Hypothetical in an attempt to calm the masses

[signbabybrady]

If we win next week and Buffalo loses we will both be 4-2 atop the division.

Yes Cassel could look much better. Yes the Pass rush sucks so bad it is making the secondary look awful. Yes we have more losses now than all of last season.

But none of that means anything. As this team as said hundreds of times over the last few years it is not how you play in Sept that matters its how you play after Thanksgiving.

This team was 5-5 at one point in 2001 and we know how that ened up.

No one knows where this team is heading right now. We have a winning record but things have not looked great so I suggest we all get back to regular fandom where you enjoy each game as it comes and hope that this team can stay in contention long enough to find an identity and once they do who knows maybe some magic can happen.

 

[JSn]

But none of that means anything. As this team as said hundreds of times over the last few years it is not how you play in Sept that matters its how you play after Thanksgiving.

This team was 5-5 at one point in 2001 and we know how that ened up.

Just celebrated Thanksgiving last weekend as I live in Canada. And I'm fully expecting them to rock the shiz Monday night.

It's a fun opportunity to watch the media have to keep changing their minds.

And I agree, we don't need to panic until we hit six losses. It'll take at least four more games for that to happen. So no need to panic.

 

[Kontradiction]

My prediction for this thread:

1. People come in and argue about Cassel right away.

2. The argument in the thread gets so heated that one side accuses the other of being a "homer" and that other side retorts with "frontrunner".

3. The thread gets buried down by other threads which essentially are saying the same thing and sparking the same arguments.

 

[JSn]

My prediction for this thread:

1. People come in and argue about Cassel right away.

2. The argument in the thread gets so heated that one side accuses the other of being a "homer" and that other side retorts with "frontrunner".

3. The thread gets buried down by other threads which essentially are saying the same thing and sparking the same arguments.

Predictions are for homers.

 

[Kontradiction]

Predictions are for homers.

Retorts are for bandwagoners.

 

[fgssand]

If we win next week and Buffalo loses we will both be 4-2 atop the division.

Yes Cassel could look much better. Yes the Pass rush sucks so bad it is making the secondary look awful. Yes we have more losses now than all of last season.

But none of that means anything. As this team as said hundreds of times over the last few years it is not how you play in Sept that matters its how you play after Thanksgiving.

This team was 5-5 at one point in 2001 and we know how that ened up.

No one knows where this team is heading right now. We have a winning record but things have not looked great so I suggest we all get back to regular fandom where you enjoy each game as it comes and hope that this team can stay in contention long enough to find an identity and once they do who knows maybe some magic can happen.

Your right, anything can happen and no team in the AFC really scares me right now.

The obvious diff. between being 5-5 this year vs. 2001 of course is that back then, we had a budding young QB named Brady who lifted us up.

Whatever happens from here on out.....TB isn't walking through that door.

 

[Disco Volante]

If we win next week and Buffalo loses we will both be 4-2 atop the division.

Impossible, the NFL doesn't change week-to-week.

By week 5 you pretty much know how things are going to end up. The Titans are going 19-0 and the Giants are going back to the Super Bowl.

 

[TheGodInAGreyHoodie]

My prediction for this thread:

1. People come in and argue about Cassel right away.

2. The argument in the thread gets so heated that one side accuses the other of being a "homer" and that other side retorts with "frontrunner".

3. The thread gets buried down by other threads which essentially are saying the same thing and sparking the same arguments.

:youtheman:

 

[signbabybrady]

Your right, anything can happen and no team in the AFC really scares me right now.

The obvious diff. between being 5-5 this year vs. 2001 of course is that back then, we had a budding young QB named Brady who lifted us up.

Whatever happens from here on out.....TB isn't walking through that door.

Stop fixating on Tom. He is gone there is nothing we can do about it. Like you say he is not walking through that door.

But where the anolgy to 01 comes to play is that they went .500 thru half the season and in that course they learned a lot about themselves and how they play as unit and Bradys play and others on team steadily improved. Yes we havent seen steady improvement from Cassel yet but can't we get the improvements in other areas as well. Give it a few more weeks if our young players steadily improve over the next few weeks we could find ourselves in a similar situation to 01. A team that improves as the season goes on. Give it time.

 

[JSn]

Retorts are for bandwagoners.

Quips are for... ah, ya got me.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Yes we havent seen steady improvement from Cassel yet but can't we get the improvements in other areas as well.

"We" may not have seen improvement from Cassel, but from my perspective I'm seeing improvement from him. Where I'm really looking for improvement is the blocking - Matt may not be able to recognize blitzs the way Tommy does, but he'll get better.

 

[Pats726]

"We" may not have seen improvement from Cassel, but from my perspective I'm seeing improvement from him. Where I'm really looking for improvement is the blocking - Matt may not be able to recognize blitzs the way Tommy does, but he'll get better.

That is quite true and improvement in moving around the pocket to get a bit extra time..instead of having a moment of panic. Subtle..but important. Also do not forget the 05 team was 4-4...after the first half of the season..

 

[102 Pat]

I'm not 100% sold on Tennessee simply based on there offence. To say there going to go 19-0 and it's only week 7 is a bit early.

