Rodney: Pats might benefit from losing one

[Off The Grid]

I may be wrong but wasn't Rodney one of the DBs that dropped a sure interception on the final drive of that Super Bow?

I'm just gonna go ahead and suppose that that meant "Defensive Backs"!!

 

[Fencer]

I don't think a decision is ever made to lose a game because of pressure and stress. It's more like they are going to win the conference and do you risk Tom getting hurt in a game that in the Super Bowl realm might be meaningless? I think those decisions come into play.

Right.

And it can snowball. Suppose you want to rest Vollmer. Then you probably also should rest Brady. And maybe we don't trust Jimmy G to throw away from danger as much as we trust Brady, so it's a little more tempting that it even already was to sit Gronk and Amendola. And soon the high-powered Patriots offense is anything but.

 

[Fencer]

Meanwhile -- at the moment the Patriots have 2 fewer losses than any other AFC team. So the likelihood of a "clinching everything before the final weekend" scenario has increased.

 

[OhExaulted1]

I think it's wise to sit some starters. It wont be the first time.

I thought that was a great move last year. Lombardi #4 is on the shelf. At the time I wasn't sure what to think. Tank a game at home? Can't argue with the result.

 

[TommyD4207]

IMO This team (and last year's) is far mentally tougher than 2007's team was. I wouldn't expect the same effect of being 18-0 if it happens.

That's tough to say. Sure, there are lots of champions on this year's team...but there are a LOT of young players on this team too. Still one of the youngest (if not the youngest) in the league.

 

[Wordsmyth]

Like I asked Rodney on Twitter, "You been hitting the HGH again?"

 

[supafly]

I can see Rodney's point and we all remember the incredible pressure from 2007.

That said, this situation is likely to take care of itself at some point over the next 3-4 games, and if it doesn't it will be pedal to the metal like always. They aren't going to pull a 2009 Colts move.

The perfect season talk shouldn't even begin until week 13-14, though. Way too early for that.

 

[Belmont Henry]

Just how lucky are we?! Think about it, we're here debating the possibility of having yet another undefeated regular season and actually wondering if it could be better to lose one single game. What an awesome ride this has been, I've been trying to make sure I'll enjoy every minute of it!

 

[PatsBoy12]

I think Rodney just remembered how stressful it was for the 2007 team. Tedy Bruschi talks about it a lot. They think it affected them in the Super Bowl.

I think different teams have different make ups though. So just because it affected the 2007 team doesn't mean it will do the same for the 2015 team.

I agree and disagree at the same time. The '07 team was full of veterans who had played in so many big games. And when you hear stories about how tight they were in practices and it looks like they played and coached that way in the big game, I just think there is something to it. Now, we have a team that is one of the younger units on both sides of the ball and I think it is fair to question how they would deal in the playoffs. On the flip side, it is pretty close to the same unit that won it all last season, so they do have that momentum.

Who knows? I, for one, really don't care about 19-0 nearly as much as I care about winning a SB. And while I know the two don't have to be mutually exclusive things, I still feel like I just want what is best for the team. If that means losing a game here or there during the regular season, then fine. If it means playing to win every game, then fine as well. Either way, I just desperately want TB and BB to get #5.

 

[IllegalContact]

they need to play to win the games, but if they have the #1 seed clinched by the end of week 15, they need to limit snap counts against the jets and dolphins and make sure they get through those games as healthy as possible

the last thing I want is to go 16-0 and then lose in the playoffs or super bowl.......19-0 would be cool, but only so much so

 

[YOUGOTMOSSED]

Rodney Harrison: Patriots would benefit from loss

Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm wondering if Rodney doesn't want the Pats to go 19-0... if he's not on the team.

Since we haven't clinched ANYTHING yet, I don't see the point of this discussion.

If we're still undefeated after clinching HFA, that's a pretty nice problem to have. I suspect if we're fortunate enough to be in that position, Belichick will limit the snap count of anyone not at 100% and keep playing to win to keep the team sharp.

Assuming we're at 13-0 and have HFA locked, the remaining games are Titans, @NYJ, and @Dolphins. We may not need our "A" squad to beat the Titans or Phins. The Jets aren't looking so hot at the moment either.

I'd like to keep the "undefeated" pipe dream alive as long as possible. Especially the part where Shula keels over screaming "Belicheat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" as an awkward looking Goodell hands the Patriots the Lombardi trophy in Superbowl 50.

 

[RobertWeathers]

I agree and disagree at the same time. The '07 team was full of veterans who had played in so many big games. And when you hear stories about how tight they were in practices and it looks like they played and coached that way in the big game, I just think there is something to it. Now, we have a team that is one of the younger units on both sides of the ball and I think it is fair to question how they would deal in the playoffs. On the flip side, it is pretty close to the same unit that won it all last season, so they do have that momentum.

