Simon Posted September 10, 2004 Posted September 10, 2004 I thought losing TED would be the biggest problem the Pats had to overcome(I know they won w/o him last year) because it essentially forces you to commit two guys where there was one to acheive the same results. And that's kind of like taking a guy off the field. And while I thought both Warren and Traylor (and Wilfork) looked very good, somehow the Colts consistently found a LOT of space in the A/B gaps. Is this the beginning of a trend ala 2002, or was Belichik just defending the ColtO by primarily protecting himself from big plays and trying to win a 4thqrtr grinder? I'm verklempt considering the beauty that is already the NFL 2004 season, so talk amongst yourselves.....
theNose76 Posted September 10, 2004 Posted September 10, 2004 It was very obvious on the Colts first TD drive - 9 runs, 0 passes > Touchdown. There seemed to be holes everywhere. The Colts managed at least 150 yards on the ground, and something like 450 overall, more than in any game against the Pats last season. So yea, it may be a sign, although don't look for Arizona to do much about that with their 78 year old running back. Travis and Willis will find out in 3 weeks how much the Pats miss big Ted (they'll also meet big Ted himself next Sunday, ouch).
BF_in_Indiana Posted September 10, 2004 Posted September 10, 2004 I think the Pats are going to be in the playoffs again obviously, but I think with the new rules on holding WR's etc I think their D will take a big hit (Indy had over 400 yards tonight). Offensively I think they will be very good like usual. Brady is a good QB as much as that pains me to admit it and they have guys that can make plays at any time from just about anywhere. The Pats are a playoff team for sure, I'm not sure they get back to the Super Bowl though Simon.
Rico Posted September 10, 2004 Posted September 10, 2004 I think Traylor will be sitting & Wilfork will be starting before too long.
Frez Posted September 10, 2004 Posted September 10, 2004 Edge is going to make a lot of defenses look bad!
obie_wan Posted September 10, 2004 Posted September 10, 2004 I think Traylor will be sitting & Wilfork will be starting before too long. 25135[/snapback] yes indeed
Guest Guest Posted September 10, 2004 Posted September 10, 2004 Edge is going to make a lot of defenses look bad! 25137[/snapback] He also cost his team 10-14 points last night I think.
ICE Posted September 10, 2004 Posted September 10, 2004 Simon I gotta say they are exposed. I am watching a WEAK OL man handle the pats DL. My question is this...when will they take the no huddle back from Peyton? Last night to me shows his achilles heel. He wants to sling the ball when in fact they should run.
Simon Posted September 10, 2004 Author Posted September 10, 2004 My question is this...when will they take the no huddle back from Peyton? Last night to me shows his achilles heel. He wants to sling the ball when in fact they should run. This is exactly why I'm not convinced they were totally exposed last night. I think Belichik realizes Manning is going to keep chucking it no matter what you give him and he sacrificed his backers to coverage responsibilities knowing Edge would get his but Peyton wouldn't/couldn't keep feeding him. I don't think they'll ever take the offense away from Manning, but they ought to put a shockcollar on him and give him a zap every once in awhile. If he had any patience whatsoever the Colts could have held the ball for 40:00 while Edge ran for about 250. How does Belichik continue to get away with this kind of shlt?!
dave mcbride Posted September 10, 2004 Posted September 10, 2004 simon - one of my closest friends is a fanatical pats fan, and he's been issuing dire warnings all preseason about the fundamental inability of traylor and wilfork to play the 2-gap. he figured they'd be giving up 5 yards/carry, which in turn would lead to a lot of defeats. well, he's right - this is the 2002 version of the pats, and their 2 gap guys were thrown around like rag dolls. they certainly looked like that last night, and they were flat out lucky to win. they should have lost by 7 points or more.
gantrules Posted September 10, 2004 Posted September 10, 2004 Edge is going to make a lot of defenses look bad! ----------------------------- It wasn't just Edge it was Rhodes too. He had 10 carries for 42 Yds.
Guest BackInDaDay Posted September 10, 2004 Posted September 10, 2004 Traynor was actually tossed aside by the Colts' center during that 9-run drive, but the same man couldn't move him in the 2nd half. No more A gap. The LBs and their safety (Lawyer's replacement ) did a good job taking away the cutback to the B gap.
Steven in MD Posted September 10, 2004 Posted September 10, 2004 What if Emmitt runs for 100 yds, but the Pats still win, does that convince anyone that they are exposed? As long as Brady has a lucky shoe up his ass, the Pats will continue to win....winning is contagious, so until the Pats get some losses by teams that continue to expose their weaknesses, they will keep rolling. The Colts were a far superior team last night...and with a half way decent coach, would have and should have won. Why not run the ball on that last play is beyond me.
