SB Nation - Vince Wilfork

Patriots @ Bills: some notable injuries

MaPatsFan — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 16:03:56 -0000

The Patriots provided a brutal injury update tonight, ruling out Ty Warren, Vince Wilfork, Myron Pryor, Steve Neal, Fred Taylor, and Nick Kaczur for tomorrow's game against the Bills.

Uhhmm... Ouch?!?! Taylor's not a surprise and Wilfork has been banged up, but the big man's absence leaves quite a hole in the defensive line. It looks like we'll need the so far ineffective Ron Brace to step up his game. Stephen Neal and Nick Kaczur? Well, Dan Connolly picks up Neal's spot and Sebastian Vollmer is the most likely replacement for Kaczur. That puts Matt Light in for the whole game. A little thin on the 300 pounders on both sides of the ball.

The Pro (Popularity) Bowl voting silliness

MaPatsFan — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 02:12:31 -0000

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It's a good thing NFL Pro Bowl participation isn't determined solely on the voting intelligence of fans. I consider "us" to be intelligent fans, but those other idiots... It's a good thing players and coaches make up the other two thirds. There are a few obvious ones, like Peyton Manning topping the list for AFC quarterbacks. Ok, I can go with that one. His team is having a stellar season so far. Vince Wilfork tops the list for defensive lineman which makes perfect sense. Hoodie has moved him around so much this year that it truly shows his value to the team. I certainly hope they pay the man.

Now let's get into a little silliness. In particular the guy in the picture at..wait for it...fifth. Sure, if you go by touchdowns Wes doesn't deliver. But that's not his job. Yards per game: 105.3, receptions: 105, receptions per game: 9.5. And he did all of this while MISSING 2 GAMES!! The other bit of silliness, I'm sorry to say, is to put Randy Moss ahead of Wes Welker. It's clear the voters are going for "sensational" - big yards and touchdowns. Andre Johnson deserves the number one spot; he's blowing up the field. For receivers, the list should be ordered as such: Andre Johnson, Wes Welker OR Reggie Wayne at 2nd or 3rd; I think a case could be made for either.

It'll be interesting to see where the coaches and players go with this. Hopefully they think about which players give them the most trouble on the field. Just who might that be, pray tell?

New Orleans Saints' Offensive Player Grades vs. Patriots

saints-nation — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:00:43 -0000

by Bill Feig - AP

19 days ago: New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees pumps his fist after his 20-yard touchdown pass to Marques Colston during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Monday, Nov. 30, 2009, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Bill Feig)

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Below are the offensive player grades for the game against the Patriots. The letter grade represents the player's performance for the game and the GPA represents the cumulative effort on the season.

Patriots vs Saints coverage

Patriots vs Saints recap

Patriots vs Saints boxscore

Drew Brees: A+ (3.15) How can words even describe his performance? 18 for 23, 371 yards and 5 touchdowns. No turnovers. The way he was playing, no one could have stopped him. Not even the NFC Pro Bowl defensive squad. Brees just put himself back in the MVP race in a big way with that game.

Pierre Thomas: A- (3.18) That first touchdown was all Thomas. He made a sick ankle breaking move, then twisted and welded his way to a touchdown on the screen pass. He finished with a solid 64 yards on 11 carries (5.8 yds per carry) and 23 yards on 3 catches. He showed tremendous vision, speed and toughness throughout.

Mike Bell: B- (2.89) Bell ran hard, as always. Never really broke one in this game, though, as his longest carry was just 6 yards. He finished with 50 yards on 13 carries and was banged up with a stinger and a knee tweak at different points in the game. I don't think either injury looked serious: he returned from the stinger and got to the sideline on his own after hurting his knee. We know he's been dealing with knee issues all season.

Marques Colston: A (2.91) Man, Colston looked FAST! Did you see him on that 69 yd pass? Making plays downfield was his calling card in this one. Even when the coverage was tight, Colston went out there and caught the ball in traffic and was most dangerous after the catch. He also made a nice move and ran after the catch later in the game. He finished with 4 catches for 121 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown came with him taking two tacklers into the end zone. Sick.

