Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Taylor-Made Strategy for Patriots-Eagles - 11/14/19

Episode Date: November 14, 2019

The New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles are two of the best teams in the NFL when it comes to devising unique offensive and defensive strategies. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Taylor Kyles of Pats Pulpit of SB Nation to break down some of the offensive and defensive formations and schemes we might see this weekend at Lincoln Financial Field. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello to all you Foxborough faithful and welcome to your please just let it be game day already Thursday episode of Locked on Patriots, your daily home for news, notes, analysis, and the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. This episode is brought to you in part by Peloton. Peloton is offering a limited time offer. Get $100 off accessories when you purchase the Peloton bike and get a great cardio workout at home. Go to OnePeloton.com and use the promo code LOCKED to get started. My name is Mike DeBate and I am your host of Locked On Patriots.

Proud to be a part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Please feel free to reach out to me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC, and be sure to follow Locked On Patriots on Twitter as well at LO underscore Patriots. We are almost there, folks. Patriots football is almost back. Sunday is the day. 425 p.m. is the time. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the place. As your New England Patriots take the battle to the city of brotherly love

and Lincoln Financial Field to take on the Philadelphia Eagles. And the Pats are still trying to cleanse their palate from that bitter loss to the Ravens in Week 9 prior to the bye. But what better way to move on than to put your focus squarely on your next opponent? And that's exactly what the Patriots are doing. We've been hearing all week long about formations and schemes and coaches like Bill Belichick and Doug Peterson trying to devise looks that the other team hasn't seen all that much. We did it yesterday here on Locked On Patriots with our crossover Wednesday with Louis DiBiase

of Locked On Eagles. And Louis and I had some great conversation on that subject. But today, I'm taking it one step further. And I'm joined by one of the best analysts at formations and strategy on both sides of the ball anywhere in the sports media landscape. Taylor Kiles of Pat's Pulpit returns to Locked On Patriots today for the first time in this regular season, and this should be a fun and informative conversation, folks.

We'll be talking anything and everything offense and defense, and I know Taylor will give you some great insight on what to watch for this Sunday. So sit tight, everyone, and I hope that you enjoy the show today. But first, we start with some news of the day, and the Patriots issued their first injury report of the week on Wednesday afternoon. One player was conspicuous by his absence, and the other player conspicuous by his presence. Now you all know that I'm the kind of person that likes to end things on a high note, so we'll get the negative out of the way first, and we'll start with that new addition to the injury report. And that is nose tackle Danny Shelton.

Shelton appeared on Wednesday's injury report with an ankle injury. He was limited in Wednesday's practice. Now, the Patriots hit the practice field again at 12.35 p.m. today on Thursday in Foxborough. So it's safe to say that more than a few eyes are going to be on Shelton today as we learn more about his status for Sunday. And look, folks, Shelton has been one of the standouts on defense for the Patriots this year. His presence, especially against a team like the Eagles, is very important. He's a key component in stopping the run. And stopping the run is going to be vital for the Patriots' success against Philly this weekend.

So again, I'll be keeping a sharp eye on the practice fields, and I'll be sure to keep you up to date on Danny's status as more information becomes available. But keeping on that same subject for a moment and speaking about the Eagles running game, injury might play a factor there as well, as running back Jordan Howard, their lead back was limited in practice with a shoulder injury on Wednesday, and also wide receiver Alshon Jeffrey did not participate at all in practice with an ankle injury. So that could lead to some interesting storylines into Sunday. As always, stay tuned, folks, and keep an especially sharp eye on Jordan Howard. The

Eagles' ability to run the football is a big part of their offense, and if Howard isn't any way hampered by that injury, it could change the complexity of Sunday's game. But getting back to the Patriots, and there were a few more additions to their injury report on Wednesday, Patrick Chung continues to be listed with a heel and a chest injury. Also Matt Lacoste with a knee injury. That was expected. And lastly, special teamer Nate Ebner did not participate in practice on Wednesday. He was listed on the report with an ankle and a back injury. If he's not present for Thursday's practice, folks, that might mean a scratch for him on Sunday. And Ebner is a stellar contributor on special teams, so wishing him a speedy recovery as well, and we'll continue to monitor his status.

