The Rubber Pencil Defense

[gsabc]

My new name for the NE Patriots defense, from the optical illusion you get when you hold a pencil loosely and move your hand up and down. It looks rubbery and bendable, but is in reality stiff and solid.

[okay, now get your minds back out of the gutter ...]

The real turning point of the game, IMO? The decision by San Diego's Cromartie to run his TD-saving interception out of the end zone. Instead of taking a knee and setting his team up at the 20, he runs it out and gets himself tackled at the 4. Those 16 yards made a world of difference in the ensuing play calling and field position.

[Jeemie]

My new name for the NE Patriots defense, from the optical illusion you get when you hold a pencil loosely and move your hand up and down. It looks rubbery and bendable, but is in reality stiff and solid.

[okay, now get your minds back out of the gutter ...]

The real turning point of the game, IMO? The decision by San Diego's Cromartie to run his TD-saving interception out of the end zone. Instead of taking a knee and setting his team up at the 20, he runs it out and gets himself tackled at the 4. Those 16 yards made a world of difference in the ensuing play calling and field position.

Easy to say when you played a team whose three best players on offense were all hobbled with injuries, and the team was hobbled with a head coach who decided it would be a good idea to punt from the New England 37 down two scores and under 9 minutes to play.

Only truly good play I saw on defense from the Pats was Bruschi slicing through the backside to drop Turner for a two-yard loss on 3rd-1 inside the five-yard line.

[gsabc]

My new name for the NE Patriots defense, from the optical illusion you get when you hold a pencil loosely and move your hand up and down. It looks rubbery and bendable, but is in reality stiff and solid.

[okay, now get your minds back out of the gutter ...]

The real turning point of the game, IMO? The decision by San Diego's Cromartie to run his TD-saving interception out of the end zone. Instead of taking a knee and setting his team up at the 20, he runs it out and gets himself tackled at the 4. Those 16 yards made a world of difference in the ensuing play calling and field position.

Easy to say when you played a team whose three best players on offense were all hobbled with injuries, and the team was hobbled with a head coach who decided it would be a good idea to punt from the New England 37 down two scores and under 9 minutes to play.

Only truly good play I saw on defense from the Pats was Bruschi slicing through the backside to drop Turner for a two-yard loss on 3rd-1 inside the five-yard line.

Ya plays wit' what ya gots. Maroney was injured for the entire first half of the season, so Kevin Faulk stepped in. Now Maroney is back, and Faulk was used mainly for pass receiving. If you don't have a deep enough team to overcome injuries, then you don't deserve to win championships. If Brady gets injured at any time in the season, it's over. But many other position players on the Patriots have backups who would start on 75% of the other teams.

The Pats defense seldom has individual efforts worth singling out. But the "bend-not-break" issue has shown up all season, mainly in the 2nd half when it really counts. Opponents may get into the red zone, but they don't necessarily get TD's out of it. I'll trade my TD's for your FG's any time.

[ToLiveIsToFly]

Only truly good play I saw on defense from the Pats was Bruschi slicing through the backside to drop Turner for a two-yard loss on 3rd-1 inside the five-yard line.

Wasn't that Junior Seau?

[ShamelessWeasel]

Yes it was Seau that made that play

I think i saw a few more good defensive plays...like...

Bruschi batting away the pass from Gates in the end zone

Hobbs with the great open field tackle on Chambers in the red zone

Samuels interception.



In the last 6 quarters the patriot defense has given up 6 FG's. Whether it is smoke and mirrors or the defnese stepping up, I will take it.

GO PATS

[Jeemie]

Only truly good play I saw on defense from the Pats was Bruschi slicing through the backside to drop Turner for a two-yard loss on 3rd-1 inside the five-yard line.

Wasn't that Junior Seau?

My bad- it was Seau.

[elwoodblues]

The real turning point of the game, IMO? The decision by San Diego's Cromartie to run his TD-saving interception out of the end zone. Instead of taking a knee and setting his team up at the 20, he runs it out and gets himself tackled at the 4. Those 16 yards made a world of difference in the ensuing play calling and field position.

