Biggest disappointments this whole season?

The Brandon Five · Jan 27, 2016

1. Special teams breakdowns against Philly and Denver.
2. OL performance going from good enough to apocalyptically bad.
3. Lafell and Chandler.
4. 21 guys on reserve lists.
5. Coaching in @Denver, Philly, @Jets and @Miami games.

meatface · Jan 27, 2016

TheFlyingWedge said:
Marcus Cannon - got paid Starting tackle money and has been in the system for years. He flat out sucked this season when he needed to step up.

Cannon is under contract to make $3 million next year while Solder is making ten and vollmer $6. I dont know if you are just pulling that "starting lineman money" out of thin air or saw it somewhere but averages get held down by rookies making the league minimum. our oline average salary is probably 3.5-4 million because of the the three guys making rookie money on the interior.

Ring 6 · Jan 27, 2016

So much bs so little time.

5 7 and 10 are fighting hard for most ignorant comment of the season.

MrNathanDrake said:
The entire Offensive Line. We've invested a lot of draft picks in recent years. Sure the loss of Solder hurt, but it wasn't just that spot. Fleming, Tre Jackson, Shaq Mason... None of our recent picks have stepped up. Cannon is useless as a Tackle. Stork didnt have a great year. This unit can't run block at all, and they can't pass block. Brady was hit so many times this year it's surprising he didnt suffer a season ending injury. The coaches shifted them around a lot to begin the year but the OLine just never settled in and gelled.

Brandon LaFell. Last year he was a legit threat and looked like a steal of a free agent signing. Never got it together this year at all. He had 6 yards last week against KC and 0 yards against the Broncos.

Aaron Dobson. Just cut this guy already. Lots of talents, but he isn't built for the big leagues mentally or physically.

Easley being IR'd again. I thought he looked good and was getting confidence and momentum. His injury apparently wasnt serious, and then he got IR'd. Please don't be the next Ras-I Dowling.

Gronk's "deep bone bruise". I will get some hate for this but I thought he played it up too much after the fact when they learned nothing was torn or broken. It seemed like he was too limited since then. He even stayed out of some plays against the Broncos to hydrate. I understand being careful, but he needs to toughen up.

Chandler Jones… every year he starts off strong and then fades as the season goes on. It happened again this year. I want to see him put together an entire season + playoffs of being dominant but he's just not that guy. Still a good player, but I feel like he's going to ask for elite money and he isn't worth it when he fades late in every season.

Coaching. In BB we trust. But every loss this year was very winnable. Never running the clock out. The team seemed to fall apart and give up in some losses.

Not getting Home Field Advantage. We know Brady has never done well in Denver. We were in this same position in 2013 when we had to go to Mile High for the AFCCG. We had HFA all but locked up this year. All we had to do was win 1 of our last 2 games against mediocre teams and we couldn't do it. The team didnt want it enough. It seemed like they went into "just don't get injured" mode after week 15 and they paid for it by having to go into Mile High once again.

Scott Chandler! This signing was hyped a lot. "Here comes the 2 TE set again! Watch out NFL!". They tried hard to get him involved early in the season. He just never turned into the threat we thought he would. Basically a non-factor for most of the season. Wasn't a huge upgrade over Hoomanawanui. This was his worst season since 2010. Usually players come to New England and put up better numbers, but it was the opposite for Chandler.

Lack of mental toughness. Perhaps this is related to the lack of veterans on the team. The way our team just fell apart in the 4th qtr and OT vs. Denver in the regular season. The meltdown vs. Philly. The two losses at the end of the season. It just seemed there was a total lack of resiliency and ability to toughen up at critical times when things weren't going our way.

Ivan · Jan 27, 2016

meatface said:
Cannon is under contract to make $3 million next year while Solder is making ten and vollmer $6. I dont know if you are just pulling that "starting lineman money" out of thin air or saw it somewhere but averages get held down by rookies making the league minimum. our oline average salary is probably 3.5-4 million because of the the three guys making rookie money on the interior.

I agree on starting OL money, it is more like 6 for good OL and interior OL and over 10 for top tackles. As far as Cannon goes I just don't think he gets it done at tackle and they usually only use him at guard in emergencies. I would rather as then let him go and find a swing tackle on the market or go to Waddle. Fleming I would keep through camp to see if he progresses or not, he doesn't affect their cap so it won't be a factor.

DaBronxPats14 · Jan 27, 2016

Joker said:
In hindsight, the Solder injury and the loss of Lewis threw the offense out of whack to the point that the Pats had a meltdown in the final regular season game. Not a hallmark of a BB team the past 15 years.

Nailed It! And then besides Solder & DL, just for Chitz & Giggles, throw in Edelman going down and DA, Bount O-Line and it Snowballs into Drop Kicks, Deferring Coin Toss in OT, Punt Return Blunders and going into Miami for frosty beverages in South Beach AND WE WERE STILL IN AFCCG.

PatsFan92 · Jan 27, 2016

If only we could have won either one of the Eagles, Jets and Dolphins games we would most likely be going to SB 50

Not securing HFA is my biggest disappointment because I feel we would have beaten the Broncos if the AFCCG was held in Foxboro. Anyway its on to next season and with TB12, Belichick and a healthier team, I like our chances going into next season. I am really proud with the way the team fought with the injuries all season and still getting to an AFCCG in the process is an achievement in itself.

IllegalContact · Jan 27, 2016

this year?

the inability to avoid media

DC_Patriot · Jan 27, 2016

patsderoer said:
A special shout to Ryan Allen. This scrub had a major impact on the loss. Awful punts which gave Broncos great field position, and put the Pats offense in huge holes. F him. Should've kept Mesko.

He was punting out of the end zone the entire game. Unless your punter is Ray Guy, no one's going to really succeed in that position.

