JSn

Last year I would often do a "things I learned from the game" post, but this year there were enough of those out there for the reading.

Today, I just have to write a bit on this game, even just to air my own thoughts.

I really thought we'd make a different kind of statement than we did. The statement, now re-enforced by the Saints, but already made in the Colts loss is that we aren't a championship football team, at least not as November becomes December.

Things I think that may be clear:

• Maroney is slowly becoming one of the better players on this team. I don't know how this could even happen, but f'real, he is. He is hardly one of the problems on this team. We just need to see him secure the ball a little better. Props to Bill for not benching him after the drop.
  
• Wilfork is maybe the only consistent player on this defense. They better keep him around if they want a chance.
  
• Brady is a very good QB, but he's not as good as he once was and it's tough to know if he ever will be. He's had some great games, but the mental errors are really shocking to me. He just doesn't seems scary out there any more, unless you're a crappy team with no chance. There's no way he shouldn't have lit that secondary up, however...
  
• The O-Line is a wreck. Are you kidding me? They rush 3-4 guys and and still get tons of pressure? I put a lot of it on Connolly on Light. Light is a far cry from Vollmer, imo. It's hard to say that, but I think it's true. We can harp on Kaczur, but I think he's left second guessing what's happening with the RG on a lot of plays which is causing problems.
  
• Sam Aiken IS a viable #3 receiver. If Brady puts down a better throw to him along the sidelines, he may have had a TD. Someone is caoching that guy up to use his TE-ish physique as a weapon.
  
• And finally, coaching is a glaring weakness. I don't mean Bill, you could see his frustration. If I were him I would get Weis in there at whatever the cost NOW and take over the defense and kick Pees to the curb. I don't think the D woes are all player-related. I think there's some big problems in the coaching and it's pretty tough to ignore that. All this talent is going to go to waste and they can wait NO LONGER than today to fix it.

I love this team, I think they can be great, but Bill is gonna have to perform some surgery on this team, especially in the coaching staff, if they're going to do ANYTHING this year. I don't even feel like I can fairly predict 12-4, to be honest.

Thanks for letting me rant guys.

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IndianPat

The OL is definitely a problem. Yet another problem is the inability of the TE to participate in the passing game. Sure, they help to block in the run game, but the production in the passing is practically non-existent. No wonder, the opposition is able to concentrate on Moss and Welker.

C,mon Watson. You have to get open. Even Daniel Graham, who was supposedly a blocking tight end, had more receptions than you per year.

That said, even though our offense put up 17 points yesterday, they could have easily put up 30 points yesterday - the missed field goal could have been closer, the fourth and four would have been 3 points and the last 7 minutes would have brought 7 points.

The reverse is true of our dL and LB's. While the oppositions 3 or 4 rushers take on our OL with ease, our pass rush has not pressured any one. Ultimately, I think a lot of mistakes can be corrected. Unfortunately, the deficient pass rush will stay with us this year.

Patstopia

It saddens me to think that a 12-4 or 11-5 season is now considered unacceptable. Have Patriots fans become that arrogant that nothing short of perfection is acceptable? I read these boards and cannot understand half the BS that is said. People need to grow a pair and stop acting like a bunch of babies.

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In BB we trust...the media...not so much!

NickOGS20

Think that problem's been overlooked a little, it's a great point. Baker and Watson seem to have vanished as pass-catchers in recent weeks and that only serves to make us all the more predictable on offense.

The Intimidator

No we haven't been, were just looking at the fact of how we are playing vs. elite competition and on the road, it draws a lot of red flags. We are simply stating that this team is not living up to expectations to begin the year and has beaten average to below average competition this season. Last night didn't concern you? It certainly did me, and what I have seen out of this team tells me that they couldn't beat a New Orleans, San Diego, Minnesota or Indy in the playoffs. I agree with you that we shouldn't be *****ing about being 7-4 and making this team sound like were the Browns or the Lions, but there is some complaining to be done after laying an egg last night in a huge game for playoff seeding.

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We will Back next year.

ausbacker

1. We've known for a while that the o-line is problematic and susceptible to a good pass rush.
2. I don't think Aiken is a viable 3rd receiving option. Maybe a fourth or fifth, but not a 3rd.
3. Brady looks a far cry from what he "was/is" because he no longer looks at his best receiver being the open receiver. That was the glaringly obvious difference between him and Brees last night. That's because the Patriots only go 2 deep at wideout in Moss and Welker.
4. Maroney is starting to chug along nicely. His ball protection has been a little shoddy, but he is running powerfully and letting plays evolve rather than having to make them happen.
5. I believe we'll probably make the playoffs, but unless we get home field, I doubt we'll put up much of a yelp in the playoffs and be out early unless something drastic changes. I had us sitting somewhere in the 12-4 to 10-6 range dependent upon how much the Patriots hurt the Patriots chances.

mayoclinic

11-5 was a great performance from last year's team, with no Brady and a porous secondary. It would be a bit of disappointment from this year's team. What's mainly disappoint so far is the way our losses have come:

- 0 wins on the road (not counting Wembley)
- 0 wins in the 4 most hyped games of the year (first Jets game, Broncos, Indy and NO)
- Big time collapse against New Orleans after the team had appeared to be on the rise

I think we're accustomed (and albeit spoiled) by seeing BB teams peak in December and play their best ball, regardless of how the season turns out. To have a BB team have these kind of lapses and mistakes this late in the season is unusual.

