Tuesday Nov. 6, 2007
Deisman__Guest_: Chris, the Pats employed a scheme weighted toward Defensive Backs and Linemen with few linebackers. Obviously, they did this to take away pass plays, but do you also think they did this to decrease the total number of possessions and slow the game down since the Pats lost to the Colts last time in part because the Defense was fatigued at the end?Christopher_Gasper: Bill Belichick mentioned yesterday that what they did with the 4-2-5 alignment was basically use 10 players for the six spots filled by defensive lineman and linebackers and that included using Rosevelt Colvin and Adalius Thomas as down lineman at times. Also, Rodney Harrison was basically playing outside linebacker in this game. I think they did this to prevent fatigue, which was a factor in the AFC title game.
Jimbo57__Guest_: Looking at the Patriots' final regular season games, would you rate the Steelers game or the Giants game as a tougher matchup?
Christopher_Gasper: Jimbo,
Christopher_Gasper: I think the Steelers are the biggest obstacle to the Patriots going 16-0. They have the top-rated defense in the NFL, a pass rush that can get to Brady, a strong running game with Willie Parker to play keep away and a Super Bowl-winning quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger, who has thrown 20 TD passes and just 6 INTs.
estreetband: Opie and Anthony are reporting that Brady is suspended for 4 games for supplement use. They base this on an ESPN report . I saw nothing online about this. I assum it's totally bogus. Any comments?
Christopher_Gasper: I haven't anything about this and Brady is not scheduled to talk today. Basically, you have to consider the source. The Patriots aren't even dignifying this with a response. It would be a shocker to all of us if it turns out to be true.
Spydmike__Guest_: Did Adalius Thomas have areduced role in the game on Sunday? Seems to me there are a couple unhappy RBs in the league, Dominc Rhodes, LaMont Jordan, that would fill the Sammy Morris role nicely. What are the chances of a move or is it too late?
Christopher_Gasper: Spydmike,
Christopher_Gasper: Don't give up on AD just yet. I was as surprised as anyone at his reduced role in Indy, but I think in the long-term and the short-term (the rest of the season) he has value to this team. It's too late to trade for an RB because the trading dealine was Oct. 16.
YukonC__Guest_: I think a lot of people looked at Adalius Thomas as a big sack threat for the Pat's opposing QBs, but to date he only has been credited for half a sack, he was hardly even mentioned during the Indy game and his utilization seems to be a lot different than what people thought coming into the season. Could you give some insight into this? Thanks.
Christopher_Gasper: This is similar to the last question. Adalius is playing inside linebacker for the Patriots. He entered the season with 28 sacks in the last three seasons, but that was in Baltimore, where he was playing outside linebacker. The Ravens 3-4 is totally different from the Patriots 3-4. Baltimore loves to blitz and pressure, which no doubt helped Thomas's sack totals.
triple_x__Guest_: Chris, why don't we see any articles on boston.com about the horrendous refereeing in the Pats game? Sound gate gets a lot of press but that pares in comparison to the job the refs are doing. Is it taboo to write about?
Christopher_Gasper: I do think the officials had a poor day in Indy. It started when the opening coin toss was dropped. Asante Samuel nearly had a seizure signaling for Belichick to throw the flag on the catch by Aaron Morehead that was overturned. The Hobbs interference call was just awful. The league owes him another apology. That being said some of the Patriots' penalties were obvious like the Matt Light leg whip.
ipswichpatsfan__Guest_: Hi chris, What about Dillion? Maroney is nice in long yardage situations, but this teams needs a bulldozer.
Christopher_Gasper: I spoke with Dillon's agent on Sat. night and it's obvious he would love to come back to the Patriots and why not. He sees what we all see, a team seemingly destined for the Super Bowl. However, Belichick said yesterday on WEEI that the team is set with what it has at RB. I think the interest is greater on Dillon's part than the Patriots' part.
Patsfanroach__Guest_: What do you see the Pats doing with Troy Brown? IR? Release? Sign? If signed who is in at WR and who is out?
Christopher_Gasper: I think the Patriots are going to buy as much time as they can with Troy before making a decision. They have until 4 p.m. on the day after the end of the 21-day evaluation period to activate him. We're talking about Week 12 at that point. Who knows? An injury might open a spot for him. I would be surprised if they cut Kelley Washington to clear room for Brown. Washington has become a big special teams contributor and has been invaluable on the scout team. He played Dallas Clark in practice all week, leading up to Indy.
vincent_Brown__Guest_: In the case of the three players coming off of the PUP list (Jackson, Jackson, and Brown) what do you think the outcome will be for the three of them, and if they are added to the active roster, which players will be shown the door?
