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Now all that's left is hoping McDaniels doesn't f it all up this year.
good luck with that wish
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CLICK HERE to Register for a free account and login for a smoother ad-free experience. It's easy, and only takes a few moments.Now all that's left is hoping McDaniels doesn't f it all up this year.
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Three Super Bowl victories, 3 scores by the opponent inside of two minutes left in the game.
Game scores:
Patriots vs Rams: 20-17
Patriots vs Panthers: 32-29
Patriots vs Eagles: 24-21
So, the best offensive team in history scored fewer points than any of the 3 Super Bowl winning Patriots teams, and the losing team from this past season surrendered the fewest points (along with the 2001 team) of the 4 recent Super Bowl Patriots teams. All 4 of the Patriots' Super Bowl teams this decade surrendered a touchdown inside of two minutes, and 3 of them still won. Let's try avoiding the revisionist history.
It was the offense's failing, not the defense.
I'm pretty positive that if McDaniels knew how to make adjustments we would have won that game.I think Josh McDaniels DOES know how to make adjustments. I just think he, and the entire coaching staff, did a crappy job. So did the OL.
I'm pretty positive that if McDaniels knew how to make adjustments we would have won that game.I think Josh McDaniels DOES know how to make adjustments. I just think he, and the entire coaching staff, did a crappy job. So did the OL.
Man give the Giants D some credit. They were the hotest D in the game at the end of the season. They played a very good game. Our OL may not have had their best game, but the Giants D DID have their best game.
Looking at the season as a whole and the SB I think we need to address a few things in the off-season
1. We need more of a pass-rush and coverage speed on D. The bend dont break defense gives up a lot of yards and its fine when your O is scoring at will but when it isnt we need more pressure on the QB and some faster guys at ILB and in the secondary. I would think Merriweather plays more this year at S then Harrison purely for speed purposes,
2. The O needs more balance. McDaniels play book almost went down to 4 plays. The bomb to Moss, the screen, Welker in the slot or Faulk or 3rd down. IMHO Stallworth was underused. We need more slants, quick outs and short routes to Moss and hopefully Jackson/Gaffney. Sending Randy deep and getting him doubled ALL the time isnt using all his strengths
3. Following on from that I hope the run gets used more this year - balanced between Morris and Maroney. Even if we go 3 and out a few times it wears down a rushing D line and lets Brady use more play action. I mean who was getting fooled by that last season (save that idiot S from Pittsburgh) - you knew it was gonna be pass
BB has addressed no.1 in the draft, lets hope the coaches and McD address 2 and 3 in pre-season
I'm pretty positive that if McDaniels knew how to make adjustments we would have won that game. I'm also pretty positive that if the D came away with a stop we would have won. I think what it came down to though, is that as a whole, the giants just wanted it more.
Reading this thread, I think this post nails it the best. BB and the coaches are definitely thinking about the last two seasons' final losses, but also looking at the bigger picture of how to make the team better overall, not just correcting the last problem which knocked us out of contention.
The smartest statement made in this thread.
Belichick and Pioli aren't building the '08 team off of the performances of everyone in their single final game, they are looking at the entire scope of a season's work and using that to determine their decisions.
We all watched last season, which do you think is more likely: the Patriots offense putting up 26+ points or the defensive pressure and middle of the field pass defense failing when we need it most? The Super Bowl is just one game from last season (albeit a very important one) but you don't make a season's worth of evaluations off of the performance in that one game.
The factor that cost us 2 years in a row is playing pass defense when the other team is in a comeback or 2 minute offense. In the SB we were horrendous in these situations with Gay as the nickel, and Rodney at S failing to come close to covering receivers who ran a "run toward him, cut and run away route" and were always open. Additonally, the coverage from the LB position was not strong in those situations, and the pass rush lacked depth, wearing down in both games.
I'm pretty positive that if McDaniels knew how to make adjustments we would have won that game.
Man give the Giants D some credit. They were the hotest D in the game at the end of the season. They played a very good game. Our OL may not have had their best game, but the Giants D DID have their best game.
I didn't mean to suggest otherwise. I have consistently said the Giants played a fantastic game, the only way they could've beaten N.E. They deserve all the credit in the world. I was merely pointing out that it wasn't simply a matter of McDaniels not making adjustments. And by the way, anyone making THAT argument should put the bull's-eye from Josh right squarely on to Belichick. The buck stops there, on BOTH sides of the ball.
It was really interesting seeing the progression from the loss in the AFCC to the loss in the SB. One can never be sure, but I bet its safe to say that BB was surprised, to say the least, that we didn't outscore the Giants.
Fgssand's response resonated well and I was quite convinced by it until I saw this.
Great point and it is awesome to see knowledgable fans present their cold-hard-football thoughts )) in a civil and clear manner.
Eager to read how others respond to this...
The most important part of the season is the 4th quarter of the SB, and our defense allowed 14 points over 150 passing yards and 2 80+ TD drives.
you can try to be analytical, and try to place blame based on a number of factors, but the bottom line is that in order to win a Championship you can not have a unit that is pathetic in the most important quarter of the season.
They played poorly, no doubt about it. But if our OL lined up against their D the following Sunday after the SB, the results would have been the same.
Statistics do not win Championships. Making plays in the clutch does. I dont care if the defense held the Giants without a first down for the first 3 quarters, when you allow 2 80+ yards drives in the 4th quarter of the SB both in cases where we were ahead when the drive started, you get blame.
The most important part of the season is the 4th quarter of the SB, and our defense allowed 14 points over 150 passing yards and 2 80+ TD drives.
Sure, you can try to be analytical, and try to place blame based on a number of factors, but the bottom line is that in order to win a Championship you can not have a unit that is pathetic in the most important quarter of the season. (And we could make the same statement about 2006)
In 2001, the Rams scored 14 4th quarter points, with about 91/2 minutes and 1 1/2 minutes left.
In 2003, the Panthers put up 19 points in the 4th.
Only in 2004 did the opposing team put up fewer points in the 4th quarter than this year's team (7).