Tag Archives: 2015 NFL Season

AFC, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, NFL

Patriots Defensive Recap vs Buffalo: A Long Day For Tyrod Taylor

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One of the biggest keys entering Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills was for the Patriots to contain and limit Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor. The Patriots ended up doing this and one of the biggest reasons for this was Chandler Jones, who had a great game recording three sacks on the day.

via www.musketfire.com
via http://www.musketfire.com

Entering the game I said Tyrod Taylor would give the Patriots defense problems due to his mobility, he did do this at times but New England’s defense was able to transition throughout the game and limit Taylor’s effectiveness. On the day Taylor was 23 of 30 passing the ball for 242 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. He also added 43 rushing yards on five carries with a touchdown. Taylor had a decent game and the numbers make it look better than he performed, besides the three interceptions and a strong comeback performance towards the end of the game when the Patriots began to struggle. The first drive of the game for Buffalo was a strong one, driving down the field and scoring a touchdown. New England defense then stepped up for majority of the game shutting down Buffalo’s offense.

Two key players were defensive end Chandler Jones, and linebacker Jamie Collins. Both recorded multiple sacks on Taylor (Jones 3, Collins 2.5), and also set the outside edge, which stopped Taylor from being able to scramble to the outside and break off large gains. Another player who played well defensively for New England was cornerback Malcolm Butler. This is nothing new to hear for Patriots fans, Butler has been making headlines with his play over the past few months and is looking like he can be a number one corner in the NFL. Butler made a great play off a tipped pass to make his first career regular season interception.

via www.cbssports.com
via http://www.cbssports.com

With the good of the Patriots defense against the Bills there was also some bad. The team gave up 160 yards on the ground. Stopping the run has been a problem for the Patriots over the past few seasons and has been so far this year against both the Bills and the Steelers. Another problem was the team allowed Tyrod Taylor to complete 76.7 percent of his passes. Elite quarterbacks will take more advantage of that than Taylor did, though he performed well besides the three interceptions. Part of the defensive struggles are due to the offense, who struggled in the second half including two failed fourth down conversions, which gave Buffalo good field position on both occasions.

Overall it wasn’t a great defensive performance from the Patriots but it definitely was not terrible. There are things they did really well and some things they need to improve on over the next few weeks. What I can say though is at this point in the season the Patriots look like the best team in the NFL, and it isn’t that close.

AFC, New England Patriots, NFL

New England Patriots: Is The “New” AFC East To Be Feared?

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For the last few seasons in the NFL the AFC East has been the New England Patriots and a bunch of other guys.  Right now they are the only NFL conference without a loss. Yup, 4-0 while beating some formidable foes to get things started.  Many were predicting the Steelers were back, but the Patriots took care of that notion. The Colts had Luck on their side, but that was all as the rejuvenated Bills put them in their place.

The Dolphins didn’t exactly impress in their 17-10 win over the clueless Washington Redskins and the Jets…well, they destroying the Browns, who haven’t won an opener in about 320 years!  Both still have a lot to prove to the skeptics.

Last year the Jets (Raiders), Bills (Bears) & Fins won their openers while the Pats lost (to Miami). One of the few times the Patriots have been on the bottom of the pack!

After game one in 2014
After game one in 2014

While the NFC South has been an embarrassment, the teams in the AFC East have slid under the radar.  2015 could be different! While the beasts in the east are nowhere near the NFC West (Seattle, St.Louis, Arizona & SF), Miami, NY & Buffalo have all taken a step up, while the Patriots remain the favorite.

Strength Of Schedule

Here’s where I throw out a bunch of mean nothing statistics. You can browse over this paragraph in the reading room when you have nothing else to do (well, you’ve got something to do, but you know what I mean). It can certainly be misleading, but, based on strength of schedule, courtesy of CBSSports.com,  the Patriots (#22*), Buffalo (#19*), Jets (#18*) and Miami (#17*) all have relatively easy schedules. (* represents strength of schedule with #1 [Pittsburgh] hardest and #32 [Atlanta] easiest) Yes, they do play each other twice so, theoretically, with the division stronger it could mean more in-conference losses for each and that will be important if tie-breakers decide who’s in and who’s out at the end of the regular season.

