ny33 Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 There's no doubt that our receivers played well today. Stevie, hampered by his groin injury, caught 80% of the balls thrown his way. Donald Jones messed up quite a bit in the first half, but was on the other end of Fitz's worst throws; his catch in the fourth quarter made up for his first-half failures. Everyone else played well enough, too, though I missed most of Nelson's first half catches. Our secondary did what it could despite receiving no pass rush help. The coverage on most plays was actually quite strong, even excluding the interceptions; Brady is a great QB, and Welker is a fantastic WR. We simply can't stop Gronkowski with the height in our secondary, and can only hope to force the Patriots into mistakes. If you guys have been watching other games this year, there's no question that QBs have been lighting it up. Even rookie WRs- A.J. Green, Julio Jones, Denarius Moore (unfortunately against us), and Torrey Smith (check out his stats today) have been off to unprecedented starts. Besides the rule changes, a lack of offseason preparation means that cornerbacks are probably behind receivers for some reason, particularly young guys like Devin McCourty, who had an amazing rookie season, or our own Aaron Williams. All of these things considered, I think our secondary play will continue to improve with more practice time this year, as will the secondaries of other teams. Here's where we have an advantage: our QB is probably the smartest guy in the league (the end zone pass interference play was an example of his on-field intelligence). Watch guys like Newton, Dalton, and, of course, Sanchez, begin to break down, while our smart play keeps our pass game at a high level all season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thoner7 Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 The NFL has used rule changes to eliminate defense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ny33 Posted September 25, 2011 Author Share Posted September 25, 2011 The NFL has used rule changes to eliminate defense. Yes, but my point is this: passing numbers will drop over the course of the season, particularly with young QBs, as evidenced by Dalton and Newton's games today. I don't think the Bengals are terrible like Seattle or Kansas City- their defensive line is excellent, and Cincy's defense is solid overall- but they're going to be nothing like the Patriots were on offense. If the Bills run early and often, with some careful throws by Fitzpatrick, we'll set the model for our gameplan against low-octane offenses this season. N Note that Kenny Britt is probably out for the year, which seriously hurts Tennessee's passing game. Vick probably won't play against us; the Giants are banged up; Washington remains a question mark. I think we've got to be the favorite in every game from here on out except the road games at New England and San Diego. I don't think we're realistically a 14-2 team, but 9-12 wins are definitely possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malazan Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 More scoring tends to be more exciting for people. Whether you want to bemoan that or not, it's the way it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gray Beard Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 It seems as though most teams play with an empty backfield much more than in the past. With five receivers, there will almost always be a match up with a receiver being covered by a linebacker. That will usually favor the receiver until he gets hit. It's almost like a receiver is expected to sacrifice his body over the middle more and more. I have been wondering if that is leading to the offense having an advantage that hasn't been typical as recently as a year or two ago. Your premise that the defense is slower at adjusting due to the lockout and the lack of practice could also be a valid explanation that will support my theory. If that is the case, in a few weeks the coverage will get better with more film watching, coaching, mid game adjustments, and practice time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 NFL defenders don't know how to adapt to the new rules. Every time they make a decent play, they're getting flagged. The best example today was when Byrd got hit for 15 yards for a clean tackle on Welker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSBill Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 NFL defenders don't know how to adapt to the new rules. Every time they make a decent play, they're getting flagged. The best example today was when Byrd got hit for 15 yards for a clean tackle on Welker. yeah, didn't Welker duck into that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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