MoLewisrocks

Ditto. Although I did hear the good news that the oracle known as Felger IS predicting this team as the AFC representative in the NYC superbowl in February 2014. It's the moronic era's over window's closing on these chokah's crap I have to steer clear of because it makes me insane. I think Bill knows both how close they were and how tight their margin was again and even what he needs to do to change the equation. Just think he hasn't quite identified the answers yet. Although he has tried both in beefing up the offense via drafting RB's and signing FA WR's. Set himself back with Ocho, did better with Lloyd although given the margin that has been repeatedly stretched due to injuries to his centerpiece TE's he may have to do better yet again. They need to be able to stretch the field more consistently whether that is horizontal or vertical and that means some combination of speed and physicality. And continuing to redevelop a running mentality that insures they can when they must.

He finally said uncle on the pass rush and secondary. Unfortunately he has to do more since just a couple of untimely injuries landed them back on the margin yet again. Meanwhile he has to retain or place three incumbant players he can't afford to lose the production value of, each of whom for one reason or another has reached the point where cost benefit is bordering prohibitive. Hopefully for that reason some of the players he drafted last season who showed promise better make that all important sophomore jump and he needs to have a solid draft again in 2013 to be in position to upgrade talent.

I'm not worried about them being competitive. Been that since the day Brady arrived here and will continue to be as long as he remains. And probably for a time thereafter until BB no longer remains provided he locates an above average game manager. Won't be slam dunk contenders but probably will remain competitive based simply on superior coaching and scheme. And unlike some knuckleheads here I wouldn't trade decades of consistent competitiveness for just one more ring followed by years of win now cost driven mediocrity.

They don't have to win it all every season or even any season for me to be OK with what transpires. It's frustrating to be that close time and again only to come up inches or minutes short. But I feel worse for the team and the players when that happens than I do for myself or an entitled fan base that all too often turns on them. They invest a lot more emotionally as well as physically in each season's journey than any fan ever does despite what fans tend to think. I said it then and I meant it. They haven't owed me a damn thing since February 4, 2002. Everything since has been gravey. I'd love to see them win at least one more before Brady departs, just to shut up their moronic critics although I expect it really wouldn't, but mostly because I think he's earned it. He can't control the way 22 other guys execute or dictate roster construction. All he can do is keep showing up season after season and giving this 110% effort and their best chance of winning. Which is why I refuse to tolerate the moronic attacks he endures here where even spoiled rotten entitled fans should know better.

While there are no excuses there are a variety of reasons a team comes up short. Generally speaking those are lack of talent or functional depth related often exacerbated by injuries and one or two guys having a bad day at work (execution which given human nature is never going to be perfect). You can't control or predict the latter no matter how hard you try. But you have a shot at controlling or rectifying the former. But that responsibility rests with the guy who has total control of football ops. He's done a better job more consistently than any other guy in his position to be sure. But I believe he could do better still. When he walked off the field after that first superbowl victory he said to Ernie "can you believe we won with this team?". Had we won last season he'd have probably said the same thing. And had we gone on to win it all this season without Gronkowski and probably Talib or Jones he'd have at least thought about saying it again.

He needs to tweet the roster and build a team that doesn't have to operate on a margin so tight that it simply doesn't allow for any error or significant injury. He's done it before so I believe he can do it again.

bagwell368

We still have a very young and deep roster with some picks and cap room flexibility to do more.

More and more it looks like Brady is done by the end of 2015, so I'm glad BB is at the helm. His time is coming to an end as well. Perhaps he'll kick himself to GM for a couple of years while his heir - probably the OC - learns the ropes on the field.

Steve:Section 102

State of the franchise is this: The New England Patriots are the measuring stick for the other 31 teams in the NFL.

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The Gr8est

This seems as good a place as any to bring this up.

While I hate the toll that injuries take on the game and our favorite players, I have to ask why it is that Bernard Pollard is still healthy and playing?

