MoLewisrocks

"It" doesn't have to start by 2013 because there are no indications Brady is less than 4 years from hanging it up and you don't want that guy riding the pine for 4 or more seasons behind a durable QB still playing at MVP levels. How do you start focusing on whether or not Mallett has it? And at what expense? Mallett is here for another year or two at best unless Brady is suddenly and abruptly lost forever in which case we will learn the hard way because Bill has chosen to roll the dice and carry only 2 QB's again since he chose to carry a boatload of TE's and rookie defenders...

What would be ideal would be to have a solid if unspectacular game manager behind Brady for the duration whether he eventually replaces him or bridges the gap to whomever eventually does. Because barring injury nobody is going to push Brady to the bench any time soon. And that is the only way he's gone absent catestrophic injury in less than 4 years...

I will never understand the rush to replace Brady that consumes some here...

Patriot Missile

A very good year indeed and hoping for the cherry on top in February.

Looking ahead, Talib is a must sign. For the first time in awhile I feel really good about the 2ndary going into next season if that happens. McCourty is a shoe in at safety, Gregory has stepped up his game big time and I can now say I feel good about the signing. Dennard excelled beyond anyone's expectations and is only going to get better. I am open to a friendly contract with Ed Reed if he is into winning a championship and will take less realizing he is a little old in the tooth. Still a great football mind with instincts above all.

Need to draft a DT to eventually replace Wilfork. Easier said then done.

Line backing crew has never been better. Their a good group now, but wait until they have a few years under their belt. That's when you will see greatness.

I think the biggest improvement this team could make on offense is draft Guard Jonathan Cooper from UNC. Dante helps mold undrafted and late round picks into serviceable football players. When he gets first and second round talent to work with he turns them into probowl caliber players. The results are factual. See Light,Vollmer,Mankins and Solder. To me Cooper is the safest pick in this years draft and would improve the running game immensely. Twofold he would prolong Brady's career, help Ridley become ultra elite and enable the Pats perfect balance in their offense. Dante IMO would help Cooper establish a Steve Hutchinson type career and be the eventual replacement for Mankins.

aluminum seats

Yup, good stuff. You know, everybody talks about Brady's age, which I understand will be an issue. But on the flip side, what is exciting to me is that Belichick shows zero signs of slowing down. He's got this process down so well, that (as far as I know) there's none of that "coach sleeping in the film room at 4 in the morning" burn-out stuff going on either.

Point being, if the Pats are able to get that next great QB over the next few years (I assume he's not on the roster yet)--like GB did w/Rogers--then there's no real reason this run has to end in five years, or ten. Now how cool is that?

__________________
"So I'm going to throw myself against the wall...
'Cause I'd rather feel bad than not feel anything at all."

PATSYLICIOUS

Whether we reach our goal or not this year was a huge step in the proper direction. I thought 2011 although it was great result wise it was disappointing to see the defense downgrade after the 2nd half of 2010 showed so much promise and improvement. This year post-Talib trade the D looks like it's for real and good enough to rely upon in January, instead of hoping to draw weak to mediocre QB's in the AFC playoffs and a kicker shanking a gimme. Ideally, one more good offseason of adding a legit S and/or CB could make this an elite d in which case we may see another run at perfection.

We probably should be the #1 seed if not for some blown calls/poor execution in key moments but I'll gladly take our position right now.

__________________
Organized madness
The young Gott-stra
Young Frank Sinatra

mayoclinic

What's interesting to me about the 2012 Patriots is that no one has seen them at full force yet. No one.

The offense started out the year with OL injuries (Mankins wasn't recovered, Vollmer's back), with Lloyd not on the same page with Brady, with Vereen injured, and Brady not yet in sync with his new weapons, and with McDaniels obviously not sure how to use everyone. Then Hernandez got hurt. Then the OL injuries kicked in. Then Gronk got hurt before Hernandez was fully recovered. Then Edelman got hurt. Bolden became a major part of RBBC and got suspended for 4 games, and has just begun to work his way back in. Edelman's gone for the season, but going into the playoffs the offense is closer to operating with a full deck than at any point this season. We've set NFL records for most plays and 1st downs and scored the 3rd most points in the SB era, all while shuffling players in and out and working with a patchwork OL.

