The biggest factor in stopping the Pats is.......the weather. The Pats are not built for the cold weather. If the Pats have to play on a cold, windy, rainy day, their passing game is grounded and they become ordinary. Unfortunately, they are just blessed this year and the weather in New England in January for Saturday's game is going to be unseasonabley warm and calm.
"Fits" is what fit into the Subject Box. As I said, the Pats still won the games, and yes, the put up alot of points, but they did that nearly every week. What I said was there were 3 teams, not just the Giants, that had success slowing down the juggernaut Patriots. What those 4 man fronts did do was get a few more hits on Brady and slowed them down. The main thrust of my argument was that it seems unlikely that the "Student" is going to be able to outfox the not only the "Teacher" but the master of the 3-4 defense. I don't really care what defense Mangini chooses to employ, I only ask that they find the NT REQUIRED to make it work or change their thinking. As for preaching about patience, they're heading into their 3rd season with this defense and they still don't have the key player to play it effectively. Maybe they're planning to pursue it this offseason, but I'm not so sure. And please don't tell me its difficult to find a good NT. That should be PART of the decision making process. If there's only one decent NT prospect every other year, than maybe you need to rethink your plan. "If only we could get the guy in the middle, it would really work." Ridiculous. It's akin to a college coach choosing to run an option offense with a QB who can't run. Actually, the Jets had a chance to take a highly rated NT prospect a few years ago, and they passed on Ngota. That was another very poor decision. Get the NT or adapt your philosophy.
The problem with your premise is that neither the Giants or the Eagles really didn't slow them down at all, they were able to score with them and keep it close that way but even saying that they gave them fits is a stretch, and as another person said Baltimore plays a defense more like us than a 4-3, and add that Miami another 3-4 team slowed them down a bit, your point is lousy.
Got to love hindsight there. Who wanted Ngata at 4? Iunno why everyone is so focused on the NT. Yea, it's a HUGE position in the 3-4, but size on the line in general is important. I mean this year theres size and athleticism available (Haynesworth, Starks, Balmer, Moore, etc) to play DE. Theres a couple guys (Rubin and Morton) that can play NT....but thats cool because in the next couple drafts guys like Terrence Taylor, Boo Robinson, Phillip Taylor, and etc. will be coming out. If theres one thing I hate about being a fan of a NY team...the impatience is ridiculous.
Love your girlfriend, Dware, it's worth the criticism to see her picture come up. But for the record, I wanted Ngata at 4. If they could've traded down a couple of spots to get him, all the better. But either way, he was a rarety that they had access to. I'm not saying I was sure he was going to be this good (there's always negative stuff written up), but given the choice of taking an OT or DT, I would've been more excited with a selection of Hali than Brick. And, of course, even more so now.
I think this is a stupid post for many reasons. One just because these games were close doesnt mean that the reason they were close was because all those teams played a 3-4, imo it was because those 3 teams always find a way to get pressure. Giants were in the game because of special teams so cross them out, but besides that they have 2 amazing pass rushers. eagles are known for their crazy blitzing plus they have kearse, and the ravens are also known for bringging the pressure along with suggs too. so my main point is the patriots are vunerable when teams can get pressure on brady
Actually the NYJ who in that game used everything from a 3-4 to a 1-6 probably gave the Pats their most trouble. They had just one offensive TD I recall and didnt it come on a blocked punt? The base defense doesnt matter at all. It's all about whether we can confuse Tom Brady
