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- Jul 11, 2005
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It's Tuesday afternoon that pain is still raw, but you can't post all the time in the good times and run away in the bad (or what amounts to bad for a Pats fan). It should be noted that I haven't read anything on the sight since the end of the game. And I won't be watching anything concerning football until at LEAST the start of the Superbowl. (in other words what might be the most productive 2 weeks I've spent since the start of the season. ) So I hope you will indulge me in this exercise in mental health.
THE GAME -
1. Sometimes you're wrong, and then there are the times when you are REALLY wrong. And this was one of those times for me. The score didn't surprise me, but the teams that wound up with those scores certainly did. And that wasn't all that surprised me.
2. I think the game plan surprised me a bit on both sides of the ball – On offense I was surprised we didn't run more and rarely tried to run outside the tackles when we did. I was surprised our passing attack went directly where the Ravens had to be expecting it. To Welker, Hernandez and Lloyd. We rarely dumped it off to open RB's. We didn't try to integrate Fells or Hooman into the attack, and rarely tested the Ravens deep, to try and open up the middle more. The Welker completion in the 4th where he did an out and up was so wide open you have to wonder if it had been there all game....and not just for Welker. The Ravens played us to clog the middle and attack the underneath routes.....and that's pretty much where we threw the ball.
3. On defense not having Jones and losing Talib hurt, but I was surprised we never did what was necessary to develop some kind of consistent pass rush. I don't know what the final percentage was, but I'm sure it was lower than what we'd be seeing in recent games. And when we did get a blitz it was a pretty straight forward one that was easily picked up.
4. I was also surprised that it was the usual suspects that continued to plague the D in the 2nd half. RB's releasing from the backfield and TE's in the middle of the field.
5. Ultimately the team that played most like the Patriots were the Ravens. They didn't give up the ball, while collecting some TO's. They were patient, didn't commit many penalties and were more timely making the big plays. That's how the Pats usually win games. Kudos to the Ravens
6. I'm sure Ridley was lambasted for the fumble. He shouldn't be. When you are knocked unconscious, you will likely fumble the ball. Credit the hit, don't blame the ball carrier for that one..
7. Wes Welker made some big plays and had a couple of key drops. I think we've seen enough of that pattern to believe that, it is what it is. Over all the good outweighs the bad... by a lot. But ultimately you have to determine “at what price does it stop being worth it”. I don't know what that price is, but the Pats do. I'm sure it will be the #1 question of the off season until its resolved.....and I hope its one way or the other QUICKLY. (before the draft).
8. Ultimately the reason for the Pats loss is clear. Red zone efficiency, on both sides of the ball. Think about it. The Pats actually gained more yards, more first downs, 2 more sacks, and only lost the TOP by a minute despite the 2 TO's. So while both teams got into the red zone 4 times, the Pats went 1-4 and the Ravens went 4-4. Reverse the results and you can reverse the score.
Of course some of the problem can be blamed on not having the greatest red zone threat in the game available, but we WERE the highest scoring team in the league while missing him for 8 games this season. Some of the problems were self inflicted, some were that the Ravens simply played better red zone defense that we did..
SEASON OVERVIEW
1. It might not seem like it now, but this WAS a better team than the one we had last season. The defense showed a significant improvement across the board, despite being the 2nd youngest in the league. The offense underwent a major reconstruction on the OL between retirements and injuries and managed the transition well, become a younger more athletic OL, who played well and has a vast upside.
2. It was unfortunate we never got to see what the 2 TE offense could really do with both guys there
3. I think the Brandon Lloyd acquisition worked out well. He might not have been the “deep threat” some expected, but he was NEVER a deep threat to start with. In the end he was a fairly effective outside the numbers receiver. Now we need to give him some help.
4. The QB played well....again. If he's slowing down, its hard to see where. He's certainly not perfect, but no one is (except after they retire) For the next 2 years I wouldn't trade my QB situation with any team.
THE OFF SEASON -
Defense -
1. Of course a lot will depend on if Talib is on the team. But the fact is that by the end of the season, Alphonzo Dennard ended up being a very solid, if unspectacular CB. If he'd been a first round pick, it would have been a good one, but being a 7th round pick, it was spectacular. He's going to be a good starter in the league for a long time, and for us for at least the next 3 years. So with Dennard and Dowling coming back, even if Talib isn't here, the area where I see the need to upgrade is still at the Safety position.
