Why can't the league solve Brady's short passing game? (1 Viewer)

[NE_REVIVAL]

I know Brady isn't on pace to match the numbers, but in terms of difficulty to defend, choose one:

2007--

Brady

Moss

Welker

Faulk/Maroney

2015--

Brady

Gronk

Edelman

Lewis/Blount

I think its very close, but would probably go with 2015 since Gronk helps in protection and the run game as well as down field and its so tuff to defend against an O when the QB is getting rid of the ball so quickly.

 

[Anarchy99]

After watching pretty much every Pats game that Brady has ever played, here's what I would do to defend them.

Brady's game has been reinvented with the short pass and his down the field numbers have fallen off a cliff. Sure, he might burn a team once in a while with a deep pass but his completion percentage past 20 yards in recent seasons has been pretty poor. His intermediate passes (10-20 yards) also don't have a great completion rate. But on shorter passes he is an outright sniper.

As others have mentioned, blitzing is mostly useless unless you happen to catch NE on a play where they are looking farther downfield and don't have many short options or dump offs available (so maybe a play action where you are expecting the pass and don't bite on the ball fake). NE doesn't do that a ton and when they do they normally look for Gronk on a seam route.

So IMO, to steal a page out of sexy Rexy's playbook, I would mostly avoid blitzing and instead put 7 guys in coverage in a very short zone. Put three guys on the receivers at the LOS and really try to jam them. If you look at highlights or film of the Pats, defenders are mostly reacting and backing off the line not standing their ground and hitting the receivers. And have another line of 3 DBs right behind the first set of backs. Leave one safety back to control the middle of the field or help on Gronk, but mostly line the defensive backfield within 10 yards from the LOS. Similarly, make sure the D-line plays the run first and does not get up the field into the backfield (at least initially) so NE can't run you or draw you to death.

Basically, with six DBs within a few yards of the LOS, you are forcing Brady to have to throw the ball over the top and farther down the field. By having a second line of defenders dedicated to covering the outside and off the line, you can neutralize a lot of the picks plays because there is a help defender right there to pick up someone coming off a pick. Once the play is clearly a pass, then have the d-line turn the switch and rush, as Brady will need way more than 2 seconds to get rid of the ball. Maybe you play a hybrid zone / man coverage scheme where the second line of DBs plays man coverage and the underneath set sticks in zone. And with 6 defenders tight to the LOS, they ***SHOULD*** be able to hold any short passes or dump offs out of the backfield to 2-3 yards.

Let's see what the Jets do this year against NE, as they have a secondary that should be better in coverage and a D-line that should be able to pressure Brady.

 

[RealReactions]

After watching pretty much every Pats game that Brady has ever played, here's what I would do to defend them.

Brady's game has been reinvented with the short pass and his down the field numbers have fallen off a cliff. Sure, he might burn a team once in a while with a deep pass but his completion percentage past 20 yards in recent seasons has been pretty poor. His intermediate passes (10-20 yards) also don't have a great completion rate. But on shorter passes he is an outright sniper.

As others have mentioned, blitzing is mostly useless unless you happen to catch NE on a play where they are looking farther downfield and don't have many short options or dump offs available (so maybe a play action where you are expecting the pass and don't bite on the ball fake). NE doesn't do that a ton and when they do they normally look for Gronk on a seam route.

So IMO, to steal a page out of sexy Rexy's playbook, I would mostly avoid blitzing and instead put 7 guys in coverage in a very short zone. Put three guys on the receivers at the LOS and really try to jam them. If you look at highlights or film of the Pats, defenders are mostly reacting and backing off the line not standing their ground and hitting the receivers. And have another line of 3 DBs right behind the first set of backs. Leave one safety back to control the middle of the field or help on Gronk, but mostly line the defensive backfield within 10 yards from the LOS. Similarly, make sure the D-line plays the run first and does not get up the field into the backfield (at least initially) so NE can't run you or draw you to death.

Basically, with six DBs within a few yards of the LOS, you are forcing Brady to have to throw the ball over the top and farther down the field. By having a second line of defenders dedicated to covering the outside and off the line, you can neutralize a lot of the picks plays because there is a help defender right there to pick up someone coming off a pick. Once the play is clearly a pass, then have the d-line turn the switch and rush, as Brady will need way more than 2 seconds to get rid of the ball. Maybe you play a hybrid zone / man coverage scheme where the second line of DBs plays man coverage and the underneath set sticks in zone. And with 6 defenders tight to the LOS, they ***SHOULD*** be able to hold any short passes or dump offs out of the backfield to 2-3 yards.

Let's see what the Jets do this year against NE, as they have a secondary that should be better in coverage and a D-line that should be able to pressure Brady.

What if they decide to hand it off to blount while you have 6 Db's out on the field. You're screwed already they will just run it every play till you switch up your defense

 

[JohnnyU]

After watching pretty much every Pats game that Brady has ever played, here's what I would do to defend them.

Brady's game has been reinvented with the short pass and his down the field numbers have fallen off a cliff. Sure, he might burn a team once in a while with a deep pass but his completion percentage past 20 yards in recent seasons has been pretty poor. His intermediate passes (10-20 yards) also don't have a great completion rate. But on shorter passes he is an outright sniper.

As others have mentioned, blitzing is mostly useless unless you happen to catch NE on a play where they are looking farther downfield and don't have many short options or dump offs available (so maybe a play action where you are expecting the pass and don't bite on the ball fake). NE doesn't do that a ton and when they do they normally look for Gronk on a seam route.

So IMO, to steal a page out of sexy Rexy's playbook, I would mostly avoid blitzing and instead put 7 guys in coverage in a very short zone. Put three guys on the receivers at the LOS and really try to jam them. If you look at highlights or film of the Pats, defenders are mostly reacting and backing off the line not standing their ground and hitting the receivers. And have another line of 3 DBs right behind the first set of backs. Leave one safety back to control the middle of the field or help on Gronk, but mostly line the defensive backfield within 10 yards from the LOS. Similarly, make sure the D-line plays the run first and does not get up the field into the backfield (at least initially) so NE can't run you or draw you to death.

Basically, with six DBs within a few yards of the LOS, you are forcing Brady to have to throw the ball over the top and farther down the field. By having a second line of defenders dedicated to covering the outside and off the line, you can neutralize a lot of the picks plays because there is a help defender right there to pick up someone coming off a pick. Once the play is clearly a pass, then have the d-line turn the switch and rush, as Brady will need way more than 2 seconds to get rid of the ball. Maybe you play a hybrid zone / man coverage scheme where the second line of DBs plays man coverage and the underneath set sticks in zone. And with 6 defenders tight to the LOS, they ***SHOULD*** be able to hold any short passes or dump offs out of the backfield to 2-3 yards.

Let's see what the Jets do this year against NE, as they have a secondary that should be better in coverage and a D-line that should be able to pressure Brady.

What if they decide to hand it off to blount while you have 6 Db's out on the field. You're screwed already they will just run it every play till you switch up your defense

If they are close to the box (short pass area) won't that help with limiting big plays from the running game?

 

[brun]

It seems the pass rushers are so focused on getting to Brady they don't defend the passing lanes and don't get their hands up. The speed at which the ball comes out just doesn't give them time to get to Brady.

Usually the pick plays get called when the timing is disrupted by the pass rushers or the receiver getting jammed at the los.

So, passing lanes, hands up, jam the receiver. Be ready to adjust, because they will. Maybe that could work.

If you say you're hoping for injuries to bail out your defense. I hope you're kidding. Otherwise I hope you eventually think differently.

Not hoping for injuries, but am hoping for some "football" hits on their WRs and Brady that inflict pain. Make those WRs think twice when they venture over the middle. THAT IS FOOTBALL!!!

LOL! I feel the same way when some QB runs around for 10 seconds just escaping grasp of the defenders, then slides and nobody can touch him.

 

[JohnnyU]

It seems the pass rushers are so focused on getting to Brady they don't defend the passing lanes and don't get their hands up. The speed at which the ball comes out just doesn't give them time to get to Brady.

Usually the pick plays get called when the timing is disrupted by the pass rushers or the receiver getting jammed at the los.

So, passing lanes, hands up, jam the receiver. Be ready to adjust, because they will. Maybe that could work.

If you say you're hoping for injuries to bail out your defense. I hope you're kidding. Otherwise I hope you eventually think differently.

