Could an easy schedule hurt the Patriots down the road?

[CheeseMonkeys]

At this point the Patriots have and easy schedule the rest of the way and could very likely win the rest of their games. Could this be a bad thing for the Pats? Maybe they will become overconfident and underestimate their opponent in the playoffs. This will probably not be the case as the Patriots have learned in the past that every playoff game is a tough game and cannot be taken lightly, or any game for that matter. I just feel that if they had some tougher games they would be able to learn more from mistakes and become more motivated for the playoffs.

What do you guys think? Would the Patriots benefit if they had a couple games against more elite teams?

 

[The Scrizz]

Given all the injuries and a chance to get healthy while beating bad teams my answer is.......... No.

 

[PatsFan24]

They already played some good teams. Now its time to beat up on the bad ones and get that bye week!

 

[Rob0729]

I don't think a soft schedule will hurt at all. The defense needs confidence and cohesion. They need to get healthy.

I think the players know they have a soft schedule and a Belichick led team rarely gets over confident.

 

[Deus Irae]

Could it? Absolutely.

Could it help? Absolutely.


Which will it be this year? Remains to be seen...

 

[CheeseMonkeys]

Given all the injuries and a chance to get healthy while beating bad teams my answer is.......... No.

Very good point. Perhaps the easy schedule will allow the Patriots to rotate in some backups and preserve their starters for later in the season.

 

[RayClay]

Could it? Absolutely.

Could it help? Absolutely.


Which will it be this year? Remains to be seen...

Well, this is the answer, obviously. It's about peaking at the right time, exploiting all your talent and systems and staying healthy.

If they use these games to work in more players and schemes and keep it interesting, it should be a plus. You can't synthesize the schedule, it is what it is.

Certainly there's no complacency on defense, the front seven is just coming into it's own and a return if Spikes and/or Fletcher should be major IMO.

On offense, Vereen, Ocho and Price are elements that could emerge to make us stronger, as well as really integrating one more runner, be it Ridley or Vereen.

Woodhead and Faulk are bonuses since they can be held in reserve and still deliver when it counted IMO, though not much upside.

Not the first rodeo for Belichick, he knows how to manage the ebbs and flows. Look for Swiss army knife eEdelman to pop up in strange places.

Cannon has more chance than an average lineman to have an impact too. He's a beast.

 

[dalero]

Re: Could an easy schedule hurt the Pat them becoming compacriots down the road?

At Philly, at Skins, at Denver, Phins are playing tough.. I don't see them becoming complacent

 

[PatsFan24]

The Redskinds are BAD

 

[TheGodInAGreyHoodie]

I am constantly amazed how some on this board can consistantly find a cloud in every silver lining.

Is the glass ever half full in your world of pessimism?

 

[TheComeback]

Bruschi made the point that dealing with success can be harder than dealing with adversity. We saw that last year when the team came out flat in the playoffs.

I get the sense that this team knows they have a lot of work to do. I don't think they'll take it easy just because they're playing some bum teams. They seem to finally be embracing that "one game at a time" mentality.

But we'll see how true that really is over the next few weeks.

 

[Dutchmaster617]

At this point the Patriots have and easy schedule the rest of the way and could very likely win the rest of their games. Could this be a bad thing for the Pats? Maybe they will become overconfident and underestimate their opponent in the playoffs. This will probably not be the case as the Patriots have learned in the past that every playoff game is a tough game and cannot be taken lightly, or any game for that matter. I just feel that if they had some tougher games they would be able to learn more from mistakes and become more motivated for the playoffs.

What do you guys think? Would the Patriots benefit if they had a couple games against more elite teams?

The 2010 team had different guys than 07 and even 09, especially young guys, so they didn't learn at all. This season we cut vets and add more young guys as well as vets from losing teams (Ocho, Carter, Ellis). Certain guys will definitely step up but I think we are very much capable of taking the first round lightly.

 

[TruthSeeker]

I think outside of Indy, there are no easy games. Teams like Philly and Buffalo will play desperate. Especially if Buffalo beats the Jets (though I doubt they do). Denver is still fighting for a playoff spot, and they have a decent defense. There are no given wins in the NFL. I worry about every game.

 

[TheGodInAGreyHoodie]

 

[Schmo]

I am constantly amazed how some on this board can consistantly find a cloud in every silver lining.

Is the glass ever half full in your world of pessimism?

Wow. Ya, HE'S the pessimist. I try to be he eternal optimist when it comes to the Pats, but this thought has crossed my mind.

I think that even in an "easy" game you can nit-pick and find things to perfect to make sure the team doesn't become complacent. Concentrating on individual match-ups and similarities to good teams could still keep this team on their toes. Not to mention, if you want a coach that will facilitate this......

 

[DarrylS]

Never believed, nor do I believe that this schedule is "easy"..

On any given Sunday, shyt happens..

 

[Jackson 2]

Yeah, I'd rather play the iron of the league. Wow...

 

[CheeseMonkeys]

I am constantly amazed how some on this board can consistantly find a cloud in every silver lining.

Is the glass ever half full in your world of pessimism?

This is a forum meant to discuss the NE Patriots. I made a thread asking a very reasonable question about a team that has lost their last 3 playoff games. Is there really any harm in that?

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

Well let's see here. In 2007 and 2010 we beat pretty much every other elite team there was in the regular season, alot of them quite handily. How did we fare in those playoffs?

In 2004 we got killed by an elite team Pittsburgh then went on to beat a bunch of mediocre to bad teams and did pretty well in the playoffs.

The whole battle tested concept can help in some situations but it's also completely irrelevant in others. So right now given our injuries I'll take the easy schedule in a heartbeat.

 

[AzPatsFan]

At this point the Patriots have and easy schedule the rest of the way and could very likely win the rest of their games. Could this be a bad thing for the Pats? Maybe they will become overconfident and underestimate their opponent in the playoffs. This will probably not be the case as the Patriots have learned in the past that every playoff game is a tough game and cannot be taken lightly, or any game for that matter. I just feel that if they had some tougher games they would be able to learn more from mistakes and become more motivated for the playoffs.

What do you guys think? Would the Patriots benefit if they had a couple games against more elite teams?

They ALREADY DID!! Or hadn't you noticed like the numskull who said the Pack, with no run game, and the 31st Defense are greatly different from the Pats.

Why do you suppose the cumulative defensive stats are so poor?

They have ALREADY played the IRON on their schedule, and have effectively:
a) won their Division,
b) and hold the best record in the AFC for HFA.