We all Need To Take a Step Back

[italia44]

We need to take a breath here......What's killing the Patriots is all these INJURIES

We can't keep anyone on the field on a consistent basis.Maroney,Watson,Wilfork.....this week

Seau,Harrison,O'Callaghan.....on and on.

Safety after Safety goes down......Dillon's hurt..I think Teddy is nursing an injury.

Chad Jackson,Garrett Mills,etc.....Draft choices..
useless to us.

There seems to be no way to stop the bleeding.(literally)

I don't have an answer,but if we don't get some help from our injured starters,then all the Off/Cors. in the world,won't make a damn bit of difference.

You can't coach players that aren't on the field.

On another note:If I see Dillon take himself out of the game,one more time.I'm gonna PUKE!

 

[Michael]

Which brings us to the next point. Why is this (seemingly) the most injury prone team in the NFL? It seems no matter who we play all but maybe 1 or 2 starters are playing. Yet, you could take the posts from last year about all the starters the Pats are missing and post it this year. No one would be able to tell the difference.

 

[Rob0729]

Which brings us to the next point. Why is this (seemingly) the most injury prone team in the NFL? It seems no matter who we play all but maybe 1 or 2 starters are playing. Yet, you could take the posts from last year about all the starters the Pats are missing and post it this year. No one would be able to tell the difference.

A lot of the injuries are freak injuries (LIght and Harrison last year, Seau, Hobbs, Bruschi, and Harrison this year). Some of the injuries are because our players play agressively. Some will be training issues. When a player breaks a bone, it is an unavoidable accident. Only ligament and muscle injuries can be attributed to training.

I also think the Pats are probably more likely to sit a player who could play because they are more concerned about the long term implications of their injury rather than trying to get the player on the field as fast as they can in many cases. Maroney might have played for another team today, but the Pats may be a team that rather have him rest right now so he can be 100% for the playoffs.

I also think the Pats are quicker to pull the IR trigger than other teams. They value roster spots a lot more than other teams and rather tying up a roster spot for weeks for a non-impact starter, they will IR them and get in someone who can help now.

 

[Sean Pa Patriot]

Injuries are a factor, but please this team is struggling because the Oline is playing its worst in 6 yrs....

 

[Bobs My Uncle]

True, to a point. Experienced DC's have figured out our tendencies, and our oline schemes, and for the most part,k our telegraphed plays....

They are taking the boy wonder to school, game after game. He hasnt a clue what the hell to do to correct it. He is out of his league. Just look at his bio and you will believe it. Out of his league.

What's he going to do ..... throw more passes to Caldwell, Brown and the new walk on guy? None of the 3 can get open to save their lives. It's kinda tough to make adjustments when 1/2 of the offense you direct is ineffective because it can't pass the ball. And it's equally difficult to make adjustement in the running game when opposing defenses don't have to wrry about covering WR's who can't get open so they can stack the LOS with 8 or 9 defenders.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

We need to take a breath here......What's killing the Patriots is all these INJURIES

We can't keep anyone on the field on a consistent basis.Maroney,Watson,Wilfork.....this week

Seau,Harrison,O'Callaghan.....on and on.

Safety after Safety goes down......Dillon's hurt..I think Teddy is nursing an injury.

Chad Jackson,Garrett Mills,etc.....Draft choices..
useless to us.

There seems to be no way to stop the bleeding.(literally)

I don't have an answer,but if we don't get some help from our injured starters,then all the Off/Cors. in the world,won't make a damn bit of difference.

You can't coach players that aren't on the field.

On another note:If I see Dillon take himself out of the game,one more time.I'm gonna PUKE!

I'll bet you never expected NEM to post a rant against the OC in this thread! Darned OC, if he'd just stop attacking his own players and sending them to the trainers.

 

[PonyExpress]

I disagree. Do not take a step back. The answer to the problem was staring us in the face today, as it was last week. The offensive scheme is suspect. How to fix it is open to debate. Who is responsible for the suspect scheme is open to debate. But to blame it on "injuries" flies in the face of what we have learned these past years as Pats fans. Good coaching can overcome injuries.

 

[shirtsleeve]

Now, I am very aware that I currently suffer from post traumatic loss syndrome. But its December. The time for me to take a step back was over the week before Thanksgiving. Will the Pats make the playoffs this year? Probably, considering the Jests loss today. Will they go all the way? I am beginning to have doubts. Thats not too bad for a rebuilding year, but not what I was hoping for.

This team demonstrated some real weaknesses and flaws today. Some caused from injury, true, some from coaching, and most from execution. The third could be a function of the first two. Or it could be symptomatic of an underlying personnel issue. Whatever the reason, I am on this ledge, watching traffic 50 stories below, and I dont feel too much like taking a step back right now.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Now, I am very aware that I currently suffer from post traumatic loss syndrome. But its December. The time for me to take a step back was over the week before Thanksgiving. Will the Pats make the playoffs this year? Probably, considering the Jests loss today. Will they go all the way? I am beginning to have doubts. Thats not too bad for a rebuilding year, but not what I was hoping for.