But I did tell you that we're going to end on a high note, and that's exactly what I'm going to do before bringing Taylor in today. Julian Edelman, my silver medalist in the Lockdown Patriots Mid-Season Medallion Awards, which I revealed last Wednesday here on Lockdown Patriots, has been removed from the injury report. That means that the ribs and the chest injury no longer a threat to keep him out of action. Now, does this mean that Julian isn't playing through pain any longer?

Absolutely not. He will likely experience pain in that area throughout the season and into the playoffs. But what this does mean is that having this bye week off to rest has helped him to feel more comfortable and also that he has made significant progress toward the healing he's desperately needed. So great news for Julian, great news for the Patriots, and they're going to need Tom Brady's

most reliable target this Sunday in Philadelphia. So if the Patriots have what apparently looks like a healthy Julian Edelman, veteran receivers like Mohamed Sanu and Philip Dorsett spreading the field, and if the people get what they want and rookie wide receiver Nakheel Harry makes his season debut on Sunday, what offensive game plan might we see the Patriots employ against the Eagles? On the other side of the ball, will the Patriots' defense resurrect the boogeymen from the doldrums, or might those Philly specials throw some melted cheese over the Patriots' RPO defense? I know folks, I just can't resist the puns, and thank you all for bearing with me and putting up with my rather pedestrian sense of humor.

But all kidding aside, those are the questions that I will be asking Taylor when I welcome him in in just a moment. But first, attention and listen up to all of you past and present and even future MyBookie players. During Thanksgiving week, MyBookie is offering a risk-free bet on the Bears-Lions game. Simply choose a team against the spread for up to $250. If you win, congratulations. You've got extra holiday spending money. If you lose, congratulations to you as well. MyBookie will give you all of your money back.

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And that's on top of the risk-free bet. Let me repeat, that's a guaranteed deposit match and a risk-free bet for Thanksgiving only. So if you're a true football fan, you do not want to let this opportunity pass you by. You simply can't lose. Make sure you do your part to support your team this season. Hop on the gravy train and get in on the action with my bookie. You play, you win, you get paid. My guest today continues to be a true rising star in sports media.

His ability to break down film and explain it in a clear and concise manner makes him a favorite of mine and so many others here on social media. You know his great work from Pat Spulpitt of SB Nation. He is also one half of the hosting tandem of the Kravitzky and Kiles podcast, alongside Bobby Kravitzky, who joined me here last week on Locked on Patriots last Thursday. He is Taylor Kiles. He joins me today. Taylor, welcome back to the show, my friend.

Thank you very much for having me back on. It's a pleasure and honor to talk to you. Oh, absolutely. Pleasure is all here. To quote Office Space, the pleasure is all on this side of the table, my friend. So this is one that I'm definitely glad to have you on, and I think it's the perfect week to do it. Patriots-Eagles, a lot of strategy going on here. And let's get right into it, Taylor. The Patriots and the Eagles are set for battle in Philly this Sunday, as we all know. And fans here in New England, you hear it, I hear it.

They're expecting the Patriots to storm the gates at Lincoln Financial Field on this. They want them to go scorch earth on the Eagles, especially after the loss to the Ravens. But this is, I think, a tougher game than some people realize. And we'll start on the defensive side of the ball. The Eagles employ some of the same types of offensive schemes that the Ravens ran in week nine, those run pass options or RPOs as most people know them. And they love to employ what's called that 12 personnel. And you know as well as I do what that means with the runners and the tight ends they have. Now, Carson Wentz isn't exactly Lamar Jackson, but he's very careful

with the football. He has a pretty good running game around him, and of course two very good tight ends in Ertz and in Goddard. If you're the New England Patriots, how defensively do they look to contain the Eagles' ground attack, especially now that Danny Shelton is listed on the injury report and his status for Sunday might be unclear? How do the Patriots go about attacking this Eagles offense? Yeah, well, it's very, very similar to, I think, like you said, with Lamar Jackson.

