Idle Thoughts: the getting what you expected edition

[supafly]

Brady looked really good. His accuracy was there and I was surprised the touch he had on the softer throws.
No sign of rust in his throwing. It was really nice to see what Bennett and Gronk can do when Brady is out there. Looks like Bennett sprained his ankle but after a tape job, he never missed a beat. I don't know why they taped both ankles. Gronk looks almost back to 100%. Hogan is one tough player. They put him through concussion protocol twice. The OL did a great job pass protecting. Not many holes to run through for the RB's. Part of the problem is I think Blount got banged up last week and is not playing at 100% strength. White and Foster got more carries today.

I don't know why they have Edelman fielding punts. Cyrus Jones was a bust but I thought Amendola would be the PR as he is not a key receiver like Edelman is. It seemed they changed their KO procedure in this game. It looked to me that they now plant the signal guy in front of the KO returner when they don't want the KO coming out. Ghost is still having problems with FG, looks like he is at 70% now. We may worry about the the kicker but it's nice not to have a worry about the long snapper. It's amazes me how many games have been lost on other teams because of a bad snap.

You look at this defense and they don't look dominant but they are one of the best teams in the NFL in Points Allowed.

I share your concerns about passing up on Amendola and choosing Edelman for PR duties, at least in most of yesterday's situations when the game was never really in doubt.

If BB feels like Edelman is the way to go for big play PR potential in certain situations or even bigger games, so be it. That would make a lot of sense. What bothered me was seeing him out there today in situations that didn't seem as important. Of course, Belichick disagrees so that's all that matters.

 

[luuked]

Yeah.... The Patriots had an outside wide receiver getting open middle-deep, and the result was a 400 yard game. That's an example of what's been the point the "WR mafia" has been making for years.

Preparing myself for another debate with you but it always takes two to connect on deep balls and Brady had the time and the touch to place both of those shots yesterday into windows where Hogan could make a play. Lets not forget that due to OL issues / pressure / ect. the ball placement on deep shots in the past has not always been that favorable.

I certainly hope that Hogan will be able to stretch defenses a bit, especially now that there is tape out there and teams have to prepare for it. Because that's the entire point.. being flexible and taking whatever the opponent is willing to give up / cheat on..

 

[luuked]

I share your concerns about passing up on Amendola and choosing Edelman for PR duties, at least in most of yesterday's situations when the game was never really in doubt.

If BB feels like Edelman is the way to go for big play PR potential in certain situations or even bigger games, so be it. That would make a lot of sense. What bothered me was seeing him out there today in situations that didn't seem as important. Of course, Belichick disagrees so that's all that matters.

Wonder if the selective usage of Amendola is just a reflection on him having surgery in the offseason or simply a matter of "too many heads to feed".

 

[Uptown]

Will Robber Goodell now fine the Pats for having "9 home games" this season???

Everywhere you looked were Patriot jerseys. It was a bit surprising to me. Patriot nation took over that stadium today.

Will Robber Goodell now fine the Pats for having "9 home games" this season???

 

[tombonneau]

I don't know why they taped both ankles.

Wondered this too. Maybe so defenders wouldn't know which is the bum ankle so, in Teddy's words, the couldn't rub some hot sauce on it.

 

[AtomicDawg]

Cincinnati is going to be a desperate team losing so badly to the Cowboys.

I'm having a difficult time believing this simply because the track record screams for me not to. Marvin Lewis has never gotten his team prepared and ready in these situations and I don't think he and that team will automatically "flip a switch" and be a superstar team in 1 week just because they are playing the Patriots. I understand the mindset that players mask with themselves when they do face the Pats, but I think it's all relative. Nothing has suggested to me that the Bengals will do it, especially coming into Gillette on Brady's 1st home game and the crowd being as lit as possible. It's too much to overcome, IMO.

 

[1960Pats]

1. Tom Brady is simply the GOAT. I expected him to be the best QB we've had thus far this season, but I didn't expect him to be virtually flawless for most of the first half. Not after throwing to college kids for the last month. His pocket movement is NOT what you expect from a 39 year old. That is what impressed me the most.

a. I know the JG hype was great, and so was his performance. But watching Tom operate the offense, you HAD to see the difference that 16 years of experience brings to the table. Just how he manipulated the Cleveland Defense and got the Pats into good plays, etc. That is what JG might GET to someday, but he's a long way from it right now.

b. On the negative side, I THINK that what rust Tom had was shown in him NOT getting into the right play on occasion, especially in the 2nd half. There were a couple of times, (just a few) where he got stubborn on attempted first down throws to Edelman who was covered, instead of going to his other reads, who were open. So when Tom says he needs to get better after a 4oo yd passing day, THAT is what he mean

Every time I think of Brady coming back I'll think of a song by The Angels. It's amazing how appropriate the song is, especially when it's directed at Fraudger. All you have to do is substitute the name Tom Brady for my boyfriend and we're good to go. He la, he la, Tom Brady's back...