Whew, now that that’s out of the way, let’s look at the match-ups.

This year’s common opponents:

The AFC East matches up with the relatively weak AFC South (Tennessee, Indy, Jacksonville & Houston) and, with Indianapolis’ poor/soft showing in their opening loss to the Bills, they all could run the table. The Colts looked incredibly soft in Buffalo, but you know they’ll play better with Andrew Luck at QB. Look for a lot of shootouts in their games as they still can’t stop anyone.

Eli Manning - I pooped my pants

It’s another story when the AFC East plays the NFC East, with possible powerhouses Dallas and Philly (yeah, I know, they didn’t look good on the road in their opening loss to the Falcons), the always tough Giants (Eli doesn’t make those same “dumb” decisions against the Pats)  and the helpless Redskins.

If all goes well, that schedule might give the AFC East teams as many as 6-8 wins. If they split games against each other their win total climbs to 9-11. Now, I know that’s a big leap after one game, but, hey it could happen and no one would be shocked…except Patriot and Colt fans.

Uncommon opponents

  • The Patriots beat the Steelers (whatever happened to the Steel Curtain? It’s turned to tin) and have the always tough Broncos in Denver coming up. Manning’s arm still looks dead, but playing the game at home is definitely to their advantage. The Bronco’s offense will be different under Head Coach Gary Kubiak and Peyton will have to adjust to the short, clock killing style Kubiak likes.
  • Miami faces Baltimore’s tough defense at home and the enigmatic Chargers on the road
  • The Jets have it easy beating Cleveland at home and the Raiders (who have no home advantage) on the road
  • Buffalo has the most difficult twosome, pairing off with Cincinnati at home and the powerful Chiefs in KC (my sleeper team this year).

Let’s face it, after one game no one knows what will shake out down the road. The only thing that seems certain is its great to have football back and lawsuits set aside for a while.

Please, don’t bet the family jewels (if you have any) on what I write, ’cause basically I’m just like you…A longtime fan who thinks he knows more than he does!

Follow me on Twitter @SnowdonBob

AFC, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, NFL

New England vs Buffalo: Tyrod Taylor could be a headache in the making

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The Patriots will be facing off against the Buffalo Bills this week after both teams won in their week one matchups. A key factor in the Bills win against the Colts was due to the strong play of quarterback Tyrod Taylor.

profootballtalk.nbcsports.com
profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

In the past the Patriots have tended to struggle defensively against mobile, speedy quarterbacks and Taylor is just that. Against the Colts Taylor was 14 of 19 passing with 195 yards and a touchdown, adding 41 yards on the ground. Taylor’s mobility helped him move around the pocket and extend plays. His speed and mobility also opened things up for the offense because of his ability to run the option and draw defenders off his offensive weapons.

New Buffalo Bills coach Rex Ryan knows from his tenure with the Jets that the Patriots have struggled against mobile quarterbacks and has had some success because of it. In the Patriots-Jets first meeting last season, Jets quarterback Geno Smith ran for 37 yards on seven carries and Smiths running ability almost lead to a New York Jets come from behind victory, before Chris Jones blocked a field goal to end the game. In 2013 against the Patriots Smith ran for a combined 50 yards on nine carries, and added a touchdown on the ground. The team also struggled in the Super Bowl with Russell Wilson rushing for 39 yards on three attempts. Rex Ryan has had some success against the Patriots’ defense in the past and knows the team’s weakness and where to attack, especially with the speed and skill set that Tyrod Taylor possesses.

bostonglobe.com
bostonglobe.com

Another reason why Taylor could give New England problems on Sunday is because of his lack of experience. Yes I know this sounds odd but with Taylor’s only career start coming last week against Indianapolis and with limited playing time during the Bills quarterback battle this preseason, there is not much film on Taylor which can make it hard to game plan against. With no film it can be hard to pinpoint weaknesses in Taylor’s game, especially coming off a strong performance last week. I expect the Patriots defense to be better prepared for Taylor than Indianapolis was and for Taylor to not have as good a performance this week that he did last. With that being said, Taylor’s skill set is something Patriots fans should still be worried about with all the different ways that he could beat a team.

