a VERY good thing. Then, as if to guarantee the win, Wes Welker broke loose for a 69 yard punt return to the Indy 7 yard line. A 2 yard pass to Kevin Faulk was followed by a beautiful leaping grab by Randy Moss for a 5 yard TD. Brady put the ball where the 6-4 Moss could catch it and no one else. 31-14 - a 3 score lead with 14:23 left in the 4^th quarter. As if in response, the Indy offense drove down the field with 5 plays in 2:04 minutes to reduce the lead to 10. I remember thinking, "Uh oh." The Patriots, working off of a Jonathan Wilhite interception, marched back down the field, only to settle for a Stephen Gostkowski field goal; 34-21.

Some call it momentum, but I call it pacing. NE seems to have a methodical, calculated approach to pacing a game - much like our head coach is perceived to be. After teams are lulled into this pacing, we switch it up. The Colts' hurry up offense is a major weapon in their arsenal and one that appears to win games on a regular basis. It's built for sprinting down the field and sets a frenetic pace that defenses have a hard time adjusting to. The result is a defense that can't work in substitutions, causing them to get gassed, especially the large defensive linemen.

In yet another sprint, the Colts scored on a 6 play, 1:49 minute drive; 34-28. A really big, "UH OH!!" NE would get the ball on their 20 after a McAfee touchback and before the drive even started, Brady burned timeout #2. Kevin Faulk went up the middle for no gain. Timeout #3. Then, Brady went to his old standby, Wes Welker, for an 8 yarder up the middle, putting us at third down and 2. Another pass to Welker was broken up by Powers, leaving us with fourth and 2. Decision time.

We've discussed the odds ad nauseam on this site. From a statistical perspective, going for it was the right thing to do. And Belichick trusted his offense to convert. Knee the ball 3 times, punt away, and Manning has almost no time to score. That was Bill's calculated risk. There's more. Belichick won't say this, but his defense was exhausted and he probably felt the offenses' chances of converting that fourth and 2 were better than the defense's chances of sustaining another Peyton Manning drive, even if a Chris Hanson punt would've planted Indy at their 30 or so. After all, the Indy offense had just demonstrated how they can score with a pair of 2 minute sprints. Hindsight is 20/20 and we now know Belichick's calculated risk more than likely lost the game. We all know what happened next. Handing the ball to a Manning lead offense on your own 29 is most likely suicide. And it was.

1 single play, player, or coaching decision does not win or lose a game; I have never subscribed to that theory because it ignores the hundreds of plays and decisions that lead up to it. But there are some that are certainly memorable.

To correct a misconception, the Laurence Maroney fumble would not have been the difference maker in the game. Horrid to see, but Indy did nothing with that gift, punted away to Welker for a 69 yard return, and a 5 yard TD pass to Moss followed. The most a LoMo TD could've accomplished was to keep 2 minutes on the clock.
The 31 yard PI against Darius Butler with 3:03 left in the fourth was questionable, but Austin Collie made a veteran play by recognizing he didn't have the ball and slowing down, allowing Butler to collide with him and giving the refs the impression Butler impeded his progress.
A questionable timeout to start NE's last drive. We may never know what the reasoning was, but Brady felt he needed it.
Not converting with 4:17 left in the fourth, forcing a field goal. RedZone efficiency (or lack thereof) strikes again.

There are a number of positives from last night:

The rust appears to have worn off. Brady and his receivers are connecting well and didn't seem to make any mental errors like we saw in the beginning of the season.
Sebastian Vollmer is a beast. Any rookie who can take on Dwight Freeney and be relatively successful is ok in my book. He's made a case for a starting position at left tackle while Matt Light should be moved to right tackle and Nick Kaczur benched; Colts DE Robert Mathis abused Kaczur, allowing too much pressure on Brady.
The return of Julian Edelman was good to see. The more receivers we have, the more opponents have to worry about. Spreading the field is a good thing.
This game was so close, it came down to a yard. If we can do that against Indy, just think what we can accomplish against the rest of the NFL.

That's all I can stomach for now. I'd like to send a shoutout to the Stampede Blue crowd for a fun week of cross blogging leading up to this matchup. We had many well mannered and thoughtful exchanges which is what it's all about for me.

Keys to beating the Patriots on Sunday

MaPatsFan — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:36:51 -0000

by Darron Cummings - AP

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I can't believe I'm writing this, but I'm pretty sure Caldwell isn't scouring the internet, looking for a Patriots blogger with the keys to the kingdom. At any rate, blogs are a chance to turn ourselves into armchair quarterbacks and today, I'm opening up the family safe for all to see.

On last night's Stampede Blue Radio, we talked about 1 surprise player for each team. My pick was TE Benjamin Watson for the Patriots. Watson is not racking up insane numbers and, for all intents and purposes, is flying under the radar. Caldwell probably knows about him, but will Big Ben garner some respect?

Read on...

Another question I get asked consistently during cross blogging exchanges is, "How does my team beat the Patriots? I have my answer, but want to hear yours." I invariably launch into a dissection of our offense and defense, pick out some weak positions, and point to them. 9 out of 10 times, they come back with, "Keep Brady off the field." It's simplistic, but accurate. Like Peyton Manning and the Colts, the Patriots need Brady on the field to score points. But both have proven you can do a lot with very little time. So keeping them off the field, while somewhat accurate, is a bit of a 30,000 ft view.

