Mike Lombardi thinks we suck

[BradyManny]

Sorry, I needed some hyperbole on par with Michael's to grab the viewer's attention. Some of this is just dumb:

Patriots Are Bitten by Reliance on Tight Ends

“They are in transition,” said Michael Lombardi, an NFL Network analyst who worked as a personnel executive in Cleveland and in Oakland.

No, Mike, actually we already transitioned. Remember us playing a certain game this past February for a certain trophy. Yeah, that was our 2 tight end offense that got us there.

“They can’t replace Hernandez,” Lombardi said. “He is their best player.”

I love Hernandez, and agree that he is our most dangerous offensive weapon. But to declare him our single best player on a team with Gronkowski, Welker, Brady & Wilfork...yeah, I don't know about that. Not to mention, he's only going to be out about a month at this point. This isn't Brady losing his ACL in 2008.

"They lack an outside receiver,” he said.

Was this quote taken last January? I agree we don't have any depth at outside receiver, but Lloyd is on pace for 104 catches and over 1000 yards. What's wrong with that?

“Brady is not playing well.”

The offense was productive in its first game and not in its second. In either case, Brady's case was fine in both games, it was more an issue of protection and receiving.

Lombardi fails to mention the one thing that actually is a problem at the moment: the offensive line.

Either way, I really hope the offense goes out and puts up 30 against Baltimore Sunday night just to shut this stuff up. If Brady and his guys can connect on a couple of these deep balls, the production will look a lot different. I expect to see more Welker this Sunday, less experimentation, and more production.

 

[UK_Pat37]

Oh dear...that's pretty poor even for his usual average standards.

 

[bagwell368]

Sorry, I needed some hyperbole on par with Michael's to grab the viewer's attention. Some of this is just dumb:

Patriots Are Bitten by Reliance on Tight Ends



No, Mike, actually we already transitioned. Remember us playing a certain game this past February for a certain trophy. Yeah, that was our 2 tight end offense that got us there.



I love Hernandez, and agree that he is our most dangerous offensive weapon. But to declare him our single best player on a team with Gronkowski, Welker, Brady & Wilfork...yeah, I don't know about that. Not to mention, he's only going to be out about a month at this point. This isn't Brady losing his ACL in 2008.



Was this quote taken last January? I agree we don't have any depth at outside receiver, but Lloyd is on pace for 104 catches and over 1000 yards. What's wrong with that?



The offense was productive in its first game and not in its second. In either case, Brady's case was fine in both games, it was more an issue of protection and receiving.

Lombardi fails to mention the one thing that actually is a problem at the moment: the offensive line.

Either way, I really hope the offense goes out and puts up 30 against Baltimore Sunday night just to shut this stuff up. If Brady and his guys can connect on a couple of these deep balls, the production will look a lot different. I expect to see more Welker this Sunday, less experimentation, and more production.

Nice!

I set my watch by the bleatings of this idiot. My watch was starting to keep bad time since it's been awhile - thanks Mike

I understand that Lombardi is Borges bastard love child BTW.

 

[letekro]

Lombardi has zero credibility. If they beat the ravens he will be back on his knees for more belichick ballwashing. Nevertheless, if by "best" he meant that hernandez is the patriots most explosive, difficult to defend player, then i agree with him.

 

[Kontradiction]

Brady's not playing up to his usual standards, but it's not on Brady. There are several reasons for it. Edelman over Welker is one. Cutting guys like Branch and Gaffney before the start of the season is another. The atrocious pass protection is yet another. Losing Hernandez... another. If even half of these things were to turn around, this offense is a juggernaut again (getting Hernandez back and stabilizing the O-Line for starters).

 

[ausbacker]

Brady's not playing up to his usual standards, but it's not on Brady. There are several reasons for it. Edelman over Welker is one. Cutting guys like Branch and Gaffney before the start of the season is another. The atrocious pass protection is yet another. Losing Hernandez... another. If even half of these things were to turn around, this offense is a juggernaut again (getting Hernandez back and stabilizing the O-Line for starters).

Brady can play well with crap receivers. The OL's sporadic performance is the single biggest issue at present.

 

[JJDChE]

Half the posters here are worse than Lombardi. At least he isn't calling for McDaniels head after 1 loss.

 

[bagwell368]

Brady can play well with crap receivers. The OL's sporadic performance is the single biggest issue at present.

and half of that was the RG against the Cards.

 

[PatsWSB47]

Half the posters here are worse than Lombardi. At least he isn't calling for McDaniels head after 1 loss.

LOL, you beat me to it. I was going to post

so do half the people on this board

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Shame on you for the attention seeking headline. Overall the article seemed to be fairly spot on.