Christopher_Gasper: Good to hear from you Vincent. One of my favorite Pats. I think that Eddie Jackson will be activated if he's healthy enough. I think he would have been activated instead of Ray Ventrone, if he had been good to go. I think Chad Jackson is headed for a redshirt year. That's just a hunch. I think we'll see Troy Brown at some point this year. You have to remember that injuries play a big part in these decisions. Suddenly, unexpected roster spots can open (see, Morris, Sammy).
Ironman__Guest_: How much of an impact do you think it had on the game that Indy was missing 4 starters?
Christopher_Gasper: Ironman,
Christopher_Gasper: I think it did have an impact. Marvin Harrison is a great player, but he is getting up there in age. Still, he demands a certain amount of defensive respect. I also think that the Patriots took advantage of Charlie Johnson, who had to shift over to left tackle to replace Tony Ugoh.
smokeshow__Guest_: Jim, do you think that Asante Samuel's play is hurting his potential to get the blockbuster free agent deal (Nate Clements) in the offseason? Will the Patriots franchise him again?
Christopher_Gasper: Jim,
Christopher_Gasper: How is Asante hurting himself? Anthony Gonzalez beat him on the pass interference, which was a marginal call, and then again int he end zone before he dropped a sure touchdown. However, overall, Asante has shown that he is one of the game's elite cornerbacks and deserves to be paid as such. Just ask Chad Johnson. And honestly, I didn't feel that way during his holdout, but he's shown last year wasn't a fluke.
niceweapons__Guest_: With SF tanking, the Patriots look like receiving a high pick in the next draft, possibly top 5. Any idea for who they might target, or will they trade the pick for a lower one and a future pick, recycling picks in the manner which has served them well thus far?
Christopher_Gasper: It's tough to project this far out, but your point about the 49ers is a good one. The Patriots could receive a top 10 pick. To me the areas they need to target are linebacker and cornerback. Cornerback in case they can't sign Samuel and linebacker because Bruschi, Seau, Vrabel, Colvin and Thomas are all 30 or older. I think James Laurinatis, a linebacker from Ohio State, is a Patriots type of player.
Sox_fan__Guest_: The Pats gave up one long touchdown on poor tackling on a play I think many players expected Addai to get out of bounds, and had two very questionable penalites that let the Colts get to the goal line, do you think the critics are giving Indy too much respect in playing with NE in this game????
Christopher_Gasper: Too much respect? The Colts did what no one had done this season and that's slow down the Patriots offense -- Brady had 97 yards passing after three quarters. The Colts did that without two of their starting linebackers. The Colts played a great game. The Patriots played a better one. The inverse was true in the AFC title game. These teams are evenly matched. That's a fact.
coolatta75__Guest_: because of "spygate," the Pats lose their 1st round pick. That's not the same pick as the one gained from the 49ers..right?
Christopher_Gasper: Yes, my understanding is that the league stripped them of their own pick. That's sure to ruffle some feathers around the league if the Patriots still end up with a Top 10 pick. I think Commissioner Goodell should have left himself some leeway on that one.
zeke__Guest_: Chris, last year everyone criticized the Chargers player who made a late interception that basically guaranteed a win for SD, but who was stripped by TB while trying to get unnecessary yardage. I thought our players were smarter than that, but I see it happen over and over again, this week it was R. Colvin. Why?
Christopher_Gasper: Yes, you know Rosie was not really focused on ball security there and the ball could have been knocked loose. I just think that defensive players are not used to carrying the ball. It's not natural for them.
VTPatPatriot__Guest_: When the Pats line up against the Colts again in the playoffs, do you see them continuing to focus on taking Clark away on D, or does the emphasis switch to Addai, who killed us. On offense the 3 wr sets and letting Brady pick the open man was more successful than the running game. Do they open next time gunning it down the field?
Christopher_Gasper: I think that the Patriots would employ a similar approach. You'd rather die at the hands of Addai than let Peyton Manning pick you apart. The Colts basically did the same thing. They moved Marlin Jackson, who was a safety in college, down into the box and used him as a pseudo-linebacker. It worked for three quarters.
uhgar__Guest_: would it be safe to say that if there were a first-half MVP trophy then Randy Moss would be the co-MVP along with Tom Brady? Because his presence is helping Brady's stats and when opponents double/triple team him, it helps the other receivers. And not to mention the other ridiculous plays he makes on the field.
