Attacking The Ravens
I went back to the AFC Championship game to see if I could sketch out the game plan last time around vs. The Ravens. Certainly this year will be different due to injuries (Hernandez, Pollard, Suggs). Still, some useful things were discovered in my film study.
It seemed to me that The Patriots were in the Shotgun quite often, and Danny Woodhead played a high number of snaps due to a pass-heavy, no-huddle style of attack. Likewise, there were many instances of 2-TE and 3-WR sets where either Edelman or Hernandez accompanied Brady in the backfield. Hernandez's injury leaves us with less versatility, but I do think The Patriots will look to spread the field all the same.
With the Suggs and Pollard injuries (out and hobbled), the Ravens pass D is vulnerable. In passing situations, The Ravens pass rush has suffered with the injury to Suggs, but I still expect them to challenge our O-line. The Offensive line had trouble moving Campbell and Dockett last week, and again this week they will have two ~350 lb DL to deal with in Kemoeatu and Ngata. As far as rushing goes, I doubt that The Patriots will be able to run the ball up the middle in obvious situations. Ridley will likely attack the edges behind Gronkowski, and Woodhead will get some opportunities on draw plays.
I expect another pass-heavy attack against the Ravens this week. Specifically, I think The Patriots will make a living on passes outside the numbers. Brandon Lloyd has shown great prowess near the sideline this season. In the AFC championship, we saw a lot man-to-man on the outside with a single high safety over the top. The Patriots had lots of success running vertical routes against man coverage to open up space for 5-10 yard out patterns. The strength of the Ravens D is up the middle with Lewis, Reed, and Ngata, so it make sense to attack the perimeter.
On this first play, Brady throws to #84 Deion Branch on a quick out pattern. Hernandez commands coverage over the top from #20 Ed Reed, which gives Branch a little extra space to gain 5 more yards after the catch. #11 Julian Edelman also runs a vertical to split Ed Reed's attention between 3 guys: Edelman, Hernandez, and Gronk. Brady takes the easy read to Branch. I expect to see Branch in the mix this week doing more of the same.
Next, we see a similar concept with a different formation. The single-high Safety is Bernard Pollard, and Ed Reed comes into the box to take Edelman in man-to-man. Welker and Branch run verticals that pinch their defenders together to give Edelman space underneath. On the other side, Hernandez and Gronkowski act as decoys to keep Pollard in the middle long enough to get the ball to Edelman. Ed Reed is a HOF Free Safety, but Brady, McDaniels, and I consider this a mismatch given Edelman's quickness in and out of breaks. Edelman freezes Reed with a step to the inside, giving him room to make the catch-and-run for 10 yards.
It is hard to tell exactly how The Ravens will adjust these schemes without the presence of Hernandez, but I still expect The Patriots to attack man coverage to the outside. This concept is especially true when The Ravens play with only one deep Safety. Vertical routes on both sides require the CBs to run upfield the whole way with their man, which frees up the short passing game.
However, Brady and The Patriots need to be wary of disguised coverages. Ed Reed has the speed to get back into a 2-high Safety position from 5-7 yards off the line. Reed's speed and Ray Lewis' coverage skills give The Ravens a lot of liberty to disguise their Defense. This is why The Patriots and Brady played very fast in no-huddle the whole game. Running no-huddle with quick snaps takes away the amount of disguising that The Ravens can afford to do because Brady is so good at catching players out of position. This fast play will limit the disguising, but hasty reeds could backfire given a good disguise. Likewise, Brady needs to make sure he has clean passing lanes to attack outside, tipped balls often lead to turnovers. Brady needs to play fast, but make good decisions.
*All pictures are property of The NFL, I do not claim ownership, but hope to use them educationally.
It seemed to me that The Patriots were in the Shotgun quite often, and Danny Woodhead played a high number of snaps due to a pass-heavy, no-huddle style of attack. Likewise, there were many instances of 2-TE and 3-WR sets where either Edelman or Hernandez accompanied Brady in the backfield. Hernandez's injury leaves us with less versatility, but I do think The Patriots will look to spread the field all the same.
With the Suggs and Pollard injuries (out and hobbled), the Ravens pass D is vulnerable. In passing situations, The Ravens pass rush has suffered with the injury to Suggs, but I still expect them to challenge our O-line. The Offensive line had trouble moving Campbell and Dockett last week, and again this week they will have two ~350 lb DL to deal with in Kemoeatu and Ngata. As far as rushing goes, I doubt that The Patriots will be able to run the ball up the middle in obvious situations. Ridley will likely attack the edges behind Gronkowski, and Woodhead will get some opportunities on draw plays.
I expect another pass-heavy attack against the Ravens this week. Specifically, I think The Patriots will make a living on passes outside the numbers. Brandon Lloyd has shown great prowess near the sideline this season. In the AFC championship, we saw a lot man-to-man on the outside with a single high safety over the top. The Patriots had lots of success running vertical routes against man coverage to open up space for 5-10 yard out patterns. The strength of the Ravens D is up the middle with Lewis, Reed, and Ngata, so it make sense to attack the perimeter.
On this first play, Brady throws to #84 Deion Branch on a quick out pattern. Hernandez commands coverage over the top from #20 Ed Reed, which gives Branch a little extra space to gain 5 more yards after the catch. #11 Julian Edelman also runs a vertical to split Ed Reed's attention between 3 guys: Edelman, Hernandez, and Gronk. Brady takes the easy read to Branch. I expect to see Branch in the mix this week doing more of the same.
Next, we see a similar concept with a different formation. The single-high Safety is Bernard Pollard, and Ed Reed comes into the box to take Edelman in man-to-man. Welker and Branch run verticals that pinch their defenders together to give Edelman space underneath. On the other side, Hernandez and Gronkowski act as decoys to keep Pollard in the middle long enough to get the ball to Edelman. Ed Reed is a HOF Free Safety, but Brady, McDaniels, and I consider this a mismatch given Edelman's quickness in and out of breaks. Edelman freezes Reed with a step to the inside, giving him room to make the catch-and-run for 10 yards.
It is hard to tell exactly how The Ravens will adjust these schemes without the presence of Hernandez, but I still expect The Patriots to attack man coverage to the outside. This concept is especially true when The Ravens play with only one deep Safety. Vertical routes on both sides require the CBs to run upfield the whole way with their man, which frees up the short passing game.
However, Brady and The Patriots need to be wary of disguised coverages. Ed Reed has the speed to get back into a 2-high Safety position from 5-7 yards off the line. Reed's speed and Ray Lewis' coverage skills give The Ravens a lot of liberty to disguise their Defense. This is why The Patriots and Brady played very fast in no-huddle the whole game. Running no-huddle with quick snaps takes away the amount of disguising that The Ravens can afford to do because Brady is so good at catching players out of position. This fast play will limit the disguising, but hasty reeds could backfire given a good disguise. Likewise, Brady needs to make sure he has clean passing lanes to attack outside, tipped balls often lead to turnovers. Brady needs to play fast, but make good decisions.
*All pictures are property of The NFL, I do not claim ownership, but hope to use them educationally.
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