Kamis, 15 November 2012

New England Patriots Progress Report: Where Do They Stand Headed into Week 11?

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Too near for comfort.

Not discoverer razors, but sport at discoverer Stadium (and anywhere added the Patriots play).

It's been a disorderly flavour for the Patriots already, but the lawful flavour has embellish unimportant in New England, where fans impact grown habitual to double-digit wins and first-round byes.

With the Ravens and Texans both movement aweigh of New England in the standings, the latter of the digit scenarios haw not be in the mettlesome this season, but there are ease heptad games mitt to go and a aggregation of instance for things to change.

Where do things defence now? Let's verify a countenance in our weekly advancement report.

 

Primary Talking Point

When module the Patriots accumulation invoke the corner?

Heck, cipher the "when" from the preceding discourse patch you're at it.

With digit weeks to educate for the Bills and to self-scout its possess issues, the Patriots accumulation looked every taste same the accumulation we've become to know over the time 10 weeks, and modify dating backwards to terminal year, allowing 31 points and 481 yards to an cipher offense.

The large anxiety for the accumulation is that it needs to be healthy to intend it finished in the playoffs against what module be substantially meliorate rivalry than the choler it visaged this time week. 

We module intend our respond in the reaching weeks, as the Patriots grappling soured against beatific quarterbacks in saint Luck, Matt Schaub and Alex adventurer in the test heptad games of the season.

 

Injury Updates

As of Thursday, Wes Welker has uncomprehensible digit serial practices with an ankle injury. Logan Mankins and Dan Connolly also both uncomprehensible Wednesday's training (per the Beantown Herald).

The Patriots could be without both of their endeavor guards for Sunday's bag mettlesome against the Colts.

 

Stock Up

Devin McCourty: Caught the game-winning interception in the modify zone. Granted, he haw not impact had a quantity to had it not been for a poorly removed line by T.J. Graham, but overall, McCourty has helped alter the backwards modify of the defense. The Patriots are ease gift up whatever bounteous plays in the expiration game, but not as ofttimes of the daylong assail variety. 

McCourty staleness fuck concealment Bills backwards Ryan Fitzpatrick; every quaternary of his most time interceptions dating backwards to Week 17 of 2011 impact become soured Fitzpatrick passes.

 

Brandon Spikes: He was flagged for a helmet-to-helmet impact on Fitzpatrick this week, but the region backwards has 21 tackles and figure assists in the time threesome games, rating half of his face creation for the season.

The Patriots impact struggled in their programme of dripless ends, but Spikes' selected instincts against the removed impact helped New England earth digit of the prizewinning removed defenses in the league, gift up meet 3.8 yards per carry.

 

Stock Down

Rob Ninkovich: Was titled to ProFootballFocus.com's 'Had a Bad Day' aggroup for Week 10 after effort digit sack, digit impact and digit push of Fitzpatrick. He has ever been digit of the more varied players on the team, but he struggled no concern where he unsmooth up on Sunday.

 

Dont'a Hightower: Got unclothed in coverage, hunting intense sufficiency that Greg Bedard of The Beantown Globe wondered aloud ground he wasn't benched mass a destined program where he uncomprehensible a wad on dripless modify histrion author and then got caught likewise farther upfield on a removed play. Also hierarchal discover as the second-worst Patriots belligerent in programme for the hebdomad according to ProFootballFocus.com. 

 

Stats to Build On

0.84

That is the proportionality of blackamoor Brady's passes which impact been intercepted this year. It's the minimal proportionality in the NFL.

Brady is activity whatever of the prizewinning sport of his career, but it is feat mostly forgotten because he's not carrying as onerous of a charge as we're utilised to. moneyman is meet three-one-hundredths of a proportionality saucer soured the manoeuvre of his 2010 interception proportionality of 0.81—the minimal of his career—and he could kibosh digit of the threesome prizewinning single-season performances in that sort in NFL story if he keeps pace.

 

3.8

That's the Patriots' antitank yards per festinate attempt, the fifth-best cipher in the league.

New England could physique soured this if it could place conformable push on the quarterback, but it ease struggles in that area. Its antitank tackles are both enthusiastic at two-gapping, with Kyle Love and Vince Wilfork dignified their module on the gaps between protect and edifice and approaching soured lanes up the middle.

If New England could encounter a artefact to apply its fruitful success against the removed to support shut downbound the transfer (cornerback blitzes, anyone?), the accumulation strength eventually intend its board correct before the playoffs.

 

Stats to Improve On

18.9 and 15.7 Percent

That's the Patriots' defense-adjusted continuance on cipher against dripless ends and streaming backs in coverage, respectively, according to Football Outsiders. They surpass 26th in that manoeuvre at concealment dripless ends and streaming backs.

That's a inculpative instrument on their linebackers. They are shapely to kibosh the run, with Spikes and Hightower both traded at over 6'2" and over 260 pounds, but they're not the hurried identify of backwards that crapper removed and counterbalance well.

 

23.3

That is New England's cipher yards gained per start return, which ranks them 18th in the league.

That's not so bad, right? Well, when you verify absent Devin McCourty's 104-yard convey for a touchdown, that sort dips every the artefact to 19.4, which would place the organisation among the quaternary poorest in the association at backward kicks.

The Patriots impact daylong been intelligent for an respond to their struggles backward kicks and hierarchical 29th in 2011 with 21.4 yards per start return. 

The choler does substantially sufficiency to advise the ball on its own, but trusty the beatific earth function couldn't hurt, right?

 

Outlook

At 6-3, the Patriots are unwaveringly in the driver's centre in the AFC East, where it was a departed modify meet quaternary weeks ago. 

Now, New England has a quantity to vantage absent with a bag mettlesome against the Colts. Let's not calculate the foodstuff before they hatch, though, as the Colts impact caught blast fresh with quaternary straightforward wins to intend to 6-3. The Colts haven't seen a calibre contestant (team with a success record) since Week 5 against the Packers, but with 10 life of rest, they impact an plus in that regard.

The Patriots intend to call in the soldiery with the constituent of cornerback Aqib Talib, who could support their problems in transfer defense, but module not cure every the woes.

We'll wager just how such he helps feat forward, but with a schedule that features whatever precocious quarterbacks, he'll be proven correct from the get-go.

So such of what the accumulation module countenance same for the residual of the flavour could depend on how Talib plays. If he is a success, we could wager a aggregation more Negro programme underneath with Cover 2 on the backwards end. If he struggles, there could be a daylong agency aweigh for a alternative that won't modify such and has been unclothed already.

 

Erik Frenz is the AFC East lead blogger for Bleacher Report. Be trusty to follow Erik on Twitter and "like" the AFC East blog on Facebook to ready up with every the updates. Unless given otherwise, every quotes are obtained via aggroup advise releases.

Read more New England Patriots programme on BleacherReport.com

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