But we're admittedly spoiled.

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"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi

NJPatsfan26

Agree with you...As fans, we are definitely spoiled. This team has been amazing in the last decade. But the issue is we are so used to being so good, that when we loose 4 games in a season, its over. Life begins to crumble and we start acting like chicken little's.

In the short of it, we will be fine as a team. We will rebuild as a franchise and be a good as we can.

supafly

I think this is a great post, very spot on and accurate.
Most of us aren't complaining about anything more than the obvious, glaring weaknesses--and there are many homers here who refuse to believe there's much of a problem.

When was the last time a BB team went in the month of December without a win on the road?

We are basically 5-4, when you take out the 2 wins against hapless TEN and TAM.

We've lost all 4 of the 'big' challenge-type games against the NYJ, DEN, IND, and NO. We also had to score 14 pts in the last 4 min. to come back against BUF, were a dropped pass away from losing to BAL, and won against MIA where the game was 24-17 before a meaningless FG--and that was coming off a bye at home!!! This weeks MIA game on the road after losing a MNF game on the road in a shortened week will be a very serious, hard challenging game, yet there are many who fail to realize how hard it will be. Remember we are now dealing with the MNF rule, which states that teams who lose on the road during MNF and have to travel AGAIN during a shortened week have approximately a 15 % chance of victory.

The secondary has been given way too much credit due to the heightened stats against TEN, TAM, and mediocre NYJ and MIA games. They are once again on pace to give up almost the exact same number of TD'S through the air as last yr's 31st ranked passing TD'S allowed team.

People who state that the loss of Richard Seymour means nothing are in total denial, as every week we watch 31 other teams rush the QB. Our pass rush is the worst I can remember in yrs, and our rush defense is average at best. Teams will continue to attack our weakness, which is specifically through the right side of the secondary/and down the middle.

The off-season acquisitions are average at best. Greg Lewis, Alex Smith, Joey Galloway, Shawn Springs, Derrick Burgess, Kendall Simmons--even Chris Baker have all looked like complete failures. We failed to address many areas of need/weaknesses such as 3rd WR, pass rusher, even though we realized it was a problem early on in the year.

We are unable to currently instill fear in many opponents, as teams used to fear us in every game. Gameplanning has been a major problem, and this obviously goes hand in hand in coaching too.

2nd half game adjustments used to be our specialty, no one was better than this team. It has been a major weakness, and there hasn't been any progress made since the problem was addressed. That simply isn't Patriot football.


---------So, yes it seems we'll win the division by absolute default, as we did in 05 with a 10-6 record, but does anyone really think we'll go anywhere in the playoffs? The only teams that I would feel the least bit confident about right now would be rematches with DEN and BAL, and both of those games would be at home, not to mention very hard. I honestly think teams like IND, SD, CIN, and even PIT would certainly be favored. That is something that just shouldn't be. Not with one of the top 5 QB'S of all time. Not with one of the top 5 coaches of all time. Not with 2 great, all-pro WR's. I just don't feel like we have done a good job of taking advantage of our weapons, and the window for winning a SB is shrinking every day. I can already see the headlines regarding next yr's team stating that we'd be the odds-on favorites yet again, due to TFB returning to form, Welker, the last yr of Moss, BB, the growing up of this yr's rookies, and the draft additions--but that is starting to sound like a broken record the past 3-4 yrs.

Keep in mind, I have been a Pats fan since '85, and I have seen a lot of crappy years/teams, so I am always grateful for the ability to compete. I am not acting like a chicken-little, I am simply stating facts--and am frusterated like many of us, for not being able to fix these obvious problems. There is no reason to attack me, I am and will always be grateful to be a top 8-10 team, and I think with BB we'll always be. I just think we currently have the talent to make a run for another title RIGHT NOW, but cannot fix these problems well enough to make a serious run at the SB. No one should ever complain about going to the playoffs, it's just pretty apparent that this yr's team does not have what it would take to beat 3-4 great teams in a row, especially on the road, etc.

RichSeymour

True that. Here's the problem - a lot of people here EXPECTED a 16-0 season, so their homer egos are bruised. The fans that had realistic expectations, that Brady was coming back from surgery, proven vets such as Vrabel and my name-sake Seymour were gone, and that 2007 was a perfect storm that wouldn't happen again....well those fans shouldn't be too disappointed.