An Achilles’ heel is a fatal weakness in spite of overall strength

[Deus Irae]

I think he's trying to say that the offense, by being unable to stay on the field or advance the ball, played a role by putting the defense in a no-win position. And that the only reason why we had a 3 TD lead in the first place was because the defense scored two of them. Nobody's arguing that the defense played well (it obviously didn't), but to collapse that badly both sides pretty much have to be at fault.

This really isn't all that complicated, just go back and watch the game.

I have. The defense blew the game every single time I watched the replay. I kept hoping for that to change, but it never did.

 

[Ring 6]

Bill Parcells meant Replacement Level. And yes, there are starters who are replacement level, but not a lot of them. Why? Because they get replaced so easily.


"Average" is not a bad thing. 50% of the starters in the NFL are average starters or worse.

He meant just another guy, meaning not a special player. He used the term toward average starters all of the time.
I'm done arguing a fact as well as arguing that the worst half of defensive football in conf champ game history wasn't responsible for losing that game.

 

[spacecrime]

Yep. Patriots are starting to become as ridiculous as Jets fans. Now it's suddenly a requirement to have All-Pros at every position or the team has an Achilles heel and BB is off his game.

Actually, Jets fans, as obnoxious as they are, as a whole tend to believe in their team, and that in spite of history to the contrary, believe that this year will be their year, that the changes made by the team will work.

We laugh at them, myself included, but they are at least fans. In fact, they are similar to the Pats fans I knew in the bad old days. "Yeah, we sucked last year, but we just drafted Kenneth Sims. Wait'll next year."

Our post-2001 fans want a superbowl every year - anything less is total failure - and so need to have a probowl player in every position to ensure a Lombardi.

 

[Ring 6]

I think he's trying to say that the offense, by being unable to stay on the field or advance the ball, played a role by putting the defense in a no-win position. And that the only reason why we had a 3 TD lead in the first place was because the defense scored two of them. Nobody's arguing that the defense played well (it obviously didn't), but to collapse that badly both sides pretty much have to be at fault.

This really isn't all that complicated, just go back and watch the game.

Now the defense scored 2 TDs? If we keep this up we will have won the game by the end of the thread.
Look, its very simple. It was the worst defensive half of football ever in a CG. The offense could have done more to hide the horrible defense, but it was the defense that was disgustingly pathetic.

 

[Synovia]

Now the defense scored 2 TDs?

I said the Defense and Special teams did.


Samuel scored on an INT return.

Hobbs returned a kick for 79 yards, and a TD was scored a couple plays later. I consider that a Defense/ST touchdown.


The majority of the rest of the points were off of possesions where the offense started past the 40 yard line.

 

[Deus Irae]

I said the Defense and Special teams did.


Samuel scored on an INT return.

Hobbs returned a kick for 79 yards, and a TD was scored a couple plays later.

Andy's response about 2 defensive touchdowns was in response to BradyFTW!.

 

[Synovia]

N
Look, its very simple. It was the worst defensive half of football ever in a CG. The offense could have done more to hide the horrible defense, but it was the defense that was disgustingly pathetic.

Thats funny.

The patriots VOA for that game actually shows the opposite. The defense was about an average performance for a team against the colts, while the offense had one of the worst games of the season.

 

[Ring 6]

Thats funny.

The patriots VOA for that game actually shows the opposite. The defense was about an average performance for a team against the colts, while the offense had one of the worst games of the season.

Back away from the Strat-o-matic and watch some football.
Yardage statistics to assess blowing the largest lead ever blown in a CG is wasting my time/

 

[DaBruinz]

Reche Caldwell.


The patriots lost that game because their offense couldn't stay on the field. They had several chances where a firstdown would put the game away, and they could not do anything.


At one point, it was 1st and 5, with less than 3 minutes left, and the colts were out of TOs. A first down would have ended the game.

This is false... On many points.

1) Reche Caldwell's 1st drop didn't cost the Pats anything because they scored on the next play.

2) The 2nd drop occurred in the 4th quarter when it was 3rd and 7 from the Indy 10. The Pats had to settle for a Field Goal. So, at most you could say it cost them 4 points.

NFL Game Center: Play-by-Play - New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts - 2006 20

3) At no point inside of 3 minutes remaining in the game was it 1st and 5 for the Patriots. There was a 1st and 10 from the Indy 29 that the Patriots failed to convert into a 1st down and they settled for 3 points. Unfortunately for you, the Patriots didn't opt to pass to Caldwell on that series.

4) Kelvin Hayden got away with raping Caldwell in the End Zone on what should have been a pass interference call. There was no call. And there was significantly more contact than anything that Hobbs might have done in that game.

 

[DaBruinz]

The offense's job is to get firstdowns. The couldn't even do that in the 2nd half. They were terrible.


The defense wasn't great in the 2nd half either, but they really needed the offense to put together one long drive against a terrible defense, and they couldn't do that.

