This game is critical

[Ring 6]

I'm not sure that's the issue ("...only if you don't care about winning the #1seed.").

I think the issue for a lot of us is that we think it's premature to be worrying about the #1 when there are so many other uncertainties about the team.

I'm in more of a "one week at a time" mode at this point.

I had them at 10--6 before the season began and while I'd love to jump over to the 13--3 or 12--4 side of the fence, I still think there's too much going on with a banged up QB and missing players on the Offense (including our reliable K) along with the inexperience of the Defense to be fantasizing just yet about bye weeks and the top seed. If they go 3--1 over the next three weeks, I'll admit I was overly cautious and should have listened to my more optimistic brethren.

Whether or not you, or a lot of you, are ready to worry about the #1 seed, the Patriots chances to earn it depend on tomorrow.
By the time it isnt premature, it wont matter.
I don't get how having the best record at the halfway point makes it premature to worry about keeping it.

 

[NYCPatsFan]

We are tied for the best record and homefield advantage.
If we win we have a game lead plus the tiebreaker over Ptt and Bmore.
If we lose we will be a game behind and down the tiebreaker to Pitt.
I think if we lose this game the chances of home field advantage are very slim.
How is that not a critical game? I guess only if you dont care about winning the #1 seed.

Well, having the home field last season did zilch to us, right?

That said, I agree that this is a critical game.

But I look at it as being critical more as a gut-check by the players and coaches against a quality opponent and an urgent need to prove to themselves that they are not the team that put up that putrid performance last week.

 

[Sean Pa Patriot]

Pittsburgh looks like the biggest challenger for a #1 seed and homefield throughout that we will have. If we win this game, we not only have a 1 game lead over them, but also the tiebreaker.
We would also have the tiebreaker over Baltimore, and next week can earn it over Indy.
If the Jets lose, we are playing for the sole best record in the conference. And even if the Jets win, we are tied with them with a win, and still have the advantage of a game left at home vs them.
Homefield in the playoffs may be as important to this Pats team as to any other because of the youth on the squad.
Winning this one, then coming home to beat the Colts will set the rest of the season up very well. In terms of long term prospects for the season this is one of the biggest games the Pats have had in a long time.

Um until we prove we can move the ball and the d has risen up, we dont deserve to be talking about seeding despite the record...

 

[Ring 6]

Um until we prove we can move the ball and the d has risen up, we dont deserve to be talking about seeding despite the record...

Um we have moved the ball enough and the d has done enough that right now we are tied for the #1 seed.
I'm soory if you like the issues that Pittsburgh or the Jets have better than the issues that we have, or if you just want to hold the Patriots to a higher standard than all the teams they are in competition with, but your comment is completely idiotic.

 

[Sean Pa Patriot]

Um we have moved the ball enough and the d has done enough that right now we are tied for the #1 seed.
I'm soory if you like the issues that Pittsburgh or the Jets have better than the issues that we have, or if you just want to hold the Patriots to a higher standard than all the teams they are in competition with, but your comment is completely idiotic.

that is right , im not a homer like you , im a realist and this team was flawed from the month of april... the reason they have been 6-2 is because of Belichick, Brady has not been spectacular , the d created some turnovers, but teams like San diego and Baltimore shot themselves in the foot... Minny we had a nice drive to put away the game.. until this d can stop someone and i hope they do tom, we should not be talking about playoff seeding... this could be a 3 game losing streak right now, so just be prepared, i am..

 

[Triumph]

It is do or die time, put up or shut up. This one will be a grudge match for all the marbles. To victor will go the spoils and the loser will be on life support as these two AFC powerhouses meet on the gridiron Sunday night. Can't wait to hear Faith Hill and then Chris Collinsworth......ughhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I like Collinsworth and the whole SNF crew.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Whether or not you, or a lot of you, are ready to worry about the #1 seed, the Patriots chances to earn it depend on tomorrow.
By the time it isnt premature, it wont matter.
I don't get how having the best record at the halfway point makes it premature to worry about keeping it.

Well, what happens on the field never depends on what any of us think or worry about...

Your logic is, in part at least, that there is no reasonable chance that the Steelers will lose two or more games this season if they beat us tomorrow. Given the way this season is evolving, I don't see that. They have a classic trap game against the Raiders next week. They have to travel to Baltimore and Cleveland, and they still have the Bengals and Jets at home. That's five games in a volatile year that I wouldn't be ready to put in the left column.

And, I think it's how the Pats have got where they are now that has some fans concerned. We don't have a credible running game, Brady is hurting, we've lost our kicker and, since Moss' departure, the offense has averaged ten points less a game than when he was here, has held the ball an average of two minutes less every week and has generated just over 300 yards per game, leaving the Total Offense at 20th in the league. The challenges facing the #29 Defense in the league have been beaten dead out here, even if many of us think it will eventually be a formidable unit. Without Brady and Belichick, it's hard to imagine this team being 6--2.

