What are the MAJOR issues to worry about...

[MrNathanDrake]

1. Bill Belichick has made some terrible decisions in the past few years. BB's decision making is my biggest concern for the team.
-Signing Adalius Thomas, and then not having enough money to re-sign Asante Samuel.
-Trading arguably our best defensive player Richard Seymour a few days before the season starts. Sorry but when you can win NOW, don't take it for granted and trade for the future.
-Skipping on all the great OLB's in this years draft. Clay Mathews would've been an excellent fit. We even had enough picks to trade up for Brian Cushing or Brian Orakpo. Instead we traded down and didn't even touch the OLB spot. BB expected old man Burgess to get the job done and he failed. You're not getting far in this league against teams like the Saints, Colts, Chargers, etc... when you have zero pass rush.
-Hiring average and below average defensive and offensive coordinators. Letting Dom Capers go and keeping Dean Pees



2. Randy Moss = Brett Favre
-Has a good 10-13 games or so... then old age starts showing and his body wears down. Dissapearing acts throughout the last few weeks of the season and even in the 2007 playoffs. Something needs to be done about this. He's getting paid like a #1 WR so he should be performing like one. Either cut his salary down, or figure out a way to keep him fresh throughout the end of the year.

3. Tom Brady isn't fully recovered/healthy, mentally or physically. I think mentally is the worse part. He's scared, he lost his poise, he doesn't have the same confidence as before... of course this is natural after a whole season off due to the knee injury. Let's just hope he can get back to his old self sometime next year.

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

Although it has taken awhile, people are starting to realize that BB is bringing this team down with his poor decisions in the last 5 years. From letting coaches go without any replacements, to really poor drafting and letting core players of their team leave without any replacements. But the one thing that still bothers me is his irresponsibility with "spy gate". Even though I don't feel it was that big of a deal, the rules are the rules and BB continued to break them which resulted in a 1st round pick that the Pats desperately could've used. It's ridiculous how many talented LB's were available to the Patriots, yet they took guys like Patrick Chung and Ron Brace with their high picks. I think most of us can agree that the Patriots no longer have the luxury of trading down as their team needs continue to build. If this year is uncapped, the Pats can't really sign anybody really good unless they give up high draft picks.

 

[emoney_33]

Is this a joke? You listed the 3 people we absolutely do not need to worry about...

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Ian needs to adjust the post count requirement for thread starting priviledges...UP...WAY UP

 

[MrNathanDrake]

Is this a joke? You listed the 3 people we absolutely do not need to worry about...

Nope. The problems start at the top. If those 3 were doing as good as they are expected to, the Patriots would be SuperBowl contenders right now.

Ian needs to adjust the post count requirement for thread starting priviledges...UP...WAY UP

LOL...Forum post snobs.

 

[rabthepat]

Perhaps it is time to hire a real GM and take the player selection responsibilities away from Bill.

 

[upstater1]

Ian needs to adjust the post count requirement for thread starting priviledges...UP...WAY UP

Judging by some of the threads from longtime posters, I'm not sure it will help. We need to start drafting younger and better posters from the college football message boards, because some of the rookies are busts and the older guys with high counts are petulant, crabby and pessimistic.

 

[JackBauer]

Oh lord, not this guy again.

 

[mgteich]

Tom Brady is in the last year of his contract.
He will not start the season without an extension.
The biggest issue for the offseason is Brady's new contract negotiations.
===================
We can be in denial if we wish.

 

[JackBauer]

Perhaps it is time to hire a real GM and take the player selection responsibilities away from Bill.

Why would that be necessary? This most recent draft looks to be excellent.

 

[DarrylS]

Just a reminder to all the ain't it awful folks.. something like 10 rookies made this team last year, 23 of the 43 are udfa's... there have been mistakes, but you will hear it her first we will win the divisinon next year.. and our team will look quite a bit different..

Seymour would not have made a difference, something happened in the bowels of Gillette that we will never be privy to..

Go to WEEI and listen to the Mike Lombardi interview,that should be required...

 

[Deus Irae]

Perhaps it is time to hire a real GM and take the player selection responsibilities away from Bill.

So the team is a top 5 drafting team and you'd prefer to change that. That's an interesting notion. Perhaps Bobby Grier would consent to return to the team.

 

[SoonerPatriot]

We need 2 new outside linebackers. Thomas will be gone leaving Woods, Crable and maybe TBC. Major upgrades are required at this spot at once.

We need at least 2 more quality WRs through FA and the draft.

We need to get more athletic along the offensive line.

 

[Connecticut]

Can someone give a summary of what we actually have going FOR US, heading forward, instead of the other way around? This place reeks of negativity as of late.

 

[mgteich]

I'll oblige and give you some positives on our division champions.

OWNERSHIP
We have one of the best ownerships in the history us US sports.
We have a fine set of facilities.