Not hoping for injuries, but am hoping for some "football" hits on their WRs and Brady that inflict pain. Make those WRs think twice when they venture over the middle. THAT IS FOOTBALL!!!

LOL! I feel the same way when some QB runs around for 10 seconds just escaping grasp of the defenders, then slides and nobody can touch him.

Oh, the Fran Tarkenton days. Now there was a scrambling QB who was a pleasure to watch. He could beat you with his arm or legs. Even though they didn't look alike as QBs go, he was Steve Young before Steve Young.

 

[RealReactions]

After watching pretty much every Pats game that Brady has ever played, here's what I would do to defend them.

Brady's game has been reinvented with the short pass and his down the field numbers have fallen off a cliff. Sure, he might burn a team once in a while with a deep pass but his completion percentage past 20 yards in recent seasons has been pretty poor. His intermediate passes (10-20 yards) also don't have a great completion rate. But on shorter passes he is an outright sniper.

As others have mentioned, blitzing is mostly useless unless you happen to catch NE on a play where they are looking farther downfield and don't have many short options or dump offs available (so maybe a play action where you are expecting the pass and don't bite on the ball fake). NE doesn't do that a ton and when they do they normally look for Gronk on a seam route.

So IMO, to steal a page out of sexy Rexy's playbook, I would mostly avoid blitzing and instead put 7 guys in coverage in a very short zone. Put three guys on the receivers at the LOS and really try to jam them. If you look at highlights or film of the Pats, defenders are mostly reacting and backing off the line not standing their ground and hitting the receivers. And have another line of 3 DBs right behind the first set of backs. Leave one safety back to control the middle of the field or help on Gronk, but mostly line the defensive backfield within 10 yards from the LOS. Similarly, make sure the D-line plays the run first and does not get up the field into the backfield (at least initially) so NE can't run you or draw you to death.

Basically, with six DBs within a few yards of the LOS, you are forcing Brady to have to throw the ball over the top and farther down the field. By having a second line of defenders dedicated to covering the outside and off the line, you can neutralize a lot of the picks plays because there is a help defender right there to pick up someone coming off a pick. Once the play is clearly a pass, then have the d-line turn the switch and rush, as Brady will need way more than 2 seconds to get rid of the ball. Maybe you play a hybrid zone / man coverage scheme where the second line of DBs plays man coverage and the underneath set sticks in zone. And with 6 defenders tight to the LOS, they ***SHOULD*** be able to hold any short passes or dump offs out of the backfield to 2-3 yards.

Let's see what the Jets do this year against NE, as they have a secondary that should be better in coverage and a D-line that should be able to pressure Brady.

What if they decide to hand it off to blount while you have 6 Db's out on the field. You're screwed already they will just run it every play till you switch up your defense

If they are close to the box (short pass area) won't that help with limiting big plays from the running game?

Db's are known for not great tackling and blount is a big guy. He would easily get 5ypc and new england would take that every play. You would have to have Linebackers and D-line men in to stop the run which then a linebacker is matched with edelman or gronk and then they pass.

 

[Anarchy99]

If they have Blount in the game, IIRC that means they usually wouldn't have Lewis. So that already helps your defense as Blount is not as versatile as Lewis is. If Lewis is out of the lineup, you can probably move someone inside in a LB role. Plus you can run other counter moves . . . like sending someone on a blitz by a person or from a spot that doesn't normally blitz. No one said this was the end all of strategies, but it might be a better outside of the box option than what most teams are trying.

 

[Buffaloes]

After watching pretty much every Pats game that Brady has ever played, here's what I would do to defend them.

Brady's game has been reinvented with the short pass and his down the field numbers have fallen off a cliff. Sure, he might burn a team once in a while with a deep pass but his completion percentage past 20 yards in recent seasons has been pretty poor. His intermediate passes (10-20 yards) also don't have a great completion rate. But on shorter passes he is an outright sniper.

As others have mentioned, blitzing is mostly useless unless you happen to catch NE on a play where they are looking farther downfield and don't have many short options or dump offs available (so maybe a play action where you are expecting the pass and don't bite on the ball fake). NE doesn't do that a ton and when they do they normally look for Gronk on a seam route.

So IMO, to steal a page out of sexy Rexy's playbook, I would mostly avoid blitzing and instead put 7 guys in coverage in a very short zone. Put three guys on the receivers at the LOS and really try to jam them. If you look at highlights or film of the Pats, defenders are mostly reacting and backing off the line not standing their ground and hitting the receivers. And have another line of 3 DBs right behind the first set of backs. Leave one safety back to control the middle of the field or help on Gronk, but mostly line the defensive backfield within 10 yards from the LOS. Similarly, make sure the D-line plays the run first and does not get up the field into the backfield (at least initially) so NE can't run you or draw you to death.

Basically, with six DBs within a few yards of the LOS, you are forcing Brady to have to throw the ball over the top and farther down the field. By having a second line of defenders dedicated to covering the outside and off the line, you can neutralize a lot of the picks plays because there is a help defender right there to pick up someone coming off a pick. Once the play is clearly a pass, then have the d-line turn the switch and rush, as Brady will need way more than 2 seconds to get rid of the ball. Maybe you play a hybrid zone / man coverage scheme where the second line of DBs plays man coverage and the underneath set sticks in zone. And with 6 defenders tight to the LOS, they ***SHOULD*** be able to hold any short passes or dump offs out of the backfield to 2-3 yards.

Let's see what the Jets do this year against NE, as they have a secondary that should be better in coverage and a D-line that should be able to pressure Brady.

What if they decide to hand it off to blount while you have 6 Db's out on the field. You're screwed already they will just run it every play till you switch up your defense

If they are close to the box (short pass area) won't that help with limiting big plays from the running game?

all you need is 4 yards on those carries. playing 6 DBs consistently is begging NE to run on you and chances are they will oblige

 

[JohnnyU]

After watching pretty much every Pats game that Brady has ever played, here's what I would do to defend them.

Brady's game has been reinvented with the short pass and his down the field numbers have fallen off a cliff. Sure, he might burn a team once in a while with a deep pass but his completion percentage past 20 yards in recent seasons has been pretty poor. His intermediate passes (10-20 yards) also don't have a great completion rate. But on shorter passes he is an outright sniper.

As others have mentioned, blitzing is mostly useless unless you happen to catch NE on a play where they are looking farther downfield and don't have many short options or dump offs available (so maybe a play action where you are expecting the pass and don't bite on the ball fake). NE doesn't do that a ton and when they do they normally look for Gronk on a seam route.

So IMO, to steal a page out of sexy Rexy's playbook, I would mostly avoid blitzing and instead put 7 guys in coverage in a very short zone. Put three guys on the receivers at the LOS and really try to jam them. If you look at highlights or film of the Pats, defenders are mostly reacting and backing off the line not standing their ground and hitting the receivers. And have another line of 3 DBs right behind the first set of backs. Leave one safety back to control the middle of the field or help on Gronk, but mostly line the defensive backfield within 10 yards from the LOS. Similarly, make sure the D-line plays the run first and does not get up the field into the backfield (at least initially) so NE can't run you or draw you to death.

Basically, with six DBs within a few yards of the LOS, you are forcing Brady to have to throw the ball over the top and farther down the field. By having a second line of defenders dedicated to covering the outside and off the line, you can neutralize a lot of the picks plays because there is a help defender right there to pick up someone coming off a pick. Once the play is clearly a pass, then have the d-line turn the switch and rush, as Brady will need way more than 2 seconds to get rid of the ball. Maybe you play a hybrid zone / man coverage scheme where the second line of DBs plays man coverage and the underneath set sticks in zone. And with 6 defenders tight to the LOS, they ***SHOULD*** be able to hold any short passes or dump offs out of the backfield to 2-3 yards.

Let's see what the Jets do this year against NE, as they have a secondary that should be better in coverage and a D-line that should be able to pressure Brady.

What if they decide to hand it off to blount while you have 6 Db's out on the field. You're screwed already they will just run it every play till you switch up your defense

If they are close to the box (short pass area) won't that help with limiting big plays from the running game?

all you need is 4 yards on those carries. playing 6 DBs consistently is begging NE to run on you and chances are they will oblige

Perhaps they don't need to play that many DBs. If your linebackers are athletic enough have them play the sort area passes and hopefully still quick enough to react to run plays. NEVER have them blitz.

 

[Short Corner]

It seems the pass rushers are so focused on getting to Brady they don't defend the passing lanes and don't get their hands up. The speed at which the ball comes out just doesn't give them time to get to Brady.

