Pro Bowlers explain what its like to face Eagles Pats

Wiki Article

Pro Bowlers explain what it's like to face Eagles, Pats Published: Jan 28, 2018 at 01:37 AM Around the NFL Writer ORLANDO -- And then there were two -- the best two. The and are set to square off in LII for the right to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. Both enter with identical 13-3 records, tops in their respective conferences. Sunday will mark the fourth in the last five seasons to feature two No. 1 seeds. Each squad boasts stellar playmakers on both sides of the ball. LII is the third in NFL history (first in nearly 40 years) between two teams both ranked top 5 in scoring offense and scoring defense (Eagles: No. 3 offense, No. 4 defense; Patriots: No. 2 offense, No. 5 defense). The ' and ' journeys to the took much different paths. The upstart overcame a brutal injury to MVP candidate , while the enjoyed 's latest MVP-caliber season. The question entering week is how the and stack up against one another. In that spirit, I spent time during practices trying to find out from the game's best players what it's like to face New England and Philadelphia. Facing the Eagles The "underdog" were left as an afterthought when went down in Week 14 with a torn ACL. Surely, even after clinching the No. 1 seed in the NFC, would be their undoing at some point. Not in the NFC Championship Game, where the QB dive-bombed a great defense for 352 yards, three touchdowns and a 78.8 completion percentage. safety still sounded befuddled by the 38-7 blowout. "We didn't make plays and they made pretty much all of them. I didn't think that would happen," Smith said. In two playoff games, Foles is averaging a 77.8 completion percentage, thrown for 598 yards, has taken just two sacks, and earned a 122.1 pa ser rating. The reason for Foles' succe s has been mostly attributed to a three-word offensive scheme: Run-Pa s Option. The RPO, which Smith referred to as a "trendy" offense, allows the quarterback the option to hand the ball off to the running backs or, if he reads the linebackers stepping up, pull the ball and zip it to a receiver. Doug Pederson's use of RPOs has gotten Foles in rhythm and proved deadly for defenders. This season, including playoffs, Foles has completed 93.8 percent of his RPOs, per Pro Football Focus. As linebacker told me this week, RPOs put defenders in a no-win situation when executed properly. "It's pretty much a play where you can't be right as a linebacker," Davis said after practice. "Because if you gue s and you play downhill to play the run they're going to throw the ball right where you were. If you drop back and you play the pa s, then they're going to hand the ball off. So the quarterback is basically reading the linebackers and safeties in that situation and it's a situation where a lot of the time you can't be right." The key for the RPOs has been the steady play of running backs and . If the threat to run isn't real, it takes the bite out of any RPO action. "Those guys are tough runners," Smith said of the backs. "Both of them run extremely hard but they both have their own different style, so between Jay and LeGarrette they can do some damage." Couple the RPOs keeping defenders off balance with a dominating offensive line and you have the recipe for a succe sful offense, no matter who is under center. The ' underrated O-line deserves credit for moving bodies in the run game and keeping pre sure off Foles. "They have a very fast offensive line," defensive tackle said. "... And they're very athletic, very strong at the attack. The center they have is a really good center. And 65 , they're fast athletes, they run 4.8-4.7. So as you see, they can get around the edge and change their plays up. Act like it's a screen and really it's a run." Heading James Washington Jersey into the , that unpredictably will be key for Philly. The ' spread-out system, coupled with a power-back duo, could take advantage of the ' defensive weakne s. We've seen similar offenses like the dice up Bill Belichick's squad in the past. When it comes to defending RPOs, the allowed 5.6 yards per play in 2017, fifth-most in the NFL, per PFF. If Foles remains hot, the key for Philly will be slowing down and the ' offense. defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz deploys a game-wrecking front four that ranked No. 1 in rushing D. Being able to stop the run and get pre sure on the quarterback with four defensive linemen allows the to flood the second level to take away quick cro sers. receiver warned against underestimating the ' secondary. "They're a secondary that doesn't allow easy catches," Thielen said. "That whole week on film you saw how there were contested catches. Every single catch was contested. They were all over people. I don't think they get enough credit in the back end of how well those guys are playing ... guys are all over the place and in the right spots." That opportunistic secondary plays off the quick pre sure provided by the front four and Schwartz's blitz schemes. "I think they know that that front four is really good and they're going to get pre sure," Thielen said of the ' secondary. "So they know they can be more aggre sive and they can sit on routes and they can do things like that. They know how to play with each other. They're very well coached. And their technique is some of the best out there." The coaching angle shouldn't be oversold. While Bill Belichick is one of the greatest coaches in the history of sports, the work Pederson, Schwartz and the rest of the staff has done is worthy of this run. Despite all the injuries, the coaches found strengths of players who took over and accentuated those attributes. Sunday we'll see if the "underdog" have the formula to pull off one more "upset" this postseason. Facing the Patriots Facing the means tackling . The G.O.A.T. The five-time champion. The player who makes 40 look like 29. The greatest quarterback of all quarterbacks. A man so hydrated in greatne s he pees pure excellence from morning until night. You