PatsWickedPissah

Given the sudden emergence of the Kindergarten Corps at LB as a force I'd say we're one hard hiting safety and one better coverage CB away from having a dominant D. No reason those folks can't be added in the spring of '09.

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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

Rob0729

Yeah, people forget that even many Pats fans were writing this team off in September of 2006 when the Pats traded away Branch. Most Pats fans wrote off this season when Brady went down. How many "The Pats can't get to the playoffs with Cassel" or "This team won't win six games with Cassel" threads were there in September.

This team is doing what would be impossible for most teams, they lost their franchise QB, best defensive player, team captain on defense, top three RBs, struggled with injuries on the o-line, and still have a winning record after 10 games and are only one game out of the division race.

Rob0729

I agree. This defense is only a few pieces away from being a dominant defense again.

maverick4

Even if we get back to a dominant D, we still need an offense that makes plays at the end of games. From 01-04 our defense gave up huge points at the end and our offense had to win it. Our offense pulled through from 01-4 but from 05-08, with even better offensive talent and Brady at the controls, we have come up short because of the offensive coordinator.

aluminum seats

Odd thread, with the comparison to the Colts simply being random. Look, the Pats haven't won the whole thing for 3 seasons, so you can say whatever you want. But every year is different, and in the important ways the Pats have been defined--high-character guys (nobody being a distraction or an a-hole), playing as a team, guys stepping up (a certain QB), etc., they are in fact the same old Pats.

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"So I'm going to throw myself against the wall...
'Cause I'd rather feel bad than not feel anything at all."

maverick4

We whine just like Colts fans now about execution, or the refs, or blame a few players.

It is never the Offensive God Coordinator's fault, it is always not executing his "perfect game plan".

Rob0729

Seriously, do you really have to try to turn every thread into a bash Josh McDaniels thread? Do you wake up every morning and try to figure out ways to make yourself a bigger baffoon than NEM was with the bashing of McDaniels.

So apparently this is your new post that you will repeat over and over again. I guess when I explained to you that calling McDaniels the Gen X version of Norv Turner wasn't exactly a diss for an OC, you had to find something new.

Rob0729

I agree. The Colts comparison is way off. The Colts built a team entirely around their offense. Until Freeney and Sanders, they would pay whatever to keep their offensive talent not a RB and let all the best defensive players bolt. That wasn't what the Pats did. The Colts were never really built for the playoffs. Hence why Polian pushed for a re-emphasis of the 5 yard chuck rule to make them less at a disadvantage in the playoffs.

Yes, the Pats haven't won the Super Bowl in three seasons. But the 49ers went four years between their second and third Super Bowl (with a playoff record of 0-3 during that time) and 5 seasons between their third and fourth Super Bowl (with a playoff record of 3-3 and one year without a playoff appearance during that time). So the run is not neccessarily over.

TommyBrady12

i just prefer watching the 2004 patriots. hard hitting, smart defensively. they forced turnovers. they weren't bend or break like we were last year. and on offense, it was run the ball and get timely touch downs. the end of the story is we didn't win the super bowl and we are a year older now without brady to lead us back to another championship. as far as the giants are concerned, they are what the patriots used to be. like it or not, our failure to stop them on that last drive (83 yards) has given them confidence and they will be a contender for the next several years.

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"He’s the greatest quarterback to ever play the game. He goes from being a rookie that nobody is expecting anything from, to taking over with people saying he can’t do it, to winning three Super Bowls....It should already be obvious he’s the greatest quarterback to ever have played. "

- Steelers S Troy Polamalu on Tom Brady

belichickaholic

The only problem with this years team compared to other years is that they're playing so many young guys. And young guys make mistakes. Have faith. The kids are starting to get it. As the year goes on, they'll get stronger and make less mistakes. But the question is, do they have enough time. They have to play mistake free these next two weeks. If they can somehow pull out wins these next two games they'll be a pretty tough out the rest of the way.