Our First String Offense AND Our First String Defense Looked Awful

Now this is the Pats forum I've been accustomed to the annual pre season worries

mgteich said:

How many flavors of koolaid do you sell? Brees would be much, much better in there regular season. Maybe Mayo and Hightower would have made a huge difference, perhaps not.

Click to expand...

Can I have your tickets?

mgteich said:

Apparently, pre-season performance is irrelevant. Ok go back to discussing Deflategate!!!!!

Click to expand...

I mean, you're right that we have nothing else to talk about, but you're also right that it's totally irrelevant.

The OL and secondary were very poor against their 1 s, of that there is not doubt. But I'm reminded of the PS game against the Lions and the regular season game against the Chiefs. BB has a knack of minimising the problems and so I don't think it's time to worry yet. We were missing Stork and Vollmer on the OL, Solder was on his first game back and we have two rookies still learning. And on secondary we were experimenting with McCourty and Harmon.

If we're still struggling in late October, then I'll worry. August, not so much.

I remember 1 year we lost to the bungles 31-3 or something, went on to a very good season. It is preseason.

ArchAngel007 said:

Now this is the Pats forum I've been accustomed to the annual pre season worries

Click to expand...

I understand. Most of you wait until we lose the first game to panic. After 2-2, the season was over. IMHO, the time to see and fix the concerns is now, not when we're 2-2. I guess it's more fun that way.

I thought the pass rush looked solid to very good but DMC at CB and Harmon + Chung deep did not work. Tarrel Brown I believe started at nickel CB and didn't have a catch against him iirc. Brees got the ball out incredibly quick most of the night. That's the best way to nullify a pass rush that at times looked ready to make the big play.

There was no first string offense.

Brady, Solder, Jackson Vollmer, Blount. Theres your starting offense, with Jackson being a rookie.

3 rookies on the interior OL, only one of which should start.

No Gronk, Edelman, Lafell, or Chandler.

All of that combined with vanilla game plans and I'm not exactly worried. Theres no scheme, it's about executing specific plays, which, admittedly, they failed miserably to do, but our "first string offense" tonight won't be the first string offense when we play the Steelers.

Why is this even a topic? It's the preseason, it literally doesn't matter. The 0-16 Lions went 4-0 in the preseason. Take a chill pill.

mgteich said:

Brees would be much, much better in there regular season.

Click to expand...

This statement is debatable and almost laughable.

Brees last regular season game against the Pats (2013)

17 of 36 (47.2%)
236 yards
2 TD
1 INT
75.7 QB Rating

mgteich said:

Clearly we're not ready for Prime Time.

Brady count a first down in three series. The power run game was less than nonexistent.

Brees had four scoring drives against our first string defense. The result was three TD's and dropped pass that could have been a 4th TD (ended up in a field goal).

Click to expand...

Are you serious or is this a ruse to rein the crazies in?

mgteich said:

I understand. Most of you wait until we lose the first game to panic. After 2-2, the season was over. IMHO, the time to see and fix the concerns is now, not when we're 2-2. I guess it's more fun that way.

Click to expand...

It's just we can't really gauge anything in the pre season the Lions are always 4-0 in these games

Goodnight. Enjoy the Deflategate discussions.

Why people care what happens during preseason games is beyond my understanding.

ausbacker said:

Why people care what happens during preseason games is beyond my understanding.

Click to expand...

I sorta care.

I just refuse to panic when the not-even first strings play a quarter, and your Pro Bowl safety started at Corner tonight.

For me, the takeaway tonight is that Garoppolo is great on his first read. Decisive, and the ball gets stuck in between the receivers numbers. Sheard looks like he might be a real player. And a healthy Dion Lewis so deserves to wear that 33.

mgteich said:

Apparently, pre-season performance is irrelevant. Ok go back to discussing Deflategate!!!!!

Click to expand...

No, it's not irrelevant, but it has to be taken with a metric f—kton of salt.

DC_Patriot said:

Why is this even a topic? It's the preseason, it literally doesn't matter. The 0-16 Lions went 4-0 in the preseason. Take a chill pill.

Click to expand...

And the 2008 Patriots went 0–4 in the preseason. Heck the 2007 Patriots only went 2–2.

mgteich said:

I understand. Most of you wait until we lose the first game to panic. After 2-2, the season was over. IMHO, the time to see and fix the concerns is now, not when we're 2-2. I guess it's more fun that way.

Click to expand...

You might hold the concerns till Bill is playing it straight with an actual gameplay and no experimenting. Just sayin'

I always thought Blount is overrated. I always believed Ridley was better. So yeah I'm not surprised there.

Tom is fine and anyone who says the contrary can shut the hell up unless he flails for countless regular season games.

rochrist said:

You might hold the concerns till Bill is playing it straight with an actual gameplay and no experimenting. Just sayin'

Click to expand...

It is kind of amazing how some people still don't get it.

Remember in '11 when the Pats got blown out by the Lions in the 3rd preseason game which is considered the closest thing you get to a real game in the preseason? Went 13-3 that year and got to the SB.