DRAFT AND FREE AGENCY
We have at leat 14 returning rookies.
We have additional draft choices in both the 2010 and 2011 drafts.
We have no cap concerns and few money concerns.
We have no free agent restrictions as do the top 8 teams.

COACHING
We have the best head coach in the hsitory of the nfl.
We have well-qualified position caoches.
We have one of the best personnel departments and from offices in the nfl.

OFFENSE
We have one of the best QB's in the history of the NFL.
We have one of the best WR in the history of the NFL.
Our QB and top WR have both been great from 2007-2009
We have a solid OL which needs an influx (as it does each year)
We have one solid TE.
We have the best slot receiver in football, and a solid backup when he is injured.
We have four capable RB's.

DEFENSE
We have a solid front of Warren, Wilfork and Wright.
We have solid DL prospects in Pryor and Brace.
We have a solid core of LB's of Mayo, Guyton, Woods and Ninkovich (need more)
We have a fine young foursome of young emerging cornes.
We have a fine set of starting and backup safeties.
We have a fine set of deensive special teamers (the ebst in years)

Can someone give a summary of what we actually have going FOR US, heading forward, instead of the other way around? This place reeks of negativity as of late.

 

[blackglass3]

Perhaps it is time to hire a real GM and take the player selection responsibilities away from Bill.

Your hit and run posting of utter stupidity is getting worse and worse every minute. You are a complete waste of a username on this website. You're still upset about Super Bowl 42, and you think somehow blaming Bill Belichick is going to make it all go away. Nothing you have posted has been based anywhere in the universe of fact. Since KlineFan is now gone, I sincerely hope the mods see you for what you really are; a trolling, trouble starting, message board horror show.

Case in point: "Real GM". Um, what was Scott Pioli? He is treated like a saint on this board, but he was here for all the drafts people crap on. The 2009 draft was our best in a while, Pioli was nowhere to be found, and yet the myth that Bill Belichick is a horrible drafter festers on in so many posters minds.

(I am not saying Pioli was a good or bad drafter, I am just pointing out something that has been bothering me for a while)

 

[Jangles]

Interesting points

I think Bill is a great coach but some of his moves really have me scratching my head and don't seem like the best moves.

Moss, not true. Guy is a good player with no help on the field. Yeah, he's older than he was but can still bring it

Brady - Knee isn't the issue, his other sackful of minor injuries and no targets are.

 

[patsfan-1982]

1. Bill Belichick has made some terrible decisions in the past few years. BB's decision making is my biggest concern for the team.
-Signing Adalius Thomas, and then not having enough money to re-sign Asante Samuel.
-Trading arguably our best defensive player Richard Seymour a few days before the season starts. Sorry but when you can win NOW, don't take it for granted and trade for the future.
-Skipping on all the great OLB's in this years draft. Clay Mathews would've been an excellent fit. We even had enough picks to trade up for Brian Cushing or Brian Orakpo. Instead we traded down and didn't even touch the OLB spot. BB expected old man Burgess to get the job done and he failed. You're not getting far in this league against teams like the Saints, Colts, Chargers, etc... when you have zero pass rush.
-Hiring average and below average defensive and offensive coordinators. Letting Dom Capers go and keeping Dean Pees



2. Randy Moss = Brett Favre
-Has a good 10-13 games or so... then old age starts showing and his body wears down. Dissapearing acts throughout the last few weeks of the season and even in the 2007 playoffs. Something needs to be done about this. He's getting paid like a #1 WR so he should be performing like one. Either cut his salary down, or figure out a way to keep him fresh throughout the end of the year.

3. Tom Brady isn't fully recovered/healthy, mentally or physically. I think mentally is the worse part. He's scared, he lost his poise, he doesn't have the same confidence as before... of course this is natural after a whole season off due to the knee injury. Let's just hope he can get back to his old self sometime next year.

#1 i have to agree with you for the most part about BB not makeing Dom Capers, the DC was a bad move the seymour trade IMO was the worst move of the BB era. not drafting Clay Matthews, and James Laurinaitis, allso bad moves


#2 randy moss can't make plays if they don't throw him the ball in the playoffs yes i know thems are not going to let him beat them deep. but it's up to the OC and brady to find a way to get him the ball any way they can


#3 tom brady, 565 att. 371 comp. 4398 yerds 28 TD 13 INT team record 10-6

Philip Rivers, 486 att. 317 comp. 4254 yerds 28 TD 9 INT team record 13-3


Rivers numbers are not much better then bradys but he has 3 more wins cause it takes a team to win the D lost at lest 3 games for pats this year the runing is a joke with 3 RB over 30 years old and the only RB that has some talent ( maroney ) they don.t give him the ball. the kick and punt return game was just bad this year.


but i am not giveing brady a free pass here he did not look right mentally. i think it had a lot to do with injury but not he's injury but wes welkers we seen in the last few min of the houston game he wanted to fight with one of the texans, and it was not a late hit or a hard hit on him but he was just mad cause welker was out. and it looked like he give up in the ravens game cause he only wants to throw to welker.