Devery Henderson: A (3.03) Henderson set the tone for the game making a deep reception on the very first play. He also had a back breaking 75 yard touchdown reception to give the Saints a 17-7 lead. On that play, he was so wide open that I'm confident any receiver in the NFL would have made that play. Still, give Henderson credit because 2-3 years ago he might have dropped that easy catch. He also did a terrific job of shedding a would be tackler for a 1st down. With Lance Moore and Reggie Bush out, he was also given punt return duties. He had one go 11 yards which was a pretty good return, a safe fair catch, and a terrible backwards running play that looked like he had gotten lessons from Reggie Bush. Henderson was also open for what could have been Brees' 6th TD pass, but the pass was overthrown right before Carney's missed field goal attempt. Henderson finished with 3 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown.

Robert Meachem: A (3.07) Typically it's Meachem and Henderson making the big plays, with Shockey and Colston moving the chains, but in this game Meachem was the one moving chains (while Henderson and Colston mostly made their plays downfield). At least three times Meachem was targeted going for a 3rd down conversion. On the screen pass to Pierre Thomas that scored, Meachem went in motion and ran a nice route to pull the entire defense in his direction. He was a big part of the reason Thomas had real estate to run with. Meachem's touchdown reception for 38 yards was a terrific play where Brees threw arguably his prettiest ball of the season. Meachem did a nice job on that play of shielding the ball with his back so the defender couldn't make a play - and he secured the ball nicely by reaching out with 2 hands. Beautiful play. Meachem also took a play out of Henderson's arsenal with a nice juke on a short throw to get 1st down, almost breaking Adalius Thomas' ankles in the process. He finished with 5 catches for 69 yards and a touchdown.

David Thomas: C (2.30) Thomas was basically the starting fullback in this game with Eckel inactive, and he was a mixed bag. He threw a bad block on a reverse to Devery Henderson which resulted in the play going nowhere. His only reception was a nice double pump fake by Brees where Thomas then got open down the seam and caught a 25 yard pass. He did a nice job running after the catch on that play. When the Saints were looking to ice the game in the 2nd half, he threw a pair of nice lead blocks for Bell. He was responsible, however, for a terrible pass blocking effort on Adalius Thomas that resulted in a sack, and he was flagged for a holding call late.

Jeremy Shockey: C- (2.85) Shockey ended up having just one reception for 15 yards, and he was blown up BIG TIME on the catch he made. Give him a lot of credit for hanging on to the ball, and for popping right back up after that hit. Otherwise, Brees just didn't look his way. I actually think Shockey is hurt. How else can you explain the amount of playing time both Thomas and Dinkins are seeing? On numerous routes he ran, he was completely covered. I think his ankle is bothering him, as we already know he sprained it earlier in the year. On running downs the Saints are not using him much. Give Shockey credit on the touchdown pass to Henderson for giving Brees time by doing a fantastic job of protecting Brees on a cornerback blitz pickup.

Jermon Bushrod: B+ (2.77) Bushrod did a fine job. Brees was getting the ball out SO EARLY all day, it was really hard to grade the pass protection in this one. Hard to grade either tackle running wise, either, because 99% of the Saints ground game came on attacks right up the middle. Still, Bushrod made no mistakes and played a good game.

Carl Nicks: A- (3.15) He was opening huge holes late for Mike Bell. I noticed him miss a block or two on running plays, but otherwise he was a mauler as always. One of the things I really look forward to is watching the game tape to grade the O-lineman's performance. Watching the game through the first time and trying to enjoy it, there's just no way you can accurately grade them. If you go back and watch the tape, though, Nicks is just fun to watch. The amount of push he gets right at the snap of the football is impressive. I realized as the game progressed that the Saints really had as a game plan to attack the very middle of the Patriots when they ran the ball. Interesting, considering Vince Wilfork plays nose tackle for the Pats and he's known as a massive body and premiere run stopper.

Jahri Evans: A- (3.40) Evans is more technically sound than Nicks, quicker, and more impressive holding his ground against any and all pass rushers - and he showed his usual skill in this game. What Nicks has over Evans, though, is sheer size and dominating power. In this game Evans was pulling all day and finishing off plays. The Saints ran the ball well all day, thanks to his efforts.

Jonathan Goodwin: A (3.21) To me, Goodwin was the best lineman for the Saints against the Patriots. He pulled hard on the few plays the Saints ran to the outside, and his pass blocking was impeccable. He was able at times to bypass the defensive line thanks to the monster work Nicks and Evans did inside, and he'd get to the second level and get a hat on the Patriots' linebackers. Every single big run the Saints had was a play led by Goodwin. He also gave both Bell and Thomas nice cutback lanes they took advantage of when the play was designed to go elsewhere. I don't remember Jeff Faine ever being as good as what I saw out of Goodwin on Monday night. Very impressive performance.

