How Have We Improved

RANT BEGIN

I am not writing this thread in an effort to make it seem like I believe the sky is falling. At worse, we are probably a 10-6 team. Is that acceptable to all of you guys?

Can anyone please explain to me how we have improved this offseason?

We all know that Brady has very few precious years left. What have we done to help him win another championship?

In terms of key losses, defensively we have lost Revis, Browner and Wilfork in order of most important to least important. We lost a few other guys like Casilla but whatever. Wilfork is replaceable and Im not mad about losing him. But what the heck can possibly be done to improve our secondary at this point.

From 2005-2013 we had the worst 3rd down defense i have ever seen. The most frustrating football I have had to watch. We won but it was painful at times. We couldnt get off the field. We had the best QB in the league and we were on defense way too long. It shrunk the length of the game and limited the amount of opportunities Brady had to score. That takes a competetitive advantage of ours away. Over a larger sample size the likelihood Brady will score more Points Per Drive than the other teams QB is brought closer to the mean. In other words, more likely we score more points than the other team. Now that we have a crappy ass secondary again, our offense will have less drives and Brady will have to be more magical again each game to maximize the amount of games we win. At 38/39 years old, not like it used to be.

Offensively, I believe we are fine. Vereen is a good player but replaceable. I think the addition of Chandler is a big move. I would say maybe we are better on offense. Could we use a WR, yes, but i dont consider it a major necessity. I think Chandler and Gronk will make a devastating tandem.

We have a nice offense, but i believe a good to great defense is the most important thing. People will say we won with worse defenses, but that was when Brady was still under 35 years old. Hes almost 40 now. He is not going to be able to do now what he did when he was younger. It's possible but not likely he can keep it up. We need the defense.

Obviously, we have a bunch of quality draft picks, 32nd, 64th, 96th, 98th (i think), and somewhere about 102 I would guess. Thats good. But how many rookies come in and do well their first season? And esepcially drafting at the complete end of the 1st round there is unlikely to be many guys who can step in day 1 and be very effective, at least at CB which is our #1 need.

Are we going to trade a premium pick for a CB (whom probably doesnt exist)? Im confused.

RANT COMPLETE

We certainly haven't helped our chances of winning our game this Sunday, that's for sure. Who are we playing again?

Whiners be Whining.

we really haven't....but I still don't see any other team that has improved so much as to jump us even with our losses. Who are likely the top teams in the AFC?

Broncos- haven't added anyone and have lost Julius Thomas, knighton, probably welker
Colts- haven't done anything to address defense. replaced reggie wayne with an old andre Johnson and an old frank Gore.

so, all things considered I still see us in the AFCCG

Your first time on the Bill Belichick Offseason Rodeo?

We haven't improved. Fortunately, we currently own the #2 team in the AFC (Colts) and the #3 team in the AFC has downgraded TE, FS, and G this offseason (Broncos).

Our already insanely young team is coming off a full postseason and gets another full off season and training camp.

That's how we have gotten better.

RIpats88 said:

we really haven't....but I still don't see any other team that has improved so much as to jump us even with our losses. Who are likely the top teams in the AFC?

Broncos- haven't added anyone and have lost Julius Thomas, knighton, probably welker
Colts- haven't done anything to address defense. replaced reggie wayne with an old andre Johnson and an old frank Gore.

so, all things considered I still see us in the AFCCG

Click to expand...

The Bills are probably the closest one I can think of, but even that is full of unknowns. On paper though they took the #3 defense last year and added some pieces to the offense, so a 9-7 (really 8-8) team could be better in theory. But I still don't see them as a Pats threat yet.

They haven't, they're going backwards.

I don't care I can't stand it part 2?

The offseason isn't even over yet. Have some patience.

Looks like people are drowning their sorrows in green beer today.

It is March 17th folks. Opening Day is 6 months from now.

You got to be kidding me

We have gotten worse, but the offseason is still young. I refuse to believe BB will go into next season with what we have in the secondary. In BB I trust.

When does the season start? Lmao....

Well lets look.

DE - Added Shread - improved

DT - Lost Wilfork but Easley should be back and healthy... assuming we add a decent 5th player - improved

LB - Getting Mayo back - improved

S - Same guys as last year - same

CB - Goes without saying - Massive Decline

QB - No Changes - Same

TE - Added Chandler - improved

WR - No big changes yet but Gibson/Dobson could be better back end depth. We will see - Same

OL - Need to replace/upgrade Connolly. I am sure they will - Same or improved (pending)

RB - N/A - Going to be a lot of movement here. We will see.

STs - White/Ebner will be healthy - Improved

So overall some spots look better right now than at the end of last year. They still have things to do though but are probably again going to be the best AFC team next year IMO.

Looks like we are stuck with what we have at this moment.....ri...g..ht...NOW.

OK, we are done, everyone else got big Free Agents and we didn't... I WANT MY FA NOW!!!! GIMME, GIMME!

I just wish there was some way we could get players? Hmmm, how can we do that?

If the SB were played next week, we'd definitely be in trouble.

you guys dont get it. i never said the sky is falling, in fact i said i didnt think that was the case.

this is a passing league now. We have 0 corners.

the only option is either

trading for someone, but who is available

if we draft a corner, there are 2 problems (1) good corners usually need a year to be decent and (2) does anyone have confidence BB has any clue about drafting a CB? and if you do...im laughing at you

The OP makes a statement based on facts, asks a simple question, yet people on here accuse the guy of "whining." Truth is Miami, Buffalo, and the NYJ have signed some quality players (and haven't lost much that i can see) whilst the Pats have lost a ton and haven't signed anyone that is not currently a JAG based on their prior year's production. Sure, maybe this Jamaal Shared fella will amount to something, but something about him screams SHAWN CRABLE to me.
right now this team is going into the season with Arrington, Butler, Logan Ryan, Chimidi Okomngtononbalanhgni at corner....is terrence newman going to make a difference? All signs point back to that horrific defense of the last 5, 6 years prior to this season. Many fans say the Pats will switch to a more pressure-oriented front - is Jabari Shield the answer to the pass rush? Look, Ninkovich is a year older, and Chandler Jones is a shoe in to miss 5-7 games next year....just not too confident right now. I'd say, ok, win with offense and OUTSCORE the other team, but Johnson left with no contract as did Bush League...why no signings? Krafty gotta make more cardboard boxes or something?