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How to Beat the New England Patriots

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by GMJohnson, Oct 25, 2013.

  1. GMJohnson

    GMJohnson New Member

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    On defense: Force the issue.

    This is the Clabo-Gate play. Notice Buffalo is in a Bear front with a NT over Pouncey and DTs on the outside shoulder of both Jerry and Incognito. It's the perfect front to defend the run, every gap is accounted for and safety Jim Leonard has come down into the box to snuff out anything on a potential cutback or if we break tendency and run behind Martin.

    [​IMG][​IMG]

    Tannehill correctly audibled to a pass and we know what happens next, no need to go there. I show this look b/c IMO Coyle should use it to defend New England on Sunday. Assuming Ellerbe cannot go it should be Jared Odrick entering the lineup to replace him instead of Jason Trusnik on running downs with either Dion Jordan or Jelani Jenkins coming in on passing downs.

    With Odrick-Solia-Starks over the A-B gaps, Wake/Vernon on the edges and Misi/Wheeler as gap control there will be nowhere for NE's backs to run in their base packages. The SOLB, Wake or Vernon, should play directly over Gronkowski, jamming him on pass routes before passing him off to the SS or jacking him up while setting the edge on runs. After 17 targets last week we should punish Gronk on every play with the goal of wearing him out.

    No doubt the Pats will look to spread Gronk out to combat this approach. If Gronk is in the slot, slide the SS down over him to play the out breaking routes, with a LB to play the inside and the FS in the middle to guard the seam. In Gronk lines up out wide, let Grimes or Patterson play him off/outside and slide a safety down to take away the short/inside game. DO NOT widen out a LB to help out. Obviously this leaves the corners 1 on 1 vs NE's WRs on the outside but that's a risk I'm willing to take because it allows Odrick-Soliai-Starks to push the pocket with Vernon (or Jordan) and Wake coming off the edge, the same scheme that gave Mario Williams his infamous 1 on 1 vs Tyson Clabo. In essence we're forcing Brady to throw the ball, we're forcing him to throw it outside and we're forcing him to throw it quickly or risk getting plastered.

    If the Pats decide to go spread, fine by me. WR is the weakest position on their offense and I like our top 3 CBs vs their top 3 WR's all day long provided we can generate a decent pass rush. Brady is Brady and he will make his share of plays but if we can force him to throw throw it 40-50+ while taking away his favorite targets we will be in good shape.

    On offense: Grind it Out

    For the first time in over a decade the weakness of the Pats D is right up the middle. Without Wilfork and Mayo Mike Sherman should attack the A-B gaps in the run game much the way he did (for 3 quarters) vs Buffalo and use multiple TE formations to force the coverage deficient Spikes and Hightower to play the pass.

    Up the tempo after every first down. Get to the line and call a predetermined play, preferably a run on the first few instances and a max-pro play action pass later on, but one or the other any time we move the chains. INOW give New England a dose of their own medicine.

    Get Matthews involved. NE's DB's don't tackle well and RM is our best YAC receiver. Look for him on screens, slants and crossing routes, especially if NE is rolling coverage over top of Mike Wallace. And enough with the damn wheel routes to Miller. Instead of installing that 0 for 100 play this week try working on some screens in practice, we look like a dadgum high school team trying run them for the first 6 games.

    Above all, protect the ball. The Pats know our routes and they probably know our audibles as well, their corners will be looking to pull a Nickell Roby and nothing would kill our chances of pulling off the road upset quicker than a pick 6 against.

    Run the ball, stay patient, turn the game into a low scoring slug fest if at all possible (see Jets @ Pats Week 2) and unlike NY, close the deal when given the opportunity.


    Miami 21
    New England 16
































    I hope :shifty:
     
  2. finyank13

    finyank13 Reality Check

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    Love the breakdown.....The answer is simple, just pressure Brady.

    That guy is a totally different QB when pressured, he hears steps and I will go as far to say he is an average QB AT BEST.......

    You give him time to do that patented "bob a few times on his feet and deliver" he will kill you regardless of the WR corp
     
    GMJohnson likes this.
  3. ToddPhin

    ToddPhin Premium Member Luxury Box Club Member

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    yeah I would love for this to be the week our offense breaks tendency. The first play of the game I'd line up in a pro set formation [2 backs] and run an out & up, sell the heck out of the out- pump fake and all, use the backs to double the ends, and hope New England's adrenaline-flowing corner eagerly jumps the route thinking pick 6. If it's covered up, dump it off to either of the backs. Even if it's covered up it sends a message to Belichick that we're aware of our tendencies and that nothing today may be as it seemed on film. Hopefully that leaves his defense playing us honestly the rest of the game and opens up those sideline routes.

    With Hightower & Spikes on the field in coverage I'd creatively use a lot of pro set stuff which also should inherently work well against a run defense missing Wilfork & Mayo, and our personnel has enough versatility with Clay, Thomas, Miller, and even Egnew & Thigpen to allow for some creativity. From the formation we could work those big linebackers in coverage after chipping the pass rushers or just have them peel off into the flats. Pound the ball inside from it and work the flats & short middle with the backs/hbacks until it garners safety attention and then mix in the play action.
     
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  4. RGF

    RGF THE FINSTER Club Member

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    Hey,stop making Sherman look bad.
     
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  5. ToddPhin

    ToddPhin Premium Member Luxury Box Club Member

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    that's what I was thinking as well. Plus Hartline is a better bet to draw single coverage and have the DB less respectful of the vertical stuff so that he'd be more inclined to jump the out than if Wallace were running it.

