Can we criticize the defense now? Is that allowed?

[DaBruinz]

Well running a vanilla 4 man rush most of the game really wasn’t effective either.

Except they weren't. They were running plenty of twists and stunts. and they also switched things up to a 5 man front.

 

[Bobsyouruncle]

They need better players. They weren't that great last year but they had Hightower. On to next season I guess.

 

[skinnydog]

Twists and stunts? I saw a mostly 4 man rush all night. Maybe there will ba a count later. And twists and stunts that are easily picked up all night aren’t really creative.

 

[NE_Zealot]

41 points & over 500 yards.

This right here. If they don’t make wholesale changes to this defense there will be no super bowl wins for the foreseeable future. Last year was a one in a billion comeback. It’s absurd that Brady is constantly being asked to save the day, he deserves a competent D.

 

[DaBruinz]

the eagles lost their best player wentz as well as their best lineman in Peters. losing wentz is almost the equivalent of losing Brady for us. it worked out fine for them.

And that has nothing to do with what was mentioned. Nice Strawman argument.

If you can't understand the difference between a team not having 3 of their top 5 Corners (i forgot to include Jonathan Jones in my other post) as well as the leader of their defense to losing Wentz and Peters, then maybe you shouldn't be participating in the conversation.

 

[rochrist]

I'm pretty sure a lot of people here got boners over them losing.

 

[DaBruinz]

Well we are limited by what we know. Do you have some inside info? BB said before and after the game it was football related. If there was some major disciplinary issue why was he even in uniform?? He was in for as many snaps as anyone on D as anyone all year and today never got off the bench.

If you actually read my posts, you know that I don't have any inside info. That's why I'm not actually JUDGING Belichick's call. Because we clearly don't have all the information. So, instead of throwing sh!t at the wall like the monkeys have, I chose to be level headed about it and wait for more information. Because it's clear there is so much we don't know.

 

[rochrist]

One poor game by BB and this comes out? Wow

Sometimes I think Deadspin is right about us.

 

[rochrist]

Oh Joy, another BB ball washer coming in just in time ! Im sure the Jets wouldnt have benched Derrel Revis during the Superbowl.

Hard to say since they haven't been to one during your lifetime.

 

[JoeB]

We never punted. Most points by a losing team. Brady threw for 500 yards. Couldn't get a stop all gm.

 

[DaBruinz]

We never punted. Most points by a losing team. Brady threw for 500 yards. Couldn't get a stop all gm.

The Pats actually DID get 2 stops. They forced a punt and had an interception.

 

[VectorPrime]

The Pats actually DID get 2 stops. They forced a punt and had an interception.

That interception was a fluke deflection.

 

[DaBruinz]

Twists and stunts? I saw a mostly 4 man rush all night. Maybe there will ba a count later. And twists and stunts that are easily picked up all night aren’t really creative.

They spent almost the entirety of the 2nd half in a 5 man front, not a 4 man one.

 

[DaBruinz]

That interception was a fluke deflection.

Was still a stop.. it could have easily been dropped.

 

[skinnydog]

If you actually read my posts, you know that I don't have any inside info. That's why I'm not actually JUDGING Belichick's call. Because we clearly don't have all the information. So, instead of throwing sh!t at the wall like the monkeys have, I chose to be level headed about it and wait for more information. Because it's clear there is so much we don't know.

Please show me where I threw sh!t against the wall. No player interviewed after the game has even hinted Butler not playing was disciplinary. If that turns up fine. Hrowever why was he even in uniform if there was some major issue? Seems we could have used a 5th receiver, no?

 

[skinnydog]

They spent almost the entirety of the 2nd half in a 5 man front, not a 4 man one.

I’ll watch again but I thought one dropped into coverage a lot.

 

[skinnydog]

Was still a stop.. it could have easily been dropped.

By the time it bounced to Harmon you or I could have caught it.

 

[hodgey]

SMH..
Yes, because whomever built the roster should have expected:
- Alan Branch would work himself into the doghouse and never get out
- Derek Rivers would suffer a season-ending knee injured during TC.
- Hightower's season would end prematurely.
- Shea McClellin wouldn't be able to come off the IR
- Cyrus Jones would blow his knee out
- Malcolm Butler would do something to get benched

You only have so much money to go around. Do they need to improve? Sure. Every team does. Even the Eagles. But let's stop acting like they went 3-13 for the 3rd consecutive season. They lost in the SB because they didn't play their best game.

NO ONE, not even Butler, can say that his being on the field would have changed the game from an L to a W. The game just would have been different. No one can know how it would have been.

OH. Harrison wasn't the best Front 7 guy tonight. Contrary to Collinsworth. Van Noy played a better game than Harrison, but only barely. Neither was perfect.

Okay lets say KVN was our best player and JH was #2 what does that say about our roster building strategy? Why was Malcolm good enough in the last 17 games to be our #2 corner and tonight be benched? I liken it to the de-nutting of Welker in the Jets game. Other players recognize!

 

[hellolin]

Everyone who said that the loss in SB46 was on the defense...

This is what it looks like when your defense losses the game for you.

Exactly, first time the opponent didn't need a miracle catch to beat us in a Superbowl, that's how bad it is.

 

[hellolin]

They need better players. They weren't that great last year but they had Hightower. On to next season I guess.

Consider he is the guy who stopped Lynch on the 1 yard line before "the pick", then he was also the guy who sacked Ryan out of the field goal range which started "the comeback", safe to say we needed him tonight.