The defense started out with 2 rookie starters in Jones and Hightower, plus a new starter in Steve Gregory. Jones was arguably our best defensive player over the first 8-10 games. Hightower got hurt and took a while to get back on track, and before he did Jones got hurt and is just beginning to regain his form. Ninkovich started the season with a position change and struggled (remember all the Ninkovich bashing posts early in the year), but then became a very solid player for us. Cunningham stepped up, and then got suspended 4 games. Brandon Spikes got banged up, and Tracy White had to step in as a starter. The secondary situation was far worse. Ras-I Dowling played hurt and then got put on IR. The secondary fell apart and slowed down the development of the defense, with injuries to Gregory and Chung leading to rookies Wilson and Ebner starting at one point. Things only started to improve once Alfonzo Dennard was inserted into the starting rotation and Devin McCourty got moved to FS. The Aqib Talib trade solidified things, moved Kyle Arrington to the slot, and offered glimpses of what the defense could do with a solid secondary, but injuries slowed that down and required more shifting of players around. And that's not mentioning that Dane Fletcher was lost for the season during training camp, which cost us arguably our best coverage LB, an area that's hurt us all season. And in spite of all that the defense continually improved, finished 9th in points allowed, and was one of the better defenses in the NFL over the last 6 games.

Going into the playoffs, we're the closest to seeing what the "2012 Patriots" are really like. A team with Brady at QB behind a fairly healthy OL, Gronk and Hernandez at TE, Welker and Lloyd at receiver, and the RBBC in full force. The defense with Talib/Dennard outside and Arrington in the slot, McCourty and Gregory at safety, Jones back to full strength, Cunningham back, Spikes health, and Hightower rounding into form.

No one in the NFL has played that team yet. Yet the patch-work Patriots managed to go 12-4 and were a hair's breadth from 15-1, in spite of all those struggles. And that's the team that should form the foundation for 2013, if the FO can keep the key players in the offseason.

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"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi

aluminum seats

Well, I'm sold. Nicely summarized.

All that being said, let's win it this year!

__________________
"So I'm going to throw myself against the wall...
'Cause I'd rather feel bad than not feel anything at all."

Skeeter712

A very enjoyable year to watch as a fan. Hopefully many more to come.

mayoclinic

This season kind of reminded me of a TV show like "24", where the protagonist starts off getting put on the defensive, and is on the run for most of the season. We've been held hostage to OL injuries, Hernandez being out, Gronk being out, the secondary situation, injuries to Talib and Dennard, suspensions to Cunningham and Bolden, Hightower and Jones getting banged up, etc. No sooner does the secondary appear settled than Talib and Dennard get banged up. No sooner does Hernandez come back than Gronk gets hurt. No sooner does Julian Edelman appear to become an impact player then he goes on IR. Donte Stallworth steps up and makes a huge play, and is on IR a day later. It just seemed like we could never catch up and get everyone healthy and together. It just feels to me like this is the part of the series where the protagonist figures out what's going on and starts to go on the offensive, and starts kicking *ss big time. Maybe it won't happen, but I'm itching to see what this team can do if we can actually get our players on the field healthy at the same time.

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"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi

patfanken

....And for those worried about the inevitable decline of Brady's skills think about this. Over the next 3-5 years as Brady devolves from being the best QB into the league into "merely" a very good one, the DEFENSE will be evolving into a much better version of what it is now (I can't get myself to say "dominant", since I've never seen one here.....but I'm hoping).

It might not be a "dominant" defense, but starting next year, I believe that we will start to see a Patriots team where the offense doesn't have to carry the defense for most of the season. Now THAT has got to be a scary thought for the rest of the league.

mayoclinic

Not to mention a running game to complement the passing attack. John Elway won his only 2 SBs at age 37 and 38. Brady would have to drop off quite a bit to be at the level that Elway was in those 2 years. I think it's fair to assume that we have at least 5 years of SB contention left.

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To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi