Revisting 2011 - 1st Jets Game, week 5
As Belichick and company continue to shape their roster, we at The Flying Elvis think forward...by looking backward. Today, I relived a game against our hated rivals the New York Jets. We won the game, and I remembered that instantly. BUT THATS NOT THE POINT.
The point is, that the Patriots Defense actually looked pretty decent in this game. Or was it the ineptitude of the Mark Sanchez passing attack? Forced a lot of 3-and-outs, and competed well for sixty minutes. What do the stats say:
Jets went 3 for 11 on 3rd down
Pats went 7 for 14 on 3rd down
Jets ran 53 plays for 255 yards - 4.8 average
Pats ran 72 plays for 446 yards - 6.8 average
Jets ran the ball 25 times at 3.9 yards per carry...
WAIT.
I was going to make an argument that the Patriots Defense looked decent, but I am not sure that I can.
The Jets hung around in this game because of their Defense. Brady got sacked 4 times and threw an INT in the redzone at the end of the half. That possible TD before half would have made this game much different.
If a team is hanging around in a game like this one (that the Patriots Offense has dominated with 446 yards) then the Defense needs to be able to make consecutive stops and put it away. If this 2012 Defense is as good as we hope and speculate, then the Defense of 2012 needs to be able to put games away with a 10 point lead.
The Pats should be able to win a game 24-17 without having to keep pace with the other team's comeback attempt. In this game Brady was forced to go out and lead long drives because Sanchez got hot and completed a bunch of passes against The Notorious Bend-But-Don't-Break Defense. This 2012 Defense had better not feature that as their motto, because heads will roll. We need a new mantra, and new nicknames to reflect the turnover and improvement on D.
PROSPECTIVE DEFENSIVE PLAYER NICKNAMES
The point is, that the Patriots Defense actually looked pretty decent in this game. Or was it the ineptitude of the Mark Sanchez passing attack? Forced a lot of 3-and-outs, and competed well for sixty minutes. What do the stats say:
Jets went 3 for 11 on 3rd down
Pats went 7 for 14 on 3rd down
Jets ran 53 plays for 255 yards - 4.8 average
Pats ran 72 plays for 446 yards - 6.8 average
Jets ran the ball 25 times at 3.9 yards per carry...
WAIT.
I was going to make an argument that the Patriots Defense looked decent, but I am not sure that I can.
The Jets hung around in this game because of their Defense. Brady got sacked 4 times and threw an INT in the redzone at the end of the half. That possible TD before half would have made this game much different.
If a team is hanging around in a game like this one (that the Patriots Offense has dominated with 446 yards) then the Defense needs to be able to make consecutive stops and put it away. If this 2012 Defense is as good as we hope and speculate, then the Defense of 2012 needs to be able to put games away with a 10 point lead.
The Pats should be able to win a game 24-17 without having to keep pace with the other team's comeback attempt. In this game Brady was forced to go out and lead long drives because Sanchez got hot and completed a bunch of passes against The Notorious Bend-But-Don't-Break Defense. This 2012 Defense had better not feature that as their motto, because heads will roll. We need a new mantra, and new nicknames to reflect the turnover and improvement on D.
PROSPECTIVE DEFENSIVE PLAYER NICKNAMES
- Chandler Jones and Donte' Hightower - The Bash Brothers (a la Mighty Ducks).
- Patrick Chung will come into his own (and be Bash Bros. #3)
- ...or be replaced by The Rugby Maniac, Nate Ebner.
- ..or The Chosen One, Tavon Wilson.
- Wilfork is Vince Wilfork.
- Spikes doesn't really need a nickname.
- McCourty has lost his rights to nicknames.
- Sterling "Still Around For" Moore
- Lets hope Kyle Arringtion doesn't become K.Y. (we want sticky cover guys, not slippery)
- Instead, Kyle Love can be "K.Y. Lovin's"
- Jermaine "Sunday Ham" Cunningham
- Ras-I "Like A Boss-I" Dowling
- Still workin on ones for Rob Ninkovich and Steve Gregory
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