Aren't we all going a little overboard?

[jsull87]

No, the Pats won because they scored 33 points in the first half...

Offense won that game for them, Cutler being awful certainly helped as well. The defense made some plays as well, but the offense definitely led them to that win.

umm the defense was directly responsible for a fumble return (7 points), and giving the ball after the strip sack at the chicago 17 (3 points), Intercepting a pass at our 16 yard line (stopping at least 3 points), and intercepting a pass in our in goal (once again saving at least another 3)... but yeah other than that this win was all about the O.

The points production from the D alone outscored the bears. Obviously the strength of this team is the O but this game the D did a great job and their turnovers were a big part of the win... don't see how you can pull me up on that statement

 

[Ring 6]

Kyle Arrington = This Year's Randall Gay

In fact, the similarities are striking. Both unheralded UDFA's who filled in and when a starter went out for injury.

There is one difference. Arrington can actually cover a receiver one on one.

 

[Ring 6]

If McCourty cannot play and Butler starts this whole gigantic ridiculous bubble will burst. You can plug and play at a lot of positions but CB is not one of them...

Then again if Brady scores ever time the Patriots get the ball the D only has to stop them once....

Yeah we still havent overcome that plug and play with Arrington.
Hey we have only won the last 2 games by 73 points. Clearly McCourty is worth at least 40 a game.

 

[ATippett56]

If McCourty cannot play and Butler starts this whole gigantic ridiculous bubble will burst. You can plug and play at a lot of positions but CB is not one of them...

Then again if Brady scores ever time the Patriots get the ball the D only has to stop them once....

How many points will the Packers score with Matt Flynn at quarterback?

 

[Ring 6]

He does have a point though, the Ravens game is the only game that the Pats have really been in that was fairly tight throughout and the defense could not sit back and relax with a double digit lead. I am in the minority that still is not 100% sold on the defense that they are ready to win in the playoffs when the offense doesnt give them a double digit lead to work with. Dont get me wrong, they are having a very good season, exceeding mine and many others expectations, but I still am not 100% sold on them being ready for what may come in the playoffs.

Aside from allowing 10 points in the last 2 games and 17 in the last 2 1/2, what exactly would you like them to do to make you give them the endorsement you feel you need to withhold? Are they supposed to let up more points so the game is close?
What about the SD game? That was close. Detroit? The defense shut them out after the begining of the 3rd quarter. Are you saying it doesnt count as a close game because by shutting them out it didnt stay close? Minnesota was not a blowout.
You seem to want to dismiss the games the defense had a lot to do with creating the lead and then say they havent proven themselves because they haven't played close games.
The Patriots defense has not allowed a tying or go ahead score in the 4th quarter all season. What other defense can say that?
What defense are you 100% sold on come playoff time?

 

[Ring 6]

The Lions were playing on 3 days rest as well...The Patriots played terrible in the first half of that game, not playing to what they are capable of. The 2nd half showed what they were capable of doing, not so much adversity.

So blowing open a close game isnt good enough? They need to let the other team stay close by allowing points, then you would feel better about them?
So, it isnt adversity because they did what they are capable of but you want them to prove to you they can do what they are capable of?????????

 

[Ring 6]

When you have a double digit lead you are able to sit back and relax a little bit. The Patriots should not have allowed the Colts back into the game, if Sanders didnt bail them out they would have lost it this year too.

Which teams in the NFL havent lost double digit leads this year?

BAIL THEM OUT?
How does the defense making a play equal bailing them out.

I see after your viewpoint was trashed in the last thread you gave up and now bring it over here.
I will ask again, why do you think knocking down a pass is admirable and intercepting it cheap?

 

[MassPats38]

Not at all. If I was troll or stirrer I would bring up SpyGate or some such garbage. I am just trying to inject a wee bit of realism into these Super Bowl fantasies. I as happy as anyone to gloat over the humiliation of the Jets but the Super Bowl is not a given. A lot of high-flying teams get shot down before hoisting the Lombardi like oh well The Greatest Show on Turf.

Aren't you the same guy that said the Pats would not beat the Bears, Mr. Reality Check? ("I don't see how the Patriots can go 4-0. The worst problem will be the Bears tomorrow but Miami and Buffalo will want to play to spoiler role and the Packers are no pushover. However that being said if the Patriots can somehow find a way to beat the Bears then the whole spoiler issue may be moot.") Realism requires that one have a view of reality - you appear to be tripping in some parallel universe where the Pats are not 11-2.