Zach Strief: B- (2.45) He didn't get to play much, but when he did he played big and solid. On the touchdown pass to Dinkins, his mere presence on the field told the Patriots that the play would be a run. Result: 3 different players were completely wide open. He got some action late on running plays and got pretty good push.

Jon Stinchcomb: B (2.97) It was a quiet and uneventful day for Stinchcomb. The only play that was really run behind him was a draw on 2nd and 14 that went for 2 yards. Why are we running the ball with our passing offense on 2nd and 14 anyway? Stinchcomb was solid pass blocking and had a fine day at the office.

Darnell Dinkins: B+ (2.00) I'm going to give Dinkins a little GPA boost here because I've been hard on him and he finally got his first catch, and touchdown, in this game. Otherwise, he did a great job blocking on running plays.

My Offensive Player of the Game: Drew Brees

Poll

Who Was Your Offensive Player of the Game?

Marques Colston

11 votes

Pierre Thomas

11 votes

Drew Brees

677 votes

Robert Meachem

16 votes

other

9 votes

724 votes | Poll has closed

Game Preview: Jets @ Patriots

MaPatsFan — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:21:50 -0000

More photos » by Stephan Savoia - AP

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Division game, folks. As much as we're hurting from the Colts loss, it's time to move on. It is, afterall, a week after. As Belichick would say, "Time to focus on the Jets." And he's right. 3-6 means Bo Diddley. Any given Sunday and all that. Never take any opponent for granted. Historically, we're 49-50-1 against the Jets. However, our fanbase has cause to be confident. Since Kraft purchased the team, we're 20-12 against the Jets; since the 2003 season, the Patriots are 20-1 after a regular season loss; Bill Belichick is 14-8 against the Jets; and since 2001, our New England Patriots dominate the division with a 41-12 record.

As we discussed in Focusing on Jersey: Patriots take on Jets this Sunday, there's a lot of history between these 2 teams and it's not just on the field. Coaching contracts, the fact that it's New York...you name it. We love to get up for these games. But, the most important reason to get up for these games AND to win them is this: it's a divisional game.

Winning your division is the surest way to make the playoffs. Tying the division bites, plain and simple. Do you remember the nail biting we did last season? Yeah, you're left at the mercy of the tie-breaking procedures. And wildcard berths are raft with "Gee, I hope so-and-so wins this Sunday" as well. No, we need to soundly thrash everyone in the AFC East because our nemesis, the Miami Dolphins, are right behind us.

The Jets seemed to have quite the swagger at the beginning of the season. Rex Ryan was talking about not kissing Belichick's rings and how his defense was going to own the division. Nine games later, NY is 3-6, NE is 6-3, and Ryan is crying at team meetings. Hey, I'm not going to pick on the guy for getting emotional with his team; I only point this out to document the contrast in attitude over half a season. Hence why Belichick usually keeps an even keel when he's at the top or the bottom (which doesn't happen too much).

New York faced a VERY different New England in our Week 2 9-16 loss. Tom Brady had significant rust on him and Joey Galloway couldn't hang on to the football for what seemed like 2 certain touchdowns. Remember those? One in the numbers at the front of the end zone and one in the back where he forgot where his feet were. Bleh. At any rate, New England has gotten very good at protecting Tom Brady. LT Sebastian Vollmer has done very well handling the pass rush, but he's also had some creative help in doing so. We'd all like to think rookie "Sea Bass" soundly handled one of the best pass rushers in the league, but that's not the case. Don't feel bad. I think it's a good thing. It means that as a team, we're doing a good job of handling pass pressure from the defense. Remember, blitzing and pass pressure are the hallmarks of a Rex Ryan defense. As Belichick is so good at doing, take away what a team is good at and make them play YOUR game.

The Jets are facing some serious trouble with 2 high profile guys placed on injured reserve: DT Kris Jenkins and RB/JR Leon Washington. The absence of these 2 is like losing Vince Wilfork and possible Laurence Maroney for the season. Not good. Jenkins, like Wilfork, swallows up offensive linemen and is a big reason why the Jets defense is rated 3rd in the league. Interestingly enough, their offense is first in rushing.

