The thing with Cro on returns is that he didn't appear to have the patience Smith has. Smith waits for his blocks to setup and accelerates. Cromartie just holds down the right trigger and hopes to find a hole.
That's true, but that might be a nice change of pace that's harder for the Pats to scout. And if Smith is healthy, they can rotate them in returns, depending on who is doing better. Another key for this game: I'm all for going for 4th and 1's, running the ball up the middle, once we get past like midfield. The middle of our line and our running game should be able to get push there every time.
Tackle Well They run so many short passing patterns they will get their catches, but you have to tackle well (Cromartie). Last game they tackled like shit.
Using Cro on KOs is a good example of not being conservative with this game. We need to carry that theme all the way through. Cro put the pedal to the metal at Indianapolis. I do think his chances of fumbling are greater than Cotch, but we need to take that gamble. An onsides kick wouldn't hurt. And Sanchez needs to air it out a little more with this game. You either complete it or you get a penalty or maybe an INT, but on 3rd down it's the same as a punt. Wing it down there and let Holmes get a penalty call. Pound it the rest of the time and mix Keller in there some more. Go for it on 4th if we have to to sustain the drive. Ryan needs to watch his 2 challenges and TOs in the 2nd half. NO TURNOVERS... not one. Someone needs to give Sanchez a valium before the game so he stops throwing hyper-steriod passes to open receivers. I swear, if Sanchez and Ryan look as nervous as they did at the beginning of the last game, I'm gonna be real pissed. Bring Dr. Phil into the locker room before the game or something.
Good point about lack of scouting. He definitely has top notch speed if he can get a couple of blocks set up. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Maybe later in the game, I'd hate to miss one of those early on and setup the Pats for a quick scoring opportunity. The last thing we want to see is them catch a wave of momentum the way the did the last time we faced them.
Always keep the game within 10 points so our run game remains a factor. Zero turnovers for us ... and I think we need to turn them over at least twice. Don't think we can match them possession for possession. Probably need 2 or 3 extra possesssions to win. Hold the ball for a good chunk at the end of the 1st half, and a good chunk to open the 2nd half... And make sure those drives translate into at least 10 points while Brady is getting cold. At least one big special teams play ... long return or a blocked kick. And finally ... PLEASE ... no dumb penalties or wasting timeouts on brainless challenges!!!
Weasely Welker is the key to Brady's sustained drives. He's the key to the entire game! The little weasel makes those 5-yard catches and dives into his little hole a foot over the marker. The little bastard has to be smacked hard at the LOS on every play and mess up Brady's timing. A split-second too late and Brady has to hunt for somebody else. Take Brady out of his rythm and the best way to do that is by taking out the little weasel.
Deferring is Ryan's way of trying to intimidate. Our DEF was better last year and that strategy may have worked, but this year it scares no one and in fact looks amateurish. It also send a signal that your QB is nervous as hell, which he probably is in big games like our last meeting. But fuck it, he needs to start the game off and make plays from the beginning.
1. Establish the run 2. High 3rd down conversion rate 3. Walk away with 7 in the red zone, not 3 4. Stop the Patriots on 3rd down. Do those things and you win.
My impression from the 45-3 drubbing is that, Jets still have the game plan from that week unused, intact. (They couldn't stick to it after all.) Meaning - if Jets do set up yet another week of play sets, then it should be equivalent to having two game plans for the offense. If Jets end up leading after half, and then if Pats D seems to have figure some part of the plan out, maybe it would be a good idea to switch to that plan unused.
Joe Namath was on the Broadway Blitz and said when teams do this it's a statement to the opposing QB that we aren't afraid. Obviously we know that's what Rex is trying to do and if we stop them it works. Either way I like getting the ball to start the 2nd half, it gives us a chance to set that tone right off the bat.
if the patriots line up like last game (CBs on each side) - line up holmes with mccourty and edwards on the other side against merriwether. both should be able to hold their own more against each and not allow the safety to cheat to one side vs the other...
I do like receiving at the beginning of the 3rd quarter. I think we've been deferring a lot partially because I think Ryan know Sanchez needs some time to settle down though. I really miss Leon Washington (the one beofre the injury). If we still had Leon on OKs I'd be taking the Kickoff every chance I could get.
Leon's best season returning kicks: Code: Ret Yds Avg Lng TD 20+ 40+ FC FUM 47 1,291 27.5 98T 3 35 5 0 2 Smith's 2010 season: Code: Ret Yds Avg Lng TD 20+ 40+ FC FUM 50 1,432 28.6 97T 2 34 6 0 0 Leon had one more TD, but also had 2 more fumbles. Smith had a better average.
WOW! That's an eye opener! Thanks WSW. Crazy how your perceptions can be different than the stats. I would have bet otherwise all day long.
Ball control...............keep Brady off the field. Short dumps and you can run on this team...........best of luck guys. I'm pulling for the green. No disrespect but I prefer a home game next week. I truly believe that we're all equal in the AFC.......last team standing will win it all...... PS........no stupid penalties
I don't think any decision by the Jet CS will intimidate the Pats. Only solid hits and plays on the field can do that. Deferring was talked about before the 12/5 game. It didn't work out to receive because the offensive game plan and execution were off. But in general imo the odds favor keeping the ball away from a high powered offense.