Belichick has been sneaking Ben Watson into packages where we need some third down yardage or in red zone situations and the man has been delivering. I would argue he's our "third receiver". While defenses are busy with Randy Moss and Wes Welker, Tom Brady can find Watson. Respect Watson and you'll take away a potent weapon.
Takeaway the deep ball. In our '07 matchup, Tony Dungy decided to sacrifice the underneath routes to Wes Welker and blanket Randy Moss with coverage. The Patriots ultimately won that game, but it was very, very close. The Giants used a similar strategy in that season's Super Bowl and it worked.
Dwight Freeney needs to be in Tom Brady's face all...the...time. It is likely that Matt Light will be out and rookie Sebastian Vollmer will take his place at LT. Don't discount Vollmer; he's been playing very well, but has never stood across the "Spin Doctor". Matt Light has a lot of experience with Dwight, so I hope Vollmer is sitting next to Light on the plane ride.
Offensively, it's almost suicide to blitz Manning. He has the quickest release in the game and defenses burn themselves by sending guys in, only to find the ball sailing over their heads. However, the Patriots defense has been successful rushing the middle rather than the edges. Safeties Brandon Meriweather and rookie Patrick Chung have been lurking in the box a lot and looking for holes to shoot through. This may manifest itself when you see a 4-3. Watch out for those guys.
Look for a 4-3. NE has been using this formation quite a bit to overwhelm opposing OLs. As mentioned above, they use it to create gaps for safeties and linebackers (think Jerod Mayo) to slice through and get at quarterbacks or disrupt running plays.
Edge rushing has been weak despite having OLB Adalius Thomas and OLB/DE Derrick Burgess on the team. Right now, I see their responsibility as sealing the edges. I don't believe you'll see a significant pass rush from the sides.

That's that. I'll sit here and wait for Caldwell or Manning to call. I'm sure they're chomping at the bit for this info.

Sunday Fish Fry Part 2: Man the Longboats! Patriots offense v. Dolphin D

JohnHannahRules — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:36:34 -0000

More photos » by Matt Dunham - AP

New England Patriots tight end Benjamin Watson (84), left, crosses to score a touchdown game at Wembley. Pats' tight ends could play a key offense role against the Dolphins this week. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

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The Dolphins will let you score. Well, they won't let you, but teams do seem to rack up the points on Miami. Even teams with rookie quarterbacks who ultimately lose. Miami allows just over 25 points per game, good enough for 23rd league wide and a tie with Jacksonville.

Their D ranks 18th overall when adjusted for strength of schedule. Not horrid, I guess, but not scintillating either. Since playing Buffalo, the Phins have surrendered 27, 46 and 30 points (Jest, Saints, Jest). But the question tonight isn't "how good is Miami generally," but rather "How good will Miami be against New England?" On paper, at least, the answer is "not good."

According to Football Outsiders, Miami has the worst pass defense in the league against Tight Ends. They're quite good against other receivers, but simply cannot seem to locate that skinny-looking lineman when he runs out for a pass. On a per game basis, they allow almost seventy yards receiving to the TE. That's a lot.

Sticking for the moment with FO's system, New England has one of the best tight ends in the league right now and two in the top 30. Ben Watson ranks 6th overall in his value over a replacement player. His per play value over an average player ranks him first in the league. While Chris Baker doesn't rank as high as Watson overall, both players suffer in the rankings somewhat because they aren't used all that often. Expect that to change on Sunday. Note, however, that Watson is listed as questionable.)

For the first time in its history, Miami is now starting three rookies in its defensive backfield. Young cornerbacks Vontae Davis and Sean Smith have been thrown into the fire this year, and have been described by Coach Tony Sparano as forgetful youngsters. In other words, they're cocky SOB's who remember their successes and instantly forget their mistakes. Perfect CB material, but young is young.

At the safety position Miami entered the season with maturity, and could have felt about as good as any team about the two rangers. Yeremiah Bell and Gibril Wilson were expected to be steadying hands on the tiller. The high-priced Wilson struggled, however, and Sparano boldly elevated rookie Chris Clemons against the Jest, the same week Davis got the full time nod due to WIll Allen's season-ending injury.

The upshot? Mark Sanchez went 20 of 35 for 265 yards. Ouch. Still, as the Phaithful will quickly remind you, they won. (Thanks, boys.) Although Smith was drafted to handle the tall guys, Cotchery torched him and now he gets Moss. There's no one in the league who can cover Welker.

Why they won is mostly to do with special teams (about which more briefly). But let's not rush to phase three. Our running game is average; their run D is average. (Though FO ranks our run game a defense-adjusted seventh, so it's more effective than given credit for.) But like I said in Part I, running isn't going to be the whole story and when Miami is on defense it isn't going to be half of the story. Injuries are why.

Nosetackle Jason Ferguson and old friend Channing Crowder are both listed as questionable for the game. Coach Sparano states confidence in Crowder's replacement, Reggie Torbor, but NT understudy Paul Soliai would be making his first start. (Bonus: Joey Porter still tender in the hamstringal region.) But those aren't the injuries I'm most interested in.

I know Matt Light doesn't have many fans anymore. But no one does very well against Jason Taylor, which is a left-handed way of saying Light does as well as anyone. Light will sit with a bum knee and rookie Sebastian Vollmer will get his second start. He did pretty well in his first shot of big playing time against Tennessee, but struggled against an underwhelming Tampa Bay from time to time. On Sunday he'll confront the toughest competition he's ever faced.

How he performs may well determine the outcome of the game. Just as safety play by the Patriots will key the defense, I think that our offensive success rides on how well Vollmer handles Taylor -- or fails to. Miami has been very frank about the need to get pressure on Tom. Indeed, it's the only way they'll likely accumulate enough of an edge to win (more, again, below). Expect them to bring the house.

Finally, the "more." The Jets dominated the game in every category last week, yet still came up short. Key plays by the defense were a big reason -- including one from JT -- but the numerical advantage came on the feet of Ted Ginn. The Patriots absolutely must contain him in the return game. If things are going well, GInn is going to get the ball a lot. New England can not afford to let him do a lot with it.

That's all I've got time for and I'm sorry. Blogging from the road isn't a joy, but I'll be back in time to watch the game tomorrow. Add your own analysis in the comments and thanks to you all for helping Marima and me keep the place warm for MaPatsFan. Family issues are front and center for him right now, so let's all hold him warmly in our thoughts. I'm sure we'll have him back before long.

Enjoy the balance of your weekend -- see you at Game Time!

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.