I would expect the team to use a quarterback spy on Taylor such as Jamie Collins or Rob Ninkovich. Collins or Ninkovich do not possess the pure speed and quickness that Taylor does but they are both extremely smart, athletic players who could follow Taylor around the field and stop him from breaking off long runs. This would also allow defenders to stay on their man to eliminate potential targets. Ninkovich played a spy role in the Super Bowl against Russell Wilson at times and proved to stop him from scrambling as much and made one of the biggest plays in the game when he sacked Wilson late in the fourth quarter when spying Wilson.

via gazettenet.com
via gazettenet.com

This weekends game between the Patriots and the Bills could shape up to be one of the best games of the regular season. A huge key to victory for the Patriots is slowing down this Tyrod Taylor led Bills offense.

AFC, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, New York Jets, NFC, NFL, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans

NFL Recap: 5 Things We Learned from Week 1

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NFL football season is underway with week one’s slate of games finishing up on Monday Night Football, and the viewers got a good chunk of entertainment, surprises, and sloppiness. With it all, NFL fans everywhere learned more about teams, players and possible season outlooks.

1. The New England Patriots came out with a vengeance.

The New England Patriots are winning, no new news there. But we’re going to be seeing the Patriots use a mantra we have not heard since Spygate, “It’s us versus the world.” Off the heals of Deflategate and Tom Brady’s suspension, we saw the Patriots play with such ferocity and intensity in their season opener versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. Even though the final score was 28-21, the game was very much dominated by the Patriots. Tom Brady went 25/32 for 288 yards and four touchdown passes. The narrative of the Patriots dominating their opponents could be commonly heard throughout the season, and the “us versus the world” mantra could very well give them even more motivation to make another Super Bowl run. Also, don’t mess with an angry Tom Brady.

2. Marcus Mariota is the real deal

Marcus Mariota, the number two pick in the draft, impressed in his first career start. In fact, impressed was an understatement. Mariota was historic and near-perfect in his debut as the Tennessee Titans squandered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 42-14. Mariota threw for 13/16 for 209 yards and four touchdown passes. What’s significant about the four touchdown passes is that they all came in the first half. The feat of a rookie throwing four touchdowns in his opener has not been done since Fran Tarkenton in 1965. With the impressive debut, it has essentially eliminated the talk of Mariota only being a system quarterback under Oregon’s fast-paced spread offense, and also eliminated the questions of Mariota possibly struggling to adjust to a pro-style offense.

3. Jameis Winston on the other hand, needs more improvement

Number one pick Jameis Winston, however, struggled and at times looked inept in his debut. His debut went south quickly when his first career past was intercepted and returned for a pick-six. Winston completed lest than 50% percent of his passes as he went 16/33 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns. But with those two touchdowns, Winston threw two interceptions. However, it is too early to be hitting the panic button on Jameis yet. Winston is playing behind a shaky offensive line, and was also missing key receiver Mike Evans. However, that is not an excuse for having trouble in finding rhythm with throwing to them. As the season progresses, hopefully he should improve.

4. Maybe Johnny Manziel does have a chance.

After a disastrous rookie season, many began to write off Johnny Manziel as a bust. After checking into rehab, and a successful off-season of growth, a spark of hope was ignited when the Cleveland Browns opened up the season in New York against the Jets. After starter Josh McCown got lit up and sent out of the game with a concussion, Johnny football stepped in. Immediately, he made an impact by throwing a 54 yard bomb for a touchdown. However, the positives would shy away as the Jets force an interception and a couple of fumbles from Manziel during a 31-10 rout. Manziel finished 13/24 for 182 yards and one touchdown and one interception. Though they may not seem like big stats, it is a vast improvement over his rookie season. If he does start week two in place of a concussed Josh McCown, expect him to put up bigger numbers and seize the opportunity. Johnny Manziel has changed, and has improved.

5. It’s going to be a season of chaos

The Buffalo Bills beat the Indianapolis Colts. The St. Louis Rams beat the Seattle Seahawks. Those results should not have happened. But yet the underdog came out on top. And it is only a sign of things to come. This NFL season is going to be a season of twists, turns, and most importantly chaos. Teams that we thought were juggernauts, will stumble and fall and get upset. Peyton Manning failed to throw a touchdown pass, Marshawn Lynch couldn’t run one yard to convert a first down, the San Francisco 49ers won despite being cast off due to the tumultuous off-season. Everyone better buckle up, because of what happened in week one, this season is going to be the year of chaos.

