BB didn't "throw away HFA"

I've seen a number of posts today claiming that BB either "threw away HFA" or "didn't value it" or what have you.

In reality, it's not as simple as BB deciding "he didn't want" HFA. He was actually faced with a difficult choice: trying to maximize the likelihood of reaching the Super Bowl, while doing two things:

• Minimizing the number of injured players entering the playoffs
• Maximizing the likelihood of winning HFA

Unfortunately, those two goals were at odds with one another. For example, he could have played Edelman in Miami, but what if he got injured and missed the playoffs?

If the injuries hadn't mounted as badly as they had, and you still saw what happened the last two weeks, then I think the idea that BB doesn't care for HFA would be much easier to sell. But that wasn't really what was happening.

carolina was 15-1 and heading to the super bowl and they lost kelvin benjamin, their best receiver before the season began. Injuries happen. back in the day here it was next man up. Now it's omg so and so got injured, season over or omg, let's not go into our two minute offense to get some points before a half.

make with what you got, man up and go out there and let's quit making excuses. This is the NFL, injuries happen.

I hear what you are saying, but if treating Miami like a preseason game why was Brady playing and getting killed? If he's gonna play Brady, Gronk, etc...then play to win. Home field is to valuable to play it the way they did.

The fact that he continued to use our team's 2 biggest stars in Brady/Gronk tell me all I need to know about Belichick's thoughts on trying to win one of the last two games.

Unfortunately, it didn't work out.

ctpatsfan77 said:

I've seen a number of posts today claiming that BB either "threw away HFA" or "didn't value it" or what have you.

In reality, it's not as simple as BB deciding "he didn't want" HFA. He was actually faced with a difficult choice: trying to maximize the likelihood of reaching the Super Bowl, while doing two things:

• Minimizing the number of injured players entering the playoffs
• Maximizing the likelihood of winning HFA

Unfortunately, those two goals were at odds with one another. For example, he could have played Edelman in Miami, but what if he got injured and missed the playoffs?

If the injuries hadn't mounted as badly as they had, and you still saw what happened the last two weeks, then I think the idea that BB doesn't care for HFA would be much easier to sell. But that wasn't really what was happening.

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I was watching the 30/30 on the Bills. At one point one of the Bills said they were playing someone. They were having a bus game. Meaning the Bills were toast and wanted to get out of there. Their opponent did something. That something pissed them off because they felt disrespected. They went on to win the game.

BB did that in the Philly game. They got the same response. So that would have given them HFA. Didn't know it at the time but still no reason to do unnecessary things.

Boomer B said:

I hear what you are saying, but if treating Miami like a preseason game why was Brady playing and getting killed? If he's gonna play Brady, Gronk, etc...then play to win. Home field is to valuable to play it the way they did.

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BB has a mentality where he thinks he can take his team and win anywhere anytime. I doubt today changes his mind. You know the Pats goal is to win the division? It's not get #1, it's win the division so in essence, they accomplished their regular season goal.

sometimes I think BB tries to be to cute by going against the grain. This year was frustrating on so many levels.

Yes he did, he half assed "resting" and "going for the 1 seed". Dola and hightower clearly needed more than every other week off only to come back every other game and retweak their knees. If you wanted to maximize health neither shouldve played a snap between the broncos game and the playoffs. If you wanted to be healthy no one of any consequence should have played the jets or dolphins game.

Best coach ever, but the injuries led to the coaching staff as a whole losing their minds for about 40% of the season and that wacky thinking permeated today's game. Coin toss and onwards.

PatriotSpy said:

carolina was 15-1 and heading to the super bowl and they lost kelvin benjamin, their best receiver before the season began. Injuries happen. back in the day here it was next man up. Now it's omg so and so got injured, season over or omg, let's not go into our two minute offense to get some points before a half.

make with what you got, man up and go out there and let's quit making excuses. This is the NFL, injuries happen.

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SMH. You truly don't get it.
Yes, injuries happen. But you only have so much talent. When you have used 5 different players at LT and 4 different RTs (one of whom was your starting center the previous year) it's going to be tough to win games.

Now, add to that, you've lost both your #1 and #2 RBs. Your top 3 receivers are all injured as are your top 2 TEs.

That's just on the offensive side of the ball. Add in the injuries to Hightower, Collins, Jones, Chung and McCourty and what are you going to do?

PatriotSpy said:

BB has a mentality where he thinks he can take his team and win anywhere anytime. I doubt today changes his mind. You know the Pats goal is to win the division? It's not get #1, it's win the division so in essence, they accomplished their regular season goal.

sometimes I think BB tries to be to cute by going against the grain. This year was frustrating on so many levels.

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The fact that you think that BB's goal any year is to only win the division shows that you don't know this team at all and certainly haven't been a fan as long as you claim.. Off to the ignore list with you, troll.

DaBruinz said:

SMH. You truly don't get it.
Yes, injuries happen. But you only have so much talent. When you have used 5 different players at LT and 4 different RTs (one of whom was your starting center the previous year) it's going to be tough to win games.

Now, add to that, you've lost both your #1 and #2 RBs. Your top 3 receivers are all injured as are your top 2 TEs.

That's just on the offensive side of the ball. Add in the injuries to Hightower, Collins, Jones, Chung and McCourty and what are you going to do?

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well then they should have sat Brady. No reason to play him then if they're just going to run the ball 95% of the time in the 1rst half.

DaBruinz said:

The fact that you think that BB's goal any year is to only win the division shows that you don't know this team at all and certainly haven't been a fan as long as you claim.. Off to the ignore list with you, troll.

