Could it be this simple: inexperience and lack of practice.

[DarrylS]

Yesterday our starting defensive backfield totalled less that 8 years NFL experience, Cromartie and Bell alone have 16 years experience. Our defensive team as a whole is one of the youngest in the league. No matter how good Hightower and Chandler are, they are still rookies. There is no Rodney Harrison back there on field coaching the DB's...

Offensively we have a new "starting" RB, and we are down three pro bowl starters from '11 on the O line.. Light, Waters and Mankins. We have a new O coordinator, even though he is known to this team, and his philosophy is different. We have a new wide receiver, Lloyd.

Brady may not be as comfortable with all these new guys, and the defensive backfield does not have experience... there is also a focus, because of the CBA on younger players rather than experienced players(bottom line). An uncomfortable HOF QB and a very inexperienced defense equals very tentative, uneven play..

Last week it was noted that the practices leading to the jets game were not "padded" and there was no hitting. Have heard Troy B. speak of how previous to the new CBA, there were 24-35 padded practices prior to the first exhibition game.. and now there are about 24 prior to the first regular game. The CBA also dictates how many padded practices a team can have during a season, so it is not about how a team is hurt or beat up.. it is dictated by the CBA.

So our young DB's only experienced walk throughs last week which seems to impede their development.. essentially the games become padded practices and games all rolled into one.

This may be contributing to the phenomenon as to why so many teams are below .500 in the AFC.. it may just be this simple; many "immature" players on the team and no ability to get better on the practice field..

 

[reflexblue]

That is a great point, after watching the DB's run around like the key stone cops last week in seattle i think you may be on to something.

 

[BSR]

Yes, I think that is part of it. Its inexperience of the players but also inexperience with playing with one another. Think on this. Yesterday's Oline was Solder, Thomas, Wendell, McDonnell and Volmer. That's pretty crazy.

 

[jmt57]

I would say that inexperience and lack of continuity may indeed have a large part of the less than stellar execution by this team thus far. It also leads me to be cautiously optimistic that the team will improve week to week and be much better at the end of the season rather than being doomed to failure as many others have predicted.


In regards to the lack of padded practices per the new CBA I would think that would result in more sloppy play in the NFL as a whole; it should not affect the Pats more than others since all teams are in the same boat in that regard.

 

[aluminum seats]

My only issue with this is calling it "simple." It's definitely a young team, with a bunch of rookies/2nd year guys we're hoping can contribute. So there's no question that's a factor. There's a few more things going on, but that's one of them.

 

[Ring 6]

I am becoming more and more convinced it is a scheme issue.

 

[ATippett56]

Yesterday our starting defensive backfield totalled less that 8 years NFL experience, Cromartie and Bell alone have 16 years experience. Our defensive team as a whole is one of the youngest in the league. No matter how good Hightower and Chandler are, they are still rookies. There is no Rodney Harrison back there on field coaching the DB's...

Bill Belichick could have signed Landry and Bell. He chose not to.

 

[Joker]

I posted this exact thought after I got back from the game yesterday....too much taking punches and not enough delivering them.

 

[BSR]

I am becoming more and more convinced it is a scheme issue.

That is not mutually exclusive from the OPs point. This scheme requires a great deal of communication and experience to execute both on offense and defense.

 

[PatriotReign]

I am becoming more and more convinced it is a scheme issue.

That has to be a huge part of it.

 

[VrabelJr]

I think it's inexperience and lack of veteran leadership at key positions. Every starter on defense except for Wilfork, Mayo, and Ninkovich is still on their rookie contracts. It's no surprise that our Front 7 is decent and our Secondary is a tragedy.

 

[Deus Irae]

Yesterday our starting defensive backfield totalled less that 8 years NFL experience, Cromartie and Bell alone have 16 years experience. Our defensive team as a whole is one of the youngest in the league. No matter how good Hightower and Chandler are, they are still rookies. There is no Rodney Harrison back there on field coaching the DB's...

Offensively we have a new "starting" RB, and we are down three pro bowl starters from '11 on the O line.. Light, Waters and Mankins. We have a new O coordinator, even though he is known to this team, and his philosophy is different. We have a new wide receiver, Lloyd.

Brady may not be as comfortable with all these new guys, and the defensive backfield does not have experience... there is also a focus, because of the CBA on younger players rather than experienced players(bottom line). An uncomfortable HOF QB and a very inexperienced defense equals very tentative, uneven play..

