Shaugnessy: Patriots aren't going anywhere near the Super Bowl

[NEPats1]

Hes irrelevant. Who cares. His football knowledge is no better if not worse than the people on this board.

If someone like Rodney Harrison on NBC or Willie Mac on the NFL Network made that statement I'd take pause and listen to their reasoning why as the audience can learn something from their assessments.

I agree.

Harrison last night said he likes the Pats in the AFC.

Yes he played here but he's knows more than Shaugnessy!

 

[Jackson 2]

I opened the Globe this morning and the first thing I saw was the headline and the second thing I saw was that it was authored by Shank. That's as far as I got. He's hated the Patriots with a passion since Kraft wouldn't allow him admittance to a breakfast for the media around the turn of the century.

 

[jmt57]

I didnt read the article, but I did see something this morning that is a cause for concern. The Pats did not beat a team with an above .500 record and were 1-2 against playoff teams this season. The only victory coming against Denver. Im pulling hard for the Pats, but I also have my doubts they can win the whole thing.

On the other hand the Pats only played two games against teams with a winning record, so I don't think there's much you can take one way or the other from such a small sample size.


Also consider this: a lot of those other teams did not finish with winning records, and/or missed the playoffs due to the Pats beating them. The Eagles, Cowboys, Chargers, Raiders, and Jets all would have finished with winning records had they been able to beat the Patriots, and in every case that could have been the difference between them making the playoffs or their season being over today.


As for CHB, I didn't bother clicking the link and don't know why anybody else would either. Aside from his longtime anti-Pats bias he's strictly a baseball guy; I never considered him to be the least bit knowledgeable about football or any other sport.

 

[Jackson 2]

I didnt read the article, but I did see something this morning that is a cause for concern. The Pats did not beat a team with an above .500 record and were 1-2 against playoff teams this season. The only victory coming against Denver. Im pulling hard for the Pats, but I also have my doubts they can win the whole thing.

I think a more pertinent question would be how many teams had winning records when we played them? And I don't know the answer.

 

[Tunescribe]

It kills me how Globe writers like Shaughnessy, Ryan and Man Hands McMullen write/speak with faux "authority" about the Patriots when they know NOTHING about football. They're just smug, haughty has-beens.

 

[Ivan]

Awesome.


THE PATRIOTS ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL

 

[zipster9]

I opened the Globe this morning and the first thing I saw was the headline and the second thing I saw was that it was authored by Shank. That's as far as I got. He's hated the Patriots with a passion since Kraft wouldn't allow him admittance to a breakfast for the media around the turn of the century.

I'd prefer everyone says Patriots will not do well.. Labelling the Patriots as,
"underdogs" is what made Patriots famous in 2001...

IMO

 

[upstater1]

The Bills were a good team when we played them earlier in the season too. Does that make them a good overall team? All the teams you mentioned are average teams. The Pats should beat them. The team the Pats will play in the playoffs are all good teams (exclude Denver). The Pats have not beat them yet.

Err, Pitt and Baltimore are good. I can't see why you're making a big deal about the Bengals as opposed to the Raiders or Chargers. Texans fall into that category too.

We played one really good team this year, the Steelers, and lost.

It looks like the Steelers are not on top of their game right now.

The Ravens are.

Those are the teams that are formidable, but I fail to see why you put so much stock in the Bengals and Texans over the teams that didn't make it.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

I read the article.

Putting aside Shaughnessy's rhetoric, the bottom line is that if we spot the Ravens or Steelers 17 to 21 points we ain't playing the next game.

 

[PatriotsReign]

A lot of sports media people actually think of themselves as part of professional sports. I'm sure many writers think being on ESPN or the NFL network is the holy grail for them.

Guys like Adam Shefter know a lot about "inside" information in the NFL, but he's not part of the sport. I think the skyrocketing popularity of fantasy football also adds to this elevation of sports media personalities. FF is also not part of the NFL. The only thing that NFL football is about are the games that are played and the actually history of the sport.

Sports memorabilia, media personalities, fantasy football....none of the above are part of the game of football. But we have allowed dopes like Shaugnessy to be elevated to a level they don't belong. I guess it is what is because I don't see it changing.

 

[Maker's Muppet]

I read the article.