In terms of fronts in that run game, they have a lot of different things they can throw at you. They've got some outside zone stuff, inside zone stuff, gap runs where you've got guards pulling, you know, trying to overpower and outnumber guys going to one side of the formation. So I think that we're going to see those, you know, that tight front. Mark Schofield's been talking about that one. That's a popular one they've used this year where John Simon is essentially

a 3-4 defensive end where he's playing either over the top of the offensive tackle or inside, kind of one of those shades, which is a tough position to be in, but he's one of those strong guys. You follow me on Twitter, you know I'm a huge John Simon fan. He's done great in that role. And then sometimes I think it's the one where you see John Jones at safety. People might be more familiar with that. And we'll see some four-man fronts where you got it's even, which means that there's no one over the center. You got defensive tackles over both guards. And then a lot of the time what happens is we'll have one linebacker come down and blitz, almost like a

nose tackle, where they're like a battering ram in the middle of the offensive line, basically trying to create disruption on those outside zone plays and get the penetration so it funnels the back. And he says, okay, I either have to commit really quickly or I'm probably going to end up running into one of the defenders. So in terms of stopping the ground game, it's going to be a lot of different fronts, and it's going to come down to assignment football, the way that we saw some lapses against the Ravens.

And that's a tough matchup because the Ravens with Lamar Jackson are a different animal. You know, you really have to account for him as a runner differently than anybody else in the league because he's so fast, he's so elusive. And then it opens things up for everybody else in that ground game and in the play-action game as well. So I don't think Wentz is quite that kind of athlete. He's definitely one of the better athletes at the position in the league,

but he's not Lamar Jackson. So I think that's going to help with the Patriots in the ground game. It's not the one I have to account for quite as much. Also, Wentz does a lot of zone read. You mentioned the RPO. Sometimes it can look confusing because basically the way you can tell the difference a lot of the time is if the quarterback is looking towards the direction of where a route concept is, maybe slants or a bubble screen,

a lot of the time it means that if he has the option to pass it, but zone read, that's the one where you sometimes see those QB keepers where he's looking at the edge defender a lot of the time, and he's saying, okay, if you buy down on the run, I'm going to sprint out and I'm going to make you pay. He doesn't really go out and do a lot of running himself, unless he has to. He's got great scrambling ability, but in terms of those designed runs

where he can either give it or keep it, most of the time he gives it to the back. There's not as much of that element to worry about, which I think is going to be huge for the Patriots. I think, like I said, if they play assignment football, given the depth they have as a defensive line, I think Lawrence Guy can slide in a nose tackle if need be. They've got the guys and the tools to give the Eagles a hard time. That ground game is definitely effective, but it can be stifled. There's been a few games where the running backs in that backfield haven't had great games.

So I think if these guys play the way they're capable in terms of the Patriots, they can get the job done. Absolutely. And you make a good point about the running game actually being able to be stifled. I don't know if you saw the injury report that came out yesterday from Philadelphia, but Jordan Howard is actually listed on the running back's injury report with a, I believe it's a shoulder injury, and he was limited in practice yesterday. Definitely worth keeping a sharp eye on that as well.

That could dampen the Philadelphia Eagles' ability to run the football on Sunday if he's in any way hindered by that injury. But again, it could be posturing, it could be just workload management. I think we'll find more as the week does progress, and especially when Philly hits the practice field today. Now, you mentioned the front seven, and you mentioned their ability and the stout guys that they have with John Simon, Chase Winovich, and that ability for that front three to be able to contain the run.

Now, we know, Tyler, that the Patriots are most comfortable in the 3-4 defense. The linebackers love to run free with that zero blitz, and then for confusion purposes, they love to show blitz, then they can drop a linebacker back into coverage to allow the secondary to shut down the passing game. That's where they're at their best. Now, Stephon Gilmore has been phenomenal this year, and the Eagles have not really gotten the production out of their wideouts that they had expected. A lot of that is because of Deshaun Jackson being on injured reserve. Obviously, that was a big blow to their wide receiver core, but Nelson

Aguilar has been spotty in his production, and yesterday it was reported, along with now Jordan Howard, that Alshon Jeffrey was held out of practice with an ankle injury. So, Taylor, the Eagles runners and tight ends are definitely their strength, but can you envision a scenario where the Eagles wide receivers could pose a problem for this Patriots secondary, even where guys like Gilmore and J.C. Jackson have been so good? Frankly, I'm not really sure these receivers are going to be able to do much against the secondary.