AFC, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, NFL

Billseye: Is Rex Ryan Buffalo’s White Knight?

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Since 2001, the Buffalo Bills have a long history of being the New England Patriots’ two additional Bi-weeks in the AFC East. Occasionally the Bills give The Patriots a challenge and on five separate occasions have actually beaten the Super Bowl Champions during the Tom Brady era. The Bills were even seen celebrating as though they had won the Super Bowl last year when they were able to defeat the Patriots practice squad during the meaningless season finale of 2014. Yes, its typically a safe bet that the Buffalo Bills will always struggle to compete with New England’s gridiron gang.

Last season head coach of the New York Jet’s, Rex Ryan, was finally driven out of Gotham in favor of Todd Bowles.  Ryan had been a fixture in New York for six years with his brash and often boisterous demeanor winning over the Jet’s fan base and the players alike. Rex initially excited many Jet’s fans with his cocky attitude because after the long forgotten Super Bowl winning year of “Broadway” Joe Namath, the Jets never really had anything to ever get excited about. Immediately taking aim at the king pins of the AFC East, Rex was quick to point out that “I am not here to kiss anybody’s rings” when discussing Bill Belichick and the dominant New England Patriots.

Initially, Ryan had quite a bit of success with the New York Jets. Led by an all star defense with the likes of linebacker Bart Scott, center Nick Mangold and superstar cornerback, Darrelle Revis and an offense led by rookie sensation Mark Sanchez, the Jets defeated the Patriots in their first meeting 16-9. What was most impressive by that victory is that the Patriots did not even score a touchdown.
The New York Jets made it all the way to the 2009 AFC Championship that year losing to the Peyton Manning led Indianapolis Colts. In 2010 The New York Jets continued their winning ways splitting wins with Patriots during the season and in the playoffs defeating both Peyton Manning and Tom Brady on their home turf to once again make it to the AFC Championship. Although the Jets once again looked poised to make a run at the Super Bowl, the Pittsburgh Steelers promptly put a stop to those plans. With two straight AFC championship appearances, it looked as those New York had finally had its hero that could end the reign of the New England Patriot dominance of the AFC East.

For the New York Jets and Rex Ryan this story would of course not have a happy ending. After 2010, the Jets were never able to make it back to playoff contention and amidst injuries, Butt Fumbles and Quarterback controversies became the joke of the NFL. Meanwhile, their lowly brethren in Buffalo were slowly stock piling defensive pieces like Defensive end Mario Williams and Defensive tackle Kyle Williams. After drafting promising rookie wide receiver Sammy Watkins in 2014, the Bills were a decent quarterback and coach combo away from being a legitimate threat to the AFC east.
In a perfect storm of convenience, Rex Ryan found himself in need of a team just as Buffalo head coach Doug Marrone vacated his position. At first it was widely believed that Rex was holding out for the Atlanta Falcons head coaching job, but the defensive guru swerved us all and ended up as head coach for the offensively impotent Buffalo Bills.

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With the offensive additions of the always disgruntled wide receiver Percy Harvin and star running back LeSean McCoy, the once languishing Buffalo Bills have begun to look like a formidable opponent for the first time in many years. What about a quarterback? Currently Buffalo boasts three; five year NFL journeyman, Tyrod Taylor, 2013 first round draft pick, EJ Manuel and one time Tom Brady back up, Matt Cassel. Let’s be clear, none of these men are in the same category as a Tom Brady, Peyton Manning or Aaron Rodgers but it would be foolish to dismiss the victory Buffalo scored on Sunday by decimating early Super Bowl favorite, Indianapolis Colts, 27 – 14.

With the help of possibly the best defense in the NFL, Tyrod Taylor proved capable during his Buffalo debut under center. With the impressive showing Rex Ryan’s defense displayed it is quite possible he may finally have the Patriots number come this Sunday. Is a stellar defense, a coach with proven past success and and a serviceable quarterback enough to stop the reigning, defending Super Bowl champions? Nobody can say for certain , but let’s just say it is not 2009 anymore.

