SB Nation User Blog: patriotguy

Beating the jets, from a pats fan perspective.

patriotguy — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 02:04:55 -0000

I'd like to give an assessment of keys to winning the game, from a perspective of a pats fan.

Keys to winning the game:

Defensively:

1) Keep the running game from the jets in check. They have 2 very good RB's, and the jets like to run the ball(#2 in Rushing yards). Keep that in check, and not giving up big running plays will force sanchez to throw, and eventually make a mistake.

2) Capitalize on the turnovers. I don't want to see our defense face their offense over and over again, and making our defense tired and the jets and their running game will eventually be too much for them.

3) STOP THEM ON 3RD DOWNS! With the type of running backs they have, you need to prevent them from converting as much as possible Although they are 32% on 3rd downs, sanchez never really helped them in that category. like i said in #1, keep the running game in check, force sanchez to throw, instead of having the jets run for the 1st.

Offensively:

1) take advantage of the middle with the run. Without Jenkins, i fear that the jets may have lost the best cog in their defense. Make them pay for it! But if it doesn't work, running and play-action would work well. The raiders need to be really creative with their plays because how rex ryan knows how to get a good defensive scheme going, and might figure out what the raiders might do next.

2) They need to watch blitzes on almost every play. therefore the raiders need to use screen and quick passes to take turn their blitzing into an advantage. A draw play might also come in handy!

3) They have an OUTSTANDING corner in Darrel Revis. Respect the guy, and hope russel avoids passing in his direction at all times, because 70-80% of the time it will either be a pass breakup or int.

4) MIX IT UP! don't rely on just the run or just the pass! Make the defense guess, and you will win.

I hope these were not bad keys to the game. I'd hate to share info. you already know, but thought it might be worthy to discuss about. Any ways, from a pats point of view, this game will be very difficult, and Ryan will likely yell at his player's performance last week against the bills. I doubt you'll see 5 ints from sanchez, or anything you saw against the bills, so lets hope for a great game next sunday!

GO RAIDERS!!!!

my offensive assessment

patriotguy — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:42:02 -0000

well, i'm back! i've been mostly busy filming for my high school football team, and mostly school work, but i'm done for now.

Now this post is about my assessment of our offense, mostly on tom brady, but an overall assessment regardless.

Our offense, admittedly is not performing up to some fans standards, which i think are kinda high considering what happened. But i didn't expect more than an around an average offense, especially considering the factor of tom brady.

Now, Tom Brady, looking at some video of his this season, obviously has some accuracy issues. Now, i tried to analyze what makes a throw accurate, and imo the biggest factor of any accurate throw, is the legs. the back leg does the most work, but they both are very important for the QB. I'm sure many of you know this already. Now, without playing doctor, i don't expect brady to be 07 brady by next week. in fact, i don't expect him to be that good until wk 12-14. the timing still needs to be worked on, and so is the chemistry, but i'm not too worried about brady, until someone actually hits his knee.

with that being said, let's look at his weapons.

1) Randy Moss: What could you want more in a receiver than moss's ability to get pass defenders and make awesome catches? Although we haven't seen him get many TD's or catches, he's the same old moss like he was in 07. except for the fact that, if brady was healthier, he would be A LOT more dangerous just because i see him going more over the middle than he did in 07. them soccer feet must be paying off. He can also block! :)

2) Wes Welker: I don't think he needs an explanation of how Awesome he is.

3) Joey Galloway: He's the main reason why I wanted to talk about brady's weapons. while i admit that he's been inconsistent and not much of a target, i just keep thinking "If he catches a ball, how many YAC could he get?" imo, YAC is the reason he's on the #2 or 3 spot next to moss or in the slot.I think he was #1 in YAC last year, but i'm probably wrong. But IF he catches the ball, he can quickly turn into The Flash. But that's if he catches the ball.

4) Julian Edelman: I think this guy should be in the slot instead of galloway, seriously. This guy is SOOOOO similar to welker in so many ways, even the announcers one time mistaken edelman for welker one game. How the hell did we find this guy? He's more consistent than galloway, and can get open easier.

5) Sam Aiken: I like how Sam is playing right now, even if you don't hear him too much in the game. he skills reminds me of how gaffney and his skills were in 07. Great special teamer too. he's also consistent besides that one play in the falcons game. I ike to see more from him, and see some game changing plays when needed.

I like how our RB's are, even when people don't like this guy, or that guy, and "that guy should start instead of this guy." because no matter who's in, they've been a consistent group whether you see it or not. hey get the yards when needed, and they are doing their job as a whole. surprisingly, imo, i found that our running attack has been more consistent than our passing attack so far. i say this just because i haven't seen too much on our passing plays besides brady to welker. but when we go to the running attack, it seems to work better!

Well, looking at brady's weapons, there's nothing wrong with them, besides maybe galloway. It's all brady and when that accuracy and chemistry comes back. I have no worries about the offense as a whole, including the running game, is still a work in progress despite, there's no question about it. and as a side topic, our defense is still feeling like they're keeping us in the games, which is a good thing, and i like where they're at in terms of how they're playing.

Like I said, work in progress. don't be too concerned, because, after all, we should expect this at the moment. we might see some magic later in the season, but we never know. I'll be worried if we're into next season, and brady is still playing like peyton manning did early in his 08 season, which is very similar of how brady is playing at the moment.

I'm open to any knowledge you guys possess, so rebuttal my assessment freely if you wish!

I'm stoked right now.

patriotguy — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:45:45 -0000

first of all, i was writing an excellent post yesterday about our team, but i accidently clicked refresh and i didn't feel like writing all that over again. so here's a summary(i think).

Our defense should not be taken lightly. this is by far the best patriots defense i have ever seen in recent years. i saw thing that i didn't even expect o sunday, and more.

for the first time in recent memory, i've seen TACKLING! for the first time in recent memory, i've seen COVERAGE IN THE MIDDLE(no one appeared to be WIDE open in the middle so far). and most of all, in recent memory, i've seen PASS RUSHING! all the things we needed to work on, definitely look like they have been WORKED on, and it's all thanks to our players.

meriweather was everywhere on the field! he was tackling left and right like he was the jerod mayo of the secondary. not to mention he made several key break ups and i was stunned by his performance. he kinda reminds me of an ed reed, but let's not get into that. our cb's performed better than i expected. i didn't see too much picks this year, but i've seen plenty of pass breakups which is more than i can ask for. butler, bodden, and springs were the clear standouts in the secondary(along with meriweather). when in the game, butler was a relentless in pass breakups, making very key plays when thrown to, and i haven't seen his kind of performance since asante samuel(although butler seems to get to the ball a bit quicker, and break it up instead of always going for the interception). bodden was quiet, which i like. i believe he was covering kelly washington, and kelly was VERY quiet in the game, catching 1 or 2 passes i think. springs made some of the best tackles i have never seen a corner on our team tackle like springs did last night. he was above average as a corner, but great as a tackler, and our secondary as a whole suddenly became tackling machines as well. covering: great tackling: perfect

our de's and lb's played GREAT! we were stopping the run, pass rushing, and making some of the greatest tackles as well in recent patriot history. jarvis green and mike wright performed very well, and certainly earned their recognition as GREAT AND WORTHY starter next to wilfork and opposite of ty warren.

My Fanhood

patriotguy — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:09:55 -0000

Let me say first, Raider fans are one of the loyal, if not THE most, loyal fans I have ever been part of.

This post, however, is about my fanhood of the Raiders. It seems that some bloggers here think that I'm just a pats fan on a Raiders blog.

Everyone has a favorite team, I have 2 Favorites, which all of you know. One is not more of a favorite than another, I like both teas as if they were my kids(although i'm too young to have kids).

I became a raiders fan 1 or 2 years after being a pats fan, when my step dad was dating my mother at the time. My step dad was born in Arizona, and raised in Orange County, he lived through the erras of bo jackson and jack tatum, and told me of how teams were feared by the raiders for their ferocious defense. They were the reason why many people chose not to play in the nfl, for fear that they would play against the raiders and their defense. I liked every bit of his stories of the Raiders, especially Raider greats.

