As we head toward Titans-Patriots, we'll do a bit of sharing with Boston Sports Journal, another independent site. Greg Bedard is the site's columnist/Patriots analyst, editor and owner.
By GREG BEDARD
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Each team tries to gain an advantage over their opponent by targeting weaknesses of the opponent but also playing to your own strengths. There aren't really any magic elixirs like personnel groupings and huge mismatches — these games basically come down to which team has the better players and whether they play to that level thanks to coaches that put them in the best position for success.
After going through the film, here are three ways I think the Titans and Patriots will try to gain an edge on the other.
TITANS VS. PATRIOTS
1. Get after Brady up the middle.
This is no magic formula. Mike Vrabel knows it. Dean Pees knows it. The Patriots know it. Get some early hits on Brady and he gets sped up, never feels comfortable and his accuracy is off just enough to keep them disjointed on offense. You don't have to even pressure all that much — the Titans made Brady feels pressure just 25.5 percent of the time in last year's game yet Brady couldn't have played more spooked.
The Titans were, however, very effective at bringing players from the second level up the middle to help move Brady off his spot. That led to Brady and James White allowing almost half (five of 12) pressures.
2. Take care of Edelman and White.
