Bruschi: Patriots just weren't prepared

[PATSYLICIOUS]

even after falling behind 24-0 two instances stood out. pats got the ball twice once on a 3and out and once on the INT and didnt do anything with. The defense got the rvens in their own endzone and couldnt stop them from running. it tells it was a total complimentary failure...

Not to mention Edelman's big return, and nothing to show for it. There were plenty chances to get back in the game and the team just had no fight or answers. How about getting within 27-14 and then the Special Teams gives up a huge return, they just didn't want the game at all when Baltimore did open doors.

 

[BPF]

Re: Bruschiatriots just weren't prepared

Coaching can only go so far. Coaches don't win games, players do.

And yesterday, the players showed they didn't want it.

Perfectly put, players win games. Coaches can lose games but players win games.

I'm not sure the players didn't want it, in fact I'm sure they did. But they were certainly not aware of how much different the intensity level is from the regular season to the postseason. Too many young guys playing important roles and feeling their way through it yesterday. There is only so much coaching can do and so much others can tell you about it, some players have to experience it for themselves before they can adjust.

Also, there are some holes on this team that I'm sure will be addressed but maybe we all expected too much from a team clearly in transition. Bruschi, Rodney, Vrabel, Seymour couldn't play on this team forever and the transition had to be made at some point if this team is looking to be succesful in the future. Some night argue that Vrabel and or Seymour should have stayed but that would have only pushed this learning process into the future. The Pats took their medicine this season and will be better off for it going forward. A lot of young players received lots of playing time and learned some very valuable lessons about life in the NFL.

 

[hwc]

IMO, this whole psychoanalysis of whether they were intense enough or wanted it enough is overrated. IMO, this team had serious weaknesses and showed those weaknesses from the start of preseason through the entire 16 game season. Look how many fourth quarter leads they blew. Look how many long third down conversions they gave up. Look how many turnovers at the goal line killed them.

The offense was obviously disappointing. I think we all intuitively knew at the start of the year that the all pass all the time Air Belichick offense had run its course and that Brady would get killed if the Pats didn't develop a balanced running attack. I think the coaching staff knew that, which is why they went into the year heavy on running back depth. For whatever reason, the Pats were never able to establish a run game and, predicatably, Brady got killed. With Welker out of the lineup, this offense had no prayer. It was an all-pass, all-the-time offense with no receivers.

 

[Northcountry]

When the starting right tackle(Vollmer) has more tackles (2) than the starting dlinemen (Green) then you know it's been a long day.

To many posers on this team, Merriweather gets burnt all game than dances after breaking up a pass down 17 points.

Are these guys listening to BB or AT? Seems AT is having more influence and BB is being tuned out.

 

[Dagg]

When the schemas are so predictable on offense and vanilla on defense you can have all the players in the world but if they arent put in a postion to make plays you get **** results. Watch a replay of Dallas offensice play calling last weekend and then ours, we are running the freshman football offense compared to what they were doing.

 

[Northcountry]

Dagg,

Our offense was so predictable that on tv it showed Ray Lewis screaming "draw! draw! draw!" while the Pats were lining up, and sure enough it was a draw to Kevin Faulk. New OC, new plays, new players...new scheme this one isn't working anymore.

 

[Deus Irae]

Dagg,

Our offense was so predictable that on tv it showed Ray Lewis screaming "draw! draw! draw!" while the Pats were lining up, and sure enough it was a draw to Kevin Faulk. New OC, new plays, new players...new scheme this one isn't working anymore.

That was a terminology issue, not a play calling issue.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

I took Tedy's commentary to say that they team wasn't mentally prepared as in not ready to play with playoff intensity.

Exactly. I think Brady eluded to the fact that BB wasn't happy with the way this team practiced this week. They were given the information, they are always well prepared from a coaching standpoint, they just didn't digest it or perhaps grasp the significance of the week or what has in the past led to the Patriots performing better than average more often than not...committment to executing the game plan. Young players, lack of experience, veterans who didn't have the kind of how we win experience to even pass on. Coaches coach, players play. This was on the players to a large extent, although the FO bears some responsibility for not providing sufficient talent or veteran experience on both sides of the ball. Hopefully both sides learn from this experience.

 

[Northcountry]

That was a terminology issue, not a play calling issue.

Deus Irae, it's not so much a terminology issue (plays can be called anything) as it is a predictability issue. Ray Lewis knew what the plays were by the formation, personal, Bradys blocking assignment calls. These things need to be changed so the other team at least has to guess at what is coming...not know for sure.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

IMO, this whole psychoanalysis of whether they were intense enough or wanted it enough is overrated. IMO, this team had serious weaknesses and showed those weaknesses from the start of preseason through the entire 16 game season. Look how many fourth quarter leads they blew. Look how many long third down conversions they gave up. Look how many turnovers at the goal line killed them.

The offense was obviously disappointing. I think we all intuitively knew at the start of the year that the all pass all the time Air Belichick offense had run its course and that Brady would get killed if the Pats didn't develop a balanced running attack. I think the coaching staff knew that, which is why they went into the year heavy on running back depth. For whatever reason, the Pats were never able to establish a run game and, predicatably, Brady got killed. With Welker out of the lineup, this offense had no prayer. It was an all-pass, all-the-time offense with no receivers.

There were miscalculations made but it wasn't the coaching staff or even the scheme. Watch the rest of the playoffs and you will see. We lacked sufficient functional weapons at the WR position not because they didn't think they needed some but because the guys they brough in didn't pan out and they had to go to plan B which was cross your fingers and hope Edleman or Aiken can handle the opportunity. They even made some moves to upgrade the OL but it was too little too late. The OL is worse than Bill estimated and it impacts all aspects of this offense. They brought in some veteran talent on offense and defense but it lacks the winning foundation that guys who left here had and it's tough to lead from the tub, too. I think Bruschi retiring was a blow given Rodney couldn't make it back. I think Bill figured he had one more year of one of them. He went to Junior as the last ditch alternative but Junior isn't exactly the same kind of leader either Rodney or Bruschi was here because he never did win a ring. Some will say he could have kept Vrabel or Seymour in the interim but neither of them was that kind of leader either, and both of them had issues that were beginning to overshadow their ability to lead effectively here. It was kind of a perfect storm season...

 

[Deus Irae]

Deus Irae, it's not so much a terminology issue (plays can be called anything) as it is a predictability issue. Ray Lewis knew what the plays were by the formation, personal, Bradys blocking assignment calls. These things need to be changed so the other team at least has to guess at what is coming...not know for sure.

Knowing the terminology leads to knowing what the play is, but they aren't exactly the same thing.

 

[Northcountry]

Knowing the terminology leads to knowing what the play is, but they aren't exactly the same thing.

This game reminded me of the 21-0 loss to Miami, when Miami admitted to knowing/stealing our signals. Both the Ravens and the Dolphins seemed a little to quick as if they were in our huddle.


*correction personnel not personal