2. Chung is gone. I think we can all agree on that. His only value would be as solid depth for close to the vet minimum.. I'm probably higher on Gregory than most, but he's limited. I still think he'd be valuable as depth and spot starter. The draft is giving us an opportunity to upgrade him. This is going to be a great draft for safeties. Maybe Wilson is the one who can make a jump next year, but the bottom line is that in order for the defense to continue to progress, I'd rather not meed to have Gregory be the starter.
3. We need help on the DL – Obviously getting someone who can pressure from the inside is a priority, but its a priority for the OTHER 31 teams as well, and picking 29th in each round greatly mitigates the chances of that happening.
4. However we might find an impact player in that area of the draft at WR and S. So as much as I'd love to draft a Dlman high, anyone we DO draft is likely to be a 2-3 year project. NOT an immediate impact. If we ARE going to make a big splash on the DL, maybe the way to go is to pay what's necessary to sign this kid Armstead out of the CFL.
5. Watching other team's big WR's snatching balls away from receivers while covered certainly makes me feel jealous. We need help at WR. Either lets find a Tory Smith type deep threat, or an Anquan Boldin big strong guy.type. Preferably someone who fits both descriptions, but I'll take one of either. Lets get younger, bigger and faster at WR.
6. Here is a list of the key FA's the Pats have to sign...or not. I'd love to sign them all, but we need them to sign at LEAST 4 of them. Who will remain and who will walk is anyone's guess. I mean REALLY, all we can do now is practice uniformed speculation.
a. Welker
b Talib
c. Volmer
d. Edelman
e. Thomas
f. Arrington
7. Probably the one accurate thing I said last week in my 2 long posts was that in reality the Pats' roster has been almost completely retooled the last 2 years.(only 5 starters remain from the Jets loss in just 2010.) We've actually have over achieved, IMHO, getting as deep into the playoffs with the flawed teams we've had.
It's NEXT year that I believe will be the start of a great 3 year run, where I think we will see 2 more Lombardi's added to the Pats HOF. I believe we will start to see a team where the defense will start to pull more of the weight and an offense that isn't going to slack off. There might be teams as strong and balanced as the Pats, but NONE will be better. The Pats aren't going away soon, so the haters just better get used to it.
Have a great off season guys. Thanks for all your responses to my missives over this season. I'm off to enjoy my productive 2 weeks and await the start of the draft watch.
THE GAME -
1. Sometimes you're wrong, and then there are the times when you are REALLY wrong. And this was one of those times for me. The score didn't surprise me, but the teams that wound up with those scores certainly did. And that wasn't all that surprised me.
2. I think the game plan surprised me a bit on both sides of the ball – On offense I was surprised we didn't run more and rarely tried to run outside the tackles when we did. I was surprised our passing attack went directly where the Ravens had to be expecting it. To Welker, Hernandez and Lloyd. We rarely dumped it off to open RB's. We didn't try to integrate Fells or Hooman into the attack, and rarely tested the Ravens deep, to try and open up the middle more. The Welker completion in the 4th where he did an out and up was so wide open you have to wonder if it had been there all game....and not just for Welker. The Ravens played us to clog the middle and attack the underneath routes.....and that's pretty much where we threw the ball.
3. On defense not having Jones and losing Talib hurt, but I was surprised we never did what was necessary to develop some kind of consistent pass rush. I don't know what the final percentage was, but I'm sure it was lower than what we'd be seeing in recent games. And when we did get a blitz it was a pretty straight forward one that was easily picked up.
4. I was also surprised that it was the usual suspects that continued to plague the D in the 2nd half. RB's releasing from the backfield and TE's in the middle of the field.
5. Ultimately the team that played most like the Patriots were the Ravens. They didn't give up the ball, while collecting some TO's. They were patient, didn't commit many penalties and were more timely making the big plays. That's how the Pats usually win games. Kudos to the Ravens
6. I'm sure Ridley was lambasted for the fumble. He shouldn't be. When you are knocked unconscious, you will likely fumble the ball. Credit the hit, don't blame the ball carrier for that one..
7. Wes Welker made some big plays and had a couple of key drops. I think we've seen enough of that pattern to believe that, it is what it is. Over all the good outweighs the bad... by a lot. But ultimately you have to determine “at what price does it stop being worth it”. I don't know what that price is, but the Pats do. I'm sure it will be the #1 question of the off season until its resolved.....and I hope its one way or the other QUICKLY. (before the draft).
