Cory’s Corner: Clay-Gronk matchup will determine winner

The Patriots-Packers game has been billed as a duel with two of the best quarterbacks in the game right now.

Tom Brady has carried a team that doesn’t have a consistent running back, a recognizable wide receiver and a star tight end that took until October to shake off the injury rust.

Aaron Rodgers has only thrown three picks all year and all of those have been a result of tips off of his receiver’s hands. He has a Total QBR of 85.8, which not only leads the NFL but the only quarterback that’s in the 80s is Peyton Manning with 81.6.

But Sunday’s game isn’t about the quarterbacks. Even though both quarterbacks are not only two of the best, but two of the smartest passers in the game.

This game is about stopping Rob Gronkowski who is once again playing like the unguardable tight end of 2011. The first four games of the season he was getting back in the groove but now he’s back to being New England’s best receiving option.

And the guy that’s going to stop that man is Clay Matthews. I was skeptical when defensive coordinator Dom Capers took him from his usual outside linebacker position and stuck him inside. But after three games, it looks like genius.

The move initially was intended to inject some athleticism and energy up the middle to shore up a run defense that couldn’t stop running water let alone a running back.

But as we look at the matchup for Sunday, Matthews is very important. Brady’s safety valve on every passing third down situation will be Gronkowski. Why not let Matthews test his coverage skills while also forcing the Patriots to think twice about gashing the defense on the ground.

The question will be if Matthews is too gassed from chasing Gronkowski around and pressing him at the line of scrimmage, will he have enough juice left to pester Brady?

Matthews can win this battle because he has proven that he’s great at getting his hands up in coverage and giving receivers fits. But Gronkowski has also proved that even the best coverages are no match for his massive paws and colossal catching radius. He showed off a one-handed gem against Denver four weeks ago, which proved that his knee injury is old news.

And if Bill Belichick, the smartest NFL coach in the league, opts to gash what once was a soft middle, the Packers will have an answer.

Sooner or later, Brady will be forced to throw. And when he does, “Gronk” will be the main attraction. As long as Matthews takes him off his route very early and doesn’t allow him to get comfortable by just parking himself in a soft coverage, Gronkowski will be in for a surprise.

Lots of people have called for Capers’ head last year and for much of this year. Many have been displeased with how he has handled his personnel especially with all the new packages like the NASCAR package.

If Matthews has a tremendous game and covers Gronkowski exceptionally well, Capers must get a lot of credit. He rolled the dice before the Week 9 bye week by putting Matthews into a brand new position. But he ha transitioned seamlessly without giving up too many big plays on the edge.

Brady and Rodgers will get the lion’s share of attention but the game will ultimately be decided by Gronkowski and Matthews.

 

——————

Cory Jennerjohn is from Wisconsin and has been in sports media for over 10 years. To contact Cory e-mail him at jeobs -at- yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter: Cory Jennerjohn

——————

20 thoughts on “Cory’s Corner: Clay-Gronk matchup will determine winner

  1. This one hand grab was very nice, but also huge mistake from DB who tried to grab Gronkowski instead of grabbing his arm to prevent catch, or to produce drop of the ball. I still thinking that the most important defesive activity will be pass rush. If this will work good, Packers has all the chances to beat Patriots. I will say give to Gronkowski 200 yards and 3 TD, but take everything else from Patriots and Packers will win by large margin!

    1. Dangerous to commit CMIII 100% to Gronk. Pats could use him as a decoy and destroy Pack defense. CMIII doesn’t mean as much to our defense as AROD does to our offense but it’s close. The Pats have plenty of weapons besides Gronk. Heck, I think Belicheck is going to his heavy package to pound the ball down our throats and keep AROD on the sidelines as much as possible. Brady doesn’t throw long much anymore. All his passing TDs are from the red zone. Tim Wright could have a big day. Or Fourier. Or Blount. Or Gray. Or Vereen. Or LeFell. Or Edelman. Or Amadola. That’s the thing about the Pats, they can attack you any number of ways. If Pats run up TOP and score points, how patient will MMM be with Eddie Lacy? Can AROD light up this secondary? Anything is possible for AROD when his is on which is most of the time, but this secondary will be the biggest challenge he’s seen this year. Revis is back to top form and McCourty is in Pro Bowl form. Their back end is now similar to SEA.

      Is Chandler Jones ready to contribute again? If so, that’s another major strike against AROD.

      Then we get to one of the biggest factors of all. No, I’m not talking about targeting Hawk all day as most do. The likelihood that Belicheck out-coaches MMM. MM’s strategy and tactics are akin to playing checkers. Belicheck plays 3D chess.

