Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Locked On Patriots November 2, 2018 - Gameday Edition

Episode Date: November 2, 2018

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Hey there everybody, welcome into this game day edition of Locked On Patriots. Mark Schofield slotted into the big chair on this Friday, November 2nd, 2018. Going to do everything I can to get you ready for Sunday night's huge game between the visiting Green Bay Packers and your new England Patriots. Before I do, though, a reminder to follow me on Twitter, at Mark Schofield. You can check out the work at places like InsideThePylon.com, Pro Football Weekly, The Score, Matt Waldman's Rookie Scouting Portfolio, Big Blue View, part of the SB Nation family of websites.

Basically, look, if they're covering football, chances are I'm doing some work about the game for them. We're going to talk Packers. We're going to talk Patriots right now. First, we're going to start off with my look sort of at the Packers offense, what I'm going to be watching for when they have the football. And we all know, look, we know about Aaron Rodgers. It would be easy to sort of distill this game down into Tom Brady versus Aaron

Rodgers. I think when the Patriots are on defense though, sort of the matchup that I'm going to be watching is Aaron Rodgers versus Devin McCourty and De'Ron Harmon. You know, Rodgers, similar to Tom Brady, does such an effective job with his eyes moving defenders. And if you want sort of a prime example of how well Aaron Rodgers performs at the quarterback position, how well he can move defenders with his eyes, you can look at a touchdown pass, well, a long pass, excuse me, that he threw against the Los Angeles Rams last week. It's a third-and-five play. Packers have the ball on their own 30-yard line.

They line up with Rodgers and the shotgun. You've got Devontae Adams split to the left in a three-by-one. He's the single receiver to the left. They bring Randall Cobb sort of in in-and-out motion, but when the ball is snapped, you've got three receivers right on the right side of the offense and just Devontae Adams to the left. Now because of this, Rams are in cover one. They've got a safety in the middle of the left. Now because of this, Rams are in cover one. They've got a safety in the middle

of the field. But even though you'd expect him to start towards the three receiver side, you've got to be worried about Devontae Adams. So he starts to move a little bit to his left, the right side, the three receiver side, and then Rodgers opens that way. And what does he do? He moves even more to that three receiver side. And what does that do? He moves even more to that three-receiver side. And what does that do? It opens up Adams on the vertical route to the other side of the field. And what's great is if you watch this play, you see as Rodgers looks to his left, the safety doesn't just sort of backpedal that way.

He turns. He flips his hips. He opens his hips towards that side of the field. He takes that sort of affirmative step, that affirmative movement towards that three-receiver set. And just as Rodgers sees that, he then comes back to the left, throws that vertical route. So that's just one quick example of what Aaron Rodgers does, how he's so effective with his eyes. And so that sort of matchup, that sort of cat and mouse game between the two safeties,

McCourty and Harmon, who tend to play deeper. Obviously they do a lot with Patrick Chum, but he's more down to the box. And the eyes of Aaron Rodgers, that's something that I'm going to be watching. We can talk schematically here for a minute. When you think about the Green Bay Packers, it's almost become a joke at this point. But the slant flat, the curl flat, spacing concepts, quick game concepts, we always tend to associate that with Mike McCarthy, and yes, there is a bunch of that in their offense. Look, I think if Mike McCarthy had his druthers, he would call slant flat on

every single play. He would call curls every now and again. That's what he likes to do. He's sort of rooted in that old school air raid stuff. But they will do some more vertical stuff in this offense. You look at a play action flood pass they had in the later first quarter where Rodgers is Equimania St. Brown, one of their talented younger receivers. They go play action on this. Rodgers aligns under center on this play. They've got sort of a tight three-receiver bunch to the left, but you get tight end motion.

So it's a two-by-two when it's snapped. They go with the play action fake, and it sets up as a flood concept. So one receiver on the left goes to the flat, the other one goes vertical, and then Equimania St. Brown runs sort of that deep crossing route. So it sets up a flood concept along the left side. Rodgers is pressured but makes a great throw under pressure.