AFC, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, NFL

New England Patriots: An Early Look At The Buffalo Bills For Patriots Fans

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New England Patriots fans had the luxury of having their team play the first game of the NFL season on Thursday night, where their team won fairly easy over the Pittsburgh Steelers, 28-21. Fans of the team had the entire weekend to enjoy the victory, and watch the rest of the league all day on Sunday. Now, the page has turned and it is, “On to Buffalo.” With Tom Brady starting under center, the Patriots are 23-3 against the Buffalo Bills. However, don’t let the statistics fool you, the Buffalo Bills are always a very formidable opponent, especially when the game is in Western New York.

On Sunday, the Bills took down the Indianapolis Colts by a score of 27-14, and it really wasn’t even that close. The Bills proved that they have a stout front seven, along with a power running game, and solid quarterback play from Tyrod Taylor. Rex Ryan took advantage of the softness of the Colts and kept Andrew Luck on his heels, forcing him to make bad decisions. In addition, his team played with a real swagger and toughness, not afraid to lay the boom.

In the ground game, Karlos Williams ran for fifty-five yards on six carries, with a touchdown. New addition Lesean McCoy ran for forty-one yards on seventeen attempts. Expect to see a better McCoy this weekend as he is still recovering from an injury. That is nerve-racking for a Patriots fan, due to the fact that the Steelers and DeAngelo Williams ran the ball all over their team in week one for 127 yards.

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Tyrod Taylor did not have much expectation going into the week one matchup, but he showed some of the skills that made him effective at Virginia Tech. He finished the day, fourteen of nineteen, for one-hundred ninety-five yards, and one beautiful long touchdown pass to Percy Harvin. Harvin finished with five receptions, for seventy-nine yards and that one touchdown.

The Patriots will need to have all their pieces aligned this weekend when they travel to the always raucous Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park. The one thing that fans should be most worry-some about heading into this match up is the rotation of the offensive line. Against the Steelers, Bill Belichick rotated Nate Solder in and out along with Tre’ Jackson, Josh Kline and others.

Last September when the Patriots offensive line was at an all-time low of the Belichick era, one of the main causes was the rotation. The team struggled to get any groove and continuity going until week six. The offensive line held up in week one, against an average at best Pittsburgh front seven that is no longer a, “Steel Curtain.” Now they are going up against possibly the best defensive front in the National Football League. Mario Williams, Jerry Hughes, and Kyle Williams will be some of the players looking to make Tom Brady familiar with the turf.

buffalobills.com
buffalobills.com

The Buffalo secondary is decent at best, and Rex Ryan will be focusing on getting his defensive lineman into the backfield. The Patriots and Tom Brady need to thrive in the short passing game. Therefore, use Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, and Dion Lewis to your advantage moving the ball up and down the field gradually. Of course, in the red zone spread the two tight ends in Rob Gronkowski and Scott Chandler out wide and simply out size the Bill defense.

It will certainly be a very tough match up for the Patriots this coming Sunday. It has to be one of the three toughest games on the schedule. There will for sure be more analysis on the Bills throughout this week as we get the chance to break down their film from their week one match up. For now though, know that their front seven is elite, they will try to run it down the Patriots throat, and it will be one of the most hostile environments the Patriots will play in all season.

AFC, New England Patriots, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers

Patriots Take Advantage Of Steelers Mistakes And Get The Victory

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The 2015 National Football League regular season has finally begun, and it began Thursday night when the New England Patriots defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-21. The game started out with the two teams struggling to score. On the first series of the game, Pittsburgh took the ball down the field but were stopped inside the thirty-yard line. Steelers kicker Josh Scobee missed his first of two field goals on the night, the first being a forty-four yard attempt.

The unfortunate part of the series for the Patriots was that second-year defensive lineman Dominique Easley went down with a hip injury and did not return to the game. It would be tough for the team to lose him for a significant period of time, seeing how well the Steelers ran the ball on the Patriots Thursday night.

On offense, the Patriots and Tom Brady moved the ball up and down the field with ease all night long. Tom Brady finished 25 of 32, for 288 yards, and four touchdown passes. He was sharp as he has ever been, and with the victory he surpassed Brett Favre as the winning quarterback with one single franchise with 161 wins. All the off field noise and distractions did not seem to bother him one bit.

