The Patriots no longer instill fear around the league

[tanked_as_usual]

who cares....

the whole fan base is spoiled......I go to the games, and its the polo crowd....

I hope the suck again for awhile so we can have a few years of real football fans before the posers return

 

[jmt57]

I don't know but our 3rd and long defense is simply BAD the first two games,The Jets and Bills consistently made first downs at 3rd and long.

Reality does not fit your perception.

Pats opponents have converted a grand total of seven 3rd down attempts this year. No other defense in the NFL has allowed fewer 3rd down attempts.

Overall the Pats opponents have converted 7 out of 21 times. That 33% 3rd down percentage ranks 9th best in the NFL.

Yes there was a collective groan when Leon Washington scooted for 13 yards on that 3rd-and-12. But let's not overstate the situation; one play can happen to anybody.

If you want to see what it's like for a defense to consistently give up opportunities to get off the field on third down, replay the Colts-Dolphins game from last night. The Pats had serious issues with their 3rd down defense last year, but that simply has not been the case so far in 2009.

 

[Tunescribe]

We need that swagger back and need it badly and it starts with Brady.

:blahblah: "Swagger" is overrated. What we "need badly" is better execution all around and touchdowns. I have every bit of confidence it will come.

 

[MrBigglesWorth]

the pats are missing their crazy angry guy on defense. the defense was good but could and needs to get better.

they had bryan cox before who delivered the attitude, then rodney

 

[Rob0729]

:blahblah: "Swagger" is overrated. What we "need badly" is better execution all around and touchdowns. I have every bit of confidence it will come.

I think swagger on offense is not neccessary. Swagger on defense can be useful. It doesn't have to be this obnoxious swagger the Jets are doing right now, but a confidence with the ability to back it up is something this defense could use.

 

[Disco Volante]

I hope the suck again for awhile so we can have a few years of real football fans before the posers return

You want the team to suck and you're getting on other fans you see?

Right...

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Part of your premise seems contradictory: why aren't the Pats now able to play the disrespect card if, as you imply, teams truly do disrespect them now?

Playing the disrespect card is a team that has motivation and succeeds in proving the team who said the neagtive things was wrong or mistaken.

Disrespecting is not what I think teams feel about the Pats,I think most teams respect the Patriots including the Jets,Bills and Dolphins our rivals HOWEVER The news that the big bad Patriots coming to town and you should run way and hide are no longer valid,It used to be front page news,Now its in the classified section if you know what I mean.

 

[tanked_as_usual]

You want the team to suck and you're getting on other fans you see?

Right...

shaddup......

I've been going to pats games since the pats drafted jim plunkett.......I have seen them suck for a very long time.......I like it better than they win, but even when they sucked, they were always a very physical team.....now their play matches the mentality of most of the people who show at the games........I would make that deal just to get rid of that and turn it back over to real football fans.....not people like you

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Reality does not fit your perception.

Pats opponents have converted a grand total of seven 3rd down attempts this year. No other defense in the NFL has allowed fewer 3rd down attempts.

Overall the Pats opponents have converted 7 out of 21 times. That 33% 3rd down percentage ranks 9th best in the NFL.

Yes there was a collective groan when Leon Washington scooted for 13 yards on that 3rd-and-12. But let's not overstate the situation; one play can happen to anybody.

If you want to see what it's like for a defense to consistently give up opportunities to get off the field on third down, replay the Colts-Dolphins game from last night. The Pats had serious issues with their 3rd down defense last year, but that simply has not been the case so far in 2009.

Red zone has been a nightmare for the Patriots the past year or so,Last year it was a nightmare on the defense who could stop virtually no one from scoring,so far the Red Zone troubles have now passed on to the offense.

 

[Jimke]

This is one reason the Patriots are no longer feared:

2004 Season 2009 Season

Harrison Sanders
Wilson Meriweather
Law/Gay Bodden
Samuel Springs/Wilhite
Vrabel Thomas
Johnson/Phifer Mayo/Guyton
Bruschi Woods/Banta-Cain
McGinest/Colvin Warren/Burgess
Warren Wilfork
Traylor/Wilfork Wright
Seymour Green

 

[Disco Volante]

shaddup......

I've been going to pats games since the pats drafted jim plunkett.......I have seen them suck for a very long time.......I like it better than they win, but even when they sucked, they were always a very physical team.....now their play matches the mentality of most of the people who show at the games........I would make that deal just to get rid of that and turn it back over to real football fans.....not people like you

Again, you're really just embarrassing yourself right now.

You flat out said you hope they suck so more "hardcore" fans come to the games, one of the most ridiculous things I've ever read on here.

Real football fans? I'm a real football fan, you're a knee jerk middle aged man name dropping former players and wishing for the team to do bad.

