What have we learned the last 5 seasons?

[fnordcircle]

We've learned that no matter what people say about the 'new NFL', no matter how many offensive records get broken, no matter how many lopsided scores the Patriots can put up, we've learned one thing:

Defense still wins championships.

Baltimore's defense, even with Pees at the helm, was able to dictate the pace of that game - not our offense. And so they kicked our ass.

Just like the Giants were able to contain, dictate and win in 2007 and 2011. Just like the Jets defense was able to contain dictate and win in 2010. Just like the Ravens were able to do to us in 2009.

Yes, I'm oversimplifying. The Ravens had some great offensive performances too. Yes, Welker's drop changed the tone of that game. But there's a reason why those key drops used to happen to the Patriots' opponents and now they happen to us. It's because the defense is setting the tone and receivers start pressing. Wes wasn't scared he was getting ahead of himself rather than worrying about catching the ball because our opportunities against that defense were limited.

You can list all the stats you want. You can point out all the blown opportunities from last night that you want. You can do that going back to 2007. The one static amidst all of those variables is that 5 out of the 6 seasons going back to 2007 have ended at the hands of a team with an inferior offense and a far superior defense.

The good news is that I think we're making a lot of positive strides. I think that the loss of Talib robbed us of our ability to play aggressive - something that had help our defense really turn things around. I think the players are there - but we'll need another half season and we'll need to get healthy again.

I think we'll have a top 10 defense next year. But the lack of one this year is why we failed and why we've continued to fail for a while now.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Defense still wins championships.

Wouldn't an equally valid inference be "Poorly timed offensive injuries lose championships?"

2007: Lose Stephen Neal and Kevin Faulk in SB
2009: Lose Welker for season in Week 17
2011: Lose GRONK for second half of AFCCG, hobbled in SB
2012: Lose GRONK for postseason in first quarter of playoffs

 

[ausbacker]

Here I was thinking touchdowns won championships. Silly me.

The Pats were pathetic in the red zone. Baltimore wasn't.

 

[fnordcircle]

Here I was thinking touchdowns won championships. Silly me.

The Pats were pathetic in the red zone. Baltimore wasn't.

I don't believe in cause and effect either.

 

[ausbacker]

I don't believe in cause and effect either.

I'm not disagreeing with you in regards to needing a great D. In today's game, there's not too many defenses that could defend 13 points.

 

[Steve102]

The two hardest hitting defenses in the playoffs made the Super Bowl. I do not think this was an accident.

 

[Patriot_in_NY]

We'll, I'm not sure I buy into the "Defense wins Championships" as much as you do, at least in this particular case. There are better defenses out there then Baltimore and the Giants. I think those particular defenses are the kryptonite for our particular offense. That's it.

We torched better defenses consistently, but we've always struggle with those 2. I think it's a matter of their personal, collectively, just understand our offensive schemes. They defense concepts, instead of personnel.

Besides, I don't think Baltimore's defense was the root cause of that loss. We move the ball fine. We just failed to execute at moments we are usually very good at executing (Red zone). We had our chances. Defense played better then offense on the whole, but still, losing Talib doomed us at keeping the Ravens under 20 points.

 

[Marqui]

The two hardest hitting defenses in the playoffs made the Super Bowl. I do not think this was an accident.

Exactly. Pats rely on too many soft finesse players on defense.

 

[BSR]

Exactly. Pats rely on too many soft finesse players on defense.

We do? I can think of one safety and that is about it.

 

[IllegalContact]

We do? I can think of one safety and that is about it.

that's funny.......I can't think of any safeties..........that are actually safeties........they all suck

 

[IllegalContact]

The two hardest hitting defenses in the playoffs made the Super Bowl. I do not think this was an accident.

the pats have plenty of defensive players who like to hit, they just seemed to not be in the mood last night while the raven defenders wer ripping into the pats......

maybe if they got more of them to wear yoga pants like brady

 

[Bobs My Uncle]

Well, we've yet to win a SB title when this teams #1 identity has been offense, particularly a passing offense. I'd like to see things change.

For starters, Brady is now 36 and not getting any younger. While he's still an upper echelon player I don't think he's a guy that can carry this team on his shoulders as he's done in the past. Especially not come playoff time, when the real games begin, and as we have witnessed first hand the past several years.

As I look at the personal makeup of this current team I see a ton of youth and talent on the defensive side of the ball at all 3 levels. Upfront, a healthy Jones appears to be a player you could build a defense around. Wifork, while not getting any younger, may have had his best season as a Patriot and is all pro. At LB, Mayo, Hightower, Spikes and Fletcher provide huge upside potential. In the secondary, Dennard and McCourty are already very solid with the needle pointing upwards still, If Talib is retained, then he sure looks to be the part at the other corner spot; and he's just entering his prime. Tavon Wilson is young but comes with ? With more experience, and a few more pieces (DE, DT, S) added to it, this defense has the potential to be dominant and the teams strength.

On offense, I see an aged passing QB coupled with an aged receiving corps. Not ideal! I see a bounty full of youth and talent at the RB position. I see the TE spot filled with a very dynamic guy in Hernandez and chalk full of excellent run blocking TE's including one who also double as one of the leagues top TD maker. I see a veteran and experienced group of OL which includes mammoth sized OT's that are young and just entering their prime.

Moving forward I'd like to see a change in philosophy that sees the Pats commit to building a dominant defense and making it the focal point of this team. Enough with the passing offense being that ..... as mentioned above, it's not won us a SB title being that.