don't beat on game day. You beat in the weeks leading up to the game. "I'm telling you it is electrifying," linebacker said of preparing to face Brady. "Just through the whole week, knowing you're going to go against one of the guys who is going to be considered one of the best to play the game ever. It's your task to go out there and stop him, being a defensive guy, so it's tough but I'm telling you it's an experience through the week like no other." The slowed Brady early in the AFC Championship Game, but, like so many teams before, eventually succumbed to the man with more playoff comebacks (8) than any QB in NFL history. Smith said the plan for attacking Brady is simple: "Hit him. He's old. Let's not beat around the bush about it," he said. "Hit him, get him down, put him on the ground, let him feel us, let him know that we're there." The book on Brady is well-read (and executed best in the past by the New York Giants): Get pre sure with only four, move Brady off his spot, and cover on the back end. Easier penned than accomplished. As the Jags found out, the ' offensive line can snuff out pa s rushes as games wear on. And Brady is a master of finding matchups in his favor. In this iteration of the offense, Brady utilizes and the running back trio of - - to create mismatches all over the field. The Pats use these mismatches to get speed on slower linebackers. While Gronk uses his big body to create separation, running backs like Lewis and White can eat up defenders Pressley Harvin III Jersey in space. "In football, space is your worst enemy," Smith said. "The more space a guy has from you or coming towards you can put you in a bad position. So you just got to eliminate the space from those guys. And they're quick, they don't want big bruiser backs, they want quick scat backs, so you've got to be a different breed, like myself." linebacker pointed out that it's not just the mismatches that Brady and the scheme, but how those running backs are able to understand the proper option route the quarterback is reading. "They do a good job of reading your leverage as a linebacker and optioning off that," Davis said of New England running backs. Perhaps no team did a better job of using the "Brady Blueprint" this season than the in Miami (a game Gronk did not play in). The battered Brady all night and bullied his receivers on the outside. safety said bumping receivers -- , , -- is key to throwing off Brady's timing. "You've got to slow the receivers down. You've got to slow the timing down of the quarterback and receivers," Jones said. "So I think the best thing from a defensive back standpoint is to make sure your DBs get up, put your hands on the receivers so can't just pitch and catch. It's not just easy Rocky Bleier Jersey throws for him." The owned the physical corners and four-man pa s rush to execute such a game plan, but Jones said he doesn't think personnel is as important as the commitment to sticking with a physical style. "A lot of guys play off when they play those receivers," he said. "I don't think it's personnel. Anybody can get the job done. You just got to get up and get your hands on them to slow the timing of the receiver and the quarterback to throw the timing off." Many teams have tried to knock Brady off his game. Some can do it for a quarter. Some a half. Few have succeeded for four full quarters. Brady's heroics often overshadow a defense that is better than the sum of its parts. Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia heads a D that might allow a boatload of yards, but stiffens in the red zone and makes key stops in crucial situations. "They mix it up," receiver said of facing the Pats' D. "They've got a great defensive coordinator. Those guys are well-coached over there. The difference I think about those guys, they're a bend-but-don't-break defense. Those corners on the outside compete at a high level. competes at a high level. competes at a high level. has stepped in. And those two safeties back there, they're two of the smartest that are playing the game right now, and . That's always good to have in your defense." The ranked 29th in yards given up per game, but fifth in points per game allowed and fourth in red-zone defense. offensive lineman said what makes the ' defense difficult to face -- especially in the red zone -- is that they constantly break tendencies. "Interesting about them is they game-plan really well," Okung said. "You may see something from them that you didn't expect. You can't really respect their tendencies. Let's say you're in the red zone, and most teams blitz in the red zone and get the ball out of your hand. And they'll sort of play back. So it's sort of things you're expecting them to do, and they'll flip the script on you." Flipping the script has allowed Belichick and Patricia to keep offenses off balance despite not owning high-profile talent. What has given New England the most difficulty in recent seasons is a spread attack that puts pre sure with quick to ses. Couple that with a power run game, and you might have a formula to beat New England. "For us, we were lucky to have multiple playmakers that we could spread them out and do a lot of different things which allowed us to have succe s," Landry said of the ' over the Pats in Week 14. Even if you can beat Belichick's defense, there's always that Brady character who can overcome seemingly any deficit. "Facing Tom, you know that you can never show your hand," Davis said. "He's a guy that totally understands the game of football, he understands defense, and if you give him a look that's obvious, then he's going to take advantage of it. So you've got to do a good job of mixing those looks up." Mixing up looks long enough to keep Brady befuddled is a plan easier said than executed for 60 minutes. This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i sue.
https://griffinlvbk89135.wikicorrespondence.com/3187976/bears_vs_titans_odds_spread_line_time_2023_nfl_preseason_week_1_picks_predictions_by_expert_on_13_3_roll
Click here Click here