OK, enough of all this happiness. We've forgotten some absolute TRUTHS.

[BTTA]

Shape up gang. Antidepressant sales have plummeted in NE in just 24 hours. We are killing the economy.

1. Our OLB's can't set the edge or rush the passer.

2. Once again, we've lost our best DE and we won't be able to set the edge or stop the run.

3. Mayo isn't the player he was before the injury. He's just average now, and Spikes is a rookie that can't play the pass, and Guyton can't play the run.

4. We've lost our best CB and one of the safeties that started multiple games last year to injury, and are replacing them with a rookie and second year player. We can't possibly stop the pass.

5. The OL was average at best before losing Mankins and now will be below average.

6. We can't run the ball with a poor OL and a bunch of mediocre, old RB's.

7. Welker is coming back too soon and won't be nearly as effective.

8. Crumpler is fat and slow.

9. Brady is over the hill and still scared from the knee injury. Plus, his reactions clearly have dimmed as he showed by getting into a car accident.

10. BB is past his prime and our schemes are too out of date to be competitive. The defense is too conservative and soft, and the offense is too unimaginative (Brady to Welker, over and over again).

 

[NYCPatsFan]

Wish you had put an emoticon somewhere in there to signal to some short-fused readers that you were being sarcastic.

 

[Deus Irae]

Overreacting based upon one win is no better than overreacting based upon one loss.

 

[BTTA]

Wish you had put an emoticon somewhere in there to signal to some short-fused readers that you were being sarcastic.

I'm an emoticon virgin. Not sure this post is worth giving up my purity for.

 

[GrogansHeros]

Wish you had put an emoticon somewhere in there to signal to some short-fused readers that you were being sarcastic.

Hence the need for the sarcasm font

 

[NYCPatsFan]

I'm an emoticon virgin. Not sure this post is worth giving up my purity for.

Give in... it is a pleasurable one.

A single one can make up for dense prose. Plus, you might save other posts from slamming you.

But on second thoughts...that can be fun for others.

 

[patchick]

Overreacting based upon one win is no better than overreacting based upon one loss.

True, of course. But putting aside over-exuberance, putting aside reading too much into it for the future...didn't that game just feel GREAT? What a wonderful reminder of the sheer joy of watching a football team play well. Creative game planning, no turnovers, no sacks, precise passes, everybody seemingly on the same page. That's a feeling worth savoring.

 

[BTTA]

True, of course. But putting aside over-exuberance, putting aside reading too much into it for the future...didn't that game just feel GREAT? What a wonderful reminder of the sheer joy of watching a football team play well. Creative game planning, no turnovers, no sacks, precise passes, everybody seemingly on the same page. That's a feeling worth savoring.

My wife asked me to "stop whooping so much" because I kept waking up the foster puppies three rooms away.

 

[Deus Irae]

True, of course. But putting aside over-exuberance, putting aside reading too much into it for the future...didn't that game just feel GREAT? What a wonderful reminder of the sheer joy of watching a football team play well. Creative game planning, no turnovers, no sacks, precise passes, everybody seemingly on the same page. That's a feeling worth savoring.

The game felt great, no question. The negatives, of any kind, were few and far between, and there were reasons to be happy with all three phases of the game.

 

[NYCPatsFan]

True, of course. But putting aside over-exuberance, putting aside reading too much into it for the future...didn't that game just feel GREAT? What a wonderful reminder of the sheer joy of watching our football team play well. Creative game planning, no turnovers, no sacks, precise passes, everybody seemingly on the same page. That's a feeling worth savoring.

If I may, a small suggestion in that superb summation.

 

[JackBauer]

True, of course. But putting aside over-exuberance, putting aside reading too much into it for the future...didn't that game just feel GREAT? What a wonderful reminder of the sheer joy of watching a football team play well. Creative game planning, no turnovers, no sacks, precise passes, everybody seemingly on the same page. That's a feeling worth savoring.

Hopefully this team will dispel some of this "OMG Patriots can't draft" nonsense.

 

[Nikolai]

Hopefully this team will dispel some of this "OMG Patriots can't draft" nonsense.

There will always be some dingleberry that will spin that same old record, trust me.

 

[Rob0729]

Unfortunately, one great game does not neccessarily mean that many of the concerns going into the season are answered. They were answered for yesterday's game, but with a young defense like this we could see the whole thing fall apart against the Jets. This defense could be a rollercoaster ride all season with a lot of highs and lows. Just hope for more highs than lows.

What yesterday gave me great hope for is that this defense is bound to be better the second half of the season (barring injuries) than it is now with a lot of young players on it. That means what we saw in the first half of yesterday's game may not be the ceiling of what this defense might be able to do in November and December.

 

[JackBauer]

... with a young defense like this we could see the whole thing fall apart against the Jets.

Somehow, if this ever happens, I doubt it will be against the Jets. Especially the Jets sans Santonio Holmes.

 

[Sicilian]

Somehow, if this ever happens, I doubt it will be against the Jets. Especially the Jets sans Santonio Holmes.

Agreed. If this defense can't play well against that offense the way it's looked, I'm going to be depressed. In fact, given what we were able to do with fewer weapons in the 2nd Jets game last year, if our offense doesn't have a good game I'll be disappointed too.

Basically, we just better beat the Jets

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Exactly. Wins early are valuable as this young D learns and develops. Were we to lose several games early on because of a neophyte D which later became robust, we might miss taking the AFCE championship.

 

[Deus Irae]

Somehow, if this ever happens, I doubt it will be against the Jets. Especially the Jets sans Santonio Holmes.

Well, while the Jets shouldn't be a team exposing the Patriots pass defense, it could expose the run defense if the Patriots don't get an early lead.

 

[spacecrime]

Unfortunately, one great game does not neccessarily mean that many of the concerns going into the season are answered. They were answered for yesterday's game, but with a young defense like this we could see the whole thing fall apart against the Jets.

It could, but there is reason for optimism.

When a team (or player) cannot do anything, you don't know if it/he is having a bad game (Any Given SUnday) or if he/it turly is bad.

However, once a team functions well, at least you know they CAN put it together. Doesn't mean they will be consistent, which is the next step, but at least you know the front seven can apply pressure and the new CBs can play against top WRs.

One question that does seem answered for me is that spending $8 mil a year on Mankins would be a waste. Much better bang for the buck elsewhere IMO.

 

[Sicilian]

Well, while the Jets shouldn't be a team exposing the Patriots pass defense, it could expose the run defense if the Patriots don't get an early lead.

I agree, but I get the feeling the defensive scheme is going to be heavily geared to stop the run, and force Sanchez to make plays (this is all assuming he looks as bad against the Ravens as I expect him to look...). In that scenario, I can see the Pats run D looking pretty good, even though it wouldn't against a more balanced (or pass heavy) team.

 

[Sicilian]

One question that does seem answered for me is that spending $8 mil a year on Mankins would be a waste. Much better bang for the buck elsewhere IMO.

I'm not prepared to go this far, but I would agree that with Dante coaching them, our OL always seems to be a pretty decent unit. We've had a lot of players come and go on this line over the last decade, and they're always functional (if not phenomenal in some years).

I'm not going to call it a bad move to sign Mankins to big money, but I agree, there's other areas where that money could be spent that would have a big impact as well. I don't think there's a right or wrong move in that regard, so long as the player you bring in isn't a bust.