This is why the Pats are not allowed to lose

[Peter Pat]

If you have read the newspapers, watch TV, read this board over the last 2 days, you realize why the Pats can't lose. If they lose, the world ends, BB needs to be fired, and they need to blow up the whole team, and start rebuilding.

I don't think any other team, faces the same criticism after losses than the Pats. I remember last year after the Cleveland game, how the world was over,

Teams lose, 16-0 was an aberration, hell 14-2 is an aberration, in the parity NFL, a good team will win between 11 and 13 games, which is where the Pats will finish.

I do not think Green Bay will get this abuse when they lose a couple of games this year. And no other team will get this abuse when they lose a game, they will just chalk it up to a bad game.

Listen, I am not blind to the Pats problems, I see them, I can recite them in alphabetical order. I get it, they are a flawed team. So name a team that isn't.

Including Green Bay BTW, they have played the softest schedule ever so far this year, and their defense is just as bad as the Pats.

Just get in the tourney and see what happens, flaws and all.

 

[Shed83]

If you have read the newspapers, watch TV, read this board over the last 2 days, you realize why the Pats can't lose. If they lose, the world ends, BB needs to be fired, and they need to blow up the whole team, and start rebuilding.

I don't think any other team, faces the same criticism after losses than the Pats. I remember last year after the Cleveland game, how the world was over,

Teams lose, 16-0 was an aberration, hell 14-2 is an aberration, in the parody NFL, a good team will win between 11 and 13 games, which is where the Pats will finish.

I do not think Green Bay will get this abuse when they lose a couple of games this year. And no other team will get this abuse when they lose a game, they will just chalk it up to a bad game.

Listen, I am not blind to the pats problems, I see them, I can recite them in alphabetical order. I get it, they are a flawed team. So name a team that isn't.

Including Green Bay BTW, they have played the softest schedule ever so far this year, and their defense is just as bad as the Pats.

Just get in the tourny and see what happens, flaws and all.

Excellent post.

 

[Sicilian]

Every team has flaws. It's just easier to see ours because we're watching every game, and spending every day in between breaking down what happened and what's going to happen in the next game.

 

[Rob0729]

I have never seen such overreaction based on one loss in a long time. Yes, this team has flaws, but other than the Packers what team doesn't have as many or more flaws? Yes, the defense isn't good right now, but that has been magnified by the fact that this season has an aberation in terms of offensive production. There are still three QBs in position to break Marino's passing record and there has been a record number of offensive yards to this point.

I don't diminish the problems and admit that Belichick has made mistakes with personnel and drafting, but people act like he has turned into Matt Millen. I just don't get it. If Belichick had a full offseason and free agency to work with, I might feel different but a lot of teams tried to address their weaknesses in training camp this year and failed far worse than Belichick has.

 

[Kid~Brady]

I was thinking the same thing.. one loss and the Patriots are suddenly in a huge heap of trouble, we won't ever make the playoffs ever again and BB should probably be fired.

The Steelers has beaten Brady twice in 8 seasons, its really not that serious. This defense was bad before this game.

 

[102 Pat]

It goes to show just how spoiled most of the Pats fan base are. I'll go out on a limb and say that there are fans of other teams who would be thrilled to have a 5-2 record at the moment.

The 2007 season changed many Pats fans perspectives. There only happy now if the Pats win by a large score and one loss is the end of the world. Those championship teams had many games come down to the end and I for one love those types of games. Well, maybe my stress level doesn't though...

 

[RodThePat]

The problem is that you fail to understand that people aren't upset about this loss specifically. They are just frustrated to see that this team has the same deficiencies as the 2010 team did, and those ultimately lead us to a premature playoff exit. If the Patriots don't improve significantly in some areas, their fate will most likely be the same again, and that can be infuriating to watch unfold.

