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jakedog56
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So people are complaining that there is not enough football talk on this board, and admitably there is a lot of sniping going on back and forth so I will put forward this post to try and stimulate a little conversation:
The Pats and the Seahawks go into the Super Bowl as possibly the two best teams in the NFL over this season, so it is a true monumental matchup. But based on last weeks performance, the Seahawks had better not come out slow or the Pats will roll over them like Seattle themselves did to the Broncos last year.
Note that I am not all that familiar with the details on the Pats so I would appreciate a knowledgeable Pats fan (or other) to chime in and enlighten us-
Key matchups:
Tom Brady vs. Seattle secondary: Seattle's defensive philosophy in the passing game is to not blitz much and play as much man to man coverage as possible. They don't allow the long ball but rely on giving short routes and then making the receivers pay. This is countered by the Patriots who are near the bottom of the NFL in long passes (over 20 yards) but are at the top in the shorter passing game.
Seattle allows receptions on 72% of short passes and that seems to play right into Brady's hands but a lot of QBs have tried and struggled when they attempt to take advantage of this.
Also, Brady is one of the best against blitzing but, as mentioned above, Seattle does not blitz much.
Groz vs. Wright/Chancellor: There is no doubt that Groz often looks like a man among boys when he is healthy (which it appears he currently is). Most people seem to think that Seattle hit machine Kam Chancellor will be covering him, but the truth is that a player that is not often talked about on the Seahawk's D will probably be on him the majority of the time. Wright is an excellent coverage LB with great speed and stands 6'4" with long arms. He has been instrumental in containing Jimmy Graham, Vernon Davis, Julius Thomas, etc. He was beaten badly by Antonio Gates earlier this year but that appears to be an anomaly. Look for the Pats to try to go to Groz often. The Seahawk's scheme against him could make or break this game one way or the other.
Seattle WRs vs. Revis/Browner: They may complain about not getting respect but the truth is that the Seattle WR's are not one of the better units in the league. You would think that Revis and Browner should be able to contain them, but the Pats pass D has struggled at times this year and Seahawk's WRs Baldwin is strong underneath while Kearse can make big plays over the top. I wonder if the Seahawks will challenge Revis island or if they will avoid throwing in his direction.
Seattle running game vs Pats run D: The Pats have been strong against the run this year (9th in yards allowed) but the Seahawks have a formidable attack in the battering ram Lynch and the evasive Wilson. My guess is that Hightower or Collins will probably be assigned to spy on Wilson (just a guess here) but most teams have had a contain on him and still have struggled to stop the Seahawks.
My guess is that Lynch will get his yards regardless. Even if you sell out to stop the run, he eventually breaks some tackles and gains some ground. If the Pats can keep him at a reasonable level and keep Wilson from gaining yards with his legs then they will have accomplished a major step towards victory.
Injuries to both Earl Thomas (dislocated shoulder) and Richard Sherman (sprained elbow) could be a major wildcard in this battle. I fully expect both to go but if they get reinjured, or are limited in their effectiveness then it could be a big blow to the Seahawks chances to repeat.
Note that the Seahawk's base D is an unorthodox 4-3 that is essentially a 3-4 with one of the LBs as a designated DL player (the LEO position). I won't go into details but they are fairly straightforward in their schemes and try to make teams adjust to them instead of the other way around. I know that the Pats run a 4-3, but also have a 3-4 package that they threw in early in the year but I am not sure if they are still using it regularly.
That's all I have time for at the moment. Hopefully this will be an informative, ongoing discussion throughout the next two weeks.
The Pats and the Seahawks go into the Super Bowl as possibly the two best teams in the NFL over this season, so it is a true monumental matchup. But based on last weeks performance, the Seahawks had better not come out slow or the Pats will roll over them like Seattle themselves did to the Broncos last year.
Note that I am not all that familiar with the details on the Pats so I would appreciate a knowledgeable Pats fan (or other) to chime in and enlighten us-
Key matchups:
Tom Brady vs. Seattle secondary: Seattle's defensive philosophy in the passing game is to not blitz much and play as much man to man coverage as possible. They don't allow the long ball but rely on giving short routes and then making the receivers pay. This is countered by the Patriots who are near the bottom of the NFL in long passes (over 20 yards) but are at the top in the shorter passing game.
Seattle allows receptions on 72% of short passes and that seems to play right into Brady's hands but a lot of QBs have tried and struggled when they attempt to take advantage of this.
Also, Brady is one of the best against blitzing but, as mentioned above, Seattle does not blitz much.
Groz vs. Wright/Chancellor: There is no doubt that Groz often looks like a man among boys when he is healthy (which it appears he currently is). Most people seem to think that Seattle hit machine Kam Chancellor will be covering him, but the truth is that a player that is not often talked about on the Seahawk's D will probably be on him the majority of the time. Wright is an excellent coverage LB with great speed and stands 6'4" with long arms. He has been instrumental in containing Jimmy Graham, Vernon Davis, Julius Thomas, etc. He was beaten badly by Antonio Gates earlier this year but that appears to be an anomaly. Look for the Pats to try to go to Groz often. The Seahawk's scheme against him could make or break this game one way or the other.
Seattle WRs vs. Revis/Browner: They may complain about not getting respect but the truth is that the Seattle WR's are not one of the better units in the league. You would think that Revis and Browner should be able to contain them, but the Pats pass D has struggled at times this year and Seahawk's WRs Baldwin is strong underneath while Kearse can make big plays over the top. I wonder if the Seahawks will challenge Revis island or if they will avoid throwing in his direction.
Seattle running game vs Pats run D: The Pats have been strong against the run this year (9th in yards allowed) but the Seahawks have a formidable attack in the battering ram Lynch and the evasive Wilson. My guess is that Hightower or Collins will probably be assigned to spy on Wilson (just a guess here) but most teams have had a contain on him and still have struggled to stop the Seahawks.
My guess is that Lynch will get his yards regardless. Even if you sell out to stop the run, he eventually breaks some tackles and gains some ground. If the Pats can keep him at a reasonable level and keep Wilson from gaining yards with his legs then they will have accomplished a major step towards victory.
Injuries to both Earl Thomas (dislocated shoulder) and Richard Sherman (sprained elbow) could be a major wildcard in this battle. I fully expect both to go but if they get reinjured, or are limited in their effectiveness then it could be a big blow to the Seahawks chances to repeat.
Note that the Seahawk's base D is an unorthodox 4-3 that is essentially a 3-4 with one of the LBs as a designated DL player (the LEO position). I won't go into details but they are fairly straightforward in their schemes and try to make teams adjust to them instead of the other way around. I know that the Pats run a 4-3, but also have a 3-4 package that they threw in early in the year but I am not sure if they are still using it regularly.
That's all I have time for at the moment. Hopefully this will be an informative, ongoing discussion throughout the next two weeks.