Brady isn't playing well because he isn't being put in position or given the opportunity to. And this team is again in transition, just on the other side of the ball, one now complicated by the loss of Hernandez (who if you look at the photo is clutching his leg in the classic high ankle sprain form although it's being leaked as a low ankle sprain so teams can't stop planning for him beyond the next couple of weeks). Whose composit skill set is fairly irreplaceable. Not to mention in flux on the OL transitioning from a veteran pro bowler heavy unit to one in which only one rehabbing veteran pro bowler remains.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Edelman over Welker is one.

Welcome to small sample size theatre.

 

[Fball]

The Achilles heel of the Pats is pass protection. Brady has shown a few times that he can make a less than stellar WR corps work, and overcome injuries like the one to AH.

But this is the 1st time I can remember where the O-line is average at best in protection. They need to improve as a unit for the Pats offense to get back to what fans have come to expect.

 

[ralmat55]

There is nothing wrong with building an offense around two exemplary TEs. The fallacy is that you can just plug another TE into the spot and get the same production when one of them is hurt. After spending a decade trying to acquire two TEs like Gronk and Hernandez, you'd think Bill Belichick would know this.

 

[QB12]

The Achilles heel of the Pats is pass protection. Brady has shown a few times that he can make a less than stellar WR corps work, and overcome injuries like the one to AH.

But this is the 1st time I can remember where the O-line is average at best in protection. They need to improve as a unit for the Pats offense to get back to what fans have come to expect.

I agree, and I'm about ready to conclude that Logan Mankins is the second most overrated Patriot ever, right behind Richard Seymour. Still not over how Justin Tuck bounced off Mankins like a pinball machine and forced Brady into the intentional grounding penalty -->> safety in the opening moments of the Super Bowl.

 

[Sparetire]

Thats pretty surprising due to the fact that he is the biggest BB\Pats ars kisser there is on NFLN.

 

[Uncle Rico]

Funny thing about the NFL and media coverage: Gost makes that last kick, this column doesn't get written.

 

[Rob0729]

Last week it was praise of the Pats for bringing balance to the offense with a strong running game and adding an outside receiver in Lloyd. McDaniels was praised for his creativity.

This week, the Pats' offense is a mess with a turnstile o-line, overly reliant on the TEs, Brady struggling, and being petty for punishing Welker.

Next week if the Pats win and the offense produces, it will be another story.

Belichick has always said you really don't know what type of team you truly have until around mid-season. All this talk now is just which ever the wind is blowing reactionary banter.

 

[Kontradiction]

Brady can play well with crap receivers. The OL's sporadic performance is the single biggest issue at present.

He HAS, yes. This past weekend, he didn't look comfortable at points when neither Welker nor Hernandez were in there. It's to be expected. Those are his top two safety valves. How much of his "uncomfortable" play has to do with that and how much of it has to do with horrid blocking is up for debate.

 

[Rob0729]

Funny thing about the NFL and media coverage: Gost makes that last kick, this column doesn't get written.

Yes. That one kick and there are a lot of storylines that change today:

• People wouldn't be questioning the play calling at the end of the game. In fact, they might be praising Belichick and McDaniels for doing the smart thing by not take any stupid risks in contrast to the Cards in doing a pitch out on the fumble play.
• I think the focus would be on how great the defense played in contrast to how bad the offense played.
• I think people would be giving the Cards defense far more deserved credit for how they played rather than blame the Pats especially the coaching for the offensive problems.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Sorry, I needed some hyperbole on par with Michael's to grab the viewer's attention. Some of this is just dumb:

Patriots Are Bitten by Reliance on Tight Ends



No, Mike, actually we already transitioned. Remember us playing a certain game this past February for a certain trophy. Yeah, that was our 2 tight end offense that got us there.



I love Hernandez, and agree that he is our most dangerous offensive weapon. But to declare him our single best player on a team with Gronkowski, Welker, Brady & Wilfork...yeah, I don't know about that. Not to mention, he's only going to be out about a month at this point. This isn't Brady losing his ACL in 2008.



Was this quote taken last January? I agree we don't have any depth at outside receiver, but Lloyd is on pace for 104 catches and over 1000 yards. What's wrong with that?



The offense was productive in its first game and not in its second. In either case, Brady's case was fine in both games, it was more an issue of protection and receiving.

Lombardi fails to mention the one thing that actually is a problem at the moment: the offensive line.

Either way, I really hope the offense goes out and puts up 30 against Baltimore Sunday night just to shut this stuff up. If Brady and his guys can connect on a couple of these deep balls, the production will look a lot different. I expect to see more Welker this Sunday, less experimentation, and more production.

Here is Reiss' latest take on the transition this team is in the midst of. One that just hit the mother of all speed bumps.

Wes Welker's reduced role part of evolving offense - ESPN Boston