I think Belichick and company may do something similar to what was done against Indy. That is, creative pass protection to allow Brady some time. With Julian Edelman AND Sam Aiken questionable, it's anyone's guess who will be the third wideout, but I'd guess Edelman; afterall, he toughed it out for the Colts game. It's also been good to see Randy Moss improving at some crossing patterns instead of simply sprinting vertical; it adds another weapon in the Patriots' arsenal. Why leave all the fun to Wes Welker?

With the Jets' Kris Jenkins out, it may be easier for us to generate and sustain a decent rushing attack - key to a balanced offensive plan. Combine that with Brady's improvements during the season and I think we'll see a VERY different football game today than we saw in Week 2.

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

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

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

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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

More photos » by Peter Morgan - AP

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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.

Thanks for letting me trash your blog Patriots fans

BigBlueShoe — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:00:43 -0000

Image (cropped) from: www.foxboroblog.com

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So, thanks for ~~being stupid enough~~ kind enough to let me run your blog for a few days, Patriots fans. Though your liquor cabinet is bare, your toilet seat is coated in piss stains, and the living room carpet as a nice, warm present waiting for you when you get home, I'm sure you enjoyed my two days of blogging here. I appreciate all the fine comments and the insight. This is a smart, intelligent Pats fan community here (well, except for andrew29910, but even Pats fans are making fun of him), and it has been a joy to see the Colts and Patriots blog communities really come together and enjoy this great sports rivalry.

I leave you with a great quote from Colts center Jeff Saturday, who was interviewed by Colts.com. You might remember him as the guy who pancaked Vince Wilfork into the endzone on Joseph Addai's game-winning TD in the 2006 AFC Championship Game. Saturday, who is likely a future Hall of Famer, has a great quote about this upcoming game that I hope both players and fans take to heart (emphasis mine):

Question: Is it fun to play games like this [Against the Patriots]?

Jeff Saturday: Absolutely! I think the thing you do want to take away from this week is enjoy the week. Understand, this is cool. This is what you play football for. You don't play for the 0-5 teams, or the 0-8 teams. You play for the two best teams in the division, or in the conference, playing each other and battling it out. I mean, there's no hiding. We'll see where we are Sunday night. I think that's exciting. I think players that enjoy this game understand how fun these times are and how few times you really get this opportunity. So, you might as well go out and make the most of it.

I hope you enjoyed this week as much as Jeff Saturday seems to have. Enjoy the game Sunday everyone.

New England Patriots Links 11/12/09 - Rivalry Week Continues: All Pats-Colts, All the Time

Marima — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:38:17 -0000

That's the rival quarterback we know and love.

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Tom Brady talks about being a part of the rivalry with Peyton Manning and the Colts.

Yeah, I'm always keeping up on Peyton. We talk from time to time. I have a lot of respect for him as a player, and for the role model that he is, the way that he carries himself, the way the he leads the team, and the way he's a representative for the league, and all of those things.

It was his third year in the league when I was a rookie and it was pretty much my first start came against the Colts. Peyton came over on our field and said, ‘Hey, I'm Peyton Manning.' I said, ‘No shit.' We ended up winning that game, but it's a great contest for us. I think the great thing about playing the Colts is that you really see where you are as a team. We've made some improvements, we all feel that we've made some improvements over the last five, six weeks and this is really where you get put to the test, with a team that can play well in all phases. They can score points. They're leading the league in defense. So it's a lot of fun for us.

Erik Scalavino notes the handmade "DO MY JOB" sign at Vince Wilfork's locker, and the positive reactions from his teammates.

"It’s easy to come in and forget what you’re here for. A lot of things going on earlier with me and with my contract, that was one thing I wanted to make clear to myself. So every time I come to my locker, I remind myself what I’m here for. That’s to do my job. I have to sit at this locker every day, so I have to see that every day. Every time I see that, it reminds me what I’m doing, why I’m here, it makes me get in my playbook even more."

"I’m pretty sure a lot of guys on the team see it, too," Wilfork said of his sign. "They say stuff about it. It just reminds me why I’m here, and that might be rubbing off on some of the other guys. Do your job. It’s gonna stay there, long as I’m here."