They will get vertical at times. Another example of it, it's a play that we've talked about a ton on this show, the Mills concept, where you get a dig route and a post route over the top. It's often from the same side of the field, although you can do it from others. Again, very similar to the Yankee concept, the play we've talked about here a ton. But this is a deep shot that he hits to Devontae Adams for 41 yards on a 3rd and 9 type of throw, where you've got Adams aligned wide to the left.

You've got a receiver, Randall Cobb, on the inside of him. Rams are sort of in a cover 2, cover four type look pre-snap. And that's what they stay in. So what do you get? You get that dig route from Cobb from the slot. That gets that play side safety to bite down just a couple of steps. Now you've got the post route on the outside where Adams is working towards the middle of the field. That, since it's a cover four scheme, that corner is using outside leverage.

He's expecting to have some help to the inside, but the dig route grabs the eyes of that safety. He squats on the dig route. Adams over the top on the post. Rodgers, great throw, great catch by Adams. The corner recovers, makes the tackle, but he gets up sort of with a shrug look, looking to the safety. Man, where were you?

These are the types of plays where you're going to need Harmon. You're going to need McCourty. Sort of trust their eyes. Trust what they're doing. Because if you watch this play sort of from the end zone angle, what you see is you see Rodgers looking right in the middle of the field, right in the middle of the field before climbing and making just a flick of the wrist over the top of that route

to sort of deke the safety. And so they can do some stuff in the vertical passing game that will keep this defense honest. And if you're Brian Flores, if you're Bill Belichick, what you've got to stress this week is if they want to throw slant flat, if they want to throw curl flat, fine. Let them. Let them do that. It's, you know, similar to, you know, what we talked about with perhaps how they would approach the Kansas City Chiefs. If you want to let them run the ball or show light boxes,

let them do that. Don't give them these big junk plays, you know, and so the safeties, don't worry. You see what looks to be slant flat. Make the tackle if the guy gets to you. But don't break down hard on routes like that to try to take that quick stuff away because they will do stuff over the top of you. Some stuff I noticed with them, they would do a lot in the five-man protection game.

They will do a lot where they're just releasing guys from pass protection responsibilities, whether it's running backs, whether it's tight ends. You can get them with blitzes. You can get them with delayed blitzes. You can get them with blitzes off the edge. You can get after them just with a six because they would do a lot sort of in that five-man protection game. Run game, they do varied stuff.

Aaron Jones is a nice runner, a nice little compliment to what they do in the pass game. They will do zone. They will do power. They will do power. They will do draw and delay. So it's a varied run game. It's effective. But look, the show is Aaron Rodgers. On Jimmy Graham, they will use him similar to how the Patriots use Rob Gronkowski. What they love to do with him is those crossing routes, just get behind the second level defenders off of play action. There was a play, if you're on first quarter, the 626 mark against the Rams,

they go play action with that sort of Y-cross design. All they really want to do is get those second-level defenders just out of position, out of step, taking a couple steps downhill, and you can get Graham behind them. That's how they love to use him. Aaron Rodgers can still climb, can still move, can still create and extend. He doesn't have the athleticism, obviously, as we're used to seeing from him because he's been dealing with the lower body injuries. But look, he's still a guy that can move. He's still a guy that can move around back there and create. And so those are kind of the big picture things that I'm looking at and some of the small picture things that I'm going to be watching for on Sunday night. You know, the main thing is that

sort of matchup between the eyes of Aaron Rodgers and the minds of Devin McCourty and De'Ron Harmon. Up next, I'm going to have something new. I don't usually do this, but I'm going to have an ode to an opponent. But first, remember, friends, look, if you think you've got an edge headed into Sunday night or any of the Sunday games based on what you've been listening to, whether it's on this show or other shows, you've got to remember our friends over at MyBookie. Who you're betting on is important. Where you're betting, more important. That's why I always tell people to go with MyBookie.

