...just trying to wrap my brain around the absolute freaking soap opera that is the 2013 New England Patriots, and wonder aloud how in the name of Chuck Fairbanks are they an undefeated 3-0 going into their Sunday night matchup with the Atlanta Falcons.
The Patriots' Summer of Pain is well documented and, matter of fact, still going strong as tight end Rob Gronkowski is apparently still on the mend from half a dozen trips to the operating room, his "Inner Circle" dictating to coach Bill Belichick when the All Pro man-child can return to the field - and then, reports that the two sides are not at odds after all.
And, whatever. Between the Boston media flying off the handle and reporting half-baked rumors and Belichick punking the Boston media every chance he gets, Patriots' fans are tiring of the act and want to change the channel to something more interesting - perhaps something like, As the Groin Tears, starring free agent pick up Danny Amendola dealing with a torn adductor muscle...
...leaving Julian Edelman and a quartet of rookies to catch quarterback Tom Brady's passes, as it has been for the past couple of weeks - the running game just as poorly off as passing back and part-time starter Shane Vereen shattered a bone in his wrist, leaving the backfield with limited athleticism.
Mix all of that together with an offensive line that is at times, well, offensive, and you have a team that has no business being undefeated - yet with solid defense and timely assists from the opposition, here they are.
Clearly, the injury situation for the Patriots is grim, and with the Falcons representing a jump in class from the Bills, Jets and Bucs, the question of how the Patriots are 3-0 is irrelevant - the better question now being how does New England extend the undefeated start to their season.
The Atlanta Falcons are just as banged up as the Patriots, but still round out the top five rush defenses in the National Football League, yet here they are losers of two of their first three games - a curious trend indeed, until you stop to consider that they reside near the bottom of the league in pass defense.
So when the undefeated New England Patriots take the field against the Falcons on Sunday night at the Georgia Dome in downtown Atlanta, the game plan should be to run the ball right into the teeth of the Falcons run defense.
Bad craziness, right? Perhaps, but also absolutely essential.
The Falcons have done well in stopping the run in limited opportunities, but ultimately their opposition just couldn't resist throwing the ball at the Falcon's corners, and have been successful for the most part - but none of the trio of the Saints, Rams or Dolphins have tried very hard to establish the run and as a result the Falcons have given up a paltry 79 yards per game to the opposition.
But while it would be quick and certainly painless to throw at the Falcons' corners, the running game presents some unique opportunities - and potential reward - for a Patriots' team that has had some problems getting the most bang for their buck when it comes to the running game as a whole - and with the play action being all too important in setting up the Patriots' passing attack - the running backs become just that much more important to the game plan.
The Falcons are purportedly an upgrade from the Patriots' previous three opponents, and that is true so far as the offense goes, but their defense is just as banged up as the Patriots' receiving corps - and really weren't that good to begin with - so if New England finds themselves at 4-0 come Monday morning, the speculation would be that Atlanta was too wounded to keep up with quarterback Tom Brady and his young receivers...
...but only if the offensive line can give them the time to make plays, and with right tackle Sebastian Vollmer on the skids with a bum ankle, that prospect becomes less tangible. Vollmer made the trip to Atlanta and will try to go, but if not either Will Svitek or Marcus Cannon would get the start in Vollmer's stead - in which case the Falcons would be smart to target the right side of New England's offensive line as the potential weak link.
Cannon is a mauler, a wide load that is best suited at guard where his girth creates a natural barracade between the center and tackle, but may be pressed into service because the only depth behind Vollmer is a limping Svitek, who has been inactive since getting throttled filling in at guard in the third preseason game at Detroit.
The right side of the Patriots offensive line has been a sore spot since the Lions undressed them in that "dress rehearsal" - and even since incumbent right guard Dan Connolly returned - he and center Ryan Wendell are turnstiles at times in pass protection and have not been generating much push in the running game - but thankfully the blind side is well manned...
...fortunate because that's where the Falcons' previous opponents have been able to find what little running room there has been - and if the Patriots are to win this game, they are going to have to find more running room than their predecessors.