This team demonstrated some real weaknesses and flaws today. Some caused from injury, true, some from coaching, and most from execution. The third could be a function of the first two. Or it could be symptomatic of an underlying personnel issue. Whatever the reason, I am on this ledge, watching traffic 50 stories below, and I dont feel too much like taking a step back right now.

Your just doing it for the attention, go ahead, make my stay.

 

[DarrylS]

I disagree. Do not take a step back. The answer to the problem was staring us in the face today, as it was last week. The offensive scheme is suspect. How to fix it is open to debate. Who is responsible for the suspect scheme is open to debate. But to blame it on "injuries" flies in the face of what we have learned these past years as Pats fans. Good coaching can overcome injuries.

I am not sure where I stand this AM, thought I could distance myself from all of this with a good (albeit restless) nights sleep, but I can't. The question I have can good coaching overcome this many significant injuries???

 

[RayClay]

I am not sure where I stand this AM, thought I could distance myself from all of this with a good (albeit restless) nights sleep, but I can't. The question I have can good coaching overcome this many significant injuries???

We had twice as many injuries last year and were a better looking team. Every team has injuries, some worse than us.

Our problem is offensive game planning and execution. And It goes right to the top. We have more and better talent than last year and 2001 when we went all the way.

It's almost to the point where I agree with NEM, especially since I always thought having a trainee as OC was a bad idea.

But having read thousands of posts where he vilifies the best offensive co-ordinator we've had, I'll attribute this to the busted clock being right twice a day.

Belichick needs to take over the offense and decide wh's supposed to be our second receiver. If we had settled on someone to get reps like Caldwell, we'd have a solid #2.

Too many formations, to much shifting, too many obvious pass or run situations, it's a mess.

BB needs to get together with Ernie Adams, if he's still around and come up with a core of plays that work. This offense is trying to complete graduate school when they can't pass kindergarten.

I was proud of the way last years team played with tremendous injuries. This team has plenty of horses, they just need to eliminate the horsesh*t.

 

[TomBrady'sGoat]

I've taken my step back. I no longer consider the Patriots a team with "as good a chance as anybody else." Their chances to win it all have been downgraded to "if they catch fire and the ball bounces their way."

Of course, that means they still have a chance.

 

[vyrago]

Since I don't, as a rule, read other boards, I don't know whether fans of other teams fall as easily into chicken little mode as this one does when the team loses--he!! even when it wins!

The Pats history in Miami in December is painful and they certainly laid a very smelly egg down there Sunday. There's plenty of blame to go around, if that's what makes you happy, but the fact remains, several teams--the Jets, the Colts, Seattle, Denver--had bad days yesterday, which makes me continue to think they have "as good a chance as anybody else."

 

[Rob0729]

I am not sure where I stand this AM, thought I could distance myself from all of this with a good (albeit restless) nights sleep, but I can't. The question I have can good coaching overcome this many significant injuries???

Good coaching can overcome injuries if your back up players are good enough. We survived massive injuries to this team in the past because we had quality back ups. These back ups might not have been great players, but they had a certain skillset and mindset that made them able to be coached up. I think some of that is missing in this year's team.

 

[Rob0729]

We had twice as many injuries last year and were a better looking team. Every team has injuries, some worse than us.

Our problem is offensive game planning and execution. And It goes right to the top. We have more and better talent than last year and 2001 when we went all the way.

It's almost to the point where I agree with NEM, especially since I always thought having a trainee as OC was a bad idea.

But having read thousands of posts where he vilifies the best offensive co-ordinator we've had, I'll attribute this to the busted clock being right twice a day.

Belichick needs to take over the offense and decide wh's supposed to be our second receiver. If we had settled on someone to get reps like Caldwell, we'd have a solid #2.

Too many formations, to much shifting, too many obvious pass or run situations, it's a mess.

BB needs to get together with Ernie Adams, if he's still around and come up with a core of plays that work. This offense is trying to complete graduate school when they can't pass kindergarten.

I was proud of the way last years team played with tremendous injuries. This team has plenty of horses, they just need to eliminate the horsesh*t.

I think we need the players to step up, not replace the coach. There was nothing wrong with the gameplan last week and other than two drives the only times the Lions could stop us is when we turned it over and most of those turnovers were poor execution, not play calling. Same in the Bears game. The game changer vs. the Jets was a well called play that Gabriel picked up a huge gain and fumbled the ball.