To the OP, it's quite possible to to be in first in the East. Buffalo got knocked down a notch after Arizona beat them two weeks ago. It's the remaining AFC East games that will be important. Win the East or get a wildcard and take it from there. Here's hoping the Raiders beat the Jets on sunday...

 

[PatsFanSince74]

If we win next week and Buffalo loses we will both be 4-2 atop the division.

Yes Cassel could look much better. Yes the Pass rush sucks so bad it is making the secondary look awful. Yes we have more losses now than all of last season.

But none of that means anything. As this team as said hundreds of times over the last few years it is not how you play in Sept that matters its how you play after Thanksgiving.

This team was 5-5 at one point in 2001 and we know how that ened up.

No one knows where this team is heading right now. We have a winning record but things have not looked great so I suggest we all get back to regular fandom where you enjoy each game as it comes and hope that this team can stay in contention long enough to find an identity and once they do who knows maybe some magic can happen.

I'm not sure that the comparison to 2001 is apt, given who was our QB, but otherwise I agree with you completely.

The truth is that, as Pats fans, we are now experiencing the "reality" of the NFL for fans of all but a small handful of dominant teams every season. We were lucky enough to be one of that handful for most of seven years.

Many folks on this board have never known anything but the good times, so this is hard for them to accept. Except for their dumbest comments and incessantly ignorant "Dump Matt" or "Trade Maroney" threads, I actually understand where they are coming from and feel a little sorry for them. I hope that out of this, they learn to appreciate what the NFL really is, how tough it is to win in this league, how rare HOF QB's like TB are and how fortunate they were to be supporting a team that won its Divsion six of seven years, and went to five of seven AFCCG's and four of seven SB's, winning three of them. No team has done anything like that since the Packers of the '60's, the Steelers and Cowboy's of the '70's and the Niners of the '80's.

 

[signbabybrady]

I'm not sure that the comparison to 2001 is apt, given who was our QB, but otherwise I agree with you completely.

Yes I agree it is not fair to compare Cassel to Brady in the 01 sense. But you dont have too. The one big thing from that season that has been echoed for years is improvement as the season went along. That year some of the biggest improvements thru the season came from Tom Brady but it also came from Seymour and a few other younger players too. There is still plenty of time for our youth to make steady improvements and make this team a better team heading into the playoffs than it is now. If that happens we might not need a magic Tom Brady like rise out of Cassel. For me the key word of this season is IMPROVE....Continue to plug along the way we have so far and hopefully as we get more and more games under our belt this team finds its identity, finds out how it scores best and finds the inspirational plays that build confidence like the Cox hit VS Indy in 01 or the Patten Pass for one run for one catch one day. The season is to young for the doom and gloom things happen thru the course of the season that build or destroy momentum and if we can find a way to grab some momentum than maybe we can make a run.

 

[Garbanza]

If we win next week and Buffalo loses we will both be 4-2 atop the division.

Yes Cassel could look much better. Yes the Pass rush sucks so bad it is making the secondary look awful. Yes we have more losses now than all of last season.

But none of that means anything. As this team as said hundreds of times over the last few years it is not how you play in Sept that matters its how you play after Thanksgiving.

This team was 5-5 at one point in 2001 and we know how that ened up.

No one knows where this team is heading right now. We have a winning record but things have not looked great so I suggest we all get back to regular fandom where you enjoy each game as it comes and hope that this team can stay in contention long enough to find an identity and once they do who knows maybe some magic can happen.

If one more person brings up 2001 I will scream! Cassel is no Brady. This secondary isnlt even close to what we had in 2001 and the lb's were far superior. Please try again.

 

[TheGodInAGreyHoodie]

If one more person brings up 2001 I will scream! .

Are you a Rams fan or Steelers fan?

Rams fans and Steelers fans hate 2001. Patriots fans loved that season.

 

[signbabybrady]

If one more person brings up 2001 I will scream! Cassel is no Brady. This secondary isnlt even close to what we had in 2001 and the lb's were far superior. Please try again.

My comparison was not to the talent, and not to the QB, it was to the underlying thing that got them to where they wound up which was improvement. Yes Cassel is not Tom, and Yes the LBs and Secondary may have been better back than but in theory or D line, O line, and RBs should be better this year than back than (though performance thus far may not show it). What I am saying is that we struggled out of the gate in 01 with Drew and even continued for a few weeks with Tom before they turned it on. The Improvements made during the second half of that season were as important to winning it all as Tom was that year. Now I am willing for argument sake to say Cassel is no Tom (though I think he deserves more time before we call him Zo) my point was that if this team can begin to make steady improvements all of the roster like the 01 team did than maybe we can compete for a SB.

Just to dumb done my point a little lets use Seymour as an example. Where would the 01 team have been with out Big Sey coming on? What had he done through 5 games that season that say Mayo hasn't so far this year. Well if Mayo has a Seymour like rise to stardom than might he not help stabalize the de. This same thing could happen with a number of other players too including Cassel.

 

[NEPatriot]

We won in 01 because of our D. This year is 2008. A lot of things have happened between 01 and 08 and our 08D is not the same as 01 D. Players are getting old and slow and fat. Unless we can improve our O and secondary, we go nowhere.

 

[Kontradiction]

If one more person brings up 2001 I will scream!