 

[Ring 6]

We almost got beat by the colts for pete's sake! Buffalo too although that was before the offense changed.

Not ready to proclaim them the best of all time just yet! Sorry!

Really didnt almost lose to Buffalo. It wasnt a blowout and they hung around for most of the game, but it was never 'almost a loss'.

 

[TheGodInAGreyHoodie]

Aside from allowing 10 points in the last 2 games and 17 in the last 2 1/2, what exactly would you like them to do to make you give them the endorsement you feel you need to withhold?

Well to be fair the defense isn't scoring as many TDs late in the season as they were earlier in the season. I would be very happy if they didn't just prevent the other team from scoring but started actually scoring some points.

I mean if the opposing QB is nice enough to throw our DBs passes shouldn't they run them into the end zone instead of getting tacked and forcing the offense to finish the job. Really lazy of he DB not to finish the job and expect the offense to finish it for him.

 

[Ring 6]

Well to be fair the defense isn't scoring as many TDs late in the season as they were earlier in the season. I would be very happy if they didn't just prevent the other team from scoring but started actually scoring some points.

I mean if the opposing QB is nice enough to throw our DBs passes shouldn't they run them into the end zone instead of getting tacked and forcing the offense to finish the job. Really lazy of he DB not to finish the job and expect the offense to finish it for him.

Deserves its own thread, but did you know since week 3, the Patriots rank 10th in the NFL in Points allowed?

 

[Joker]

I'll tell ya what I know...been a Pats fan since day one..I have watched a team with young players at key positions like CB start off just trying to keep their head above water and now, in December, swimming like Olympic medalists...take all these gee gee gaa gaa "fantasea" stats crap posts and shove 'em right where they belong...you don't get to 11-2 because of "stats"...

 

[Ring 6]

I'll tell ya what I know...been a Pats fan since day one..I have watched a team with young players at key positions like CB start off just trying to keep their head above water and now, in December, swimming like Olympic medalists...take all these gee gee gaa gaa "fantasea" stats crap posts and shove 'em right where they belong...you don't get to 11-2 because of "stats"...

Well, you could say you do get to 11-2 by 'stats' but you would also have to say that there is no one capable of understanding the stats well enough to identify how and why.
Thats the problem. Stats are a great tool to use to develop an insight into how teams win and lose and what variables seem to have a good correlation. Unfortunately many people have it backward and think that the stat is the event and the win or loss is the consequence when its actually the opposite.
I swear there are people who will try to convince you that the statistic that resulted in 11-2 (or whatever record) are the evidence that the team hasn't played at an 11-2 level.

 

[Patspsycho]

It's good to know the Negative Nancy Brigade is still alive and well.

That's a great name. I have to remember that one.

 

[Joker]

I swear there are people who will try to convince you that the statistic that resulted in 11-2 (or whatever record) are the evidence that the team hasn't played at an 11-2 level.

uh...exactly...it's not that I hate stats, it's that all my life I've watched and enjoyed NFL football and learned to tell the difference between good teams and bad ones without burying my head in mountains of numbers and abbreviations...it has always been at the END of the season when I take a close look at the totality of the team stats and make judgements from there, that the numbers have interest.

The point is, I expect a rookie CB to have relatively poor stats as a starter, but if he is WORTH a starting berth then his stats should improve...just as team defense should improve as young players in the scheme progress...is that NOT what we're seeing this season?

That's why the chicken little syndrome here is so infuriating...it never stops

 

[The Dynasty]

The Patriots defense has not allowed a tying or go ahead score in the 4th quarter all season. What other defense can say that?
What defense are you 100% sold on come playoff time?

Well how many games have the Pats played in that were actually close in the 4th quarter?

