Welcoming back the "Old" New England Patriots

[RhodyPatriot]

The razzle dazzle, greatest show on turf, we are the new Colts NE Patriots are all done. Finished.

Hallelujah!!!!!!!!!!!!! :singing:

The 2013 - 2014 version of the NE Patriots will look like the dynastic NE Patriots from the early 2000's.

Ball control, clock control offense. Play action. Run the ball.

Defense that will turn the ball over, defense that will consciously take ownership of this team's success. In recent years the D has played 2nd fiddle and has in many ways been along for the ride because of the record setting offense.

That is no longer the case.

The D will be an equal partner with the O on this team and I believe they will embrace that as they haven't (had to) in a long time.

You can bet Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are not happy with this off-season of tumult but both are completely energized and excited by the challenge of it.

Wish the season were starting tomorrow.

I'm very excited about this team this year.

Gonna be watching some old fashioned New England Patriot football.

Can't wait.

 

[dales804]

It seems like it will be a different year from a playing style point of view but, as always, I'm looking forward to seeing the Flying Elvi on the field. Hope that defense can step up big time!

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Ball control, clock control offense. Play action. Run the ball.

Defense that will turn the ball over, defense that will consciously take ownership of this team's success. In recent years the D has played 2nd fiddle and has in many ways been along for the ride because of the record setting offense.

If the rules were the same as back in 2001-2005, I'd agree with you.

But I suspect that any return to the "old days" will be short-lived, and the Patriots will morph back to the 2010-2012 offense by season's end.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

We have like 3 or 4 threads already on what the offense will look like and whether we should panic or not.

Do we need more?

 

[MoneyFX]

The razzle dazzle, greatest show on turf, we are the new Colts NE Patriots are all done. Finished.

Hallelujah!!!!!!!!!!!!! :singing:

The 2013 - 2014 version of the NE Patriots will look like the dynastic NE Patriots from the early 2000's.

Ball control, clock control offense. Play action. Run the ball.

Defense that will turn the ball over, defense that will consciously take ownership of this team's success. In recent years the D has played 2nd fiddle and has in many ways been along for the ride because of the record setting offense.

That is no longer the case.

The D will be an equal partner with the O on this team and I believe they will embrace that as they haven't (had to) in a long time.

You can bet Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are not happy with this off-season of tumult but both are completely energized and excited by the challenge of it.

Wish the season were starting tomorrow.

I'm very excited about this team this year.

Gonna be watching some old fashioned New England Patriot football.

Can't wait.

Great points. I just hope that they can provide downfield passing at times. For the defense, if Ras-I Dowling can stay healthy, the secondary could be a strength this year.

A Talib-Dowling combination on the outside will be lethal, two 6'1" CBs on the outside. That will work when they play the Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons, teams that have big receivers on the outside. Devin McCourty is perfect at Free Safety with his ball skills and Kyle Arrington plays much better in the slot. I just hope the pass rush can do its job. Hopefully Jones can improve and Kelly/Armstead can help push the pocket.

 

[RobAllan]

I'm not ready to throw this party yet.

1. I haven't seen an indication that we have the personnel to do what's being suggested here. (It's possible, but we haven't seen that dominant of a "D" and haven't made many changes to it either.)

2. I can't get on board with "we released Hernandez who might be a murderer - YAY let's get back to football" I know that's not your intent, but it kind of feels like an inheritance is being celebrated before a body is in the ground

3. I haven't seen an indication that the NFL is using a rulebook circa 2003 instead of 2013.

I hope you're right, but I can't see any way to draw such a conclusion based on what we know now.

 

[BradyManny]

You just don't get it, do you? Let's do some simple math.

2001-2004
Subtract one obscure rule; subtract one kick out of bounds; subtract one vommitting opposing QB = Zero championships

2007-2011
Subtract one 12 men on the field; Subtract one helmet catch; Add one Welker catch = 3 championships

Good is good, regardless of style. It was not style of play that won or lost us those titles.