 

[IcyPatriot]

This concept is inane. The game is all about execution ... not trickery. Football is won and lost in the trenches. Execution and staying away from mistakes and penalties is what wins ... always will. Every team pretty much knows what you're running. Not making false steps in the wrong directions is how we won 3 Super Bowls. We executed very basic stuff in 2001 when we won the first. We had very good but not great players on our O-Line and D-Line and they executed with precision.

 

[NJPatsfan26]

This concept is inane. The game is all about execution ... not trickery. Football is won and lost in the trenches. Execution and staying away from mistakes and penalties is what wins ... always will. Every team pretty much knows what you're running. Not making false steps in the wrong directions is how we won 3 Super Bowls. We executed very basic stuff in 2001 when we won the first. We had very good but not great players on our O-Line and D-Line and they executed with precision.

Well said Icy. I dont want to instill fear with the rest of the league. I just want to win and show them that we are a championship team.

 

[LeonPowe]

So far, it seems to me our young defense is pretty tough and can lay some nice hits. The defense is not the problem. The one-dimensional offense is the problem.

 

[Jackson 2]

Playing the disrespect card is a team that has motivation and succeeds in proving the team who said the neagtive things was wrong or mistaken.

Disrespecting is not what I think teams feel about the Pats,I think most teams respect the Patriots including the Jets,Bills and Dolphins our rivals HOWEVER The news that the big bad Patriots coming to town and you should run way and hide are no longer valid,It used to be front page news,Now its in the classified section if you know what I mean.

I don't know what you mean and, with all due respect, that part of your agrument is false. You can't respect an opponent and not fear, to some degree, that opponent. If you respect an opponent, you feel a sense that you could lose to them and that you need your A-game to beat them. I think that the teams you cited still feel that way, despite their protestations to the contrary, particularly the Jets. But there's no way a team can respect an opponent and not fear them to some extent.

 

[RichSeymour]

This is one reason the Patriots are no longer feared:

2004 Season 2009 Season

Harrison Sanders
Wilson Meriweather
Law/Gay Bodden
Samuel Springs/Wilhite
Vrabel Thomas
Johnson/Phifer Mayo/Guyton
Bruschi Woods/Banta-Cain
McGinest/Colvin Warren/Burgess
Warren Wilfork
Traylor/Wilfork Wright
Seymour Green

Wow, that's a startling comparison

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

I don't know what you mean and, with all due respect, that part of your agrument is false. You can't respect an opponent and not fear, to some degree, that opponent. If you respect an opponent, you feel a sense that you could lose to them and that you need your A-game to beat them. I think that the teams you cited still feel that way, despite their protestations to the contrary, particularly the Jets. But there's no way a team can respect an opponent and not fear them to some extent.

It all depends,I am sure a lot of people respect and actually fear playing against Brady but don't worry about players like maroney doing any damage.

You can respect certain players but not necessarily the whole team and thats what I think Ryan and Rhodes thought and they were right,the Jets are a better team in overall talent except for the QB and Coach,That is exactly what it is and you can't argue with this - they are and were right.

 

[Ice Cold Bruschi]

I think people are looking at this too much like sports writers and not like the coaches are.

 

[Jackson 2]

It all depends,I am sure a lot of people respect and actually fear playing against Brady but don't worry about players like maroney doing any damage.

You can respect certain players but not necessarily the whole team and thats what I think Ryan and Rhodes thought and they were right,the Jets are a better team in overall talent except for the QB and Coach,That is exactly what it is and you can't argue with this - they are and were right.

You can state that "the Jets are a better overall team in talent except for the QB and Coach" and your opinion may be shared by others around the league. But if I were a betting man (and I'm not anymore), I'd wager that an anonymous poll around the NFL asking which team you'd rather face at crunch time (Pats vs. Jets) would result in an overwhelming majority preferring to face the Jets. But, that's just my opinion and you're entitled to yours - even if it's dead wrong. And, yes, I can argue with it.

 

[maverick4]

This concept is inane. The game is all about execution ... not trickery. Football is won and lost in the trenches. Execution and staying away from mistakes and penalties is what wins ... always will. Every team pretty much knows what you're running. Not making false steps in the wrong directions is how we won 3 Super Bowls. We executed very basic stuff in 2001 when we won the first. We had very good but not great players on our O-Line and D-Line and they executed with precision.

Completely disagree.

The 2001-2004 Patriots game planned against the opponent's weaknesses and tendencies, featuring a different team and productive player every week in a chameleon-like fashion.

Since then we've become like most teams, playing to our strengths, running the same things and daring the opponent to stop us (which they usually cannot).

We executed all sorts of different schemes in 2001, even switching base defense half-way through the season, with many different looks.