Running behind the blocks of Left guard Logan Mankins, tackle Nate Solder and a rotation of tight ends, the Patriots have found some success off the left side, primarily with clock-killing glider LeGarrette Blount. He's averaging just 3.6 yards per carry, but his breakout performance in the four minute offense last week to close out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was impressive enough to be cause for optimism going forward.
Brandon Bolden joined the lineup last week, busting a 46 yard romp with a video game quality cut through a small seam off right guard and added positive touches through the air to give new England at least the potential of generating production from the backfield in the passing game - which is an area that the Patriots can take advantage of as the Falcons' linebackers consistently come up short in pass coverage.
But the key to the Patriots running game is Stevan Ridley. The third year back rushed for over 1200 yards last season, but that success has not translated to this season - and not just because of the issues with the offensive line and the absence of Gronkowski, who is a superior run blocker in addition to one of the best receiving tight ends in the NFL.
The line issues are part of it, no doubt, but it also seems that Ridley has lost confidence - where he used to explode through the tiniest of seams, he now tries to spin off or run around, losing yardage as a result, and when he does identify a hole and explodes through it, he's gone back to his old habit of getting big at the second level and is taking some unnecessary big hits.
At his best, Ridley gets low and small in the hole, generating power to finish runs. The Patriots need that kind of effort from him on Sunday night, and the holes should be plentiful. With Vollmer giving his ankle a go, it could potentially open up the possibility of Cannon taking over for Nate Solder at left tackle, Solder sliding to an inline tight end position to help open up holes for Ridley and company.
Barring that, tight end Matthew Mulligan made his presence known to the Buccaneers last Sunday, joining Solder at tackle and James Develin at fullback to manhandle a tired Tampa Bay front seven in the four minute offense, opening gaping holes for Blount, tight end Michael Hoomanawanui chipping in to form an impressive push to close out the game.
If the confidence generated in that end game push can carry over and the backs are successful in exploding onto the second level where the depth chart has been taxed by injury, the Patriots can control the clock and keep the prolific Atlanta passing game safely tucked away on the sidelines.
The Falcons front four have had trouble generating pressure on opposing quarterbacks, but they will have to find a way because when they sent extra men in the blitz, both Drew Brees of the Saints and Ryan Tannehill of the Dolphins burned Atlanta's disorganized secondary and underneath coverages.
Defensive end Osi Umenyiora has passed his prime, but flashed some of his old potential in collecting two sacks against the Dolphins last week, and also has forced two fumbles and returned an interception 68 yards for a touchdown in his first three games as a Falcon - clearly he is the best player on a depleted Atlanta defense, and his production accounts for a full third of the team's sacks and picks, and all of the forced fumbles.
To counter Umenyiora's effectiveness, the Patriots should run the ball right at him as he is not the force in the run game that he is on the pass rush. Tackles Corey Peters and Peria Jerry have accounted for a sack each and left end Johnathan Babineaux lines up inside our out and all three are stout against the run, which is fortunate for Atlanta because there's only rookies and role players backing them up.
Sophomore Akeem Dent anchors a linebacking corps decimated by the loss of linebacker Sean Weatherspoon to the IR. He is flanked by undrafted rookie free agent Joplo Bartu and journeyman Stephan Nicholas - hardly a list of imposing characters, though Dent has performed ably and has 1.5 sacks to his credit, so whomever is in the backfield as protection for Brady will have to be aware of his presence up the middle.
This is another area that the Patriots can exploit with Bolden curling out of the backfield or even with Leon Washington, who will probably make season debut with the Patriots on Sunday night.
With Atlanta being two-deep into their depth chart at linebacker, it's a good thing that nickle corner Robert McClain is strong against the run since the Falcons will probably be in their sub package most of the game. McClain will probably be tasked with covering Edelman out of the slot and has the ability to blanket him underneath, but his fellow corners may not be that lucky.
Former Patriot Asante Samuel is the biggest name, but his production has been slowed by thigh injury and may not be able to keep up with anything that the Patriots can throw at him - and the only other options are both rookies - talented rookies, but rookies nonetheless.
Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford provide a glimmer of hope at corner, Trufant starting opposite Samuel and has tremendous athleticism and size for the position. His issue is going to be dealing with Patriots undrafted rookie Kenbrell Thompkins, who wins at the line of scrimmage and runs precise routes and maybe be able to get Trufant turned around.
That leaves third round draft pick Aaron Dobson for Samuel - or Alford if Samuel can't go. Dobson's speed can come into play in this scenario, though it's certain that both he and Thompkins will see a good safety tandem over the top in William Moore and Thomas DeCoud. Moore is a big hitter patrolling as the big nickle while DeCoud just earned a nice payday as a decent centerfielder.
The wildcards for the Patriots in this scenario could be the transparent Josh Boyce and the equally invisible tight end Zach Sudfeld - which is an impressive feat for both, given that Boyce has deep speed to burn and Sudfeld stands an imposing 6' 7" tall - and with the communication issues the secondary is having, New England could flood the pattern and try to confuse the coverage - perhaps utilizing a bunch formation to create natural picks and freeing up one of the speedsters for a long gain.
Sudfeld can be a factor in this contest as he has the speed and separation ability to run past any of the Falcons' backers and can challenge the seam vertically and presents a huge target in the red zone - and also a moving target for the heavy hitting safeties, though he has the size and athleticism to counter their aggressiveness and turn them into chasers instead of stalkers.
Of course, all of this looks great on paper, and it would seem that the Patriots should be able to score at will - and who knows, maybe they can - but the best bet is to control the clock with the run and short passing game, taking a shot or two downfield early to loosen up the underneath stuff and making sure to not leave points on the field.
Injuries are always going to be a part of football, but the New England Patriots' offense and the Atlanta Falcons' defense is taking that fact a little too literally - and at such an early juncture of the season, too. Both will be better once their starters return, but in the iterim the outlook is brighter for a banged up Patriots' offense than a decimated Falcons' defense...
...but only if Brady can get his guys in position to take advantage of the numerous tactical advantages that they should enjoy in this game. Either way, we'll know a lot more about the makeup of this team at around midnight eastern time...
Q: How close was Rob Gronkowski to playing yesterday? BB: I don’t know. He was inactive. Q: Did he have a shot to play? BB: He was inactive. Q: Going into the day, was there a chance he’d play? BB: He was inactive for the game. Q: What about Danny Amendola? BB: He was inactive too. Q: I know they were inactive. BB: They were inactive so they didn’t play. Q: I think you have an idea how close they were. BB: Well, they weren’t able to play. What do you want, percentage points? They couldn’t play. Q: Going into the day, did you know they couldn’t play? BB: They were inactive. Q: That doesn’t answer my question. BB: They were inactive, it’s as simple as that
Read more at: http://nesn.com/2013/09/bill-belichick-media-have-hilarious-exchange-regarding-rob-gronkowski-danny-amendola-updates/
Read more at: http://nesn.com/2013/09/bill-belichick-media-have-hilarious-exchange-regarding-rob-gronkowski-danny-amendola-updates/
Q: How close was Rob Gronkowski to playing yesterday? BB: I don’t know. He was inactive. Q: Did he have a shot to play? BB: He was inactive. Q: Going into the day, was there a chance he’d play? BB: He was inactive for the game. Q: What about Danny Amendola? BB: He was inactive too. Q: I know they were inactive. BB: They were inactive so they didn’t play. Q: I think you have an idea how close they were. BB: Well, they weren’t able to play. What do you want, percentage points? They couldn’t play. Q: Going into the day, did you know they couldn’t play? BB: They were inactive. Q: That doesn’t answer my question. BB: They were inactive, it’s as simple as that
Read more at: http://nesn.com/2013/09/bill-belichick-media-have-hilarious-exchange-regarding-rob-gronkowski-danny-amendola-updates/
Read more at: http://nesn.com/2013/09/bill-belichick-media-have-hilarious-exchange-regarding-rob-gronkowski-danny-amendola-updates/
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