Usually the pick plays get called when the timing is disrupted by the pass rushers or the receiver getting jammed at the los.

So, passing lanes, hands up, jam the receiver. Be ready to adjust, because they will. Maybe that could work.

If you say you're hoping for injuries to bail out your defense. I hope you're kidding. Otherwise I hope you eventually think differently.

Not hoping for injuries, but am hoping for some "football" hits on their WRs and Brady that inflict pain. Make those WRs think twice when they venture over the middle. THAT IS FOOTBALL!!!

What's it going to be? Are you going to come up and force them to beat you over the top or are you going to sit back and tee off on their guys coming over the middle?

 

[RealReactions]

After watching pretty much every Pats game that Brady has ever played, here's what I would do to defend them.

Brady's game has been reinvented with the short pass and his down the field numbers have fallen off a cliff. Sure, he might burn a team once in a while with a deep pass but his completion percentage past 20 yards in recent seasons has been pretty poor. His intermediate passes (10-20 yards) also don't have a great completion rate. But on shorter passes he is an outright sniper.

As others have mentioned, blitzing is mostly useless unless you happen to catch NE on a play where they are looking farther downfield and don't have many short options or dump offs available (so maybe a play action where you are expecting the pass and don't bite on the ball fake). NE doesn't do that a ton and when they do they normally look for Gronk on a seam route.

So IMO, to steal a page out of sexy Rexy's playbook, I would mostly avoid blitzing and instead put 7 guys in coverage in a very short zone. Put three guys on the receivers at the LOS and really try to jam them. If you look at highlights or film of the Pats, defenders are mostly reacting and backing off the line not standing their ground and hitting the receivers. And have another line of 3 DBs right behind the first set of backs. Leave one safety back to control the middle of the field or help on Gronk, but mostly line the defensive backfield within 10 yards from the LOS. Similarly, make sure the D-line plays the run first and does not get up the field into the backfield (at least initially) so NE can't run you or draw you to death.

Basically, with six DBs within a few yards of the LOS, you are forcing Brady to have to throw the ball over the top and farther down the field. By having a second line of defenders dedicated to covering the outside and off the line, you can neutralize a lot of the picks plays because there is a help defender right there to pick up someone coming off a pick. Once the play is clearly a pass, then have the d-line turn the switch and rush, as Brady will need way more than 2 seconds to get rid of the ball. Maybe you play a hybrid zone / man coverage scheme where the second line of DBs plays man coverage and the underneath set sticks in zone. And with 6 defenders tight to the LOS, they ***SHOULD*** be able to hold any short passes or dump offs out of the backfield to 2-3 yards.

Let's see what the Jets do this year against NE, as they have a secondary that should be better in coverage and a D-line that should be able to pressure Brady.

What if they decide to hand it off to blount while you have 6 Db's out on the field. You're screwed already they will just run it every play till you switch up your defense

If they are close to the box (short pass area) won't that help with limiting big plays from the running game?

all you need is 4 yards on those carries. playing 6 DBs consistently is begging NE to run on you and chances are they will oblige

Perhaps they don't need to play that many DBs. If your linebackers are athletic enough have them play the sort area passes and hopefully still quick enough to react to run plays. NEVER have them blitz.

Can you name 1 Linebacker athletic enough to cover gronk or lewis 1 on 1 because thats what he would end up on

 

[JohnnyU]

It seems the pass rushers are so focused on getting to Brady they don't defend the passing lanes and don't get their hands up. The speed at which the ball comes out just doesn't give them time to get to Brady.

Usually the pick plays get called when the timing is disrupted by the pass rushers or the receiver getting jammed at the los.

So, passing lanes, hands up, jam the receiver. Be ready to adjust, because they will. Maybe that could work.

If you say you're hoping for injuries to bail out your defense. I hope you're kidding. Otherwise I hope you eventually think differently.

Not hoping for injuries, but am hoping for some "football" hits on their WRs and Brady that inflict pain. Make those WRs think twice when they venture over the middle. THAT IS FOOTBALL!!!

What's it going to be? Are you going to come up and force them to beat you over the top or are you going to sit back and tee off on their guys coming over the middle?

Play just away from the box but close enough to cover the short passes. Those passes Brady is killing teams with is mostly within 10 yards of the LOS. This will force Brady to throw over the top if these same defenders can close quick enough to help with the run defense as well as play the short short passes.

 

[JohnnyU]

After watching pretty much every Pats game that Brady has ever played, here's what I would do to defend them.

Brady's game has been reinvented with the short pass and his down the field numbers have fallen off a cliff. Sure, he might burn a team once in a while with a deep pass but his completion percentage past 20 yards in recent seasons has been pretty poor. His intermediate passes (10-20 yards) also don't have a great completion rate. But on shorter passes he is an outright sniper.

As others have mentioned, blitzing is mostly useless unless you happen to catch NE on a play where they are looking farther downfield and don't have many short options or dump offs available (so maybe a play action where you are expecting the pass and don't bite on the ball fake). NE doesn't do that a ton and when they do they normally look for Gronk on a seam route.

So IMO, to steal a page out of sexy Rexy's playbook, I would mostly avoid blitzing and instead put 7 guys in coverage in a very short zone. Put three guys on the receivers at the LOS and really try to jam them. If you look at highlights or film of the Pats, defenders are mostly reacting and backing off the line not standing their ground and hitting the receivers. And have another line of 3 DBs right behind the first set of backs. Leave one safety back to control the middle of the field or help on Gronk, but mostly line the defensive backfield within 10 yards from the LOS. Similarly, make sure the D-line plays the run first and does not get up the field into the backfield (at least initially) so NE can't run you or draw you to death.

Basically, with six DBs within a few yards of the LOS, you are forcing Brady to have to throw the ball over the top and farther down the field. By having a second line of defenders dedicated to covering the outside and off the line, you can neutralize a lot of the picks plays because there is a help defender right there to pick up someone coming off a pick. Once the play is clearly a pass, then have the d-line turn the switch and rush, as Brady will need way more than 2 seconds to get rid of the ball. Maybe you play a hybrid zone / man coverage scheme where the second line of DBs plays man coverage and the underneath set sticks in zone. And with 6 defenders tight to the LOS, they ***SHOULD*** be able to hold any short passes or dump offs out of the backfield to 2-3 yards.

Let's see what the Jets do this year against NE, as they have a secondary that should be better in coverage and a D-line that should be able to pressure Brady.

What if they decide to hand it off to blount while you have 6 Db's out on the field. You're screwed already they will just run it every play till you switch up your defense

If they are close to the box (short pass area) won't that help with limiting big plays from the running game?

all you need is 4 yards on those carries. playing 6 DBs consistently is begging NE to run on you and chances are they will oblige

Perhaps they don't need to play that many DBs. If your linebackers are athletic enough have them play the sort area passes and hopefully still quick enough to react to run plays. NEVER have them blitz.

Can you name 1 Linebacker athletic enough to cover gronk or lewis 1 on 1 because thats what he would end up on

Have a big corner or athletic safety on him and have another DB in on the action as well. You can double Gronk and still be able to play the short passes away from Gronk. NEVER BLITZ with more than the front 4.

 

[RealReactions]

After watching pretty much every Pats game that Brady has ever played, here's what I would do to defend them.

Brady's game has been reinvented with the short pass and his down the field numbers have fallen off a cliff. Sure, he might burn a team once in a while with a deep pass but his completion percentage past 20 yards in recent seasons has been pretty poor. His intermediate passes (10-20 yards) also don't have a great completion rate. But on shorter passes he is an outright sniper.

As others have mentioned, blitzing is mostly useless unless you happen to catch NE on a play where they are looking farther downfield and don't have many short options or dump offs available (so maybe a play action where you are expecting the pass and don't bite on the ball fake). NE doesn't do that a ton and when they do they normally look for Gronk on a seam route.

So IMO, to steal a page out of sexy Rexy's playbook, I would mostly avoid blitzing and instead put 7 guys in coverage in a very short zone. Put three guys on the receivers at the LOS and really try to jam them. If you look at highlights or film of the Pats, defenders are mostly reacting and backing off the line not standing their ground and hitting the receivers. And have another line of 3 DBs right behind the first set of backs. Leave one safety back to control the middle of the field or help on Gronk, but mostly line the defensive backfield within 10 yards from the LOS. Similarly, make sure the D-line plays the run first and does not get up the field into the backfield (at least initially) so NE can't run you or draw you to death.