  2. While I agree that defending Gronk is critical this game is about more than just one player or even one player on each team. We don’t necessarily know that CM3 will be assigned to cover Gronk. I would prefer to have CM3 pass rush up the middle to get Brady off his spot and force some errant throws. It may be best to have Hyde cover Gronk. In any case I’m sure that the Capers has been working on that all week. This game, as usual, will be won or lost in the trenches. Packers OL and DL must win their one on ones. The bigger the game the more important the battle in the trenches becomes. Go Pack Go! Thanks, Since ’61

    1. Way to go since 61. I think that we must exploit bradys weakness, mobility and cause some quick ill advised throws. Turnover or two and the Lambeau momentum kicking in will be a great way to start and keep NE on its heels. Then we can have maybe a Rodgers, Nelson, Lacy, Cobb field day. Go Packers. Enjoy everyone

    2. You are right, it will be decided in the trenches. Can Linsley handle Wilfork and the other o-linemen open holes and pass protect? Is Chandler Jones healthy and will he play? Can Guion & Co., take advantage of Stork? OT Vollmer had trouble against Walden in the Indy game; can Peppers expose him? Seems to be very little analysis anywhere regarding the trenches.

  3. If they aren’t jacked about this game they don’t belong in the NFL. The players have to bring it to a level they are not used to. They are capable of shutting down Brady. The players have to bring it for 60min. Lord knows if it comes down to coaching we are screwed, blued, and tattooed… MM is Belichick’s bitch…

  4. I totally agree with this Cory with the exception of CMIII getting gassed, I have watched this man go 110 MPH for 60 minutes and still look like he can play another 60 🙂 I think Perry will provide that pass rush they need along with Peppers, As for the middle I would like to see them put Elliot in there in place of Hawk on some blitz packages up the middle, Hawk just looks to slow to get there fast enough, I think Elliot could be a pleasant surprise with getting to Brady while Matthews keeps the middle in coverage. Just a thought lol I know I am no defensive guru like Capers but I do know Hawk is not the answer to middle linebacker anymore!

    1. CMIII’s groin still suspect. Chasing/battling Gronk all day has a big risk to it in more ways than one but if that is the only way we think we can win, then we should do it.

  5. I wonder how Richardson would do covering Gronk. He has excellent size and in his limited opportunities has looks fair in coverage. Maybe hawk could come out and Richards son could challenge Gronk as a nickel or dime. Maybe he is not up for the task, but there is a way to beat New England, especially with the Packers at home.

    I hope the Packers bring there best play of the season out tomorrow. It would be a monster victory. Maybe I am not as confident as most but I see this game as the true test of the Packers capabilities, and find it to be daunting.

    Go Packers!

    1. Sven – I love your idea. But MMM does not think outside the box that way. Richardson is teh most physical guy we have. He is more LB than DB but he has enough speed and coverage ability to fight Groink to the death. From your lips to MMM’s ears.

  6. Gronk will be a critical match-up for the Packers, although I have a feeling Peppers will be on him too, not just Clay Matthews. Another key to the game is going to be Rodgers finding Davante Adams and the forgotten man Jarrett Boykin. Look for Quarless, Rodgers and maybe even Bostick to get involved. Rodgers will need to spread the ball around to keep the Patriots guessing and especially if Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner cover Nelson and Cobb well. Packers 34, Patriots 31

      1. You think Peppers can’t keep up? Even at 34, Peppers is still one of the most athletic players on the Packers. He’s been effective enough dropping into coverage this year, with two pick six TDs. The guy is a freak of nature. Gronk is about 20 lbs. lighter, but gives up 2″ to Peppers. Peppers can help out Matthews, who can’t chase Gronk all night long.

        1. “Keeping up” is not the same as covering. We all know Peppers still has excellent straight line speed. When was the last time you saw a DE/elephant OLB that cover one of the top NFL pass catchers all day?

          1. Peppers probably will not cover Gronk all day. As you can see from my original post, I mentioned it would be Clay Matthews and Peppers. The Packers would be wise to mix it up using their two most athletic players.

  7. Capers getting credit ….. except there were fans on these boards calling for this change long before Capers implemented it. All he did was use common sense – he had an oversupply of elephant OLBs, and undersupply of ILBs and one guy who has teh athleticism to play either position and he switched him. It worked well for a couple of games against some suspect competition. Let’s see if it works Sunday against some real competition. And even if it does, is it really deserving of extreme praise? The only alternative was to do nothing and get gashed to death the rest of the way. Doesn’t take a genius to make teh right choice between those two options. The real questions are why are Hawk/Jones still on the team and why was this change so long in coming. Capers for mayor!

  8. We can play the player match up game all day long,but the win or loss of this game for the Packers may very well come down to the very basic element of football that eludes this team too often at wrong moments….tackling.

  9. I really have no idea how Capers will or should scheme against NE. NE’s offensive line has been rather up and down, particularly in pass pro. Maybe Guion can have a good game against their rookie center, Stork. Similarly, NE’s d-line has been pretty good against the run, but has some limitations in getting consistent pass rush. I suspect that NE will be able to limit Cobb and Nelson, and since I am not sanguine about Adams’ (or Boykins’) ability to capitalize, I would like to see Janis active for this game. If McCourty is bracketing Nelson or Cobb, that should open things up for GB’s 3rd and 4th WRs.

Comments are closed.