TEAM TALK

Erik Scalavino Vince Wilfork and Jake Ingram talk shop; plus news and notes from the New England locker room and Wednesday's practice.
Wednesday Pressers: Bill Belichick (15:15 min. video) and Tom Brady (15 min. video) Plus Transcripts.
Patriots Today: Patriots-Colts, Brady-Manning, practice notes and more. (9:29 min. video)

LOCAL LINKS

Adam Kilgore reports Brady and Manning are the best of their era.
Jim Donaldson will be reliving the 13 games played by the Patriots and Colts this decade. Here are Part 1(2000) and Part 2 (2001).
Christopher Price offers his five favorite moments from Patriots-Colts.
Karen Guregian reports Vince Wilfork just wants to do his job and refuses to let himself be distracted by his contract situation.
Ian Rapoport reports how Peyton Manning helped Tom Brady out with some treatment advice after Brady's knee caught the same infection Manning's did. Who knew it would help to 'rub some dirt on it'?
Shalise Manza Young helps us get to know Colts' rookie head coach Jim Caldwell, saying he's been keeping the Colts on a consistant winning path.
Christopher Price offers the Q&A Transcript of NBC analysts Rodney Harrison and Tony Dungy talking Pats-Colts.
Karen Guregian captures the highlights from Rodney Harrison's and Tony Dungy's NBC Conference call with the media. Harrison talks up the Patriots' secondary and tells Brady to fire away.
Chris Gasper chatted about the Patriots online yesterday. Here is the transcript with some terrific points. Worth a read.
Shalise Manza Young notes although the Colts are 1st in the league in passing and 29th in rushing, but make the most of what they do best.
Boston Herald Patriots Notebook: Jonathan WIlhite returns from illness; Pat Chung was fined for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Miami QB Chad Henne; Practice updates, a whopping 11 players missed practice yesterday.
Mike Reiss offers the Patriots penalty breakdown through the first eight games.

NATIONAL NEWS

NFL.com Bill Belichick mic'd up during the Miami game. (4.51 min. video) Way cool.
Tim Graham (ESPN) Midseason Report: Patriots.
Tim Graham (ESPN) Patriots DBs see 'best chance ever' against Manning.
Judy Battista (NY Times) Colts game should provide test of Brady's health.
Rich Cimini (NBC Sports) Patriots-Colts greatest NFL rivalry of 2000s.
Andrew Das (NY Times) Team of the 2000s: Patriots, Colts or Steelers?
NBC Sports Dan Patrick, Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison highlight QB play as the decisive factor in whether the Patriots or Colts will win in Week 10. (1:15 min. video)

VIEW FROM INDIANAPOLIS

Mike Chappell (Indy Star) Patriots' Brady is back to normal.
Bob Kravitz (Indy Star) Here's what you need to know for Sunday. Trots out the "evil genius" humor.
Phil Richards (Indy Star) Pats make it a mental game.
John Oehsner (Colts.com) Another tough test.
Matt Dollinger (Colts.com) Q & A with Dallas Clark.

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

More photos » by Stephan Savoia - AP

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.)

New England Patriots Links 11/06/09 - Dolphins Coach on Single Covering Randy Moss Last Year: "That didn't work out so good."

Marima — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:41:49 -0000

Vince Wilfork ready for some smash-mouth football.

View full size photo »

Shalise Manza Young notes Jerod Mayo says discipline is the key to stopping the WIldcat.

Asked on Thursday what his thoughts were after that initial play, Mayo smiled.

"Um…call a timeout," he said, laughing. "I know we came to the sideline and Bill (Belichick) just told everybody to calm down and made a couple of adjustments, but unfortunately they didn’t work out that day."

It didn’t help that even Mayo mentioned that tackling was a big issue for the Patriots in that game.

Mayo and the Patriots did a much better job the second time around last season, and they know what is required for them to be successful again on Sunday.

"I wouldn’t say patience; I would say discipline," the defensive captain said. "If everybody does their job, I feel we’ll be OK."

Ron Borges captures Vince Wilfork's feeling that this will be a physical fight to the finish against Miami.

"One thing is sure, we’re gonna have to tackle," Wilfork said yesterday of the task that awaits Sunday in facing the NFL’s third-most productive rushing attack, one that attacks not only with Ronnie Brown or Ricky Williams but often with both of them in the hybrid, Wildcat offense that undressed Wilfork and his teammates when first unveiled a year ago. "They want to run the football. That’s the challenge for us. On Sunday, you’re gonna see a big-time match."

"We’re going to have our mind right," Wilfork said, smiling broadly. "That’s my style of game. They’re not trying to trick you. They’re going to try to run the ball."

