The 2009 Patriots: Like finding out there's no Santa Claus

[BradyManny]

I also love how the Giants somehow managed to "expose" the lack of a running game despite NE running for 150+ in two close playoff games and then running for the most yardage since 1985 with the backup QB.

Perhaps the Giants just played better than NE?

Yes, they did, but they played a better game by the slimmest of margins (a helmet catch). Sometimes I think the truth about SB 42 is that neither team really played well enough to win until the 4th quarter, and the Giants were just fortunate enough to have the ball at the right time of the game, with the right amount of time on the clock - which is something the Patriots have been on the other side of before.

Which is not to take anything away from the 07 Giants. They earned their SB, and that was a heck of a team, and remains the team that most concerns me this season, from the Pats standpoint.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

First let me say I don't need to be talked down from the ledge.

...

So take it easy on us. We just found out there is no Santa Claus. It was only Rex Ryan in a big red suit.

Thanks. That is refreshingly honest. As someone who has been saying out here since before the Buffalo game that we shouldn't expect the season to start the slam-bang way many folks seemed to think it would, I'll only say that I'm still picking the Pats to win the Division, but that a 13 or 14 win season has never realistically been in the cards.

Succeeding in the NFL is tough enough, let alone when confronting the extra variables that are in play for the Pats this year. Brady is still recovering from a very serious, season ending injury; the D is missing four of its Championship stalwarts in Bruschi, Rodney, Seymour and Vrabes (whether or not they were on the downward arc of their career trajectory); few mention that we lost our OC, who also was effectively the QB coach. Put that all together with the usual mix of injuries (see Mayo and Welker just this week), bad calls and funny bounces, and it was unrealistic to think that this would necessarily be smooth sailing, let alone from the get go. We have a bye in week eight. I think it's going to take nearly every one of the games between now and then to get things settled down and find out what we really have.

I think we should do what the Team itself is no doubt doing today; put the Jets mess behind us and think about only one thing--beating a very good and very hungry Atlanta team on Sunday. It does us no good to look ahead to the Ravens, a team that was just one game away from the SB last year, to prove something unless we take care of business this week.

 

[Pats726]

First let me say I don't need to be talked down from the ledge. I understand it is only week two and there's a lot of football still to be played. I have a lot of faith in the Hooded One and TFB to lead this team to the playoffs and hopefully to a fourth SB title THIS year.

That said, the only thing I can compare the 2009 Patriots season to so far is telling your kid there is no Santa Claus. Many of us believed this team was one of, if not the ONE elite team in the NFL coming out of the gates.

We believed Brady was back and would light it up again. We didn't necessarily think 2009 would be as prolific as 2007 but, with a couple years together, and Brady all the way back from his injury, we thought this offense was the best in the business (or at least on par with NO). We weren't realistically looking for another run at 19-0 (although we did dream about it sometimes) but we figured with Brady back and a revamped secondary there was no way this team wouldn't win more games than the Matt Cassel led, defensively deficient squad from a year ago.

Sure we bristled when BB threw Vrabel in to sweeten the pot on the KC deal. It felt wrong to us on some level. It seemed cold. It seemed like we didn't get enough in return. It seemed like BB somehow undervalued those assets. But what do we know? We're just fans. So we swallowed the kool-aid and told ourselves Vrabes was finished anyway. Washed up. Has been. Couldn't help us anymore. Thanks for the memories but BB knows best.

Then came the Seymour fiasco. Reminded us of another great Patriots rather ignominous exit from Foxboro back in 2003. Just like Vrabes before him, the RS situation just felt wrong to us on some level. It too seemed cold. It also seemed to weaken our chances to win this year in exchange for a better chance to keep winning in later years. We were skeptical. We wondered how the DL could afford to lose a player of Seymour's stature and ability. We wondered who the opposing coaches would have to game plan for now that Big Sey was gone. We wondered who would required double teams and still be able to collapse the pocket. But, like with Vrabel, we sucked it up and told ourselves Richard was dispensible too. Just another in a long line of parts in BB's mighty Patriot machine. Imminently replaceable just like all the others who've come and gone.

Oh well. It was finally time for some football! The kool-aid felt more potent than ever. So we drank some more and soon were overcome. It told us strange things. After all, Brady was back. The Patriot Messiah had risen from the dead and was coming back again in glory to smite his foes and tread them under his feet en route to another trip to the promised land. This Patriot offense would subdue our foes in the early part of the year to compensate for the young, revamped defense. This would buy some time for all of those new, young faces on defense to learn to play together and to gel. We were still a dominant team... or so we thought.

Then the Pats came out and stunk up the joint the first two weeks and shattered our little football fantasy. Please don't misunderstand. It's not that we've given up on the team, or the season, or BB, or TFB. It's not that we don't believe anymore.

