Just a few thoughts to mull on a dead media day...

[Fencer]

one other thing I forgot to mention originally. Not to dismiss the 2 Caldwell drops, however neither really cost the Pats. After the first one, we immediately scored on the great catch by Gaffney in the back of the endzone 2 plays later. On the second, because the Pats got out there so late, there was a defender who would have tackled him after about a 2-3 yd gain.

Again this isn't to infer that they weren't bad drops, but to refute the idea that we would have won the game if Caldwell catches those 2 balls. There were about a dozen individual plays I can name that might have changed that game. Neither of these 2 passes are among them.

You're totally right, but it's amazing that this still needs to be said.

As for the LB thing -- you're right, and I've been saying similar things, but there are a couple of buts.

First of all, if the Pats defense can't stop anybody on traditional 3-4 downs, it's going to be a long afternoon.

Second, what's the nickel package going to be? 5 DBs, AD at LB, Colvin, Vrabel, and 3 DL, one of whom is Green?

Unless there are more no-apologies subs than Green in the mix, that's not going to provide all that much relief.

The part of the story that's totally right is that Seau and Bruschi or their direct subs won't have to play side-by-side all THAT often -- but it's still a large MINORITY of the time. And there's still depth pressure on the LBs overall unless somebody steps up to replace TBC.

 

[patfanken]

Fencer I agree with your issues with the depth. However I think the Pats are way ahead of most of their competitors. While our depth isn't where was would love it to be in an ideal situation, most of us forget the fact the OTHER teams have the SAME issues, and most of the to a GREATER degree.

On Defense you would ideally always want to have a 3 man rotation at all the positions So on the DL you have Green Rotating with Warren and Seymour with Wright getting a few reps in a hurry up offense. At nose you have Wilfolk and Wright right now, but you'd like to see one of the really big guys to step up this year as a back up like Smith or the new Rookie.

At LB this is more difficult to guage because, as I said, there will me many occassions when you don't have all 4 LBs on the field at the same time. However IMHO you now have a situation where Thomas, Bruchi and Alexander will share the middle, while Colvin Vrabel and Woods sharing the OLB. The depth increases because you hand play Vrabel in the middle and Thomas on the outside, so its really a mix/match situation. Plus I just realized I forgot Seau who ALSO can play both inside and out.

In the DB, assuming we have Samuel, we have James, Scott and Gay as immediate back ups, and Sanders and Hawkins at the safeties. EVERY SINGLE ONE of those guys have proven they can play the game in both situations and as starters. Really it doesn't suck.

Again, you can always find flaws, but IMHO our issues with depth pale in comparison with our competition.

 

[Krugman]

Good post,PFK,you make some interesting points.The comments re the AFCCG (from you and some others )now make me want to look at my tape of this game again,finally,as I'll be able to focus on things like LB play,etc.

 

[Fencer]

Not to take anything away from the Colts, they played their best game of "team" football in recent memory to earn that win. Robert Kraft later confirmed 15 cases of flu during the week leading up to the game - sounds like those bubbas needed to be issued Airborne or Zicam on the flight home from Dago - crap happens, the Colts earned they're right to represent the AFC by beating three playoff teams, welcome to the Superbowl hangover, this will be a challenging year for Indy.

Right. The Pats had some bad luck with the flu. The exposed themselves to the risk of bad luck by not getting the job done in the regular season. And so the Colts completely earned the win.

But that doesn't mean everything we saw on the field is a simple-mindedly reliable indicator of what to expect the next time the teams play.

 

[BelichickFan]

The exposed themselves to the risk of bad luck by not getting the job done in the regular season.

That's true for sure. By being the #4 seed we ended up with 4 road games in 5 weeks thanks to ending the regular season with 2 road games. Better seed would have equaled more home playoff games and maybe even a bye. We had truly bad luck with injuries compared to the Colts but having to go to SD and Indy was our own fault.

 

[BelizePats]

Reading this thread has forced me to do something that I have just been unable to do since that wretched afternoon in Indy. As pathetic as it sounds, the only was I was able to deal with the collapse and loss (and then the worst possible outcome of all - A Colts Superbowl win) was to just not allow myself to think about it. Any time it did pop into my head, its as though I just went mentally blank and or thought about something more pleasant. Mercifully I was working in Cuba for the two weeks leading up to the Superbowl so I missed all the brutel Payton hype that must have been unbarable for so many Pats fans.
It seems to me, now that I have allowed myself to think about the loss in Indy, that we were beat but should not have been. That is football. Chargersfans are are saying the same damn thing about our game, the week before. We had injuries, a flu bug, a weak seed which led to alot of road travel, and the shameless huckster fianlly had the game of his life when it counted the most. It's the NFL. Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you don't.
What are you going to do?