"They’re strong, they can move, they’re powerful and they want to be physical," he said. "If we don’t have our mind right it’s going to be a long day for us, but I think we understand how we want to play this game. We’re looking forward to it and I’m sure they’re looking forward to it."

TEAM TALK

Erik Scalavino Bodden, Wilfork welcome Wildcat test; Wed news and notes from practice.
Erik Scalavino Mayo downplays his Wildcat experience; Thurs news and notes from practice.
Thursday Press Conference: Bill Belichick (12:43 min. video) plus Transcript.
Patriots-Dolphins Injury Report and Thursday practice participation. Ty Warren (ankle) and Benjamin Watson (back) were limited in practice.
Patriots Today: Dolphin breakdown, Hannah's hit and more. (8.53 min. video)
Locker Room Uncut: Welker, Thomas and more. (4.19 min. video)

LOCAL LINKS

Ian Rapoport focuses on quiet rookie defensive lineman Myron Pryor, who may see even more playing time on Sunday as the line's top sub.
Monique Walker reports Ty Warren's week off made him stronger.
Tedy Bruschi (ESPNBoston) Don't underestimate the Dolphins. Patriots' opponent defined not by Wildcat but by toughness.
Christopher Price lists Five Things to watch for Sunday afternoon.
Ian Rapoport notes Belichick's frustration with how the refs are calling, or not calling, the wedge rule on returns. Check out the quick clip of this non-call of an obvious illegal wedge on a Bucs return against the Panthers.
Mike Reiss fires off eight questions with rookie WR Brandon Tate, talking about his experience so far.
Mike Reiss offers some sights and sounds from Gillette Stadium Thursday.
Mike Reiss presents Dan Dierdorf's thoughts on Patriots-Dolphins.
Mike Reiss puts up the transcript of his weekly online chat from Thursday. Lots of good insight here as usual.
Boston Herald Patriots Notebook: Mayo notes the Wildcat isn't the issue, it's stopping Ronnie Brown; Sammy Morris could be back in 2 weeks; Jonathan Wilhite missed practice because he was sick; Friends Tom Brady and Jason Taylor will turn into rivals again on Sunday.
Boston Globe Patriots Notebook: Ginn's speed needs special attention; Wildcat has been spotted before; injury update.
Ian Rapoport talks about how the Patriots are vigilant in keeping a very real threat at bay: the Flu.
Jim Lazar makes his weekly picks. Pats over Fins 34-14.

NATIONAL NEWS

Tim Graham (ESPN) AFC East's most YACtacular players.
Tim Graham (ESPN) Belichick dissects Williams, aka the Wildcat.
Vic Carucci (NFL.com) Wildcat might have been tamed, but formation still has claws.
Peter King (SI) Weekend Pickoff. Hmmmm. Brady, Chad Henne. Henne, Brady. In Foxboro. I can't see Miami winning. Pats 27-22.
Don Banks (SI) Behind the Browns debacle: Kokinis lost power struggle with Mangini.
Dan Pompei (NBC Sports) What's next? Favre wins MVP and Colts falter. Bold predictions for season's 2nd half include Bucs winning and Vick shining.
Michael Lombardi (Nat'l Football Post) Tavern talk: Lerner says Mangini will be back; Can Texans beat Indy?
Dennis Dillon (Sporting News) Confluence of influence: NFL coaches praise mentors.
Adam Schein (Fox Sports) Boom or bust: Jason Taylor should win comeback award.
Gil Brandt (NFL.com) 9 Matchups to watch this Sunday.
Kerry J. Byrne (CHFF) The decline of QB sacks in the NFL.

VIEW FROM MIAMI

David J. Neal (Miami Herald) Sunday's game all about Miami matching wits with Patriots.
Mike Beradino (Sun-Sentinal) Miami Dolphins look to continue strong play against Tom Brady.
Omar Kelly (Sun-Sentinal) Phins Wrap: Where is New England's weakness?
Andy Kent (Dolphins.com) Taylor and Brady very familiar with each other.
Mike Beradino (Sun-Sentinal) Bill Belichick hates thought of preparing for Jason Taylor.
Armando Salguero (Miami Herald) A Wildcat wrinkle the Dolphins should consider.
Mike Beradino (Sun-Sentinal) Joey Porter insists he doesn't play dirty. Bet he was one of the three that voted for Rodney Harrison.
Jeff Darlington (Miami Herald) Joey Porter readies for hated opponent.