Bengals- up 31-17, give up TD, win 38-24
Jets- down 21-14, give up a TD, lose 28-14
Bills- up 31-23, give up TD, win 38-30
Dolphins- up 27-14, no points, win 41-14
Ravens- down 17-10, give up FG, win 23-20 OT
Chargers- up 23-3, give up 2 TDs and FG, win 23-20
Vikings- up 21-10, give up TD and 2 pt conversion, win 28-18
Browns- down 24-7, give up TD and FG, lose 34-14
Steelers- up 23-3, give up 3 TDs and (2) 2 pt conversions, win 39-26
Colts- up 28-14, give up 2 TDs, win 31-28
Lions- tied 24-24, no points, win 45-24
Jets- up 31-3, no points, win 45-3
Bears- up 36-7, no points, win 36-7

Well in every game that the Patriots won, except 2 the Pats have had a double digit lead and 3 were of 20 points or more, so that really isnt saying much for the defense. And one of them was the Lions...The Pats D has only been in 3 games where the score has been 7 points or less going into the 4th. The Pats are 2-1 in those games. The Lions game the Pats really took control in the 3rd, the Jets held on to win and the Pats came from behind and played well and had big stops in the 4th in the Ravens game. This proves that the Pats D really has not been tested at all this year, and quite frankly havent played well in the 4th quarter as a whole.

 

[IcyPatriot]

All I have heard this week is how the Patriots are going to win the Super Bowl and Tom Brady is the greatest QB ever...it is as if the Packers are not going to even show up. Also can someone please note that Brady almost threw three picks last Sunday; if it is was not for the butterfingers of the Bears the whole complexion of the game would have been different.

 

[ausbacker]

Well how many games have the Pats played in that were actually close in the 4th quarter?

Bengals- up 31-17, give up TD, win 38-24
Jets- down 21-14, give up a TD, lose 28-14
Bills- up 31-23, give up TD, win 38-30
Dolphins- up 27-14, no points, win 41-14
Ravens- down 17-10, give up FG, win 23-20 OT
Chargers- up 23-3, give up 2 TDs and FG, win 23-20
Vikings- up 21-10, give up TD and 2 pt conversion, win 28-18
Browns- down 24-7, give up TD and FG, lose 34-14
Steelers- up 23-3, give up 3 TDs and (2) 2 pt conversions, win 39-26
Colts- up 28-14, give up 2 TDs, win 31-28
Lions- tied 24-24, no points, win 45-24
Jets- up 31-3, no points, win 45-3
Bears- up 36-7, no points, win 36-7

Well in every game that the Patriots won, except 2 the Pats have had a double digit lead and 3 were of 20 points or more, so that really isnt saying much for the defense. And one of them was the Lions...The Pats D has only been in 3 games where the score has been 7 points or less going into the 4th. The Pats are 2-1 in those games. The Lions game the Pats really took control in the 3rd, the Jets held on to win and the Pats came from behind and played well and had big stops in the 4th in the Ravens game. This proves that the Pats D really has not been tested at all this year, and quite frankly havent played well in the 4th quarter as a whole.

The Dynasty you were seriously thrashed in the thread about the Defense. Why do you continue to cut and paste the some argument in one thread where you were made to look an ass and inject it into another thread knowing I can quote from there?

Do you enjoy the role of ass or are you a slow learner?

 

[DaBruinz]

All I have heard this week is how the Patriots are going to win the Super Bowl and Tom Brady is the greatest QB ever...it is as if the Packers are not going to even show up. Also can someone please note that Brady almost threw three picks last Sunday; if it is was not for the butterfingers of the Bears the whole complexion of the game would have been different.

The only person who seems to be going overboard here is you. I've not see a ton of people say the Pats are going to the SB... Yes, I've seen a few mediots imply that the Pats will, but it's hardly everyone.

BTW, you do realize that ALMOST only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades and nuclear bombs, right??? It doesn't matter if they "almost" happened. They didn't happen. Period.

I haven't gone overboard and neither have a majority of Pats fans on this board.

 

[The Dynasty]

The Dynasty you were seriously thrashed in the thread about the Defense. Why do you continue to cut and paste the some argument in one thread where you were made to look an ass and inject it into another thread knowing I can quote from there?

Do you enjoy the role of ass or are you a slow learner?

New thread. New topic. I dont make the threads. Seriously, the defense has really only been in close games in the 4th twice all year. One time they played very well and had some key stops vs. the Ravens and the other they gave up a TD and the offense couldnt do anything and they lost to the Jets. Doesnt them not being in many close 4th quarters concern you? More likely than not this will happen in the playoffs, are the Pats ready?