Basically, with six DBs within a few yards of the LOS, you are forcing Brady to have to throw the ball over the top and farther down the field. By having a second line of defenders dedicated to covering the outside and off the line, you can neutralize a lot of the picks plays because there is a help defender right there to pick up someone coming off a pick. Once the play is clearly a pass, then have the d-line turn the switch and rush, as Brady will need way more than 2 seconds to get rid of the ball. Maybe you play a hybrid zone / man coverage scheme where the second line of DBs plays man coverage and the underneath set sticks in zone. And with 6 defenders tight to the LOS, they ***SHOULD*** be able to hold any short passes or dump offs out of the backfield to 2-3 yards.

Let's see what the Jets do this year against NE, as they have a secondary that should be better in coverage and a D-line that should be able to pressure Brady.

What if they decide to hand it off to blount while you have 6 Db's out on the field. You're screwed already they will just run it every play till you switch up your defense

If they are close to the box (short pass area) won't that help with limiting big plays from the running game?

all you need is 4 yards on those carries. playing 6 DBs consistently is begging NE to run on you and chances are they will oblige

Perhaps they don't need to play that many DBs. If your linebackers are athletic enough have them play the sort area passes and hopefully still quick enough to react to run plays. NEVER have them blitz.

Can you name 1 Linebacker athletic enough to cover gronk or lewis 1 on 1 because thats what he would end up on

Have a big corner or athletic safety on him and have another DB in on the action as well. You can double Gronk and still be able to play the short passes away from Gronk.

So then they just run the ball with blount if there is no linebacker.... 4ypc * 3 carries = first down. They will do that all game

 

[BoltNlava]

After watching pretty much every Pats game that Brady has ever played, here's what I would do to defend them.

Brady's game has been reinvented with the short pass and his down the field numbers have fallen off a cliff. Sure, he might burn a team once in a while with a deep pass but his completion percentage past 20 yards in recent seasons has been pretty poor. His intermediate passes (10-20 yards) also don't have a great completion rate. But on shorter passes he is an outright sniper.

As others have mentioned, blitzing is mostly useless unless you happen to catch NE on a play where they are looking farther downfield and don't have many short options or dump offs available (so maybe a play action where you are expecting the pass and don't bite on the ball fake). NE doesn't do that a ton and when they do they normally look for Gronk on a seam route.

So IMO, to steal a page out of sexy Rexy's playbook, I would mostly avoid blitzing and instead put 7 guys in coverage in a very short zone. Put three guys on the receivers at the LOS and really try to jam them. If you look at highlights or film of the Pats, defenders are mostly reacting and backing off the line not standing their ground and hitting the receivers. And have another line of 3 DBs right behind the first set of backs. Leave one safety back to control the middle of the field or help on Gronk, but mostly line the defensive backfield within 10 yards from the LOS. Similarly, make sure the D-line plays the run first and does not get up the field into the backfield (at least initially) so NE can't run you or draw you to death.

Basically, with six DBs within a few yards of the LOS, you are forcing Brady to have to throw the ball over the top and farther down the field. By having a second line of defenders dedicated to covering the outside and off the line, you can neutralize a lot of the picks plays because there is a help defender right there to pick up someone coming off a pick. Once the play is clearly a pass, then have the d-line turn the switch and rush, as Brady will need way more than 2 seconds to get rid of the ball. Maybe you play a hybrid zone / man coverage scheme where the second line of DBs plays man coverage and the underneath set sticks in zone. And with 6 defenders tight to the LOS, they ***SHOULD*** be able to hold any short passes or dump offs out of the backfield to 2-3 yards.

Let's see what the Jets do this year against NE, as they have a secondary that should be better in coverage and a D-line that should be able to pressure Brady.

Didn't SD do this for a few years in a row only to lose by a field goal or what not? I'm thinking he is the GOAT ...even with the cheating (allegedly) thrown in.

 

[JohnnyU]

After watching pretty much every Pats game that Brady has ever played, here's what I would do to defend them.

Brady's game has been reinvented with the short pass and his down the field numbers have fallen off a cliff. Sure, he might burn a team once in a while with a deep pass but his completion percentage past 20 yards in recent seasons has been pretty poor. His intermediate passes (10-20 yards) also don't have a great completion rate. But on shorter passes he is an outright sniper.

As others have mentioned, blitzing is mostly useless unless you happen to catch NE on a play where they are looking farther downfield and don't have many short options or dump offs available (so maybe a play action where you are expecting the pass and don't bite on the ball fake). NE doesn't do that a ton and when they do they normally look for Gronk on a seam route.

So IMO, to steal a page out of sexy Rexy's playbook, I would mostly avoid blitzing and instead put 7 guys in coverage in a very short zone. Put three guys on the receivers at the LOS and really try to jam them. If you look at highlights or film of the Pats, defenders are mostly reacting and backing off the line not standing their ground and hitting the receivers. And have another line of 3 DBs right behind the first set of backs. Leave one safety back to control the middle of the field or help on Gronk, but mostly line the defensive backfield within 10 yards from the LOS. Similarly, make sure the D-line plays the run first and does not get up the field into the backfield (at least initially) so NE can't run you or draw you to death.

Basically, with six DBs within a few yards of the LOS, you are forcing Brady to have to throw the ball over the top and farther down the field. By having a second line of defenders dedicated to covering the outside and off the line, you can neutralize a lot of the picks plays because there is a help defender right there to pick up someone coming off a pick. Once the play is clearly a pass, then have the d-line turn the switch and rush, as Brady will need way more than 2 seconds to get rid of the ball. Maybe you play a hybrid zone / man coverage scheme where the second line of DBs plays man coverage and the underneath set sticks in zone. And with 6 defenders tight to the LOS, they ***SHOULD*** be able to hold any short passes or dump offs out of the backfield to 2-3 yards.

Let's see what the Jets do this year against NE, as they have a secondary that should be better in coverage and a D-line that should be able to pressure Brady.

What if they decide to hand it off to blount while you have 6 Db's out on the field. You're screwed already they will just run it every play till you switch up your defense

If they are close to the box (short pass area) won't that help with limiting big plays from the running game?

all you need is 4 yards on those carries. playing 6 DBs consistently is begging NE to run on you and chances are they will oblige

Perhaps they don't need to play that many DBs. If your linebackers are athletic enough have them play the sort area passes and hopefully still quick enough to react to run plays. NEVER have them blitz.

Can you name 1 Linebacker athletic enough to cover gronk or lewis 1 on 1 because thats what he would end up on

Have a big corner or athletic safety on him and have another DB in on the action as well. You can double Gronk and still be able to play the short passes away from Gronk.

So then they just run the ball with blount if there is no linebacker.... 4ypc * 3 carries = first down. They will do that all game

If the front 4 are good run stoppers they could deal with Blount. Indy has no chance, but I'm sure some teams do.

 

[Bills_Fan11]

Good question. I don't understand it myself. A lot of theoretical stuff itt like "if you play short he'll throw deep" except that happens like never. He doesn't even throw 12yd outs ever. It's all dink&dunk all the time except for Gronk up the seam.

 

[Anarchy99]

After watching pretty much every Pats game that Brady has ever played, here's what I would do to defend them.

Brady's game has been reinvented with the short pass and his down the field numbers have fallen off a cliff. Sure, he might burn a team once in a while with a deep pass but his completion percentage past 20 yards in recent seasons has been pretty poor. His intermediate passes (10-20 yards) also don't have a great completion rate. But on shorter passes he is an outright sniper.

As others have mentioned, blitzing is mostly useless unless you happen to catch NE on a play where they are looking farther downfield and don't have many short options or dump offs available (so maybe a play action where you are expecting the pass and don't bite on the ball fake). NE doesn't do that a ton and when they do they normally look for Gronk on a seam route.

So IMO, to steal a page out of sexy Rexy's playbook, I would mostly avoid blitzing and instead put 7 guys in coverage in a very short zone. Put three guys on the receivers at the LOS and really try to jam them. If you look at highlights or film of the Pats, defenders are mostly reacting and backing off the line not standing their ground and hitting the receivers. And have another line of 3 DBs right behind the first set of backs. Leave one safety back to control the middle of the field or help on Gronk, but mostly line the defensive backfield within 10 yards from the LOS. Similarly, make sure the D-line plays the run first and does not get up the field into the backfield (at least initially) so NE can't run you or draw you to death.

