Bill Bellichick and his "different looks"

Only when McGahee went down did they stop stacking the box and forced Tim to test his arm and he couldnt keep up. I think offensivly we wont have any problems as long as we dont fumble the ball.

..the Broncos rush it for 300 yards tomorrow night and they’re in business… you really think Denver gets 300 on the ground huh – that’s 50 yards more than week 15 ! Maybe you’re right but, I see N.E. doing a BETTER job vs. the run this time around. Hey, maybe the Patriots didn’t learn damn thing in that first game, seems that’s what you’re assuming .

A 60% completetion rate for Tebow is a bit high but, he could conceivably go: 6 for 12 or 13 – maybe get to the 150 yards. Points being more important than yards – how many TD’s will Tebow throw for ?

And the running game spoke for itself. Turnovers beat us.

Oh, and btw. NE only had 12 forced fumbles all year. So having 3 in a game… is the exception, not the rule for them. Obviously the Cosby fumble was our own error.

Also, last time I checked, Tebow is pretty good about not throwing picks, which is NEs only, I repeat, ONLY strong point. They let up tons of yardage and 1st downs (although yardage is a hollow stat). They are middle of the league in both points scored (meh..) and in sacks. Barring another mental melt-down, I project this game to be much closer than people think. And to answer the original question, I really dont think NE can take away BOTH phases of the offense.

You’re right – Tim Tebow doesn’t throw too many picks, his real problem with throwing the football is the pass that basically nosedives into the ground, short & right of the target. He also has to learn to throw a decent spiral – many of his passes look like the ball’s out-of-round as it flies through the air ! Now, I will say he made some beautiful throws in that Pittsburgh game… can’t take those away from him.

Judging a defense by yards given up is antiquated. The Patriot defense certainly has its issues, but Denver actually has a much worse Passer Rating Against Rating. New England’s best defense is its offense, because with a solid lead, running the ball becomes less effective.

1. DT is a big, fast wideout. Against a secondary that has had tackling and coverage issues, getting him the ball in space (short throw, long throw, or somewhere in between) creates some problems if your safeties are playing run. BB will want to take him away (especially with no Decker), but we’re still going to have opportunities to get him so YAC-type plays that will push the defense if they’re in the wrong coverage. If he commits too much to taking DT away, then you may see some very open looks to either Royal or M.Willis. A home run ball to Willis wouldn’t surprise me in this game.

2. The run action roll-out to Fells (twice) was designed to take advantage of the safety. Do you jump the route or play run. Both times we burned Polamalu by going where he wasn’t. NE doesn’t have the same kind of safety experience, so running similar plays that dare them to commit and going where they aren’t will be key. Expect more wrinkles like this that we haven’t seen. Throws to both the TEs and the RBs will be available, so expect to see more of them this week.

3. The presence of McGahee for 4 Quarters. Willis played many a game in this kind of weather when he was a Bill and a Raven, including the playoff win 2 years ago at NE. His patience as a RB puts tremendous pressure on the defense to not “sell out” based on blocking action. On a cold night, and a likely slippery field, that methodical approach will create at least 4 different opportunities for him to cut back on an over-pursuing defense. You gotta love a veteran back in this kind of situation. I expect him to have a big game. He doesn’t have a lot of Super Bowl chances ahead of him, he’ll be leaving it all on the field.

The last problem, and not one that came from the Steeler game is the weather. Cold and windy favors a running game, which we clearly have. Throw in Brady’s gimpy shoulder, that often takes a whole half to warm up, and you may see a much more inaccurate NE offense then they are used to having.

We’re playing with House Money right now. We’re not supposed to be here. Our offense isn’t supposed to work at this level. Yet we’re here, and it does. Pressures all on NE. Third loss in a row at home in the playoffs? We put the squeeze on them early, and that noose will only tighten.

You are correct – the Patriots will game plan to limit the Bronco running attack. They saw a lot (all ?) of what Denver does on the ground – four weeks ago. New England has a very good idea of what the Broncos like to do: the backs – the formations – the QB option – and the blocking schemes. N.E. also knows what worked and what didn’t work in week 15. The Pats know Tebow struggles with his passing game, yet they suspect that Tebow will attempt a down-field pass or two. All this Belichick knows.

One thing the Patriots will endeavor not to do, is get beat by a long Tebow completion – they will make every effort to defend it (unlike Dick LeBeau). N.E. knows (everybody who follows pro football knows) that Tebow is not a skilled thrower of the football. Belichick’s plan is fairly simple – force Tebow to make a high percentage of his short to medium throws – if Tebow can’t do it, the game is lost. If Tebow can, we’ve got a competitive contest on our hands.