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My bookie, you play, you win, you get paid. Mark Schofield back with you now on this game day edition of Locked on Patriots. A little bit later in the show, we're going to have my prediction. We're going to have the final sort of injury report that I've seen before hitting the record button on this show. And again, my weekly, my daily reminder about next Tuesday, midterm elections. I'm going to have a special shout out to another state that listens to this show in big numbers. But first, I'm going to do a first here, a debut segment here.

Usually when we do game day stuff, I talk about, you know, when the Packers have the football or the opponents have the football. And then when the Patriots have the football, we're going to do it a little different here. I'm going to have an ode to an opponent, our first ever ode to an opponent. And I'm going to go back a couple of years here. I'm going to go back to when your boy, your faithful steward here of the Locked On Patriots podcast was just a young buck trying to make his way

in the sports writing world. This is back in September of 2015, back in the early days of Inside the Pylon. And this was when I was basically writing maybe eight to ten pieces a week over at ITP, trying to get my name out there, trying to get ITP's name out there, trying to spread the gospel of what we were doing over at Inside the Pylon. And I would write each week for each Friday sort of a college football preview. And so in week four of the 2015 preview of season, I wrote a preview of the Arizona Wildcats versus the UCLA Bruins. And I dove into the Wildcats offense, Rich Rod, the spread system, Anu Solomon,

all the different things they use to attack a defense. And then I flipped the script a bit, and you might have thought, look, UCLA that year, that's Miles Jack. You're going to write about him, right? Well, no. The guy I focused on is this guy. This is how the piece began. Given how Arizona operates, building off their zone running game,

a player who could be a difference maker for the UCLA defense is their big nose tackle, Kenny Clark. The 6'3", 310-pound defensive lineman is a stout anchor in the interior of the line, occupying blockers, flowing to the football, and even making plays sideline to sideline. The piece goes through, and I'll tweet it out for Friday and again before the game so people get an idea of just who Kenny Clark is. The piece sort of goes through the differences he was able to do against the run and even against the pass.

One of my favorite plays ever, ever since I've been writing about football, and granted, it's just been over four years now, was a play that he made against the screen where he just sniffs it out and chases it down from behind. You see him sort of start to rush the passer, recognize the play. You know, he's in between the hashes. The throw comes out to the bottom of the numbers and he runs the running back down from behind. I remember seeing that play for the first time, and it's one of those proverbial, you take the pen and you put it down. You don't need to see any more.

This is just incredible. So I wrote about him back there, back then, and now we get to see him up close. And I took a look at that Rams game. I took a look at him against the Rams offense. And it's teaching tape. It's defensive lineman teaching tape. You want to see a guy that can scrape and fill at the defensive line spot,

at the nose tackle spot. First quarter, 10-51 mark. It's a run by the Rams, and it's a second-and-three play. They run Gurley off right tackle. You see Kenny Clark aligned over the center on the center's left shoulder. They try to double team him with a zone blocking scheme. He scrapes down the line of scrimmage, splits the double team and chops Todd Gurley down for just a one yard gain, setting up a third and two. Again, fighting off a double team. First quarter, 855 mark. It's a pass and play. He's got the center and off a double team. First quarter, 855 mark.

It's a pass and play. He's got the center and a guard double teaming him. He doesn't give up. Jared Goff starts to climb. Clark is able to disengage, work off the double team, sack Goff for a one-yard loss. We talk about the book on Tom Brady all the time. It comes up every week, every crossover show, every radio spot I do, every podcast I do. How do you stop Tom Brady?

Interior pressure is how you get Tom Brady. You got to get interior pressure on Tom Brady, right? Well, Josh McDaniels, I can guarantee you, is having some nightmares right now about Kenny Clark, about big number 97. Why? Just one play in particular. It's at the 12-59 mark of the second quarter in this game last week. It's a pass and play. And what do we see from big number 97? Well, he lines on the outside shoulder of the right guard, but that's not where he ends up.

He immediately cuts to the inside of him with a quick rip move he's sort of attacking the center because what they do is they mug the a gap they have a linebacker in the a gap between the center and the left guard he shows blitz and then drops as he's dropping that's the gap that Clark's going to attack so Clark Clark starts on the right guard he's working his way towards the opposite A gap. He fights through the first blocker, which is that right guard with that upward rip with his left arm, crosses the face of the center, and rips through him as well with the left arm now. It gets Jared Goff, trips him up in the backfield for an 11-yard sack. Goff, as he's dropping to pass, it's a shotgun.