Basically, with six DBs within a few yards of the LOS, you are forcing Brady to have to throw the ball over the top and farther down the field. By having a second line of defenders dedicated to covering the outside and off the line, you can neutralize a lot of the picks plays because there is a help defender right there to pick up someone coming off a pick. Once the play is clearly a pass, then have the d-line turn the switch and rush, as Brady will need way more than 2 seconds to get rid of the ball. Maybe you play a hybrid zone / man coverage scheme where the second line of DBs plays man coverage and the underneath set sticks in zone. And with 6 defenders tight to the LOS, they ***SHOULD*** be able to hold any short passes or dump offs out of the backfield to 2-3 yards.

Let's see what the Jets do this year against NE, as they have a secondary that should be better in coverage and a D-line that should be able to pressure Brady.

What if they decide to hand it off to blount while you have 6 Db's out on the field. You're screwed already they will just run it every play till you switch up your defense

If they are close to the box (short pass area) won't that help with limiting big plays from the running game?

Db's are known for not great tackling and blount is a big guy. He would easily get 5ypc and new england would take that every play. You would have to have Linebackers and D-line men in to stop the run which then a linebacker is matched with edelman or gronk and then they pass.

I don't think they line up a ton with Blount and Lewis together. But even having the Pats run a lot should keep their scoring down (keeps the clock moving). Get a false start or holding call and you would have an excellent chance of cutting the drive short.

As I said, this is a variation on the defense Rex Ryan used to beat NE in the playoffs in NE a few years ago. Brady had no place to throw the football, got frustrated, and had a so so game. Brady ended up with around 300 passing yards with 2 TDs and an INT, but he had to throw the ball 45 times to do it. NE was down by 2 scores in the 4th, when the Pats mostly gave up on the run (Brady probably had 120 yards passing late in the game). NE only accumulated 113 yards rushing (20 something on end arounds). Brady, with no blitz, was sacked 5 times. The Pats only completed 5 of 14 first downs.

Not sure who the 2010 Jets had for defenders, but whomever they rolled out did the trick (after losing to NE in Foxboro a few weeks earlier 45-3).

 

[fantasycurse42]

Bc Brady

 

[RealReactions]

After watching pretty much every Pats game that Brady has ever played, here's what I would do to defend them.

Brady's game has been reinvented with the short pass and his down the field numbers have fallen off a cliff. Sure, he might burn a team once in a while with a deep pass but his completion percentage past 20 yards in recent seasons has been pretty poor. His intermediate passes (10-20 yards) also don't have a great completion rate. But on shorter passes he is an outright sniper.

As others have mentioned, blitzing is mostly useless unless you happen to catch NE on a play where they are looking farther downfield and don't have many short options or dump offs available (so maybe a play action where you are expecting the pass and don't bite on the ball fake). NE doesn't do that a ton and when they do they normally look for Gronk on a seam route.

So IMO, to steal a page out of sexy Rexy's playbook, I would mostly avoid blitzing and instead put 7 guys in coverage in a very short zone. Put three guys on the receivers at the LOS and really try to jam them. If you look at highlights or film of the Pats, defenders are mostly reacting and backing off the line not standing their ground and hitting the receivers. And have another line of 3 DBs right behind the first set of backs. Leave one safety back to control the middle of the field or help on Gronk, but mostly line the defensive backfield within 10 yards from the LOS. Similarly, make sure the D-line plays the run first and does not get up the field into the backfield (at least initially) so NE can't run you or draw you to death.

Basically, with six DBs within a few yards of the LOS, you are forcing Brady to have to throw the ball over the top and farther down the field. By having a second line of defenders dedicated to covering the outside and off the line, you can neutralize a lot of the picks plays because there is a help defender right there to pick up someone coming off a pick. Once the play is clearly a pass, then have the d-line turn the switch and rush, as Brady will need way more than 2 seconds to get rid of the ball. Maybe you play a hybrid zone / man coverage scheme where the second line of DBs plays man coverage and the underneath set sticks in zone. And with 6 defenders tight to the LOS, they ***SHOULD*** be able to hold any short passes or dump offs out of the backfield to 2-3 yards.

Let's see what the Jets do this year against NE, as they have a secondary that should be better in coverage and a D-line that should be able to pressure Brady.

What if they decide to hand it off to blount while you have 6 Db's out on the field. You're screwed already they will just run it every play till you switch up your defense

If they are close to the box (short pass area) won't that help with limiting big plays from the running game?

Db's are known for not great tackling and blount is a big guy. He would easily get 5ypc and new england would take that every play. You would have to have Linebackers and D-line men in to stop the run which then a linebacker is matched with edelman or gronk and then they pass.

I don't think they line up a ton with Blount and Lewis together. But even having the Pats run a lot should keep their scoring down (keeps the clock moving). Get a false start or holding call and you would have an excellent chance of cutting the drive short.

As I said, this is a variation on the defense Rex Ryan used to beat NE in the playoffs in NE a few years ago. Brady had no place to throw the football, got frustrated, and had a so so game. Brady ended up with around 300 passing yards with 2 TDs and an INT, but he had to throw the ball 45 times to do it. NE was down by 2 scores in the 4th, when the Pats mostly gave up on the run (Brady probably had 120 yards passing late in the game). NE only accumulated 113 yards rushing (20 something on end arounds). Brady, with no blitz, was sacked 5 times. The Pats only completed 5 of 14 first downs.

Not sure who the 2010 Jets had for defenders, but whomever they rolled out did the trick (after losing to NE in Foxboro a few weeks earlier 45-3).

Rex just happened to have the best corner in his prime at that time though to in Revis and i believe it was gronk and hernedez first year same with edelman so bradys only real receivers that knew the offense was welker and deion. I don't see rex stalling this offense at all even if he had that defense from 2010

 

[Baloney Sandwich]

The best defense to play against the Pats is one they haven't prepared for, Dallas did just that in the first half. The problem is NE has been very good about making adjustments at half. As a defense, you almost have to play NE a way they haven't prepared for in the first half and then come out with a completely different look in the second half after NE has spent all of halftime making adjustments on what they just faced.

 

[Anarchy99]

Good question. I don't understand it myself. A lot of theoretical stuff itt like "if you play short he'll throw deep" except that happens like never. He doesn't even throw 12yd outs ever. It's all dink&dunk all the time except for Gronk up the seam.

I think another issue is that defenders currently are trying to cover guys both left to right and north and south. So when the pick plays start developing, teams have to worry about the picks as well as their own players getting out of position and in the way. If at least one defender just stayed dedicated to jumping the route or staying at the LOS and only going side to side, I think you could minimize how much NE could get on a bubble screen or a two yard out pattern (with receivers ahead blocking). It would help if defenders could tackle, as I think that is part of the problem against players like Edelman and Lewis. A missed tackle turns a 1 yard pass into a 9, 10, 11 yard gain.

 

[Anarchy99]

After watching pretty much every Pats game that Brady has ever played, here's what I would do to defend them.

Brady's game has been reinvented with the short pass and his down the field numbers have fallen off a cliff. Sure, he might burn a team once in a while with a deep pass but his completion percentage past 20 yards in recent seasons has been pretty poor. His intermediate passes (10-20 yards) also don't have a great completion rate. But on shorter passes he is an outright sniper.

As others have mentioned, blitzing is mostly useless unless you happen to catch NE on a play where they are looking farther downfield and don't have many short options or dump offs available (so maybe a play action where you are expecting the pass and don't bite on the ball fake). NE doesn't do that a ton and when they do they normally look for Gronk on a seam route.

So IMO, to steal a page out of sexy Rexy's playbook, I would mostly avoid blitzing and instead put 7 guys in coverage in a very short zone. Put three guys on the receivers at the LOS and really try to jam them. If you look at highlights or film of the Pats, defenders are mostly reacting and backing off the line not standing their ground and hitting the receivers. And have another line of 3 DBs right behind the first set of backs. Leave one safety back to control the middle of the field or help on Gronk, but mostly line the defensive backfield within 10 yards from the LOS. Similarly, make sure the D-line plays the run first and does not get up the field into the backfield (at least initially) so NE can't run you or draw you to death.

