SB Nation - Brandon McGowan

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

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.

Game Preview: Patriots @ Colts

MaPatsFan — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:00:31 -0000

by Stephan Savoia - AP

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Here we are. Week 10 and it's the Colts. This is a critical game, but not because we want to beat up on one of our biggest rivals. Unless both teams implode in the second half of the season, it's a forgone conclusion that they'll win their respective divisions. What's the first thing looked at when determining home field advantage in a playoff scenario? Head to head record. If seeding works out and we happen to face Indy in January, we want them in Foxboro. Take Peyton Manning out of his dome and put him in the snow, that's what I way.

But there's still the emotional part of beating Indy. We're 2-1 in the post season against Peyton and the boys, but we're 1-4 overall in our last 5 matchups. As a fan, me no likey. At about 11pm ET, I really want to see this face:

That's Fivehead's sad, pouty face. That's the face I want to see. But it's going to take a lot to get there. We're in their house and nothing gets a crowd of Indy fans going more than the Patriots playing their team in THEIR house. At least everyone will be warm and dry; it helps to have a roof 8 games a year.

If you're a believer in Football Outsiders' DVOA analysis, the Patriots are simply a better team overall. There's a lot that goes into DVOA and if you're a stats geek you should read the explanation, but in general, the Patriots are more efficient. Breaking it down a bit, overall the Pats are ranked 1 overall, 1 on offense, and 8 on defense. The Colts are 3 overall, 5 on offense, and 6 on defense. Statistics are fun, but they can't predict much of anything come game time. Even if Indy has struggled to beat what could be considered mediocre teams, they've found a way to win. However, the Patriots are better than every team they've faced.

Keys to winning against the Colts in the Lube? To be very Belichick-ian, "Score more points than the other team."

RedZone Efficiency - It's not a stretch to say that our first ranked offense, based on DVOA, will be able to drive down the field against the Colts' sixth ranked defense. The issue is 3 vs. 6. I only want Stephen Gostkowski kicking extra points...and lots of them.
Indy's inexperienced DB - There's a lot of young talent in the Colts' defensive backfield. They're doing pretty good for what they're contending with, but I think Tom Brady and crew should be picking on them mercilessly. Wes Welker is practically unstoppable underneath, but that's low yardage, chain moving stuff. We need to get Randy Moss matched up against a younger, weaker DB. Bob Sanders is out, but Melvin Bullitt is no slouch. More stuff against the young CB's is the key.
Keep Manning off the field - I always hate this simplistic answer to the "How do we stop them" question, but it's true. He's their on-field offensive coordinator and is one of the best in the league at adjusting to defenses. He's especially good at pacing a game they way HE wants it paced. Take him out of the picture and Indy will have a long day.
Smart defensive play - As stated above, Manning can adjust to a defensive look very quickly. Setup too early and Manning will audible another play. Setup too late and you could be caught flatfooted. If the Patriots can a) have a generic enough defensive plan and/or b) give Manning looks and adjust on the fly, they'll do well.
Takeaway Manning's safety valve - Many will say Reggie Wayne and Pierre Garcon are Manning's most dangerous weapons. Like Moss, they are the deep ball threats. But, what if we eliminated Peyton's checkdown, his "third receiver"? Brandon McGowan has been given the job of covering Dallas Clark, the most prolific TE in the league to date. Calling him a pure TE and statistically matching him up in that category is a little ridiculous (more a TE/WR), but my point is remove that safety valve and Manning has nowhere to go. That is, as long as Wayne and Garcon aren't roaming the field at will.
Benjamin Watson - Watson is very well known to the Colts, but the Patriots have been using him sparingly, almost as a sneak attack. Defenses seem to forget about him and pretty soon, they get burned. Indy knows enough to blanket Welker and Moss, but they'll simply run out of personnel when we spread the field. Maybe not as prolific as Clark, Watson can be just as dangerous.
Ground game - We need Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris, and Kevin Faulk to step up their game a bit. Indy is ranked 14th against the run so we should have some success their. I would also like to see Morris and Faulk used successfully as passing options. Like I mentioned above, Indy knows to take away Welker and Moss; Brady needs choices if we're to be successful.

That's it for now. What are your thoughts? What are your keys to success? Have at it.