Miami Dolphins coming to town, New England Patriots back to work after bye

MaPatsFan — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:11:49 -0000

More photos » by Hans Deryk - AP

2 months ago: Buffalo Bills quarterback Trent Edwards (5) is sacked by Miami Dolphins linebacker Jason Taylor during an NFL football game in Miami, Fla., Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009. (AP Photo/Hans Deryk)

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You may ask, "MPF, why dost thou adorn this Patriots blog with an image of Sir Jason Taylor?" Many reasons. a) He NARROWLY became a Patriot, b) he gives Tom Brady and Matt Light fits, c) he's a class act, and d) he's quite the dancer. Seriously, I wrote during the off-season that I thought Jason Taylor belonged in Miami. That's where his family is from, he's an active member of his community, and he deserves to retire where he spent most of his career. This is what Taylor recently had to say:

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- You all saw Jason Taylor racing down the field for a 48-yard touchdown off a fumble recovery today, a pivotal play in an important AFC East game.

Now imagine Taylor doing that in Patriot colors. It almost happened after Taylor was cut by the Redskins during the offseason.

"We talked with them, with the organization, and with Bill (Belichick)," Taylor told the Globe. "My heart was in Miami, my family was in Miami, so it was important for me to try to stay there. But if it didn’t work out in Miami, then I probably would’ve been there."

Belichick has an interesting way of recruiting free agents. I can picture the guy, with a little notebook, writing down the names of players that give him fits. Jason Taylor is one of them. He's a perennial thorn in Matt Light's backside while the offensive lineman works to protect Tom Brady's blindside. When Taylor left the division for the Washington Redskins, Brady and Light were practically jumping for joy:

FOXBOROUGH, Mass.--Tom Brady said he was ecstatic to see pass-rushing defensive end Jason Taylor traded out of the AFC East, from the Miami Dolphins to the Washington Redskins.

"I think [Patriots left tackle Matt] Light and I popped a cold beer when we saw that transaction," the quarterback said here today. "We were the two happiest guys in the NFL.... We were hugging each other."

Now they're cracking a cold one saying, "Oh boy..." But Taylor isn't all we have to worry about. The Dolphins have become league experts at the Wildcat. Other teams have tried it, including New England, but Miami seems to have the personnel to make it happen. It's not a trick. It's not a play. It's an offensive scheme that forces defenses to prepare for it. Why it's so troublesome could be the fact that so many plays can be run out of it. Or, it's essentially putting a "QB" in the backfield who can run his butt off. At any rate, Belichick had this to say:

The thing is, no matter how effective or ineffective the Wildcat is on Sundays, opposing defenses must devote significant time to prepare for its subtleties. The Patriots will need to decide how much take time out of their normal preparation to account for the Wildcat.

"That’s always a tough decision," Belichick said. The Dolphins’ use of the Wildcat "varies from game to game. It’s not always used in the same percentages. The better it’s going, the more you’re going to see it. There’s other times where they make you spend time defending it and don’t use it all that much. The most important thing is that we’re sound on it and we’re prepared for it, so if we get it, we at least know how to play it and the different thing that come out of it."

Remember when Miami unleashed the Wildcat in Week 3 of the 2008 season? I do. I was there and was promptly banned by Marima and JohnHannahRules from attending another game (must've thought I was bad luck). I have since redeemed myself after attending the 2009 MNF season opener against the Bills. At this point, there's an enormous amount of film on it, but the Patriots still have to spend time preparing for it or risk getting caught flat footed.

There's much more to chat about, but that'll come in due time. We have a division rival to prepare for, one that has kindly dispatched the Jets twice. I was a Phins fan for both those games because I think Rex Ryan is a pompous loudmouth who makes excuses when he loses and rubs peoples noses in it when he wins. The definition of classless. At any rate, we have some football to talk about with our friends at The Phinsider. BOOM BABY!!

Tom Brady thinks Dwight Freeney is the best defensive player in the NFL

BigBlueShoe — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:01:17 -0000

More photos » by Tom Strattman - AP

2 months ago: Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback David Garrard (9) is sacked by Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney (93) in the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009, in Indianapolis. The Colts defeated the Jaguars 14-12. (AP Photo/Tom Strattman)

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Since everything Tom Brady says is gold, and since Tom Brady can say and do no wrong for both New England Patriots fans and the horny, sexually depraved higher-ups at ESPN, I guess Tom Brady's recent comments about Dwight Freeney might earn the All-Pro defensive end some props over players like Jared Allen and DeMarcus Ware .

It was toward the end of a wandering interview on Boston radio station WEEI last week that the question was posed: "Who is the most intimidating player you face?"
"Dwight Freeney," New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady replied. "Every play with him is a game-changing play. Advertisement

"Every time you throw the ball, (Freeney is) a factor. As a quarterback, you probably have anywhere from a second and a half to sometimes four seconds to make your decision and throw the ball.

"With Freeney, it's probably consistently around two seconds with sometimes being from the time the ball is snapped, a second and a half, you've got to throw that ball. There's no time for decision-making.

"You're making your decision before the ball is snapped based on the coverage."

Freeney is the best defensive end in football, period. While players like Allen are indeed quite good, they are not FEARED the way offenses fear Freeney. Allen, Mario Williams, DeMarcus Ware, and other high level players can make big plays and help their teams win. Freeney, however, can change the entire course of a game with one play, and Tom Brady has first hand experience with that.

Remember the 2006 AFC Championship Game? Of course you do. Remember Brady's game-ending INT, which was a poorly thrown ball over the middle that landed in the hands of Marlin Jackson? Know why Brady threw that pass?

Because Freeney was a second away from sacking him.

Dwight had beaten Matt Light around the corner and was a hair away from sending Tom to the turf. Guys like Allen, Williams, and others have yet to make plays like that in a game like that. Until they do, they are inferior defensive ends to Dwight Freeney.