8. Ultimately the reason for the Pats loss is clear. Red zone efficiency, on both sides of the ball. Think about it. The Pats actually gained more yards, more first downs, 2 more sacks, and only lost the TOP by a minute despite the 2 TO's. So while both teams got into the red zone 4 times, the Pats went 1-4 and the Ravens went 4-4. Reverse the results and you can reverse the score.
Of course some of the problem can be blamed on not having the greatest red zone threat in the game available, but we WERE the highest scoring team in the league while missing him for 8 games this season. Some of the problems were self inflicted, some were that the Ravens simply played better red zone defense that we did..
SEASON OVERVIEW
1. It might not seem like it now, but this WAS a better team than the one we had last season. The defense showed a significant improvement across the board, despite being the 2nd youngest in the league. The offense underwent a major reconstruction on the OL between retirements and injuries and managed the transition well, become a younger more athletic OL, who played well and has a vast upside.
2. It was unfortunate we never got to see what the 2 TE offense could really do with both guys there
3. I think the Brandon Lloyd acquisition worked out well. He might not have been the “deep threat” some expected, but he was NEVER a deep threat to start with. In the end he was a fairly effective outside the numbers receiver. Now we need to give him some help.
4. The QB played well....again. If he's slowing down, its hard to see where. He's certainly not perfect, but no one is (except after they retire) For the next 2 years I wouldn't trade my QB situation with any team.
THE OFF SEASON -
Defense -
1. Of course a lot will depend on if Talib is on the team. But the fact is that by the end of the season, Alphonzo Dennard ended up being a very solid, if unspectacular CB. If he'd been a first round pick, it would have been a good one, but being a 7th round pick, it was spectacular. He's going to be a good starter in the league for a long time, and for us for at least the next 3 years. So with Dennard and Dowling coming back, even if Talib isn't here, the area where I see the need to upgrade is still at the Safety position.
2. Chung is gone. I think we can all agree on that. His only value would be as solid depth for close to the vet minimum.. I'm probably higher on Gregory than most, but he's limited. I still think he'd be valuable as depth and spot starter. The draft is giving us an opportunity to upgrade him. This is going to be a great draft for safeties. Maybe Wilson is the one who can make a jump next year, but the bottom line is that in order for the defense to continue to progress, I'd rather not meed to have Gregory be the starter.
3. We need help on the DL – Obviously getting someone who can pressure from the inside is a priority, but its a priority for the OTHER 31 teams as well, and picking 29th in each round greatly mitigates the chances of that happening.
4. However we might find an impact player in that area of the draft at WR and S. So as much as I'd love to draft a Dlman high, anyone we DO draft is likely to be a 2-3 year project. NOT an immediate impact. If we ARE going to make a big splash on the DL, maybe the way to go is to pay what's necessary to sign this kid Armstead out of the CFL.
5. Watching other team's big WR's snatching balls away from receivers while covered certainly makes me feel jealous. We need help at WR. Either lets find a Tory Smith type deep threat, or an Anquan Boldin big strong guy.type. Preferably someone who fits both descriptions, but I'll take one of either. Lets get younger, bigger and faster at WR.
6. Here is a list of the key FA's the Pats have to sign...or not. I'd love to sign them all, but we need them to sign at LEAST 4 of them. Who will remain and who will walk is anyone's guess. I mean REALLY, all we can do now is practice uniformed speculation.
a. Welker
b Talib
c. Volmer
d. Edelman
e. Thomas
f. Arrington
7. Probably the one accurate thing I said last week in my 2 long posts was that in reality the Pats' roster has been almost completely retooled the last 2 years.(only 5 starters remain from the Jets loss in just 2010.) We've actually have over achieved, IMHO, getting as deep into the playoffs with the flawed teams we've had.
It's NEXT year that I believe will be the start of a great 3 year run, where I think we will see 2 more Lombardi's added to the Pats HOF. I believe we will start to see a team where the defense will start to pull more of the weight and an offense that isn't going to slack off. There might be teams as strong and balanced as the Pats, but NONE will be better. The Pats aren't going away soon, so the haters just better get used to it.
Have a great off season guys. Thanks for all your responses to my missives over this season. I'm off to enjoy my productive 2 weeks and await the start of the draft watch.