Steve:Section 102

Blasphemy!

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PatsWickedPissah

Is BB reading your posts?

Armond Armstead signs with Patriots

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Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.
This is known as "bad luck." RAH

PatsWickedPissah

Had the family visiting us for a few days. Girls wanted to watch Downton Abbey. At that point, so did I.

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Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.
This is known as "bad luck." RAH

Deus Irae

While this is true, it's also a bit misleading (not that I think you're trying for that). There are always injuries, but let's look at who's been injured, and when, for Patriots losses post-SB:

2006 - much of the defense is hurt/sick in the second half. Alexander is forced into a game the Patriots were dominating, and Manning comes back by making him his *****.

2007 - Brady gets bad ankle injury in the AFCCG, Neal is lost early in the SB, and the TEs are freakin' all essentially useless due to injury.

2009 - an extremely limited offense loses Welker in the last game of the regular season

2011 - Gronk lost for SB

2012 - Gronk lost, Talib lost early in game, Jones hobbled and mostly useless for much of the latter part of the year.


Not to single out lesser players, but can we just have 2013 be the year that the starters are healthy and the guys who get too hurt to play well are the backups coming in for a play or two instead of key players?

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"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."
- Marcus Aurelius

Deus Irae

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"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."
- Marcus Aurelius

JackBauer

Gregory was a good enough S during the regular season but he was just another example of how stopgaps/depth chart guys aren't going to cut it if we want to make it in the playoffs. I love McCourty at S, and it's time to pair another player next to him and relegate Gregory to the third safety position.

Deus Irae

I hear you, and that's something that I almost never do. I just "knew". That play told me all my subconscious needed to know.

That's an excellent show that I'm deliberately not watching because I don't want another "Doc Martin" situation, where I'm actually furious because the Brits' idea of a 'season' is a ridiculously small number of episodes compared to what I'm used to from U.S. television. Sherlock is another series that was doing that to me, so I had to stop watching that one, too.

I'll watch them in marathon fashion, after there are enough episodes to satisfy my need for a longer 'season'. In the meantime, I await the next season of Doc Martin with an almost crack junkie level of withdrawal.

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"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."
- Marcus Aurelius

PatsFaninAZ

Some really good stuff in this thread. I haven't really been able to process much of the game yet, but there are nuggets of stuff in here that I've been thinking about.

1) I think games -- even blowouts -- often come down to a handful of critical plays. The ones that I think really mattered here were the quick snap early on third and short near the red zone and the Welker drop. Those plays felt really expensive at the time, and I think changed the game.

2) I generally like the Belichick method of analysis, but when it goes wrong it feels like over-analysis. Some times, you just have to let the team play. Like late in the first half, you just knew when the Patriots got the ball, they would run and let the clock bleed down on the first play or series, to ensure the Ravens had no time left to end the half. That strategy has worked often, but this time it left the team with too little time to try to score a TD. Some times, you just have to play, and let your defense get in there if it doesn't work out. Belichick is obsessed with getting or letting opponents get the 2 for 1 -- that is, ending the half with the ball and getting the kick off in the second half. Screw it. Some times you just need to play.

3) The same was true of the wind, as others have mentioned. Punting from the 35 sucks. Putting there team at the 10 or 15 is no big deal. Is there a chance you can pin them really deep on a perfect punt? Yes. But it's no greater than the chance of putting one in the end zone or picking up a first down on fourth down for that matter.

4) How did we get to the point were Talib was so important to this team? This team was so much better with him on the field than off it this year. To look at it, you'd think this guy was a first round draft pick who had been cultivated by the team, but of course he's not. He's a guy that any team with a fourth rounder or better could have gotten at the trade deadline. How is it that the team we had assembled was so poor in this area that we needed Talib just to make it competent? It's not like the secondary's problems weren't a known issue.

Deus Irae

Meriweather
Wilhite
Wheatley
Butler
Chung
Dowling
Springs
Hobbs trade
Samuel allowed to leave


etc....

They've flung plenty against the wall. They just can't seem to get much to stick.

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"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."
- Marcus Aurelius

borg

Deus.......You forgot to include a Felger apology

I'm with ya on the Lloyd .....he plays like a beeatch.

13 points.....BB built a TE centric offense. Without Gronk, the offense has to go to plan B, a traditional NFL 3 WR package, but NE is inadequately staffed to be a WR centric offense. Especially when your #2 WR is incapable of extending plays or at least stretching the D. Welker as the deep threat is a joke. Deep passes are low %/high reward plays to begin with.....that is why the deep threat needs superior athletic skills to chase and/or WIN the ball. The only way Brady connects deep with this designed grouping is if he is perfect.
Two years in a row without Gronk being effective or playing... two years when the offensive output gets cut in half. Pats need a better plan B. Their personel came up short.

Lastly....when NE feels they are losing the LOS battle on offense, they instinctively rush to shotgun, thereby eliminating any notion of a run. Huge tactical win for the defense, knowing the play is 95% pass. Either the Patriots change this mentality of avoiding engagement at the LOS, or they build a tougher O Line that can win these battles. The G Men last year, SF and Balt this year....it's strikingly obvious that these teams are winning the battle on the line vs the Pats O.

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"In the end, Belichick juiced Moss like an orange, and once all the good pulp was squeezed, he tossed Moss aside. "


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