Now, where I see the main problem is with the tight end. I think we're probably going to see Gilmore and Zacherts. The Zacherts is essentially their wide receiver one. He's athletic. He's versatile. He lines up in the slot more than any other tight end. I think Belichick even mentioned that he's essentially a slot receiver who plays some tight end.

So he's the guy you really got to stop in this passing game. Dallas Goddard as well. I think he's one of their bigger offensive weapons in the run game and the pass game. So I think it's going to be really difficult for these Eagles receivers to match up with the Patriots and have any kind of success, especially guys like Nelson Aguilar, who's very talented, but he has problems with drops.

He's not great with contacting guys, you know, punching at the ball or hitting them when he's making receptions. So that's not good against especially a guy like Jon Jones with his recovery speed and the fact that he's sticky and doesn't really lose often anyway. So I don't think Nelson Hagler is going to have a great game. Alshon Jeffries injured as well, and I don't think he's really going to be able to be the dominant force

that we've seen from him throughout his career. Then you've got Matt Collins, who is a younger guy, isn't really on the same page as much as Wentz. He's played a lot when other receivers have been injured, but he hasn't made a huge impact. And then you've got Jay Derrith, I think, a white side, who I liked a lot coming out of the draft. He's a young, talented rookie, big guy, kind of in that Nikhil Harry mold, but they've got big frames and they're very good at making contested catches.

So I think J.J. is a better route runner. But again, that's a rookie receiver, and we're talking about a defense that's secondary that's loaded with veterans who are very smart, very physical, and aren't very easy to beat technically or physically. So I think it's going to be a very tall task for these Eagles receivers. I'm not sure they're going to be up to it, frankly. Yeah, I do agree with you when it comes to the receiving core. I think that's where the Patriots can shine on this defense. I don't believe that they're going to be able to do

much so the Patriots can utilize that and effectively employ a passing scheme that's going to be able to allow them to score points. The issue where I believe they're going to run into when it comes to that is, like you said, when it comes to the tight ends, and Zach Ertz and Dallas Goddard especially. And I actually spoke a little bit with Louis DiBiase, who hosts Locked On

Eagles here on Crossover Wednesday yesterday, and we talked about the possibility of Gilmore playing Ertz, and I do think we're going to see that. Sounds like you agree as well, so it's good to see that there's at least some credence to that rumor that's been out there this week, and I do believe we will see that. I think that's the best way to be able to employ against stopping the Philadelphia Eagles offense. So, Taylor, we've talked about the defense,

and your insight is always great, my friend. But what about the Patriots offense? Can Tom Brady avenge that bitter loss to these Eagles in Super Bowl 50? If so, how will he do it? Taylor will offer his take on that in just a moment, folks. Once again, I'm speaking with Taylor Kiles of Pat's Pulpit of SB Nation. And Taylor, Philadelphia's strength is their front seven on defense and the ability to shut down the running game. But guys like Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, and Derek Barnett

can get after the quarterback and disrupt things for the passing game as well. Now, the Patriots did have some success against the Ravens when they adopted the up-tempo, no-huddle offense. When you look at the Patriots' offense this week and what they need to do, is that the best way to attack this Eagles team? Because it looks like the running game probably could easily be shut down by this Eagles front seven. So are they better off going no-huddle, catching the Eagles off guard, and going into that play-action mode?