Game Recap: New England Patriots defeat Tennessee Titans, 59-0

MaPatsFan — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:40:37 -0000

More photos » by Winslow Townson - AP

about 1 month ago: New England Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss hands the ball to a fan after catching a touchdown pass against the Tennessee Titans during the second quarter of a NFL football game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

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This was one miserable day weather-wise. Marima and I happened to be at Gillette Stadium prior to the game for an event (more on that in another story) and we caught the freezing rain portion of the day. Lots of fun. As one player said, snow you can handle. Freezing rain just makes you wet, cold, and miserable. It took me an adult beverage and a couple of hours to warm up and dry off. But heck, this is New England and if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

<rant>

I'll get going on the recap in a few, but first - a rant. To the rival fans who keep labeling the Patriots as a classless organization for "running up the score", you should come up with another hobby because this just ain't cutting it; you know jack about football. Other than having Laurence Maroney or BenJarvus Green-Ellis tackle Tom Brady, what would you have the team do? Maybe knee the ball for the second half? Or just throw interceptions for 30 minutes. Yeah, that'll do it. Throw interceptions. At any rate, the classiest group of rivals have been the very fans most affected by this game, the Tennesse Titans' fans, specifically the crew at Music City Miracles. The vast majority are pinning this on their team and taking a tough loss with dignity.

</rant>

I want to apologize to Titans' fans because there's really no easy way for me to say this: I don't consider this the return of Brady nor the return of the team to it fullest potential. Tennessee is a struggling team and is having a tough go of it. They aren't a good litmus test for our boys from Foxboro. Indy, Miami, and NYJ - in that order. A win against Tennessee, I'm sorry to say, does not make me dance.

The statistics literally speak for themselves, but bear repeating:

Franchise Records

Most points in a game - 59
Most points in a half - 45 in the first half
Most points in a quarter - 35 in the second quarter
Most total net yards in a game - 619
Most net passing yards - 426 (tie)
Most touchdowns - 8 (tie)
Most passing yards in a half - Tom Brady, 345
Most passing touchdowns in a half - Brady, 5 in first half
Most passing touchdowns in a game - Brady, 6 (tie)

NFL Records

In addition, the Patriots set two NFL records - most touchdown passes in a quarter (Brady, 5 in second quarter) and largest halftime lead (45-0).

A lot of that is pretty sick, especially 5 touchdowns in the second quarter. I'm not sure I've ever witnessed a game like that and frankly, hope I never do. Yes, I always enjoy a win but by the fourth quarter, it was no longer entertaining. It was getting painful.

The Ups

Tom Brady - Other than the stats listed above, the fact that Tom Brady connected with Randy Moss AND Wes Welker for a total of 5 TD's - in the snow - is pretty cool. He wasn't overthrowing them and there didn't seem to be any misreads on routes like in previous games. Again, I don't consider this the return of Tom Terrific; he did get clobbered a few times but, for the most part, he was almost never pressured.
Sebastian Vollmer - Filling in for Matt Light, the German rookie did a heck of a job protecting Brady's blind side as well as springing Laurence Maroney for a 45 yard touchdown run. This kid could have a future and challenge Matt Light when his contract comes due at the end of 2010.
Laurence Maroney - I don't, for one moment, think Maroney is finished with his "El Mo Dance". He was still doing it. It's one thing to let a play develop and hang with your blockers. Quite another to literally stand straight up and bounce from side to side, looking for the hole. Be that as it may, he did have an impressive game yardage-wise: 123 yards on 16 carries and a 45 yard TD run. Gotta give him some props for that.
Defense - Titans QB Kerry Collins was -7 yards passing. One could say that the defense had a good day by shutting down a mediocre QB, but I saw a lot of turnovers created by our guys and a very hard hitting Brandon Meriweather. Gotta love it.

The Downs

Hmm... Uhhmm... Let me see...

Next up is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in jolly 'ol London England!

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:30:15 -0000

More photos » by Chris Schneider - AP

2 months ago: Denver Broncos coach Josh McDaniels salutes the crowd after the Broncos defeated the New England Patriots 20-17 in overtime in an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009, in Denver. (AP Photo/Chris Schneider)

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Happy Tuesday, friends, and welcome to another edition of Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations. Is anybody else feeling like they could get used to feeling like this on a Tuesday? It's great to be 5-0, isn't it? Maybe Mark Kiszla is right, and we should all join him in welcoming Kyle Orton to Denver, since MHR is clearly bringing up the rear, there. Y'all know how skeptical I have been. Despite our ongoing skepticism, and community-wide propensity for all things negative, we press on. Ready..... BEGIN!!!!

1. Speaking of my skepticism, I was pretty high on this team, heading into the first game.

This is an 11-5 football team, and it's one that is only going to improve as it adds more quality talent in the next few years. I put my money where my mouth is too, donating $11 to the Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure, on John Bena's wife's behalf. Please do the same thing, if you can, by donating $1 for every win you think the Broncos will get this season. Things have to break right for that to happen, sure, but I think they will. Forget last season, this is a totally different thing.

Well, that caused a stir. John Bena took a beating on Twitter about it, and even my brother Chris thought I was about 4 games too generous. At this point, I am frankly wondering if I shorted the Susan G Komen outfit by a buck or two. One mea culpa though.

By the way, the Broncos five losses are to the Patriots, Giants, and Raiders at home, and the Chargers and Eagles on the road. I know a lot of people will groan at the thought of losing to Oakland at home, but let's face it, the Broncos annually lose a game they have no business losing, and I had a feeling that that would be the one. I think they can beat Baltimore and Pittsburgh, because they protect the QB, and will be strong defensively against the run. It's about matchups, in those cases. Really, I believe that the Broncos can beat any team on their schedule if they execute, and consistently do the things you need to do to win football games.

I had the Broncos going to 4-0, (in case anybody claims nobody did), before losing both (Sunday) to the Patriots and next Monday night to the Chargers. They beat the Patriots, and I am pretty sure they'll beat the Chargers too, to move to 6-0. I also don't think there is any way they lose to the Raiders, with the consistent preparation and focus they've shown, and Oakland's extreme awfulness. So, even the most optimistic reasonable guy you know may have been underselling this team.

I am not much of a stats guy, but are you ready for an unbelievable one? In five weeks, the Broncos have made zero personnel moves. For all you hear about how much "turmoil" surrounded this team in the offseason, there has been absolutely none in the regular season. Of course, having had no major injuries helps, but it's really indicative of the quality of the team's personnel plan. There was no area where the staff thought incorrectly that the personnel would be good enough. It's good enough everywhere.