The real story of the night offensively for the New England Patriots was the play of Rob Gronkowski. He is without a doubt the most dominating offensive weapon in the game. He finished the game with five receptions, for 94 yards, and three touchdowns. Gronkowski just makes it so easy for Tom Brady, all he needs to do is put the ball high in the air in the end zone. In addition, the Patriots received a contribution from another tight end, Scott Chandler who had a three-yard touchdown reception.

Patriots.com
Patriots.com

The Patriots received big time offensive contributions as well from Julian Edelman, and the surprise player of training camp Dion Lewis. Lewis finished with 69 yards on 15 carries. He did however fumble the ball inside the five yard line at a key moment in the fourth quarter. Luckily it was recovered by Rob Gronkowski and the Patriots scored a few plays later.

Even though Julian Edelman did not play at all in the preseason, and was sidelined for much of camp with an ankle injury, he did not show any rust on Thursday night. Edelman brought in 11 catches, for 97 yards. He was as always, the spark plug in the Patriots offense catching short passes and consistently getting yards after the catch. Fans need to pray that he stays heathy, because it will be nearly impossible to replace that production.

The Patriots defense started out fast and with energy, but tailed off greatly as the night went on. The front seven was decent and got to the quarterback when they needed to. Nevertheless, DeAngelo Williams ran for 127 yards, mostly right through the middle of the defense. In addition, the secondary was as expected, inconsistent.

Malcolm Butler was manned up for the vast majority of the game against Antonio Brown, who is an absolute freak. That is no excuse for poor play from Butler, he should be expected to take on top tier receivers as the teams number one corner. He did fight hard against Brown and had a few flashes, but for the most part he just seemed out matched and out talented.

Patriots.com
Patriots.com

Antonio Brown finished with nine catches on eleven targets, for 133 yards, and a touchdown. The secondary certainly will be a work in progress, and one main takeaway from the week one victory is that they did not give up many points and made stops when they had to.

In conclusion, the Patriots made a statement win on Thursday night while putting all the distractions from outside behind them and focusing on, “Doing their Job.” Tom Brady was phenomenal, and the offense with two rookie lineman, looked like the best in the league. The defense is for sure a work in progress but nothing is perfect in week one.

Now the team has a nice break over the weekend, and they will need it because Ralph Wilson Stadium will be raucous next Sunday when the Patriots travel to take on Rex Ryan and the new look Buffalo Bills. You can almost bet on that game being much tougher than Thursday nights game. Winning the first game is nice, now its on to Buffalo.

AFC, New England Patriots, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 1: Patriots vs. Steelers Preview

There’s no better way to start the 2015 NFL season than pitting two classic franchises against each other on Thursday Night Football. The Pittsburgh Steelers will have their hands full defending the reigning New England Patriots, but don’t expect this to be a blowout by any means. Let’s break it down and see what each team is bringing to the table.

via nydailynews.com
via nydailynews.com

New England Offense vs. Pittsburgh Defense

Two words: Tom Brady. Need I say more? The return of the veteran quarterback has been the talk of the NFL, and people are expecting a huge game from him. Brady will be throwing to familiar receivers Edelman and Amendola, though Edelman may have limited receptions due to his ankle issues. Brady’s most important weapon, Rob Gronkowski, is healthy and ready to play week 1 (a rarity for the monstrous tight end). The suspension of LeGarrette Blount and the recent loss of center Bryan Stork will hurt what run game the Patriots had, but it’s safe to say Brady will be airing it out all game long regardless.

And why wouldn’t he? The Steelers have an extremely weak defense right now. It’s going to be target practice for Brady against a secondary riddled with injuries and stitched together by backups and low round draft picks. The only defensive back who may pose a threat is Brandon Boykin, a strong slot corner who will most likely be working against Edelman and Amendola. The defensive front is just as bad for the Steelers. Their only redeeming player is the impressive pass rusher Shaq Mason. Should the left guard be able to contain Mason, though, Brady will have a clean pocket to throw from all night.

