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In a week that saw the Raiders soundly beat the Niners, the Browns lose a heartbreaker, and Manning get shut out of any TD passes, it shouldn't have been surprising to see this game be as difficult as it seemed. We should NEVER forget just how hard it is to win in the NFL
Like an old man I fell asleep during the post game summaries, so apologies in advance for any redundancies
1. Watching Solder get drubbed early a couple of times was disturbing. Watching him recover and dominate later in the game shouldn't be dismissed. Ingram was a high pick who is finally coming into his own after dealing with injuries. He's a good player and will be a test for any OT. But the fact is, as the game went on Solder played better and better. Far too often we forget that the "other guys" get paid big money as well. Credit needs to be given for Solder taking the hit and having the toughness to bounce back.
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2. The being said, the OL (ncluding the TE's,) didn't do much to open much in the running game againstSD's front. That's a bit concerning since the next 3 front 7's we face will all be better than the Chargers. So while I think both Connolly and Wendell do as good as they can with what they have, if there is one area that needs an upgrade next season,
3. All that being said, it shouldn't be forgotten that despite a horrible start to the season, this cobbled together OL (without Logan Mankins) as given up less than half (18) the number of sacks as well as fewer hits and hurries. It's a VAST improvement that shouldn't go unnoticed.
4. I hope by next year Tim Wright will have a consistent role in the Pats offense. Right now it really seems so hit and miss. I know I'm confused.
5. I guess I feel obatgated to comment on "the penalty". The league simply has to make this something that is reviewable. I don't blame the officials for calling it. Its easy for us to see it unfolding in slow motion replay, but at game speed, it looked a lot worse than it was. If the goal is to err in favor of "safety", I can see the flag being thrown. HOWEVER, if the league even wants to give more than lip service to getting it RIGHT, then the solution is simple and will take less than another beer commercial. Its something that really should be implemented before the playoffs.
6. That kind of turn around could have easily cost another team its game. I'm sure many of us feared the worst. Clearly the Pats are made of better stuff.
7. You know its easy fodder to wonder how teams like Tennesse, TB, and. Buffalo couldn't find room for Cassilas, Ayers, and Branch, but I wonder if that says less about how great our FO is (and it IS great), and more about how many quality NFL athletes don't have jobs. The Pats aren't the only team in the league that has guys playing well who were recently on the street
8. You know every now and again, Tavon Wilson makes a play in one of the limited opportunities he gets. He made a great hit on Gates that forced a punt. It makes me wonder if he is very quietly turning into the player BB hoped he'd become, but is just not getting much playing time because of how well Chung is playing. To me it just confirms how much depth we actually have in the secondary Just a thought.
9. What made Brady's pick so frustrating wasn't just that it happened at such a bad time, or cost them a chance at the lead, or was such a bad throw. What was so frustrating to be was how wide open Gronk had become behind Te'0. Had he thrown it deeper it would have been an easy score. Which makes it all the more curious because USUALLY when Brady misses a guy deep, its generally an overthrow.
To put it into perspective, think about Rodgers' TD throw to the TE. It would have been like having him underthrow that ball and Chung picking it off. BTW- that's exactly the reason I constantly forgive Brady for overthrowing so many deep passes. I have always felt its because Brady is so protective of the ball, he wants to make sure if HIS guy doesn't make the catch, no one else will. That's why this pass seemed so puzzling.
10. I'm very glad that so many people here have avoided the knee jerk impulse to simply blast Brandon Browner for getting too many penalties and occasionally getting beat deep. That's simply who he is. He ISN'T a perfect CB, but a CB with some very unique skills which can greatly contribute to a good secondary as a piece of the puzzle. I also think he's the victim of his own reputation and is unfairly called on occasion....but not that often. He is what he is. We as fans have to take the good with the bad, and thus far, the good has far outweighed the bad.
Very similar to the Nate Solder metaphor, Browner got burned badly by Floydd, but as the game wore on, Browner got better and better.
12. Interesting that on occasion it looked like BB had McCourty covering Gates one on one.
11. Blount had a solid game, but I liked what I saw from Gray in his 2 carries and would like to see more. It looked to me that he had a bit more burst into the LOS.
13. Jaime Collins keeps getting better and better. I'm afraid my own expectations for him this season were too aggressive. He is still just learning the game, but his progress is really encouraging. His best is yet to come.
14. Pretty scary thinking about this defense with Highower and Jones back. We already got a glimpse of what we've missed this season with Siliga coming back and flashing. With Branch, Siliga, and Chris Jones all playing so well, it looks like we will have a relatively fresh Vince Wilfolk ready for the playoffs
15. Great job by Allen and ST's this game. Interesting to hear BB give Amendola kudos for his handling of those short punts. Its so telling that the HC would highlight what would be such a minor detail to most. Yet its why we've had 12 straight double digit winning seasons.
16. Curious that in the last of the 6 game obstacle course everyone feared, it ended with the offense playing its worst game, while the defense played its best game. 5-1 was probably about as good as we could have hoped for going into this endurance test. It even worked out that the only loss was also a non-conference game.
17. While homefield is firmly in our hands, NONE of these games can be taken for granted. Think about it, the Pats haven't played a team that had a losing record when they played them, since KC. Both the Bills and Dolphins have played very well against good competition lately, and BOTH sitll have winning records. And as for the Jets, they've been a hard out even recently and you can believe they will give it their all in a couple of weeks. they may have 3 games left, but only one matters to them..
