The Game Ball Thread: Wk 5 @ Browns

[SeoulSoxFan]

This should kill off the JG vs TB debate for good. Game balls after a week hiatus!

• TB12: ho-hum to a tune of 406 yards, 3 TDs, and no INT
• New faces on D: Brown had another solid game, but DL Woodrow & LB Roberts played great
• New faces on O: Gronk finally got loose, but Bennett and Hogan got the big plays

Brady coming back just in time for a tough stretch of games:

• vs Bengals
• @ Steelers
• @ Bills
• vs Seahawks

WELCOME BACK GOAT!

 

[axx]

Whoever injured Kessler

 

[RoyHobbs]

12 is obvious so I'm giving shouts out to Hogan (114) and White (90 total yards). Could White make us forget Lewis?

 

[loshjott]

Whoever injured Kessler

Yeah if Kessler hadn't gone out it would have been a totally different game.

 

[mulluysavage]

Tom Brady
Martellus Bennett
Elandon Roberts

 

[E5 Yaz]

nfl.com: Tom Brady joined Warren Moon as the only QB age 39 or older with at least 400 passing yards and 3 TD passes in a game since the NFL and AFL merged in 1970.

 

[SoxVindaloo]

TB 12-- like he never missed a game
Marty B--Killer everytime the D keyed on Gronk, so excited to see these two in tandem
Elandon Roberts all over the field looked great in pass coverage
Malcolm Brown--Resembled vintage Wilfork today.

 

[Ale Xander]

You know how colleges give honorary degrees to commencement speakers?

Honorary game ball to RG

Real game balls to Unicorn12, Unicorn88, Unicorn87, and Malcom Brown

 

[MuppetAsteriskTalk]

Killer B's - Brady, Brown and Bennett.

 

[soxfan121]

Whoever injured Kessler

Hightower.

 

[Tony C]

Balls to:
1. QB/Brady, of course. That wasn't just vintage Brady, that was better than ever Brady.

2. TE/Bennett and Gronk: hell yes! Beautiful to see Gronk running free again.

3. LB/Roberts and Hightower: great to see Roberts all over the field, and after Hightower's poor game last week I feared he'd be one of those ineffective due to injury guys for a while -- no need for such worry.


Goats to:
Brady's 1st down signal -- the 45 degree angle was a bit off, right?

 

[DolphinJones]

• Brady
• Bennett
• Run defense that held Crowell to 1.7 yards per carry

 

[tims4wins]

Honorable mention to Chung he was everywhere

Also Ryan Allen continues his redemption, fantastic game

 

[m0ckduck]

Jabaal Sheard, in addition to those already mentioned.

Thought it wasn't Malcolm Butler's best game. Hard to find much fault beyond that.

 

[DJnVa]

Bennett was asked about crowd in Cleveland and said it must have been "deflating" for the Browns. Lol.

 

[SeoulSoxFan]

Bennett was asked about crowd in Cleveland and said it must have been "deflating" for the Browns. Lol.

That's awesome but he gets a GOAT for that weaksauce spike. But there'll be plenty-more chances to get that right.

 

[Ed Hillel]

Browns entered game with the top-ranked rushing attack with 149.3 yards per game and 5.7 yards per carry.

Today: 22 carries for 27 yards.

Which of course leads to the big star of the day: Woodrow Hamilton.

 

[GeorgeCostanza]

It's going to be very interesting seeing how teams defend them in the red zone. Clearly doubling Gronk is not going to work out so well with Unicorn on the prowl in the end zone as well. Hope they can both stay healthy because that's a lethal combination.

 

[Hoodie Sleeves]

Chris Hogan - hopefully his brain is ok - it seemed like every time he got in he hit his head again.

Big downvote for Cyrus Jones - clearly has some talent - but needs to get his shit together - seems like there's a big mistake every week.

 

[NortheasternPJ]

Game ball to Cyrus Jones for getting thrown out of the game and as result improving the defense.

 

[Rough Carrigan]

It's going to be very interesting seeing how teams defend them in the red zone. Clearly doubling Gronk is not going to work out so well with Unicorn on the prowl in the end zone as well. Hope they can both stay healthy because that's a lethal combination.

Wait till they get their no huddle offense really going and they can pass to either of two all pro caliber tight ends or run it down tired teams' throats with the extra push of those two tight ends.

