After two games, thoughts from the land of snow

[JSn]

Alright, so being in neutral territory, I have friends who are fans of various NFL teams and I'm almost the lone Pats fan in my area. So that's given rise to some interesting discussion on what's up with the Patriots.

I think last year can tell us something.

2008 opened with some sloppy offensive work. Dropped passes, miscues and, depending on your perspective, a faulty block that cost us TFB.

What we saw, though, was a team rallying around the reality that Matt Cassel was the QB for the year, and at times they played really well. I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that had we made the Playoff's, there was a decent chance of going all the way.

This year is starting the same in the technical miscues dept. We also have a rusty QB of whom expectations are way too high, and a team gelling.

More-over, we have a lot of new players. Not a BAD thing, just a thing. Might even turn out to be a great thing.

That being established, I think what we've got is another chance for the team settle down and rally around a QB who needs some time.

The odd abandonment of the run aside, I think the team tried to do that last week.

The X-Factor, though, is Brady. He's not Matt Cassel, so the team has this image of him, like we do, that he'll step onto the field and make everything right. But he hasn't (aside the Buffalo ending) and I think it's causing residual worry and sloppy play through the team a bit.

I hated that Jets game, but I think a LOT of good will come out of it as Brady works through his mental hurdles and the team settles down, realizing he's not TFB just yet.

I wasn't diggin' the Seymour trade from a "now" perspective, but I can't really harp on the D (so far). They've played well. Especially missing Mayo, that's no small feat. Kudos to them for keeping us in games the offense couldn't. That's going to mean a lot come winter.

Guyton is proving himself and Pryor and Brace are unknown but highly anticipated, and the secondary is WAAAAAAY better than last year.

Aiken's penalties were pretty unusual and he's going to correct those things, without a doubt.

I don't think it's worth panicking or writing the Pats epitaph. I think we're going to get to see how a Pats team plays as the underdogs again, and when all the lunch-pails are in the right lockers, the Patriots are going to show the NFL that they remain a great team.

Having said all that, I sure have been enjoying the leg-room here on the Bandwagon (though I'm stuck in coach, still).

Just my $0.02, looking forward to the gold star.

 

[derF]

Re: After two games, thoughts from the land of snow.

"We also have a rusty QB of whom expectations are way too high, and a team gelling."

Good point, just look at the back-to-back delay of game penalties...that won't happen again. If any team can find a silver lining in a loss, it's the Patriots!

Tom, Bill & gang will adjust, I'm looking forward to Sunday's game to see the progress.

Quick question for ya, do the fans of other teams up there hate the Patriots as much as it seems they do everywhere else...just wondering?

 

[JSn]

Re: After two games, thoughts from the land of snow.

1) I think Tom said one of the DoG penalties was intentional to save a time-out. Can anyone confirm?

2) The anti-Pats hostility is pretty low, though I was dropping my kids off at school last Tuesday and bumped into a guy in a Bills hat who didn't look real excited about my Patriots cap.

Actually, the next most popular team here (or so it seems) is the Dolphins. So those guys are keeping to themselves, so far.

"We also have a rusty QB of whom expectations are way too high, and a team gelling."

Good point, just look at the back-to-back delay of game penalties...that won't happen again. If any team can find a silver lining in a loss, it's the Patriots!

Tom, Bill & gang will adjust, I'm looking forward to Sunday's game to see the progress.

Quick question for ya, do the fans of other teams up there hate the Patriots as much as it seems they do everywhere else...just wondering?

 

[klinefan]

Re: After two games, thoughts from the land of snow.

I saw Guyton standing around with his hands in his pockets on a lot of plays. Maybe he is good in coverage but in run support he's just kind of like "there", blending in with the woodwork, trying not to be noticed.

So much for "why wasn't he drafted?".

 

[BrownNServe]

Re: After two games, thoughts from the land of snow.

I saw Guyton standing around with his hands in his pockets on a lot of plays. Maybe he is good in coverage but in run support he's just kind of like "there", blending in with the woodwork, trying not to be noticed.

So much for "why wasn't he drafted?".

Guyton, IMO, has played well above expectations, being undrafted and now starting for us. He has had trouble in specific areas, ie screen passes. But the kid is a player. It may be early but, he is leading our team in tackles both in solos and totals. Plus he was the only player to give chase and bring down cotchery on the long pass play, with tackles blown by wilhite and meriweather. It'll take some time for him to feel comfortable, but keep in mind that he played 56 plays out of a possible 56 plays on defense during the Jets game. He must be doing something right.

 

[JackBauer]

Re: After two games, thoughts from the land of snow.

Not to mention the fact that he's playing out of position in a notoriously difficult system and position for young players to step right into and contribute.

 

[JSn]

Re: After two games, thoughts from the land of snow.

Not to mention the fact that he's playing out of position in a notoriously difficult system and position for young players to step right into and contribute.

