Snarf

I was stunned by how ridiculously stupid the playcalling and coaching was last night. Never before have I seen Belichick throw away a game like this.

If you're constantly being sacked, you either start dropping back more, bringing on the screen passes, get TE help, or in the worst case, get RB/FB assistance in the backfield.

The Pats did almost NONE of these. They played as if they thought they knew some super secret way to win, and ignored all of the fundamentals.

I wonder if Belichick and co simply overanalyzed the Giants prior to this game.... did they have some exceedingly complex gameplan that they arrogantly refused to give it up? Had they invested so much time in their gameplan that they refused to take proactive steps EARLY to correct problems?

Amazon4

I think they were expecting the Giants D to wear down sooner than they did. They started dropping with cramps late in the 4th. If that happened even 5 minutes earlier it would have been a different game.

But I agree, they should have changed things around. The dump offs to Faulk and Welker were absent for 90% of the game.

Watson's IQ

I don't think the layoff had anything to do with it. It was clear as day to everyone that watched that game that the Giants were slaughtering us up front. The thing that was lacking was the halftime adjustments that we are so used to seeing. I too was shocked they didn't hang more guys back. I think they decided at the half that if they scored first after the break, and went up 14-3, they were going to win the game (and I think they would have). I think they spent the better part of the 3rd and 4th quarter chasing those points, refusing to adjust. That's what doomed them.

Another underrated factor is that Maroney, while he looked good for a few runs and in returns, never really got on track consistently. We didn't force the Giants to respect the run, which allowed them to blitz with abandon.

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Mack Herron

Coaching did not give the players the best chance to win. Consistently put the overmatched offensive line in a bad place. The inexplicable decision to eschew a field goal on 4th and 13 well within Gostkowski's range is an all time gaffe by BB. Had they simply converted those three points, it is at worst an overtime game against an exhausted Giants defense.

DaBruinz

My brother mentioned this to me last night and I have to agree with him. If the Pats had run just ONE running play from the 1st and goal from the Giants 6 yard line, the Pats probably win the game.

Why? Because the Giants have 2 options. 1) Call a time out. 2) Let the clock run, which would take it down to the 2 minute warning.

Results:
1) If the Giants called a time out, then that is one less chance they have to call one after the 2 minute warning. And they needed ALL 4 stoppages to beat the Pats.

2) The Pats, at the very worst, tie with a FG. But, with how Randy got open, its unlikely that the Pats wouldn't have gotten the TD. The Giants would get the ball back with less than 2 minutes (probably less than 1:30) and would have had to go the length of the field. Probable, but a lot less likely.

reflexblue

It appeared to me that the staff,and the players took the offense for granted,which was totally putrid,limp,flat, ineffective,pathetic,etc.etc.etc. And worked on the defense which actually showed up to play.

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Harry Yelreh

No one, and I mean no one (save maybe the Giants, although I think even they were surprised) expected NE's OL to collapse the way it did.

When your OL is suffering a massive collapse, it makes it extremely tough to call plays. We should know this after having watched the Pats destroy good offenses over the years.

Calling screens, etc., will help some, but it can only do so much, and after a while a good defense is going to figure it out. Welker got absolutely smashed on at least one attempted screen that I can think of.

Playcalling wasn't one of the areas where the game was lost, IMHO.

MTaylorJ1

It seemed like any kind of quick hit play was working, basically the Giants chose not to respect the run at all, and were pinning their ears back, I have no idea why we had so many 5-7 step drops, and slow developing plays to the outside. Seemed to me that we were trying to blow the game open with one play from the time we were up 7-3, until we were down 10-7. At that point, we went right back to the true Patriots offense, and drove down the field again.

Did we run any kind of draw plays at all?

That toss play to Maroney on 2nd and 1 (or was it 3rd and 1?) was awful in Giants territory. You don't think he or even Evans couldn't have picked up that easy yard given two carries.

Snarf

Why didn't we run on first and goal at the end of the game?

Why did we totally ignore the clock?