Colts Hobbled? Old Foe Indianapolis has a full infirmary

JohnHannahRules — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:00:49 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

This way to the hospital! Indianapolis Colts safety Bob Sanders is among the several Colts suffering with injury as Indy heads into the meat of its schedule. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)

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Back in early October, New England squeaked out a home win over the Ravens when a Joe Flacco pass bounced harmlessly to the turf off the chest of his receiver. Looks like the Colts had their Baltimore.

This past Sunday in Indianapolis, Texans' kicker Kris Brown missed a field goal as time wound down. The miss preserved a Colts' home victory in which Peyton Manning had to engineer yet another late-game scoring drive to overcome a furious Houston rally. After taking a 13-0 lead early in the second quarter, Indy surredered 17 unanswered points and the lead. Manning engineered an 8-play 60-yard drive midway through the fourth to go ahead and they survived with Brown's miss to keep their record pure.

Just as New England has hit the serious part of the year, so has Indy -- or what passes for it. Their early season schedule ranks as the easiest in the AFC and the Colts have treated it accordingly in racking up the wins. Nevertheless, losses have been suffered. Indianapolis will play host to New England with many of its most important players holding down the fort in the infirmary.

Veteran cornerback Kelvin Hayden is expected to miss the next 2 - 3 weeks with a sprained knee.

Cornerback Marlin Jackson is now on injured reserve after re-injuring his ACL last week in practice.

Defensive mainspring Bob Sanders has been placed on injured reserve with a torn biceps from the 49ers game.

Receiver Anthony Gonzales had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. A return date has not been specified, but it won't be next week.

These are the recent additions. Other denizens of the IR list include DB Nick Graham; OLB Tyjuan Hagler; DB Travis Key; backup TE Jamie Petrowski. Indy has been trotting out Matt Stover to kick as Vinatieri has undergone knee surgery and his return date is unknown.

WR Austin Collie left Sunday's game against the Texans with an injury.

No one playing in week 10 is at 100%, but it's worth noting that linebacker Gary Brackett and pass-rushing great Dwight Freeney have both struggled with actual hurts this year and are perhaps less fit than most other week-10 NFLers.

Of course, the obvious big hit is Sanders. Bob is an interesting conversation piece for connoisseurs of safety-play. You hear "for a player his size" a lot in those conversations, but it is undeniable that the Colts are a defense of a different character when he is on the field. Like Harrison used to do for the Patriots and like Belichick evidently hopes Seau will do now, Sanders has an electrifying effect on the Colts. Without him they are notably less dynamic.

None of this should in any way be thought to imply that the game will be easier. Peyton has his starting line intact and is making much hay with his recieving corps -- notably old friend Reggie Wayne and new toys Collie and Pierre Garcon. Oh yeah -- Dallas Clark still plays for Indianapolis, meaning Brandon McGowan has another peach of an assignment this week.

It is nice not to be the team with everyone hurt, however. A win at the Oilcan is always a slippery proposition.

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.)

Post Game Recap: New England Patriots defeat Baltimore Ravens, 27-21

MaPatsFan — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:41:33 -0000

More photos » by Stephan Savoia - AP

2 months ago: New England Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss (81) is congratulated by tackle Nick Kaczur (77) after Moss caught a third-quarter touchdown pass, his first of the season, during an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 4, 2009, in Foxborough, Mass. The Patriots defeated the Ravens 27-21. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

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If you're looking for three words to sum up this game, "What a battle" does it for me. All week long, we blogged with our friends at Baltimore Beatdown, chatting about their #1 run defense (7th overall), Joe Flacco's performance to date, and how NE would have a tough time offensively. All of that was true. But, we did just enough to come out with a W. There certainly were mistakes on both sides of the ball, but I felt this game was the gritty matchup it advertised to be and we all had quite a show, if you ask me.

All week long I felt 2 things needed to happen: the defense needed to press Joe Flacco and Tom Brady needed to find that magical connection with his receivers. Both happened, to varying degrees. Nothing about this game was stellar from a statistical perspective, but the right things happened at the right moments to propel the team forward. So, onto the ups and downs.

I'm experimenting with the format a bit and decided "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" was just too hard to manage, so Ups and Downs it is.