Yeah, I have no beef with Guyton at all. He's on an upward trend and once Mayo comes back, we'll have two battle hardened, VERY athletic guys roaming around back there.

 

[PatsSox363804]

Re: After two games, thoughts from the land of snow.

Good analysis. I think the Pats are looking much like the Colts at the beginning of last year, and if you look at the stats overall after 2 games Brady and Manning both had 2 TDs and 2 INTs, both teams were 1-1, and both were asked to throw more passes than they probbaly should have been after coming off injuries. I expect the Pats to come around, hopefully sooner rather than later, the problem is that the Colts got insanely lucky last season to get to 3-4 before they clicked and then ran the table, and I fear if we don't get lucky we may be too far behind the pack and our schedule isn't as easy as theirs was down the stretch.

It has to start this week, if we can light up Atlanta at home I expect us to go on a run.

 

[Reckedtrek]

Re: After two games, thoughts from the land of snow.

Good analysis. I think the Pats are looking much like the Colts at the beginning of last year, and if you look at the stats overall after 2 games Brady and Manning both had 2 TDs and 2 INTs, both teams were 1-1, and both were asked to throw more passes than they probbaly should have been after coming off injuries. I expect the Pats to come around, hopefully sooner rather than later, the problem is that the Colts got insanely lucky last season to get to 3-4 before they clicked and then ran the table, and I fear if we don't get lucky we may be too far behind the pack and our schedule isn't as easy as theirs was down the stretch.

It has to start this week, if we can light up Atlanta at home I expect us to go on a run.

I agree with your comparison to the Colts, but as far as your prediction of going on a run, I don't think it'll be that smooth even if we beat Atlanta, and I think we will. I think we'll be 4-3 headed into the by week, although I don't think 5-2 as out of the question. after the By we get (hopefully) Mayo back and continue to get better as the season continues.

 

[102 Pat]

When I was at work yesterday (working the day after a loss always bites), I was thinking about how this loss might be the game we look back on at the end of the year and say that maybe the loss was a "good thing".

 

[PrairiePat]

There are question marks all over the place at this point of the season, of course, especially after a weak showing like this past weekend. But to me (and I'm sure this isn't a particularly original thought), the biggest thing I'd like to see is Randy Moss becoming a Threat again, like he was for 3/4ths of the year in 2007. When he's invisible, this offense is merely pedestrian; when he's making plays and stretching the defense, the offense is a juggernaut.

I'm not an offensive guru, but other teams have star receivers who manage to catch TDs week after week in this league, despite defenses being focused on them. Isn't there some way the Pats can shake Moss loose from some of this blanket coverage he's been seeing? Or is 2007 Randy Moss gone forever, perhaps?

 

[Ice Cold Bruschi]

The land of the ice and snow? From the midnight sun and the hot springs blow?

 

[JSn]

The land of the ice and snow? From the midnight sun and the hot springs blow?

I'll see your reference and offer this as the Pats mantra...

So now you'd better stop and rebuild all your ruins, for peace and trust can win the day, despite of all your losing.

 

[BelizePats]

With all the new players on this team and much of the Old Guard on defense now gone, this is clearly a team in transition. Expectations for Brady success right out of the gate have been downright rediculous. The NFL is unbelievably competative.
Brady is clearly rusty and the mental aspects of overcoming his injury are perhaps, more challenging to overcome than the physical, as Carson Plamer predicted they would be having gone though it himself.
Brady IS throwing off his back foot and he just needs gets a little more comfortable with both the speed of the game as well as his own fears/concerns. this will come with more game action.
I've been really pleased with the D so far and feel that this part of the team will only get better as the season progresses. There is a lot of youth and speed on this side of the ball and once they are a little more battle tested, the game will slow down for them, which will allow them to be more aggressive and force more tunrovers.
What puzzles me is the offense. Why we are throwing the ball 50 times a game with a QB coming back from a serious leg injury, is truly perplexing to say the least. Perhaps BB has little confidence in the run blocking from the O line? I really don't understand it. Can anyone out there maybe give me some insight into why the run has been abandoned so readily?

This is a very good team but it is a work very much still in progress. 2007 is long gone as are many of the players on that team. Once THIS team starts to gell, the results will be impressive. I look for this team to really start to hit its stride by early November.
I'm just glad we don't play the Jets again until late November. I hate those Rat Ba$tards and want to see them get smoked on our home turf.

 

[TomPatriot]

Re: After two games, thoughts from the land of snow.

I saw Guyton standing around with his hands in his pockets on a lot of plays. Maybe he is good in coverage but in run support he's just kind of like "there", blending in with the woodwork, trying not to be noticed.

So much for "why wasn't he drafted?".

Wow. I thought he played pretty well. It's hard to have 7 tackles and 3 assists if you're blending in with the woodwork.

Gary Guyton isn't the problem.