Basically, with six DBs within a few yards of the LOS, you are forcing Brady to have to throw the ball over the top and farther down the field. By having a second line of defenders dedicated to covering the outside and off the line, you can neutralize a lot of the picks plays because there is a help defender right there to pick up someone coming off a pick. Once the play is clearly a pass, then have the d-line turn the switch and rush, as Brady will need way more than 2 seconds to get rid of the ball. Maybe you play a hybrid zone / man coverage scheme where the second line of DBs plays man coverage and the underneath set sticks in zone. And with 6 defenders tight to the LOS, they ***SHOULD*** be able to hold any short passes or dump offs out of the backfield to 2-3 yards.

Let's see what the Jets do this year against NE, as they have a secondary that should be better in coverage and a D-line that should be able to pressure Brady.

What if they decide to hand it off to blount while you have 6 Db's out on the field. You're screwed already they will just run it every play till you switch up your defense

If they are close to the box (short pass area) won't that help with limiting big plays from the running game?

Db's are known for not great tackling and blount is a big guy. He would easily get 5ypc and new england would take that every play. You would have to have Linebackers and D-line men in to stop the run which then a linebacker is matched with edelman or gronk and then they pass.

I don't think they line up a ton with Blount and Lewis together. But even having the Pats run a lot should keep their scoring down (keeps the clock moving). Get a false start or holding call and you would have an excellent chance of cutting the drive short.

As I said, this is a variation on the defense Rex Ryan used to beat NE in the playoffs in NE a few years ago. Brady had no place to throw the football, got frustrated, and had a so so game. Brady ended up with around 300 passing yards with 2 TDs and an INT, but he had to throw the ball 45 times to do it. NE was down by 2 scores in the 4th, when the Pats mostly gave up on the run (Brady probably had 120 yards passing late in the game). NE only accumulated 113 yards rushing (20 something on end arounds). Brady, with no blitz, was sacked 5 times. The Pats only completed 5 of 14 first downs.

Not sure who the 2010 Jets had for defenders, but whomever they rolled out did the trick (after losing to NE in Foxboro a few weeks earlier 45-3).

Rex just happened to have the best corner in his prime at that time though to in Revis and i believe it was gronk and hernedez first year same with edelman so bradys only real receivers that knew the offense was welker and deion. I don't see rex stalling this offense at all even if he had that defense from 2010

IMO, having the best cover corner in the game is not a requirement. The 2010 offense featured a young Gronk and Hernandez to go along with Welker and Branch at WR (with Woodhead out of the backfield). IMO, Revis was wasted talent covering whomever he was covering. Say what you want about the NE offense, but they still scored 518 points in a year they dumped Randy Moss (and Edleman was mostly a bench player). Welker was a shell of his former self coming back earlier from his ACL tear. There really was no one Revis needed to lock down from that group.

 

[Short Corner]

After watching pretty much every Pats game that Brady has ever played, here's what I would do to defend them.

Brady's game has been reinvented with the short pass and his down the field numbers have fallen off a cliff. Sure, he might burn a team once in a while with a deep pass but his completion percentage past 20 yards in recent seasons has been pretty poor. His intermediate passes (10-20 yards) also don't have a great completion rate. But on shorter passes he is an outright sniper.

As others have mentioned, blitzing is mostly useless unless you happen to catch NE on a play where they are looking farther downfield and don't have many short options or dump offs available (so maybe a play action where you are expecting the pass and don't bite on the ball fake). NE doesn't do that a ton and when they do they normally look for Gronk on a seam route.

So IMO, to steal a page out of sexy Rexy's playbook, I would mostly avoid blitzing and instead put 7 guys in coverage in a very short zone. Put three guys on the receivers at the LOS and really try to jam them. If you look at highlights or film of the Pats, defenders are mostly reacting and backing off the line not standing their ground and hitting the receivers. And have another line of 3 DBs right behind the first set of backs. Leave one safety back to control the middle of the field or help on Gronk, but mostly line the defensive backfield within 10 yards from the LOS. Similarly, make sure the D-line plays the run first and does not get up the field into the backfield (at least initially) so NE can't run you or draw you to death.

Basically, with six DBs within a few yards of the LOS, you are forcing Brady to have to throw the ball over the top and farther down the field. By having a second line of defenders dedicated to covering the outside and off the line, you can neutralize a lot of the picks plays because there is a help defender right there to pick up someone coming off a pick. Once the play is clearly a pass, then have the d-line turn the switch and rush, as Brady will need way more than 2 seconds to get rid of the ball. Maybe you play a hybrid zone / man coverage scheme where the second line of DBs plays man coverage and the underneath set sticks in zone. And with 6 defenders tight to the LOS, they ***SHOULD*** be able to hold any short passes or dump offs out of the backfield to 2-3 yards.

Let's see what the Jets do this year against NE, as they have a secondary that should be better in coverage and a D-line that should be able to pressure Brady.

What if they decide to hand it off to blount while you have 6 Db's out on the field. You're screwed already they will just run it every play till you switch up your defense

If they are close to the box (short pass area) won't that help with limiting big plays from the running game?

all you need is 4 yards on those carries. playing 6 DBs consistently is begging NE to run on you and chances are they will oblige

Perhaps they don't need to play that many DBs. If your linebackers are athletic enough have them play the sort area passes and hopefully still quick enough to react to run plays. NEVER have them blitz.

Can you name 1 Linebacker athletic enough to cover gronk or lewis 1 on 1 because thats what he would end up on

Have a big corner or athletic safety on him and have another DB in on the action as well. You can double Gronk and still be able to play the short passes away from Gronk. NEVER BLITZ with more than the front 4.

Trips right, Gronk solo left how do you stop it?

 

[RealReactions]

After watching pretty much every Pats game that Brady has ever played, here's what I would do to defend them.

Brady's game has been reinvented with the short pass and his down the field numbers have fallen off a cliff. Sure, he might burn a team once in a while with a deep pass but his completion percentage past 20 yards in recent seasons has been pretty poor. His intermediate passes (10-20 yards) also don't have a great completion rate. But on shorter passes he is an outright sniper.

As others have mentioned, blitzing is mostly useless unless you happen to catch NE on a play where they are looking farther downfield and don't have many short options or dump offs available (so maybe a play action where you are expecting the pass and don't bite on the ball fake). NE doesn't do that a ton and when they do they normally look for Gronk on a seam route.

So IMO, to steal a page out of sexy Rexy's playbook, I would mostly avoid blitzing and instead put 7 guys in coverage in a very short zone. Put three guys on the receivers at the LOS and really try to jam them. If you look at highlights or film of the Pats, defenders are mostly reacting and backing off the line not standing their ground and hitting the receivers. And have another line of 3 DBs right behind the first set of backs. Leave one safety back to control the middle of the field or help on Gronk, but mostly line the defensive backfield within 10 yards from the LOS. Similarly, make sure the D-line plays the run first and does not get up the field into the backfield (at least initially) so NE can't run you or draw you to death.

Basically, with six DBs within a few yards of the LOS, you are forcing Brady to have to throw the ball over the top and farther down the field. By having a second line of defenders dedicated to covering the outside and off the line, you can neutralize a lot of the picks plays because there is a help defender right there to pick up someone coming off a pick. Once the play is clearly a pass, then have the d-line turn the switch and rush, as Brady will need way more than 2 seconds to get rid of the ball. Maybe you play a hybrid zone / man coverage scheme where the second line of DBs plays man coverage and the underneath set sticks in zone. And with 6 defenders tight to the LOS, they ***SHOULD*** be able to hold any short passes or dump offs out of the backfield to 2-3 yards.

Let's see what the Jets do this year against NE, as they have a secondary that should be better in coverage and a D-line that should be able to pressure Brady.

What if they decide to hand it off to blount while you have 6 Db's out on the field. You're screwed already they will just run it every play till you switch up your defense

If they are close to the box (short pass area) won't that help with limiting big plays from the running game?

Db's are known for not great tackling and blount is a big guy. He would easily get 5ypc and new england would take that every play. You would have to have Linebackers and D-line men in to stop the run which then a linebacker is matched with edelman or gronk and then they pass.

I don't think they line up a ton with Blount and Lewis together. But even having the Pats run a lot should keep their scoring down (keeps the clock moving). Get a false start or holding call and you would have an excellent chance of cutting the drive short.

As I said, this is a variation on the defense Rex Ryan used to beat NE in the playoffs in NE a few years ago. Brady had no place to throw the football, got frustrated, and had a so so game. Brady ended up with around 300 passing yards with 2 TDs and an INT, but he had to throw the ball 45 times to do it. NE was down by 2 scores in the 4th, when the Pats mostly gave up on the run (Brady probably had 120 yards passing late in the game). NE only accumulated 113 yards rushing (20 something on end arounds). Brady, with no blitz, was sacked 5 times. The Pats only completed 5 of 14 first downs.