Simon Posted September 10, 2004 Author Posted September 10, 2004 that 9-run drive Damn, I'd have liked to have seen that. But I missed the 1sthalf:-( Wow Edge sure looked like he was all the way back last night. I think him and McGahee run with similar patient styles, always looking for the cutback and not really attacking the LOS until they've picked their spot. I'd sure like to see Willis find his explosiveness sometime this season, like EJames apparently has. Cya
GG Posted September 10, 2004 Posted September 10, 2004 Wow, great minds think alike Watching that all run drive, I was salivating at the prospect of attacking Traylor. BTW, is it me or did Seymour look more slender? That may also be an advantage in the run game. I agree with Simon that Belichick likely gambled on PM's propensity to air it out, given the lack of output from Marvin. But genius Bill also dodged a major bullet, because you cannot game plan Edge carpeting the ball in red zone 2x/game. Dave, I kow that you also looked at Pats pass protect, and their opening drive was mirror image of the one they pulled vs Bills in the '03 finale. I doubt Bills would be able to get much better interior penetration, thus I imagine Gray will have to get a bit more creative. Interesting that I don't recall a Colt with a number lower that 60 even attempting to rush the backfield last night. On a sidenote, did the final chapter ever get written about the alleged Ted W & Greggo meeting in spring of '01? It would seem all too clear now that Greggo would yell at Ted and throw him out of the office. After all, the guy was clearly washed up.
dave mcbride Posted September 10, 2004 Posted September 10, 2004 Damn, I'd have liked to have seen that. But I missed the 1sthalf:-( Wow Edge sure looked like he was all the way back last night. I think him and McGahee run with similar patient styles, always looking for the cutback and not really attacking the LOS until they've picked their spot. I'd sure like to see Willis find his explosiveness sometime this season, like EJames apparently has. Cya 25464[/snapback] Gerry - hey there. it was indeed a mirror image of the final game of last season, and you're right, williams and adams aren't penetrators. i guess they'll have to blitz some more. re greggo and ted w, i've thought about that many a time. if anyone needs any proof of his doctrinaire incompetence, his "no fat guys" blather is the best evidence there is. i still can't believe they got rid of ted. he goes to chicago, the bears go 13-3, and urlacher looks awesome. he gets hurt the next year, and the bears can't stop anyone. then he goes to the pats, and ends up being arguably the best player in the super bowl. i have NEVER forgiven williams for that, and that's how he got off on the wrong foot with me (alongside picking the execrable RJ over the at-least competent Flutie).
Guest BackInDaDay Posted September 10, 2004 Posted September 10, 2004 Damn, I'd have liked to have seen that. But I missed the 1sthalf:-( Wow Edge sure looked like he was all the way back last night. I think him and McGahee run with similar patient styles, always looking for the cutback and not really attacking the LOS until they've picked their spot. I'd sure like to see Willis find his explosiveness sometime this season, like EJames apparently has. Cya 25464[/snapback] Look for that stretch hand-off, where the back gets to see the line play as the QB delivers the ball. Good for counters and daylights. Could work real well with WM, especially with a quick hitter like TH back there to compliment it.
Simon Posted September 10, 2004 Author Posted September 10, 2004 Watching that all run drive, I was salivating at the prospect of attacking Traylor. I'm guessing the Pats gameplan for us will bear no resemblance whatsover to the way they defended Indy last night. I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of 4-3 and for Belichik to make a more concerted effort to attack our O with extra interior pressure. Hopefully Clements/Mularkey can find a way to sting them on the edges. On a sidenote, did the final chapter ever get written about the alleged Ted W & Greggo meeting in spring of '01? It would seem all too clear now that Greggo would yell at Ted and throw him out of the office. Que? Somebody catch me up? This sounds interesting.......
Dan Gross Posted September 10, 2004 Posted September 10, 2004 What if Emmitt runs for 100 yds, but the Pats still win, does that convince anyone that they are exposed? As long as Brady has a lucky shoe up his ass, the Pats will continue to win....winning is contagious, so until the Pats get some losses by teams that continue to expose their weaknesses, they will keep rolling. The Colts were a far superior team last night...and with a half way decent coach, would have and should have won. Why not run the ball on that last play is beyond me. 25463[/snapback] The Pats are different from "dominant/dynasty" teams of the past, because they've never looked like an unbeatable team in the last three years. They don't dominate, but they capitalize, and the margins of victory in most of their games attest to that. The key to beating them is to play a solid game. They are a team that you simply can't afford to screw up against. Take away any one of the key mistakes that Indy made (red zone give-aways, the sack at the end), and Indy would have won that game. Did it seem that the Pats O at least was playing a cocky game? I saw some real ill-advised throws (the bomb from the end zone, for example) that had me shaking my head...
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