{"id":9149,"date":"2017-01-03T19:47:46","date_gmt":"2017-01-04T00:47:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/?p=9149"},"modified":"2017-01-03T19:47:46","modified_gmt":"2017-01-04T00:47:46","slug":"defend-tom-brady-new-england-patriots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2017\/01\/03\/defend-tom-brady-new-england-patriots\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Defend Tom Brady and the New England Patriots"},"content":{"rendered":"

Now that the playoffs are set\u00a0the question on everyone’s mind is\u00a0who will be the next Super Bowl champions.\u00a0 The New England Patriots have been there before and are certainly one of the favorites.\u00a0 In order to get to the top, someone will have to beat the Patriots, but how do you stop the Patriots offense?<\/span><\/p>\n

How to Defend Tom Brady<\/a> and the New England Patriots<\/h2>\n

The Patriots offense is a well-oiled machine. \u00a0Conventional wisdom says to put pressure on this sort of offense, but conventional wisdom rarely takes down Goliath.\u00a0 The Patriots offense is based on timing. \u00a0Tom Brady<\/a><\/b> is looking for the blitz in order to take advantage of holes in the secondary.\u00a0 He gets the ball off fast enough that the blitz is often irrelevant.\u00a0 Although Tom Brady is an emotional player, he is not the type to become rattled on the field.\u00a0 In order to disturb this offense, a defensive coordinator should put pressure on the receivers rather than the quarterback.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Jamming and Rerouting<\/h3>\n

The blueprint for defending the Patriots is rushing only three or four players and playing max coverage in the secondary with defenders jamming and rerouting receivers off of the line of scrimmage and playing deep field coverage to stay on top of the big play.\u00a0 The Patriots offense loses its luster when its timing is thrown off.\u00a0 Allow them all the time they want to throw the ball, but disrupt their timing by disrupting their receivers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Disrupting Timing<\/h3>\n

In order to best accomplish this, the receiver should not be able to identify who will be jamming or rerouting him on a given play.\u00a0 These defenders must come from different directions. \u00a0You are limited on the outside, but slots receivers and tight ends can be affected by various inside defenders.\u00a0 The Patriots will get their yards in the passing game, but as the game goes on the cumulative wear on the receivers along with the increased disruption in the timing of the passing game will have a greater effect. \u00a0This could pay particularly high dividends when looking at key situations such as third<\/span>\u00a0downs late in the game. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Gap Integrity<\/h3>\n

While accomplishing this passing game disruption is key, it is important that a defense stay sound in the run game.\u00a0 The Patriots have a talented backfield.\u00a0 They will be able to gain yards on the ground, but the key is keeping gap integrity and not allowing big plays in the running game.\u00a0 The Patriots must be put into passing situations where the defense can have an effect on the receivers. \u00a0Mixing up coverages and creating these situations will create turnover opportunities. \u00a0Since the likelihood of any defense pitching a shutout vs Tom Brady and the New England Patriots is low, creating more opportunities for your offense is important.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beating the Patriots is no small task.\u00a0 In fact, it will take strong performances out of the offensive, defensive, and special teams units to accomplish it.\u00a0 In order to beat this sort of opponent, a team must be willing to act unconventionally and take a lot of risks.\u00a0 In this case, the risk is letting Tom Brady throw the ball and focusing on pressuring the receivers. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Main Photo:<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n