Highlights - Yes, there were some. For starters, Mike Wright's strip sack on the first play from scrimmage. Secondly, despite the problems that the Pats had with the Jets pass rush, the Pats had the ball for an equal amount of time and gained more yards than did the Jets. Another highlight, sort of like a back-handed compliment I suppose, was how Randy Moss pursued Darrelle Revis after the interception. He didn't let up, and tackled Revis before he was able to get any kind of return going. Finally, the Pats were able to effectively stop the run. Yes, the Jets gained 117 yards on the ground, but at only a 3.8 clip.
Lowlights - The number one reverse highlight has to be how the Pats responded to the Jets taking the lead. Given 9:43 at the end of the game, the Patriots of old would have easily tied the game. Instead the Pats gained 49 yards on three drives and failed to get even into Jets territory. Outside of that, Tom Brady played like the offensive line in front of him was the London Sillynannies. And unfortunately, that wasn't that far off. Also, the play-calling was once again horrendous. The Jets talked all week about bringing pressure, and then did exactly that, but somehow the Pats were unprepared. They consistently failed to disguise what they were doing on offense (or defense for that matter) and were unable to deal protect Brady, who became so skittish that he was throwing off his back foot even when he wasn't in danger of being hit.
Question of the Week - How do the Pats right the ship? Fortunately, the answers are within reach. 1) Improve the play-calling. 2) Converting in the red zone. 3) Get the secondary involved.
1) I realize that the goal of the shotgun offense is to give Brady more time to survey the field, but the downside is that everyone knows what you're going to do. The Patriots need to run a little more from under center, and they need to run a little more two tight end offense. The wide receiver depth on the team is down, especially with Welker's balky knee, so to spread the field with four receivers so frequently is not even playing to the team's strengths. Furthermore, with the defense searching for an identity, it would behoove the offense to try and play a little more ball control. Secondly, it is important not to overreact. As mentioned, the Pats had the ball longer than the Jets, and had more total yards than the Jets.
2) The main problem in the Pats first two games has not been gaining yards, but rather executing in the red zone. Stephen Gostkowski kicked two field goals from closer than 30 yards in in each game. That needs to change. It CAN change.
3) Get the secondary involved. The Pats have managed to sack the quarterback six times in the first two games, so there has been a pass rush. But it has all come from the front seven. The Pats need to be able to drop linebackers into coverage and blitz with members of the secondary. One of the hallmarks of the Rodney Harrison Pats was his ability to come with a perfectly timed blitz at just the right time. The Pats are lacking that element of surprise right now. Brandon Meriweather is performing well, and James Sanders has been trusted in the past. Leigh Bodden and Shawn Springs have made their bones as man-to-man defenders, and the fact that Darius Butler has been on the field in the fourth quarter during each of the first two games is an encouraging sign for his development. Jonathan Wilhite has shown flashes as well, though he and Brandon McGowan did get their wires crossed on the Jets touchdown yesterday. But the bottom line is that the Pats have become far too predictable on defense. In order to get feisty, to get a little unpredictable, they will need to trust the secondary a little more and get them more involved in the team defense.
Lowlights - The number one reverse highlight has to be how the Pats responded to the Jets taking the lead. Given 9:43 at the end of the game, the Patriots of old would have easily tied the game. Instead the Pats gained 49 yards on three drives and failed to get even into Jets territory. Outside of that, Tom Brady played like the offensive line in front of him was the London Sillynannies. And unfortunately, that wasn't that far off. Also, the play-calling was once again horrendous. The Jets talked all week about bringing pressure, and then did exactly that, but somehow the Pats were unprepared. They consistently failed to disguise what they were doing on offense (or defense for that matter) and were unable to deal protect Brady, who became so skittish that he was throwing off his back foot even when he wasn't in danger of being hit.
Question of the Week - How do the Pats right the ship? Fortunately, the answers are within reach. 1) Improve the play-calling. 2) Converting in the red zone. 3) Get the secondary involved.
1) I realize that the goal of the shotgun offense is to give Brady more time to survey the field, but the downside is that everyone knows what you're going to do. The Patriots need to run a little more from under center, and they need to run a little more two tight end offense. The wide receiver depth on the team is down, especially with Welker's balky knee, so to spread the field with four receivers so frequently is not even playing to the team's strengths. Furthermore, with the defense searching for an identity, it would behoove the offense to try and play a little more ball control. Secondly, it is important not to overreact. As mentioned, the Pats had the ball longer than the Jets, and had more total yards than the Jets.
2) The main problem in the Pats first two games has not been gaining yards, but rather executing in the red zone. Stephen Gostkowski kicked two field goals from closer than 30 yards in in each game. That needs to change. It CAN change.
3) Get the secondary involved. The Pats have managed to sack the quarterback six times in the first two games, so there has been a pass rush. But it has all come from the front seven. The Pats need to be able to drop linebackers into coverage and blitz with members of the secondary. One of the hallmarks of the Rodney Harrison Pats was his ability to come with a perfectly timed blitz at just the right time. The Pats are lacking that element of surprise right now. Brandon Meriweather is performing well, and James Sanders has been trusted in the past. Leigh Bodden and Shawn Springs have made their bones as man-to-man defenders, and the fact that Darius Butler has been on the field in the fourth quarter during each of the first two games is an encouraging sign for his development. Jonathan Wilhite has shown flashes as well, though he and Brandon McGowan did get their wires crossed on the Jets touchdown yesterday. But the bottom line is that the Pats have become far too predictable on defense. In order to get feisty, to get a little unpredictable, they will need to trust the secondary a little more and get them more involved in the team defense.
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