Remembering 2011 - Game 1 at Miami
This game was a shootout, and as such it took a predictable turn in favor of Tom Brady and his 517 passing yards, 4 TDs, and a fluky INT. Nevertheless, Chad Henne played his butt off with 416 yards, 2 TDs and a last second INT. Final Score Patriots 38 - Dolphins 24.
Still, Brady thoroughly outplayed Henne, with his mastery of the No Huddle Offense. Brady had the Dolphins completely off balance for large stretches of the game. At times it looked too easy because the no huddle took the edge off the pass rush.
Nate Solder had an excellent NFL debut, playing RT for the injured Vollmer. Solder was very effective against Cameron Wake. Nevertheless, Solder was beat for one sack, and surrendered a holding penalty as well.
The main thing that stands out in this game when watching it in retrospect is just how bad the Patriots Defense was last season. Chad Henne had a career day, and Reggie Bush (of all people) was effective running the ball between the tackles. The Patriots Offense was electric, explosive, and relentless, but the Defense looked passive and slow. This game epitomized McCourty's 2011 struggles in his battles with Brandon Marshall (7 catches for 139 yds).
The secondary as a unit was out-of-sync. At the time, I chalked it up to the release of Merriweather and Sanders taking its toll on the communication, but now I recognize that lack of pressure was the culprit. The lack of pressure forced the corners to play soft zones and surrendered easy stuff underneath.
Likewise, the lack of pressure forced the Patriots to blitz, and sometimes the gambles did not pay off. Henne was sacked 4 times, but many of those occurred late in the game when Miami was too far behind.
Nevertheless, the Pats were good on third down converting on 8 of 13, while holding Miami to 2 of 14. Miami did convert on 4 of 5 on 4th down. Overall, the Patriots defense was good in critical situations (holding Miami to 3 of 6 in the red zone), but they surrendered too many yards and too much time of possession.
Hopefully the investment of 2012 draft picks in the front seven is the remedy to this defensive ailment that plagued the Patriots last season. The offense cannot carry this team to a Superbowl win, the defense must set the tone for the team. I want teams to be afraid of our Defense again.
Still, Brady thoroughly outplayed Henne, with his mastery of the No Huddle Offense. Brady had the Dolphins completely off balance for large stretches of the game. At times it looked too easy because the no huddle took the edge off the pass rush.
Nate Solder had an excellent NFL debut, playing RT for the injured Vollmer. Solder was very effective against Cameron Wake. Nevertheless, Solder was beat for one sack, and surrendered a holding penalty as well.
The main thing that stands out in this game when watching it in retrospect is just how bad the Patriots Defense was last season. Chad Henne had a career day, and Reggie Bush (of all people) was effective running the ball between the tackles. The Patriots Offense was electric, explosive, and relentless, but the Defense looked passive and slow. This game epitomized McCourty's 2011 struggles in his battles with Brandon Marshall (7 catches for 139 yds).
The secondary as a unit was out-of-sync. At the time, I chalked it up to the release of Merriweather and Sanders taking its toll on the communication, but now I recognize that lack of pressure was the culprit. The lack of pressure forced the corners to play soft zones and surrendered easy stuff underneath.
Likewise, the lack of pressure forced the Patriots to blitz, and sometimes the gambles did not pay off. Henne was sacked 4 times, but many of those occurred late in the game when Miami was too far behind.
Nevertheless, the Pats were good on third down converting on 8 of 13, while holding Miami to 2 of 14. Miami did convert on 4 of 5 on 4th down. Overall, the Patriots defense was good in critical situations (holding Miami to 3 of 6 in the red zone), but they surrendered too many yards and too much time of possession.
Hopefully the investment of 2012 draft picks in the front seven is the remedy to this defensive ailment that plagued the Patriots last season. The offense cannot carry this team to a Superbowl win, the defense must set the tone for the team. I want teams to be afraid of our Defense again.
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