McDaniels didn't call a good game yesterday, but it wasn't his fault the o-line couldn't hold the blocks and missed blocking assignments. That goes to the players. If Weis was calling this game, he would have not done well either (and he has had similiar games vs. Miami in Miami). The only thing McDaniels could have done yesterday to stop our pass blocking to be so porous was to abandon the pass all together and call running plays all game.

 

[PATSNUTme]

That performance was pitiful yesterday, no doubt about it. And,the Detriot game was not one othe finest performances either.

However we do have three games to go and one of the better coaching staffs in the NFL. The playoffs, which we will be in, is the start of a whole new season.

So, I'm not counting this team out. Maybe someof you should walk besides the bandwagon so you don't hurt yourselves jumping on and off.

 

[MDD]

In the past we've had a lone pro-bowler on offense (Brady) while there were other guys "deserving" but overlooked.

Now we've got that same pro-bowler with no one else who played on offense yesterday being worth a crap.

 

[RayClay]

I think we need the players to step up, not replace the coach. There was nothing wrong with the gameplan last week and other than two drives the only times the Lions could stop us is when we turned it over and most of those turnovers were poor execution, not play calling. Same in the Bears game. The game changer vs. the Jets was a well called play that Gabriel picked up a huge gain and fumbled the ball.

McDaniels didn't call a good game yesterday, but it wasn't his fault the o-line couldn't hold the blocks and missed blocking assignments. That goes to the players. If Weis was calling this game, he would have not done well either (and he has had similiar games vs. Miami in Miami). The only thing McDaniels could have done yesterday to stop our pass blocking to be so porous was to abandon the pass all together and call running plays all game.

Of course we need the players to step up, but every individual player didn't forget how to play football.

If we need a stud OLineman to block Jason Taylor, we're not going to be able to find one by next week.

I'm not blaming coaches or saying players are executing well. I'm concerned with what we can do this year.

Usually we are scraping the street free agent pool looking for any kind of help.

I think we have players better than what we could pick up ojn the roster now that aren't being utilized. If they don't have their heads in the game, they should be cut and go with players that have the right attitude.

We certainly have thrown some flotsam and jetsam on the OLine before and executed sufficiently.

If any combination of 8-9 guys are rushing every play and the QB doesn't make them pay, there is no Oline that can stop them.

Dillon ran for almost 5 per. Yet we don't stick with it and make them worry about the run. If he's not able to run play after play, use Pass to give him a breather.

If we're only going to use Troy Brown and Faulk, then start cutting some people and use the practice squad receivers.

This team needs a shock treatment. Either use Gabriel and Gaffney or cut them.

 

[cblesz]

I agree wholeheartedly with NEM. He has had it right the entire season. It is an ugly trend with McDaniels. Get off NEM's back and be honest:

McDaniels is awful. O-line was horrible, but when you see them getting beat badly you change things up. Go to three step drops, 5 yard routes. You throw some screens. You run some draws. You don't keep doing what has not worked. In the past, this coaching staff has adjusted on the fly. This staff does not. It is true that we do not have Pro Bowl receivers, but are they being put in the right position to be successful?

Time for Josh to go. BB can call the plays. Didn't do that bad last year.

 

[Rob0729]

Of course we need the players to step up, but every individual player didn't forget how to play football.

If we need a stud OLineman to block Jason Taylor, we're not going to be able to find one by next week.

I'm not blaming coaches or saying players are executing well. I'm concerned with what we can do this year.

Usually we are scraping the street free agent pool looking for any kind of help.

I think we have players better than what we could pick up ojn the roster now that aren't being utilized. If they don't have their heads in the game, they should be cut and go with players that have the right attitude.

We certainly have thrown some flotsam and jetsam on the OLine before and executed sufficiently.

If any combination of 8-9 guys are rushing every play and the QB doesn't make them pay, there is no Oline that can stop them.

Dillon ran for almost 5 per. Yet we don't stick with it and make them worry about the run. If he's not able to run play after play, use Pass to give him a breather.

If we're only going to use Troy Brown and Faulk, then start cutting some people and use the practice squad receivers.

This team needs a shock treatment. Either use Gabriel and Gaffney or cut them.

I just don't think taking away responsibility from McDaniels is going to fix anything is going to fix anything. Players need to keep their head in the game. Having someone else calling the plays or simplifying the playbook is not going to stop players from not protecting the ball correctly or linemen from not adjusting their blocking assignments or half heartily block.

I alway bring up Weis in this case. Charlie Weis was a moron who could coach his way out of a paper bag in 2002 and much of 2003. Fans wanted him fired in 2002. In 2004, he was an offensive genius that would destroy Brady and the offense when he left. Did an experienced OC like Weis all the sudden learn how to coach from 2002 to 2004 or did he not have the talent in 2002 and had it in 2004. I think McDaniels to a certain extent is in the same quandry.