So, yes, I think it's premature to be worrying about byes and homefield. Let's just worry about this week's game and let the other stuff take care of itself.

I don't think it's disloyal or a sign of being a bad or a fair-weather fan that a "lot of" us are concerned and feel that way. I've stood by this team through the long lean years and I'll be with them in week 17 if they're playing for homefield, if they're just trying to hang onto a Playoff spot or if they're just playing for pride.

 

[patriotscpfc]

Had a bad dream.

Pats receive the opening kickoff. Tate takes it for 6.

Shayne Graham steps up and misses the XP wide right.

He then put the kickoff out of bounds.

I then woke up with a cold sweat.

 

[convertedpatsfan]

Had a bad dream.

Pats receive the opening kickoff. Tate takes it for 6.

Shayne Graham steps up and misses the XP wide right.

He then put the kickoff out of bounds.

I then woke up with a cold sweat.

You're going to make me start drinking at 8:30 am with posts like this

 

[Ring 6]

Well, having the home field last season did zilch to us, right?

That said, I agree that this is a critical game.

But I look at it as being critical more as a gut-check by the players and coaches against a quality opponent and an urgent need to prove to themselves that they are not the team that put up that putrid performance last week.

We didnt have HFA, we didnt even have a bye last year.

Last week is over. While I'm sure that you feel the players need to prove something to you, NFL players simply don't operate that way.
I can guarantee you there is not a single player in the Patriot lockerroom going into this game thinking that after last week they should doubt themselves and need a gutcheck against a quality opponent or they will have to doubt their 6-2 record.
I think many of them look at this as a game against a team they have to beat in order to get where they want to, and they need to lay claim to taking the HFA lead.
Its amazing to me how people think that players have the Chicken Little mentality of fans

 

[Ring 6]

that is right , im not a homer like you , im a realist and this team was flawed from the month of april... the reason they have been 6-2 is because of Belichick, Brady has not been spectacular , the d created some turnovers, but teams like San diego and Baltimore shot themselves in the foot... Minny we had a nice drive to put away the game.. until this d can stop someone and i hope they do tom, we should not be talking about playoff seeding... this could be a 3 game losing streak right now, so just be prepared, i am..

So let me get this straight.

We now define Homer as judging the team by its record?
Realist is anyone who thinks the team is as good as its record is crazy?
Realist is the 6-1 team is ready to lose 3 ina row?

Don't the Steelers have issues?

 

[Ring 6]

Well, what happens on the field never depends on what any of us think or worry about...

Your logic is, in part at least, that there is no reasonable chance that the Steelers will lose two or more games this season if they beat us tomorrow. Given the way this season is evolving, I don't see that. They have a classic trap game against the Raiders next week. They have to travel to Baltimore and Cleveland, and they still have the Bengals and Jets at home. That's five games in a volatile year that I wouldn't be ready to put in the left column.

Well they only have to lose 2 if we run the table. Lets say we go 6-1 over the next 7. The Steelers would have to lose 4 of 7 for us to catch them. Thats a huge longshot.

And, I think it's how the Pats have got where they are now that has some fans concerned. We don't have a credible running game, Brady is hurting, we've lost our kicker and, since Moss' departure, the offense has averaged ten points less a game than when he was here, has held the ball an average of two minutes less every week and has generated just over 300 yards per game, leaving the Total Offense at 20th in the league. The challenges facing the #29 Defense in the league have been beaten dead out here, even if many of us think it will eventually be a formidable unit. Without Brady and Belichick, it's hard to imagine this team being 6--2.

Those are our flaws. The fact that we are 6-2 indicates that other teams have flaws as well. And none of those teams got to better than 6-2 with their own flaws. We have Brady and Belichick, who cares what we would be without them.
You are saying we have flaws we can't be this good because if we didnt have our strengths we wouldn't be this good. Try that with any other team.

So, yes, I think it's premature to be worrying about byes and homefield. Let's just worry about this week's game and let the other stuff take care of itself.

It cant be premature to worry about seeding when you are playing the game today that is most likely to determine seeding.
The only way to not consider this game key is to say seeding isnt important.

I don't think it's disloyal or a sign of being a bad or a fair-weather fan that a "lot of" us are concerned and feel that way. I've stood by this team through the long lean years and I'll be with them in week 17 if they're playing for homefield, if they're just trying to hang onto a Playoff spot or if they're just playing for pride.

