Thread by @Bearlissimo1

I doubt that Coaches Nagy or Belichick will mind or read this. Here are my thoughts in a thread about Bears Vs Pats pre-game. I'll pin it for anyone to "I told you so" later. (Prepared to eat crow).

So what I've seen about the Pats so far.

Pats snap the ball real quick

off motions.

Most of Gronk, Hogan and Gordon's yards are air yards,

Have to believe Brady isn't going to get time for that.

White is targeted on flat routes and swings from backfield. Corners in zone and OLBs robbing flats need to be aware, it's a tough ask for a MLB to get

out there, even Trevathan & Smith.

NEs MLBs are asked to do a lot in coverage. They play a lot of man under 2/3 deep from various looks.

When playing cover 2 against uneven sets, it tends to be the back side off corner playing the other half to the deep safety.

Leaves a

deep out to corners side open. Double moves will be good Vs Pats.

Also they like to keep 8 in the box pre-snap and bail. A few quick counts to Howard on inside zone, could really catch them.

So, empty set pre snap with Cohen, Gabriel, Trey, Robinson and Miller. Options to

shift to a single back 4 wide, single back Trips (jet sweep Gabriel, bubble if the trips are Burton, Robinson and Miller etc. Loads of stuff the mad scientist Swaggy Nagy can do with that.

Michel has added a new dimension to the Pats offense, but he's an outside zone guy.

When

in shotgun, Trevathan or Smith need to spy the Half Back if it's pass unless we keep Floyd to his side, which the Pats will adjust to quickly (this could be used to set them up for a MLB robber away in the 2nd half).

Callahan needs to be in press Vs Edelman, no free release.

I'm ok with Amos playing rough with Gronk. Again, no free releases and whichever OLB is to his side needs to make firm contact on pass downs . I don't want to see him Vs Jackson unless we're in cover 3 and Jackson is coming over as the 2nd man.

Pats O Line are fast east/west

but not overly physical. The law firm (Hicks, Goldman & Mack) and man child (Nicholls) should eat!

Pats D is going to struggle with match ups in man and zone (mostly man under).

Expect the Pats to run route combos with Gordon and Gronk to same side. Make a safety commit, throw to the other.

Because of that flat 8 in the box the Pats like early. Expect to see wham blocks which Lions had success with in run game. Johnson had a big day.

I think

we don't have to worry a great deal about matching up with their D, Cohen, Burton, Gabriel & Howard could have big days.

Must play tighter zone, make Brady wait in the pocket, no free releases, tight zones, press man mixed in, with MLBs having a mix of robber coverages and

delayed/run blitzes as down & field position dictate.

Nothing to fear but fear itself Bears Fans.

🎩🇬🇧🐻⬇️

Further to the "man under" coverage I alluded to, if Roquan Smith is manned Vs Gronk, he has the ability but needs to run his assignments & not get drawn by Brady's eyes... 1st pass play Vs Dolphins for 14 was man under (3 screen shots in sequence)

Man has to be much tighter!

Next play pre snap looks like man under 2 deep, but Fuller (bottom of screen back to receiver) Amos (deep middle) & Amukamara (top) may be in 3 deep... Jackson & Callahan are in no man's land, with no one to cover. Osweilller stares down the receiver to top, Brady won't.

Sorry about the poor graphics, doing this from my phone...

Not a great play for Jackson, ball is errant, this is maybe where @FulphilO says Amos should have the pick...

Next pass

We've run man under coverage the first few pass plays, here again we have man. Jackson is actually manned Vs the 9 (purple corner in error), & switches to the wide out (in purple) after Callahan/Fuller collide covering purple/blue. Suspect Fangio saw errors in man