The Ups

Defense - Overall, our defense looked really good, holding the Ravens to 14 points (the other 7 from a Tom Brady fumble and Ravens recovery in the end zone). Brandon McGowan and Brandon Meriweather were all over the field, making tackles and pressing receivers when needed. Gary Guyton is turning into a beast at MLB. It's definitely Jerod Mayo's job, but isn't it good to see Gary coming up in the world? In a 3-4, both Mayo and Guyton at ILB would be a strong, young partnership.
Tom Brady - 21/32 and 258 yards, 1 touchdown is not great, but it was good enough to march them down the field when they needed it. And tell me you weren't pumped to see Brady float that TD pass to Randy Moss! Brady correctly read that Moss was in single coverage and the defender was grossly out gunned. A thing of beauty.
Passing - Not one receiver, tight end, or running back cracked 100 yards in the air, but Brady did a masterful job of spreading the ball around where he needed to. Wes Welker had some nice catches in critical circumstances and Ben Watson continues to be clutch. One of the biggest surprises was how effective running backs were as receivers. In particular, Sammy Morris, often split wide, had 5 grabs for 35 yards.
Rushing - Our run game, as predicted, was nothing to write home about. 85 yards to be exact. But, Belichick used the ground game to unbalance Baltimore and guess what? You can have 2 yards rushing, but if they're for touchdowns, it doesn't matter. Did I mention 2 of our TDs were on the ground against the #1 run D? And Tom Brady had one of them no less!
Red Zone - 3/5 in the red zone is a heck of a lot better than 1/5 last week against Atlanta. All week we've been talking about efficiency in the 20 and we got it today. We all would like to see every trip result in 7, but the percentage is heading in the right direction.

The Downs

Laurence Maroney - Even in kickoff return duties, El Mo continues to struggle, dancing and bouncing off of blockers in front of him. 7 for 6 yards with a long of 5 is not good, no sir. It's especially not good when "old man" Fred Taylor has 7 for 25 and Tom Brady gets 5 for 11. I'm very close to calling Maroney a bust.
Tom Brady fumble - Protect.the.quarterback!!! Luckily, we had a 10 point lead at the time, but Matt Light got abused by Ravens OLB Terrell Suggs. In a close game, this could've been the difference between a win and a loss. Matt Light HAS to have Brady's back if he's going to work the left side (blind side).

A gritty, hard fought win. What are your ups and downs? What were you happy about? Has Brady shaken off the rust?

Game Recap: New England Patriots defeat Atlanta Falcons, 26-10

MaPatsFan — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:44:48 -0000

More photos » by Winslow Townson - AP

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Just imagine, if you will, a Patriots team that carries forward, throughout the season, these things: good ground game, solid offensive line play (ie: keeping Tom Brady from eating fertilizer), a defense that can take away what an opposing offense is good at, and a special teams unit that pins rivals will into their territory. Imagine all of that and then contemplate a passing attack back to where it should be, a Tom Brady in sync with his receivers. Scary, isn't it? Well, it's not as far from reality as one might think.

When you take the best quarterback playing the game today and put him in charge of a team with this much potential, he WILL fix the things that trouble not only him but those around him. He won't rest until he's taken care of business. 2007 was a silly, silly season for the New England Patriots. It is inevitable that comparison will be made as that is the most recent success story. But, might it be better to compare this team to Super Bowl champion Patriots of past years? Does this year "feel" more like 2001, 2003, or 2004?

We're 2-1. We just beat the Falcons so I may be a bit high off of the win, but this team looked downright good, like the old days. Other than Tom and his receivers, things were clicking well. So let's dive into it. I'm experimenting with a new format for recaps, so let me know what you think.

The Good

Ground Game - Fred Taylor is an absolute, certifiable, friggin' stud. He knows where to go, how to follow his blockers, and put his shoulder down. When he joined the team, I watched a lot of highlights to get a sense of who he was. He will make sure tacklers know they got in his way because he will blow...you...up. 21 carries for 105 yards and a TD. That's a 5 yard average per carry, my friends.
Offensive Line - The 300 pounders were opening holes all day for Freddy to blast through. Atlanta seemed powerless to stop the running game with our OL playing like they did. It's also nice to know they kept Tom Brady on his feet for the whole game. Atlanta's pass rushing DE John Abraham wasn't even heard from.
Brandon McGowan - Tony Gonzalez, 1 catch for 16 yards. 'Nuff said. McGowan took away Falcons QB Matt Ryan's go to guy and, in the process, practically neutered their offense. Sure, he had help, but McGowan was a huge part of keeping Ryan's favorite weapon in check.
Randy Moss - For whatever reason, it seemed like Randy was the only guy Brady could trust. 10 receptions for 116 yards, 2 of which were for 4th down conversions. Clutch. And he did it with a bad back. Thank you, Randy!
Down Conversions - Third down was 8/18 or 44% but the most interesting one was fourth down at 3/3. The former was decent, but the latter shows Belichick has big ones, he has confidence in his guys to make the big plays.

