Patriots-Bills Game Observations (Second Half)
A few observations I made while watching the TV copy of the game:
- Charting missed tackles from our new safeties, Josh Barrett had three missed tackles in the game, and Sergio Brown had two missed tackles (plus one more on special teams). Obviously that’s got to be an area of improvement.
- I don’t think Woodhead will continue to get too many conventional runs (between the tackles & not from a draw play). Ridley looks much more powerful on those runs, while Woodhead rarely breaks a tackle.
- On the Patriots’ 3rd and 4 in the Bills Redzone where Brady completed on the flat to Woodhead for 2 yards, it looked like a better option may have been a jump ball in the back corner of the endzone between Gronkowski and a DB.
- On one of the receptions by Welker, Deion Branch was in position to throw a good block for Welker which may have sprung Welker to the endzone. Instead, Branch stood and watched while Welker was tackled.
- The ‘hands to the face’ roughing the passer call on Kyle Love in the 4th quarter didn’t seem to be a great call. As you can see below in this screen-grab, Love’s arms are around Fitzpatrick’s chest.
- On the 4th Brady interception, it was obvious Tom Brady was not going able to tackle Florence on the return, and Brady wanted to avoid a shot from the Byrd running alongside Florence, so he pulled up and saved himself from taking an unnecessary hit.
- On his first run and his first reception, Ridley looked very nervous, in that he couldn’t make any cuts without almost falling over or losing his momentum. He later made a few good plays.
- Belichick’s controversial time-out made sense - a runner was down in bounds, and therefore the clock would’ve kept running as soon as the players lined up again (from what I understand - the rulebook of NFL.com doesn’t provide information on if the clock continues after a review of scoring play in which the score is overturned).
