2007 vs 2010

[Fixit]

Late in 2007, the Pats had to fight for wins, and had to catch a few breaks. The cold weather set in, and that offense slowed down considerably. Brady began to struggle (relatively speaking) against clearly inferior teams.

Late in 2010, this team is putting teams away in the first half and cruising. The cold weather has set in, and this offense is showing how they're built for it. Brady has been f!@#$%^ otherworldly against clearly the best defenses in the NFL.

It's impossible to avoid playing the "What if...?" game regarding Branch, d%#*!@t. Brady could be working on #6.

 

[tombonneau]

Late in 2007, the Pats had to fight for wins, and had to catch a few breaks. The cold weather set in, and that offense slowed down considerably. Brady began to struggle (relatively speaking) against clearly inferior teams.

Late in 2010, this team is putting teams away in the first half and cruising. The cold weather has set in, and this offense is showing how they're built for it. Brady has been f!@#$%^ otherworldly against clearly the best defenses in the NFL.

It's impossible to avoid playing the "What if...?" game regarding Branch, d%#*!@t. Brady could be working on #6.

It's also fair to question whether the Pats were playing worse or the competition stepped up the closer the Pats got to 16-0.

This December Pats are just another good team so they aren't necessarily getting the oppositions A+ effort every single play.

 

[Omega Supreme]

I don't really like comparing this team to the 2007 squad. In fact, I try to blank that Super Bowl out of my mind.

I've been saying thsi for a while, though. This team is peaking at a much better time than the 2007 team, and has been reeling off some pretty impressive wins, especially these last 2 weeks. It's been exhiliarating watching this team grow and get better and better over the course of the season.

 

[patsfan-1982]

the 2007 pats were a finesse pass offense with a vet defense that IMO were the back bone of the team once the playoffs started and teams fond a way to stop Moss,


the 2010 pats are a well balanced offense i alot like the 49ers of the 80's and 90's that use the short passing game all most like a long hand off to the RB. and a very young defense that is geting better every week and alredy has more INT's this year then that 2007 defense had

 

[jsull87]

Tate's catch in the fourth quarter today was nothing short of phenomonal. He just needs to be more reliable catching the ball.

but thats the talent tate has... he would have another 3 long receptions to his name and another 100+ yards but he has dropped 3 long bombs from brady, this is basically his rookie year and he flashed good hands pre season. He was always meant to be our deep threat and we'll see what happens and if he can bring it all together going forward

 

[NEPats1]

TB talks about differences:

“Entirely different team and entirely different what we’re trying to do with the football,” Brady explained. "We were much more of a spread offense [in 2007], three- and four-receiver sets. Throw the ball for as many yards as we could every week. ...

“The thing that is great this year is we’re much more balanced. We’re running the ball very well. Our play action pass has been very good. Our dropback pass has been OK.

“There are different ways to get the job done out there, and I think this year we found some different ways using the skill set of the guys that we have on our team. That was a very prolific team, in '07, just a very different team. Different work habits, different personality.”

“It’s a younger team so we practice quite a bit more than we did in '07,” Brady said. “The practices are longer, we’re going over situational stuff every week. The way we watch film is different as a team, there are just some things we’re doing different.”

“The reason I think we scored those points is because we’re getting turnovers and were not giving it up,” Brady said on WEEI. “The games would be much closer if we weren’t getting those turnovers by our defense. Our defense is making some great plays on the ball. We’re intercepting a lot of passes. We have to be up there somewhere in turnover margin the league.

“I think we’ve been good on offense with taking care of the ball. We got lucky a few times yesterday. We’ve been lucky quite a bit the last 7-8 weeks with tipped balls. I think that’s really what skews the game is those turnovers. They’re not getting points and we’re converting those into points and it doesn’t even up being very close.”

“There are guys on the team that have been a part of something much more than being 11-2,” reminded Brady.

“It’s our job as players not to ride the roller coaster, the emotions of a long season,” Brady said. “It’s our job to show up every day to work, to practice and to prepare to play a good game every weekend. For a young team this team has been pretty focused and mature in doing that.”

Brady: This team nothing like 2007 - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston

 

[40yrpatsfan]

This offense is so unpredictable. It's so interchangeable that it just can't be predicted. Defensive coordinators can't really gamer plan for it anymore.

Brady has evolved into a killing machine beyond anything the NFL has ever known. 50 tds in 07 was pretty freaking awesome but you knew where that td was going 48% of the time. Now you have no way of knowing who is getting the ball and the TD's are coming with a more clock controlling, killing you slowly approach as opposed to the quick strike offense of 07.

It's been fun to watch.

Much more reliable offense from a Pats fan perspective. The '07 offense was hit or miss, and the Moss plays down the field took too long to develop. Welker and Stallworth did balance that off to some degree, but the current offense looks like it will always have an answer.

 

[Uncle Rico]

Three drives of 80+ yards in the snow and wind yesterday. Even counting the long TD to Branch, it's a very patient offense under pressure.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

That team in December was showing some warning signs. Their last 6 regular season games of 2007: 31-28, 27-24, 34-13, 20-10 (over a 4-12 team), 28-7 (over a 1-15 team), 38-35. I didn't see the red flags at the time, but they were struggling, winning, and were way too focused on getting the ball to Moss.