The Bad

Brady and Receivers - They were not in sync. Missed routes, overthrown balls, too much zing. Whatever the problem was, they just don't appear to be connected. Tom would put the ball where he thought the receiver would be and they would be running the route the way they thought Tom would want it run. The good news is this is fixable. More work and more practice will iron out these issues.
Laurence Maroney - Primary back is his job to lose and he's losing it. Fred Taylor schooled the younger back on how to do it. El Mo had 4 touches for 17 yards. That shows a lack of confidence in his abilities.

The Ugly

Joey Galloway - If Galloway still has a job by the end of the week, I'll be shocked. How is it that a guy with his experience doesn't know where his feet are in the end zone? Or, how does he drop a very catchable ball that was an automatic TD? This is even uglier considering the guy he beat out for a roster spot, Greg Lewis, caught a toenail scraper from Minnesota's Brett Favre to win the game.
Red Zone Offense - Or, better yet, lack thereof. 1 for 5, my friends, 1 for 5. That means 4 field goals, boys and girls. Or, 12 points instead of 28. Pull that crap against a better team and you'll get smoked.
Pass Rush - I have complained for a long time that we don't have a pass rush worth shaking a stick at. If you rush quarterbacks, they have less time to make their reads and get the ball off. That usually means some bad throws and decisions. Where is our rush? Where is Derrick Burgess?

There are many things here that are fixable. Brady will get in sync with his receivers. The red zone offense will get better. And if Galloway doesn't cut the mustard, Belichick will find someone who will.

Why Are The Bears Considered An Elite Defensive Team?

Blitzburgh — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 09:57:57 -0000

It's interesting how teams in professional sports - and in the National Football League in particular - get branded in certain ways. Often times these labels stick with teams years longer than they perhaps should. The Pittsburgh Steelers, for example, are still thought of as a smash-mouth, physical running team even though they haven't fared well on the ground for most of the past 20 games or so. Another example is how the Chicago Bears are still thought of as an elite, physical defense because of some of their success earlier this decade. The Bears aren't really an elite defense anymore in my opinion and haven't been for two years running.

Let's take a closer look.

The last time the Bears defense was outstanding was in 2006, the year they lost to the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl. The year before in 2005, Chicago was lights out on defense and rode their opportunistic ball hawking defense all the way to the #2 seed in the NFC and a home playoff game at Soldier Field that they would lose to the Carolina Panthers. Let's start though with the 2006 defense though. Here are some of their numbers from that year - the season they made it all the way to the Super Bowl before falling to the Colts (league rank in parentheses).

2006

Yards/G: 294.1 (5th)
Points: 15.9 (3rd)
Rushing Yards/G: 99.38 (6th)
Passing Yards: 194.7 (11th)
Turnovers: 44 (1st)
Sacks: 40 (8th)
DVOA: 2nd (Pass Defense = 1st; Rush = 6th)
Top Ten Tackle Leaders: Lance Briggs, Brian Urlacher, Charles Tillman, Danieal Manning, Ricky Manning, Chris Harris, Alex Brown, Hunter Hillenmeyer, Adewale Ugonleye, Nathan Vashar

The Bears were also good in 2005, but let's face it - four years ago means very little in the salary cap era of the NFL. I know us Steelers fans don't necessarily think of our team in 2005 as particularly similar to the squad we're watching in 2009. Anyway, the Bears were outstanding in 2005 on defense and combined with their solid play on that side of the ball in 2006, they earned the reputation as being one of the more physical and punishing defenses in the league.

