We are at least where I expected us to be

[NEPatriot]

I also think Brady did not, and has not played well, but to be so negative about everything accomplishes nothing.

How can you be positive when you lost the game?????

 

[WhiZa]

I expected we would not get any pass rush this season, but at least our DBs are playing at a high level. A high comp % QB like Orton is our D's kryptonite. Thankfully we don't have to see Pennington at all this year.

 

[mosslost]

Re: We are at least where I expected us to be.

So far, the D has CONSISTENTLY hold our opponents under 20 pts per game while our O has been mediocre.

I have never expected it from 'TB'.

I agree that the defense has been consistently DECENT, but they could be much better than this, which is what is scary.

Let Brady get on track, and this team is gonna be TOUGH. He makes two throws he should have and the game ends at regulation 28 - 17.

 

[IcyPatriot]

Re: We are at least where I expected us to be.

Here is the REALITY. You know what happened to RedSox right? It is going to happen to Pats if TB doesn't get his sh!t together.

Still don't know where to put the "S" and how to use "the" I see.

 

[mosslost]

How can you be positive when you lost the game?????

I can, because I am a realist, and REALIZE that they should have won a game I had thought that they would lose. They are better than I thought they would be at this point, and still on track to win 11 or 12 games IMO. They will be playing their best ball at the end of the season, which is how it used to always be. I don't care if they lose a game now as long as it doesn't screw them out of the playoffs.

What do we do without Matt Light though? How long we think he is out?

 

[mayoclinic]

We are 3-2.
We split our division games.
We are 2-1 against solid non-division opponents.
Yes, the jets and denver are better teams than I expected them to be.
=======================================================
We should be fine coming out of the bye. I expect 5-2 now, but expected 4-3 before the season started. A 7-2 finish is reasonable.
=======================================================
OFFENSE
Before the season, we had absolutely no reason to believe that Brady would be anywhere near 100% before the bye. Manning was 3-4 coming back last year and then went undefeated. The open question is when Brady will be back to more normal performances for him. The rest of the offense is fine. There will be the normal changes and issues, but it is basically fine. Edelman is fine as a #3 receiver. Watson is having a fine year. The offensive line has been better than anyone had any right to expect.

DEFENSE
We are already a very good defense. This is an incredible achievement for the front office, for the coaching staff and especially for Pees. This group has performed so well without so many of their former stars, and with Mayo out. The transformation of the secondary is al but complete (we need more development of the youngsters). The linebackers have been performing well. McGowan and Banta-Cain have been incredible additions. Green is the same lunchpail player he has always been, and Wright has stepped up big time. It is also great to see the kids develop, especially Guyton and Pryor.

If we maintain aggressiveness and balance on offense and defense, correct some errors on execution, and continue to improve as expected given youth and injuries there's no reason we can't finish 12-4 or better and win it all.

Then again, if we'd done those things today we wouldn't have lost the game.

The offense again showed that it has trouble finishing drives, trouble making adjustments in the second half, trouble scoring points when even a FG would probably put the game out of reach, and general trouble executing and maintaining balance on a consistent basis. It's time to stop deluding ourselves into thinking that this offense will suddenly morph into 2007 all over again at some point this season. We're a mediocre offense right now through 5 games.

The defense played it's poorest game of the season today. I chalk that up not so much to the performance of the players as the extremely soft play calling, with no effective pressure on Orton and little aggressiveness like that shown last week against Baltimore.

 

[mgteich]

Perhaps you will still believe your analysis later in the week. If so, I think that you will continue to be disappointed with the defense for the rest of the year.

I strongly disagree with your position.

If it is not good enough for a defense to give up 17 points and to give the offense the opportunity to win if they do any of the following, then I suspect that you will be EXTREMELY disappointed with the defense in the future.

1) Offense needed ONE point in the last half.
2) Offense needed to complete touchdown pass with 4 minutes left to a wide open Welker.
3) Offense needs to execute on 2-minute drill after the defense gave the ball back to the offense with more than 2 minutes left.

If .
The defense played it's poorest game of the season today. I chalk that up not so much to the performance of the players as the extremely soft play calling, with no effective pressure on Orton and little aggressiveness like that shown last week against Baltimore.

