An idea to slow down the Patriots offense next time

[BillnutinHouston]

I like the idea of questioning the assumption that you try to avoid getting flagged. Questioning assumptions leads to innovation, which is the essence of what Bellichick does.

 

The problem is, if this plan were implemented, after about the 5th straight defensive holding flag the refs would call 15 yarders for unsportsmanlike conduct. Gotta protect the Pats*.

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

It eats at my core to watch the Patriots execute their offense with such precision against the Bills. Despite the hate, I have to give them their props. The last two games that mattered, the not aging fast enough Brady, got rid of the ball in under 2 seconds on passing plays and just carved us up for 7 to 10 yards each play. My thought on a strategy is to have set plays where the guys in the back end of the D just tackle/hold every WR, TE and RB that goes out for a pass and then the D line sacks Brady. Bills would give up 5 yards for the holding and an automatic first down but you smack Tommy boy a bunch of times and get their receivers wondering what is going on. The idea is to disrupt their timing and get them off their game. They would employ this scheme for the first couple Patriots drives of the game, before they cross the 50 yard line and would do this every pass play. Patriots are going to get their yards anyway so why not give them the yards and smack him around!! After that they could sprinkle this strategy in randomly to keep them guessing and hopefully off on the timing patterns all game. You could disguise it so the D-call is either the mugging strategy, the fake mugging strategy or a blitz with legal coverage. Thoughts?

Add the Seattle effect where they actually tolerate more illegal contact to avoid throwing a flag every play. Why not? It's not like there is some conventional recipe for success they are ignoring.

[Big Hurt]

Watched the play back, Eldeman constantly beat the jam. He is slimy. Gronk just run you over. You cannot stop them with conventional thinking. If it works, every team would have done it. Watch the game with your remote in hand please. Also, in the first half, the DL were stood up constantly, sometimes without double team. So they need to fix that. Every team will try to hit Brady. But he has not really been sacked. Why? Because people are too scared to blitz him. You need to be willing to risk it all. It takes everything we have to beat them. I vote for putting hands on the small receivers, legally or illegally. Brady could throw the ball quickly because his guys were open. He would have to hold the ball if we could take away open guys, at least for more than 2 sec.

Bottom line: Figure out why we couldn't cover for more than 2 seconds. Fix that and we will have a chance to sack Brady.

[Nihilarian]

Screw that. Rush 11 and take the roughing the passer penalty.

Then do it again, and again, and again... till it bleeds.

The 1977 Atlanta Falcons used to run that, and even had a nickname for it. They called it the "Gritz Blitz" under Leeman Bennent , and it worked on and off for a few years. Jerry Glanville became the Falcons DC, and then started using that again when he became a HC.

 

Anyway that 1977 Falcons defense set a defensive record that still hasn't been broken. That year they were ranked 1st in points allowed, and 2nd in yards allowed.

You can read about it here: https://swisssportsblogger.wordpress.com/2014/10/20/breaking-it-down-atlantas-gritz-blitz-defense/

 

The problem is that all it takes is one receiver breaking free, and its off to the races. Now that plan might just work if you have all the DB's holding while trying to jam the receivers. Then after a few hard hits on Brady things might just go differently.

 

 

One other thing, anyone who discards the idea that knowing the opponents game plan doesn't help. (Bryce Brown / Matt Cassel) All they need do is look back to when the Bills signed Patriots S Lawyer Milloy 5 days before the start of the 2003 season, and the Bills whomped the Patriots 31-0. If Bill Bilicheat wasn't already cheating this probably gave him the idea to spy on other teams practices.

[BringBackFergy]

This is a way to stop the Patriots offense

 

[Prickly Pete]

This is a way to stop the Patriots offense

 

 

 

It didn't though. He got up and strode off the field like a champ.

 

I think getting some hits on the receivers will help. I remember the way the Steelers used to let the Bills receivers catch the ball over the middle, and then nail them. The Ravens use to do that too. There were no big hits from the Bills in the first game. Gotta make them uncomfortable.

 

I don't think the Bills should be afraid of penalties, but they need to make them count.