Miscellaneous: The Bears started the 2006 season much like the 2008 Steelers did on defense. They were outstanding, holding their first 10 opponents under 300 yards. They pitched two shutouts in those first ten games and averaged only 12 points per game on defense while jumping out to a 9-1 record to start the year. They had three guys force at least four fumbles that year and eight defenders with two or more interceptions. By contrast, the Steelers only had one guy force more than four fumbles last year - Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison with seven. They also only had four players notch multiple picks. If you look at their roster from that year, you'll also notice that all of their top defenders were in their prime physical years - age 25-29 - with a number of other young key contributors like Tommie Harris being worked in during the early years of their career.

Let's see how they've fared the last two years though to see if they're deserving of still being thought of as one of the league's better units.

2007

Yards/G: 354.6 (28th)
Points: 21.75 (16th)
Rushing Yards/G: 122.9 (24th)
Passing Yards: 231.7 (27th)
Turnovers: 33 (8th)
Sacks: 41 (6th)
DVOA: 8th (Pass = 14th; Rush = 4th)
Top Ten Tackle Leaders: Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Danieal Manning, Charles Tillman, Hunter Hillenmeyer, Brandon McGowan, Adewale Ugonleye, Adam Archuleta, Alex Brown, Ricky Manning

Miscellaneous: This is the year we really start to see the Bears defense decline. Chicago only held their opponent to under 300 yards of total offense on four occasions that season - once against the hapless Raiders and another against the rebuilding Chiefs running a Herm Edwards offense. They gave up 30+ points four times and likely would have finished even worse than 7-9 had they not sacked the quarterback and forced as many turnovers as they did. Adewale Ugonleye was particularly productive at 30 years of age for Chicago. He forced 6 fumbles, recovered three more, and had 9 sacks - tops on the squad that year. Ugonleye is now 32 years of age and not as explosive at the point of attack as he once was despite making his first Pro Bowl appearance last year (he should have made it the year before, not last season). It's also worth noting that 2007 was the first year of Bob Babich regime at defensive coordinator. I'm not sure of why, but former coordinator Ron Rivera was not retained by Lovie Smith following Chicago's run to the Super Bowl in 2006. Rivera had previously been in charge of the Bears defense since 2004 and had improved dramatically during his tenure there. Babich meanwhile got his first NFL gig with the Rams in 2003 when he was named their linebackers coach. Before being promoted to defensive coordinator prior to the 2007 season, Babich had never been a defensive coordinator at any level and had held only one job higher than a linebackers coach in his entire career - the head coaching gig at North Dakota State. Coaching matters - we know that having been blessed to watch Dick LeBeau for so many years. I don't think Babich is up to snuff and I'm frankly shocked he wasn't canned after last season.

2008

Yards/G: 334.6 (21st)
Points: 21.8 (16th)
Rushing Yards/G: 93.5 (5th)
Passing Yards: 241.1 (30th)
Turnovers: 32 (2nd)
Sacks: 28 (23rd)
DVOA: 7th (Pass = 10th; Rush = 5th)
Top Ten Tackle Leaders: Lance Briggs, Charles Tillman, Brian Urlacher, Kenny Payne, Corey Graham, Mike Brown, Adewale Ugonleye, Alex Brown, Tommie Harris, Nick Roach

Miscellaneous: The Bears really didn't have more than one or two impressive showings on defense last year. If you look at their schedule from 2008, you'll notice they only held their opponent under 10 points on two ocassions. One of them was against the lowly Lions. The other against the equally sad St. Louis Rams. They also played fairly well against the Carolina Panthers in Week 2 and against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 14. Those four games constitute the only contests that they were able to hold their opponents under 300 yards of total offense. By contrast, the Pittsburgh Steelers only surrendered more than 300 yards just once in 2008 and only 6 times in 2007, four of which came in the final four weeks of the season after injuries had more than taken their toll on Pittsburgh's defense. Chicago also gave up 27 or more points five times last year, including 41 to Minnesota in Week 7 at Soldier Field. Finally, Chicago was able to remain competitive last year due to the fact that they still forced a healthy number of turnovers. In fact, they forced at least one turnover in every game last year. That's fairly impressive. It's worth nothing though that nine of their 32 turnovers - or roughly 28 percent - came in two of their 16 games. They actually lost both games. In other words, I see a team that was extraordinarily vulnerable against the pass manage to pad their turnover stats and consequently hang tough in a number of close games despite not having a very dominating defense whatsoever. The fact that they registered the 23rd fewest sacks despite seeing more passing attempts than any other defense also speaks volumes about their inability to control games with their defense like they once could.

