The New England Patriots return Sunday to frigid Foxborough, where they hope to serve the Miami Dolphins a cold dish of revenge. Much has changed for both teams since the Fins upset the Pats in Week 1. The Patriots offense will rely on diverse personnel, alignments and routes to battle Miami’s strategies, coverages and pocket…
Sometimes, rushing the football is easy. Defenders, though, try to make it hard. With LaGarrette Blount returning to the New England Patriots, Brian Filipiak breaks down what we saw from him rushing against the San Diego Chargers. The New England Patriots stormed back to beat the San Diego Chargers on the road in a Week…
The St. Louis Rams pulled off one of the most audacious plays of any NFL season earlier this year with a fake punt return against the Seattle Seahawks. This time, the play call proved more conventional, but the punt return unit again delivered in impressive and exciting fashion. John Fassel could have called it a…
The New England Patriots welcomed back defensive tackle Sealver Siliga from a lengthy absence due to injury and the run-stuffer immediately made his presence felt, recording three tackles and half a sack against the San Diego Chargers in NFL Week 14. The New England Patriots interior defensive line suffered a setback when the team placed…
The New England Patriots defense had a tremendous night against the San Diego Chargers, allowing just one drive of more than 30 yards and recording four sacks en route to a 23-14 victory in NFL Week 14. The unconventional use of Devin McCourty as a man coverage defender against the Chargers’ most reliable third down…
Each week Inside The Pylon takes a look at some of the standout offensive plays from around the NFL in Reel Film Recap. In this edition Mark Schofield looks at Teddy Bridgewater beating the New York Jets blitz, how the Arizona Cardinals righted the ship, the Denver Broncos‘ revamped offensive line, and the key to…
The New England Patriots blitzed Jamie Collins up the middle (the “A gap”) to prey on rookie Chris Watt and make things miserable for Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers passing offense in their victory Sunday night. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, and the shortest distance to the quarterback…
The Reel Football Preview Week 14 is Mark Schofield‘s look at the most compelling matchups in the NFL on tape. Scouring the film, highlighting interesting play design, optimum offense, innovative defense and how the inches really matter. This week it’s #SEAvsPHI, #NOvsCAR and #JAXvsHOU. The Legion of Boom vs. Chip Kelly’s Tactics One matchup to…
The New England Patriots (9-3) face the San Diego Chargers (8-4) in a crucial AFC matchup Sunday night. The Patriots offense will use different personnel, formations and motion to combat the Chargers defensive schemes, coverages and pass rush. Two things stand out about the San Diego defense this season: First, while the Chargers are primarily…
Only 19 times this season has there been a punt block. So for it to happen twice in one game…Chuck Zodda had to throw a block party to celebrate. As always, special teams execution is essential and lots of fun to break down. Off the field, the Minnesota Vikings have remained in the headlines only…
As discussed earlier this week, playing defense in the NFL is a difficult proposition. However, on some nights an offense’s margin for error is razor-thin. Sunday, while Tom Brady and the New England offense performed well, they left some plays – and points – on the field. Play One A staple of the New England…
The Packers punished the Patriots for minding the gaps and quarterback Aaron Rodgers carved up the defense whether there was a spy or not. This is no surprise – Rodgers is the best quarterback in football. But 11 seconds? Brian Filipiak explains what happened. In a showdown between two elite offenses, the Green Bay Packers…
Defenses scheme many ways to get to the quarterback. Sometimes the offense succeeds in thwarting their attempt. Mark Schofield looks at how, on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, the New England Patriots failed. The New England Patriots lost a tough road test Sunday in Green Bay. After falling behind by 13 points, the visitors…
Beautiful offensive football takes teamwork and execution. The Green Bay Packers demonstrated this to perfection against the New England Patriots featuring the “Rodgers to Rodgers” of Aaron and Richard. What’s The Rush? Outside of a handful of occasions during the Packers’ 26-21 victory on Sunday, Aaron Rodgers had more than enough time to survey the…
Playing defense in today’s NFL is difficult. Trying to stop skilled offenses while simultaneously battling harsh rules regulating defensive contact is a tough task. When a defense suffers a breakdown, even one as minor as a defender being a step out of position, the offense is likely to make them pay. The following plays are…
The marquee matchup this Thanksgiving was the NFC West showdown between the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks. The visiting Seahawks posted a decisive 19-3 victory thanks to a stifling defense and an opportunistic offense. One play in particular demonstrated the elusiveness of quarterback Russell Wilson: a 63-yard pass play to Tony Moeaki. For…