Eagles at Patriots post-game thoughts thread

FCB02062 said:

I've seen lots of folks citing 28 pts w such & such...these r the same folks that diminished Buffalo scoring garbage time TDs in wk 2. We need to face facts; the offense as presently constituted is not good...it looks like the preseason offense

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It will get better, but the preseason offense was better. No significant injuries and a week of practice with Martin,Amendola and the rest should put us in better shape, if the D also plays well.

People expect them to cruise while the other team genuflects. they get paid too and a lot are playing for their jobs this time of year.

I also don't think the Oline is playing as badly as people say. Brady needs to get the ball away and make completions to stop the rush. He's throwing the ball into the ground because no one's getting open, or they aren't where he thinks they will be.

If Brady has to hold on to the ball, defenses are going to rush full bore every play, I think people know that. We needed the hurry up offense at times but guess what? you can't run it if your receivers aren't perfect and predictable. That would be suicide and likely more picks.

Would have been a good week to steal one, but they made some bad plays, eagles made some good ones. It happens.

What's really worrying is that this team blew up two 14 point lead in 2 consecutive weeks. This will be used as fuel for other teams who used to be in the "game is over" mentality after the Pats opening 2 possession leads and now they won't. This team is shooting itself in the foot big time. Can't give free points to the other team like that.

Last playoff run we cameback from 14 points twice against the Ravens and 10 against Seattle (even more impressive). This year, not only I don't see this team so hot as they were last year but I'm worried on why/how they are blowing those games.

I'm not optimistic right now, nor desperate, but this talking "it took Hightower and Gronk out and the refs for Denver to win the game" and the "we gave 21 points to the Eagles, and interception in the end zone, pick 6 etc, special teams, for the Eagles to win the game" must be burned and buried. This team doesn't have the luxury of taking extra risks anymore, they must play bread and butter football and focus on playing mistake free. If we are going to see some 17-13 games so be it, punt the ball, kick deep, stop with these useful deep balls, and run the damn ball, if we need to punt 10 times then punt it.

And the coaching staff for Christs sake I hope they take their heads out of their asses because it's two losses on them. They not only are putting the team in position to lose but they are not supporting the team as they should, this team is panicking a little bit and the coaching staff is not doing a good job to calm the F down on the field.

I never thought I would say that but it looks like this team/coaching staff have a problem reading the game and making the necessary adjustments. I could see the outcome of Denver's game and this one as well way before the end. Many people on the game thread called the pick when Brady went deep before the play, and it was no surprise it went that way. The offense takes a huge hit without Gronk and Edelman that's for sure, that's why I insist we have a deeper problem regarding drafting and developing WR's and I think they should do something urgent on this matter. Maybe hiring an outsider, I don't know, just delegate this to someone more competent.

I remember winning a SB with our QB injured, winning a SB with one of our best defenders injured, almost winning a SB with our WR playing CB, almost making a SB with our stars Welker and Gronk hurt.

Injuries were never an excuse, yet now it is all about how we don't have our RB, our TE, our WR, our OT, our water boy etc. Give me a break.

Not sure if this has been talked about but that pooch kick the pats did after being up 14-0 IMO changed the game.

Eagles punted 4 times in a row prior yet for some reason the pats are trying to do an onside kick? That play right there changed the momentum in that game and gave the Eagles life.

ensoul said:

Eagles punted 4 times in a row prior yet for some reason the pats are trying to do an onside kick? That play right there changed the momentum in that game and gave the Eagles life.

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I think that is exactly the reason why the Patriots decided to do the onside kick. The defense was playing well. So either you recover the onside kick and put the dagger in the game, or the defense forces another punt, or maybe a field goal.

On the question of the Ebner drop-kicks, it seems Bill was playing scared to death of PHI's special teams and wasn't confident in Gost getting touchbacks. Fear of Philly's return game made Bill not want to kick away.

RayClay said:

I also don't think the Oline is playing as badly as people say. Brady needs to get the ball away and make completions to stop the rush. He's throwing the ball into the ground because no one's getting open, or they aren't where he thinks they will be.

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The flip side of that is that I don't think the OL up to several weeks ago was good as people said. A lot of their apparent goodness was Brady making them look good by getting rid of the ball in two seconds.

I think the OL is around its average level for the year (a little worse than average, perhaps) but now that Brady no longer has receivers that can get open in two seconds we're seeing the OL for what it really is.

I think the OL is playing at its level and this is how it will be playing the rest of the way. And yes, that means Brady's in a world of hurt until the WRs come back/play better.

Nehalem said:

I think that is exactly the reason why the Patriots decided to do the onside kick. The defense was playing well. So either you recover the onside kick and put the dagger in the game, or the defense forces another punt, or maybe a field goal.

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It was not worth the risk. Punt it long and let the defense do its job.

They will never admit this but the coaches and the players didn't take the Eagles seriously until they were down 21 points.

turkeyneck said:

On the question of the Ebner drop-kicks, it seems Bill was playing scared to death of PHI's special teams and wasn't confident in Gost getting touchbacks. Fear of Philly's return game made Bill not want to kick away.