Who knows? I, for one, really don't care about 19-0 nearly as much as I care about winning a SB. And while I know the two don't have to be mutually exclusive things, I still feel like I just want what is best for the team. If that means losing a game here or there during the regular season, then fine. If it means playing to win every game, then fine as well. Either way, I just desperately want TB and BB to get #5.

I also think they played tight in SB 42 and BB knew it.

Veteran after veteran has said that the 07 team was wound tight and stressed out.

As dumb as the 4th and 13 call was, I do think that "going for it" was an effort to loosen players up and get that swagger back.

Personally, I'm indifferent to going undefeated. If they are 18-0 and in the SB good and bad thoughts will be roaming around in my head. If they finish 15-1 and they "tried" to win on Week 17 with Jimmy at QB and Mike Williams running seam routes instead of Gronk... oh well

 

[IllegalContact]

speaking of clinching, given the pats win tonight, the pats can clinch the division next week with a win in Denver and a Bills loss in KC and a Jets loss at home vs. the dolphins


just sayin'....so much for the division getting tighter this year

 

[neuronet]

Two 18-0 Teams going Head to Head for the Championship would be flat out awesome.

Mercury Morris would jump off a bridge.

 

[Sicilian]

It's so hard to compare this season's potential dilemma (we're not quite there yet) to any other year. It seems like every situation that has a comparable element, also has a factor that makes it apples to oranges. But a few comments for arguments sake:

- Colts rested starters, losing a game to the Jets when they were 14-0. Ended up losing the Super Bowl, same result we had in 07 only by a wider margin. That said, the Saints that year were a more talented team than the 07 Giants, so the road was (on paper) tougher.

- The Bengals (I know, I know...) rested starters against those same Jets, and ended up having to play them in the first round. Now, we know the Bengals aren't a good example of typical playoff success, but allowing a team to gain confidence against you before you play them in the postseason is a dangerous game to play. One of the Patriots final two opponents is the Jets, who still have a shot at a wild card spot.

- That 07 team also had one of the WORST possible distractions hit the week before the Super Bowl with the Tomase article eating up some preparation time from the coaching staff. I have no doubt the team was a little tight that week already, but I think injuries to Brady and Neal, as well as dropped INT's, a bunch of dumb luck on the final drive, and a bold faced LIE being printed right before the game played bigger factors.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Rodney saying pats should lose one doesnt mean they throw the game like polian. He means if they end up losing a game it might not be all that bad.

100%!
Sometimes we have to keep two inconsistent and even apparently contradictory ideas in our minds at the same time. Once home field looks locked up it's possible both to want the Pats to win a particular game but also not be all that disappointed if they don't. I tried to say that out here last week about ten times.

We now have Troy Brown, Bruschi and Rodney all suggesting that XLII might have turned out differently if they'd had the 19-0 albatross off their neck. That's good enough for me.

 

[SVN]

Like I asked Rodney on Twitter, "You been hitting the HGH again?"

We won 2 superbowls of which he was a big part of.Couldnt have played the tyree catch better. Wouldve won 2006 AFCCG if he had played. Dont know why some are so ticked off at perceived slightness as fans from anyone and everyone to trash even our crucial and great former players just because he gives an opinion .

 

[Oswlek]

I may be wrong but wasn't Rodney one of the DB that dropped a sure interception on the final drive of that Super Bowl

Yes. Rodney, Asante and Meriweather all dropped interceptions. Only Asante's was one you would expect to be caught more often than not.

 

[ChessToCheckers]

This is a fun topic and I respect all opinions. My take is this:

I vividly remember the tank-job that Polian ordered on the Colts that year. Peyton, with his helmet on, was furious and pacing on the sideline. Jeff Saturday was so pissed. He shook his head and said that nobody on his team would play a game they didn't want to win. Collectively, they couldn't believe it.

It's the ONLY time I ever felt sorry for the Colts!

Of course, at the same time, I was thrilled for the Pats, that the Colts would not get a 19-0 season.

19-0 is damn near impossible, and not the target. That having been said:

Think how much a 2015, 19-0 Patriots season would piss off Roger, the Other 31, the Networks, and all of The Haters!

I'm all for it, and I'm betting all of the Pats are as well.

 

[Oswlek]

I also think they played tight in SB 42 and BB knew it.

Veteran after veteran has said that the 07 team was wound tight and stressed out.

As dumb as the 4th and 13 call was, I do think that "going for it" was an effort to loosen players up and get that swagger back.

Personally, I'm indifferent to going undefeated. If they are 18-0 and in the SB good and bad thoughts will be roaming around in my head. If they finish 15-1 and they "tried" to win on Week 17 with Jimmy at QB and Mike Williams running seam routes instead of Gronk... oh well

I think the Pats went for it on 4th and 13 because they felt like they had something. Brady has admitted that, had he made the right read, it would have been a touchdown. I also think Belichick himself was a big part of *why* the team was so tight; it wasn't just the record. I'd also postulate that the youth on this team gives them a better chance of maintaining higher energy throughout the playoffs even with that extra weight.