 

[condon84]

Re: We are at least where I expected us to be.

We can have the greatest personel in our secondary, but if we continue to play soft zone coverage with our non-existent pass rush and today's rules, we are going to get sliced up by even mediocre QBs like Orton.

 

[italia44]

Re: We are at least where I expected us to be.

I agree, except that we need to get more aggressive on defense. 12-4 or 13-3 is very doable this year. 11-5 occurs only if the **** hits the fan.

Italia44, please go buy the 2003 season recap DVD. The Patriots lost their first game 31-0 to the atrocious Bills. The lost in week 3 to the mediocre Redskins. This team has lost to two of the best defenses in the league. Same record through five games.

Look,I know what you saying and I don't mean to start an arguement........I'm not a "doom and gloom",guy................I am saying that the injuries are absolutely,killing us and that in the 2nd half of every game,we are playing,not to lose.If you can't win on the road,you cannot win,period.

Who,on this board,can tell me that Tom Brady,Adalius ThomasJarvis Green,Pierre Woods and Dean Pees,have met your expectations?..............To say that it's ok to lose on the road to above average teams,is just an excuse..............these penalties and breakdowns,in the 2nd-half are inexcusable

What peyton Manning,did,or what we did.....7 tears ago,means NADA.......you are,what you are,today.

Just average,unfortunately,imo.

 

[crypto]

Re: We are at least where I expected us to be.

Here is the REALITY. You know what happened to RedSox right? It is going to happen to Pats if TB doesn't get his sh!t together.

You are clueless.

 

[mgteich]

Re: We are at least where I expected us to be.

Yes, and we going to consistently give up less than 20 points in regulation. For you, that will not be good enough. How many teams lost today when their defense gave up 17 point or fewer?

Tom Brady and the offense need to score 18 points.

We can have the greatest personel in our secondary, but if we continue to play soft zone coverage with our non-existent pass rush and today's rules, we are going to get sliced up by even mediocre QBs like Orton.

 

[mayoclinic]

Perhaps you will still believe your analysis later in the week. If so, I think that you will continue to be disappointed with the defense for the rest of the year.

I strongly disagree with your position.

If it is not good enough for a defense to give up 17 points and to give the offense the opportunity to win if they do any of the following, then I suspect that you will be EXTREMELY disappointed with the defense in the future.

1) Offense needed ONE point in the last half.
2) Offense needed to complete touchdown pass with 4 minutes left to a wide open Welker.
3) Offense needs to execute on 2-minute drill after the defense gave the ball back to the offense with more than 2 minutes left.

I stand by my statements.

I never said the defense lost us the game. The lack of offensive execution and adjustments in the 2nd half clearly cost us the game.

But I stand by my belief that our defense played it's poorest game of the season today. They couldn't stop Denver when it counted several times (including in overtime, but also in the second half when it was obvious that the offense wasn't executing and the defense would have to step up and win the game for us), gave up a 98 yard TD drive, didn't put much pressure on Orton (allowing him to complete 73% of his passes), and simply didn't demonstrate the same aggressiveness that I had seen developing in the past 2 weeks. I blame that not on the players but on the defensive play calling.

The defense is good enough to not lose games for us, but not good enough to win games for us. The offense is not consistently good enough to win games for us. That's not a very encouraging combination right now.

Heck, you and I agree too much of the time anyway. It's boring.

 

[condon84]

Re: We are at least where I expected us to be.

Yes, and we going to consistently give up less than 20 points in regulation. For you, that will not be good enough. How many teams lost today when their defense gave up 17 point or fewer?

Tom Brady and the offense need to score 18 points.

I understand that our offense (Brady) sucked in the second half, but our defense could have bailed us out.

Are YOU happy with our defense and the soft prevent-like calls?

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

Tennessee isn't as bad as their record IMO but they are beatable. TB is not a good team at all. We have an excellent shot at 5-2 and should be that heading into the bye. That is pretty good considering our schedule, injuries, and other things.

Right now we are not a championship team but any point if we hit our stride we could run the table, see 2003.

 

[mayoclinic]

Re: We are at least where I expected us to be.