I read an excerpt many years ago where Russ Francis was discussing a cheap shot from a Jets player ( yes, they were the Jets back then, they wouldn't earn the "Rats" name until many years later) to the family jewels that put him out of commission for a significant part of the game.

Francis added that "I took that player's knee home with me later that day".

So why are the Pats not "taking Pollard's knee home with them"?

How many Pats players does he need to injure before the Pats put a stop to it?

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IllegalContact

the franchise is in great shape......the waiting list line still wraps around the corner even though they charge more than just about anyone else.

as for what goes on on the field, 3 years in a row now where the pats finished the season to a team they should have beaten. (safe to say in 2009, there was no expectation to beat the ravens......as a team, the pats were done)

each year, past expectation has nothing to do with it......it's all about the here and now.

looking at this instance, the pats fell flat on their faces in a span of 3 drives that surrounded halftime.

- last drive of the half.......the brady underwear brigade will disagree, but the failure for an opportunity for a TD at the end of the half before the FG attempt is all on him. he's been around long enough to know what to do in that instance. no excuses
- first ravens drive of the 2nd half....they had one decent play of 6 and punted the ball back to the pats.
- first pats drive of the 2nd half.....started on their own 9 and got to the ravens 34 with a first down. you have a 6 point lead on a team that just did nothing against your defense......you wind up punting from there simply bacause rather than displaying a shred of patience, you put woodhead out there and decide to chuck it down field on a windy day. ridley had gained more than 5 yards on 6 of his previous 7 carries. If he's running like that you keep the damned gimmicks on the bench......this is fricking mcdaniel trying ot put his fingerprint on things and it failed miserable......and what was the point of punting? what a way to show zero confidence in your defense who in the previous 6 drives, gave up one TD drive along with 3 3-and-outs and 2 one first down and out. this moment was was where the ravens got all the confidence they needed and the pats basically folded up shop....the next 10 minutes the pats looked like the jets and the ravens lit them up

everybody associated with this collapse will return, and they're all enough set in their ways that if the exact same circumstances present themselves, it will wind up playing out the exact same way......while brady can still play, th echances are much greater that he will show his age than improve in any way.

the pats will win the division next year...they will likely go 6-0 in the division and anywhere between 5-5 and 7-3 outside of it......they will wind up literally in the exact same spot as this year. and unless they stop worrying about burying weaker teams so much and start to display a more deliberate offense, the end result will have us in the exact same place......watching a fantasy team all season only to have someone punch them in the mouth have them sucking their proverbial thumbs by the end.

but nice hit by jerod mayo on pitta......

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IllegalContact

a better question is why he isn't on the pats......

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“ I think good coaches will coach with the personnel they have, and if you only have one (good) linebacker, you’re not going to play a 3–4. ”
—Hank Bullough, who installed one of the first 3–4 defenses with the New England Patriots.

ivanvamp

What's rich is that he's complaining about Brady's spikes-up slide, talking about how much of a cheap and dirty play that is. I'm like, what? Dude, you went after Brady's knee in '08, costing us a SB-caliber season. You took out Gronkowski's ankle last year, which probably cost us a SB title. This year, you speared Ridley with your helmet (and incurred a personal foul penalty on a different helmet-to-helmet hit earlier in the game) which was a huge turning point in the game. You've taken out three of our key performers the last handful of years, and you have the gall to complain about a quarterback's slide?

robertweathers

This. I hate to bring this up again and again but during the SB run the team allowed 17ppg game and scored 24. During the 8-7 run they've allowed 21 and scored 25. For comparison's sake, during the Flacco years the BAL defense has allowed about 17ppg during the playoffs.

The margin for victory and error IS less. Rule changes, matchups, talent, injuries, etc. No matter how you slice it, they just haven't been good enough to win it all but they have been good enough to be a great football team for 11 years now. People forget the hell this franchise was in back in the early 80s, late 80s and early 90s. The close losses have been tough to take, but I'll take them over a 2-14 season and hoping Hugh Millen doesn't get picked off 2 times.

The defense makes the difference.

Brady makes the difference.

BB makes the difference.

All 3 need to continue to improve.

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