There is a lot of reason to really like this team. When the score was 10-0 in the first quarter, my father (Ed) called me, like he does when things aren't going that well for the Broncos. This is the conversation, practically word-for-word.

Ed: What's going on with your boys?

Ted: (A little annoyed.) Nothing, they had a good drive, but missed a field goal, and then they fumbled. Then they held the Patriots to a field goal despite really favorable field position. I'm not worried about it yet. These things happen.

Ed: I don't know...

Ted: This team has shown an ability to be resilient, and make adjustments. I think they'll hang in there, and be okay. (More annoyed, because the commercial was ending, and the game was restarting.) They just (bleeped) up a couple times, it's not the end of the world.

Ed: We'll see....

Ted: Yes, we will. I have to go, so I can pay attention.

Ed: Okay, when you write your analysis, you should mention that your expert father thinks they played like (bleep) because of those ugly uniforms.

Like me, my father is a former United States sailor (a Chief Nuke Machinist Mate), and we tend to employ some sailors' vocabulary when we speak. (In the interest of authenticity, I thought everybody should know that.)

I think back to the last few years, and there is a striking difference with this team. I think of 2005, and the Broncos hardly ever trailed in that season. Jake Plummer was made to play low-risk football, the defense was solid, and the Broncos ran the ball very well. If the plan was executed, the Broncos were going to win. Once it wasn't, in the AFC Championship Game, there was no coming back.

Between 2006-2008, the team was very mistake-prone, on both offense and defense (after the first 6 games of 2006). Generally, you'd have the feeling that if a player or unit made a mistake, that a long day of repeat mistakes would be sure to follow. Think of all the times Jay Cutler played the team out of games, or the defense took a holiday from tackling (or both happened in the same game, like the early season Chiefs game last season). There was always a puncher's chance, but you felt like every mistake was the killer.

I have a tremendous amount of faith in this team's ability to overcome mistakes. In the short amount of time they've been together, I've seen them do it a lot of times. It's not like they're making a lot of mistakes, but they show the ability to settle down and re-focus, no matter what happens. The 2008 Broncos would have gotten blown out today, no question about it. This team hangs in there, gets back to playing solid football, and gets in position to win in the end. It happened against Cincinnati, it happened against Dallas, and it happened again today. (Of course, there never was one second where the Browns or Raiders had an apparent chance, so there was no particular need to hang in there in those games.)

Check out this tweet from Darrell Reid, from Sunday night:

@Footz95: Bronco Fans Please 4Give Me 4 My Penalty That Almost Cost Us The Game. Luckily Its A Team Sport And My Teammates Overcame That Play. Thank U

That's pure class and accountability, and it's emblematic of this team. There was nothing about how the penalty was kind of ticky-tack, even if it was. He knows the rules, he ran into the guy's leg, and he is accountable for his mistake.

It's a gift to be able to feel like this, and I think only probably Patriots, Steelers, and Colts fans have been able to do so consistently, in recent memory. I think Giants and Saints fans probably can right now. Somehow, our team is going to keep focused, and find a way to be in the game until the final gun. What a great new Broncos fan reality.

2. Information From My Eyes, Patriots at Broncos:

a. The WRs for the Broncos did great work all game on Sunday. They ran a ton of hitches, and really got out of their breaks well on them. They also really caught the ball.

b. Andra Davis and D.J. Williams both missed clean sacks on Tom Brady, on delayed blitzes. It sure would have been nice to have those sacks, at the time.

c. I thought the use of Russ Hochstein as a FB was a nice touch a few times. It's been hit or miss this season, and it hit Sunday.

d. Both Brandon Marshall TDs were emblematic of his improvement as an all-around player. He made plays with his physicality, which he hadn't ever fully harnessed in past years. There was no sideways running Sunday, just good routes and power.

e. That Ben Watson TD was evidently a mistake by D.J. Williams, who from the looks of the rest of the scheme, and Wesley Woodyard's reaction, should have stayed in zone coverage, instead of following the underneath crosser.

f. Maybe Kyle Orton was so fantastic because he read Mark Kiszla's column before the game. Feeling like "one of us" has to go a long way, right?

g. That was a joke, of course, but Orton really did look as good as I have ever seen him. His feet were calm, active, and precise, his decisions were quick and correct, and his throws were consistently on the money. He looked like Tom Brady looks on a good day, and that's no overstatement.

h. I want to see a QB sneak on a short-yardage play one of these days. I am tired of seeing these handoff plays get blown up by quick penetration, usually over Ben Hamilton.

i. WOW, did Josh McDaniels ever flame-spray Mike Priefer and Keith Burns over that Darrell Reid penalty. He had a point. There was no particular need to be halfway rushing that punt, in that situation. Honestly, I am a believer in not trying to block a punt at all, unless there's 6 or more yards to go. That mitigates the risk of running into the kicker.

j. If you remember the second-down play in the 4th quarter, with about 10 minutes to go, where Brady threw deep and the ball was broken up by Brian Dawkins, the real play was made by D.J.Williams, in covering Wes Welker one-on-one. Brady clearly wanted to go there, and it was blanketed. On the next play, Brady did throw to Welker, and Champ Bailey had great coverage. The Broncos did a great job taking Welker away in the second half.

k. Everybody knows I wasn't that high on the Knowshon Moreno pick when it was made, but I have come to really love this player. He is going to be a superstar for years to come. I especially appreciate his skill at picking up the blitz, which is rare for a rookie.