It's a three-step drop from gun. He hits his third step, and Clark is in his face. He tries to spin. Clark trips him up. Sack, loss of 11. Third and nine becomes fourth and 20, and the Rams have to punt. This was a third and nine basically at the Rams' 46-yard line. So they're kind of on the move there. Drive over, time to punt.

Why? Kenny Clark. He's a beast on the inside. He can just wreck stuff. One last play that I'm going to talk about. It's a goal line play. Late in the first half, the 107 mark of the second quarter. It is a, if I get this right, a second and goal at the one. Second and goal at the one.

You've got Todd Gurley. You're going to run him the ball on the inside. What happens? Kenny Clark aligned across from the center, off the snap. He drives the center three yards into the backfield. And as Gurley's taking the handoff, Clark has driven the center three yards back into the backfield. He disengages immediately. He gets his arms around Gurley's legs and he stops him for no gain. He almost tackled him with the center. Look, this guy is a beast. I implore you, if you can,

watch some Kenny Clark. If you can't get a chance to watch him before Sunday night, watch number 97 on Sunday night. If the Packers defense is going to stop the Patriots, it starts with number 97. There's a reason why we did something new here in this segment and had our first ever ode to an opponent. It's because Kenny Clark is that good. And as we're going to talk about in a second, there's a reason why we need to be extra worried about him going into Sunday night. But number 97, Kenny Clark.

That is who I am going to be watching more than anybody else when the Patriots have the football. Up next, some injury report stuff, some final predictions, some talk about what I'm doing this weekend. And again, my next segment, just begging people, begging you, please get to the polls. I'm going to have a special shout-out to another state that listens to this podcast in big numbers.

That's all ahead on this game day edition of Locked on Patriots. Mark Schofield back with you now on this Friday game day edition of Locked on Patriots. And I just got done giving you the ode to Kenny Clark. Here's an extra reason why. Let's talk injury report right now. Patriots most recent injury report. This was from Wednesday afternoon. You know, there might be a new one by the time this show drops. There probably will be, but at least the most recent one I'm working with, players that did not participate in practice. Julian Edelman, ankle illness. Jacob Hollister, hamstring.

Brian Schwenke, foot. Dedrick Wise, illness. Shaq Mason, calf. We need Mason on Sunday night to go up against Kenny Clark, so that's certainly something to watch. Limited participants, Ryan Allen, punter with an ankle. Trent Brown, offensive tackle with an ankle. Marcus Cannon, offensive tackle with his concussion.

Launch snapper Joe Cardona with a shoulder. Josh Gordon still listed with a hamstring. Defensive end, Genio Grissom with an ankle. Tight end Rob Gronkowski, ankle and back. Linebacker Dante Hightower with a knee. Sonny Michel with his knee. And John Simon, defensive end with a shoulder. As for the Packers, two players did not participate.

Linebacker Nick Perry with his ankle. And safety Jermaine Whitehead with his back. Limited participants, cornerback Jair Alexander with a groin. Wide receiver Jeronimo Allison with a hamstring. Tackle Brian Beluga with a knee. Wide receiver Randall Cobb with a hamstring. Tight end Jimmy Graham with a knee. Aaron Rodgers with a knee. Wide receiver Randall Cobb with a hamstring tight end. Jimmy Graham with a knee. Aaron Rodgers with a knee.

And Equimanius St. Brown with his knee injury. As for the prediction, you heard it on the crossover show that, yes, I look at this game, I see 34-31 New England. Again, I'm the host of Locked On Patriots. I'm going to say that, look, the Patriots are going to win. So that's the prediction. But I do think it's going to be close. I'm going to say that, look, the Patriots are going to win. So that's the prediction. But I do think it's going to be close. I think there are going to be points in this game.