And should we expect to see more than that on Sunday? I think the up-tempo is definitely the strategy against this Eagles team because while they do have a very talented group of guys in the trenches defensively, they're also not very deep, which is a big problem. They rely really on their main four guys in Burnett, Cox, Graham, those guys. So really I think if you go hurry up, what we saw against the Ravens was it forces the defense to play in a position where they're tired. They're not allowed to get substitutions. scram those guys. So really, I think if you go hurry up, what we saw against the Ravens was it forces the defense to play in a position where they're tired. They're not allowed to get

substitutions. The Ravens actually did a good job of still disguising and shifting and kind of giving Brady something to think about pre-snap. But this Eagles front doesn't really do that, or this Eagles defense doesn't really do that schematically. They're a hardcore, soft cover three team. And I think that's really going to hurt them against the Patriots. It's similar in some ways to what we saw, I mean, in the Super Bowl against the Eagles, obviously, but also the Seahawks, although the Seahawks are more aggressive in their approach because they do a lot more press where, you know,

they get up in the receiver's face, kind of throw a little jam to throw off the timing, and then they'll bail out into their cover three. The Eagles usually are about seven, eight yards off the ball, so the Patriots are going to have as many dink and dunk throws as they want. Everybody who's watched Brady closely knows he's not a real dink and dunk quarterback. He'll make his aggressive throws. He's not just relying on guys to make plays for him.

But at the same time, he's a smart quarterback, and smart quarterbacks are going to take whatever you give them. So I think that's going to be a very big liability for the Eagles secondary in terms of, you know, and especially with their aggressiveness. And we've seen that. They love to bite on those slants and those in-breaking routes. And what teams do a lot of the time is they'll just hit them with a post and go or something like that, and then they're off to the races.

I think we could see a big game from Dorsett. We know how much they love using him on those double moves. So, yeah, I'm not sure how this defense is going to do. The front seven, if they can have a good game and,orsett, we know how much they love using him on those double moves. So, yeah, I'm not sure how this defense is going to do. The front seven, if they can have a good game and, you know, stick to it for the whole duration of the period and the contest, then they could give the Patriots some problems. But especially with this pretty thin linebacker core, Kamu Grugier-Hill, who a lot of the Patriots fans are going to recognize as someone who they

acquired a few years ago and then wound up getting rid of just because they were so deep at the position. But there's not a lot of people on this defense that really scare you, especially with the communication issues and the lapses they've had in coverage. Yeah, good points all the way around. And especially when it comes to Brady's ability for the receivers to be able to find some ability to score on this secondary. I think that's a very interesting point.

Don't forget, Tom Brady's wide receiver core is probably going to be as healthy as it's been all season. Dorsett looks like he's well on his way back from the hamstring injury that hampered him earlier. Julian Edelman, I mentioned when I opened the show, is no longer on the injury report. Doesn't mean he's not still playing through some pain, folks, but it means that his healing has definitely progressed to the point where the patriots feel comfortable removing him

from that report also muhammad sunu nikhil harry we're looking at a possibility of him being active all signs seem to point to that although of course in new england you never really know until bill belichick submits that card exactly who's going to be active and who's not. But right now it's looking likely like he will make his debut. And that leads me very nicely into my last question for you today, my friend. And Josh McDaniels and Tom Brady always seem to have something up their sleeve. And you know that Philly special is still haunting the New England Patriots. Could this be the game where we see some trickery, maybe a Mohamed Sanu pass, or maybe even a Jacoby

Myers drop back. You know, people forget that he can throw the ball as well. Do you envision something like that, or do you think the straightforward, grind-it-out approach is the best way for the Patriots to attack the Seagulls team? Oh, God, I hope they do. I hope they pull out something crazy. I'd love to see a Sanu to Nikhil Harry to Jacoby to Edelman. Some crazy kind of thing like that would be fantastic,

especially in CenturyLink. We know what those fans are like. They can be enthusiastic, to say the least. Not the nicest fan base, but they're passionate about their team. You've got to respect it, especially as Pats fans. So I'd love to see a little bit of trickery, you know, something like that. Maybe Edelman's screen to James White to the other side of the field. You know, who knows?

Like we saw against the Packers last year. And this is that part of the season where sometimes they'll pull some things out of the bag and they'll throw guys off. So I think if we see something like that, it could either be earlier in the game, maybe when they're trying to – they've established a few things and then they want to, you know, give the Eagles something else to think about. Or maybe if it's a close game, like we saw, I think it was last time

they played the Eagles when it was, who was it, was it Dan Bradford was the quarterback? Wow, that was a really long time ago. Yeah. But we saw the pass to Brady. So I think we could definitely see something. You know, you never want to put it against McDaniels. He likes his trickery. So fingers crossed.

