OT - Patriots, again- say it aint so Bill

[daker13]

Originally Posted by wc1934

This didn't take long:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/20...q6K/story.html

Surprising, I thought Googe was well liked and respected. This is one of those moves where you have to listen to some of the behind-the-scenes chatter to figure it out. Bottom line, the o-line did a piss poor job the other night. Not to mention the Miami game. There were injuries, sure, but Marcus Cannon either sucks at his job or isn't listening to coaching--and that goes for all of them. The Pats have been pretty casual with Brady's health this season, too casual.

[daker13]

Originally Posted by Climb01742

I think, and hope, there are folks looking long and hard in the mirror down in Foxboro. How the Pats played in the last 6 regular season games and in Denver does, I think, call into question a few fundamental assumptions the Pats have made:

1. Maybe Tom really does need a running game to keep him from getting killed and keep opposing teams from dropping 8 defenders into pass coverage and let great pass rushers never worry about run defense. Yes, injuries took away Dion Lewis and LaG Blount, but somehow, someway James White and Brandon Bolden could have been used better. Or actually draft a back.

2. Maybe Tom really does need a tall, fast deep threat who can actually catch and stretch the D so 8 defenders can't jam the field within 10-15 yards of the line.

3. Maybe trying to fill too many positions with 'bargains' does come back to bite you. A judicial signing of a pricey, but proven free agent at the O line or at receiver could pay off. The Pats are always under the cap. How does that unspent cap money feel today?

... 36 hours later the loss still hurts.

Climb, of your points above the one that really resonates is the lack of running game. Another receiver wouldn't hurt (LaFell and Chandler shouldn't even be on the field that this point) but the running game after Dion got injured was very poor. Blount was not good this season, Jackson was a washout, Bolden was uninspired... Ridley or dare I say it a big tight end who can run the ball every now and then like Hernandez (gulp) would have made a difference...

The Pats were a very good team this season when firing on all cylinders but when things started going wrong--off day for the qb, injuries, penalties going against you, kickers missing PATs--a strong offensive line and a decent rb would have gone a long way.

[Climb01742]

An interesting quote from Teddy Bruschi. An insight, possibly, into why an O line coach might be fired. Teaching a center how not to get predictable sounds like basic stuff a coach should do.

'Bruschi noted that center Bryan Stork "got a little robotic with his snap count, which the pass rushers timed perfectly as he bobbed his head."

"I've been in that situation, where you just know when that ball is going to be snapped and the offensive lineman doesn't know and you're going to get a jump on him, and that's the problem they had," Bruschi said.'

[brownhound]

Warning: Bronco fan here.

A loss always causes so much navel-gazing and hand-wringing. The Pats, despite all their problems this year, were a glance to the right from tying the game on the final play since Gronk was open moving to the right. If I were y'all, I'd mellow out and be somewhat comfortable knowing the chances are very good the team will be a Super Bowl contender next year. One or two bounces the other way, and they would've waltzed into the SB out of their worst venue.

If anything, I would be worried about what happens when Brady ages. For all the talk of playing until his mid-40s, the bottom can drop out quickly. It took about a month last year for Peyton from going from one of the top 2 or 3 QBs in the game to being a liability.

[Jeff N.]

Sure glad I don't have to look at B&B in the Super Bowl this year.

[MattTuck]

Originally Posted by brownhound

Warning: Bronco fan here.

A loss always causes so much navel-gazing and hand-wringing. The Pats, despite all their problems this year, were a glance to the right from tying the game on the final play since Gronk was open moving to the right. If I were y'all, I'd mellow out and be somewhat comfortable knowing the chances are very good the team will be a Super Bowl contender next year. One or two bounces the other way, and they would've waltzed into the SB out of their worst venue.

If anything, I would be worried about what happens when Brady ages. For all the talk of playing until his mid-40s, the bottom can drop out quickly. It took about a month last year for Peyton from going from one of the top 2 or 3 QBs in the game to being a liability.

I am worried any time Gronk, Edelman and Amendoula catch the ball. Those guys get hit so hard, and Gronk is so prone to injury, that I really question how sustainable that group is.

[soulspinner]

The Pats had a hell of a year with all the injuries. But not winning the Miami game killed home field and any chance of repeating.

[brownhound]

Originally Posted by MattTuck

I am worried any time Gronk, Edelman and Amendoula catch the ball.

Edelman and Amendola are replaceable. It's the thrower that isn't.

[merlinmurph]

Originally Posted by Louis

Harsh. Given all the injuries he had to work around, what exactly did they expect of him, the Redskins Hogs?

You seem to be assuming that they fired him because they lost. Maybe they just don't like him, or the way he works, or how he works with other people, or whatever. We have no idea. It's the end of the season and people get let go

[Red Tornado]

Originally Posted by brownhound

Warning: Bronco fan here.

A loss always causes so much navel-gazing and hand-wringing. The Pats, despite all their problems this year, were a glance to the right from tying the game on the final play since Gronk was open moving to the right. If I were y'all, I'd mellow out and be somewhat comfortable knowing the chances are very good the team will be a Super Bowl contender next year. One or two bounces the other way, and they would've waltzed into the SB out of their worst venue.

If anything, I would be worried about what happens when Brady ages. For all the talk of playing until his mid-40s, the bottom can drop out quickly. It took about a month last year for Peyton from going from one of the top 2 or 3 QBs in the game to being a liability.

If opposing defenses figure out how to get to Brady next few seasons like the Broncos did, things could get interesting. A QB at his age will start having issues if he gets hammered the way he did last Sunday on a consistent basis. He's a big guy, but not many QB's are used to the pounding like RB's/WR's/TE's/etc.

[Red Tornado]

Originally Posted by Jeff N.

Sure glad I don't have to look at B&B in the Super Bowl this year.

Amen!

[Red Tornado]

I am by no means a Patriots fan but I have to give them credit for the ability to move the ball well late in the game, especially when the opposing defense seems to have had their number for the first, let's say 55-58 minutes. It's like they always leave that one extra gear in reserve just for those times. Plays that haven't worked all game all of a sudden get them 8/10/20 yds or at least enough for the 1st down.
In last weeks game when they were looking to tie it up, my son told me, "Dad, I think they could be down by 4 TD's with a minute to go and still have a legit chance to win". #SMH

[wc1934]

So it was all a sham and they were not interested in the truth?
"Even though the NFL instituted new rules to test the PSI of footballs before, during, and after random games in the wake of the Patriots Deflategate scandal, and even though the NFL required officials to log all PSI data, commissioner Roger Goodell told the NFL Network Tuesday that the league didn稚 collect the data to determine the effects of weather and temperature on ball inflation".

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/20...NSJ/story.html

[djg21]

Originally Posted by wc1934

So it was all a sham and they were not interested in the truth?
"Even though the NFL instituted new rules to test the PSI of footballs before, during, and after random games in the wake of the Patriots Deflategate scandal, and even though the NFL required officials to log all PSI data, commissioner Roger Goodell told the NFL Network Tuesday that the league didn稚 collect the data to determine the effects of weather and temperature on ball inflation".

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/20...NSJ/story.html

Had the NFL collected data, the data likely would have undermined the NFL's position in its litigation with Brady, because the data would have corroborated Brady's explanation. At the very least, Brady should be entitled to an adverse inference that the testing proved more likely than not his version of events.

[shovelhd]

So how about returning the million bucks and the draft picks?