ivanvamp

I am not a pom-pom waver, but it's going to sound like it when you read this post. I think the Pats are about to rip off a really nice run here and take control of their season. Here's what they have coming up:

vs NYJ
at StL
bye
vs Buf
vs Ind
at NYJ
at Mia

I think the Patriots will win all six of these games, most of them by fairly wide margins. They know next week's game is HUGE. Playing at home, I think they'll manhandle the Jets. I think StL could be tricky, but that will end up being a two-score victory. Then the bye to get some banged up players some much-needed rest. Then they crush Buffalo again at home, and take out Indy as well. The next two divisional games could offer a pretty stiff challenge, but I think NE walks out of NY and Miami with wins as well.

That would put them at 9-3, with a divisional record of 5-0. The last four are vs Houston, vs San Francisco, at Jacksonville, and then at home against Miami. They'll probably lose one of those games somewhere along the line, but I foresee them finishing at 11-5 or even 12-4. I think they'll have the #3 seed when all is said and done, though they might have the edge over Houston if they beat Houston and the Texans lose a couple more games during the course of the season.

This defense is VERY young. They're learning. They're fast, athletic, and strong. They are inexperienced and they make a LOT of mistakes. I think as the season progresses we'll see improvement. The 2012 New England Patriots are going to enter the playoffs as a team that nobody really wants to play.

ausbacker

Given the script of the current season, a lot will have to go right for the team to get to 9-3.

DarrylS

While I share your optimism, the way the Patriots pick DB's is comparable to the way the Red Sox Pick Short Stops...

There are questions today about the coaching, schemes and overall talent of the defensive backfield.. the only way is up. They are "NFL Young", and maybe more games will make them better. On the way Chung & Gregory have gotten injured, Arrington seems to have played himself out of the rotation..

So now your safeties look like Wilson and Ebner, who may have a boat load of talent, but little experience.

The strenth of this team is the front 7, once again they neutralized the run.. at the expense of the pass. Equally impressive was the O line.. there were a lot of pass attempts. Even the oft maligned(innapropriately) Mayo has at least two turnovers this year..

My main concern was the Offensive play calling and Brady seemed to have his annual shyt the bed game.... the only way is up. The offensive execution needs consistency & less brain farts...

I hate these kinds of losses, they really mess up my mind.. I am in a rotten freaking mood.

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"Being the best doesn't mean you always win. It just means you win more than anyone else".. tweet from Kurt Warner to Tom Brady.

manxman2601

Good post. All is not doom and gloom but I do think you are possibly being over-optimistic in believing that the next six games are a lock - I think this season so far should have shown that nothing is a gimme:

St. Louis beat Seattle
Indianapolis beat GB who beat Houston
The Jets have found ways to beat us in the past
Miami have a very good young QB and one of the best run defenses in the NFL (as do SEA and look how that turned out)

You are right about the defense. There's a lot to like there, even with the secondary. It's not a given that a future McCourty-Dennard-Dowling-Wilson led secondary is as bad as what we are seeing out there right now.

Yes we can go 11-5 or 12-4 but I don't think it's a given. In another thread, contributors were being criticised for believing we are an 8-8 team. As of now, that is exactly what we are and future ease of schedule should not be assumed as so many games have shown this year. If we are to be an 11-5 team we'll need to execute like such a team consistently, something which has been lacking from this current team.

102 Pat

I hear you my friend. I'm going into work in a few hours for the start of six days in a row, a win yesterday would of been a nice pick me up. The way things are going, it can only get better. Hopefully from here on out, when a chance to close out the game happens, the Pats take advantage and seal the deal. I sincerely hope the Pats beat the Jets down on sunday.

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This offseason, it's almost like Belichick is saying, "I'm never going to let that happen again."

Mike Reiss 7/19/12

stevedogc

The Pats do have a favorable schedule coming up. Especially in the next 5 weeks. 3 home games, away vs. St. Lous and a bye. The two away games against division rivals should be tough. They SHOULD go at least 5-1. But with the coaching issues (playcalling), lackluster offensive play and horrendous secondary and honestly think all game could be a dogfight and are up in the air.

I cant understand why any opposing team would do anything but throw the ball all day on the Pats.

Luxusdk

Think ppl have to relax.

As some of you point out, the defend is young, very young. The secondary for 4Q yesterday vs Seahawks, was Dennard (23) DMC (25) Wilson (22) and Ebner (22). Beside those, then we used Ras-I (24) and Moore (22). Also Chung (25) and Arrington (28) both FA this year and someone tell me why we should resign?

Its the same everywhere.. WE rebuilding, but i'll bet on the rest of the league would pay $$$ for the playoff experience, those young boys getting each year. So in a couple of years, when BB is done, with the rebuilding, a new dynasty can start.

Remmeber more or less all the other team's getting some high picks a year or 2. It's more then 10 year's ago, since Patriots draftet in top 10, beside Mayo, on a pick belonged to 49ers mainly. So we'r spoild each and every year with good football and playoff runs. Atleast we should sometimes give BB and the staff rest and let them work. Not said, we cannot put questions, at the some of their decisions.

IllegalContact

right now, I think they'll be 7-5

they're playing some decent defenses, and it doesn't matter who the opposing QB is, no lead is safe

gronk is hurt, lloyd is hurt, bolden is hurt

talk about staggering into the bye

__________________
“ I think good coaches will coach with the personnel they have, and if you only have one (good) linebacker, you’re not going to play a 3–4. ”
—Hank Bullough, who installed one of the first 3–4 defenses with the New England Patriots.

PATSYLICIOUS

I agree with 9-3, barring a Brady injury. So far all that could have gone wrong, did (from a results standpoint, that excludes a season ending injury to a key player) and all the games we could have lost, we did. I guess Denver we possibly could have lost too but it was still a game we dominated statistically and a double digit win so it's not like all the breaks went our way. If you believe in the law of averages, one of these tight ones will go our way, of all these games I can really only picture the St Louis one being tight and in case it is, the odds suggest it will go our way.

Still I don't see any of these games being all that close. Team's got to be really pissed right now. They definitely got a little bit overconfident and too comfortable in this one, which wasn't a problem IMO in the Bmore or AZ losses. So hopefully that won't happen again. Should be a good lesson in those regards. Closing out is an ongoing problem but like I said, doubt these games come down to that. We've already played 4 teams that are better than any teams in this stretch.

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IllegalContact

I didn't see yesterday's game being all that close......I thought I was going to see 20-10 or 24-10 at halftime, and then 31-10 or 34-10 after 3, and trust me, everything did not have to go right for that to happen, they just had to not be complete morons with clock management at the end of the half, and then not throw an int when you have 2 chances to gain 1 yard. even then I did not expect to see russell wilson look like aaron rodgers.

this game is such a complete and collective screw up, that it makes you really wonder about the coaching staff.

__________________
“ I think good coaches will coach with the personnel they have, and if you only have one (good) linebacker, you’re not going to play a 3–4. ”
—Hank Bullough, who installed one of the first 3–4 defenses with the New England Patriots.