3. Information From My Eyes, Other Games:

a. I had the Bengals-Ravens game on my fixed screen Sunday, for the duration. The key observation from that game is that I had it slightly wrong a couple weeks ago, when I said that the Ravens were without any glaring weaknesses. Their cornerbacks are below average, and they can be killed outside the numbers. Old friend Domonique Foxworth is a good guy, but an average-at-best player. Fabian Washington isn't even as good as that. Particularly if you can block the Ravens' pressure packages, there is a lot of opportunity for success.

b. It is, however, best to stay out of the middle of the field, with any kind of risky throws. Ed Reed is as great as ever, and we all know about Ray Lewis. Reed made a couple big plays Sunday, stripping Chad Ochocinco on a long gainer before the first half ended, and then also returning an interception for a TD later. The Bengals dominated this game, and Reed and Ray Rice were the Ravens' only real positives, and managed to keep the Ravens in it.

c. Matt Cassel says he wants to find the right "anecdote" to losing. The Chiefs ought to start by drafting a lot more speed, because they're the slowest team in the NFL, ahead of their opponent Sunday, Dallas. The Chiefs are going to have another very high draft pick this year, because they are really horrible. If I were Scott Pioli, I would do everything possible to get below the Top 10, because a third straight very high pick, along with Cassel's contract, is going to really mess up their salary structure, a la Oakland. I would give a top pick away, straight-up, for the 12th pick, in their situation. Bill Polian had it right when he said that you don't get good by picking high in the draft every year. Unless you're taking a can't-miss QB, like Peyton Manning, nobody is worth the money you have to pay out.

d. Speaking of the Chiefs, this has gone mostly under the radar, but they're not playing Derrick Johnson, their best linebacker. He was their best defensive player in 2008, and now he's frozen out for some undisclosed reason. If I were a 40-front team, I'd be calling the Chiefs before the trade deadline next week. I bet he could be had for a 5th-rounder.

e. Have you ever seen that show, Intervention, on A&E? I know I have a pretty male-heavy readership, and it's mostly targeted toward a female demographic, so I ask, rather than assume. Anyway, it's not what I would call uplifting television. There's always some really troubled person, with drugs, or gambling, or compulsive shopping, or whatever. Their family loves them, and wants to help get them on the straight and narrow, but addiction is really hard (my 3-year anniversary of quitting smoking is next Monday, so trust me, I have an idea about addiction).

Anyway, the Jaguars remind me of an addict who is trying to get clean, and tries hard, and does well for a while, and then has a staggering, messy relapse. Jacksonville's addiction is to playing undisciplined and stupid football. The last two weeks, against Houston and Tennessee, the Jags had their act together. Sunday, against Seattle, they relapsed, and got completely embarassed. Rashean Mathis, a good CB, had a horrid game, and got out of position repeatedly. I think Jack Del Rio's days have to be numbered, because his program just isn't getting the team to where they need to be. I'm not picking them in any more games this year, either, unless it's against an obviously terrible team. Sometimes, even though you may love the addict, they won't let themselves be helped, and you have to cut them off.

f. The 49ers are not addicted to undisciplined football, but they sure played like the Jaguars West on Sunday. Watching the Short Cut, I really feel like they lost their composure after Roddy White's 90-yard TD in the second quarter. Nate Clements got beat on that play, and had a tough game overall. The defense was physical, and maintained their run lanes, but didn't tackle well, at all. I expect that Mike Singletary will re-focus his team, and they'll show better in their next game, after their bye. Since they're clearly not built to play from behind, they need to establish early leads.

g. A lot was made of Dre' Bly's idiotic celebration Sunday, but Donnie Avery deserves some scorn too, for dancing after a TD catch, when it made the score 31-10 Vikings, with 6 minutes to go. That's just clown-like. Hand the ball to the Field Judge, and get back to your sideline.

h. Matt Schaub threw a noodle-armed out route Sunday, which Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie took back for the game-winning TD. Even after that, Schaub drove the team the length of the field, before the Cardinals held them on 4th and goal from the 1. The problem with being a zone-blocking team, as we've seen, is that you tend to struggle in short yardage situations, and the Texans really struggle with them.

i. I got called "ignorant" once by our dear friend/Colts blogger BigBlueShoe for saying that Anthony Gonzalez was a below-average starter. I considered it an honor, because I am happy to disagree with anybody. (Evaluation is a function of what I see, not what anybody thinks they know, and by extension, that they think I should "know.") In any case, Gonzalez, who is from 3 towns west of where I live, is going to stuggle to get on the field when he gets healthy. Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon have done fantastic work this season, and they're both better players than Gonzalez. Collie is smooth in his routes, and fundamentally sound, and Garcon is fast and fluid. Gonzalez struggles to get off press coverage, and as Mike Shanahan once said, if you can't get off press coverage, you'll be selling cars before too long.

j. The Steelers defense looks extremely beatable lately, especially if you can pass protect. The Lions did a lot of good stuff offensively Sunday, and lost only because they couldn't contain James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley. Trust me, they're not a terrible team team this season.

k. Josh Johnson looked like an NFL starting QB on Sunday, which is an accomplishment, for your second career start, against a defense like Philadelphia's. His stats were pedestrian (26-50, 240 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT with 5 carries for 40 yards), but he passed the eye test. His throws were mostly accurate and decisive, and he was victimized by quite a few drops, at least 6 or 7.

l. I haven't gotten a great look at Jason Peters yet this regular season, and I have been wanting to. Sunday's game didn't show me much, because Gaines Adams just looks clueless on the field. LDE Jimmy Wilkerson got 3 sacks for the Buccaneers, and lazy analysis would lead me to criticize RT Winston Justice, who I am typically not a big fan of. Thing is, I looked at the plays, and none were particularly bad plays by Justice. One was an overload, where the RG picked up Wilkerson, and on the other two, Donovan McNabb rolled into a decently-blocked Wilkerson.

m. ST&NO favorite Channing Crowder had a fantastic game on Monday Night, and really backed up his smack talk from the spring with Rex Ryan. Another ST&NO favorite, Sean Smith, did not have a particularly great game. He struggled a little with Braylon Edwards, and while he didn't embarass himself, he has looked a lot better in other games. He was still the best CB the Dolphins had, as Vontae Davis and Will Allen both struggled worse.

n. I called this just last Tuesday with Edwards. He got out of Cleveland, and he's going to flourish in New York. He always thought of Cleveland as a non-cosmopolitan place, even to a greater extent than what is really true. (It's medium in its cosmopolitan-ness; well behind the major cities, but well ahead of a place like Jacksonville.) Edwards also felt like Ohio fans secretly hated him because he is a Michigan guy. The enmity between OSU and Michigan people is pretty real, for Big 10 country anyway, but Clevelanders are almost universally Browns fans before they're OSU fans. It's an NFL town, first, no question about it. If Edwards did well for the Browns, he'd have gotten plenty of love here.

