No one understands the big-picture problem with the Patriots
 

Here's what people don't seem to grasp in understanding the failures from 2005-2010. Great teams no longer have eight Hall of Fame players. You don't have Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Larry Allen, and Deion Sanders. You don't have Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Charles Haley, and Roger Craig. Add to those teams numerous pro-bowl caliber stars. Teams that go 14-2 in today's NFL are usually just a sliver above a 10-6 team, with the only difference being confidence, consistency, organization, and some luck. Player for player, these teams are not separated by much talent-wise. How many teams in the NFL have three future Hall of Famers right now? Not many, if any.

Teams that are constantly the front runners often get knocked out by hungrier teams clamoring for respect. They just don't have the head-and-shoulders above the field level of talented needed to truly dominate.

The problem with the Patriots (and Colts, to a lesser extent) is they will forever be frontrunners as long as Brady and Manning are the quarterbacks. They are expected to win every game and are never going to be the underdogs. If you don't think it's important to have that chip on your shoulder of needing to feel like you have to prove your worth to the world, you should probably talk to Rodney Harrison. The dynasty Patriots made their dynasty from being feeling disrespected, especially against elite, MVP-caliber quarterbacks (McNair, Manning, Warner, etc.)

This isn't an excuse; it's just the reality. Patriots and Colts constantly come out cold and calculated while fired-up teams stomp them out of the playoffs. This team has gone against the odds to continue competing at a high level, but that level is neutralized by the very real nature of being the frontrunner. This isn't basketball, where being the best team pretty much guarantees a win. It can all be lost in 60 minutes, and it usually is.

Props to the Pats organization for standing strong. Obviously, these young players need to become mentally tougher. Being tough isn't enough when you are going to be the favorite for as long as you put on the silver and blue uniform. They need to be championship-level tough. For the Pats, every season, the pressure cooker is similar to the defending SB champions. I hope next year we will see some huge growth from experience. Just like the Browns game, a loss like this, while a huge blow, could make the team mentally tougher.

Re: No one understands the big-picture problem with the Patriots
 

Here's what Breer had to say over a series of tweets:

"Been saying this for a while: Gotta wonder if Brady's Patriots have become Manning's Colts. Too-much-on-QB formula often fails in playoffs. ...

".. Would you believe Mark Sanchez (.800) has a better playoff win pct. than Brady (.737)? Not b/c he's better. B/c it's not ALL on him. ...

"... Brady was unbeatable in playoffs when team could win every which way. He's 5-5 since 2005. QB-driven model failed Elway, Marino, too....

"... B4 I board flight, ask yourself: How many shootouts did Brady/Manning have to win in title runs? Clutch drives, sure. Not shootouts....

"... Playoff football isn't played that way, generally. It's why teams built around a QB w/a D that can only operate w/a lead often struggle.


Don't always agree with Breer, but a good analysis, I thought. (As for shootouts on title runs, I think of two: Colts-Pats in AFCCG in 0607, and SB38 v Carolina. Other than that ...)

Re: No one understands the big-picture problem with the Patriots
 

Great points. I was a bit worried about this young team achieving so much regular season success. It may have gone to their heads and carried over into yesterday's loss.

Listen to Bart Scott's rant. The Jets truly believed they were disrespected, talked about it all week, and went into Foxborough and upset the number one seed in the AFC.

Re: No one understands the big-picture problem with the Patriots
 

I agree with this analysis too. Patriots need more pieces to better compete in the postseason.

Re: No one understands the big-picture problem with the Patriots
 

Isn't that what we said last year?

Re: No one understands the big-picture problem with the Patriots
 

I think you ALMOST have it right here. I would frame it this way: the talent discrepancy among the top teams is miniscule, therefore, if one team makes a few key mistakes, they will lose, even if they are marginally more talented or have the better QB.

Re: No one understands the big-picture problem with the Patriots
 

And, as has been noted, the Pats wouldn't have had to rely on Brady so much if the defense hadn't been so gutted by injuries.

Re: No one understands the big-picture problem with the Patriots
 

This is a year-to-year problem. Last year the major problems were leadership and putting games away. This year the major problems were nothing, other than what I posted. In the biggest game, they came out with the mentality that they'd win if they executed the Xs and Os. The old Patriots teams believed they'd win if they executed the Xs and Os- AND punched the other team hard in the face. We were dominated physically. No fire. No edge. No win.

Re: No one understands the big-picture problem with the Patriots
 

Been saying this since 8 PM last night.

Re: No one understands the big-picture problem with the Patriots
 

Gee, as a longtime Patriot fan, all I ever wanted was team that would compete every year. I did not realize being competetive year in and year out is the reason why we can't win. When you look at what the expectations of this team was, and how they played and won this year, they really overacheived and exceeded expectations by going 14-2. Tough playoff loss, but I beleive this team is going in the right direction.