Last week it was noted that the practices leading to the jets game were not "padded" and there was no hitting. Have heard Troy B. speak of how previous to the new CBA, there were 24-35 padded practices prior to the first exhibition game.. and now there are about 24 prior to the first regular game. The CBA also dictates how many padded practices a team can have during a season, so it is not about how a team is hurt or beat up.. it is dictated by the CBA.

So our young DB's only experienced walk throughs last week which seems to impede their development.. essentially the games become padded practices and games all rolled into one.

This may be contributing to the phenomenon as to why so many teams are below .500 in the AFC.. it may just be this simple; many "immature" players on the team and no ability to get better on the practice field..

Teams like the Seahawks have been able to get it done. They're at about 10 years of experience, and have 3 young'ns.

When you're bringing in the likes of Butler, Wheatley, O'Neal, the corpse of Springs, etc..... you're going to have a bad secondary. For all the Hobbs bashing that went on around here, the era of Harrison/Meriweather/Sanders/Hobbs/Samuel is a Golden Age compared to the present.

 

[Buchanty]

I am glad you posted this, as a similar thought has been circling my mind for a while. You just have to look across the league and see the high level of inconsistencies, especially in running games, in almost every team. Even the 6-0 Falcons almost dropped one.

The lack of padded practice is of greatest disadvantage to rookies and players without much experience.

I also agree with Andy Johnson's point that it is a scheme issue. Though I would add that the schemes may not be optimal for the amount of practice allowed, especially for teams with a high number of inexperienced players.

I thought the reason for the restricted number of padded practices was to reduce the amount of injuries. It would be interesting to note where we are with this seasons injury totals compared to the same date in previous years. If there is no discernible difference, then please, NFLPA, seek to restore the number of padded practices.

 

[Urgent]

No.

The young players on this team are on this team because they outplayed the older players on this team.

The players on this secondary are young and inexperienced.
But in the expert opinion of the coaching staff, these young inexperienced players outperformed Will Allen, Antwaun Molden, James Ihedigbo, Sergio Brown, Brett Lockett, and from last year James Sanders, Brandon Meriweather, Darius Butler, Jonathan Wilhite, and Brandon McGowan.

You want 20 years of experience? The Patriots could have had that if they kept Will Allen, Antwaun Molden, James Sanders, and Brandon McGowan. This secondary would not have been any better.

This team has worked with higher-drafted players and more seasoned veterans than the teams it has played in many cases. For example, Seattle started Richar Sherman (5th round) and Brandon Browner (undrafted).

There has been lots of chickening and egging here about the performance in the secondary. I have a hard time simply blaming it on youthful inexperience, and assume it will get better with this coaching staff in this scheme.

Young players? Not an excuse when there were more experienced players the team released.

The scheme? Law, Harrison, Samuels, and others performed in it. Even Troy Brown picked it up well enough to play in the post season (not that he's not bright, but that he is far less experienced in the secondary than any rookie).

Either the player personnel staff is consistently selecting underachieving rookies and free agents, or the coaching staff is no longer able to develop players.

 

[slash83]

I think it's inexperience and lack of veteran leadership at key positions. Every starter on defense except for Wilfork, Mayo, and Ninkovich is still on their rookie contracts. It's no surprise that our Front 7 is decent and our Secondary is a tragedy.

Front 7 is a lot better then decent.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Lack of experience

Lack of energy

Lack of talent (secondary)

and quite possibly...Lack of discipline

Teams that do not play 60 minutes certainly are failing at discipline within the team

 

[ATippett56]

I think it's inexperience and lack of veteran leadership at key positions. Every starter on defense except for Wilfork, Mayo, and Ninkovich is still on their rookie contracts.

Steven Gregory say hi!

 

[ATippett56]

Lack of experience

Lack of energy

Lack of talent (secondary)

and quite possibly...Lack of discipline

Teams that do not play 60 minutes certainly are failing at discipline within the team

Yes

No

Yes

Yes/No Discipline or lack of concentration in the fourth quarter?

 

[RobertWeathers]

I am becoming more and more convinced it is a scheme issue.

I'm starting to wonder the same thing. However I also think it's personnel.

I remember a few weeks ago Ty Law said himself that he'd have difficulty playing in this era because DBs can't be as physical as they were allowed back in the day and he needed to play that way because he wasn't fast or quick.

I look at the top 10 teams in the NFL in pass defense and points allowed and the all seem to have something in common. All apply pressure (no just sacks) and have outstanding speed and man to man coverage ability in the secondary.

I can't sit here and say the Pats are strong in either one.

 

[ATippett56]

Our defensive team as a whole is one of the youngest in the league. No matter how good Hightower and Chandler are, they are still rookies.

Yet, the New England Patriots rush defense has vastly improved from last year.