I've been a football fan for 4 or 5 years now, and I've bee rooting for the raiders every year since then. I'm the only raider fan amongst my friends, my school, and they used to laugh when i told them i was raider fan. They respect my fanhood of them now, although my friend matt, every time i say the raiders are going to win, he'll say that the raiders suck, and that they'll get blown out.

Now people laugh when i tell them i'm a raider fan and a pats fan. they sometimes say that i'm more of a pats fan than a raider fan right? I tell them, wrong, I'm just as much a pats fan as i am a raider fan. I can't pick between the two because i've been a strong fan for both teams for a long time.

my dad is more of a pats fan, and roots for the raiders, my step dad is more of a raiders fan, and roots the pats as well.

I root for both teams STRONGLY. No more or less than the other.

It's weird, i know, to be a fan of the raiders and pats, but it's the truth. I get mad when people question my fanhood. I even have the DVD of the Raiders, The Complete History. I also hate when I go onto a blog, my fanhood is biased just because my name is patriotguy. I can make another name, but I'd rather have you guys see me as a pats fan, as well as a raider fan, without my screen name being a factor.

This may have been a pointless post to those who believe I'm a die-hard Raider fan, but i'd like to get this off my chest.

Win, Lose, or Tie, Raider till I Die!

just a breakdown of defense

patriotguy — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 23:49:44 -0000

i thought i'd give a breakdown our defense with the addition of seymour, plus the other positions.

last year our DL consisted of scott, warren, kelly, and burgess.

burgess is gone, but is replaced by another successful pass rusher in greg ellis, who has a good-great pre-season in my book.

then we added seymour. with the addition of seymour, we should have an easier time in stopping the run. i don't think he'll turn this defense into a top 10 team in stopping the run(maybe he will, but i doubt it), but we'll certainly not get run all over the place. i think they'll put him in the middle with kelly, to provide morrison more freedom in pursuing the runner when there's not a blocker in his face.

so i don't know if scott or someone else will start at the end opposite of ellis, but whoever does, he has to to able to stand up to the right tackle so howard and morrison can make a play before the RB gains 5 yards. which begs the question that would it be better if seymour started opposite of ellis? i don't know, but it should work anyways.

for the LB's we got howard, morrison, and...... whoever wins this position. howard and morrison are, in my opinion, no doubt talented LB's who have speed and great coverage ability, as well as good-great run defending. now the question is, who would start at the left side?

brown and alston are the two likely candidates, and i heard they both done well this preseason. but i don't think alston or brown will be able to defend that side as well as howard(although i don't expect them to play at his level), but maybe we'll see how one of them does does at the position this season. I've also been hearing that we should pick up derrick brooks. if we do, that would be awesome, but i'm not sure how he'll do at that side because he played middle and right outside LB, and i'd be like vrabel or howard playing at opposite ends(although i think even howard can make the transition pretty easiliy). but brooks will be a great veteran to pick up.

for the cornerbacks, we got asomugha(hope i spelled it correctly), johnson, routte, and bowie(just naming 4 for now). i don''t need to talk about asomugha's awesomeness, for he is god at corner. so on to johnson. johnson has speed, lots of it. his coverage is great, but not THAT great. he still needs some work, but i will say that he's like ellis hobbs opposite of samuel, but maybe better. i'm not too knowledgeable about him. i know routte is inconsistent, so to me the best thing is to use him as a nickle, or not use him that much at all. he is the reason why we must grab another corner that is consistent and more reliable. i haven't looked at any corners on the market at the moment, so feel free to fill me in. i don't know anything about bowie, so i'll take your guys word for it that he is worse than routte(if not then correct me).

and lastly, safety positions. tyvon branch is a definite starter. all i know is that he needs a bit more work in coverage and reading plays. he is more of a big hitter, but can't always rely on the big hit. michael huff is a coverage type safety(i think). he needs to turn into that 1st round draft pick that we've been hoping for. if he continues to be inconsistent, then we'll be seeing more of our rookie mike mitchell. mike is a BIG hitter, but needs to be a smart hitter, and cannot throw slam his own body against a big TE or a very elusive RB or WR, because chances are it might not happen. i hear his coverage is good-great, but i haven't seen him perform with the raiders yet in pre-season, so i don't much at the moment.

seymour and the new DL should help the secondary more, and the LB's as well.