 

[DarrylS]

I was a Cleveland Browns fan before the AFC, and even though this is not the real Cleveland Browns team, I have a soft spot that they have wallowed in the basement of mediocrity for so many years..

It looks like Jackson has them heading in the right direction, some playmakers are obvious, but more are needed.. wasting draft picks on Manziel and Gordon were crappy decisions..

There were some defensive gaps in this game, which did not make a difference.. however this has happened sporadically so far this season.. hope their focus is for 60 minutes in some of the "bigger" games..

Brady is the GOAT... 400+ yards after an idiotic suspension.

Cyrus Jones needs to get his **** together quickly....

 

[DarrylS]

Every time I think of Brady coming back I'll think of a song by The Angels. It's amazing how appropriate the song is, especially when it's directed at Fraudger. All you have to do is substitute the name Tom Brady for my boyfriend and we're good to go. He la, he la, Tom Brady's back...

What is really sick the same thing popped into my feeble brain yesterday...

 

[PF_SU]

wasting draft picks on Manziel and Gordon were crappy decisions..

Manziel was a wasted pick. But their 2012 draft was even worse. Picking Trent Richardson with #3 and Brandon Weedon with #22? Yikes. Rolling the dice on Gordon was okay I think. Though they maybe shouldn't have used a second-rounder on that.

 

[PScottman]

And now when teams gameplan the DC will have nightmares while choosing what to give away. Because with Gronk, Bennett, and our bevy of smurf WRs, you just can't cover them all!

How about the opposite? Do you think our offensive staff have fully figured out how to utilize them all together gameplanning-wise given their relative non-availability thus far?

I don't think they've really scratched the surface on how they can employ all of these players together yet. The second half also exposed some things that individual players don't do that well too. Could've been execution, but also could just be poor choices for those players. That will improve over the next couple weeks as well.

 

[PScottman]

Looks like Bennett sprained his ankle but after a tape job, he never missed a beat. I don't know why they taped both ankles.

Sympathetic injury prevention and balance. Instead of just redistributing the load to the healthy ankle, tape both so that they both are once again, just like when healthy, operating with the same baseline of support.

 

[1960Pats]

What is really sick the same thing popped into my feeble brain yesterday...

I think it's an appropriate reaction. The song fits like a glove.

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

Hogan did run a Go route past Haden, right? Something not seen too often from Patriots WRs.

 

[Uptown]

Hopefully Oakland doesn't start craving this Ohio-based beverage:


The Raiders winning could ultimately be a blessing in disguise for us later down the road.

Week 5 played out almost completely to the Patriots benefit

 

[Uptown]

 

[Uptown]

Interesting...

 

[pencilneckgeek]

2. At the end of the game it was interesting to see how so many of the young Cleveland players lined up to shake Brady's hand. It looked like a reception line.

Because they're the guys who are young enough to remember high school physics class.

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[jah]

Because they're the guys who are young enough to remember high school physics class.

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Not to be that guy, but IGL is chemistry.

 

[pencilneckgeek]

I gave out so many "disagrees" in the game thread today because people complaining about the pass completions completely missed that we held the NFLs best rushing attack to a ridiculous small yardage. Stopping the run was today's key nothing else..

Agree but lets keep in mind that this is a rookie who was in his fifth NFL game. While he is a dumbass for not keeping his cool I don't understand why some people here found their new scapegoat. Especially, after BB called out the media for criticizing Cyrus' ST plays against the Bills implying that they might not have been totally his fault.

That's hard work policing the game thread for over-reactions. More power to you for having that kind of patience when there's a game to watch.

As for Cyrus, I think that's an example of Bill following Lombardi's maxim to praise publicly and criticize privately, even if there is a kernel of truth there. He will hold both Jones and Slater accountable there. The PF, however is likely to be a different story. That goes beyond bad football territory into stupid land. I suspect that Cyrus gets a week to sit and reflect before getting a chance to show that he belongs out there again. He could find himself on the outside looking-in if Rowe can get on the field.

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