 

[Kontradiction]

1. Bill Belichick has made some terrible decisions in the past few years. BB's decision making is my biggest concern for the team.
-Signing Adalius Thomas, and then not having enough money to re-sign Asante Samuel.
-Trading arguably our best defensive player Richard Seymour a few days before the season starts. Sorry but when you can win NOW, don't take it for granted and trade for the future.

I can pretty much agree with all of this. Only, his terrible decisions came mostly in this season and, from what I've heard on the interview, he seems to acknowledge it and is ready to fix things.

-Skipping on all the great OLB's in this years draft. Clay Mathews would've been an excellent fit. We even had enough picks to trade up for Brian Cushing or Brian Orakpo. Instead we traded down and didn't even touch the OLB spot. BB expected old man Burgess to get the job done and he failed. You're not getting far in this league against teams like the Saints, Colts, Chargers, etc... when you have zero pass rush.

All three of those guys would be less effective in our system than they have been on their respective teams' systems. Changing the defensive scheme to better suit players like these (who are far more abundant in the draft then the players we need to fit our system) may not be a bad idea though...

-Hiring average and below average defensive and offensive coordinators. Letting Dom Capers go and keeping Dean Pees.

Not really suprised that I have to repeat this. But Dom Capers schemes are UNBELIEVABLY bland. They always have been. The Packers' defense, like our defense in 2009, benefitted big time from who they were playing. Look at what good offenses (such as Minnesota) did to them. Pees is just fine and was being asked to work with below-average personnel on that side of the ball. Get him the personnel in there, and our defense will be good once again. As far as I can see, the only position on defense that we're set at is the safety position. CB, ILB, OLB, and D-Line (DE) all need to be improved.

2. Randy Moss = Brett Favre
-Has a good 10-13 games or so... then old age starts showing and his body wears down. Dissapearing acts throughout the last few weeks of the season and even in the 2007 playoffs. Something needs to be done about this. He's getting paid like a #1 WR so he should be performing like one. Either cut his salary down, or figure out a way to keep him fresh throughout the end of the year.

He disappeared during games early in the season as well. I do agree that he's older and maybe has lost a step, but he's still dominant when he gets the ball in his hands. The fact of the matter is that we did not have an effective WR3 this season which allowed teams to double Moss and Welker. Moss was SOMETIMES tripled. Picking up an effective WR3 that can beat single coverage and sometimes draw double coverage, the way Stallworth did in '07, will take a ton of the pressure off of Moss and Welker.

3. Tom Brady isn't fully recovered/healthy, mentally or physically. I think mentally is the worse part. He's scared, he lost his poise, he doesn't have the same confidence as before... of course this is natural after a whole season off due to the knee injury. Let's just hope he can get back to his old self sometime next year.

He can certainly improve. I think even he'd be the first to tell you that. However, that comes with the territory after suffering a torn ACL/MCL. I don't think he's lost his poise at all, though I do agree with what you said about the mental aspect of his game being off. When you factor in his return from that injury, you should also consider the turnstile offensive line play this season as well. We may not have allowed a lot of sacks, but we were up there in QB hits this season. QB hits have the same effect as sacks do. It makes the QB think twice about standing tall in the pocket and delivering the ball. On top of that, Brady was (apparently) dealing with cracked ribs, his shoulder being re-injured, and a broken finger at the end of the season as well. This is why I believe we need to go heavy on the O-Line this offseason. We do have some mainstay pieces in there, but we also have some pieces that can stand to be upgraded. I like the Vollmer pick, but we're going to have to do more than that this offseason, or else Brady will get killed.

 

[wilfork is beastin']

Your hit and run posting of utter stupidity is getting worse and worse every minute. You are a complete waste of a username on this website. You're still upset about Super Bowl 42, and you think somehow blaming Bill Belichick is going to make it all go away. Nothing you have posted has been based anywhere in the universe of fact. Since KlineFan is now gone, I sincerely hope the mods see you for what you really are; a trolling, trouble starting, message board horror show.

Case in point: "Real GM". Um, what was Scott Pioli? He is treated like a saint on this board, but he was here for all the drafts people crap on. The 2009 draft was our best in a while, Pioli was nowhere to be found, and yet the myth that Bill Belichick is a horrible drafter festers on in so many posters minds.

(I am not saying Pioli was a good or bad drafter, I am just pointing out something that has been bothering me for a while)

Seriously, Pioli gets so much praise on the board yet apparently all of the bad draft picks are squarely BB's fault. Pioli did some great things for this organization and is good talent evaluator but not a mastermind. Look at the Chiefs' 2009 draft class; their best player to come out of it is a kicker.