Personnel Blunders~!

Joker said:

This isn't just one defeat. This is last year, minus the turnovers. Check Bill Barnwell, check AdvanceFootballStats, check Football Outsiders' DVOA: this has been the trend since 2006. You can only see it now because the offense was stopped, turned the ball over a lot in one game, the defense can't produce any more turnovers and they are facing decent passing games. Next week, it's the Giants. Then the Eagles and finally the Bills. Those are the only decent passing attacks the Patriots will face from now on. Maybe the defense's stats will improve and you'll think this was just a one-game fluke. It wasn't. The Pats are the reason Mark Sanchez stats are still within NFL-quality levels. Eventually, when they will be needed, if they make the playoffs, they will crack and lose the game for the rest.

That's why we care about this.

Check that...that's why YOU care about any of this...Bill Barnwell has coached and won what exactly? He's a former shill for Football Outsiders, not exactly the paradigm for correct, unbiased football analysis. You talk about a trend since 2006, I assume because of some mythical dire collapse YOU see coming...2007 the Patriots went 18-1...last season 15-3, 11-5 with a backup QB in between. What you are so focused on is this statistically better defense, but at what cost? Then you follow all this up with this out of nowhere, wacked "The Pats are the reason Mark Sanchez stats are still within NFL-quality levels." Sanchez was 16-26, 158 yards. The Jets LOST. Are you mistaking the Pats for the Jags??? Something is wrong with the way your brain is wired.

One more thing, "Belicheck's MIDGET Army" means exactly what? Comes across as if you are taking a swipe at any/all Patriot fans who seem to think Belichick is a good coach.

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The nickname is because the Patriots have short players in key positions (WR, RB, CB, S, even Aaron Hernandez is undersized for a TE). Nothing to do with fans.

Sanchez was 16-26 and 158 yards. Also 2 TDs for a 105.6 QB rating. Throughout his career, his games against the Pats are way over the average for him for the season. That's what I mean. He's a terrible QB, but he can make a career day against these pasts defenses the Patriots fielded.

And yes, the Patriots have won games. They are also 0-2 for the last two years in playoff games. Missed them in the 11-5 season. Eventually, a poor pass defense, poor 3rd down defense, kills your season. It's a matter of time. It happenned to Indy for the whole Manning era. It's happenning to the Patriots now.

Stop the parrot act...I know as does every Pats fan here what their record in the playoffs is the last two seasons...what does that have to do with this idea you are pushing about Sanchez....158 yards passing when the rest of the league is passing for 400 yards on the Pats defense shows how BAD Sanchez has been...by the way...did you happen to watch the 45-3 destruction just last season? Sanchez has had passable games against the Patriots, especially when he doesn't make mistakes or feel pressure from a rush but so did the GB backup last season, just for instance. How you post "he put up 156 yards(WOW!!! A WHOLE 156??at 6 yards a pass??Incredible!!!) and two td's" like that supports your assertion that Sanchez has "great games!!!!" against the Pats, and then use the most useless stat in history, QB rating to PROVE your point, well, that tells me you really don't have a grasp on real football, outside of a stat sheet.

Hernandez is a midget? He's a mismatch nightmare...don't get that viewpoint..or the running backs being midgets either. BJGE is built like a tank....I don't get it...you must really be a Giants fan. That I can understand with a moose like Jacobs at RB.

I've got to think that if there's somebody there like [Scott] Pioli, who used to get in arguments with him and used to challenge him on things, that someone might have said, 'Look, we have simply got to buttress our pass rush.'"

Added King: "If you look at where they are right now with rushing the passer, it's basically a Scotch-tape job."

When the Patriots drafted Ras-I Dowling at the top of the second round, it marked the fourth consecutive year in which the Patriots drafted a cornerback in the first two rounds. King said the Patriots might have been wise to have drafted a player like Arizona pass-rusher Brooks Reid.

"I've got to think if there was a strong voice saying we have got to do something about getting younger in the pass-rush that they might have made a different choice than Ras-I Dowling," he said.

KING IS RIGHT ON, GET USED TO THOSE NAMES, they are impact players on two of the best defenses in the NFL. The Patriots have no one young pash rusher with potential, oh, they have Ras I Dowling and his broken down body.
I used to get mad about the Spygate draft choice. Belichick would have effed it up.

Darolyn72 said:

I've got to think that if there's somebody there like [Scott] Pioli, who used to get in arguments with him and used to challenge him on things, that someone might have said, 'Look, we have simply got to buttress our pass rush.'"

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You mean like 08 when they took Crable? Or in 06 when he, according to Holly's new book, overruled everybody and took Maroney and Jackson anyway in spite of the objections?

You guys, and I mean the radical haters and homers alike, all want to cherry pick for your arguments. With a guy like BB you take the good with the bad as part of the total package. And there's still a lot more good than bad. Answers aren't that simple or some of us on this board of ultimate knowledge would be doing it for a career.

Do I want a full time DC, a change in personnel evaluations and scheme particularly on the defensive side of the ball? Yes. That still doesn't mean you blow the whole thing up. They are still transitioning on the fly between eras and staying highly competitive. Look at the Ravens, Titans, Chargers, Cowboys, Eagles, Packers and Steelers. All of them have thrown in some 5 or 6 win seasons during their competitiveness over the past decade. It's how they've gone and gotten a Ngata, Big Ben, Raji, Ware, etc.