Finally, I mentioned earlier that the Bears defense was largely in the peak window on the defensive side of the ball in 2006. By 2008, the Bears roster on defense featured three starters over the age of 30. Perhaps more importantly though - because after all, the Steelers defense has its fair share of veterans - the Bears no longer were receiving such substantial contributions from their younger defensive players as they had in years past. IN 2007, the Bears drafted Greg Olson - a tight end out of Miami - in the first round and Dan Bazuin - a defensive end from Central Michigan in the 2nd. Bazuin never made it on to the field for the Bears. The Bears 3rd and 4th Round picks were also on the offensive side of the ball.

The next year, the Bears drafted an offensive tackle in the first round, yet another running back in the second, a wide receiver with their first 3rd round pick before finally selecting Marcus Harrison with their other 3rd round selection. Harrison looked pretty good last year but the bottom line is that's not much attention paid to the defense for several years in a row. In an attempt to shore up their defense after several years of not retooling its personnel, Chicago finally paid more attention to that side of the ball in this past April's Drat. Five of the Bears first seven picks were on defense. Smart move if you ask me, particularly because they seem to have a running back for the future in Matt Forte, a quarterback in Jay Cutler and an above average offensive line that gave up a respectable number of sacks last year (29) considering how bad their quarterback play was, not to mention how often they had to throw the ball due to the poor play from the defense.

Though they lost, for a game the Bears defense looked good this past Sunday night. They stymied Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense for most of the evening. Green Bay had just 224 yards of offense, 72 of which came on their final drive of the game. Though I think Pittsburgh will have a few opportunities to run the ball after softening the Bears defense through the air, I'd still say I'm not holding my breath hoping that the running game will somehow materialize this Sunday, even though I'm no believer in Chicago's defense generally speaking. The Bears limited Green Bay's rushing game to just 76 yards on 22 carries. They should be just fine against the run even without Urlacher.

That's enough for now and I apologize for the lack of any real coherency with that post but I wanted to try to take a little bit closer look at the Bears defense the past several years to see really if they're as worthy of the frequent praise they get for their play on defense. My take? They've neither been terrible nor great, but in the past two years, I'd put them closer to poor if not for an opportunistic defense that has a knack for turning the ball over.

New England Patriots 53 man roster - some thoughts

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

by Stephan Savoia - AP

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

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

Offense: 25

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

Defense: 25

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

Specialists: 3

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

Injured Reserve

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

Poll

What do you think of the roster?

Lovin' it!

524 votes

Too early to tell.

722 votes

Hate it.

66 votes

1312 votes | Poll has closed

Patriots changes by position: Safety

MaPatsFan — Wed, 06 May 2009 00:11:41 -0000

More photos » by Stephan Savoia - AP

7 months ago: New England Patriots' Patrick Chung (25) works a drill against defensive back Jamar Love, left, during football minicamp at the team's football facility in Foxborough, Mass., Friday morning, May 1, 2009 Chung was the Patriots' first pick in the 2009 rookie draft chosen in the second round as the 34th pick overall. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

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Continuing our series examining changes to the Patriots' positions, we take a gander at Safety. Writing these can be a bit precarious; as hytholdaeus pointed out in his comments, we're adding players at a breakneck pace. Let's also keep in mind that the roster is VERY fluid right now. Many guys will turn into training camp fodder and won't have a locker come cut day.

2008 Roster: Rodney Harrison (IR'd 10/22 with a thigh injury), Brandon Meriweather, Tank Williams (IR'd in preseason), James Sanders, Raymond Ventrone, Antwain Spann

2009 Roster: Brandon Meriweather, Tank Williams, James Sanders, Patrick Chung, Brandon McGowan, Raymond Ventrone, Antwain Spann

