Keep your eye on Fred Taylor

During today's game between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons make sure you keep your eye on Fred Taylor. He'll have an impact on the outcome of this game. The Patriots pro-bowl running back Fred Taylor has been pretty quiet in the Patriots back field. Most of the NFL has pretty much forgotten that Fred Taylor is on the field. Mostly because he's surrounded by question marks and super star athletes (which he ONCE was). Somewhere in between the injuries of Wes Welker and Randy Moss lies a very fast Fred Taylor. He may have been ignored in the past two regular season games but against the Falcon's watch for him to make an impact. What to watch for? Keep an eye on Fred Taylor in the passing game. Sure he'll take his share of carries and he's still explosive. He's old but he's not done. He can carry the load for a few quarters but he'll have to share it with Laurence Maroney. The plays I really want you to focus on are the plays where we know the ball isn't going to Fred Taylor. When you see highlights of Brady getting sacked, watch to see where Fred Taylor is. He has a huge impact on the amount of time Brady has in the pocket. If Taylor is lost out there, Brady will be on his back. If Taylor is picking up the Falcons defense we'll be seeing some good numbers for Brady. Is Fred Taylor executing well? Here's how to tell if Fred Taylor is doing his job. Is he making sharp cuts and picking up 5-8 yards regularly? If yes then the Patriots are in good shape. Is Taylor meeting linebackers and defensive linemen before Tom Brady? If yes he's executing well. He's still a very fast back with great field vision. He'll use this field vision to pick up a blitz or to explode through a hole for a nice occasional fifteen yard game. If he's not executing like this, hope that Maroney is. If Maroney isn't, then lets hope Wes Welker is out there. We'll need quick timing routes to have an effective passing game without decent blocking from the Patriots RBs.