If, for example, this team had a solid defense and more talent at the WR position, people would be more likely to chalk sunday's loss to happenstance, or to consider it a likely outcome when you face a very good team on the road. The problem isn't losing, is how they lost. This team right now appears to be exactly like the 2010 edition, only worse in the areas in which it already wasn't good last season. Therein lies the concern.

 

[primetime]

they cant afford to lose because the bills may be the best team in the afc and hold the tiebreaker right now. its far from a given theyll even make the playoffs and be given the chance for a first round exit

 

[fxkane]

Expectations for both the Bills and Steelers games were that we would and absolutely should win those games. We were not playing Green Bay or Philly or Baltimore or the Jets on the road. We had handled the Bills and Steelers easily in all prior games at their house.

Also after being so high on the defense after our last two games, suddenly the pretty extreme low outing after two weeks preparing for a single team, was very disillusioning.

All the questioning does make sense.

 

[DarrylS]

New Orleans got beat bad last week by the lowly Rams..

San Diego, who has arguably the best talent in the league, has lost 3 in a row..

Philadelphia looked like crap for a while, and they were calling for Andy Reids head..

The NFL wants parity/competition, it is very difficult to stay close to the top for an extended period of time, we have been close for a lot of years now. Every team makes mistakes.. NYJ/Gholston, Buffalo/Maybin immediately come to mind.

This whole league is designed for one thing; fill the stands with the underlying philosophy of. "on any given Sunday"...

 

[Mosi Moose]

The problem is that you fail to understand that people aren't upset about this loss specifically. They are just frustrated to see that this team has the same deficiencies as the 2010 team did, and those ultimately lead us to a premature playoff exit. If the Patriots don't improve significantly in some areas, their fate will most likely be the same again, and that can be infuriating to watch unfold.

If, for example, this team had a solid defense and more talent at the WR position, people would be more likely to chalk sunday's loss to happenstance, or to consider it a likely outcome when you face a very good team on the road. The problem isn't losing, is how they lost. This team right now appears to be exactly like the 2010 edition, only worse in the areas in which it already wasn't good last season. Therein lies the concern.

Exactly. It wasn't the loss itself -- it just brought back memories of the loss last January and made me feel like good teams will keep exposing those same flaws until we fix them (which is still very possible).

 

[Rob0729]

Expectations for both the Bills and Steelers games were that we would and absolutely should win those games. We were not playing Green Bay or Philly or Baltimore or the Jets on the road. We had handled the Bills and Steelers easily in all prior games at their house.

Also after being so high on the defense after our last two games, suddenly the pretty extreme low outing after two weeks preparing for a single team, was very disillusioning.

All the questioning does make sense.

When were the Steelers and Bills considered significantly weaker competition than the Jets, Eagles, or Ravens? The Steelers and Bills are a combined 11-4 and both either lead or co-lead their division. Who cares what the Pats did in the past against these teams? They are two of the best teams in the AFC and arguably better teams than the Jets, Eagles, or Ravens.

If your reasoning for the overreaction being justified because out of seven games played, they lost to the top two best teams they have played thus far and arguably two top 5 teams in the league; I don't know if you have a good argument. I would probably be more upset if the defense failed against a horrible Ravens or Jets offense than two very good offenses in the Steelers and Bills.

 

[primetime]

losing to good teams and beating bad teams, sounds like a recipe for losing in the playoffs (if you even make it there)

 

[PatsGirl2011]

they cant afford to lose because the bills may be the best team in the afc and hold the tiebreaker right now. its far from a given theyll even make the playoffs and be given the chance for a first round exit

1. There is no tiebreaker until both division games are played.
2. Everyone needs to stop acting like past games have a barring on the future. It does not. That is why teams want to beat the Pats so badly. How many times you think the Steelers heard about Brady's domination of them? Or the Bills heard about losing a million times in a row to the Pats? It doesn't matter. It just gives a false sense of security and then disappointment to fans.