Rodney Harrison - The $64,000 question is, "Will Rodney return?" He dabbled a bit in broadcasting with booth time at the Super Bowl and said he was "testing the waters", but has he successfully scratched the itch? Can he turn the motor off? Does Belichick think he can add value? Whether or not his body will do what his mind wants it to is the question and can only be answered by himself and Belichick, but I believe his greatest contribution would be a Bruschi-like role, an on-field mentor, if you will. Bring him back for a year just to tidy things up a bit. If he decides to stay away, I believe it'll be because of some of the rules changes that came about this year.
Brandon Meriweather - Having worked under the mentorship of Rodney for two years, Brandon has come along nicely. He also had to jump in right quick when Harrison went down. If Brandon can develop that prowler instinct that his teacher has, I believe he'll be the future of that position for a very long time.
Tank Williams - I was practically crying when Tank went down last season. I was sooooo stoked to see what he could do, this hybrid safety/linebacker dude. A player in this position with the instincts and football IQ to pull off coverage and pass rushing is VERY dangerous to the opposition. We suffered a great deal with the pass rush and if we don't end up with a pass rushing OLB, Tank could fill that gap as well as the "other" back on nickel and dime packages.
James Sanders - Whew, thank goodness we resigned Sanders. A super productive free safety, he's always making solo tackles as an FS or on special teams. In his fifth year as a Patriot, New England wisely signed him to a three year deal worth approximately $9 million. James' knowledge of the playbook is second to none, therefore considered a valuable asset. I'd love to see him grow as a playmaker as well.
Patrick Chung - The new kid on the block, Patrick was NE's #1 2009 draft choice at 34 (thank you Matt Cassel and KC Chiefs!!). How he plays at a pro level remains to be seen, but he reminds me of Tank in that he's more of an "in-the-box" kind of guy and could be used quite a bit on rushing/blitzing packages as well as dime/nickel formations. Not a deep coverage guy, he could do well roaming the middle ground between deep safety and linebacker.
Brandon McGowan - Acquired today (dang, I have a headache), has five years of experience and could potentially be another nail in the coffin for a Rodney Harrison return. A solid backup guy, he'll add depth, but will have to battle it out for a fourth spot; Meriweather, Sanders, and Chung are the most likely top three.
Raymond Ventrone - Classified as a safety, but primarily special teams, Ventrone won't vie for a top spot on the defense. He may be brought in every once in a while, but that's about it.
Antwain Spann - Like Ventrone, Antwain is a special teams guy. I consider stability at this position just as important as other positions; Belichick is a special teams hound and hates when mistakes are made. I say give guys like Raymond and Antwain credit. That and Antwain was willing to give up his #28 to Fred Taylor. Class begets class and Fred decided to wear his college #21. Cool.

Analysis

Is it the end of an era? Are we seeing the departure of fan favorite, Rodney Harrison? Given the current crop of safeties who have been brought on and the rules changes "softening" the game in many a defensive player's eyes, I think we're not far away from his departure. Sad. RODNEY...DAH...MAN!!

The top two guys will be Meriweather and Sanders with Chung rotating in as he gains experience. Tank (gotta love a guy named Tank) will be used in very specific packages requiring a hybrid guy and/or someone to prowl the line or edges. McGowan, if he makes the roster, will add depth when needed.

I'm stoked to see what will happen. Losing Tank last year was a major blow, IMO, and I can't wait to see what he'll contribute. We were very thin at safety (same as many other positions) and things were getting a little dicey.

Alright, let's hear it.

Poll

Was 2008 Rodney's last season?

Yes

158 votes

No

95 votes

253 votes | Poll has closed

Cannon Shots: Bucs interested in trading for RB Michael Bush, signing Henderson, McGowan, Barnes

JScott — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 20:38:04 -0000

Free Agency is OFFICIALLY upon us!!

Free Agency has begun, with it the Bucs have yet to make a roster move, but we'll keep you updated throughout the day here...

The Pewter Report has learned the Bucs are interested in former Saints WR Devery Henderson, S Brandon McGowan (Bears) and T Khalif Barnes (Jaguars).

If you'll remember the Bucs were interested in Henderson last off-season. McGowan would provide depth at Safety should Jermaine Phillips not return. Barnes would push Donald Penn or Jeremy Trueblood for playing time.

The Pewter Report has also learned that the Bucs may trade for Oakland Raiders RB Michael Bush as he's been put on the trading block.

That's pretty odd news considering Bush just completed his first season with the Raiders. He's versatile enough to play RB and FB. He would provide the Bucs with a big body known for running downhill. Injuries are a major concern with Bush.