1) Sign AD
2) Trade for Welker
3) Sign Stallworth and Washington
4) Trade for Moss
5) Draft a highly athletic DB in round 1
6) Flip draft picks for higher draft picks in 2008

It's little wonder that I love this team as much as I do.
Respects,

Rich

 

[italia44]

one other thing I forgot to mention originally. Not to dismiss the 2 Caldwell drops, however neither really cost the Pats. After the first one, we immediately scored on the great catch by Gaffney in the back of the endzone 2 plays later. On the second, because the Pats got out there so late, there was a defender who would have tackled him after about a 2-3 yd gain.

Again this isn't to infer that they weren't bad drops, but to refute the idea that we would have won the game if Caldwell catches those 2 balls. There were about a dozen individual plays I can name that might have changed that game. Neither of these 2 passes are among them.

you're making a "bad" assumption about Caldwell's drop along the sideline.

Watch it again........the colt defender,who you assume would have tackled Caldwell after a minimal gain is going full speed at a "poor" angle.

To think that RC could not have either sidestepped
this defender,by stepping back or by going sideways,is patently ridiculous.

I'm not even including the first down that would have been gained........as well as the TIME elapsed,
by catching the ball and staying in bounds.

This was an crucial and egregious drop by Caldwell......a MOMENTUM changer.

Regardless of whether Brady should have seen him earlier,Caldwell didn't move,so TB could see him easier.

He "froze" and dropped an easy reception....period

 

[Fencer]

However IMHO you now have a situation where Thomas, Bruchi and Alexander will share the middle, while Colvin Vrabel and Woods sharing the OLB. The depth increases because you hand play Vrabel in the middle and Thomas on the outside, so its really a mix/match situation. Plus I just realized I forgot Seau who ALSO can play both inside and out.

I bolded the key parts of that. If they count as quality depth, we should be fine.

 

[mgteich]

Would you really count Alexander and Woods as "quality depth"? On what basis? Hope?

I bolded the key parts of that. If they count as quality depth, we should be fine.

 

[DaBruinz]

you're making a "bad" assumption about Caldwell's drop along the sideline.

Watch it again........the colt defender,who you assume would have tackled Caldwell after a minimal gain is going full speed at a "poor" angle.

To think that RC could not have either sidestepped
this defender,by stepping back or by going sideways,is patently ridiculous.

I'm not even including the first down that would have been gained........as well as the TIME elapsed,
by catching the ball and staying in bounds.

This was an crucial and egregious drop by Caldwell......a MOMENTUM changer.

Regardless of whether Brady should have seen him earlier,Caldwell didn't move,so TB could see him easier.

He "froze" and dropped an easy reception....period

This is just ridiculous. The defender wasn't taking a bad angle. He would have plowed right into Caldwell after 2-3 yards.. And there is not telling if Caldwell would have seen him because Caldwell was so focused on catching the ball.

Now, what would have killed MORE time is the Pats running the ball in the 4th quarter after the 25 yard reception got them to the Indy 29. Had they run the ball 2 or 3 times, at WORST, they are looking at a field goal from the 20 yard line. At best, they force Indy to use their time outs and the Pats also get a 1st down.... Instead, the Colts get the ball back with plenty of time....

 

[italia44]

This is just ridiculous. The defender wasn't taking a bad angle. He would have plowed right into Caldwell after 2-3 yards.. And there is not telling if Caldwell would have seen him because Caldwell was so focused on catching the ball.

Now, what would have killed MORE time is the Pats running the ball in the 4th quarter after the 25 yard reception got them to the Indy 29. Had they run the ball 2 or 3 times, at WORST, they are looking at a field goal from the 20 yard line. At best, they force Indy to use their time outs and the Pats also get a 1st down.... Instead, the Colts get the ball back with plenty of time....

as usual,dabruinz,your negativity blinds your analysis.

No one disputes that the Patriots should have tried
to run more in the second half.......thanks for stating the obvious.

It's indisputable that if Caldwell had caught that pass.....at the least he would have gained a first down.The defender was in NO position to tackle him.....and if he was as close as you contend...
why didn't he go for the interception or break-up?

Pathetic reasoning.....or are you suggesting that Brady should have handed the ball off,rather than throw the ball to Caldwell,who was covered(???)
by your phantom defender.