Not sure who the 2010 Jets had for defenders, but whomever they rolled out did the trick (after losing to NE in Foxboro a few weeks earlier 45-3).

Rex just happened to have the best corner in his prime at that time though to in Revis and i believe it was gronk and hernedez first year same with edelman so bradys only real receivers that knew the offense was welker and deion. I don't see rex stalling this offense at all even if he had that defense from 2010

IMO, having the best cover corner in the game is not a requirement. The 2010 offense featured a young Gronk and Hernandez to go along with Welker and Branch at WR (with Woodhead out of the backfield). IMO, Revis was wasted talent covering whomever he was covering. Say what you want about the NE offense, but they still scored 518 points in a year they dumped Randy Moss (and Edleman was mostly a bench player). Welker was a shell of his former self coming back earlier from his ACL tear. There really was no one Revis needed to lock down from that group.

The young hernadez and Gronk is huge because the whole reason the pats are what they are is both the qb and wr/te can read the defense and know exactly where to go. They didn't get the time to know everything so i believe that played a big role as well. And revis what ever you want to say was a big contributor. He completely locked down one side of the field. You don't get the nickname revis island for no reason. He would cover you and you were basically done for the game

 

[PatsWillWin]

Focusing on the short pass that Brady throws is missing the big picture. He's already won the play at that point. It's everything that comes before it that the NFL can't beat.

 

[JIslander]

Focusing on the short pass that Brady throws is missing the big picture. He's already won the play at that point. It's everything that comes before it that the NFL can't beat.

deflating?

 

[PatsWillWin]

The best defense to play against the Pats is one they haven't prepared for, Dallas did just that in the first half. The problem is NE has been very good about making adjustments at half. As a defense, you almost have to play NE a way they haven't prepared for in the first half and then come out with a completely different look in the second half after NE has spent all of halftime making adjustments on what they just faced.

Don't say this to Belichick in a press conference, makes him very grumpy. He doesn't sit around and wait until halftime to make adjustments.

 

[ROCKET]

Good question. I don't understand it myself. A lot of theoretical stuff itt like "if you play short he'll throw deep" except that happens like never. He doesn't even throw 12yd outs ever. It's all dink&dunk all the time except for Gronk up the seam.

Guess you missed Edelman's TD yesterday. Brady makes a ton of 5-15 yard throws as a way of getting the ball out early. To say he can't throw a ball downfield 20+ yards is laughable. He just plays to the Pats system which is very effective given the way the game has changed in the last decade.

 

[jurb26]

Good question. I don't understand it myself. A lot of theoretical stuff itt like "if you play short he'll throw deep" except that happens like never. He doesn't even throw 12yd outs ever. It's all dink&dunk all the time except for Gronk up the seam.

Guess you missed Edelman's TD yesterday. Brady makes a ton of 5-15 yard throws as a way of getting the ball out early. To say he can't throw a ball downfield 20+ yards is laughable. He just plays to the Pats system which is very effective given the way the game has changed in the last decade.

He chucked a ton of bombs to that Moss guy in 07. Yeah, he doesn't do it as often now but Brady still throws the deep ball as well as anyone.

 

[NE_REVIVAL]

Good question. I don't understand it myself. A lot of theoretical stuff itt like "if you play short he'll throw deep" except that happens like never. He doesn't even throw 12yd outs ever. It's all dink&dunk all the time except for Gronk up the seam.

Guess you missed Edelman's TD yesterday. Brady makes a ton of 5-15 yard throws as a way of getting the ball out early. To say he can't throw a ball downfield 20+ yards is laughable. He just plays to the Pats system which is very effective given the way the game has changed in the last decade.

He chucked a ton of bombs to that Moss guy in 07.Yeah, he doesn't do it as often now but Brady still throws the deep ball as well as anyone.

I don't know that Brady throws it deep as well as anyone, (I dont think he does), but he has clearly demonstrated he could hold his own in that area if need be. I do wonder if we would have seen this thread started had a certain QB not played dreadfully again yesterday FWIW, anyone who claims Brady never throws more than 10 yards isn't someone who has watched him play very much (if at all).

I don't have PFF so I can't verify the numbers, but it would be interesting to know what percentage of his passing yards are in the air compared to other successful QBs. Is there a non pay site that tracks that sort of thing?

 

[JohnnyU]

Good question. I don't understand it myself. A lot of theoretical stuff itt like "if you play short he'll throw deep" except that happens like never. He doesn't even throw 12yd outs ever. It's all dink&dunk all the time except for Gronk up the seam.

Guess you missed Edelman's TD yesterday. Brady makes a ton of 5-15 yard throws as a way of getting the ball out early. To say he can't throw a ball downfield 20+ yards is laughable. He just plays to the Pats system which is very effective given the way the game has changed in the last decade.

He chucked a ton of bombs to that Moss guy in 07.Yeah, he doesn't do it as often now but Brady still throws the deep ball as well as anyone.

I don't know that Brady throws it deep as well as anyone, (I dont think he does), but he has clearly demonstrated he could hold his own in that area if need be. I do wonder if we would have seen this thread started had a certain QB not played dreadfully again yesterday FWIW, anyone who claims Brady never throws more than 10 yards isn't someone who has watched him play very much (if at all).

I don't have PFF so I can't verify the numbers, but it would be interesting to know what percentage of his passing yards are in the air compared to other successful QBs. Is there a non pay site that tracks that sort of thing?

I'm guessing you think I started this thread because of Peyton Manning in some way, but I'll tell you now that since he's no longer on the Colts I'm not as much of a Manning fan as you think I am. I pull for him and always will, but I'm not the same fan I was when he played for the Colts. The reason I started this thread is because I know what's going to happen next Sunday night and everyone else knows what's going to happen too, so it makes me wonder if there is defense that can stop this offense right now and how would it be done? I think Anarchy did the best job of posting in this thread.

 

[Ghost Rider]

The Pats are the NFLs best coached team by a wide margin. They simply adjust and adjust and adjust and keep rolling along.

This. Plus, they have one of the league's best and smartest QBs ever. Very dangerous combination.

 

[Anarchy99]

Brady's completion rate for throws 20 yards or more downfield.

2007 - 50.7%

2009 - 32.4%

2010 - 44.4%

2011 - 41.7%

2012 - 40.5%

2013 - 39.4%

2013 - 6.4% after 4 games

The numbers are from ProFootballFocus and were on an article citing the Pateiots woes to start the season last year. I don't have numbers for the full year last year or anything from this year.

 

[jurb26]

Brady's completion rate for throws 20 yards or more downfield.

2007 - 50.7%

2009 - 32.4%

2010 - 44.4%

2011 - 41.7%

2012 - 40.5%

2013 - 39.4%

2013 - 6.4% after 4 games

The numbers are from ProFootballFocus and were on an article citing the Pateiots woes to start the season last year. I don't have numbers for the full year last year or anything from this year.

Moss impact is for real.

 

[tones]

I think the two things that teams that routinely play NE well are that they are mentally tough and play 60 minutes of sound error free football - execute well. The Raven and NYJ teams and occasionally the Manning Colts that NE lost to in the playoffs did that. All of those teams used various approaches offensively and defensively. Rex would rush 3 and keep 8 in coverage but they would come from different areas/levels of the D. Indy would try to get a lead and then rush their D ends. Baltimore would often take away NEs running game and make them one dimensional on offense.

 

[duaneok66]

Great conversation.

We need more intellectual threads like this in the pool.

Kudos to everyone (except those bringing up cheating) that has contributed.

 

[NE_REVIVAL]

Good question. I don't understand it myself. A lot of theoretical stuff itt like "if you play short he'll throw deep" except that happens like never. He doesn't even throw 12yd outs ever. It's all dink&dunk all the time except for Gronk up the seam.

Guess you missed Edelman's TD yesterday. Brady makes a ton of 5-15 yard throws as a way of getting the ball out early. To say he can't throw a ball downfield 20+ yards is laughable. He just plays to the Pats system which is very effective given the way the game has changed in the last decade.

He chucked a ton of bombs to that Moss guy in 07.Yeah, he doesn't do it as often now but Brady still throws the deep ball as well as anyone.

