Bedard: Patriots offense hits the skids, but can rebound

[SVN]

Patriots offense hits the skids, but can rebound - Patriots - Boston.com

 

[patfanken]

Nice article by Greg, I thought. He points out the problems, explains why they are happening and gives the solution....the simple solution. Bottom Line: There are reasons to be upset, but no reasons to be concerned....unless you really want to be. And there will be plenty of people who will rush to fill THAT role. This will be over reaction Monday. Tomorrow will be nitpick Tuesday. Followed by "we are doomed" Wednesday. Then comes "what will we do" Thursday, etc, etc. Sunday can't come soon enough.

 

[Jackson 2]

Patriots offense hits the skids, but can rebound - Patriots - Boston.com

A balanced, reasonable analysis which plays poorly with the Chicken Littles. Do we think the SF, Houston, Dallas fans have given up hope because they lost yesterday? Hell, we won and lots of people here seem to have thrown in the towel. Yesterday was less than expected, but I don't think it means we're done yet.

 

[Silver Blue&Red]

A balanced, reasonable analysis which plays poorly with the Chicken Littles. Do we think the SF, Houston, Dallas fans have given up hope because they lost yesterday? Hell, we won and lots of people here seem to have thrown in the towel. Yesterday was less than expected, but I don't think it means we're done yet.

Bingo! Give that man a cigar!

 

[MTM558]

Great analysis by Bedard. He is right, this team - unfortunately, most of their key players - are hurting, and their success will depend on how well they can be managed. Getting Gronkowski back will help immensely in every area on offense.

On defense, the team needs to ensure that Spikes, Talib, and Dennard can be full go come playoff time. If any two of those three aren't ready to go, this defense is in trouble.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

This is a team on a tight margin. Unfortunately there is no way to get many of the players at issue healthy. Even a bye isn't going to do that in many cases. These guys have already been given byes to no avail. If you practice and play the fact that you aren't targeted is meaningless when it comes to getting healthy.

Greg said anyone who was "concerned" about the OL heading into this season was just being silly...After all Dante is the great equalizer. Well...now he's concerned about the number of hits Brady is absorbing down the stretch. This team has two premier young TE's tied up for the next 6-8 seasons only they struggle to get one healthy one on the field let alone the tandem that these two seem best suited to produce within. It sucks to be hurt, but somehow you have to find it within you to push through that like that overpaid soon to be an UFA slot receiver and his QB always seem to be able to. And it doesn't take long for defenses to figure out decoys. PS - Welker is a knucklehead in the best sense of the term from a team standpoint. There is just no quit in him. Greg also seems to be less enamored with Lloyd than most of the fan base...

He also seems to grasp that there is plenty to be critical of to preclude dismissing anyone who is as a chicken little. Something posters here continue to struggle to avoid doing. Somewhere between sunshine and lollipops and the end of the world lies the truth. We will discover what that truth is over the next 3-4 weeks, although even then I'm sure there will be disagreement here as to what it is...

 

[SHOWTIME15]

A balanced, reasonable analysis which plays poorly with the Chicken Littles. Do we think the SF, Houston, Dallas fans have given up hope because they lost yesterday? Hell, we won and lots of people here seem to have thrown in the towel. Yesterday was less than expected, but I don't think it means we're done yet.

dude it's not they just didn't win, they barely won against the worst team in the NFL.

 

[JackBauer]

Good article. Really makes the Hernandez detractors look like fools.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

Good article. Really makes the Hernandez detractors look like fools.

if gronk can come back this week, i would just rest Hernandez. I think Gronk, Lloyd, Welker and Branch are enough to beat the dolphins.

 

[fair catch fryar]

dude it's not they just didn't win, they barely won against the worst team in the NFL.

They still found a way to win after a p!$$ poor effort. I'd rather it happened against the Jags than someone else so they could still win and still have a chance at earning a bye. They'll rebound. If not then they don't deserve to be there. For me, none of this matters unless they win the SB. My expectations are either really high or nothing.

 

[Ivan]

if gronk can come back this week, i would just rest Hernandez. I think Gronk, Lloyd, Welker and Branch are enough to beat the dolphins.

I think health is more important than a longshot at a bye, rest those who need it and get them ready for the play-offs. Mankins, Hernandez, Welker, Brady, Spikes, Vollmer, Talib, and Dennard all need rest, do what they can to give them it and make a play-off run.

 

[aluminum seats]

It sucks to be hurt, but somehow you have to find it within you to push through that like that overpaid soon to be an UFA slot receiver and his QB always seem to be able to. And it doesn't take long for defenses to figure out decoys. PS - Welker is a knucklehead in the best sense of the term from a team standpoint. There is just no quit in him.

Yup. Granted, it's nearly impossible to know where someone else is with an injury. But Jerry Rice's recent point about Welker stuck with me--that the key is not just "playing with injuries" but playing and being effective. An obvious point in a way I guess, but it gets to what genuine toughness is.

Point being (apart from being sure to resign Welker), the hope is that these guys, this team, has THAT kind of toughness.