Who said it was disloyal?
It is certainly selling the team short to say that you want to diminish the importance of them winning the game that may well determine the #1 seed. Its a great opportunity for this team, but you seem to be taking the approach that you don't want to call it a big game because you think they have no chance to win. That is selling them short.
They have been every bit as good as the Steelers this year.
Sure you can find statistics to try to refute that with but that is pointless. The point of all those statistic are to add up to winning games.
For some reason people want to recreate those games and say that the statistic within them don't add up to 6-2. Essentially that is just an ignorant look at statistics and an incorrect weighting of the importance of the individual stats that add up to whole picture.
This is a huge game for this team, because it is an opportunity to step up and smack their toughest competition for the AFC spot in the SB. Don't sell them short by saying you want to downplay it because you are scared.

 

[iapatsfan]

So let me get this straight.

We now define Homer as judging the team by its record?
Realist is anyone who thinks the team is as good as its record is crazy?
Realist is the 6-1 team is ready to lose 3 ina row?

Don't the Steelers have issues?

Sure, the Steelers have issues, but to say the Pats just have "issues" minimizes their ineptitude in my opinion. The Patriots are not a very talented football team. They have the 29th ranked D in the NFL, and frankly, I think they look every bit as bad as that rating. I think it is a lot closer to the truth to say the Pats have been extremely lucky to have the record they do than to say they are as good as the other 6-2 teams in the NFL. A horrendous D combined with an offense that cannot move the ball on a regular basis is not the recipe for a good football team. This team has had the infusion of youth everyone was craving, but I just not sure it has been quality youth for the most part. I just don't think the Patriots have very many good NFL quality football players.

I know I've said it before, but I think the Pats are made up of a team full of role players with a severe lack of any proven playmakers. I know the reponse to that point has always been 2001. I would argue that team had players that were a little long in the tooth, but they had guys that been playmakers at some point in their football careers. Compare a guy like Vrable to a guy like Cunningham. Sure he had been cast off by Pitt, but Vrable was a monster in college while Cunningham was a nice role player for Florida. Why would anybody expect Cunningham to be anything more with us? We have a team full of Cunningham level players.

 

[Ring 6]

Sure, the Steelers have issues, but to say the Pats just have "issues" minimizes their ineptitude in my opinion. The Patriots are not a very talented football team. They have the 29th ranked D in the NFL, and frankly, I think they look every bit as bad as that rating. I think it is a lot closer to the truth to say the Pats have been extremely lucky to have the record they do than to say they are as good as the other 6-2 teams in the NFL. A horrendous D combined with an offense that cannot move the ball on a regular basis is not the recipe for a good football team. This team has had the infusion of youth everyone was craving, but I just not sure it has been quality youth for the most part. I just don't think the Patriots have very many good NFL quality football players.

I know I've said it before, but I think the Pats are made up of a team full of role players with a severe lack of any proven playmakers. I know the reponse to that point has always been 2001. I would argue that team had players that were a little long in the tooth, but they had guys that been playmakers at some point in their football careers. Compare a guy like Vrable to a guy like Cunningham. Sure he had been cast off by Pitt, but Vrable was a monster in college while Cunningham was a nice role player for Florida. Why would anybody expect Cunningham to be anything more with us? We have a team full of Cunningham level players.

6-2 and inept.

Thank you for making one post that by itself proves to me you have no football knowledge and I do not have to bother reading your posts.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Well they only have to lose 2 if we run the table. Lets say we go 6-1 over the next 7. The Steelers would have to lose 4 of 7 for us to catch them. Thats a huge longshot.


Those are our flaws. The fact that we are 6-2 indicates that other teams have flaws as well. And none of those teams got to better than 6-2 with their own flaws. We have Brady and Belichick, who cares what we would be without them.
You are saying we have flaws we can't be this good because if we didnt have our strengths we wouldn't be this good. Try that with any other team.


It cant be premature to worry about seeding when you are playing the game today that is most likely to determine seeding.
The only way to not consider this game key is to say seeding isnt important.



Who said it was disloyal?
It is certainly selling the team short to say that you want to diminish the importance of them winning the game that may well determine the #1 seed. Its a great opportunity for this team, but you seem to be taking the approach that you don't want to call it a big game because you think they have no chance to win. That is selling them short.
They have been every bit as good as the Steelers this year.
Sure you can find statistics to try to refute that with but that is pointless. The point of all those statistic are to add up to winning games.
For some reason people want to recreate those games and say that the statistic within them don't add up to 6-2. Essentially that is just an ignorant look at statistics and an incorrect weighting of the importance of the individual stats that add up to whole picture.
This is a huge game for this team, because it is an opportunity to step up and smack their toughest competition for the AFC spot in the SB. Don't sell them short by saying you want to downplay it because you are scared.

I've seen you rip people personally out here before because you disagree with them. I don't appreciate that you've now done it to me.

