Positives

[Halifax_Pats_Fan]

I love me some positivity....!....great post op!

- the only other thing I would add is that this team has now tasted a loss in which they all played like crap. Having that taste in your mouth should add some motivation.

Umm, weirdly said but you know what I mean...

 

[Patradomous]

- Josh McDaniels is still a premiere playcaller

2nd and goal and from 1 yard and you throw it to a tackle?

 

[borg]

2nd and goal and from 1 yard and you throw it to a tackle?

I have never been more depressed about a Patriots skill package than yesterday...4th quarter....goal line offense. The feature back was Blount, a doughy powerback without any power. The TEs should be renamed SF (space fillers), because even calling them decoys is an insult to wooden ducks. Nate Solder as option #1 says enough about the TE shambles.
What a shell of an offense.

But my positive: Glad DA made it through game #2

 

[Patradomous]

The feature back was Blount, a doughy powerback without any power.

Im glad Im not the only one who gets that impression. He certainley is not a strong runnner like Benny Ellis. He Has good speed with moves.
He can break arm tackles but he can't bulldoze people like an Antwoin Smith could.

 

[Rob0729]

2nd and goal and from 1 yard and you throw it to a tackle?

I really don't have a huge problem with that play itself. I have more problem with the execution. That play should have caught the Bengals sleeping, but Solder had problems getting off the line and releasing his block which gave away the play. If Solder released correctly, the LB might have bit on the play-action otherwise.

 

[juny]

The Pats are the #2 scoring defense in the league giving 14.0 PPG. If that can continue, the Pats can still go far in the playoffs with a less than monumental improvement on the offensive side of the ball.

I wish they will end the year with the D only giving up 14 PPG. But with Big Vince out the rest of the year, that number is only going up. So i would say the offense will need to improve a great deal, maybe not monumental, but still a lot more will be needed.

 

[Bertil]

Interesting pseudonym you chose for yourself NEM.

I have often wondered who NEM had reinvented himself as on this board. I don't think it was this guy, however. There is not nearly enough vitriol, insanity or self promotion to accompany the OC criticism. NEM may have gone the way of Butch from The Cape and that would be a shame!

 

[Rob0729]

I wish they will end the year with the D only giving up 14 PPG. But with Big Vince out the rest of the year, that number is only going up. So i would say the offense will need to improve a great deal, maybe not monumental, but still a lot more will be needed.

I don't know if the numbers are going to go up with Big Vince out. It certainly didn't yesterday. Vince is more of a loss on run downs and giving up running plays to most teams these days do not equate to lots of scoring.

If Tommy Kelly is out, then it might be a different thing. I would argue that if Kelly didn't go out on that TD drive by the Bengals, the Pats would have held the Bengals to a field goal on that drive.

 

[juny]

I don't know if the numbers are going to go up with Big Vince out. It certainly didn't yesterday. Vince is more of a loss on run downs and giving up running plays to most teams these days do not equate to lots of scoring.

If Tommy Kelly is out, then it might be a different thing. I would argue that if Kelly didn't go out on that TD drive by the Bengals, the Pats would have held the Bengals to a field goal on that drive.

Yup, the DL was thin before Wilfork's injury. If Kelly is not healthy, this could be a long season.

 

[Gronkandez]

Positives:
The Punter isn't a liability. He's pretty good actually.
Vellano and Jones can make some plays.
Spikes isn't left for dead.
McCourtey made a great play to cause a fumble at a crucial juncture
They haven't given up on Dobson yet. Maybe by the end of the year he will be consistent and finish those big runs instead of running into his own guy and then fumbling
I know appreciate how valuable Vereen is. Bolden bricked an easy screen pass for a big gain.
Pretty soon they will field a competent NFL Tight End.


Negatives:
Any team with a half decent TE will throw to them all day long (unless we double him, in which case other guys will be open)
The defense played well but they gave us a couple of back breaking plays (the QB scramble and the 3rd and long from their own 1 yard line)

 

[Onedaful]

Interesting pseudonym you chose for yourself NEM.

Not sure who you are talking about, since I am kinda new here, but after reading through post we should assume anyone who criticizes McDaniels is someone named NEM. Unfortunately, I guess, for you I am not NEM but if one comment about not being happy with abandoning the run game and not being happy with the play calling makes me him I'll pretend for you. Criticism sometimes really makes some people whacky here.

 

[TheBostonStraggler]

I don't know what some of you are talking about. The run D was terrible yeaterday. That may be in large part due to kelly and vince out, but still...they gave up way to many 5 yard carries.

As you may have read, I was not saying they were lights out, not by any stretch. What i was pointing out is Vince is gone, then Kelly was lost for part of the game, so several no names had to be relied upon in a patch worked run D. So let's look at this patchworked "terrible" run D.
32 carries for 129 yards (I'm not counting Dalton Scrambles). Terrible = 4.001 YPC? And given that one play, a screw up on them no doubt, gave up 32 yards, all game their 2 backs had less than 100.

Look, I am not happy with repeated 4+ yard gains given. However, given the offense kept giving the ball back to Cincy right away again and again (having the ball 10 mins more) allowing the Bengals lots of opportunities to gouge the Patriots on the ground and hit for scores -- and again given the undermanned status of the run D -- they played well enough to hold up their end of the bargain which was allow a struggling offense to still win the game. That absolutely happened and that deserves a mention (definitely does not deserve "terrible").