My read on Edwards' personality, from living in the same town, is that the fact that he comes from a fairly affluent, two-parent, suburban background works against his ability to be a great player. He knows he has options outside of football. Poor kids need football, and many dedicate themselves fully to it, but I don't think Edwards has ever felt like he needs it. (For an example, there's the famous story of him asking Will Demps how to get into modeling and acting, between plays, during a game with the Texans).

I expect that Edwards will be very good for the Jets, and get himself a good contract extension after this season. New York is the town he wants to be in, and at his best, he can be like Tiki Barber, a guy who is interested in a lot of other stuff, but finally focuses pretty well on football, and has some good years under some tough coaching. Just don't be the person who believes the nonsense about him being a bad player, because he is not one.

n. The Dolphins offensive line is really one-dimensional, because their Tackles, Jake Long and Vernon Carey, severely lack foot quickness. Both guys can really move defenders off the ball in the running game, though. I am a big fan of Justin Smiley at LG; he's a mauler. The Dolphins do well in their wildcat stuff, but I think they should play more with their QB under center, to generate opportunities in the play-action game. It's the only way their QB will ever be able to consistently take a very deep dropback, unless they want to max-protect with a limited pattern.

o. Wow.... two successful fake punts in one first half by the Jets. I don't know if I have ever seen that before. Brad Smith was almost stopped on the second one, but he managed to get away from the tackle.

p. Chad Henne has looked much better than I thought he could play the last two weeks, but I am not sold on some things. For one thing, since when do QBs have lousy, jail-house looking tattoos, or any tattoos at all? It's like when an enlisted guy in the military becomes an officer, and suddenly looks a little different, sporting a bunch of ink. (My buddy who is getting married in Dallas in about 2 weeks is actually one of these.) Anyway, it's weird to see a QB with that going on. As a player, he looked really good, though.

q. Ted Ginn put a pretty humbling move on Darrelle Revis in the 4th quarter Monday Night. When you hear scouts talk about suddenness, Ginn is not a guy who really has it, as opposed to somebody like Percy Harvin, who does. Ginn does, however, have world-class speed once he gets going, and he ran by the outstanding Revis for a go-ahead TD.

r. I usually ignore MNF while I write the bulk of ST&NO on Monday nights, but this Dolphins-Jets game was terrific. Both of these teams are playoff-caliber teams, and only one of them will probably make it.

s. The Packers had a bye week, and signed Mark Tauscher, which was smart. I think he is below-average, (and so is Chad Clifton), but they are a damnsight better than Daryn Colledge and Allen Barbre. If Aaron Rodgers can get sacked only 3-4 times per game, as opposed to 8-9, the Packers would have a better chance to beat good teams. Rodgers does tend to hold the ball too long at times, and I am sure the Packers are working with him on that, as well.

t. There were a lot of lousy games this weekend, which weren't particularly relevant to anything. I didn't bother with them. (That means you, Buffalo-Cleveland and Washington-Carolina.)

4. Between The Lines - Patriots at Broncos

a. The Patriots pass-protected very well in this game, much better than I expected them to. Matt Light and Nick Kaczur really held their own against Elvis Dumervil, Robert Ayers, and others. The Broncos mostly tried to play coverage, and generally didn't blitz a lot, but the Patriots handled their 3- and 4-man rushes virtually every time. Once Light was injured, and replaced by Sebastian Vollmer, I felt like the Patriots expressly didn't want to have him singled up on anybody, and they got more conservative with their protection calls. Of course, on the key play where Vonnie Holliday sacked and stripped Brady, and Dumervil recovered, that was only a 4-man rush, and Vollmer was the victim. The Patriots won this battle on volume, but he Broncos got the biggest play.

b. The Broncos also were outstanding in protection. Orton was never significantly pressured during the game, and the two sacks he took were both coverage sacks, delivered by LBs Rob Ninkovich and Tully Banta-Cain. Ryan Clady and Ryan Harris were outstanding as usual. Although Clady did have Banta-Cain on his sack, it's hard to call the play Ryan's fault. Pressure up the middle forced Orton to step backwards, into the area where Clady had ridden Banta-Cain. Sometimes you take a hit for doing your job right. The interior was strong in protection too, especially Chris Kuper. He does a great job anchoring against power rushers. The Broncos were terrific in this area, and won it going away.

c. The Patriots seemed to want to run the ball at Ryan McBean and Mario Haggan, and had a bit of success at it early with Sammy Morris. After that, they seemed to get away from that plan, only running much from shotgun looks. The Broncos defensive line was up to the task, consistently holding the line of scrimmage, as they have in all five games. Noteworthy performances were turned in by Ronald Fields, Le Kevin Smith, and Kenny Peterson, in addition to McBean. These big guys just continue to hold up. Logan Mankins was tough for the Patriots, and Dan Koppen was steady and crafty. Kaczur had a couple nice early blocks on the opening possession too. This battle was pretty even, in the final analysis.

d. Vince Wilfork was the best all-around player on the field on Sunday, and he couldn't be blocked. If the Patriots don't pay him, I'll be shocked, but there are actually rumblings that they may not. The rest of the Patriots defensive line got pushed around in the running game. The Broncos blockers were terrific in opening up holes for Knowshon Moreno and LaMont Jordan. Clady, Harris, and Kuper were especially noteworthy for their efforts in the running game. Wilfork did make a key stop on third-and-short, and blew up Hamilton on the play. Moreno's 4.2 yard average was a lot better than teams usually get from the Patriots. This is a win for the Broncos.

e. Remember a year ago, when the Patriots physically dominated the Broncos on both lines? That did not happen Sunday. The matchup was pretty even, with a slight edge going to the Broncos. This was very important to the final outcome of the game, as always.

