Idle thoughts - stuff to get you through to 1pm Pats - Titans kickoff - Page 2 - New England Patriots Forums

RelocatedPatFan · 09-09-2012, 03:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by patfanken

1. I thought it odd that the Pats have 9 games this season that start at 1pm. This is a vast departure from recent years when they would routinely only have 2 or 3 one o'clock starts per season. I can only look on this as evidence of a national "Patriots fatigue"

I would expectthis to be more the norm (having 9 1pm games). Though whatever the cause, I am grateful because I lose rythm watching the 4pm games as i eat dinner with the family and the kids get more ancy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by patfanken

2. The Brian Waters saga once again points out several dangers of the new reality of what passes for news gathering in today's "journalism". . . that worries me the most is that there there seems to be no consequences for when its done poorly,like in this instance, and no obvious reward for anyone to do it right. The only thing that matters is generating clicks, tweets, or phone calls, and having someone use you as a source to document THEIR flawed story. Being accurate insightful and informative have become much lower priorities The new credo is "be first" and be controversial .....and it doesn't hurt to piss people off either, so being wrong can be a plus.

This may be ridiculous, but I'm going to pull a quote from a kids movie that sums up possible thoughts on journalists as critics. Ratatouille.

Quote:

In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so.

Quote:

Originally Posted by patfanken

3. When I watched Patriots all Access this week, something BB said I thought was worth repeating. Bill mentioned that the first game of the season is the hardest one for him to coach. He has very little information on the team they are playing and has yet to get a good feel about his own team\. When you think on it a bit, it really is true.

BB can never have enough qualified information. However, I would also think the teams have little on us as well. Thhat has to be our advantage as well.

TheBostonStraggler · 09-09-2012, 03:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by patfanken

e. I expect to see the secondary do a good job. Tennessee won't be the most difficult threat they will see by far, so I fully hope to see the secondary playing aggressively and contesting every pass

Considering last year's expectations for the Pats' secondary too often equaled 'just please somehow find a way to win', it would be a great thing to see them perform well out of the gate.

***DarrylS*** · 09-09-2012, 03:48 AM

Nice post PFK... I like the 1:00 PM games, as that fits my schedule best.. those late night games often cause insomnia, one time my inability to sleep after one triggered a health condition.. but, that would never stop me from watching it.

My thoughts primarily have to do with the D, has the reloading effort done enough to make this area more effective than in the past?? What will be the impact of having a full time Defensive Coordinator?? And of course can our D backfield stay healthy enough for a full season, last year we thought we were all set.. then injuries happened.

bagwell368 · 09-09-2012, 05:01 AM

"Light this candle!" - The Right Stuff

It's got to be about 200 days since the last game. The FA period, the draft, camp - all good ways to pass the time. But time to see "it is what it is".

The only shadow is TB's time left as an elite QB - it's less than 60 games, just not sure how many less.

***goheels22002*** · 09-09-2012, 05:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by patfanken

1. I thought it odd that the Pats have 9 games this season that start at 1pm. This is a vast departure from recent years when they would routinely only have 2 or 3 one o'clock starts per season. I can only look on this as evidence of a national "Patriots fatigue"

The good news for us is that "Patriots fatigue" means nine 1 pm starts, which is by far my favorite time to watch a Pats game. More convenient and less tiring

A comment on the early start times: For one, I was delighted to see that more than half of the games were in the same time slot, especially the 1 p.m. slot. The Patriots also have three 4:00 p.m. starts meaning that all but 4 games are in a similar time frame for game prep and recovery purposes by the team and by us.

By the time the weekend rolls around, I just want the damn game to begin.

As a commuter, I hate Sunday night starts - they make Mondays much harder, especially after a great game when I stay up to soak in the pressers and the replays and run a few things back on the DVR to see what really happened.

I do not know if there was an intentional decision by the networks or the NFL, but allowing the Pats to prepare for a more routine schedule of games may have been something Belichick and the Krafts suggested. The Pats have been a marketing stalking horse for the league and the networks for a decade and suffered by having a chaotic schedule as a result.

The other thing I suspect is that when a team agrees to the Europe game, it gets a mid-season bye and possibly a more routine schedule to make up for the disruption of that one game that is just completely off the charts for the players and coaches logistics-wise. Anybody who travels for a living understands what crossing five time zones means physically.

SEA_Pat · 09-09-2012, 06:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by patfanken

1. I thought it odd that the Pats have 9 games this season that start at 1pm. This is a vast departure from recent years when they would routinely only have 2 or 3 one o'clock starts per season. I can only look on this as evidence of a national "Patriots fatigue"

Whatever it is, it works for me! That means most games where I live are between Midnight and 3 AM, at least until Daylight Savings Time kicks in.

That beats the hell out of having to try to get to bed early and wake up at 3 or 4 AM or missing the game because it's on during working hours. Love it.

Patriot to the Core · 09-09-2012, 06:17 AM

Just bought game pass so no messing around with internet streams this season! So glad we have some 1pm games this season so I have something to look forward to at 6pm!!

kurtinelson · 09-09-2012, 06:27 AM

Good post as always Ken. You're one of the MVPs of this message board IMO.

I expect a close game today. I can see Locker scrambling for a few key 3rd down conversions. I'm pumped about the defense and I think they'll be ready to play. I think a turnover or two in our favor will seal the victory for us. I don't expect our offense to firing on all cylinders yet.

Pats 17
Titans 13

wistahpatsfan · 09-09-2012, 06:49 AM

League is just assuming Pats will get another three games after the reg season so they've decided it isn't fair for all the other losers.

I'd have a cold one with Patjew if I had to pick. Cracks me up.

***shmessy*** · 09-10-2012, 01:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by patfanken

4. Here are a list of things that disturb me going into this game.

a. The Titans have a very good OL that has had a lot of continuity and experience playing together, We on the other hand, are playing with a DL with a new alignment, with a lot of new moving parts, and new techniques. I'm really looking forward to seeing our new DL, but its hard to be comfortable with that dynamic.

b. The Titans have one of the premier RBs in the league, and easily the most dangerous one. He is a legitimate threat to go the distance every time he touches the ball. With a good OL this is the toughest running game test the Pats will face all year. and its coming at a time when we really don't know exactly how good we are going to be stopping the run....consistently.

I'd be very happy to have CJ gain over 100 yards this game if we held him to just one rush of 15+ yds. Keeping him from breaking long runs will be key, and good tackling will be king. Fortunately we've been very good at this......so far this preseason.

As always, awesome stuff, Ken. This DID get me through to 1pm.

I can only say the front 7 passed this test WITH HONORS!