I understand that both teams probably want to take the ball out of the quarterback's hands. They want to limit big plays and things like that. I still think with how good these quarterbacks are, how good these offenses can be, I think we're going to see points in bunches. But I do think that we're going to see the Patriots come out on top. As for my weekend, this weekend is shaping up to be an interesting one.

Not as interesting as, shall we say, last weekend was. Obviously, last weekend, your boy competing in his first ever, first ever powerlifting competition and coming home with some hardware. You know, winning his weight class in the strict curl, setting a state of Maryland record. You know, that was exciting. This one's a little different. I'm credentialed for the Maryland-Michigan State game.

Now, obviously, when I signed up, you know, when I put in my application for those credentials, my primary reason was Brian Lewerke, quarterback for Michigan State. That has changed a bit. Lewerke injured, you know, dealing with an injury, not sure if he's going to come back. So there's that aspect of it. There's also the ongoing situation at the University of Maryland. DJ Durkin, you know, had been suspended after the death of a player

during a preseason training exercise. The stories here in the D.C. area have been horrific about that situation. The school decided to bring him back, reinstate him for this game. The team, and perhaps justifiably so, very frustrated with how that was handled. Some players walked out of practice. It seemed that the situation was spiraling out of control. Then the school decided to reverse course and then to remove DJ Durkin of his coaching duties. And so Matt Canada is now the interim head coach yet again for the Maryland Terrapins.

So that's going to be an interesting little environment that I'm going to be walking into on Saturday, but excited to see that. They put on a good show over at College Park. That's a great stadium. Short little drive for me, so that will be fun. But before I go, friends, you know what time it is. It's time to remind you guys about and remind you women about midterm elections. They are Tuesday. Please, please, please, please, please, please, please go out there and exercise your right to vote again i'm not telling you who to vote for what to vote for why to vote one way or the other i'm just telling you to go out there and do it and a special shout out today to our listeners in the commonwealth

of virginia a state near and dear to my heart obviously went to law school in virginia met my now wife in virginia i've spent a lot of time in Virginia. I live just across, obviously, the Potomac here in the state of Maryland. Virginia, another place, state, where you've got a Senate race between incumbent Tim Kaine and Corey Stewart. You've got, obviously, every congressional seat is up. You've got a lot of races which have gotten some national attention. District 7, for example, between Abigail Sparrenberger and David Bradd. You've got District 10, Jennifer Wexton, Barbara Comstock. You've got Virginia 5, which has become known as sort of the Bigfoot election. And those of you down in that area or who live in the Commonwealth of Virginia, you probably know what I'm talking about. If not, Google it. I'm not going to talk about it here.

Just Google it. Maybe don't do it at work. That's all I'll say. But there's a lot of stuff on the ballot. There are two questions on the ballot as well. There's Virginia question one, which is a property tax exemption for flood abatement. There's also question two, which removes a restriction on residents for the surviving spouse of disabled tax exemption amendment. That's a mouthful.

I probably butchered it, but those are two ballot questions you might be interested in. There's also a state legislature election in House District 8. There's some special elections down in Virginia and Richmond and Virginia City, Virginia Beach City. So there's a lot of stuff

you can vote for. There's local stuff. There's questions. And so there's a lot of reasons to get out there and vote. If you're happy with the way things are going, then go vote. If you're not happy, you want some changes, go vote. Either way, get yourself to the polls. All of our listeners to the Lockdown Patriots podcast in the Commonwealth of Virginia,

please, please, please vote early if you can. If not, get there on Tuesday and cast your ballots. That will do it for today. I will be back Sunday. Yes, I will be back for a game day edition. I know you all missed it last week. I apologize. I apologize.

But again, you know, I will be reminding you guys until election day, I've got shout outs planned for New York, Connecticut, and yes, Florida, as we get closer and closer to these midterm elections. So please get out there and cast your ballot. Get your friends, get your family members, get them to vote too. Whether you like the way things are going or you don't, you gotta cast your vote to be heard. Until Saturday, excuse me, until Sunday.

Keep it locked right here to me, Mark Schofield and locked on.