BrickPat

How much experience did that Seattle late round CB have again...I forget.

MoLewisrocks

And if <fill in the blank Ne WR> had caught the ball or Gostkowski hadn't developed the yipps.... See, there is more than one way to play that game. Hill didn't catch that ball because that's who he is. Same deal with that WR Baltimore kicked to the curb after the AFCC game last year. I'm a lot more disappointed in the offense and ST at this juncture than I am with a secondary that is what it is. Got to the SB last season with a defense that was less talented overall and worse statistically.

IllegalContact

the seatlle starting secondary has 10 total years......2 each for sherman and browner

I think the difference there is that their secondary brings certain physical qualities that you don't see with the pats. makes you think that even if they don't have the technique, they can bring it in some manner to make a big play. they are very rough around the edges, but they are beasts

__________________
“ 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.

signbabybrady

I see no reason why this should be anyones attitude? There is no defending how bad they have been but there is plenty of reason to think it will and should get better as the year goes on. It would be a huge stretch to say it will be good this year but two simple things and this can be a better secondary 1) Health, Chung and Gregory need to get healthy (I know these guys aren't great but they are better then Ebner and the depth when healthy is needed) 2) rookies, no reason to think Dennard and Wilson cant improve as the year goes on.


I know its hard to look past the trends of the last few years and more importantly the trend of the first half of the year but this is a young secondary with 2 of its Vets hurt and there is no reason to give up on the idea of improvement from the unit. Dont get me wrong they likely wont be shutting anyone out anytime soon but they certainly can improve. Really all I need from them is for them to continue to turn the ball over and for them to tighten up a little in the 4th quarter, ok maybe more than a little, but I am not expecting huge improvements but they better improve.

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FirstAndGoal

Yes, Chung and Gregory have been lights out this year....wait until they come back... it will be all rainbows and unicorns.

Wait, is that a rainbow coming out of Wilfork's ass now??????? Wow, can't wait to see the unicorns....

Rob0729

We can go back and forth all day. If McCourty didn't run the ball out of the end zone before the two minute warning. If Dowling didn't hold Keller on what would have been an incompletion anyway on a third down the Jets' first TD drive. If Greene didn't recover his own fumble on the Jets' 48, the Pats might have score on the next drive.

There are plenty of individual plays for either team that could have changed the outcome of the game. You can probably say this for about 60-70% of the games each weekend.

BrickPat

The broader point I (feebly) attempted to make was, does every secondary corps ranked above the Pats have vastly more experience? I don't think it's just a matter of that, skill and/or coaching factors just as heavily into the equation, no?

IllegalContact

understood........but you're the one who started with single plays or replacement refs as being the difference between 3-4 and 7-0

the pats deserve to be exactly where they are........just because they could be 7-0 does not mean they should be.

that said, they have literally been in the drivers seat in every game. the fact that they are 4-3 is simply because they have not played as well as they could. the possible reasons are between coaching and execution......a combination of the 2.

__________________
“ 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.

IllegalContact

it would be a completely different mindset if we had a bunch of guys retire over the last 2 years.

they are 6 years into using more picks on the secondary than any other position....there is a consistent changing of the names, but the result is the same.....or worse

there is no reason to believe that this bunch is going anywhere because of where previous picks (meriweather, wheatley, butler) have wound up as well as where soe are heading (chung, dowling)

I do think for the most part that the type of player they are pursuing is not long for this league. none of them have any outstanding physical characteristics....some have some speed, but it has not translated.

maybe they're looking for hte wrong thing.

__________________
“ 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.

Rob0729

I stated it was a close game that came down to the last play and some questionable refs calls in response to saying that the Pats have only one playoff caliber team and lost. I was stating it was a game that went down to the wire that could have gone either way. It wasn't like the Pats were totally outclassed by the Ravens. The poster implied that the Pats have shown they cannot compete with the playoff caliber teams. That was a game that could have gone either way. I think on a neutral field, the Pats would have won that game but we will never know.

I also never said the Pats could have been 7-0.