This happens all the time. Anyone who intercepts a pass in the end zone always tries to run it out even when he has no chance of getting to the 20. It drives me crazy.

[gsabc]

and the team was hobbled with a head coach who decided it would be a good idea to punt from the New England 37 down two scores and under 9 minutes to play.

The Boston Globe's Bob Ryan on that very subject:

Here's something else that's important: having a coach with nerve, although in this case it may not be nerve as much as good, old-fashioned common sense.

What I'm saying is that if you're trailing the New England Patriots by 9 points with 9 minutes and 21 seconds remaining in Gillette Stadium, and it's fourth and 10 at the New England 36, then perhaps you might give serious thought to going for it. You might reconsider the idea of meekly handing the football back to Tom Brady with a 9-point lead, and never mind the fact that Brady already had thrown three interceptions (one in the end zone). Earth to Norv Turner: HE'S TOM BRADY!

Let the record show that the next time the San Diego Chargers will touch the football in a real, live game is August. Yup, the Patriots held the football right through the final two San Diego times out and the two-minute warning. They held it for eight Laurence Maroney runs behind that great offensive line and four Brady completed passes (one a clutch third-and-11 grab and run by the estimable Kevin Faulk) and even a sack. The game ended with Tom Brady taking a knee twice. It was exactly what Norv Turner deserved.

"We had the ball against Tennessee down 14 points with 10 minutes and scored twice," Turner reasoned.

Tennessee? Please.

[Jeemie]

and the team was hobbled with a head coach who decided it would be a good idea to punt from the New England 37 down two scores and under 9 minutes to play.

The Boston Globe's Bob Ryan on that very subject:

Here's something else that's important: having a coach with nerve, although in this case it may not be nerve as much as good, old-fashioned common sense.

What I'm saying is that if you're trailing the New England Patriots by 9 points with 9 minutes and 21 seconds remaining in Gillette Stadium, and it's fourth and 10 at the New England 36, then perhaps you might give serious thought to going for it. You might reconsider the idea of meekly handing the football back to Tom Brady with a 9-point lead, and never mind the fact that Brady already had thrown three interceptions (one in the end zone). Earth to Norv Turner: HE'S TOM BRADY!

Let the record show that the next time the San Diego Chargers will touch the football in a real, live game is August. Yup, the Patriots held the football right through the final two San Diego times out and the two-minute warning. They held it for eight Laurence Maroney runs behind that great offensive line and four Brady completed passes (one a clutch third-and-11 grab and run by the estimable Kevin Faulk) and even a sack. The game ended with Tom Brady taking a knee twice. It was exactly what Norv Turner deserved.

"We had the ball against Tennessee down 14 points with 10 minutes and scored twice," Turner reasoned.

Tennessee? Please.

New England, despite their more "pedestrian" outputs recently, showed an equal propensity to score whether given a long field or a short field.

This should have spurred major philosophical shifts in how teams normally gameplan.

If I had been the head coach of a football team playing the Patriots, I would have gone for every fourth down regardless of distance once I reached my own 40.

I would have gone for EVERY fourth down that was 2 yards or less no matter where I was on the field.

And for sure, once I'm inside the 10-yard line, that's 4-down territory (unless late in the game where a FG can tie or give me the win).

Treating each series as a true four down series would drastically change and open up the playcalling (i.e. 3rd and 8 would not necessarily be a pass, as it is ~99% of the time when you play three downs and punt football).

There are high school teams that never punt, and their records have improved dramatically since going to this strategy. Statistical anlyses show your points differential increases to the tune of picking up an extra 2-3 wins a year.

That is what I would have done. Increased the odds of me scoring touchdowns while decreasing the odds New England would by not letting them have the ball as much.

Unfortunately, pro football is run by a much of overly-conservative nitwits that too often play not to lose instead of playing to win.

Funny thing is- Belichick employs a lot of elements of this "attack football" style of winning- and gets lambasted for "running up the score".