Edited October 1, 2015 by HoF Watkins

[Fadingpain]

I love the outside the box thinking of the original post and as others have mentioned, this is how the Patriots think.

 

However we do it, fair or not fair, I love the idea of, and endorse, a deliberate attempt to injure Brady. It's the single most effective thing the Bills could do in a game to help our chances of beating NE.

 

Here is an example: load up the defensive line with a big body that doesn't play too much. Tell him that on the next passing play, his job is to hit Brady as hard as he can, whether he has already thrown the ball or not.

 

Let the ref throw the flag, give us 15 yards, and eject the backup Bill. Who cares. In the meantime Brady is carted off the field or not throwing right the rest of the game b/c some part of his body is not working correctly.

 

Mission accomplished.

 

Reminds me of the playoff game at home against KC in the Superbowl years. We gave Joe Montana a concussion early on and he was gone for the rest of the game. So much for his 4 Superbowl rings. Tough to beat up on our defense when you don't know what your name is and you are in the dressing room receiving medical attention.

[Uffalo Ills]

Or, we could place snipers up in the lights....

this

[Prickly Pete]

I love the outside the box thinking of the original post and as others have mentioned, this is how the Patriots think.

 

However we do it, fair or not fair, I love the idea of, and endorse, a deliberate attempt to injure Brady. It's the single most effective thing the Bills could do in a game to help our chances of beating NE.

 

Here is an example: load up the defensive line with a big body that doesn't play too much. Tell him that on the next passing play, his job is to hit Brady as hard as he can, whether he has already thrown the ball or not.

 

Let the ref throw the flag, give us 15 yards, and eject the backup Bill. Who cares. In the meantime Brady is carted off the field or not throwing right the rest of the game b/c some part of his body is not working correctly.

 

Mission accomplished.

 

Reminds me of the playoff game at home against KC in the Superbowl years. We gave Joe Montana a concussion early on and he was gone for the rest of the game. So much for his 4 Superbowl rings. Tough to beat up on our defense when you don't know what your name is and you are in the dressing room receiving medical attention.

 

Something like that would certainly get a response. They would come after Tyrod.

[Pete]

I posted this in the Darby thead-

 

When Leodis returns, we can do some neat coverages similar to what Green Bay does. Here are GB's base defenses-

• Okie and Eagle (3-4-4)
• Nickel (2-4-5)
• Psycho (1-5-5)
• Dime (2-3-6)
• Bat (1-4-6)
• Prevent (1-3-7, 1-2-8)
• Hippo (4-4-3)

Payback game on MNF in November- imagine having Leodis, Gilmore, Robey, Darby, Williams, Graham, and Rambo on the field at once- manning up on each wideout and sticking with them. The possibilities are endless

[bisonbrigade]

I posted this in the Darby thead-

 

When Leodis returns, we can do some neat coverages similar to what Green Bay does. Here are GB's base defenses-

• Okie and Eagle (3-4-4)
• Nickel (2-4-5)
• Psycho (1-5-5)
• Dime (2-3-6)
• Bat (1-4-6)
• Prevent (1-3-7, 1-2-8)
• Hippo (4-4-3)

Payback game on MNF in November- imagine having Leodis, Gilmore, Robey, Darby, Williams, Graham, and Rambo on the field at once- manning up on each wideout and sticking with them. The possibilities are endless

Mario, Kyle, Dareus, and Hughes plus 7 defensive backs all game. Blitz someone new each down.

[machine gun kelly]

MEAN MACHINE, MEAN MACHINE, MEAN MACHINE!

 

Who can we throw the ball into their john brown hindparts, and knock them out of the game?

 

How about just late hitting him so hard he gets knocked out for a concussion. Mario makes a billion dollars so he can handle the fin if he just literally went helmet to helmet and decapitated brady on the first play of the game?

 

Now that the comedy is over, Rex do what you do best, bllitz. If you want 7 back, play press coverage right at the line, and bracket Gronk with two guys like they did to Gonzalez a couple of years ago. Rely on your line and LB to handle the run.

Then again we can jsut bring all 11 in on three plays and hit him so hard late, he's toast. This is silly but fun to think about.