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Pittsburgh Offense vs. New England Defense

Leading the Steelers is Ben Roethlisberger, another veteran quarterback who can still throw with the best of them. Roethlisberger has one of the best receivers in the game in Antonio Brown and should be giving him plenty of targets all night long. The suspension of Martavis Bryant, however, will limit the talent Big Ben has to throw to. Top running back Le’Veon Bell is also suspended and will be replaced by Deangelo Williams. Williams won’t have any trouble running the ball, but don’t expect an overly productive run game. This is especially true because of the loss of Maurkice Pouncey, the Steeler’s best offensive lineman.

Even with a strong passing attack the Steeler’s offense is outmatched by the Patriots defense. New England may have the most stacked defense in the league, and this comes after losing three of their starters at the end of last season. While there are still many questions waiting to be answered about the Pats secondary, it’s safe to say the front seven will be dominating this game. Pass rushers Ninkovich and Jones will be getting to Roethlisberger, while run stoppers Easley and Brown should be negating any rushing attempts. Add to the mix the best linebacker squad in football and Big Ben and the Steelers are looking at a very rough Thursday night.

I see this game being close for a while until the Patriots pull away late in the third quarter. The Steelers will no doubt have a great offensive night, but the strength of the Patriots defense coupled with Brady’s rage being thrown at Pittsburgh’s secondary is enough to turn the tide. Regardless of the outcome, football fans should be ready for a great opening game to 2015 NFL season.

 

AFC, New England Patriots, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers

Keys To The Game On Defense For The New England Patriots

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via zimbio.com
via zimbio.com

The New England Patriots are in full game preparation mode for their Thursday night opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium. The Steelers were an 11-5 team last season and won their division with the third spot in the AFC playoffs. However, an injury to Le’Veon Bell in week seventeen lead to the Steelers falling short to the Ravens in the wild card round. Don’t let their early round exit fool you, the Steelers were a dominant team at times in 2014, mainly offensively.

The Ben Roethlisberger lead offense finished the season second overall in total offense, behind the New Orleans Saints. Pittsburgh will have one of the most dangerous offensive players in the game on Thursday night with Antonio Brown. The young inexperienced secondary, and defense as a whole will certainly have their hands full Thursday night. Here are my keys to the game defensively for the Patriots on Thursday night.

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Contain Ben Roethlisberger: One of the main reasons for the Steelers being one of the most consistent teams in the league over the past ten years is Ben Roethlisberger. His uncanny size for a quarterback at 6-5, 241 pounds makes him very difficult to knock off balance and sack. He can shake off defensive lineman and roll out of the pocket and make big throws. As Bill Belichick said in his press conference this week he touched upon Roethlisberger’s size.

“Very hard to take down, very difficult to get down. On top of that he’s got great vision, very good accuracy downfield. He doesn’t have to step into the throw, or have a clean pocket. Guys hanging all over him, falling down. He’s as good as anyone we play at that.”

The Patriots will need to contain him and keep him inside the pocket, because when he gets outside and finds open receivers down field he unleashes it. Players such as Chandler Jones, Jabaal Sheard, and Jamie Collins will be essential in keeping Roethlisberger contained. He won’t take off and run like an Andrew Luck, but he still needs to be kept in tact. Jamie Collins played a key role in keeping Andrew Luck inside the pocket twice last season.

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Bracket Brown: Antonio Brown is without a doubt one of the top three wide receivers in the National Football League. He is extremely fast and is lethal when he gets into the open field. Pittsburgh uses him in the slot as well as on the outside. All Patriots fans should be expecting the Steelers to target Antonio Brown early and often, given the very unproven Patriots secondary.

Last season the Bill Belichick had the pleasure of having two very solid cornerbacks, and they were able to double cover elite wide receivers with ease, with Devin McCourty or Duron Harmon shading over the top. This season, and on Thursday night it will be very different. The team can still double team Antonio Brown, but they will be more vulnerable when matching up with Marcus Wheaton one on one. However, Malcolm Butler and Tarell Brown should be able to get the job done this week because the Steelers only have one dangerous wide receiver.

Bend And Don’t Break: The Patriots defense does not have much talent at the cornerback position leaving them vulnerable against a pass happy offense like Pittsburgh’s. With Le’Veon Bell suspended, the Steelers will be chucking the ball all over the gridiron. The Patriots may play a bit of zone coverage as well, because the first few weeks are a feeling out period.