 

[tims4wins]

Wait till they get their no huddle offense really going and they can pass to either of two all pro caliber tight ends or run it down tired teams' throats with the extra push of those two tight ends.

We actually saw this today on the long TD to Bennett. Run by White for 7, hurry up, run by White for 4 and the first, hurry up, play fake to White bomb to Bennett while Gronk was also wide open.

 

[GeorgeCostanza]

Game ball to Cyrus Jones for getting thrown out of the game and as result improving the defense.

What did he actually do to get tossed? The replay I saw was no good. Beetle said post game that he threw a punch. Is that the casino?

 

[Kliq]

We actually saw this today on the long TD to Bennett. Run by White for 7, hurry up, run by White for 4 and the first, hurry up, play fake to White bomb to Bennett while Gronk was also wide open.

This was my favorite play of the game because after he caught the ball Gronk stopped running simply pointed at the endzone for Bennett to run to--as if Bennett didn't know what he was going to do once he caught the ball.

 

[gtmtnbiker]

What did he actually do to get tossed? The replay I saw was no good. Beetle said post game that he threw a punch. Is that the casino?

Yes, it's because he threw a punch.

Head referee Bill Vinovich said after the game Jones had thrown a punch in his altercation, resulting in his disqualification. “Punch and connect, you are ejected,” Vinovich told pool reporter Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. It was the second major miscue of the game for Jones, who was burned by Hawkins on Cleveland’s first touchdown of the afternoon.

Read more at: http://nesn.com/2016/10/cyrus-jones-ejection-caps-rough-two-game-stretch-for-patriots-rookie/

 

[dbn]

Chris Hogan - hopefully his brain is ok - it seemed like every time he got in he hit his head again.

Big downvote for Cyrus Jones - clearly has some talent - but needs to get his shit together - seems like there's a big mistake every week.

Not to mention Bennett throwing footballs at his knee.

 

[brandonchristensen]

This was my favorite play of the game because after he caught the ball Gronk stopped running simply pointed at the endzone for Bennett to run to--as if Bennett didn't know what he was going to do once he caught the ball.

I liked it as well because even though it was his third of the game Gronk was still visibly excited. See him on the first td run by Blount, he is super excited. Great to see.

 

[ElcaballitoMVP]

Yes, it's because he threw a punch.

Does anyone have the All-22 footage of the game so we can see what Cyrus did there?

Personally, I'm not that angry about it. Hawkins was blocking him late, from the side, when the play was on the other side of the field and nearly over and at the end of the clip it looks like he falls down towards Cy's legs, which Cy may have taken as a dive towards his legs. He needs to keep his composure and not get tossed, but I kind of understand why he got so pissed off.

As for the game ball:

TB12- Yeah. He's good.
DL- Stuffed the run all day
Elandon Roberts- Umm...this guy was EVERYWHERE. He and Chung were all over the field making plays.
TE's- Gronk and Bennett, health provided, are going to be a real problem for defenses.

 

[Harry Hooper]

Yes, it's because he threw a punch.

Sadly, we can no longer take NFL game officials at their word. I look forward to any conclusive video emerging.

 

[CoffeeNerdness]

The All - 22 isn't up on gamepass yet, but I'll check later in the day. I can't recall Cyrus or anyone else complaining too much when he got ejected, so I'm betting he's guilty as charged.

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

Am I the only one concerned about Gostkowski?

 

[kenneycb]

Nope. At least his XP's looked a lot better this week, so there's that.

 

[bakahump]

Is Elandon Roberts our Deone Buchannon?

 

[( . ) ( . ) and (_!_)]

Is Elandon Roberts our Deone Buchannon?

At their combines Roberts weighed 235 and Bucannon weighed 211.

Maybe they can do some of the same things, but Roberts is a smallish linebacker, who plays linebacker.
Bucannon is the size of a safety who plays linebacker.

 

[reggiecleveland]

TE's- Gronk and Bennett, health provided, are going to be a real problem for defenses.

I hope it is like when Gronl and AH (pour out some malt liquor) were together when they would alternate big plays.

 

[ElcaballitoMVP]

I hope it is like when Gronl and AH (pour out some malt liquor) were together when they would alternate big plays.

