Sit the starters this week and play them against Miami

[TheBostonStraggler]

so do you play guys that could possibly play, but would be better off not playing? That is the question...and there are a lot of players that need to get healthy. I do not want #12 to be a sitting duck back there.

If guys can play they should play. If guys can probably play then they can be inserted in very specific and limited instances if needed.
You are leaving out an important consideration: A win over the Jets gives guys who need rest/recuperation 19 straight days of healing before they have to be in another actual game. That's a sweet prize for all the walking wounded and one worth playing guys who can play but could really use some extra healing time/game off.

 

[FourierSeries]

If guys can play they should play. If guys can probably play then they can be inserted in very specific and limited instances if needed.
You are leaving out an important consideration: A win over the Jets gives guys who need rest/recuperation 19 straight days of healing before they have to be in another actual game. That's a sweet prize for all the walking wounded and one worth playing guys who can play but could really use some extra healing time/game off.

The bye is already locked up.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

No.

Yes

 

[TheBostonStraggler]

The bye is already locked up.

Thanks for the reminder. HFA is the angle I should have highlighted.
HFA is important. It isn't as important as the Bye but it is important. Getting it locked up now makes the Miami game meaningless and allows virtually no second guessing for resting guys who could otherwise play/probably play. No way should we excuse this week in any way IMHO...

 

[pencilneckgeek]

Terrible idea. Why don't we just assume the victory formation halfway through the 4th quarter when we're up by 3 scores, so Brady doesn't get hurt? Worse, the nightmare injury situation is Suh and his cronies in a don't-give-a-**** game teeing-off on Brady. This idea is barely worthy of talk radio.

 

[Deus Irae]

Terrible idea. Why don't we just assume the victory formation halfway through the 4th quarter when we're up by 3 scores, so Brady doesn't get hurt? Worse, the nightmare injury situation is Suh and his cronies in a don't-give-a-**** game teeing-off on Brady. This idea is barely worthy of talk radio.

I disagree
- Michael Felger


You're absolutely right, Mike
- Tony Mazzarotti

 

[goheels22002]

people are too hung up on the Jets..the team they are playing is irrelevant to me. This team NEEDS everyone to be healthy.

You're kidding, right?

The Jets - Patriots rivalry is built on some of the most notorious tampering and treachery in the history of the NFL. Do the names Bill Parcells, Curtis Martin, Eric Mangini, Pete Carroll, Leon Hess, Rex Ryan, Woody "Tampering" Johnson, Darrelle Revi$, etc., mean anything to you?

Beating the Jets is still very important.

 

[patsfaninpa]

Decent chance we host AFCCG even as #2 seed. Pitt just beat Cincy and Denver. Likely, beats them in playoffs too.

 

[Kontradiction]

I'm all good on that. Play them this week, get the win, rest them next week against one of the dirtiest teams in football.

 

[sambam94]

You're kidding, right?

The Jets - Patriots rivalry is built on some of the most notorious tampering and treachery in the history of the NFL. Do the names Bill Parcells, Curtis Martin, Eric Mangini, Pete Carroll, Leon Hess, Rex Ryan, Woody "Tampering" Johnson, Darrelle Revi$, etc., mean anything to you?

Beating the Jets is still very important.

yup..meaningless...SB championship is all that should matter. Everything else is a side show good for sports radio talk only.

 

[sambam94]

Decent chance we host AFCCG even as #2 seed. Pitt just beat Cincy and Denver. Likely, beats them in playoffs too.

that's what I'm guessing as well.

 

[VectorPrime]

If someone gets hurt in week 17 when they might have been resting if we had won in week 16 they have one less week to get healthy before the playoffs.

 

[sportnik]

that's what I'm guessing as well.

I agree. But it looks like were going to have to knock off Pittsburgh to get the Superbowl & it would be better to get them off a bye and before they get an extra dose of confidence and momentum from winning two road playoff games.