Yeah I know the rules are all about offense but having a dominant defense seems to have worked against all of our top flight offenses and so I'd like to try that action out some. Besides, I'm really too damn tired of seeing a pathetic Patriot defense this last decade now.

Look it, I love Brady to death but he's not the guy to carry this team by himself anymore. Let's use all of those fresh, young RB legs, those excellent run blocking TE's and that large OL to build a punishing and dynamic rushing attack in order to take the pressure off Brady and allow him to pick his spots, something that he'd be devastatingly good at. Get a skilled and dynamic downfield receiver threat and feature Gronk, Hernandez, Ballard and Lloyd inside and underneath. Re-sign Julian.

 

[BritPat]

Since the custom titles have been available on here, mine has been exactly the message the OP has posted.

EDIT: I've just noticed it's disappeared

 

[Marqui]

We do? I can think of one safety and that is about it.

I should have specified their Dline. Aside from Wilfork and Jones, no one up front is scaring anyone.

 

[patsinthesnow]

Our homefield advantage is a meaningless joke?

 

[The_Riddler]

Here I was thinking touchdowns won championships. Silly me.

The Pats were pathetic in the red zone. Baltimore wasn't.

Exactly, which is why a tall, athletic, real WR opposite Lloyd would have and will do so many things for this offense. We scored thirteen points against an old and very suspect Baltimore defense. Piss poor play calling didn't help things, but again having Branch on that side of the field allows a defense to choke out the inner part of the hashes.

Lets get a big Dwayne Bowe type WR in here.

 

[Brady'sButtBoy]

that's funny.......I can't think of any safeties..........that are actually safeties........they all suck

Well, maybe they don't "suck" but we certainly don't have a true difference maker back there. A smart, big, bone crushing safety, whose got some stainless steel nuts is what that D needs desperately. Ala, Earl Thomas, Eric Berry, Mark Barron, yes, even like Polomalu.

(I won't say ed Reed because he's become one the dirtiest players in the league along with that tool next to him. I'd be embarrassed to have them on my team.)

Rodney was one of kind of kind but since he left that D has never been as good. The Pats need another dude like Harrsion, ASAP.

 

[Patriot Missile]

I've learned over the last 2 seasons you need healthy players to win championships.

You don't believe in cause and effect? That's what execution is. The drop by Welker was huge and quite possibly the Pats would of been up 20-7 or at the least 16-7. Talib going down didn't effect how this team played? Several things happen over the course of the game that effect the outcome.

Anyway, another wasted opportunity, but they will be back. the rebuilding process is almost complete and they've challenged for Super Bowls and and championships while other teams plain old suck.

 

[JoeShmoe]

The 49ers, supposedly the best defense in football got torched by White and Jones, Atlanta got torched by Crabtree, Jones, even Moss, Denver and us got torched by Smith and Boldin. Megatron's numbers speak for themselves

This year teams with big physical WR's are laying the wood on all defenses, even those with average QB's like Flacco

The shifty small WR system we run just wont take you to a SB, even with Brady running it

 

[RhodyPatriot]

We've learned that no matter what people say about the 'new NFL', no matter how many offensive records get broken, no matter how many lopsided scores the Patriots can put up, we've learned one thing:

Defense still wins championships.

Baltimore's defense, even with Pees at the helm, was able to dictate the pace of that game - not our offense. And so they kicked our ass.

Just like the Giants were able to contain, dictate and win in 2007 and 2011. Just like the Jets defense was able to contain dictate and win in 2010. Just like the Ravens were able to do to us in 2009.

Yes, I'm oversimplifying. The Ravens had some great offensive performances too. Yes, Welker's drop changed the tone of that game. But there's a reason why those key drops used to happen to the Patriots' opponents and now they happen to us. It's because the defense is setting the tone and receivers start pressing. Wes wasn't scared he was getting ahead of himself rather than worrying about catching the ball because our opportunities against that defense were limited.

You can list all the stats you want. You can point out all the blown opportunities from last night that you want. You can do that going back to 2007. The one static amidst all of those variables is that 5 out of the 6 seasons going back to 2007 have ended at the hands of a team with an inferior offense and a far superior defense.

The good news is that I think we're making a lot of positive strides. I think that the loss of Talib robbed us of our ability to play aggressive - something that had help our defense really turn things around. I think the players are there - but we'll need another half season and we'll need to get healthy again.

I think we'll have a top 10 defense next year. But the lack of one this year is why we failed and why we've continued to fail for a while now.

Spot on analysis. The Patriots need 2 things.

First thing they need is players who bring toughness. Hate to say it but a guy like Bernard Pollard is exactly what this team needs. Spikes has "it" but Spikes is not an every down defender. They need some nastiness like Rodney and Ty used to bring.
This is a soft team. That needs to change if they're going to win another Super Bowl.

Second thing they need is an "attitude adjustment" from this OC and QB.
All too often this OC and QB revert back to the Greatest Show On Turf. There were multiple occasions yesterday when the Patriots abandoned the run for no legit reason. How many more examples do we need to see that Tom Brady is incapable of carrying this team to championships?? Let the young skilled players play. Where was Shane Vereen yesterday?? These kids can't contribute if they're not given a chance. Vereen has some nice speed. Why was he not allowed to play?? Why do they limit their young skilled backs so much?? It's an annoying recurring theme with this team. Where was Danny Woodhead yesterday? That little waterbug couldn't get that offense some yards?? It's amazing how the passing game opens up if the run is used effectively.
You can run on the Ravens.
Patriots refused to exploit that area of the defense. Need to get away from being Brady-centric. You don't beat good teams in the playoffs that way. How many more times do they need to fail before it sinks in???