The only other team not to have that downtime finally had it all come due this year as their GM kept putting all his eggs in one basket. Now without Manning and with the decline of all their other top players they're bottom feeders.

Belichick's Midget Army said:

I think the major problem comes from BB thinking he can break the bank with his adquisitions, both in the draft and FA. I think the draft blunders have been thoroughly discussed here and everywhere, but no the FA mistakes. Letting Merriweather go just a few days before the start of the season was a huge brain-fart. He may not have been the exemplary safety, but he was nontheless quite a capable safety.

In 2008, could have picked up Gibril Wilson, Erik Coleman, trade for Leonhard.
In 2009, Sean Jones, Wilson again, Darren Sharper, Jim Leonhard for free, trade for Dawan Laundry.
In 2010, Atogwe, Antrel Rolle, Ryan Clark...

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Well Meriweather has been benched (again) for another team that wants its safeties to play the scheme.

As far as cap space, this is the first year where the Patriots have gone into the season with significant cap room (past the normal injury replacement cushion) IIRC. 2010 that does not apply of course, but my understanding as a Pittsburgher is that Clark never wanted to leave the Steelers if they gave him anything close to a market value contract.

They have done a better job since Pioli has left, IMO. Now Pioli of course was trying to get players to stick on a roster that was already loaded, so in no way am I trying to imply that he should be blamed for the wiff's. Really I think if you seperate the Pioli years from the caserio/FR . As a fan you should be happy with what they have garnered in young talent. If 1 loss in Pitt has all of these MMQB's lining up on the Tobin. I'll have to road trip down there on Mondays to give a lending a hand or push as it were.

Darolyn72 said:

I've got to think that if there's somebody there like [Scott] Pioli, who used to get in arguments with him and used to challenge him on things, that someone might have said, 'Look, we have simply got to buttress our pass rush.'"

Added King: "If you look at where they are right now with rushing the passer, it's basically a Scotch-tape job."

When the Patriots drafted Ras-I Dowling at the top of the second round, it marked the fourth consecutive year in which the Patriots drafted a cornerback in the first two rounds. King said the Patriots might have been wise to have drafted a player like Arizona pass-rusher Brooks Reid.

"I've got to think if there was a strong voice saying we have got to do something about getting younger in the pass-rush that they might have made a different choice than Ras-I Dowling," he said.

KING IS RIGHT ON, GET USED TO THOSE NAMES, they are impact players on two of the best defenses in the NFL. The Patriots have no one young pash rusher with potential, oh, they have Ras I Dowling and his broken down body.
I used to get mad about the Spygate draft choice. Belichick would have effed it up.

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So with Scott Pioli here, Belichick would have drafted better even though the worst drafts of Belichick era were when Pioli was here trying to advise Belichick on his choices. The last few drafts have been better than the last few with Pioli helping to make decisions. How would have Belichick screwed up that Spygate pick with Pioli helping to make that pick? :bricks:

Rob0729 said:

So with Scott Pioli here, Belichick would have drafted better even though the worst drafts of Belichick era were when Pioli was here trying to advise Belichick on his choices. The last few drafts have been better than the last few with Pioli helping to make decisions. How would have Belichick screwed up that Spygate pick with Pioli helping to make that pick? :bricks:

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Wait, didn't we win SBs with Pioli/BB draft classes?

And what were the worst draft classes here? The Maroney/Jackson draft class?

Michael Holley’s new book “War Room” will be released next week and Peter King reveals some Patriots nuggets:

• Scouts were ticked off in 2006 that Belichick overrode their reports and picked Laurence Maroney in the first round (apparently on the strong advice of Josh McDaniels’ brother Ben, one of the Maroney’s college coaches) and Chad Jackson in the second round — even after receivers coach Brian Daboll said he didn’t want to coach Jackson.

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Looking around the league this year, the one player I really, really wish we had found a way to realistically draft is Sean Lee.

hindsight is 20-20....looking at it now, keeping Brandon Tate wouldve been a better decision than signing Ochocinco....but who in August HONESTLY thought that. on paper, Ocho looked like a no-brainer upgrade from tate...unfortunately 8games in its been a downgrade.

even so, im not sure Tate is our answer to the "deep threat" he didnt really develop into the WR we were hoping that he would..so much that Slater/Price beat him out this offseason.

but, we've still got Taylor Price, and imo he has the potential to be a better deep threat/WR than Tate if he gets the opportunity(and it looks like he will)

It would probably be easier to get some better bodies on defense if we didn't have the highest paid player in the NFL on offense.

condon84 said:

Wait, didn't we win SBs with Pioli/BB draft classes?

And what were the worst draft classes here? The Maroney/Jackson draft class?

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That doesn't mean he and Pioli weren't both on board with the picks. They have said in the past that they both agree on picks. Just because the underlings didn't agree with the picks doesn't means Pioli didn't.

Rob0729 said:

That doesn't mean he and Pioli weren't both on board with the picks. They have said in the past that they both agree on picks. Just because the underlings didn't agree with the picks doesn't means Pioli didn't.

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Noooooo. A GM is supposed to make picks based on what his WR coach thinks.