Of course, if Denver loses this week, I believe Pitt becomes the 5 seed and the Pats may not see them until the Championship game anyway. But I think the Pats have to rest anyone who is dinged up (Amendola & Hightower), but go all out to win this week. Then we can see what we have in JG against the Fins.

 

[goheels22002]

yup..meaningless...SB championship is all that should matter. Everything else is a side show good for sports radio talk only.

So in your world, there is no value in the history and intertwined stories of rivals. Thus, the Michigan-Ohio State football rivalry is irrelevant. the UNC- Duke basketball rivalry has no importance. A Red Sox - Yankees series if of little consequence. In your view the games only matter if a championship is on the line. That's sad.

The Jets - Patriots rivalry is as rich as any in the NFL. Even when the teams are mismatched, the outcome never seems assured going into the contest. It is by far the most noteworthy in the AFC East. An argument can be made that the NFC North and NFC East have more storied rivalries.

It is particularly interesting to me for the role that it plays in the Patriots coaching history. All three of the last three Patriots head coaches who won Super Bowls were HC of the NYJ - Bill Parcells, Pete Carroll, and Bill Belichick. Mixed up in all this are Spygate, the Thanksgiving Day Butt Fumble, and Revis.

I'm looking forward to the game on lots of levels, particularly if it adds another chapter to the rivalry.

 

[IcyPatriot]

On top of all the good points already in this thread ...

It's not right to hand a possible playoff team a victory ...

Play to win ... the Miami game is irrelevant to the playoffs ... for them anyways.

 

[sambam94]

So in your world, there is no value in the history and intertwined stories of rivals. Thus, the Michigan-Ohio State football rivalry is irrelevant. the UNC- Duke basketball rivalry has no importance. A Red Sox - Yankees series if of little consequence. In your view the games only matter if a championship is on the line. That's sad.

The Jets - Patriots rivalry is as rich as any in the NFL. Even when the teams are mismatched, the outcome never seems assured going into the contest. It is by far the most noteworthy in the AFC East. An argument can be made that the NFC North and NFC East have more storied rivalries.

It is particularly interesting to me for the role that it plays in the Patriots coaching history. All three of the last three Patriots head coaches who won Super Bowls were HC of the NYJ - Bill Parcells, Pete Carroll, and Bill Belichick. Mixed up in all this are Spygate, the Thanksgiving Day Butt Fumble, and Revis.

I'm looking forward to the game on lots of levels, particularly if it adds another chapter to the rivalry.

again, health is more important to this team and its chances of winning another SB. Having to beat the jets this week just because they are the jets is ridiculous IMO.

 

[Bruins29]

I see the pink hats are now weighing in with their opinion about trying to win games VS having players get booboos

The pats formula seems to work. You try to win every game except in instances where the game is meaningless. Then you have options. At the same time, you limit snaps of injured players or dont play or dress them at all.

This new ****y theory way of football and just dictating which games you will think you will win is just a completely juvenile way of thinking. Anybody who follows the Patriots and football for that matter knows that this "theory" is a complete joke.

 

[Th3Birdman]

This sounds a whole lot like you're conceding a loss to the freaking jets of all teams, in the second to last week of the regular season where we're still not out of the woods concerning HFA.

I get it-- division games are tough.

But don't you think the Pats need that adversity?

I'd rather play them at full strength (Ha!) and lose (hint: we wont) in the regular than have us "well rested" and not ready to go to war in the post-season.

Adversity breeds greatness.

Bring on the Rats and the Fish. I'd play them both at the same time if I could.

 

[TheBostonStraggler]

I would rather have the Broncos in the postseason than the Jets. We can dispose of Denver easily, but a divisional opponent could pose a bigger threat.

Beating the Jets this week accomplishes the goal of locking up HFA, and it also knocks the Jets out of contention.

