Let's look forward with confidence

[eagle eye]

I'll start by saying I've never coached a football team. I have coached in other sports though and one of my strong points(or so I've been told) is motivation.

I can tell you right now that I would go in to the locker room and say nothing and tell all the guys to go home and we'll see them at training on Wednesday.

On Wednesday I would talk about the nightmare that happened on Monday night and tell everybody how hard we have to work to make sure this never happens again. I would also set them two goals right now, first of which would be to get to the AFCCG so that we can show the Colts that we are better than them and then to the Superbowl and show the whole world that this was just a bad night, a freak occurence that can happen to any team.

I'm honestly telling all you guys that what happened tonight has me more fired up than ever, I cannot wait to see the Patriots take the field next Sunday full of bitterness and badness and take it out on the Dolphins down in Miami.
Tom Brady will be not be able to sleep tonight, I just know the guy will be disgusted with his performance and he will be itching for next Sunday to arrive so that he can get out there and put tonight behind him.
The one thing I've noticed this season is that Belichick seems alone on the sideline, and what I mean by that is that he is talking to the defenders when they are off the field and talking to the offense occasionally also. The man should not have to do that.

This performance will be either the making or breaking of this team. I think it might just make them a better side, everybody got a good hiding tonight. The Patriots can respond to this, maybe even Belichick will respond to this with personnel changes of some sort. Lets see how it unfolds but we can still finish 12-4 and take that no.2 seed. I'm relishing watching the rest of the season unfold now, a good hiding can be a blessing in disguise. Losing close games and you feel that you are right there, lose like this and everybody knows that there is serious work to be done.

 

[Number 2]

Well said, if anything it made me a little more calm right now. So thanks!

 

[mgteich]

This game will not make or break this team. As I have said for weeks, this game isn't all that important. We are who we are. We are a team that should win the division and win between 10 and 12 games. Our defense is still developing and learning.

I am generally satisfied with both the talent and performance of both the offense and defensive. Brady has come back from his injuries and we have almost completely rebuilt our defense, and we still are very, very likely to win the division and have a shot at the Super Bowl, along with the rest of the playoff teams.

I am proud of our players and even of our position coaches. I am proud of what dante has done with the OL and what Belichick has done in the offseason.

Now, if we only had two coordinators that should have a job as a coordinator for a playoff team. Yes, my biggest disappointment this year, and over the last few has been the choices made at coordinator.

 

[NickOGS20]

I don't doubt we'll take out the frustration and embarrassment of tonight on the Fins and win that one, as we generally do after any defeat. My concern is that you don't get the opportunity to do that in the playoffs, and none of the games we play between now and the post-season is likely to give us the confidence or experience required to beat teams like the Saints or Colts (and I'd throw the Chargers and Vikings in there too). I really hope to be pleasantly surprised though.

 

[BionicPatriot]

This game doesn't hurt.

This teams performance on the road and against quality competition does however.

 

[wilfork is beastin']

Miami next week would be the perfect time to get our first road win. 8-4 with a 3 game division lead sounds real good

 

[JFK]

We can beat any AFC team. I think we are the best in the AFC....We can get lucky against the Vikings/Saints in the SB because it would be on neutral grounds..
C'mmon we played better than the Colts...As long as we stop playing nervous, the SB is ours to lose.

 

[muzz]

The SB is NOT ours if we can't give Tom 2 seconds to throw the ball.the way we are playing right now is not good enough to get there anyway, for that to happen this team needs to wake up.

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

They might finish the season strong, but like the '05 and '06 season, you just know they're not a super bowl team. Their coordinators just don't get it, they don't have any talent on defense, their offense makes too many critical mistakes and they can't win on the road against winning teams.

 

[maseehpat]

They might finish the season strong, but like the '05 and '06 season, you just know they're not a super bowl team. Their coordinators just don't get it, they don't have any talent on defense, their offense makes too many critical mistakes and they can't win on the road against winning teams.

I felt much shakier about 2005 and honestly they were one Brady mistake in the endzone/the Watson call from having Pittsburgh at home in the AFCCG and playing a weak seahawks team in the superbowl (guaranteed win).

I also wasn't confident in 06 and we nearly won that year too.

 

[JFK]

The SB is NOT ours if we can't give Tom 2 seconds to throw the ball.the way we are playing right now is not good enough to get there anyway, for that to happen this team needs to wake up.

I said ours to lose.

 

[BionicPatriot]

Pretty hard to think we'll do anything in the playoffs when they can't beat a good team anymore.

 

[JFK]

Pretty hard to think we'll do anything in the playoffs when they can't beat a good team anymore.

Dude. We can beat the COlts and Broncos. Brady wasn't as good as he is now when we played the Broncos in their backyard.

 

[eagle eye]

Now, if we only had two coordinators that should have a job as a coordinator for a playoff team. Yes, my biggest disappointment this year, and over the last few has been the choices made at coordinator.