In the end, these are all game we SHOULD win, but easily COULD lose if the Pats play poorly and turn the ball over. The next 3 games will all be physical battles, coming out relatively healthy will be just as crucial as winning
Like an old man I fell asleep during the post game summaries, so apologies in advance for any redundancies
1. Watching Solder get drubbed early a couple of times was disturbing. Watching him recover and dominate later in the game shouldn't be dismissed. Ingram was a high pick who is finally coming into his own after dealing with injuries. He's a good player and will be a test for any OT. But the fact is, as the game went on Solder played better and better. Far too often we forget that the "other guys" get paid big money as well. Credit needs to be given for Solder taking the hit and having the toughness to bounce back.
.
2. The being said, the OL (ncluding the TE's,) didn't do much to open much in the running game againstSD's front. That's a bit concerning since the next 3 front 7's we face will all be better than the Chargers. So while I think both Connolly and Wendell do as good as they can with what they have, if there is one area that needs an upgrade next season,
3. All that being said, it shouldn't be forgotten that despite a horrible start to the season, this cobbled together OL (without Logan Mankins) as given up less than half (18) the number of sacks as well as fewer hits and hurries. It's a VAST improvement that shouldn't go unnoticed.
4. I hope by next year Tim Wright will have a consistent role in the Pats offense. Right now it really seems so hit and miss. I know I'm confused.
5. I guess I feel obatgated to comment on "the penalty". The league simply has to make this something that is reviewable. I don't blame the officials for calling it. Its easy for us to see it unfolding in slow motion replay, but at game speed, it looked a lot worse than it was. If the goal is to err in favor of "safety", I can see the flag being thrown. HOWEVER, if the league even wants to give more than lip service to getting it RIGHT, then the solution is simple and will take less than another beer commercial. Its something that really should be implemented before the playoffs.
6. That kind of turn around could have easily cost another team its game. I'm sure many of us feared the worst. Clearly the Pats are made of better stuff.
7. You know its easy fodder to wonder how teams like Tennesse, TB, and. Buffalo couldn't find room for Cassilas, Ayers, and Branch, but I wonder if that says less about how great our FO is (and it IS great), and more about how many quality NFL athletes don't have jobs. The Pats aren't the only team in the league that has guys playing well who were recently on the street
8. You know every now and again, Tavon Wilson makes a play in one of the limited opportunities he gets. He made a great hit on Gates that forced a punt. It makes me wonder if he is very quietly turning into the player BB hoped he'd become, but is just not getting much playing time because of how well Chung is playing. To me it just confirms how much depth we actually have in the secondary Just a thought.
9. What made Brady's pick so frustrating wasn't just that it happened at such a bad time, or cost them a chance at the lead, or was such a bad throw. What was so frustrating to be was how wide open Gronk had become behind Te'0. Had he thrown it deeper it would have been an easy score. Which makes it all the more curious because USUALLY when Brady misses a guy deep, its generally an overthrow.
To put it into perspective, think about Rodgers' TD throw to the TE. It would have been like having him underthrow that ball and Chung picking it off. BTW- that's exactly the reason I constantly forgive Brady for overthrowing so many deep passes. I have always felt its because Brady is so protective of the ball, he wants to make sure if HIS guy doesn't make the catch, no one else will. That's why this pass seemed so puzzling.
10. I'm very glad that so many people here have avoided the knee jerk impulse to simply blast Brandon Browner for getting too many penalties and occasionally getting beat deep. That's simply who he is. He ISN'T a perfect CB, but a CB with some very unique skills which can greatly contribute to a good secondary as a piece of the puzzle. I also think he's the victim of his own reputation and is unfairly called on occasion....but not that often. He is what he is. We as fans have to take the good with the bad, and thus far, the good has far outweighed the bad.
Very similar to the Nate Solder metaphor, Browner got burned badly by Floydd, but as the game wore on, Browner got better and better.
12. Interesting that on occasion it looked like BB had McCourty covering Gates one on one.
11. Blount had a solid game, but I liked what I saw from Gray in his 2 carries and would like to see more. It looked to me that he had a bit more burst into the LOS.
13. Jaime Collins keeps getting better and better. I'm afraid my own expectations for him this season were too aggressive. He is still just learning the game, but his progress is really encouraging. His best is yet to come.
14. Pretty scary thinking about this defense with Highower and Jones back. We already got a glimpse of what we've missed this season with Siliga coming back and flashing. With Branch, Siliga, and Chris Jones all playing so well, it looks like we will have a relatively fresh Vince Wilfolk ready for the playoffs
15. Great job by Allen and ST's this game. Interesting to hear BB give Amendola kudos for his handling of those short punts. Its so telling that the HC would highlight what would be such a minor detail to most. Yet its why we've had 12 straight double digit winning seasons.
16. Curious that in the last of the 6 game obstacle course everyone feared, it ended with the offense playing its worst game, while the defense played its best game. 5-1 was probably about as good as we could have hoped for going into this endurance test. It even worked out that the only loss was also a non-conference game.
17. While homefield is firmly in our hands, NONE of these games can be taken for granted. Think about it, the Pats haven't played a team that had a losing record when they played them, since KC. Both the Bills and Dolphins have played very well against good competition lately, and BOTH sitll have winning records. And as for the Jets, they've been a hard out even recently and you can believe they will give it their all in a couple of weeks. they may have 3 games left, but only one matters to them..
In the end, these are all game we SHOULD win, but easily COULD lose if the Pats play poorly and turn the ball over. The next 3 games will all be physical battles, coming out relatively healthy will be just as crucial as winning
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