Patriots** Appreciation Thread

Yes, I am starting this. This is not a troll attempt at all. We've all been talking about the Patriots** and how successful they are. Did you ever wonder why they have been so successful at what they do? Here are my thoughts and opinions at why.

1. Scouting - Their scouting has to be impeccable for them to do what they have done. I think they figured out something the rest of the league hasn't: sabermetrics for football, and they figured it out for a long time now. Think about it. How many players do they scrape off of waiver wires and the like and turn them into superstars? Or they trade away a seemingly gifted player, only to have that player suck everywhere else. It has to be sabermetrics. I know Cleveland starting thinking this way, but I think they are simply too inept to get it right. N.E. has lots of game tape and they look for the little things on players during scouting, and have it down to a science.
   
   
2. Game Preparation - This is a big one. N.E. seems to know exactly how to beat a team and execute it perfectly. That is pure coaching X's and O's. On the surface, what they do is simple. They completely take away your best option 100%. For us, that would be Brown. They will double up on him and take him out of the game at no matter the cost. They will literally say, beat us with someone else. Last year, that someone else was Ayers. We know how that ended up.
   
   On Offense, their WR routes are very complex. They are a lot of "if this, then that" type routes. It requires the entire O to think as one. Both QB and WR have to be on the same page for it to work. Both have to recognize the D, and run the correct route to counter it. Ever see N.E.'s WRs? They are usually open with 5-7 yards to spare every time. Our WRs are constantly in combat catches.
   
   
3. Brady - Having an otherworldly QB definitely helps, but they did beat the Texans last year 28-0 with a 3rd string QB. That same Texans D was the best in the league statistically. Although Brady make the O that much better, they have other things as well for when Brady is out. And the year Brady was out entirely, they did go 11-6 (but missed the playoffs). Was that Matt Cassel QBing that year?
   
   

I'll come back to this and edit it a bit later to add more thoughts.

You forgot this:

4. Cheating - They record video of opposing teams signals to make it easier for their offense to identify defensive schemes and blitzes which gives them a competitive advantage. They also deflate footballs to fit Tom Brady's preferences, and to make the ball a little more catchable. They also look for loopholes in the rulebook that they can exploit to their advantage, some say this is just smart, others would say it's kind of shady.



Joking aside, you can't really deny that these jerkoffs have a good football team and they are constantly good, even after they stopped with the cheating stuff.

They also know the strenghts/weaknesses of all their players very well and only ask their players to do what's within their reach. They use them in a way that they're a plus for the team. As a player you know that the team's result is more important than your own statistics. They don't allow players to be selfish and they exploit the opponent's weaknesses. If that means they will have to run all game and not throw a single pass, they will do it and vice versa. They also aren't afraid to admit their mistakes. Contrary to what people sometimes believe they regularly make some bad trades/signings but aren't afraid to cut/trade said players promptly.

And now I need to take a dump and brush my teeth

5. In Game Changes - the one thing I've noticed about the Patriots****** coaching staff is their obedience to making in game/half time changes. If they're getting beat in one aspect or another you'll see their offense and/or defense make changes to account for the area they're getting beat in. It is the one area our coaches, specifically defense, has failed to make especially when playing the cheatriots*****

So now, how do we beat them.

1. Get to Brady: The knock on Brady has always been to hit him first, hit him hard, and hit him often. If you don't then he'll tear your secondary apart. But hit him and he starts getting happy feet. Better gas up your defense because they'll need to go hard at him for a solid 60 minutes of football. Atlanta showed this last year in the Super Bowl, only problem is by the 4th quarter they were gassed and couldn't keep up the pressure and you saw the results.

2. Break up the timing: A majority of the passes are timing. Usually quick throws. So in order to disrupt them, you need to man up at the line and check them hard. I'm not talking about with your hands, I'm talking about shoulder pad to shoulder pad knock them back a yard. But you better have someone over top to cover the release especially on Cooks and Gronk.

3. On offense go quick pace: The Patriots****** defense isn't what it once was and they can be pushed to their limits especially with a pounding offensive line and ball control. Give your defense time to rest, push the ball down field chunks at a time.

