The Game Ball Thread: Wk 14 vs Browns - LOL WUT???

RedOctober3829

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lambeau

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That's what it looked like--but twice in a row...I guess that's what a Wonderlic of 17 does to you.

And Talib gets a bad grade as if anyone could do better on Gordon.
 

Super Nomario

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Shelterdog

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rodderick said:
 
LOL. Putting that much emphasis on blocking for a fucking WR tells you all you need to know about PFF. And Brady being the Patriots' worst offensive player is just downright hilarious.
 PFF has a lot of problems and the biggest one is quarterback play.  Essentially they look at plays and give you points for outstandingly good looking or bad looking plays.  Brady (and Manning) both excel in making easy-looking plays--short throws to wide open guys, etc.  Brady figuring out a funky blitz and audibling to a wide receiver screen that gets 6 yards (or a five yard draw to a running back) isn't all that fancy looking and might not get points like a Stafford laser on a 30 yard out, but it's damn important.
 
Also any evaluation that measures QBs on the same scale as other players has problems.  A good or bad play by a QB is often worth five times as much as a good block by a wide receiver or what not.
 

simplyeric

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Does anyone have a gif of the fair kick at the end? That was really a beautiful thing. It looked like he was walking a Jack Russel terrier, or playing a therimin or something. The Browns player had to leap in there, because 6 more inches and Ghost would have been able to try to wrap his arms around out (and of course would have been clocked hard, but still).
 

dynomite

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Still hard to believe that happened.  I mean seriously: did that really happen?  I muted the game at 26-14, and still haven't fully shaken the feeling of that moment: Gronk's knee destroyed, getting blown out at home to the Browns, both offense and defense looking terrible. 
 
I thought the game would be closer than many, but I didn't expect... whatever the hell that was.
 
3 Up: (Hard to even write this section given how poorly most of the team played for 58 minutes)
- Gostowski: As others have said, he's been one of the most valuable players on the roster this year.  To drill a 50-yarder in that weather (before even talking about the perfectly executed onsides kick) was stunning. 
- Vereen and Edelman: Both were reliable and sure-handed.  If the Patriots are to have any chance at winning 3 games in January, they'll need to continue to play like that.  
- Siliga: The Jones/Vellano combo simply wasn't playing at an NFL level, and out-of-nowhere Siliga started 2-gapping like a legitimate NFL starter yesterday. Stout DT play is desperately needed on the Patriots defense, and Siliga's performance was one of the few highlights on that side of the ball.
 
3 Down
- Matt Patricia/defensive game plan: I get that the defense is riddled with injuries.  But that was a terrible performance in the 2nd half (not to mention the "too many men on the field," another sign of a defense in trouble).  Allowing Jason Campbell to throw for 391 yards is terrible, but forcing a hobbled Talib into single coverage on Josh Gordon is inexcusable. 
- Josh McDaniels/offensive game plan: Especially after the Cardinals game last year he should have known what was coming and adjusted to it.  Instead, he repeated his mistakes, waiting far too long to start spreading out the Browns and using Vereen's mismatch against their LBs.  
- Offensive line: Svitek and Solder just don't have the technique to handle edge rushers.  Again and again the Patriots had to settle for FGs because the offensive line would collapse on a crucial 3rd down.  Now, with Gronkowski's blocking gone, their task is even taller.
 

Reverend

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dynomite said:
3 Down
. . .
- Josh McDaniels/offensive game plan: Especially after the Cardinals game last year he should have known what was coming and adjusted to it.  Instead, he repeated his mistakes, waiting far too long to start spreading out the Browns and using Vereen's mismatch against their LBs.  
 
I generally feel like I don't know enough to criticize game plans without some guidance, but seeing what Vereen was capable of after Gronk left makes me wonder what could have happened with Gronk drawing coverage.
 

dynomite

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Reverend said:
 
I generally feel like I don't know enough to criticize game plans without some guidance, but seeing what Vereen was capable of after Gronk left makes me wonder what could have happened with Gronk drawing coverage.
 
You're right.  It's tough to do too much analysis from the couch, and I'm mostly just guessing.  But from what I saw, it looked like the same Ray Horton game plan from last season: four rushers (with the edge guys often stunting inside to prevent Brady from stepping up), linebackers playing zone over the middle.
 
Compare:
 
Week 2, Cardinals @ Patriots 2012
 

 
Yesterday, Browns @ Patriots 2013
 

 
EDIT: I get that Cover 2 and Cover 4 are basic defenses that most NFL defenses play.  But Horton seems to stay in those pretty basic defenses, and it didn't seem like the Patriots fully adjusted to it until the 4th quarter... just like last year.
 

Tony C

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I thought the offensive plan was just fine -- they just didn't make plays in the first half How many drops and/or overthrows were there? (Including another big one by Vereen) Not to mention the INT on a ball that Brady forces. And some key penalties.
 
The OC's job is to put his guys in a position to make plays. Seems to me that was clearly done. Skill players still have to make the plays. And the OL still has to protect. If I'm worried about anything beyond Gronk, it's Solder getting his butt whipped.
 
That said, the Browns have a very good DL and, overall, the Browns were very underrated on this Board. Their W-L record is deceptive given their talent. Not surprising it was a tight game, though Lord knows it was surprising how the game unrolled.
 

Al Zarilla

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rodderick said:
 
LOL. Putting that much emphasis on blocking for a fucking WR tells you all you need to know about PFF. And Brady being the Patriots' worst offensive player is just downright hilarious.
I wonder if Jim Brown, greatest runner or all time, would have scored negative because he hated to block.
 

tims4wins

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Agree with Tony re: the game plan. The first series was a great example. Brady barely missed on the first throw, Gronk dropped a 5 yard out on the 2nd throw, the 3rd throw went to Vereen and was slightly off. That is execution, not game plan.
 

Super Nomario

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tims4wins said:
Agree with Tony re: the game plan. The first series was a great example. Brady barely missed on the first throw, Gronk dropped a 5 yard out on the 2nd throw, the 3rd throw went to Vereen and was slightly off. That is execution, not game plan.
And then the second series was a couple good runs, long pass dropped by Edelman, Connolly getting smoked by Ahtyba Rubin, terrible Brady INT. The third series they moved the ball from their own 14 to the Browns 27, then Edelman drop, sack, Vereen drop. Series four had another drop, this time by Boyce, then the third down play where Amendola fell down. The final drive of the half was stalled when Brady missed a wide-open Amendola. If play-calling was a problem in the first half, execution was a much bigger one.