Rob0729

For all you sky is falling people, here is a pretty good article by Greg Bedard to talk you off the ledge:

All pieces are in place - Patriots - Boston.com

MoLewisrocks

Greg has dubbed himself the wet blanket of reason this off season. He's generally a very positive big picture thinker who after stints in Miami, GB and NE gets it. Not terribly impressionable or prone to fawn over whomever he covers (ala Breer). He's less concerned with breaking news or poking sticks to generate hits. He also seems more genuinely connected and well sourced than most. And he puts in the time that matters, like film work which begins to develop context. And beyond his Wellker meltdown, and I can't blame him on that one given the way it played out in the immediate aftermath, seldom kneejerk.

The sausage analogy is a great one often lost on folks caught up in playing a fantasy version of the game these days.

JJDChE

I'm never worried about "poor" team play in the preseason. There are no game plans, it's a glorified practice. The Bucs were blitzing like crazy in that game. I wasn't surprised to see a lot of rushers getting in free, the line is still getting it's feet and they weren't prepared for blitzes all over the place.

It's so hard to judge. It's really about whether the coaches got to see what they wanted. Especially for the Pats, putting together scoring drives to build confidence isn't really necessary for a team who has done it week in, week out in the regular season. It's much more important for young, up and coming teams like the Bucs. They want to get little wins out there to carry them into the regular season on a positive vibe.

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PatsGirl2011

The only thing I worry about in the preseason is injuries. The chips will fall into place regardless if the talent is there.

PATRIOTSFANINPA

Maybe I am crazy but I don't believe that the players who are virtual locks leave it all on the field in preseason games.

I believe all guaranteed roster players play light and leave something on the table that won't be seen until week 1 and beyond.

Players know that the regular season can be a very long one and if you jump too fast you might see yourself winded at the end of the season.

If you panic about the stars on the team that are not doing good,I think you need to relax a bit,they will be fine.

To me,preseason is about avoiding injury and let the coaching staff decide who belongs and who doesn't....

all the fans need to do in preseason is get excited for the first week in september and stop worrying about things right now.

Everytime you find yourself getting upset about a player's lack of success in a preseason game remember this........ 2008 Detroit Lions preseason record 4-0 - Regular season 0-16

eom

absolutely.
it's kind of hard to complain about the pats side of that game considering how tb came out of it.

Marqui

As long as the Pats aren't losing starters to serious injuries, I consider these preseason games wins.

blackglass3

Yes. My stomach turned both times I saw those guys go down grabbing their knees. Any time there is a preseason game and no injuries, it's a win.

MoLewisrocks

That poor Bucs guard that was knocked out of the game is having surgery for a dislocated kneecap and patella tendon and going on IR...

I do think Bill was disappointed that his passing offense isn't clicking yet but I think his attempts to mix and match to navigate the 3 games in 10 days plus the OL situation made that less likely than he anticipated. Per Zo in pre game they were more interested in seeing some semblance of a rhythm developing in the passing game than anything, and they didn't get it. Had to run more than they'd planned to. Which may result in the starters playing well into the first half Wednesday with 12 days to go til the opener. The Giants have had a good start in some ways but Coughlin is battered with injuries and opening in a week so Eli and many of their first teamers on both sides may not be in for more than a series, if that.

PatsGirl2011

Basically. It was basically Tampa Bay's Superbowl ( based on how they played), yet they lost a few guys to injuries while the Pats came out essential unscathed despite a weak effort.