And hopefully the Kilharry debuts and we can see him do some wildcat quarterback. Maybe I'm being selfish there, but I think that would be pretty fantastic. No, I don't think you're being selfish at all. I think mostly everyone in Patriots Nation is chomping at the bit to see what Nikhil Harry can do. Look, he comes in with a lot of pedigree, and I was actually in the Patriots media room when they drafted Nikhil Harry, and some of the faces that were around just basically said, yeah, this makes a lot of sense, and a lot of people pegged that right from the get-go. He was that big physical receiver that the Patriots have not had in quite some time and really shows promise.

All the tape that we've seen on him from Arizona State shows that he can go up, make contested catches, and be a factor in this offense. Now, to put all of the pressure on him in his debut and say he has to be the man coming out is certainly not accurate, and it's definitely not what's going to happen. As long as you employ receivers like Julian Edelman, and even to a lesser degree Mohamed Sanu and Philip Dorsett, Nikhil Harry doesn't have to be the main focus. But I do look for him to be a part of this offense,

especially if he's active, and we hope he is. And I agree with you. I think we are going to see some trickery. And if it does happen, I think you hit the nail right on the head. It will be early in this game to try to put the Eagles on their heels, And I agree with you. I think we are going to see some trickery. And if it does happen, I think you hit the nail right on the head. It will be early in this game to try to put the Eagles on their heels, take the crowd out of it who's going to be pumped. Philly is looking at this as their Super Bowl.

This is their rematch from Super Bowl 52, and they want to prove that they were the better team then and that they are the better team now. I think the team in New England is going to have something to say about that this weekend. So all in all, Taylor, thank you. You always, always bring some great information and always seem to raise the bar here whenever you take the guest chair on Locked on Patriots. So from the bottom of my heart, I thank you for coming on today.

Before I let you go, my friend, the floor is yours. Where can everyone find you and the great work that you do, not only for SB Nation, but also some of the podcasting and the analysis that you provide every day? Absolutely. First of all, thank you so much for the kind words, Mike. I'm always happy to be on. You're a fantastic host. I love listening to podcasts.

In terms of where my self-plugs, I'm at Twitter at TKYLES39. That's where I do a lot of my breakdowns. If you want to see some X's and O's stuff, some strategy, understand what's going on on the field in a different perspective. I like to open it up so it's a little more digestible to fans who don't really know the game that intensely

because it's really all I do. And then I also, my podcast, it was formerly actually Kravitzky and Kyle's Now with Patriots Perspective. We wanted to do a little rebrand there. And that show airs on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Sometimes we switch it up if we have a guest on just to accommodate their schedules.

But those are the two main places you can find me, as well as on Pat's Pulpit. I do some film breakdown stuff for them. So that's it for me. Again, Mike, thank you so much for having me on, buddy. Oh, my pleasure, Taylor. And thank you for breaking some news here on Locked On. Definitely Patriots Perspective, folks.

That's the new podcast name, but still the same great host and great guest. I've listened to it. I subscribe. You definitely should as well. It's a great listen, and these two guys do an amazing job. And again, if you want a master class, folks,

if you want the Rosetta Stone of what needs to be broken down in terms of X's and O's and play breakdowns, follow Taylor on Twitter. I tell you, you will not be disappointed. You'll learn a lot. I've learned a lot just following him as well. So I think that's a great thing that you do. And keep up the great work, my friend.

And as always, we look forward to having you back here on Locked On Patriots before the end of the season. You can bet that you'll hear Taylor again on these airwaves shortly. Okay, and again, Taylor, thank you so much. As for me, I will be back to give a final preview for the Pats Eagles and offer my game prediction for this Sunday's matchup. And I might just have a special guest joining me as well, so keep a sharp eye and stay locked in to Locked On Patriots.

As always, please join me each and every day on the Locked On Patriots podcast. Subscribe and listen via your favorite podcast provider. Once again, I'm Mike DeBate. I thank Taylor Kyles for his appearance today. But most of all, thank you all for listening. Best wishes and have a great day, everyone.