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I agree but then what you do is kick a line drive between the upmen so its a line drive-worm burner that is fielded around the 15 and subsequently advanced to around the 30-35.

Sorry but that drop kick was overcoaching on BB part.

robertweathers said:

I agree but then what you do is kick a line drive between the upmen so its a line drive-worm burner that is fielded around the 15 and subsequently advanced to around the 30-35.

Sorry but that drop kick was overcoaching on BB part.

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I agree. I think BB was influenced by his 'thing' for dropkicks plus the small chance of a recovery that the squib doesn't offer.

QuantumMechanic said:

The flip side of that is that I don't think the OL up to several weeks ago as good as people say. At lot of their apparent goodness was Brady making them look good by getting rid of the ball in two seconds.

I think the OL is around its average level for the year (a little worse than average, perhaps) but now that Brady no longer has receivers that can get open in two seconds we're seeing the OL for what it really is.

I think the OL is playing at its level and this is how it will be playing the rest of the way. And yes, that means Brady's in a world of hurt until the WRs come back/play better.

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I 100% agree with this.

robertweathers said:

I agree but then what you do is kick a line drive between the upmen so its a line drive-worm burner that is fielded around the 15 and subsequently advanced to around the 30-35.

Sorry but that drop kick was overcoaching on BB part.

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PHI got the ball at its own 41 (and not further back because Ebner screwed up -- if he kicked it right it may well have been at the 30-35). You are apparently OK with the ball at the 30-35. So a 6-to-11 yard field position difference is "overcoaching"??

RayClay said:

I also don't think the Oline is playing as badly as people say. Brady needs to get the ball away and make completions to stop the rush. He's throwing the ball into the ground because no one's getting open, or they aren't where he thinks they will be.

If Brady has to hold on to the ball, defenses are going to rush full bore every play, I think people know that. We needed the hurry up offense at times but guess what? you can't run it if your receivers aren't perfect and predictable. That would be suicide and likely more picks.

Would have been a good week to steal one, but they made some bad plays, eagles made some good ones. It happens.

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I agree that the line is playing better than Brady is making them look. The difference is Brady doesn't have the receivers who can get open quickly, which allows for that quick release. He is holding the ball, waiting on the receivers to get open.

QuantumMechanic said:

PHI got the ball at its own 41 (and not further back because Ebner screwed up -- if he kicked it right it may well have been at the 30-35). You are apparently OK with the ball at the 30-35. So a 6-to-11 yard field position difference is "overcoaching"??

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I am very ok with the ball at the 30.

1. 10 yards is 10 yards.
2. Having a STer kick instead of one of the best kickers in the league kick was overcoaching.

I'm completely flabbergasted by the coaching in this one. Why the HELL would you think it's a good idea to attempt a pooch kick up 14? That gave Philly new life and a short field to work with. The OL has been badly exposed since Edelman went down. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like they ever really got better over the beginning of 2014 but were more or less protected by Brady getting the ball out of his hands in two seconds or less. The WR depth is also woeful. If that position group is injury-free, they're solid. When guys start to go down, you see mistakes such as drafting and then choosing not to improve upon the Aaron Dobsons of the world come back to bite you in the ass. The good news is that the quarterback play and coaching shouldn't continue to be issues and those are the main reasons the Pats lost.

The drop-kick was inexplicable. Desperate teams do stuff like that.

I'm also more concerned about the lack of time our OL gives Brady.

I've never seen our ST plays as bad as they did this week.

condon84 said:

The drop-kick was inexplicable. Desperate teams do stuff like that.

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Pats also did an onside kick against Washington as well. Pats did recover it but it's probably no coincidence that BB tried this against two of the weaker teams in the nfl.

I mean would he have done this again a team like the Broncos, Bengals or panthers? My guess is no.

ensoul said:

Pats also did an onside kick against Washington as well. Pats did recover it but it's probably no coincidence that BB tried this against two of the weaker teams in the nfl.

I mean would he have done this again a team like the Broncos, Bengals or panthers? My guess is no.

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Yeah I noticed that too. It's simply arrogance.

Dutchmaster617 said:

I remember winning a SB with our QB injured, winning a SB with one of our best defenders injured, almost winning a SB with our WR playing CB, almost making a SB with our stars Welker and Gronk hurt.

Injuries were never an excuse, yet now it is all about how we don't have our RB, our TE, our WR, our OT, our water boy etc. Give me a break.

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You are slowly moving into serious Patradamous troll territory.

We are missing not one specific player but over 70% of our total offensive production. Seriously, take away AJ Green, Eifert, Hill and Sanu or Marvin Jones from the Bengals and lets see how much offense they can produce. Or how about we take away Demaryius, Saunders, whatever TE and CJ Anderson from the Broncos. We can play the same game with the Steelers (Brown, Bryant, Bell*, Miller).

Any team will have trouble moving the ball when missing 3-4 starters on offense. It is not an excuse, it is reality. I understand people being disappointed but there is no reason to overreact to stupid, avoidable losses.