It's going to be difficult to defend like when we had Sweet Leaf, but it's a completely different challenge for defenses and one that I love when it comes to match-ups. Some here have already highlighted what the Pats can do with Gronk/Bennett but when it comes to the red zone, I love that they can put those two anywhere on the field to create mismatches. If defenses bring in coverage guys, the pair can dominate blocking in the run game (something AH couldn't do). If they bring in a defense to play the run, Brady can split those guys out and spread the offense to find a match-up he likes. If defenses want to double Gronk, Brady will have 1 on 1 match-ups with Bennett and Edelman, and a back or two out of the backfield. McDaniels has so many options with those two TE's on the field it's scary. I just hope they stay healthy.

 

[pokey_reese]

It's going to be difficult to defend like when we had Sweet Leaf, but it's a completely different challenge for defenses and one that I love when it comes to match-ups. Some here have already highlighted what the Pats can do with Gronk/Bennett but when it comes to the red zone, I love that they can put those two anywhere on the field to create mismatches. If defenses bring in coverage guys, the pair can dominate blocking in the run game (something AH couldn't do). If they bring in a defense to play the run, Brady can split those guys out and spread the offense to find a match-up he likes. If defenses want to double Gronk, Brady will have 1 on 1 match-ups with Bennett and Edelman, and a back or two out of the backfield. McDaniels has so many options with those two TE's on the field it's scary. I just hope they stay healthy.

Obviously, the match-ups when we have both are amazing, but I think that what jumps out to me with so many people focusing on the bolded, is the depth that this duo gives us if they don't stay healthy. It was so great having Bennett while Gronk was out/recovering, because there really wasn't much of a drop-off at the position. I mean, how many teams right now would consider him an upgrade at TE1, much less TE2? How many people think we would have gone 3-1 without Brady if we didn't have Bennett on the team this year, considering what he gave us both receiving and blocking?

Plus, when you consider that having both of them on the field often pushes Amendola/Mitchell to the sidelines, it's remarkable how many options this team has in terms of creating match-ups even if there is a TE or WR injury. And that's before the potential of Lewis coming back healthy...

I totally agree that the team is better when we have both of them, but I also really love having the hedge of two great, versatile TEs so that we don't have to scrap our style or play if one of them goes down. Gronk going down in week 14 (knock on wood), wouldn't be the same death-knell that it has been in the past.

 

[bakahump]

At their combines Roberts weighed 235 and Bucannon weighed 211.

Maybe they can do some of the same things, but Roberts is a smallish linebacker, who plays linebacker.
Bucannon is the size of a safety who plays linebacker.

That was the claim at the pro day.
I have seen more recent reports that Roberts is 220-225. Still slightly bigger (and slower) then Bucannon, but BB and the Pats have often valued "bigger" "slower" players then other teams especially at LB (and especially if they are smarter )

I will agree that Bucannons history at Safety (and associated cover skills) is a skill that Roberts who played a pretty traditional MLB wouldnt have.

 

[ElcaballitoMVP]

Obviously, the match-ups when we have both are amazing, but I think that what jumps out to me with so many people focusing on the bolded, is the depth that this duo gives us if they don't stay healthy. It was so great having Bennett while Gronk was out/recovering, because there really wasn't much of a drop-off at the position. I mean, how many teams right now would consider him an upgrade at TE1, much less TE2? How many people think we would have gone 3-1 without Brady if we didn't have Bennett on the team this year, considering what he gave us both receiving and blocking?

Plus, when you consider that having both of them on the field often pushes Amendola/Mitchell to the sidelines, it's remarkable how many options this team has in terms of creating match-ups even if there is a TE or WR injury. And that's before the potential of Lewis coming back healthy...

I totally agree that the team is better when we have both of them, but I also really love having the hedge of two great, versatile TEs so that we don't have to scrap our style or play if one of them goes down. Gronk going down in week 14 (knock on wood), wouldn't be the same death-knell that it has been in the past.

Agree with everything you said. With Gronk's hammy less than 100%, Bennett didn't skip a beat. It's great to be able to have someone with his skill set to help while Gronk was out and getting back up to speed and it'll be really nice to have him to keep the wear and tear off of Gronk as they get deeper into the season. In years past, no Gronk meant a good deal of concern for the offense. This year? Different story. Bennett has been great.

