Patriots need to control Robert Mathis

Sack Master Attack looks to wreak havoc on the Patriots tonight

While the Patriots tend to be tight-lipped, there was something every player couldn't stop talking about: stopping Robert Mathis.

Logan Mankins: "They have one of the most explosive players in the league in Mathis. He can change the game at any moment if you let him."

Nate Solder: "I think it’s rare that you get a guy that has that much talent and then plays so hard every play and that’s him. That’s the challenge of him I think."

Tom Brady: "You try to put guys around him and double team him, but he still seems to be making all the plays. I just know I don't have a lot of time back there in the pocket to sort things out. We got to try and get the ball to our guys as quickly as we can so he's not ruining the game."

Bill Belichick: "He's an outstanding player, one of the most disruptive players in the league. Not only does he hit the quarterback a lot, but he causes the turnover, game-changing plays. Very good at stripping the ball from the quarterback. He's also hit the quarterback a number of times, which has caused interceptions or tipped balls as part of the rush, that kind of thing. So he's a very disruptive guy. Quickness, tremendous motor. Has great speed, but he has great effort in his pursuit, chase."

Mathis ended the season with 19.5 sacks, the most he's racked up in his 11 year career. He also tied a career high 8 forced fumbles. Brady called him the defensive player of the year, and I can't really argue with that. While Luck will get all the credit for last weeks win against the Chiefs, it was Mathis' strip sack on Alex Smith that turned the tides and got the Colts rolling again. That's the kind of impact this guy can have.

What makes Mathis such a nightmare of a matchup is that now he is free to move around the line at will. Throughout almost all his career, Mathis was at the LE with Dwight Freeney at RE. While this did form one of the more terrifying pass rushing duos, it limited the amount of movement Mathis could do along the line. Now he has free reign to line up where ever he pleases. This means Nate Solder and RT Marcus Cannon are both going to get a healthy dose of number 98.

How do the Pats control 98? That running the ball thing does a pretty solid job at that. Especially since the Colts were 25th against the run during the regular season. If Blount can continue his hot running and Ridley can keep getting back to a feature back, then the Mathis effect should be negated. But if McDaniels says Screw it, lets throw, Brady could find himself on his ass for much of this game.

- Pete Rogers
@ftcsports
@petahrahgas