Week 7 saw the New England Patriots run defense struggle against the running attack of the New York Jets, but they appear to have fixed their issues. A strong performance at home versus the Chicago Bears was duplicated in the contest with the Denver Broncos. After a Bye week, the Patriots continued their strong performance…
Starting 0-7 with two interceptions is surprising, given the usual high success rate for Tom Brady play action passes. In the second half Brady improved, completing four of five attempts including a touchdown, but he finished the night with a sub-40 quarterback ranking on play action passes. Mark Schofield looked at Brady’s bad first interception,…
When the New England Patriots play action fake, the intent is to open up passing lanes while coaxing the defense to read run, react to it, and be fooled by the pass. When the running game is rolling off 5.5 yards per carry, play action should leave mismatches in the secondary. So it was shocking…
New England Patriots running back Jonas Gray tallied 201 yards rushing against the Indianapolis Colts, repeatedly gashing a defense that couldn’t slow him down. The success on the ground should have opened up the Patriots play action passing game but Tom Brady was unable to take advantage, starting the game 0-for-7 with two interceptions when…
After a Week 7 struggle against the running attack of the New York Jets ‒ the first game without linebacker Jerod Mayo ‒ the New England Patriots run defense has turned a corner. The recovery started with a more competitive performance against the Chicago Bears in Week 8, followed by a dominant effort (40 yards…
The race for the #1 overall pick in 2015’s NFL Draft is underway. The Oakland Raiders hold the top spot but don’t count out the QB-desperate New York Jets For some NFL fans, it’s time to dream about next year. It certainly is for the Oakland Raiders, who were officially eliminated from playoff contention and…
Not many have been praising Brian Schottenheimer, but in the wake of their upset victory in NFL Week 11 over the Denver Broncos, the St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator deserves some for designing the play that broke the game open – a long touchdown pass from Shaun Hill to Kenny Britt. The St. Louis Rams…
Most kick returns for a touchdown are big plays, changing the momentum in the game. This is not one of those plays. The Chicago Bears were being thoroughly destroyed by the Green Bay Packers, eventually losing 55-14 when one of those many Packer kickoffs resulted in this Bears flawless kick return. The kicking game is…
In Part 1, Jake Vincent explored the State of the Eagles offense, looking at their struggles and their opportunities to improve. In Part 2, the NFL‘s best pass rush comes under the microscope. And to complete all three phases of the game, please enjoy Darren Sproles and how-to block a punt. Philadelphia’s improvement on defense…
Each week, Inside The Pylon tracks the New England Patriots by the numbers and key statistics about the offense and defense. Week 11 By The Numbers: Offense – Areas of Emphasis Keeping Brady Upright: 0 sacks in 30 dropbacks – 0.0% sack rate. League average: 6.1 % sack rate. Patriots season average: 3.7% Run/pass percentage…
Rob Gronkowski runs over Colts. Five of them on this play, as he jukes, spins, stiff-arms and hurdles Indianapolis Colts defenders on the way to the end zone in the New England Patriots 42-20 victory. Mark Schofield breaks down the film. With a 15-point lead and 6:58 remaining in the game, Tom Brady stood in…
Tim Wright pulled in his fourth touchdown catch of the season from Tom Brady in the New England Patriots 42-20 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Mark Schofield looks at the Optimum Offense Patriots play of the week. With their team out to a four-point halftime lead on the road against a tough conference opponent, one…
Deontae Skinner is a rookie linebacker having, literally, an up-and-down first NFL season, having started a game and been released. Now on the New England Patriots practice squad, Inside The Pylon’s Brian Filipiak looks at Skinner’s performance against the Bears for the good and the “needs improvement”. It’s been quite the roller coaster ride for…
Revenge of the upset picks? Super Dave continues to hold on to his all-too-slim lead, just two games up on James and three on Jeff and Dr. Geary. Yours truly makes an attempt to catch up by picking a number of upset picks, including the Eagles over the red-hot Packers. Would the upset picks rule…
When news breaks… we think about it. Chris Simms, former NFL quarterback and son of Phil Simms, says “Brady Not Top 5” and there is instant reaction. Does the media member have a point? Or is he guilty of not looking at the evidence? Who is the best quarterback in the NFL? Perhaps no football…