(I am scrapping the BTL feature for another game. I am pretty overloaded lately, and I need to save the 90 minutes per week. It seemed like the best place to cut from. Sorry for anybody who will miss it.)

5. Weird comment from Pat Kirwan on NFL.com:

5. Things I didn't like

When the visiting Patriots lost the coin toss in overtime and the Broncos drove the field and kicked a winning field goal, it left me wanting more than that to decide a winner. Wouldn't it have been great if, after Denver's field goal, Tom Brady had one drive to score a touchdown?

Is Kirwan saying that Brady should get even more special treatment, because he's Brady, or is he saying that the NFL should allow both teams to get the ball at least once in overtime, as a rule for all teams? I typically like Kirwan's work, but this has me pretty confused.

And for the record, I don't think it would have been great if Brady had one drive to score a touchdown. To me, moving down the field after winning the toss, and kicking a winning FG is legitimate. I also think the Broncos play-calling would have been a bit different, once Knowshon Moreno got them inside the 30, if they felt like they really needed to play for a TD.

6. Big up Lindsay Jones of the Denver Post, for reminding us, via Twitter, of somebody who hasn't come forth with their mea culpa yet. I'm looking at you, Rick Reilly, purveyor of puff pieces.

Actually, Reilly's words were more mean-spirited than anybody's, so he really owes Josh McDaniels an apology.

@DenverBroncos : Deadspin compiles all the not-so-nice things Rick Reilly wrote about McDaniels last spring. Pretty interesting. http://deadspin.com/5379838/delighting-in-rick-reillys-massively-wrong-broncos-predictions

I don't normally read Deadspin, but nice work by Tommy Creggs here. Some interesting reminders:

Reilly on April 3rd: "And none of it would've happened without McDaniels' ham-handed style and his Macy's-balloon ego. I have a buddy who honestly believes McDaniels thinks this is fantasy football; that Pat Bowlen gave him a whole team to play with and screw over in his own image and what the hell, if his moves don't work out, his league has a special "mulligan" rule and he can start over. Only there's no "oops" rule in the NFL. Years from now, the Cutler Catastrophe will go down as the dumbest thing in Boy Blunder's very short coaching career. By then, perhaps he will be your waiter at Olive Garden."

That was right after the Cutler trade. Nice, huh? Try this one out:

Reilly on April 29th: "To repeat: Boy Blunder used a [first-round pick] to take a second. And if the Broncos are going to be as lame as I think they're going to be-4-12 perhaps-that first-round pick will be very high. McDaniels is the worst combination of things: Terribly naïve and doubly confident. Bronco fans, you're screwed."

And one more pearl;

Reilly on September 29th: "You can't just bolt your team because you think it's going to suck. (Which the Broncos are. There is no debating that. They are going to lose more than France. Just because you worked under Bill Belichick and you wear your sweatshirt like Bill Belichick does not mean you are Bill Belichick.)"

I would have been glad to debate Reilly on September 29th, or any other day. And if Josh McDaniels was my waiter at Olive Garden, I'd tip him pretty well, because I tip well, and because I bet the service would be outstanding.

I mean, like they say on ESPN, C'mon Man! This drivel was worse than what came from any of the serious-ish reporters, right? Your garden-variety John Clayton, Peter King, or Don Banks were smug and disconnected from reality, but it wasn't personal. With Reilly, this was clearly PERSONAL. Where are you at, Rick? Being a Denver guy, I suspect you'll see this, or at least hear about it, from somebody who does. Ted Bartlett from MileHighReport.com wants to know where you're at with this today, and is directly, publicly asking, on behalf of the thousands who realize how wrong you were, and think we have a great Head Coach.

Hell, if I find out that Chad Henne's tattoo is actually beautifully and tastefully done, and I had it all wrong, you can bet that I'll man up to it publicly. Same goes for anything I ever say, in all seriousness. Maybe accountability to readers is a blogger thing, I don't know.

7. Retired for John Elway

8. So, there's a hellaciously stupid line of thought that's circulating throughout the punditry (as always, meant negatively.) It seems that there are two kinds of people: those who dichotomize, and those who don't. The punditry tends to dichotomize, and there are two kinds of coaches right now. Hot Coordinators (including some retreads like Mike Nolan, Gregg Williams, and Mike Mularkey), and Super Bowl Winning Retreads. And lemme tell you, nobody wants a Retread. Why not? Because they're Retreads, stupid!

My favorite contrarian Andrew Perloff tells us so in his crack column Against The Grain: ("A weekly NFL column that heads in the opposite direction of your average pro football analysis." Just in case you were wondering....)

3. The NFL information men are hot on the trail of finding out where former Super Bowl-winning coaches like Mike Shanahan, Mike Holmgren and Bill Cowher will end up. But shouldn't we be asking ourselves if those coaches are the right hires for franchises like Washington, Dallas and Carolina? A retread coach with a ring is still just a retread. Duplicating that kind of success is still a longshot in the NFL. Some of the organization problems within those teams would cause just as big a headache for a proven winner.

Perloff has a point about the organization problems, but calling somebody a retread, and assuming that they suddenly can't coach is asinine. Analysts who don't know how to analyze always look for correlation, and assume causation, where there often is none.

Some teams, like the Redskins and Cowboys, will almost certainly make big-splash hires. Some, like the Bills and Jaguars, will be cost conscious, and probably hire a coordinator. Some, like the Panthers, could go either way. You can believe that whatever is deemed to be the trend du jour, (probably hiring coordinators), the other path will be criticized. Such is life with the dichotomizing punditry.

9. Another fun Ted Bartlett prognostication from the preseason:

The Broncos are going to have the best defense in the AFC West.

I guess I am just hot this year. :)

That's all I have for this week. Have a great Tuesday, and beyond, and we'll see you Saturday for Lighting Up The Scoreboard, even as I will be at Notre Dame this weekend for their game against USC. It will be my first time seeing Touchdown Jesus, so we'll see what that does for me as a guy who grew up Catholic. Maybe I will tweet from the game. Follow me at @TedBartlett905. Thanks for reading, and go Broncos!!!