You can twist my words and question my logic all you want, that's fair:

You argue that saying we shouldn't focus on homefield is the same as saying that seeding or homefield "isn't important," that's just not the case;

Also please show me where I said they have "no chance to win,"...if you look at the Predict the Score this afternoon, you'll see that I'm planning to pick the Pats to win, which I wouldn't do if I didn't think they were or at least had a good "chance." I'm now at 18 in that contest and finished at 14 last year; I think I have a pretty good sense of the team week by week.

Disagree with my stats or twist my words, fine, but don't get personal and say I'm "scared" or "ignorant."

My argument remains the same: I think the Pats should be taking one game at a time and that looking at homefield or the bye at this point is premature. However, I don't feel the need to call you names.

 

[Ring 6]

I've seen you rip people personally out here before because you disagree with them. I don't appreciate that you've now done it to me.

Im not ripping you personally, I am disagreeing with you.
If you can find a personal insult, show me and I will apologize and retract.
The fact that I disagree with your opinion is not a personal slam on you.
Last post you implied I said you were disloyal, and I didnt even close to that.

You can twist my words and question my logic all you want, that's fair:

Im not twisting anything. When I say your comments INDICATE then that means that is how I interpret your opinion. Its your opinion. I can only interpret it, I cannot make it what it is not.

You argue that saying we shouldn't focus on homefield is the same as saying that seeding or homefield "isn't important," that's just not the case;

I am saying that we have the opportunity to take control of HFA. If you are saying the game isnt critical how can you not be saying HFA isnt critical?

Also please show me where I said they have "no chance to win,"...if you look at the Predict the Score this afternoon, you'll see that I'm planning to pick the Pats to win, which I wouldn't do if I didn't think they were or at least had a good "chance." I'm now at 18 in that contest and finished at 14 last year; I think I have a pretty good sense of the team week by week.

See that is me interpretting your comments. And that is you explaining you did not mean what I thought you did. Why is that upsetting? Isnt that the way its supposed to work.
Is the board supposed to be all "Good post dude:rocker:" and nothing else?

Disagree with my stats or twist my words, fine, but don't get personal and say I'm "scared" or "ignorant."

Where did I call you ignorant? Using the word to describe people using statistics to say 6-2 isn't 6-2 isnt calling you ignorant.
I did say you seem scared of this game. I can't understand downplaying the importance of a game that is a tremendous opportunity to take control of the critical HFA meaning anything else. It appears from your comments that you don't want to call it a big game only because you fear a loss. Perhaps I misunderstand
Again, my conclusion from your post is that if you say a big game isnt big then you are scared. Again, correct me if I am wrong.

My argument remains the same: I think the Pats should be taking one game at a time and that looking at homefield or the bye at this point is premature. However, I don't feel the need to call you names.

I have not called you names.
I agree with one game at a time, but this one is clearly a big one because it has more impliations than any one game.
For example, winning this game and losing next week leaves us (assumin they eah win their other game) tied with Pitt, owning the tiebreaker, and tied with Indy losing the tiebreaker. Losing this week and winning next (same assumption) puts us behind Pitt without the tiebreaker and ahead of Indy with the tiebreaker. Clearly this game is bigger than next in the long term implications, and much bigger than all the other games except the one vs the Jets. In other words, it is the 2nd biggest game left on our schedule in terms of playoff implications. I look at that as the 2nd biggest opportunity to accomplish something with a win. To downplay would seem to me to indicate you are thinking it is a loss. Again, perhaps I misunderstand, but if thats the case, I do not know why the extra implicaitons of this game are something you see no improtance in.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

This game is not critical. I had them losing this once since the beginning of the year and the way the D and Brady has been playing...90% chance steelers win.

Whats going to suck tho is when the Jets blow out Cleveland and we lose to Pitt and fall a game behind

 

[Ring 6]

This game is not critical. I had them losing this once since the beginning of the year and the way the D and Brady has been playing...90% chance steelers win.

Whats going to suck tho is when the Jets blow out Cleveland and we lose to Pitt and fall a game behind

So you have no hope of gaining home field over Pitt, or beating them out in a tiebreaker if the Jets and Ravens get hot, and we are both fightng for wildcards?
In other words, you are giving up on this game before its played.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

So you have no hope of gaining home field over Pitt, or beating them out in a tiebreaker if the Jets and Ravens get hot, and we are both fightng for wildcards?
In other words, you are giving up on this game before its played.

Because of my dream last night and my predictions for the year...yup..Steelers are a much better team and Brady is banged up. I would like for them to win..just not going to happen

 

[Ring 6]

Because of my dream last night and my predictions for the year...yup..Steelers are a much better team and Brady is banged up. I would like for them to win..just not going to happen

Because of your dream?
Are you 11?
Also, you need to take a look into Pittsburgh, they should have lost to Miami (a team we blew out) except for a bad call, and were 5 yards from losing to Cincy, another team we blew out.
Not sure what you see in Pittsburgh that tells you they are such a good team other than their record, which is the same as ours.