Yes, and we going to consistently give up less than 20 points in regulation. For you, that will not be good enough. How many teams lost today when their defense gave up 17 point or fewer?

Tom Brady and the offense need to score 18 points.

Earlier this week in the Week 5 Patriots at Broncos thread I had predicted that 17 would be a sort of "magic number" in this game:

Unless we give up points to your defense (and our offense has already given up 14 points this year) I don't see you getting more than 17 points, and probably less. If you take away the 2 touchdowns our offense gave up, our defense is average 14 PPG. The Ravens are 2nd in scoring and 3rd in total offense, but our defense still only gave up 14 points, and stopped them at the end of each half. So to my mind it comes down to just how good your defense really is.

The Jets held us to 9 points, but that was without Welker, with a lot of pressure on Brady, and with terrible red zone execution. We had our opportunities. Otherwise we've been averaging 26 PPG (25 against Buffalo, 26 against Atlanta, 27 against Baltimore) which would put us in the top 10, right up with Indy. We're capable of much more. I think you have your work cut out holding us to less than 17 points, if we execute. We're still rusty on offense. How we do against your defense will be a good litmus test of whether the offense is coming around.

Our defense held them to 17 points in regulation time, within what I predicted. Our offense put up 17 points in the first half, and then failed to execute repeatedly. We failed our "litmus test". Obviously, 18 would have been more magic for us than 17.

 

[The Dynasty]

Re: We are at least where I expected us to be.

This is all well and good,but what you're missing is that in the first 2 road games,the offense was terrible and the D cannot make a stop,when they needed toThey may look like gangbusters at home,but when you lose on the road,because of stupid penalties and offensive,ineptness,it's a trend...not an anolomly.

I dont know what game you were watching but the D did make several stops when they needed to. The defense has been carrying the team all season long

 

[mayoclinic]

Re: We are at least where I expected us to be.

I dont know what game you were watching but the D did make several stops when they needed to. The defense has been carrying the team all season long

The defense can so far be relied on not to lose games, but it's not a Baltimore 2000 kind of defense that can totally shut down an opposing offense and singlehandedly win games by itself. And our offense has not been good enough to step up and do what it takes to win games on a consistent basis - including last week, when we could have put the game away instead of forcing the defense to make a stand. The defense shut down the Ravens when it had to last week. It couldn't shut down the Broncos when it had to this week. It's good, but not good enough to do that week in and week out.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Great team. but, too many moving parts (Brady returning, revamped D) beyond the usual injuries and good/bad luck. In other words, there's no way this was ever going to be a smooth ride to 13--3 or 14--2.

But, no need to panic. We're 3--2, but, let's be honest, we're also a botched Bills' KO return and a dropped Flacco pass from most likely being 1--4. So, let's count our lucky stars. At the beginning of the season, I said to myself that I'd be very happy to be 5--2 at the bye, but that 4--3 wouldn't be the end of the world. From my perspective, we're ahead of the game because 5--2 is looking pretty solid.

TB has made a lot of progress but wasn't "Tom Brady" today and today looked like a step backwards. But, he's readjusting to life in the NFL after a very serious injury. I can deal with that. It's gonna take a few more weeks. Chill!

I'm more concerned about the inability to generate a pass rush or running game and allowing Kyle Orton of all people to have his way with us than I am about our HOF QB getting on track, which he will.

We won't know what this team really is for another month or so, when it will define itself in that stretch of games @Indy, Jets and @Saints.

In the meantime, hold the doom and gloom and take it one week at a time. Don't get too excited when we beat the Ravens and don't get suicidal when we lose to a very good and very well-coached Broncos team. It's the NFL.

 

[crowell33]

Re: We are at least where I expected us to be.

Yes, and we going to consistently give up less than 20 points in regulation. For you, that will not be good enough. How many teams lost today when their defense gave up 17 point or fewer?

Tom Brady and the offense need to score 18 points.

Spot on. 10 char.

 

[Ian]

Re: We are at least where I expected us to be.

Yes, and we going to consistently give up less than 20 points in regulation. For you, that will not be good enough. How many teams lost today when their defense gave up 17 point or fewer?

Tom Brady and the offense need to score 18 points.

Just to reiterate - I completely agree with this post.