I tend to agree and not just because of the division threat angle. As much as hate to admit it, in terms of balance -- offense and defense ranking composite -- the Jets may be second in the AFC only behind the Patriots.
The days of loud mouthed prima donna D bags who could eventually be counted on to help beat themselves appears to be trending downward under Bowles. They are even, sorta, pulling out BB's playbook of 'when you win say nothing. When you lose say even less', every player on the opposing team getting praise, and his players are not shooting their mouths off during pregame week.
To quote Stan Gable: these nerds (could be) a real threat to our way of life.

A bit OT: from a long term AFCE perspective, the Jets appear to be headed upward under Bowles. Buffalo looks to be trying to put a loud mouthed Ryan persona based team together. While it has shown it can work in short term bursts, outside of the short term it is a house of cards. Buff won't be a threat in the next few years except maybe in short bursts IMHO. Miami already was acting very questionably -- then to sign Suh to a huge mega deal. Forgetaboutit with them , I expect Miami to be in the cellar for the next couple of years. For the Jets, they look to be putting together a Patriots type organization. Bowles is putting them on the kind of path to better maximize the small things/not beat themselves and put the team in a place to win more games than not -- even winning ones they shouldn't on paper win. The thing with the Jets, though IMHO, is QB. A bit surprising to hear reports say they will be looking to dump Fitz. Considering they probably will end up with 10 wins (not 11 wins! ) and given how difficult it is to find a QB who can help a team to 10 wins or more, dumping Fitz for an unknown may cause them to take a step back (basically they go back to ???). But if they keep Fitz and if the Bowles plan keeps in place, I see it as pretty clear they will be next year's AFCE competition (maybe even good enough to just miss it by | | that much ).

 

[TheBostonStraggler]

I tend to agree and not just because of the division threat angle. As much as hate to admit it, in terms of balance -- offense and defense ranking composite -- the Jets may be second in the AFC only behind the Patriots.
The days of loud mouthed prima donna D bags who could eventually be counted on to help beat themselves appears to be trending downward under Bowles. They are even, sorta, pulling out BB's playbook of 'when you win say nothing. When you lose say even less', every player on the opposing team getting praise, and his players are not shooting their mouths off during pregame week.
To quote Stan Gable: these nerds (could be) a real threat to our way of life.

A bit OT: from a long term AFCE perspective, the Jets appear to be headed upward under Bowles. Buffalo looks to be trying to put a loud mouthed Ryan persona based team together. While it has shown it can work in short term bursts, outside of the short term it is a house of cards. Buff won't be a threat in the next few years except maybe in short bursts IMHO. Miami already was acting very questionably -- then to sign Suh to a huge mega deal. Forgetaboutit with them , I expect Miami to be in the cellar for the next couple of years. For the Jets, they look to be putting together a Patriots type organization. Bowles is putting them on the kind of path to better maximize the small things/not beat themselves and put the team in a place to win more games than not -- even winning ones they shouldn't on paper win. The thing with the Jets, though IMHO, is QB. A bit surprising to hear reports say they will be looking to dump Fitz. Considering they probably will end up with 10 wins (not 11 wins! ) and given how difficult it is to find a QB who can help a team to 10 wins or more, dumping Fitz for an unknown may cause them to take a step back (basically they go back to ???). But if they keep Fitz and if the Bowles plan keeps in place, I see it as pretty clear they will be next year's AFCE competition (maybe even good enough to just miss it by | | that much ).

Perfect example, Calvin Pace pregame week comments on the Patriots/Brady just aren't the same Jets type comments I expect ((I miss the days of Ryan's Jets opening their mouths to remove all doubt of any discernible intelligence ))

"“He shouldn’t (retire),” Pace said Wednesday, via ESPN staff writer Rich Cimini. “He’s done a great job for a long time. Hopefully, he gets traded at some point in time. Trade him to the NFC somewhere.”

“Blame Shaun Ellis,” Pace joked, via NJ.com’s Darryl Slater. “If Shaun didn’t get that hit on (Bledsoe) the sideline, they might have somebody else at quarterback. But things happen like that sometimes.”