 

[TBradyOwnsYou]

We lost? I assumed Nazi Germany launched their invasion of New England via a weather control satellite which was why everyone was so up in arms. I guess I'll put my guns away and cancel my flight out east.

 

[BSR]

The problem is that you fail to understand that people aren't upset about this loss specifically. They are just frustrated to see that this team has the same deficiencies as the 2010 team did, and those ultimately lead us to a premature playoff exit. If the Patriots don't improve significantly in some areas, their fate will most likely be the same again, and that can be infuriating to watch unfold.

If, for example, this team had a solid defense and more talent at the WR position, people would be more likely to chalk sunday's loss to happenstance, or to consider it a likely outcome when you face a very good team on the road. The problem isn't losing, is how they lost. This team right now appears to be exactly like the 2010 edition, only worse in the areas in which it already wasn't good last season. Therein lies the concern.

Teams lose when the opposing teams expose their weaknesses. Saying "The problem isn't losing, its how they lost" is meaningless since you always lose because of those weaknesses. This team has lost so little over the past decade that fans no longer know how to deal with it.

The ironic thing is that those freaking out about the loss are looking at those of us who are not and thinking that we have our heads in the sands. The reality is that we probably had lower expectations to begin with for this team. Sure we all hoped that they would be a dynastic Juggernaut this year but many saw this team as extremely flawed coming into the season.

 

[futuristicdart]

The Patriots are allowed to lose. Anyone who expects anything otherwise is just illogical.

However when the defense has been struggling for years and the only changes that seem to be made are the releasing of players who appear to be adequate at their position and the replacement of these players with those who appear to be worse than their predecessor then its not surprising that the fans are concerned.

Its not often that a franchise has a QB like #12. The expectations are going to be higher when you have a player of that caliber. After numerous disappointments in the playoffs its also not surprising to see fans become increasingly frustrated with the team. The homers on here will continue to say everything is fine and we'll improve but the fact is we went up against a playoff caliber team and got destroyed. If you're not worried about how this D can hold up against another playoff caliber team, in the actual playoffs then you must be blind. We will most likely improve on D, but with the lack of talent and experience you have to wonder even with a coach like Belichick, how much can they actually improve. The defense has the ability to sink any hope of a playoff run if they perform even remotely close to how they did this past Sunday.

Some of you people who are blindly optimistic are worse than the "doom & gloomers."

 

[Leave No Doubt]

I get it, they are a flawed team. So name a team that isn't.

Including Green Bay BTW, they have played the softest schedule ever so far this year, and their defense is just as bad as the Pats.

Just get in the tourny and see what happens, flaws and all.

Exactly, all I want is to get to the playoffs, at which time everything becomes new again. Other teams may mess up, bad decisions get made, calls can be costly, injuries occur during the season... anything can happen in the playoffs.

BB's always said a team should have it together by Thanksgiving. We'll see

 

[Airkuhl]

The Steelers game was the worst the Pats have looked as a team since probably the Cassel season. And they still lost by only one score. Hate 'em if you want but the Steelers and Rapistburger are contenders and only one good season away from equaling the Brady era Pats.

Sure there are some glaring issues that are worth discussing, but I'm not ready to trade TFB and fire BB quite yet.

 

[jmt57]

Expectations for both the Bills and Steelers games were that we would and absolutely should win those games. We were not playing Green Bay or Philly or Baltimore or the Jets on the road. We had handled the Bills and Steelers easily in all prior games at their house.

That right there in a nutshell is a pretty good explanation for this reaction. With the exception of Green Bay, the Steelers and Bills are probably better than all the other teams that you rattled off that it would presumably have been more acceptable to lose to.

I think far too many fans just assumed that since the Pats have won on a regular basis against Buffalo and Pittsburgh in recent years that they would do so once again without breaking a sweat. People here were more concerned with Miami than they were with either of those teams, which makes zero sense if they bothered to do anything beyond looking at the final score of the last meeting.