 

[Keegs]

This is just ridiculous. The defender wasn't taking a bad angle. He would have plowed right into Caldwell after 2-3 yards.. And there is not telling if Caldwell would have seen him because Caldwell was so focused on catching the ball.

Now, what would have killed MORE time is the Pats running the ball in the 4th quarter after the 25 yard reception got them to the Indy 29. Had they run the ball 2 or 3 times, at WORST, they are looking at a field goal from the 20 yard line. At best, they force Indy to use their time outs and the Pats also get a 1st down.... Instead, the Colts get the ball back with plenty of time....

Apparently he WASN'T focused enough. If he was, he would have caught the damn football. Unfortunately, Jabar (the receiver that shows up when it matters the most) could not bail Reche out on this one.

It's funny how at first everyone blamed Brady for not seeing Reche quicker. Then comes the "well maybe he wouldn't have scored a td b.s."
Then comes the "well a first down with the clock running isn't that helpful"
then comes the "well there was a defender 2-3 yards away who is guaranteed to have made the tackle, making the play not that important"

what a bunch of garbage.

Are you guys seriously related to Reche Caldwell?

this is ridiculous. he CHOKED and he cost us this game.

 

[richpats]

he CHOKED and he cost us this game.

BS. It was 28-28 with 8 minutes left in the game. That play may of cost us 4 points, but the game? No way. There were many Patriot miscues after that play.

Hurts to say, but the biggest "choke" of the day came from our QB

 

[Pats726]

BS. It was 28-28 with 8 minutes left in the game. That play may of cost us 4 points, but the game? No way. There were many Patriot miscues after that play.

Hurts to say, but the biggest "choke" of the day came from our QB

The team ran out of gas...it wasn 't a "one player choked" situation..there were many opportunities to stay ahead...they just were unable to..flu injuries fatigue..bad calls...GREAT teams overcome things like that..it was all too much

 

[richpats]

The team ran out of gas...it wasn 't a "one player choked" situation..there were many opportunities to stay ahead...they just were unable to..flu injuries fatigue..bad calls...GREAT teams overcome things like that..it was all too much

That's a good point in the last sentence- no matter if they would have won the AFC title game or not, the 2006 Pats were not a great team by any means. They had one really solid victory over a good team (playoff victory against the Jets). Those other "quality" wins (NYJ-week 2, Chicago, San Diego) were in spite of some poor play.

 

[BHSL2]

Apparently he WASN'T focused enough. If he was, he would have caught the damn football. Unfortunately, Jabar (the receiver that shows up when it matters the most) could not bail Reche out on this one.

It's funny how at first everyone blamed Brady for not seeing Reche quicker. Then comes the "well maybe he wouldn't have scored a td b.s."
Then comes the "well a first down with the clock running isn't that helpful"
then comes the "well there was a defender 2-3 yards away who is guaranteed to have made the tackle, making the play not that important"

what a bunch of garbage.

Are you guys seriously related to Reche Caldwell?

this is ridiculous. he CHOKED and he cost us this game.

Yes, he chocked on that particular play, but saying he cost us the game is over-exaggeration. There were many other factors like the defense that led to the second half collapse. Sure, Caldwell did not execute during that play, but Brady didn't execute that last play of the game and let that scrub Marlin Jackson pick him off. Oh yeah let's cut Tom Brady...

 

[patfanken]

he CHOKED and he cost us this game.

This is a dumb statement made by a dumb fan who seems to feel better about himself by demeaning others. Sorry Keegs I just compounded your dumb statement with one of my own. However, clearly by the time Caldwell would have caught the ball at least one Colt defender was in a great position to make the tackle with is minimum gain.

Why is it that we seem to have the uncontrolable urge to BLAME someone or something, for EVERY bad event in our lives. We all feel bad about losing the game, but to blame ONE player for the entire defeat is just....sad. Try and get a better perspective on this. I think you will be happier if you do. Because if we take your tack, then there are several Pats who could be nominated for your goats horns. My favorite would be Heath Evens, who was the 12th man in the huddle and cost the Pats a first down that would have iced the game, since they made 11 yds on the first 2 plays of the drive.

 

[BHSL2]

I just find it hard to put the loss on Caldwell's shoulders when the rest of the team had 6 d-backs on IR, NO runningbacks, and injuries to Richard Seymour, Rosevelt Colvin, and Artrell Hawkins. If any team is in a situation similar to that when facing the Colts, 98% of the team, that team will lose to the Colts.