4. TDs not FGs: In years past, the Steelers have gained yards against the Patriots****** but they've been unable to put TDs. Stop it! It's time to put up some heavy points against the Patriots***** and pushing the ball in to the endzone. And when you get a lead, get a bigger lead, and when you've got a bigger lead, then get an even bigger lead!

Fuck the *...they get no love from me... Cheating assholes

vasteeler wrote:

Fuck  the *...they get no love from me... Cheating assholes

Don't hold back, tell us how you really feel!

vasteeler wrote:

Fuck  the *...they get no love from me... Cheating assholes

Ha, preach it. I fucking hate those assholes and have no respect for them at all.

stlrtruck wrote:

5. In Game Changes - the one thing I've noticed about the Patriots******* coaching staff is their obedience to making in game/half time changes.  If they're getting beat in one aspect or another you'll see their offense and/or defense make changes to account for the area they're getting beat in.  It is the one area our coaches, specifically defense, has failed to make especially when playing the cheatriots*****

That was going to be my next one on the list.

vasteeler wrote:

Fuck  the *...they get no love from me... Cheating assholes

Yeah I hate them as well. I'll give them credit for their most recent success but those first three Super Bowls they won, those all have an asterisk next to them in my book. Funny how they got dominated by us in Ben's rookie season during the regular season, and all of a sudden they were a powerhouse in the playoffs.

never know that Brady would turn out as a damn good QB but I have watch a lot of Ohio State Michigan games old school back in Bo Schembechler days.

early football defense played man on the out side to stop the run so what Bo did when he took over at Michigan have a power running. USC copied Bo's offense to a tee but had the speed at WRs.

when Bo took over at Michigan

Bo knew his wide outs couldn't win most of the time against Ohio State CB (in the beginning) so he went with off tackle run plays and crossing patterns (he recruited blocking / receiving TEs) most of the Patriots***** offense with Brady comes from the Bo Schembechler offense.

also works against the bend but don't break defenses it is a base offense that moves the chains and make a defense commit one way or the other.

throw in a trap between the tackle.

Honestly I think the key to beating them, of course goes without saying, is get to Brady. Brady is what makes NE what it is. Without him, they're still a good team (went 11-5 with Cassell), but with Brady they're perennial championship contenders.

But over the years, the only teams that ever gave them problems were the ones that could pressure the QB with a 4-man rush. The reason why Steeler teams constantly failed is they relied on blitzes and outside pressure to get to the QB. Brady gets rid of the ball way too fast for outside pressure to get there, and if you blitz him, he'll find the one on one coverage and burn you.

The 2 teams that had a lot of success vs him were the Giants and Broncos, and sometimes the Ravens. All those teams had one thing in common. They can get to the QB without having to send blitzers.

This year I believe the defensive philosophy and personnel works for us a lot better than it has in the past. Our best players at getting after the QB are the DE's (Tuitt and Heyward), and Hargrave has also shown the ability to rush the passer. This is HUGE, because the way to pressure Brady is from the inside, you have to get in his face. We have more athletic OLB's than in the past that could also cover (Watt / Dupree), and 2 of our inside backers are good blitzers (shazier / williams), so it's less obvious who is the 4th man coming at the QB.

And the secondary is upgraded, although for the Patriots* game, I'd love to have Haden back, but it doesn't seem to be likely. Regardless, the secondary is better than it's been in past years. I really think this year may be different. If Ben doesn't turn the ball over against the Pats*, this could be the year their dominance ends. This Steeler D over the past years has been built to stop the Patriots* offense, and it all starts from the DL. There's no way around it, the only way to beat the Pats* is to be able to pressure Brady bringing only 3-4, you can't blitz him and not expect to get picked apart.

Fire Arians wrote:

Honestly I think the key to beating them, of course goes without saying, is get to Brady. Brady is what makes NE what it is. Without him, they're still a good team (went 11-5 with Cassell), but with Brady they're perennial championship contenders.

But over the years, the only teams that ever gave them problems were the ones that could pressure the QB with a 4-man rush. The reason why Steeler teams constantly failed is they relied on blitzes and outside pressure to get to the QB. Brady gets rid of the ball way too fast for outside pressure to get there, and if you blitz him, he'll find the one on one coverage and burn you.