 

[Nunchucks]

I'm not ready to throw this party yet.

1. I haven't seen an indication that we have the personnel to do what's being suggested here. (It's possible, but we haven't seen that dominant of a "D" and haven't made many changes to it either.)

2. I can't get on board with "we released Hernandez who might be a murderer - YAY let's get back to football" I know that's not your intent, but it kind of feels like an inheritance is being celebrated before a body is in the ground

3. I haven't seen an indication that the NFL is using a rulebook circa 2003 instead of 2013.

I hope you're right, but I can't see any way to draw such a conclusion based on what we know now.

Patriots certainly do have the personnel to run the ball and the defense is most definitely looking much improved from last year.

Losing Hernandez is a blow, but I think that as long as the Patriots have the TEs they have and a running game with Brady to sling the ball they will be okay. Amendola doesn't look half bad at this point either.

 

[RobAllan]

Patriots certainly do have the personnel to run the ball and the defense is most definitely looking much improved from last year.

Losing Hernandez is a blow, but I think that as long as the Patriots have the TEs they have and a running game with Brady to sling the ball they will be okay. Amendola doesn't look half bad at this point either.

I'm not saying it's impossible, but we don't know how our run game is going to look if we have a passing game that is ineffective, which is entirely possible.

Further, our defense may be improved, but by how much and is it dominant like those teams? Not so sure. Certainly possible, but we have no indication of that one way or another currently.

And the other thing also mentioned is that, both styles of play were effective. We just had more luck with one than the other, but luck is luck.

 

[RhodyPatriot]

We have like 3 or 4 threads already on what the offense will look like and whether we should panic or not.

Do we need more?

Try reading the original post again.

 

[Shockt327]

The razzle dazzle, greatest show on turf, we are the new Colts NE Patriots are all done. Finished.

Hallelujah!!!!!!!!!!!!! :singing:

The 2013 - 2014 version of the NE Patriots will look like the dynastic NE Patriots from the early 2000's.

Ball control, clock control offense. Play action. Run the ball.

Defense that will turn the ball over, defense that will consciously take ownership of this team's success. In recent years the D has played 2nd fiddle and has in many ways been along for the ride because of the record setting offense.

That is no longer the case.

The D will be an equal partner with the O on this team and I believe they will embrace that as they haven't (had to) in a long time.

You can bet Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are not happy with this off-season of tumult but both are completely energized and excited by the challenge of it.

Wish the season were starting tomorrow.

I'm very excited about this team this year.

Gonna be watching some old fashioned New England Patriot football.

Can't wait.

Utter nonsense.

The 2007 Patriots dominated the clock more than any other Patriots offense. Go look up the time of possession before you try to cite it.

The 07 Pats controlled the clock about as well as you possibly can; its not even up for debate.

EDIT: and the 01 Patriots were pretty mediocre when it came to running the ball, and the 03 running game was complete and utter crap.

 

[RhodyPatriot]

I'm not ready to throw this party yet.

1. I haven't seen an indication that we have the personnel to do what's being suggested here. (It's possible, but we haven't seen that dominant of a "D" and haven't made many changes to it either.)

2. I can't get on board with "we released Hernandez who might be a murderer - YAY let's get back to football" I know that's not your intent, but it kind of feels like an inheritance is being celebrated before a body is in the ground

3. I haven't seen an indication that the NFL is using a rulebook circa 2003 instead of 2013.

I hope you're right, but I can't see any way to draw such a conclusion based on what we know now.

The Super Bowl defenses were not dominant. What they had were playmakers (Ty Law, Rodney etc) AND AN OFFENSE THAT PLAYED BALL CONTROL AND DIDN'T LEAVE THEM ON THE FIELD ALL DAY. Do not underestimate the importance of that dink and dunk clock eating offense in the success of that defense.

 

[Nunchucks]

I'm not saying it's impossible, but we don't know how our run game is going to look if we have a passing game that is ineffective, which is entirely possible.