That means yards will be given up. The main point for the Patriots is they need to get off the field, particularly past the fifty yard line, and when they are in the red zone. Make Pittsburgh settle for field goals not touchdowns, because the Patriots offense should be able to answer.

AFC, New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers

Be Afraid NFL, Brady’s Back and he’s pissed

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With the NFL season about to start we can all finally focus on football and not any faulty or biased news going against the Patriots. The man happiest about all of this, Tom Brady. Brady and the whole “DeflateGate” BS scandal has been the news headline for the past seven and a half months and is all that has been talked about. The NFL and ESPN have set out to ruin Brady’s name and his legacy with all of the false information that has been put out and I guarantee that Brady is pissed, and I love it. This is not the guy you want to make mad, when he’s angry he is unstoppable, and on a whole different level and there in no one who can beat him. Now with the season about to be underway Brady can focus on one thing, getting ring number five. I’d like to thank the league in advance for creating this monster who is going to be on the field in 2015 and who is going to lead the Patriots to back to back Super Bowls. (Again)

via gillettesgallerygods.wordpress.com
via gillettesgallerygods.wordpress.com

When the world doubts Brady he pretty much gives them the middle finger, goes out drops 50 points and just dominates and teams should learn this by now and be scared to play Brady and the Patriots. Last years Patriots team struggled out the gate going 2-2 to start the season and suffered an embarrassing loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. In the first four games Brady passed for only 791 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. Critics started coming for Brady saying that he and the Patriots were done and in the words of Trent Dilfer “just not good anymore”. Brady made them eat their words and think twice about what they said going 4-0 over the next four games passing for 1,268 yards and 14 touchdowns with no interceptions. Against the Bears alone Brady looked like he was going to pass for 10 touchdowns passing for five touchdowns and 354 yards only a little into the third quarter before being taken out of the game. Brady finished the year with over 4,100 yards, 33 touchdowns and 9 interceptions in the regular season and his fourth Super Bowl championship.

via titletownsoundoff.com
via titletownsoundoff.com

Brady’s anger, determination and leadership is what lead his team throughout the season and ultimately to the Super Bowl they ended up winning in February. And this anger was only due to people saying that he was no longer an elite quarterback and not at the top of his game, nowhere near what people were saying about him this offseason. He was made out to be a cheater in the public eye and that he was tarnishing the game of football when he did nothing wrong and Judge Richard Berman ultimately agreed with Brady and his team, that he did nothing wrong with no evidence from the league and the Wells Report. The last time something like this happened was in 2007 with the “SpyGate” scandal and Brady played with a vengeance setting many records.

In 2007 Brady passed for over 4,800 yards and set the record for most passing touchdowns in a season in NFL history with 50. Brady played with a vengeance and anger this season that I think will be even worse this season. During this season Steelers safety Anthony Smith made the idiotic claim of guaranteeing a victory against the Patriots. This surely made Brady mad because he threw at Smith time and time again and made him look foolish on the field.

via nydailynews.com
via nydailynews.com

Brady was never referenced as having a role in “SpyGate”, unlike “DeflateGate” has been referenced solely as Brady being involved. During the preseason you could tell Brady didn’t look like himself on or off the field and I think it had a lot to do with everything that was going on. Though the NFL is appealing Judge Berman’s decision to lift Brady’s suspension, this is all pretty much behind Brady and he can focus on doing the thing he loves most playing football. He doesn’t have to worry about having to go to court hearings and having to fight the league he has been apart of the past 16 years about something he had no involvement with. He can go out and focus on playing football each and every week and being the best he can and dominating his opponent, because even though he no longer has to think about “DeflateGate” he is going to take all the anger and emotions he has had about it over the past several months out on the football field and it all starts against Pittsburgh. The Banner is going to be raised, Gillette Stadium will be electric and Tom Brady will be under center playing quarterback and would not surprise me if he goes out there and throws for 400-500 yards and four or five touchdowns. He is going to show no mercy on Pittsburgh or any other opponent this season and the rest of the 31 teams in the NFL should be worried.