The 2 teams that had a lot of success vs him were the Giants and Broncos, and sometimes the Ravens. All those teams had one thing in common. They can get to the QB without having to send blitzers.

This year I believe the defensive philosophy and personnel works for us a lot better than it has in the past. Our best players at getting after the QB are the DE's (Tuitt and Heyward), and Hargrave has also shown the ability to rush the passer. This is HUGE, because the way to pressure Brady is from the inside, you have to get in his face. We have more athletic OLB's than in the past that could also cover (Watt / Dupree), and 2 of our inside backers are good blitzers (shazier / williams), so it's less obvious who is the 4th man coming at the QB.

And the secondary is upgraded, although for the Patriots** game, I'd love to have Haden back, but it doesn't seem to be likely. Regardless, the secondary is better than it's been in past years. I really think this year may be different. If Ben doesn't turn the ball over against the Pats**, this could be the year their dominance ends. This Steeler D over the past years has been built to stop the Patriots** offense, and it all starts from the DL. There's no way around it, the only way to beat the Pats** is to be able to pressure Brady bringing only 3-4, you can't blitz him and not expect to get picked apart.

You know this. I know this. We all know this. Does Tomlin and Butler know this, or will we see "new and different" zone blitz packages?

jak341 wrote:

Fire Arians wrote:

Honestly I think the key to beating them, of course goes without saying, is get to Brady. Brady is what makes NE what it is. Without him, they're still a good team (went 11-5 with Cassell), but with Brady they're perennial championship contenders.

But over the years, the only teams that ever gave them problems were the ones that could pressure the QB with a 4-man rush. The reason why Steeler teams constantly failed is they relied on blitzes and outside pressure to get to the QB. Brady gets rid of the ball way too fast for outside pressure to get there, and if you blitz him, he'll find the one on one coverage and burn you.

The 2 teams that had a lot of success vs him were the Giants and Broncos, and sometimes the Ravens. All those teams had one thing in common. They can get to the QB without having to send blitzers.

This year I believe the defensive philosophy and personnel works for us a lot better than it has in the past. Our best players at getting after the QB are the DE's (Tuitt and Heyward), and Hargrave has also shown the ability to rush the passer. This is HUGE, because the way to pressure Brady is from the inside, you have to get in his face. We have more athletic OLB's than in the past that could also cover (Watt / Dupree), and 2 of our inside backers are good blitzers (shazier / williams), so it's less obvious who is the 4th man coming at the QB.

And the secondary is upgraded, although for the Patriots*** game, I'd love to have Haden back, but it doesn't seem to be likely. Regardless, the secondary is better than it's been in past years. I really think this year may be different. If Ben doesn't turn the ball over against the Pats***, this could be the year their dominance ends. This Steeler D over the past years has been built to stop the Patriots*** offense, and it all starts from the DL. There's no way around it, the only way to beat the Pats*** is to be able to pressure Brady bringing only 3-4, you can't blitz him and not expect to get picked apart.

You know this. I know this. We all know this. Does Tomlin and Butler know this, or will we see "new and different" zone blitz packages?

Yup, the team that used to frustrate Brady the most was the early 2000s Dolphins with Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas because they were always in Brady's face and knocking him to the ground. I remember reading back then that they were in his head badly. That is what we need to establish with him early in the next matchup. Get him early and often and then it will be in his head the rest of the game and then in the playoffs if we face them again.

I say we just put JuJu in at corner and send him on a blitz.

fire arians is right Brady eats up a zone blitzing team he'll throw 5 yard pass patterns all game if he has too.

man coverage defenses slants and crossing patterns all game long if he has too.

Brady and the Cheats offense are very good at using short pass patterns to set up the long ball pass.

effyou515 wrote:

fire arians is right Brady eats up a zone blitzing team he'll throw 5 yard pass patterns all game if he has too.

man coverage defenses slants and crossing patterns all game long if he has too.

Brady and the Cheats offense are very good at using short pass patterns to set up the long ball pass.

That's where we have to play man coverage, we cannot sit back in zone all game and let them pick us apart. We tried that last year, and it failed miserably. If you can't play a mix of man/zone against the Patriots*, and get pressure with your pass rushers on Brady, then it's going to be extremely tough to beat them.