Further, our defense may be improved, but by how much and is it dominant like those teams? Not so sure. Certainly possible, but we have no indication of that one way or another currently.

And the other thing also mentioned is that, both styles of play were effective. We just had more luck with one than the other, but luck is luck.

Patriots have the OL and the RBs to run the ball with success. Large, athletic, and experienced are the main attributes of the Patriots OL. Both Ridley and Vereen can run the ball. Vereen is deadly coming out of the backfield. These are things we KNOW. Committing to the run in this day and age of the NFL has been eschewed because of the PI rules, but that also means teams have been getting lighter and lighter in the pants on defense...meaning the Patriots large OL can push these folks around. The pass still must be respected, because Brady is the QB.

As for the defense, Patriots started 3 rookies (one for each level of the defense) and rotated in a fourth. Really, nothing else to say there. They added a safety that knows what he is doing. The defense is going to be nasty as long as they stay relatively healthy.

 

[RobAllan]

The Super Bowl defenses were not dominant. What they had were playmakers (Ty Law, Rodney etc) AND AN OFFENSE THAT PLAYED BALL CONTROL AND DIDN'T LEAVE THEM ON THE FIELD ALL DAY. Do not underestimate the importance of that dink and dunk clock eating offense in the success of that defense.

Dink and dumped was a definite contributor to those wins. I'm not taking away from that.

However, that defense was dominant with frequency. They didn't always prevent yards, but they frequently presented scores. I don't think we've had a defense of that caliber since the last Superbowl win. Pressure, solid corner play, excellent safety play, etc.

If you feel I've overstated the prowess of the "D" from that era, this is fair. However, my point that those defenses were better, I still believe, was accurate.

We'll see what we field this year!

 

[Nunchucks]

Utter nonsense.

The 2007 Patriots dominated the clock more than any other Patriots offense. Go look up the time of possession before you try to cite it.

The 07 Pats controlled the clock about as well as you possibly can; its not even up for debate.

EDIT: and the 01 Patriots were pretty mediocre when it came to running the ball, and the 03 running game was complete and utter crap.

Was that clock domination a function of forcing teams to throw because of the record number of points the Patriots put on the scoreboard or was it because they had a great running game?

 

[Shockt327]

Was that clock domination a function of forcing teams to throw because of the record number of points the Patriots put on the scoreboard or was it because they had a great running game?

The 07 Pats? It's because their average offensive drives -- even the non-scoring ones -- involved moving the chains constantly. They picked up more first down than any team.

How many 3-and-outs did that team have all year? Like, not even one per game. They dominated TOP.

 

[tonyto3690]

Can we please stop making completely pointless threads just to get your own two cents out?

 

[Deus Irae]

The Super Bowl defenses were not dominant. What they had were playmakers (Ty Law, Rodney etc) AND AN OFFENSE THAT PLAYED BALL CONTROL AND DIDN'T LEAVE THEM ON THE FIELD ALL DAY. Do not underestimate the importance of that dink and dunk clock eating offense in the success of that defense.

2003 Patriots defense was #1 in scoring and #7 in yards, allowing 238 points
2004 Patriots defense was #2 in scoring and #9 in yards, allowing 260 points


You can argue about "dominant", but those are excellent defensive numbers.

 

[Shockt327]

The Super Bowl defenses were not dominant. What they had were playmakers (Ty Law, Rodney etc) AND AN OFFENSE THAT PLAYED BALL CONTROL AND DIDN'T LEAVE THEM ON THE FIELD ALL DAY. Do not underestimate the importance of that dink and dunk clock eating offense in the success of that defense.

The 03 and 04 Defenses weren't dominant? What??

...and no, the 07 Pats dominated the ball more than any other Patriots team. So, stop trying to thumb your nose at it...

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Was that clock domination a function of forcing teams to throw because of the record number of points the Patriots put on the scoreboard or was it because they had a great running game?

It wasn't spectacular, but it was effective, especially before Morris went down with that freak injury in Dallas.