The offense got 5 first downs in the second half.

The offense not being able to put together a long drive was because all the RBs save Evans were injured. Or are you going to conveniently forget more facts.

 

[BradyFTW!]

The offense got 5 first downs in the second half.

The offense not being able to put together a long drive was because all the RBs save Evans were injured. Or are you going to conveniently forget more facts.

And the defense had to resort to using Alexander at ILB. Injuries/sickness screwed both sides over pretty badly, not that it really matters. 5 first downs in an entire half is extremely bad, and is why the defense was out on the field for such a long time, which is a large part of why they were gassed and gave up a ton of points.

In the second half, the defense and offense were both very bad, and both contributed to the Colts' comeback. If the offense had played even halfway-decent football, the Colts would have run out of clock. If the defense had played even halfway-decent football, there's no way they would have been able to make up the deficit.

Nobody's 'defending' the defense for surrendering the lead. There are just a couple of people pointing out that it would be impossible to surrender such a large lead if the offense had done anything at all in the second half. There's plenty of blame to spread around for that half.

 

[dhamz]

Can't believe posters are still arguing about which side of the ball was most to blame for the loss to the Colts in the AFC title game. It was both sides of the ball.

The defense gave up 31 points in the second half, the offense didn't have a drive of more than 35 yards in the last 3 quarters. You can't blow a 21-3 lead without a total team breakdown which is exactly what the Pats had that afternoon.

 

[Synovia]

The offense got 5 first downs in the second half.

The offense not being able to put together a long drive was because all the RBs save Evans were injured. Or are you going to conveniently forget more facts.

The reason they couldn't put together a long drive is irrelevant. They couldn't put together a long drive. 5 first downs in a half is Raiders/49ers football. Terrible.

 

[Ring 6]

The reason they couldn't put together a long drive is irrelevant. They couldn't put together a long drive. 5 first downs in a half is Raiders/49ers football. Terrible.

If 13 points and 5 first downs, which is 26 points and 10 first downs per game is Raiders/49ers football, what is 31 points in a half, or 62 in a game?

 

[DaBruinz]

The reason they couldn't put together a long drive is irrelevant. They couldn't put together a long drive. 5 first downs in a half is Raiders/49ers football. Terrible.

*ROFLMAO* The reason is irrelevant? WOW. Now I've heard everything. You take away an half the offensive plays that a team could do that would run time off the clock and you think that is irrelevant.

Amazing how you just spini things again and again..

 

[patsfaninpa]

We're starting to sound like Sox fans. Over-analyzing everything. Ya know, sometimes the other teams makes plays and has hall of fame players.

P. Manning is one of the all-time great qb's. Can we give him a little credit?

The NYG defensive played like the Steel Curtain of 70's lore. M.Strahan is an all-time great. Osi played like the pro-bowler he was that year. Justin Tuck showed us he was going to become a pro-bowler which he did.

 

[Patriot Missile]

Wow 2006.

Game was over as soon as Colvin was injured. Up to that point he was a doing a great job covering Dallas Clark. I can't say the same for his replacement was as green as spinach.

Kevin Faulk was having a marvelous game up that point.

I don't know the extent of the injuries. But I do wonder if those two players had known that their presence was going to be the difference between winning and losing would they have played through it?

 

[mayoclinic]

Back to the subject of this thread.

I felt going into the draft that OLB was our top priority. BB obviously felt otherwise. He clearly thought that the secondary was our achilles heel last year, and did a magnificant job in the offseason and draft of addressing it. We've gone from the weakest secondary in the BB tenure to the strongest one since 2003, with potential to become the strongest ever.

Since he arrived in Foxboro, BB has used the highest number of 1st and 2nd round picks on DL (5: Seymour 6, Warren 13, Wilfork 21, Brace 40 and Hill 64) and DB (5: Meriweather 24, Chung 34, Wilson 36, Butler 41, and Wheatley 63). BB may not pick DB top 20 like DL, but he clearly is willing to spend valuable picks there. And he's used lots of 3rd and 4th rounders on DBs - Hobbs, Samuels, Sanders and Wilhite being good; trading for Starks (ouch), Brock Williams, Dexter Reid and Guss Scott not working out quite so well. That's 13 DBs in the first 4 rounds with BB as coach, compared to 2 LBs (Mayo and Crable).

BB has passed up lots of good LB candidates since he arrived. I desperately wanted Karlos Dansby in 2004 (much as I wanted Barwin this year). BB passed him up for Ben Watson. We passed on Lamarr Woodley at 28 in 2007. BB clearly has a very specific vision of what he wants, and he seems more comfortable developing it than drafting top picks on it.

At this point I've got to assume (a) that BB is comfortable with Woods/Crable/TBC/Redd at OLB in addition to Thomas; (b) that BB has another part of the plan in mind to address the position; or (c) both. I dont think his plan is to ignore a glaring weakness and allow it to be our achilles heel. Just a guess, but I don't think so.