I don't know that Brady throws it deep as well as anyone, (I dont think he does), but he has clearly demonstrated he could hold his own in that area if need be. I do wonder if we would have seen this thread started had a certain QB not played dreadfully again yesterday FWIW, anyone who claims Brady never throws more than 10 yards isn't someone who has watched him play very much (if at all).

I don't have PFF so I can't verify the numbers, but it would be interesting to know what percentage of his passing yards are in the air compared to other successful QBs. Is there a non pay site that tracks that sort of thing?

I'm guessing you think I started this thread because of Peyton Manning in some way, but I'll tell you now that since he's no longer on the Colts I'm not as much of a Manning fan as you think I am. I pull for him and always will, but I'm not the same fan I was when he played for the Colts. The reason I started this thread is because I know what's going to happen next Sunday night and everyone else knows what's going to happen too, so it makes me wonder if there is defense that can stop this offense right now and how would it be done? I think Anarchy did the best job of posting in this thread.

No, I don't think u started the thread solely because Manning was horrid again, but I do think that is part of it. As for what will happen next Sunday I'm not sure. The last 3 times the teams have met, the Colts have given up over 200 yds rushing and rather than improve the teams front seven the poc idiot grigson decided to draft a 5'10 wr. BTW, what do Indy fans think of that idiot?

 

[JIslander]

Brady's completion rate for throws 20 yards or more downfield.

2007 - 50.7%

2009 - 32.4%

2010 - 44.4%

2011 - 41.7%

2012 - 40.5%

2013 - 39.4%

2013 - 6.4% after 4 games

The numbers are from ProFootballFocus and were on an article citing the Pateiots woes to start the season last year. I don't have numbers for the full year last year or anything from this year.

That right there folks is likely both a dropoff in TB's abilities and BB's decision on scheming/designing plays to work with his QB.

 

[NE_REVIVAL]

Brady's completion rate for throws 20 yards or more downfield.

2007 - 50.7%

2009 - 32.4%

2010 - 44.4%

2011 - 41.7%

2012 - 40.5%

2013 - 39.4%

2013 - 6.4% after 4 games

The numbers are from ProFootballFocus and were on an article citing the Pateiots woes to start the season last year. I don't have numbers for the full year last year or anything from this year.

Thanks, i found this site too, but I have no idea how legit they are and I am skeptical of the numbers.

http://www.sportingcharts.com/nfl/stats/quarterback-air-yards/2014/

 

[medstudent]

People who say that all you have to do is hit edelman hard to make him think twice, have not watched him play much. The guy is tough as nails and has never alligator armed a pass in his career. A seattle fan was telling me that the Legion of Boom was going to make Edelman ineffective in the Super Bowl by lowering the boom on his body. Wrong. If you injure Edelman with a concussion or break his leg like some in here are suggesting, you will stop him. And even then he might pop up and shake off a concussion on the fly. As long as he is physically able to play, he will not be intimidated.

It really comes down to Brady. What he does in that short passing game is not easy. He not only completes passes, he completes them in stride. The way he finds alleys to throw in and moves around within the pocket are unmatched.

And I don't think the Pats are nearly as good at the pick play as the Packers are.

 

[Bad_Mo]

Brady gets the ball out too fast, reads defenses as good as you'll see and has quick twitch outlets. Hard to defend if you don't have the personnel to do so.

 

[bucsbaby]

I know Brady isn't on pace to match the numbers, but in terms of difficulty to defend, choose one:

2007--

Brady

Moss

Welker

Faulk/Maroney

2015--

Brady

Gronk

Edelman

Lewis/Blount

I think its very close, but would probably go with 2015 since Gronk helps in protection and the run game as well as down field and its so tuff to defend against an O when the QB is getting rid of the ball so quickly.

2007 with Moss and Welker, and it's not close. Brady 8 years younger and Moss and Welker were extremely dominant and Faulk was very good out of the backfield as well.

 

[PatsWillWin]

Brady's completion rate for throws 20 yards or more downfield.

2007 - 50.7%

2009 - 32.4%

2010 - 44.4%

2011 - 41.7%

2012 - 40.5%

2013 - 39.4%

2013 - 6.4% after 4 games

The numbers are from ProFootballFocus and were on an article citing the Pateiots woes to start the season last year. I don't have numbers for the full year last year or anything from this year.

That right there folks is likely both a dropoff in TB's abilities and BB's decision on scheming/designing plays to work with his QB.

How do those stats show a decision by Belichick to change scheme/design plays? Is he designing more plays that are meant for Brady to not complete?

 

[JohnnyU]

Good question. I don't understand it myself. A lot of theoretical stuff itt like "if you play short he'll throw deep" except that happens like never. He doesn't even throw 12yd outs ever. It's all dink&dunk all the time except for Gronk up the seam.

Guess you missed Edelman's TD yesterday. Brady makes a ton of 5-15 yard throws as a way of getting the ball out early. To say he can't throw a ball downfield 20+ yards is laughable. He just plays to the Pats system which is very effective given the way the game has changed in the last decade.

He chucked a ton of bombs to that Moss guy in 07.Yeah, he doesn't do it as often now but Brady still throws the deep ball as well as anyone.

I don't know that Brady throws it deep as well as anyone, (I dont think he does), but he has clearly demonstrated he could hold his own in that area if need be. I do wonder if we would have seen this thread started had a certain QB not played dreadfully again yesterday FWIW, anyone who claims Brady never throws more than 10 yards isn't someone who has watched him play very much (if at all).I don't have PFF so I can't verify the numbers, but it would be interesting to know what percentage of his passing yards are in the air compared to other successful QBs. Is there a non pay site that tracks that sort of thing?

I'm guessing you think I started this thread because of Peyton Manning in some way, but I'll tell you now that since he's no longer on the Colts I'm not as much of a Manning fan as you think I am. I pull for him and always will, but I'm not the same fan I was when he played for the Colts. The reason I started this thread is because I know what's going to happen next Sunday night and everyone else knows what's going to happen too, so it makes me wonder if there is defense that can stop this offense right now and how would it be done? I think Anarchy did the best job of posting in this thread.

No, I don't think u started the thread solely because Manning was horrid again, but I do think that is part of it. As for what will happen next Sunday I'm not sure. The last 3 times the teams have met, the Colts have given up over 200 yds rushing and rather than improve the teams front seven the poc idiot grigson decided to draft a 5'10 wr. BTW, what do Indy fans think of that idiot?

I assure you manning had nothing to do with starting this thread. Next week's game did however. To be honest I didn't even watch Peyton Mannig this week, nor did I even know how he did, and I'm not the huge Manning fan I was when he played for the Colts. I do wish him well but he is obviously at the end.

 

[PatsWillWin]

I know Brady isn't on pace to match the numbers, but in terms of difficulty to defend, choose one:

2007--

Brady

Moss

Welker

Faulk/Maroney

2015--

Brady

Gronk

Edelman

Lewis/Blount

I think its very close, but would probably go with 2015 since Gronk helps in protection and the run game as well as down field and its so tuff to defend against an O when the QB is getting rid of the ball so quickly.

2007 with Moss and Welker, and it's not close. Brady 8 years younger and Moss and Welker were extremely dominant and Faulk was very good out of the backfield as well.

Yeah, Gronkowski might end up being the greatest TE of all time, but I'll take that 2007 group every day of the week. Stallworth was left off too, and he was a factor that year.

 

[Riversco]

You cannot reliably shut down any good team. That's how it is.

 

[jurb26]

You cannot reliably shut down any good team. That's how it is.

And that's how the NFL wants it. BB knows and understands this and uses it to his advantage.

Like a big F you after the rules change post 1st Super Bowl win.

 

[Thunderlips]

Good question. I don't understand it myself. A lot of theoretical stuff itt like "if you play short he'll throw deep" except that happens like never. He doesn't even throw 12yd outs ever. It's all dink&dunk all the time except for Gronk up the seam.

Guess you missed Edelman's TD yesterday. Brady makes a ton of 5-15 yard throws as a way of getting the ball out early. To say he can't throw a ball downfield 20+ yards is laughable. He just plays to the Pats system which is very effective given the way the game has changed in the last decade.

It's not about holding Brady to 5 for 38 with 33 yards and no TDs. He's going to get his. It's about trying to limit his bread and butter to give you a chance to win the game. If given a choice between him being successful making 20+ yard passes to beat me and him making 1.9 second passes.....I'll take him attempting the 20+ yard passes.