Anything can happen though. Beyond the obvious that Brady is not replacable, an injury to McCourty, Wilfork, Mayo, or any of the starting O-lineman can be a huge blow, and we all know that a team can milk a single favorable matchup to huge advantage.

Each week is a clean slate, so today has to be when we start out-working Green Bay.

 

[HowardRoark]

That team in December was showing some warning signs. Their last 6 regular season games of 2007: 31-28, 27-24, 34-13, 20-10 (over a 4-12 team), 28-7 (over a 1-15 team), 38-35. I didn't see the red flags at the time, but they were struggling, winning, and were way too focused on getting the ball to Moss.

Anything can happen though. Beyond the obvious that Brady is not replacable, an injury to McCourty, Wilfork, Mayo, or any of the starting O-lineman can be a huge blow, and we all know that a team can milk a single favorable matchup to huge advantage.

Each week is a clean slate, so today has to be when we start out-working Green Bay.

That's what I'm worried about...

 

[tobias funke]

2007's team was so 'great' because even when other teams had started to 'figure out' the Brady/Welker/Moss/Faulk show, they were able to win, and in spite of a pretty porous defense.

2010 is shaping up to be a great season because, as most of you have figured out, the lack of Moss on the field and the incredible play from our rookies have created an offense that literally imposes its will on other teams not just with a deep throw from the 45, but with 90 yard clock-killing, defense-tiring drives 8 out of 10 times they get the ball.

It's the kind of offense that you can't 'figure out' or 'take a piece away from', and it's the kind of offense that gives our young defense as much time as possible to rest before taking the field.

I have no idea how far this team is going to go in the postseason, but I am surely enjoying the ride.

Don't wait to appreciate this team until it's over.

 

[Ring 6]

Much more reliable offense from a Pats fan perspective. The '07 offense was hit or miss, and the Moss plays down the field took too long to develop. Welker and Stallworth did balance that off to some degree, but the current offense looks like it will always have an answer.

You have a bad memory. Chucking it deep to Moss only accounted for a handful of scores. The Pats were something like 90% scroing on drives starting inside their own 20. They punted 44 times and scored 72 TDs. It was as far from hit or miss as it gets

 

[Kontradiction]

2007's team was so 'great' because even when other teams had started to 'figure out' the Brady/Welker/Moss/Faulk show, they were able to win, and in spite of a pretty porous defense.

2010 is shaping up to be a great season because, as most of you have figured out, the lack of Moss on the field and the incredible play from our rookies have created an offense that literally imposes its will on other teams not just with a deep throw from the 45, but with 90 yard clock-killing, defense-tiring drives 8 out of 10 times they get the ball.

It's the kind of offense that you can't 'figure out' or 'take a piece away from', and it's the kind of offense that gives our young defense as much time as possible to rest before taking the field.

I have no idea how far this team is going to go in the postseason, but I am surely enjoying the ride.

Don't wait to appreciate this team until it's over.

The 2007 defense wasn't porous.

 

[pheenix11]

In 2007 we peaked in October, in 2010 we are peaking in December (and hopefully can sustain it though Jan & Feb as well).

Much better timing and a much more well rounded and balanced team.

 

[tobias funke]

The 2007 defense wasn't porous.

Maybe 'porous' was the wrong word, because that implies they were bad. I didn't mean to imply they were bad.

What I really meant was 'inconsistent', and 'often able to be passed on'. If the offense wasn't so prolific that year, the defense surely would have taken some heat (and from what I remember, often did). I don't remember many fans being optimistic about the defense down the stretch. Nearly losing to AJ Feeley and Kyle Boller in the second half of the season didn't help. And there were definite signs of the pass defense struggles that would plague this team moving forward.

 

[Kontradiction]

Maybe 'porous' was the wrong word, because that implies they were bad. I didn't mean to imply they were bad.

What I really meant was 'inconsistent', and 'often able to be passed on'. If the offense wasn't so prolific that year, the defense surely would have taken some heat (and from what I remember, often did). I don't remember many fans being optimistic about the defense down the stretch. Nearly losing to AJ Feeley and Kyle Boller in the second half of the season didn't help. And there were definite signs of the pass defense struggles that would plague this team moving forward.

Back-up quarterbacks being able to have success against the defense was nothing new. Heck, I remember Danny Kannell giving us trouble in 2003 and that was arguably the best Patriots defense ever fielded. Feeley, throughout his career, also seemed to regularly give us trouble whenever he played us.

 

[monarchsent]

Go Pats 2011 Is Our Year

 

[deroc5050]

In 2007 we peaked in October, in 2010 we are peaking in December (and hopefully can sustain it though Jan & Feb as well).

Much better timing and a much more well rounded and balanced team.

Yeah this.. The pats in 07 were in dog fights down the stretch.. they came out of the gate flying but slowly came down to earth as the season went on.. Eagles Baltimore Giants.. all in the second half of the season.

This offence doesn't have the quick strike ability 07 had but I think overall its harder to stop because there are more weapons rather than just the big 3. And are running backs I believe are better now than they were in 07.. I know its wierd but its true.

 

[RayClay]

I have a funny feeling that Tate is going to stretch the field in the next game or certainly before the playoffs.

One of my least favorite expressions. We've managed to look awesome on offense, while the field has stayed the same size.

 

[PatriotsInGA]

Go Pats 2011 Is Our Year

Why not this year?