Reche's boo-boo

[5 Rings for Brady!!]

We are 8-3. Last year at this point in the season with your omnipotent duo of Branch and Givens we were 6-5.

Perhaps our WRs are better than you think, or perhaps Givnes and Branch were not as good as you think, or perhaps the instead of spending $25 mil for Givens and $39 mil for Branch, we found a better use for the money, something that helped the team more.

It's probablyl a combination of the three (weighted toward not paying out all that money for a couple of WRs), but there is no doubt we are better off with the team we have than to have Givens and Branch and the effect they would have on the cap. 8-3 vs 6-5.

Other opinions may differ, of course.

Perhaps the WRs with 4 catches are better than we think? Add up all the catches of all the WRs since the Colts game. Not very impressive.

And we did find a use for the money, it went into Kraft's bankroll.

You do realize that Brady led the league in yards last year and the problems were on Defense? And you do realize that we went from one of the tougher schedules in NFL history to start with last year to an absolute cakewalk this year?

Even Jackson has not been spectacular in his limited opportunities, although it is far to early to know what to make of him.

 

[pats1]

As I said in the game thread:

Caldwell MADE THE RIGHT DECISION.

He got the yardage that he could. I would be mad if Caldwell had just stopped, making it more difficult for the Pats to get in field goal position and seal the deal (had it not been for Dillon's fumble...)

There would have been a HIGH RISK of getting STRIPPED if he went against TWO DEFENDERS in the OPEN FIELD, especially considering they had ALREADY forced a fumble on Caldwell on that crazy Watson play.

Losing 30 seconds worth of clock would PALE IN COMPARISON TO the ramifications of a fumble in that situation.

First and foremost playing AHEAD LATE IN THE GAME is PROTECTING THE BALL. Keeping the clock moving is the SECOND priority.

I had one poster here jump all over me for suggesting that Caldwell is not the quickest thinking guy that ever played the game of football. However, I stand by my opinion.

Yes, that was me. And I stand by my assertion made at the time.

...

Also, it appears many posters in this thread are mistaking AZPats' post for the Caldwell fumble, but he's actually talking about the play when Caldwell had a 22 yd. reception on the Pats' final drive but decided to step out of bounds instead of going against two defenders in the open field.

 

[PatsFaninAZ]

If the decision was between getting hit and going out of bounds, perhaps he made the right decision. But it wasn't. He easily could have just taken a knee. Once your knee hits the fumble is out of the equation. He should have done exactly what he did three plays later (where he also had the opportunity to go out of bounds but didn't). Turtle up and hit the ground.

 

[edgecy]

I agree. In a game with 4 turnovers already I think Reche wanted to protect the ball more than to burn the clock. It's not as if the Bears' D get lucky and have opportunistic strip, they are CONSTANTLY going for the ball and Reche probably remember what he saw when LoMo fumbled it, and when Brady fumbled it on the QB sneak.

I am liking Reche more and more, and I only hope some of the fans here would have more respect for the guy to stop calling him bug-eye, etc. That's pretty low for a guy who has emerged as Brady's go to target beside Watson.

EDIT: HOLY CRAP! I am Third String and Seeing Limited Action! Put me in, coach!

 

[5 Rings for Brady!!]

If the decision was between getting hit and going out of bounds, perhaps he made the right decision. But it wasn't. He easily could have just taken a knee. Once your knee hits the fumble is out of the equation. He should have done exactly what he did three plays later (where he also had the opportunity to go out of bounds but didn't). Turtle up and hit the ground.

Don't let Pats1 know that. He lives in a fantasy world where posting in huge letters helps compensate for......you know.....uh......stuff.

 

[pats1]

Don't let Pats1 know that. He lives in a fantasy world where posting in huge letters helps compensate for......you know.....uh......stuff.

Anything to put a momentary cease to the madness in this thread. One person (err...you) starts off with the Reche has bad football instincts crap, and suddenly everyone joins into the fun.

 

[5 Rings for Brady!!]

I agree. In a game with 4 turnovers already I think Reche wanted to protect the ball more than to burn the clock. It's not as if the Bears' D get lucky and have opportunistic strip, they are CONSTANTLY going for the ball and Reche probably remember what he saw when LoMo fumbled it, and when Brady fumbled it on the QB sneak.

I am liking Reche more and more, and I only hope some of the fans here would have more respect for the guy to stop calling him bug-eye, etc. That's pretty low for a guy who has emerged as Brady's go to target beside Watson.

EDIT: HOLY CRAP! I am Third String and Seeing Limited Action! Put me in, coach!

Wrong about the fact that Caldwell didn't get down, which is why he did the obvious mea culpa on the sidelines, knowing he blew it and admitting as much.

Correct that fans shouldn't call players absurd names. Caldwell is doing the best he can for this team, and will be a solid long term role player. But he is out of his league as the default #1 WR.

 

[edgecy]

Wrong about the fact that Caldwell didn't get down, which is why he did the obvious mea culpa on the sidelines, knowing he blew it and admitting as much.

Correct that fans shouldn't call players absurd names. Caldwell is doing the best he can for this team, and will be a solid long term role player. But he is out of his league as the default #1 WR.

He may be out of his league as the default #1 WR, but there's still no excuse to call him bug eyes.

 

[5 Rings for Brady!!]

He may be out of his league as the default #1 WR, but there's still no excuse to call him bug eyes.

That is essentially what I just said.

 

[DaBruinz]

Sorry guys. Gotta disagree with you. Reche did the right thing getting out of bounds. When it happened, the Pats were only up 17-13 and the play started with 3:26 left on the clock. What it did was buy the Patriots extra time to make sure they'd have a chance to punch it in. A field goal wouldn't have been enough to ensure a win. Especially with how the Bears were completing the long passes over the middle. What Reche couldn't predict was that Dillon would fumble the ball and turn it over.

To say that play was dumb isn't looking at the entire picture.

 

[pats1]

Wrong about the fact that Caldwell didn't get down, which is why he did the obvious mea culpa on the sidelines, knowing he blew it and admitting as much.

Correct that fans shouldn't call players absurd names. Caldwell is doing the best he can for this team, and will be a solid long term role player. But he is out of his league as the default #1 WR.

Every Patriot receiver in the Belichick era has been out of their league as a default #1 WR.

 

[edgecy]

That is essentially what I just said.

I know, just reiterating what you said.

 

[pats1]

I know, just reiterating what you said.

I'm just repeating what you said.

 

[PatsFaninAZ]

He got the yardage that he could. I would be mad if Caldwell had just stopped, making it more difficult for the Pats to get in field goal position and seal the deal (had it not been for Dillon's fumble...)

Well, we'll just have to agree to disagree. I respect your opinion, but again with respect, I'm glad you're not coaching.

Football is a game of constant decisionmaking and choosing the option that gives your team the best chance to win. The reality is that a field goal could not have sealed the deal, because it still would have been a one possession game. The only way to truly seal the deal in any football game is to have enough downs to burn out the clock. Plus, attempting a field goal -- even from close -- carries the risk of a miss or, worse, a block and return. In my whole history of watching football, I have never seen a team that is in position to kneel on the ball to run out the clock fumble it or lose the game. That's sealing the deal.

If Reche stay in bounds there, the Patriots need six downs to seal the deal. That's one more first down, unless they got one on first down.

Even if they had not gotten another first down, the absolute worst they could have done is punt with about 1:00 to play. (Remember, Brady throws an incompletion on the next drive, which stops the clock -- something he was forced into doing because Reche stepped out of bounds and never would have done if 3 runs could have taken it down to about a minute or won the game with a single first down.)