Patriots-Bills Game Observations (First Half)
A few observations I made while watching the TV copy of the game:
- The Patriots fast start to this game is a testament to the great protection provided by the offensive line in the first few drives. Tom Brady had plenty of time and space to step up and throw.
- Rob Gronkowski’s first TD was an example of why he’s a big red zone threat - Jarius Byrd had good coverage on him, but Brady put it where only Gronkowski could get it, into a very small window. Gronk didn’t catch it cleanly, but did a good job rolling over onto his back so the ball didn’t move when he hit the ground.
- On the Bills early drives the Patriots pass rush was negated by the fact Fitzpatrick never held the ball for very long. A high percentage of his throws were under 10 yards (in the air).
- Nate Solder looks like a great first round draft pick. He’s had a few penalties, but for the most part keeps his man well away from Brady. The sooner Vollmer and Solder can be the starting tackles, the better.
- Last season Brandon Spikes made news for being very highly rated by ProFootballFocus, which pointed out Spikes never missing a tackle in 2010. I noted he had a few in this game.
- Ochocinco seems to need a lot of coaching on the field from Brady, especially in the no-huddle offense. Once in the second quarter Brady motioned for Ocho to move on the line of scrimmage (sometimes a way for a QB to get a better idea of the defensive coverage), but Ocho didn’t move, and Brady had to call to him, distracting Brady from being able to watch/intepret the defensive shift.
- The Patriots come close to blocking field goals, but they don’t put the same effort in for extra point attempts. Look for Scott O’Brien to make sure that in future weeks, the field goal block unit go hard for the block on every kick - it’s a matter of time before we see a field goal block from the Patriots.