    While Brady's completion % is down [below 50% in 2 of the past 3 games and a crappy 55% for the season] I think it'd be wise to focus on stuffing the run on 1st Down [like GM mentioned with the bear front above] and make New England one dimensional facing frequent 2nd & longs. Then Brady will have 2 attempts to move the chains, and at roughly a 50% incompletion rate and a dink-and-dunk passing game we're mathematically banking on Brady missing one of the attempts and having the other fall short of the sticks. Hopefully we can stall a handful of drives this way.
     
  6. wiseman101

    wiseman101 Banned

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    If you can't throw under pressure you are in deep doo doo.
     
  7. djphinfan

    djphinfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    That's good stuff GM, unfortunately I have no confidence in where this team is at mentally..maybe they just need to get away from home and we'll see some freakin emotion.
     
  8. GMJohnson

    GMJohnson New Member

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    I'd love to see something like that. An out and up, reverse, flea flicker, anything. I thought Sherm broke tendency some last week, starting DT at RB, establishing the run early, using more roll outs, having Tannehill audible more at the line. Hopefully it's a trend that continues.

    Werd.

    The multiple TE sets should be our base offense this week, my apologies to Brandon Gibson. Egnew, Clay and Sims can all line up inline, in the slot or out wide. Clay can play FB and Egnew played FB last week as well. Use those guys and mix up the formations to create some matchups vs the NE LBs'. Crossing routes and checkdowns should be the name of the game, when we're not pounding their D tackles that is.
     
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  9. GMJohnson

    GMJohnson New Member

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    You've been banging the home field lack of advantage for a while and I definitely think there's something to it. We've fallen behind early in every home game, to inferior teams IMO. Meanwhile on the road we controlled Cleveland, jumped all over Indy and were driving to take the lead late in the 2nd quarter vs Nawlins before disaster struck.

    Since there's no joy in playing at home in the deflating atmosphere I can imagine they get more of a rush out of going on the road and shutting up the opposing crowd.

    FYI: I know we've lost three straight but the Patriots are quietly one miracle finish away from entering Sunday's game on a 3 game losing streak of their own.
     
  10. MikeHoncho

    MikeHoncho -=| Censored |=-

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    [​IMG]
     
  11. Rocky Raccoon

    Rocky Raccoon Greasepaint Ghost Staff Member

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    Great break down. The Buffalo loss still hurts, but if they can pull this off then all will be forgiven. I know everyone keeps talking about this not being the same old Pats, but as Philbin said earlier this week, I'm not buying it. They still have Belichick and they still have Brady, AND they're getting Amendola and Talib back. They're also pretty pissed about losing on a fluke last week to a rival. If we protect the ball and can establish the run and pressure Brady, we can win. We'll see what happens. I'm eager to see how we respond with our backs to the wall.
     
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  12. 77FinFan

    77FinFan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    I think we can win. Pressure up the middle on D, run the ball, hopefully get enough protection to let our WR's do some double moves.
     
  13. GMJohnson

    GMJohnson New Member

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    Youre sooo right. It took me until Thursday, and a few drinks, to go back and review the Bills game.

    IMO the difference w this years Pats is that they can't run away from teams anymore, especially decent teams. They have to fight for everything they get. For whatever reason the PHins seem to play better when the pressure is off and expectations are low, and nothing lowers expectations like a loss at home vs the Bills.
     
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  14. Jaj

    Jaj Registered

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    It's an interesting idea. You play essentially with is a 3-4 except the two DTs are in the three technique instead of the five which is incredibly hard for the three guys on the center of the line to stop. Soliai against a C in solo coverage is basically a rocked pocket on every play, Starks is a monster coming off the snap and Odrick can get pressure against LGs. If you pickup some depth in Ratliff I'd like to see this package more often just for the sake of how difficult it is for any opponent to match up with say: Jordan-Odrick-Soliai-Starks-Wake coming off the ball.

    You're pretty much guaranteed that the center part of the line will collapse due to Soliai, the QB will piss scared of Odrick and Starks out of the B-Gaps with two excellent pass rusher on the edges. You'd need to at least have some help on the edges and more than likely you'd need a guy up the middle meaning 7 guys in protection, one QB, and just three threats after that including the RB.

    If Buffalo can pull that off Miami can do much better.
     
  15. RoninFin4

    RoninFin4 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    If Miami had some interior depth, they'd do well to run a 3-4, though I'm not really sure if you have a second ILB as of yet. Ellerbe's got experience in it, but I'm not sure if you want Misi or Wheeler playing there as well. I hope that Miami does shift back next year though. I think it's the best way to get the most out of Wake, Jordan, and Vernon on the edges.
     
  16. FanMarino

    FanMarino Season Ticket Holder

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    Wallace.....is it a myth a Miami WR can get 2TDs in a game? Wallace needs a breakout game. If he is going to do it then Sunday is a great time to show he's a weapon.
     
  17. Rocky Raccoon

    Rocky Raccoon Greasepaint Ghost Staff Member

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    Yeah, I tried to review the Bills game, but I didn't have the heart for it.

    We also seem to play better football on the road for whatever reason. And it's been like that for a while now. Remember 2010? 6-2 on the road and 1-7 at home. ONE AND SEVEN! But New England always gives us trouble in their building. Christmas Eve 2011 we were up by like 3 scores at halftime and they took the lead within like 5 minutes of the 3rd quarter. We didn't even score a point there last year, got destroyed there in 2010 and were competitive for a while there in 2009 before they pulled away.

    I understand they aren't the same dominant team, but they're still the New England Patriots as far as I'm concerned. We can win, but we have play a clean game.
     
  18. GMJohnson

    GMJohnson New Member

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    Good point, I think it applies to both teams though.

    The Dolphins have yet to prove they're capable of dealing with a team like "The "Patriots" and New England has yet to prove they are still the "The Patriots".
     
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