Brady_to_Moss · Jan 27, 2016

OL looked like my local HS out there

PatsFan92 · Jan 27, 2016

Brady_to_Moss said:
OL looked like my local HS out there

Yeah, the OL is going to have to be made a point of emphasis for improvement during the offseason because that group was just putrid for most of the season. I am surprised TB12 was not knocked out of some games were he was just getting hit repeatedly on almost every damn snap. No one can question TB12s toughness after the punishment he has taken this season, he is a certified warrior.

Brady_to_Moss · Jan 27, 2016

PatsFan92 said:
Yeah, the OL is going to have to be made a point of emphasis for improvement during the offseason because that group was just putrid for most of the season.

OL even plays decent in that game and we move on IMO

neuronet · Jan 27, 2016

VrabelJr said:
The team played their hearts out today. What a fantastic defensive performance by both teams. We were only down 8 at the half, we could have been down 14+ and aside from one play we completely handled Denver's run game. Go defense!

Winning on the road is hard and we never strung together enough positive plays to tone the crowd down at all. I don't know how obvious it was on TV, but that stadium was an absolute **** show from start to finish.

Losing sucks but as a fan of the game of football it was a good game. Our last two playoff losses before this we were entirely outclassed. This one was hard fought but we fell short.I really enjoyed the game and feel very fortunate to have been there.

Great post should be thread from people who were there

Brady_to_Moss · Jan 27, 2016

For those who want lafell gone ect. Do you put any stock or think him starting the year late with his injury made him worse or no

TheFlyingWedge · Jan 27, 2016

meatface said:
Cannon is under contract to make $3 million next year while Solder is making ten and vollmer $6. I dont know if you are just pulling that "starting lineman money" out of thin air or saw it somewhere but averages get held down by rookies making the league minimum. our oline average salary is probably 3.5-4 million because of the the three guys making rookie money on the interior.

Cannon has base salary of 3.4 million (not including bonus's etc) looks to be average for a starting right tackle, when in fact his role has been more of a swing tackle up until this season. Here's some salaries for right tackles and there's 12 guys scheduled to make more money than him next year: NFL Rankings

Even if my calculations on what an average right tackle should be earning are on the low side, I still don't want to see that guy playing tackle for the Patriots next year. He was pathetic this year and can't be trusted to hold down that position.

PatsFan92 · Jan 27, 2016

Brady_to_Moss said:
For those who want lafell gone ect. Do you put any stock or think him starting the year late with his injury made him worse or no

Yeah, I think a foot injury for players that play in a very mobile position such as WR can really be detrimental to their level of play. I hope Jules gets that foot completely healthy in the offseason because I do not want him ending up like Dez Bryant and needing to reoperate on the foot near training camp or during next season.

The problem I have with Lafell is his unwillingness at times to finish routes and fight for the ball.

meatface · Jan 27, 2016

TheFlyingWedge said:
Cannon has base salary of 3.4 million (not including bonus's etc) looks to be average for a starting right tackle, when in fact his role has been more of a swing tackle up until this season. Here's some salaries for right tackles and there's 12 guys scheduled to make more money than him next year: NFL Rankings

Even if my calculations on what an average right tackle should be earning are on the low side, I still don't want to see that guy playing tackle for the Patriots next year. He was pathetic this year and can't be trusted to hold down that position.

Again averages, but idk what will happen with cannon now that the pats are making a coaching change. Bb has always liked Cannon and cannon doesn't have much guaranteed money so a rework seems possible

Brady_to_Moss · Jan 27, 2016

PatsFan92 said:
Yeah, I think a foot injury for players that play in a very mobile position such as WR can really be detrimental to their level of play. I hope Jules gets that foot completely healthy in the offseason because I do not want him ending up like Dez Bryant and needing to reoperate on the foot near training camp or during next season.

The problem I have with Lafell is his unwillingness at times to finish routes and fight for the ball.

There were a number of times this year i saw him and Brady not on the same page and it makes him look like he didn't finish his route ( He did both however)

IcyPatriot · Jan 27, 2016

My biggest disappointment were those in the forum (you know who you are) who acted like deprived whining juvenile brats after the Patriots loss to the Broncos .... it's one thing to be disappointed and hurt from the loss. It's another to bash the team after they gave their best and after all they have given since Mr. Kraft bought the team and Belichick and Brady joined the party.

Sometimes on any given day the other team wins ... sometimes they're the better team that season and sometimes they were just better that day. If it was any other way the game would be boring.

sevengables_2207 · Jan 27, 2016

My biggest dissapointment was the injuries, as their execution level in all phases was circumscribed as a result of the team missing so many key players for large chunks of the season, particularly down the stretch.

If this team was on the opposite end of the injury spectrum, then there is a very good chance us posters are breaking down the final matchup in the Super Bowl as opposed to putting a coda on 2015.

supafly · Jan 27, 2016

Tuck said:
Thank you . You made my point for me.

Gronk looked like he was playing through something for the last 6 games, presumably it was the bone bruise he suffered in the Eagles game. If he played through the injury in the Eagles game too, even if he was limited, the outcome of the game may have been different.

You can argue about Belichick screwing up the last two weeks of the season with stupid play calling, no commitment to the running game, injuries to Lewis/Blount/Solder/Edelman, the dumb decision to drop kick up 14-0, the choice to use Harper as a punt returner when Chung was doing a fine job, the refs bad calls in Denver, a piss poor OL, bad special teams gaffes in the Eagles game, the highest paid kicker in the NFL missing an XP---and the list could go on and on and on.

Blaming Rob Gronkowski from rushing back from injury when he clearly was hobbled and had to miss one game wouldn't even be on my radar. Nowhere near it, to be honest.

Biggest disappointments this whole season?

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