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Thank GOD!!! You are doing me a favor!!!

DaBruinz said:

The fact that you think that BB's goal any year is to only win the division shows that you don't know this team at all and certainly haven't been a fan as long as you claim.. Off to the ignore list with you, troll.

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I have heard that quite a few times where their goal is to win the division. Brady has said it himself. I'm seriously not making that up.

PatriotSpy said:

BB has a mentality where he thinks he can take his team and win anywhere anytime. I doubt today changes his mind. You know the Pats goal is to win the division? It's not get #1, it's win the division so in essence, they accomplished their regular season goal.

sometimes I think BB tries to be to cute by going against the grain. This year was frustrating on so many levels.

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Were you singing praises when the Pats beat a hot KC team (the one that beat the tar out of Denver and put Manning on the injury retreat)? Was he doing a lousy job managing the problem then?

Gronk, Amendola, Edelman, Hightower, Collins, McCourty, and fluctuating members of the offensive line were all borderline IR cases (any damage in the last few weeks requires IR consideration). Push their return, and the Pats may not have beaten KC.

I get the disappointment with the loss today. But calling out the guy who got the team to the AFC Championship (top 4 teams of 32) for mismanaging the team is a little over the top. The Pats in 2013 lost because they lost Talib and got victimized in the passing game. Today it was the line. 5 straight conference championships is not exactly chump change in terms of personnel management.

It was a meltdown ending. Denver has never been a friendly place and we saw it once again in display

MassPats38 said:

Were you singing praises when the Pats beat a hot KC team (the one that beat the tar out of Denver and put Manning on the injury retreat)? Was he doing a lousy job managing the problem then?

Gronk, Amendola, Edelman, Hightower, Collins, McCourty, and fluctuating members of the offensive line were all borderline IR cases (any damage in the last few weeks requires IR consideration). Push their return, and the Pats may not have beaten KC.

I get the disappointment with the loss today. But calling out the guy who got the team to the AFC Championship (top 4 teams of 32) for mismanaging the team is a little over the top. The Pats in 2013 lost because they lost Talib and got victimized in the passing game. Today it was the line. 5 straight conference championships is not exactly chump change in terms of personnel management.

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Emphasis should have been higher for HFA. Denver of all places. If it was elsewhere then fine.

So OP, you literally watched the Dolphins game and thought to yourself...

"This is a team and coaching staff that is giving 100% to win this game and value the chance to clinch the #1 seed today"

The playcalling and urgency in that game was pre-season worthy. The worst of BB's career in New England, legit cost them a Super Bowl appearance.

It has nothing to do with injuries, they should have won that game with the players they had on the field. That's a garbage Dolphins team that was playing for nothing with a lame duck interim clown coach.

Thinking back of all the huge late November/December regular season games the Pats have fought their ass off to get the #1 seed over the years and then to see....whatever the **** that was in Miami was just bizarre.

A total disrespect to the honor and importance of being the #1 seed, the "meh, it'd be nice if we can get it but ya know..." attitude was down right awful.

PatriotSpy said:

carolina was 15-1 and heading to the super bowl and they lost kelvin benjamin, their best receiver before the season began. Injuries happen. back in the day here it was next man up. Now it's omg so and so got injured, season over or omg, let's not go into our two minute offense to get some points before a half.

make with what you got, man up and go out there and let's quit making excuses. This is the NFL, injuries happen.

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Sorry man. Injuries played a huge role for us this season. Solder, lewis for the year. Collins, hightower, Edelman, Amendola, Vollmer, gronk, Stork all playing through injuries in the afccg. 7 impact starters playing through "dings" that had held them out of regular season games.

How many did we land on ir? 20? That's a guess, I'm sure it's plus 15 though. The only one I'll discount off hand is develin going down. That meant Hooman stayed and was traded for hicks, who played well.

There's only so many guys you can loose, and so many guys you can have banged up (16 on injury report?) and not see a clear drop off.

I've said in another thread that cannon was dissapointing, but that's a serviceable 3rd ot against an all pro olb/de. Happens.

PatriotSpy said:

I have heard that quite a few times where their goal is to win the division. Brady has said it himself. I'm seriously not making that up.

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It's their first goal, since it guarantees them a home playoff game.

Putting the coach's strategy aside, the game against the Dolphins and the game against the Jets were red flags the size of Alaska.

MassPats38 said:

Were you singing praises when the Pats beat a hot KC team (the one that beat the tar out of Denver and put Manning on the injury retreat)? Was he doing a lousy job managing the problem then?

Gronk, Amendola, Edelman, Hightower, Collins, McCourty, and fluctuating members of the offensive line were all borderline IR cases (any damage in the last few weeks requires IR consideration). Push their return, and the Pats may not have beaten KC.

I get the disappointment with the loss today. But calling out the guy who got the team to the AFC Championship (top 4 teams of 32) for mismanaging the team is a little over the top. The Pats in 2013 lost because they lost Talib and got victimized in the passing game. Today it was the line. 5 straight conference championships is not exactly chump change in terms of personnel management.

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it isn't necessarily the personnel decisions as it relates to the guys you mentioned, it's just, why play Brady in Miami if the o-line is depleted? Why the stupid decisions against the Eagles? Why throw the ball with Brady when you're up big in the 4th quarter? Why put him at risk there but go all conservative against the Broncos and Dolphins and Jets? I understand the o-line is a factor but still anything can happen. The philosophy used in his decision making sometimes is off the wall.