Christopher_Gasper: Uhgar,
Christopher_Gasper: You have a point. Moss took that gave over when the Patriots were down and at one point Brady threw to him six straight times. The 55-yard reception may have been the biggest play of the game. Teams just don't have an answer for Moss. I'd say that Brady and Moss are co-MVPs. But I don't think it's realistic to expect two guys from the same team to share the award. My guess is Brady gets it.
Guinness02122__Guest_: It seems like speedy defensive ends were too much for the Pats tackles (Light and Kaczur) initially. Why wasn't Faulk or Evans in to help out?
Christopher_Gasper: My colleague Mike Reiss pointed this out today in his excellent blog. The Patriots went with a lot of 3 WR, 1 RB sets and I think the way the Colts were playing the running backs were going out as checkdows for Brady. The Colts were giving up the underneath stuff. Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney are tremendous speed rushers and Kaczur in particular had a tough time at right tackle with Mathis.
howie__Guest_: Chris, although Mike Vrabel has been great at OLB, he wasn't a bad ILB. Is there any chance of the Pats moving Thomas outside and sometimes moving him up on the line to pass rush, a la Willie McGinest? Let's face it, AD is a dead ringer for Willie on the field.
Christopher_Gasper: I don't think so. Vrabel has been playing great outside. He has 8.5 sacks and is on pace for a new career-high. I do think that Thomas is better suited for outside linebacker, but this season the Pats need him to play inside.
R59__Guest_: Am I off or did you hear the underlying message in the Pats' postgame quotes. They were saying that part of the reason they were able to comeback is because they were used to playing 60 full minutes and not backing off at the end of games with a big lead. I for one think this is why we "run up the score" as they say and not any sort of vengence over spygate.
Christopher_Gasper: R59,
Christopher_Gasper: That was a message that Belichick preached to the team before the week and it became the rallying cry for the Colts game. I still disagree with the way the Washington game was handled. I mean 4 and 2 from the 37 with a 45-0 lead and your backup QB in the game and you're in the shotgun. How did that help prepare them for the Colts game?
Ed__Guest_: In addition to the Buffalo game, can we expect more Pats games to be moved to prime time?
Christopher_Gasper: Ed,
Christopher_Gasper: To do that the league would have to flex out of the Patriots' Nov. 25 meeting with the Philadelphia Eagles, which is slated for Sunday Night Football. The maximum number of primetime appearances a team can have is six. The Patriots played the Chargers on Sunday night in Week 2. They were on Monday Night Football at Cincy in Week 4. The Buffalo game is a Sunday nighter now. The Eagles game is still a Sunday night game for now. They're playing on MNF again on Dec. 3 at Baltimore and the regular-season finale is a Sat. night game at Giants Stadium against the Giants.
klutch__Guest_: Hey Chris, I first want to say it's been a lot of fun reading your articles this year. You're doing a great job. Now my question for you is, do you ever get a chance to sit back and realize that your possibly witnessing history on a day-to-day basis? Thanks for the time, and enjoy the off-week.
Christopher_Gasper: klutch,
Christopher_Gasper: Yes, when you're at games like Pats-Dallas and Pats-Colts and just around the team in general you realize that the 2007 Patriots are something special. I'm lucky to cover them.
Kmac__Guest_: Why is the whole A.Thomas situation being treated like a big dark secret? Is he still hurt? Is he not getting the game plan? Your answer to a previous question was less than supportive.
Christopher_Gasper: Kmac,
Christopher_Gasper: I do think AD's ankle is bothering him a little bit, but you have to understand that the Patriots' system is a complex one. To expect Thomas to have the same command of the defense as Tedy Bruschi is just unrealistic and I think the Patriots had a very complex defensive game plan for Indy.
mel__Guest_: what's the deal with maroney? he seems to be running hard, and looks heathly and productive, but isn't getting a lot of touches since his return. is it just the gameplan, or is something else going on?
Christopher_Gasper: I think Laurence is starting to come around. He ran hard and with a purpose against the Colts and nearly broke one a few times. I think he ran better than the numbers indicated (15 for 59). I think the Patriots have to do a better job of sticking with and establishing the run, but who can blame them for passing with Brady and weapons like Moss, Welker and Stallworth. In the end you do what you have to do to win the game.
chris__Guest_: Regardless of the CBS taking the blame for the sound glitch, some people have suggested that the dome sounded artificially loud overall. As I am guessing you were there, did it sound that way to you?
Christopher_Gasper: It was extremely loud. I never noticed crowd noise being pumped in, but it's tough to tell because most press boxes are enclosed. In Indy the press box was open, so it was louder than normal anyway.
Christopher_Gasper: Well, I got to go. The Pats have media access today. I thank everyone who asked a question, sorry I couldn't get to them all.