That's the end, and i'll probably write an offensive version tomorrow. If i made any mistakes about a players ability or whatnot, feel free to tell me. Im open to gain more knowledge, and im pretty sure you guys are more knowledgeable about the raiders than i am. :)

michael vick

patriotguy — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 01:21:12 -0000

how would you guys feel if michael vick signs with the raiders? I can honestly see that.

we all now of his speed and arm strength, and i think would be perfect if we were to incorporate the wildcat.

imagine having the speed package of vick, dmac, and dhb?

vick:qb, rb

dmac: qb, rb, wr

dhb: wr, rb,(maybe qb)

I think that's scary!

but without going into too much reasons, i'd much rather hear yours

Some Q's please

patriotguy — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:16:20 -0000

Hello Raider nation. I am a distant raider fan in hopes to hear some news on few players.

I'd like to know how jamarcus and mcfadden are doing in training camp. Also, how better will they be in the upcoming season?

Is Heyward-Bey looking up to expectations or exceeding them? And do you think he'll be a worthy target for russel?

And one particular player i'd like know about, michael mitchell. Is the 2nd round pick for him seem worth it? Would he start, and would he be a key factor for the raiders secondary? Would he flatten brandon jacobs with his jack tatum like hits?

And any other additional info that you guys might want to add, i would be very grateful. Thank You.

something to talk about

patriotguy — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:39:49 -0000

We have talked about so many things during the offseason. We talked about the return of brady, how the pats can compare to the 07 season, rookies, free agents, trades, and statistics. Just being here for about 5 months or so, i'm proud i joined The Pulpit.

Now in the slump of making new topics, i'd like to discuss something that I hope can be worthy to discuss.

There is always a hidden talent amongst many rookies who get drafted or any other average player, but finding that talent is very challenging.

Ex. I found Law-Firm become a solid RB in just a couple games , and picked up his first 100-yard game against the bills last year which, I believe, was his 4th game. To me, I think he has plenty of hidden potential, and can't wait to see what he could do in a full season. He also had back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons in college, and went undrafted.

I see talent in pierre woods. People say he's only good against the run, but i remember last year when he filled in at LB, he was doing a good-great job(how can we forget the jets game, i remember a pass rush when he was in that game). I also remember that he did a good job against the giants in SB42, and when he had the fumble. He has been a solid LB for us.

We all know about maroney.

i see talent in butler, chung, brace, and tate; and jerod mayo will get a few sacks this time this year.

Without explaining about the rookies, unless you want me too, i'd like to have a discussion about the possible talent in any player on our roster you choose, and if you want, discuss his future on our team.

cap or no cap

patriotguy — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:06:10 -0000

As many people know, there is much speculation about an uncapped season. I don't have numbers or anything that could give you guys an idea of how the nfl's cap has recently been for the last 5 years but i would like to give an opinion.

I don't want to have one. Football is too interesting with cap.

With cap there is strategy, it keeps the good teams from getting too overpowered and helps bad teams compete.

If at all possible, keep the cap system.

If anyone can copy and paste the average football cap in the last 10 years, that would be a great, and could also help me understand the cap system better.

Anyways please give opinions and/or statistics about the cap situation and how it can affect the future.

the wildcat

patriotguy — Sun, 24 May 2009 00:06:11 -0000

we all seen the wildcat as a popular offensive attack with the dolphins, and they were usually successful. we know how it works and what type of weapons we must have to use it.

my post is about the fact that people think we can or should get a player to utilize for a wildcat offensive. that i don't think the pats should use the wildcat offense at all.

my arguments are that the wildcat does not fit the patriots scheme, and that i'm sick of hearing "oh, we can use this guy for a wildcat offense." also i think the wildcat is overrated. we stopped it the last time we faced them.

even though teams are incorporating the wildcat offense into their system for its uniqueness, i think instead of using the wildcat, we should make up our own unique offense, that way we'll surprise the dolphins this year instead, and teams will have something else to worry about!