 

[RedOctober3829]

The best part about the Gronk/Unicorn tandem is that in any phase of the offense they can be a force. Unicorn is exponentially a better blocker than Hernandez ever was. You can have one stay in to block while other is out in a route, both out in a route, or both in to block and you don't lose anything. It's honestly the best TE combo on one team that I've ever seen.

 

[PedroKsBambino]

The best part about the Gronk/Unicorn tandem is that in any phase of the offense they can be a force. Unicorn is exponentially a better blocker than Hernandez ever was. You can have one stay in to block while other is out in a route, both out in a route, or both in to block and you don't lose anything. It's honestly the best TE combo on one team that I've ever seen.

That's the thing for me---the unpredictability of how these two TEs will be used. The pats are (righfully) questioned sometimes for telegraphing run/pass based on which RB is in there. Thus, it's nice that the TE position can be prevented from being much of a tell.

 

[bradmahn]

The best part about the Gronk/Unicorn tandem is that in any phase of the offense they can be a force. Unicorn is exponentially a better blocker than Hernandez ever was. You can have one stay in to block while other is out in a route, both out in a route, or both in to block and you don't lose anything. It's honestly the best TE combo on one team that I've ever seen.

Witten-Bennett could have been so fucking good.

 

[BigSoxFan]

Witten-Bennett could have been so fucking good.

Yup, but Gronk > Prime Witten and Mature Unicorn > Young Unicorn.

There will never be a TE pairing as good as this.

 

[Saints Rest]

I saw some talking heads discussing the first quarter of the season and they all agreed the best TE in the NFL thru 4 games was Bennett. And now the best TE of all time gets healthy.

Yeah, that's good.

 

[nighthob]

I saw some talking heads discussing the first quarter of the season and they all agreed the best TE in the NFL thru 4 games was Bennett. And now the best TE of all time gets healthy.

Yeah, that's good.

Let's face it, Brady to Gronk & Bennett is a video game cheat code.

 

[Ed Hillel]

I mentioned this in the game thread, but Bennett's becoming a real candidate for the franchise tag. It's gonna be around 10 million. I realize there are a few other candidates, but I'd say he's worth it in a vaccuum.

 

[RedOctober3829]

I mentioned this in the game thread, but Bennett's becoming a real candidate for the franchise tag. It's gonna be around 10 million. I realize there are a few other candidates, but I'd say he's worth it in a vaccuum.

Depends on the situation with the defensive guys, but you're talking a $5 million raise for a guy who has fit seamlessly into this offense. Not much if you ask me.

Collins or Hightower for me would be a bigger priority, but I could be swayed if Bennett puts up monster numbers.

 

[Ed Hillel]

Depends on the situation with the defensive guys, but you're talking a $5 million raise for a guy who has fit seamlessly into this offense. Not much if you ask me.

Collins or Hightower for me would be a bigger priority, but I could be swayed if Bennett puts up monster numbers.

Collins probably, but Hightower's injury history concerns me long-term. I know it's just one game, but I want to see more of Elandon Roberts. If what he flashed is real, Hightower becomes more fungible.

The Pats have a ton of money available coming this offseason, I believe tops in the league, so they have plenty of flexibility.

 

[dbn]

Collins probably, but Hightower's injury history concerns me long-term. I know it's just one game, but I want to see more of Elandon Roberts. If what he flashed is real, Hightower becomes more fungible.

The Pats have a ton of money available coming this offseason, I believe tops in the league, so they have plenty of flexibility.

I hope so, since they'll need to re-sign or replace their top two LBs (Collins and Hightower), two of their top three DEs (Sheard and Long), a starting DT (Branch), their nickel CB (Ryan), a backup S (Harmon), a starting OT (Vollmer), their top-two 1st-down RBs (Blount and Bolden), their starting FB (Develin), a sometimes-starting OT (Cannon), a sometimes-starting TE (Bennett), and possibly their restricted free agents that include their top CB (Butler), their starting C (Andrews), and a sometimes-starting OT (Fleming).

In short, on offense: 4 3 linemen, 3 RBs, and a TE; on defense: 2 LBs, 2 DEs, 2 CBs, a DT, and a S.

 

[CantKeepmedown]

The best thing about Bennett, to me, is that he seems completely fine with not being a huge part of the game plan (in the sense of getting the ball). He was totally OK with just blocking in the Arizona game. I wasn't sure about that when he came to us, but he seems to have totally bought into things. I think he knows what Gronk can do for him and vice versa.