I HESITATE TO use the word ‘cheat’ around the New England Patriots but, in this instance, I’m going to use it as a compliment.
The Patriots are currently playing football on cheat mode. Without Tom Brady, without Rob Gronkowski, without Dont’a Hightower… they are 2-0 and looking on course for yet another AFC Championship Game appearance.
On Sunday, before he was carted off with an injury, Jimmy Garoppolo continued to show he is the rightful heir to the Brady throne.
The 24-year-old looked poised beyond his years and showed he knows the Patriots offence — or at least the parts offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels wants him to know — off by heart.
In one and half games, Garoppolo has completed 70% of his passes for nearly 500 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.
His comfort with the offence was perfectly encapsulated on his third touchdown of the day against the Dolphins on Sunday. If you didn’t see it, here’s how it looked on TV:
Pre-snap read: Offence
When Gronk eventually does make it back onto the field, expect the Patriots to run a lot of offensive plays with their (two tight end, one running back) 12 personnel grouping.
However, on this score, the Patriots are in the 11 grouping — which forces the defence to account for both passing and running plays — with Martellus Bennett (blue) and James White (white) the tight end and running back respectively.
They’re joined by three receivers: Danny Amendola (red), Chris Hogan (green) and Julian Edelman (yellow).
Pre-snap read: defence
The game is only 17 minutes old but the Dolphins defence has already been on the field for 26 plays as quarterback Ryan Tannehill has failed to get their offence moving on the other side of the ball.
Miami break their huddle and look set to defend the play with the single high safety — in the shape of Isa Abdul-Quddus (orange) – in Cover 1 nickleback (having a fifth cornerback/safety on the field) while the remaining six players are showing blitz from the 4-2 defensive front.
With Reshad Jones (pink), Byron Maxwell (grey), Xavien Howard (brown) and Bobby McCain (black) in man coverage, this leaves James White uncovered so Abdul-Quddus moves into man-on-man coverage with the Patriots running back.
At the snap
Abdul-Quddus moving to cover White has left the middle of the field completely open.
However, the risk here is that the Dolphins are only showing blitz and will actually drop their linebackers — specifically Koa Misi (#55) and Kiko Alonso (47) — or safety Jones (#20) back into zone coverage, taking away the middle of the field.
To test the blitz, the Patriots keep Bennett, the tight end, blocking at the line of scrimmage. How Jones (#20) reacts is key to what Garoppolo does next.
What happens next?
By keeping Bennett at the line of scrimmage, the Patriots tempt the safety into rushing the pocket which guarantees the middle of the field is free.
This means that all Amendola has to do is beat McCain with a simple seam route and get his hands on the ball.
The pass from Garoppolo ensures that, once the first part is achieved, the second part is easy.
Notes
There’s no doubt that McCain could have done a better job jamming Amendola at the line of scrimmage but, even if the Patriots player was covered, Garaoppolo still had options and, indeed, could have thrown him open given the route run.
Had that option not been available, Edelman (yellow) would have been the likely target after he fooled Maxwell into thinking he was running across the line of scrimmage before breaking back towards the outside.
Even with White (white) clearing out the safety help on that side of the field, Edelman may not have scored a touchdown, but he would have easily had the first down.
In general, this is an example of how good play-calling, as well as trusting your quarterback to make the right decision, can go a long way towards building the confidence of a young player.
That bodes well for the Patriots and Garoppolo when Brady finally hangs up his boots.
The really ridiculous thing is the divisional finals. Having won all their divisional games, Limerick then had to go and play 2nd place Dublin. If you’re top of the league, you win. Its not as if its a humongous money spinning game for the GAA.
There should be 8 teams in Division 1. As a Dub i’m delighted with the win on Saturday night but it could have gone either way. Limerick don’t deserve to be playing in 1B. They should be playing in the Top Division with teams of the same calibre as them.
Limerick should be in the top flight no doubts.
Losing one playoff shouldn’t doom a good team to another year playing teams they’re clearly superior to.
Helps nobody
Of course leagues are ‘elitist’ – but that’s why there are leagues in the first place. Allen would be on the other side of the fence if Limerick were made to play a few meaningless games against Longford or Warwickshire in a pre-Championship tournament.
On a broader point, it seems this year like every division below 1A has one or two teams that are evidently on a higher plane than everyone else – Dublin and Limerick in 1B, Laois and Westmeath in 2A, Meath and London in 2B, Fingal in 3A and Longford in 3B (perhaps less so in the 3A and 3B divisions).
It seems like the bands of teams would be much fairer if the league was restructured into five tiers, with eight teams in Division 1 and the rest of the country (36 teams, if you brought Cavan back in) split into four divisions of seven teams each. The likes of Laois and Westmeath – Liam MacCarthy teams, basically – get back with their own kind in Division 2; Meath or London get into the third tier where they’re given a decent challenge to rise up a few notches, and Fingal or Donegal are taken out of a division where they’re consistently beating the likes of Fermanagh and Tyrone.
To be honest it seems like there are only two issues with the idea: firstly, that it would mean a few extra Sundays taken out of the county club championships (which shouldn’t be too much of a problem considering every county previously took part in an eight-county division until fairly recently), and secondly, that you’d have the seven lowest teams given the dubious honour of playing in ‘Division 5′. Realistically this is just a branding thing: I don’t see the difference between putting a team in Division 5 and putting them in Division 3B (why isn’t it called Division 6? it’s not as if Divisions 1, 2 and 3 carry any equality to the four tiers of Championship hurling anyway). A rose by another other name…
The GAA needs a complete overhaul. I know traditionalists wont like the idea, but I would love to get rid of pre league tournaments like the McGrath cup. Run off provincial championships in March&April. Then roll league and championship into one champions league style tournament 16 teams in hurling – 4 groups of 4 and top 2 from each into quarter finals. 32 teams in football (4 groups of 8 teams) top 2 from each into quarters. This would also help create a proper calendar for club fixtures.
It should be an 8 team division one, the current 6 plus Dublin and limerick! you need to have promotion and relegation
I don’t get how an eight team division one solves the problem of an elite six team division 1a. If anything it makes the situation worse. Think about it, Limerick played four of six games against Dublin(twice), Wexford and Offaly. Cork or Clare will replace Dublin next year. It’s a bit much for Limerick to believe they’re too good for that type of opposition.
With an eight team division one, the likes of Wexford will play six of seven games against Carlow, Antrim, Laois, Kerry, Westmeath and Down in division two. Being in a six team division 1b in spring is a reasonable preparation for the championship, and even offers a route to winning the league. Finding yourself in an eight team division two would be a far bigger setback.
Billy, Limerick and Dublin are better teams than wexford and offaly. they are on the same level as cork, clare and waterford and this was clear in lasts years championship. Being denied promotion two years ago was insulting. They top the league yet are still in the same division . The young players coming through need to be playing the stronger sides to develop and to make the championship stronger.
10 team in Div 1 Of hurling league .. Would include current 6 plus Dublin, Limerick, Offaly and Wexford
The format for the championship is no better. There’s more chopping and changing than their is in a match itself.
A league is a league – you win the league – end of story .