In this week's edition of the NFL Notebook, we look at the latest chapter in the rivalry between edge defenders and tight ends, why Sony Michel drew the ire of the league officiating office, and what the "Sunday Night Football" crew thinks of this Patriots-Chiefs contest. But first, how does the New England defense prepare for a matchup against some elite offensive talent like they have in Kansas City? With some outside-the-box thinking in practice.
1. How do you mimic an unmimickable offense? That was the question Bill Belichick and the rest of the Patriots’ coaching staff faced this week when it came to preparing for the Chiefs. Belichick mentioned how hard it was to prepare for an offense like Kansas City’s, one that is so fast and so explosive. So barring the addition of the URI track team to the practice squad, how do you get your scout team to give you a reasonable look? We asked around a bit, and found there are several ways you can empower your scout team offense in hopes of simulating an extraordinary offensive attack.
a. Start your wide receivers 3-5 yards down the field pre-snap. It’s something the Patriots have done before, a point verified by former New England linebacker Tedy Bruschi as something New England did before Super Bowl XXXVI. Cornerbacks end up having to play catch-up, but it would theoretically give them some sort of idea of the speed of the likes of Tyreek Hill and what it might take to try and cover them in game action.
b. Veteran offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild, who worked with the Bills and Rams, said teams will often allow the scout team to extend plays that might have been previously blown dead as a way to tilt the scale in favor of the offense. He explained: “Coaches can always have their quarterback and the rest of their skill team guys keep playing after a sack, a scramble, or some such breakdown.”
c. You have to figure out a way to have your scout team guys “buy-in” for the week. That can be as simple as having the right scout teamers on your roster from the start of the season specifically for that opponent, or as far as extra film with the scout team to make sure they have their assignments down. One former NFL coordinator also said he’s heard of teams collecting money from veterans to be given to the best scout team player for the week. “That can always be a good incentive,” he said.
Regardless of how you go about it, the scout team has an especially vital role in New England every week. Safe to say, when it came to preparing for Hill, Travis Kelce, Pat Mahomes and Sammy Watkins, their role was even more important. We'll see how they did come Sunday night.
2. Three takeaways from this week’s conference call with the “Sunday Night Football” crew.
a. They’re split on the Kelce vs. Rob Gronkowski debate. Rodney Harrison said he “love(s)” Gronkowski, “but Kelce brings something a little different. He brings that athleticism. He brings that fire.” Meanwhile Tony Dungy weighs the health and availability before ultimately choosing Gronkowski, “if I’ve got one game to win, and they are both healthy.” Cris Collinsworth made points for both, but in the end, he wouldn’t choose. “I don’t think I have a favorite because it’s like — to me, it’s like comparing apples to oranges,” he said. “These two players really could not be any more different at the position. ... Kelce is a little more new age and Gronk is a little more old school. But both are great players.”
b. Harrison feels some empathy for Julian Edelman. The two missed the first four games of a season because of PED-related suspensions — Harrison’s came in 2007, while Edelman just returned after missing the first four games of this year.
“I think the most important thing is when you got suspended, you feel like you let your teammates down. You feel like you let the organization, as well as the fan base down,” Harrison said. “So when you come back, you want to make plays, and I think that his biggest challenge is just being patient, you know, against the Colts. They come out and the first pass is to Julian Edelman; the crowd erupts, and you just want to prove that, hey, I want to be part of this team. You don’t want anyone wanting to make a big deal out of your situation. But you just want to prove to your teammates that you’re all in and that you want to be part of the team.”
c. The record of young quarterbacks coming into Foxborough and winning over the years in the regular season isn’t great — more on that in a minute — but Collinsworth recalled the one youngster who went toe-to-toe against Tom Brady in a Sunday Night game in 2012 — Colin Kapernick, who beat the Patriots in a memorable shootout that December.
“The game he had, it was the worst weather you could imagine,” recalled Collinsworth. “It was just above freezing, so it was this freezing rain and the wind was blowing about 30 miles an hour. ... And Brady and Kaepernick went up and down the field time after time. Brady scored what looked like the winning touchdown.
“Kaepernick comes right back and answers with this brilliant drive and the game-winning play. It’s a game that has always stuck in my mind,” he added. “So yeah, young quarterbacks sometimes don’t — they don’t know any better. They don’t know that they are not supposed to go into New England and beat Tom Brady.”
#Patriots rookie RB Sony Michel ran over #Colts Safety Clayton Geathers.
Geathers was taken to the locker room after that. pic.twitter.com/QvAmetb0iO
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) October 5, 2018