These are the personnel areas I was talking about and that I hope are the problem. It certainly looks like it.

 

[The Dynasty]

Dude. We can beat the COlts and Broncos. Brady wasn't as good as he is now when we played the Broncos in their backyard.

Deep down I think we can beat any team in the AFC, but there just isnt any proof on the field to believe that right now

 

[eagle eye]

Anyone remember the feelings of some fans after we got beat 34-20 by the Steelers? There was a feeling of game over, that a beating like that from the Steelers and the bus running for yardage like never before had showed up our D which we thought previously had problems in the secondary but not against the run.

That was 2004 by the way.

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

Anyone remember the feelings of some fans after we got beat 34-20 by the Steelers? There was a feeling of game over, that a beating like that from the Steelers and the bus running for yardage like never before had showed up our D which we thought previously had problems in the secondary but not against the run.

That was 2004 by the way.

Dude, those days are over. The Pats don't have the same veterans that can bounce back from something like that. In addition, that was the only loss to a winning team that season. The Pats have lost 4 games to winning teams at that particular time.

 

[Deus Irae]

Looking forward with hope is one thing, but looking forward with confidence is just ignoring the current reality. This team has failed against the better teams in the league. The mistakes made by Belichick once Pioli and McDaniels left are there for all to see, and teams are taking full advantage of that.

Yes, the beating that the Patriots took tonight was a bit of a combination of fluke and elements falling into place. However, the whole season has been there for us to see this team. This dffense is, unfortunately, what many of us thought it would be. It has shown all the problems some of us were talking about at the very beginning of the season, and the absence of Seymour has made things even worse. Even more damaging, though, the offense is what we feared it would be if a viable #3 WR wasn't found, and it's showing that it's not up to carrying the defense against the better teams in the league.

Let's hope that the defense can improve. Let's Hope that one of these receivers becomes a legitimate #3 by the time the playoffs come around. But let's not fool ourselves into a confidence that's simply not justified. After all, we heard the same "make or break" claims after the Colts game.

 

[muzz]

Looking forward with hope is one thing, but looking forward with confidence is just ignoring the current reality. This team has failed against the better teams in the league. The mistakes made by Belichick once Pioli and McDaniels left are there for all to see, and teams are taking full advantage of that.

Yes, the beating that the Patriots took tonight was a bit of a combination of fluke and elements falling into place. However, the whole season has been there for us to see this team. This dffense is, unfortunately, what many of us thought it would be. It has shown all the problems some of us were talking about at the very beginning of the season, and the absence of Seymour has made things even worse. Even more damaging, though, the offense is what we feared it would be if a viable #3 WR wasn't found, and it's showing that it's not up to carrying the defense against the better teams in the league.

Let's hope that the defense can improve. Let's Hope that one of these receivers becomes a legitimate #3 by the time the playoffs come around. But let's not fool ourselves into a confidence that's simply not justified. After all, we heard the same "make or break" claims after the Colts game.

Pioli made PLENTY of mistakes, this last draft is probably the best draft we have had in a long time, the big problem is they have been making bad drafting decisions for awhile now.

I know that they don't see the value in high picks, I even understand it as the High Pick rookie contracts are outright pathetic, and HURT teams badly, but they have had ALOT of picks due to all the wranglng they have done and we still don't have a DL that can get a pass rush, leaving the secondary exposed...the secondary was FINALLY revamped this year, but it's early in the development of the rooks, and with no pass rush...........

Where is a decent replacement for Neal?

Noones perfect, the team is still a decent team, but I believe that it should be a better team, and the consistent draft mistakes are a big reason that they are NOT an Elite team.

As far as MCd- The problem as I see it is they are too predictable, and not that creative.....if the run is working and keeping the Stud QBS OFF the field, KEEP running the ball and take a shot here and there!!
With a few minutes left, no time outs and the lead at 3rd and 2, RUN THE BALL and get the free timeout IF you don't make the 1st...
Why keep trying to force the pass when the run is working and your right guard is in the infirmary AGAIN, turning the OL into Swiss Cheese?

What ever happened to Tom taking a quick 1 step, and fire off to the side, or the great working 3 step drop, Tommy used to be pretty darn good at that stuff before he got Welker and Moss.

BB HAS made alot of mistakes, the ones I listed above have his stamp on them as well, but he is still a great coach.....he just shouldn't be the only one to blame, unless he made ALL of those decisions by himself, which we will never know.

 

[Kontradiction]

The SB is NOT ours if we can't give Tom 2 seconds to throw the ball.the way we are playing right now is not good enough to get there anyway, for that to happen this team needs to wake up.

That's why it will be awesome when all of our O-Line gets healthy and is actually in the game together for more than a quarter and a half. Brady had time before Neal got hurt. After he got hurt, not so much. By the time he came back in, it was already too late. The health to our starters is so important because the guys behind them (with the exception of Vollmer at times) haven't shown that they can do an effective job holding their men at the point of attack.