Putting aside Shaughnessy's rhetoric, the bottom line is that if we spot the Ravens or Steelers 17 to 21 points we ain't playing the next game.

We'll spot them 14 and beat them!

 

[Maker's Muppet]

Has CHB ever shown he has an idea of what's going on on the football field? No.

 

[TheComeback]

When I look at the teams we're supposed to be afraid of, I have no idea why anyone would count us out. The Ravens and Steelers have struggled harder than we have for weeks now against not-so-great teams. The Patriots have struggled for a quarter or two before completely blowing lesser teams out.

I'm not afraid of anyone this year.

 

[Kontradiction]

I believe we just fielded the worst pass defense in NFL history this year. Shaugnessy is a guy who likes to say things that get clicks, like everyone else in that haggard industry that I used to want to be a part of does. However he isn't that far off in this one. In the divisional round, we'll either get the Bengals or the Texans so our one and done playoff woes should be over right there (even though the Bengals have a good defense and a passing offense that could expose us). It's the championship round where our flaws will ultimately be covered up or exposed big time. In all, our offense has to be our best defense in the postseason. That's sad to say, but T.O.P. has to be our best friend. Run the ball and open things up in the short passing game to keep their offense and our defense off the field.

 

[2_LAW_4]

If you subtract the LOSS suffered at the hand of the Pats from the opposing team's record, a different picture is painted: NYJ 8-6, Dal 8-7, Phi 8-7, Den 8-7, SD 8-7, Oak 8-7. So, in essence, seven of the Pats 13 wins came against teams with a winning record. I think the Pats have as good a shot, if not better, than anyone in the AFC to make the SB. And having seen how "well" both the Ravens (4-4) and the Steelers (5-3) faired on the road, I like our chances... and lets be honest, Den, Hou, and Cin have no shot to contend with the latter three teams.

 

[PatsGirl2011]

There was really a lack of opportunities. Not the Pats fault the Colts, Philly, Dallas, and SD had tons of issues. The Steelers game is the only one in which they truly got beat on both sides. Just how the deck fell. In the end, I don't think it will matter. The league was very average this year.

 

[AzPatsFan]

He thinks the patriots are smoke and mirrors.

The way I see it, the Patriots are a mirage - The Boston Globe

What the hell difference does this drunken slob's opinion make?

I'd rather listen to the most drunken sot next to me at a bar, who can barely get his besotted words out, intelligibly. That man's opinion would be more cogent and thoughtful.

Like Mazz, he only covers baseball because that easy game is the only thing he can understand, on a simple level; and the daily games of an interminable season, too long by half, write his copy for him.

 

[Armchair Quarterback]

The Red Headed Stepchild is just another crotchety contrarian in a town full of them. For a guy who profitted on the 8 decade long misery of Red Sox fans, he really enjoy being a wet blanket.

That's the thing with clowns, they were always the biggest unabashed Red Sox fans, no objectivity at all unless it concerns the Patriots and big meany Bill Belichick. Bozo, like Squeaky Mazz and the others should never talk football, they know nothing about the sport.

 

[cmasspatsfan]

I believe we just fielded the worst pass defense in NFL history this year. Shaugnessy is a guy who likes to say things that get clicks, like everyone else in that haggard industry that I used to want to be a part of does. However he isn't that far off in this one. In the divisional round, we'll either get the Bengals or the Texans so our one and done playoff woes should be over right there (even though the Bengals have a good defense and a passing offense that could expose us). It's the championship round where our flaws will ultimately be covered up or exposed big time. In all, our offense has to be our best defense in the postseason. That's sad to say, but T.O.P. has to be our best friend. Run the ball and open things up in the short passing game to keep their offense and our defense off the field.

I think after Detroits performance yesterday GB may have passed us on the worst passing D list, I havent checked numbers but they gave up 520 yards. Of course Shank is probably picking GB to win it all.

 

[PatsFanNM]

I don't think that who we played during the regular season makes much difference. It's hard to win in the NFL. Winning 13 games is really hard.

In 2007 we had beaten every playoff team in both conferences going into the playoffs. Didn't get us a win in the Super Bowl.

The 16 games we've already played make no difference. Only how we play in the next one.