It's just that like a little kid at Christmas our lofty expectations have met with a very different and difficult reality to start this season. Our sense of entitlement has been stripped away with full blown blunt force trauma.

So take it easy on us. We just found out there is no Santa Claus. It was only Rex Ryan in a big red suit.

Just another spoiled little brat...go to your room...no dinner for you!!!

 

[Pats726]

What the Giants did in the Superbowl is NOT AT ALL the same as what the Jets did on D..not even close.

 

[slash83]

The 2009 Patriots are more like a fine wine IMO, will get better with time.

 

[Lloyd_Christmas]

I think it's more like you find out there isn't a real Santa, only some fat guy in a red suit with a bad disposition who works at the local mall.

Everytime you go there he starts yelling at you. Telling you how he's going to come over to your house and embarrass you. Knock your dad out, #@!$ your mom, piss on your Christmas tree, and take all your presents.

You don't believe a word of it until Christmas morning comes around and there you sit with no presents, a stinky wet christmas tree, a knocked out dad, and a knocked up mom. Yeah, it sucks!

I've never wanted the Patriots to throttle another team more than when we face the Jets later this year. Bringing out those ex-patriots as captains spoke volumns about what kind of jack-***** Ryan is. He has no class... period.

 

[Absurdly Metro]

Just another spoiled little brat...go to your room...no dinner for you!!!

all those division titles, AFCCG's and superbowls can do that to you. :cry2:

speaking of being spoiled, I noticed that I don't clean my plate at dinner anymore and often try to eat dessert first.

 

[BionicPatriot]

First let me say I don't need to be talked down from the ledge. I understand it is only week two and there's a lot of football still to be played. I have a lot of faith in the Hooded One and TFB to lead this team to the playoffs and hopefully to a fourth SB title THIS year.

That said, the only thing I can compare the 2009 Patriots season to so far is telling your kid there is no Santa Claus. Many of us believed this team was one of, if not the ONE elite team in the NFL coming out of the gates.

We believed Brady was back and would light it up again. We didn't necessarily think 2009 would be as prolific as 2007 but, with a couple years together, and Brady all the way back from his injury, we thought this offense was the best in the business (or at least on par with NO). We weren't realistically looking for another run at 19-0 (although we did dream about it sometimes) but we figured with Brady back and a revamped secondary there was no way this team wouldn't win more games than the Matt Cassel led, defensively deficient squad from a year ago.

Sure we bristled when BB threw Vrabel in to sweeten the pot on the KC deal. It felt wrong to us on some level. It seemed cold. It seemed like we didn't get enough in return. It seemed like BB somehow undervalued those assets. But what do we know? We're just fans. So we swallowed the kool-aid and told ourselves Vrabes was finished anyway. Washed up. Has been. Couldn't help us anymore. Thanks for the memories but BB knows best.

Then came the Seymour fiasco. Reminded us of another great Patriots rather ignominous exit from Foxboro back in 2003. Just like Vrabes before him, the RS situation just felt wrong to us on some level. It too seemed cold. It also seemed to weaken our chances to win this year in exchange for a better chance to keep winning in later years. We were skeptical. We wondered how the DL could afford to lose a player of Seymour's stature and ability. We wondered who the opposing coaches would have to game plan for now that Big Sey was gone. We wondered who would required double teams and still be able to collapse the pocket. But, like with Vrabel, we sucked it up and told ourselves Richard was dispensible too. Just another in a long line of parts in BB's mighty Patriot machine. Imminently replaceable just like all the others who've come and gone.

Oh well. It was finally time for some football! The kool-aid felt more potent than ever. So we drank some more and soon were overcome. It told us strange things. After all, Brady was back. The Patriot Messiah had risen from the dead and was coming back again in glory to smite his foes and tread them under his feet en route to another trip to the promised land. This Patriot offense would subdue our foes in the early part of the year to compensate for the young, revamped defense. This would buy some time for all of those new, young faces on defense to learn to play together and to gel. We were still a dominant team... or so we thought.

Then the Pats came out and stunk up the joint the first two weeks and shattered our little football fantasy. Please don't misunderstand. It's not that we've given up on the team, or the season, or BB, or TFB. It's not that we don't believe anymore.

It's just that like a little kid at Christmas our lofty expectations have met with a very different and difficult reality to start this season. Our sense of entitlement has been stripped away with full blown blunt force trauma.

So take it easy on us. We just found out there is no Santa Claus. It was only Rex Ryan in a big red suit.

You know, after reading this post I thought this thread MIGHT have hope. Just maybe, Than I got to about the end of the first page when I had enough. The people in this thread sound like emo kids ready to cut themselves for god sake.

IT'S WEEK 3. WE ARE 1-1, I REPEAT 1-1, that means .500, that means there's a whole lot of season left to be played. There's plenty of time to get things right.

The defense comes out, gives up 26 points in 2 weeks. That's 13 PPG AVG. Is that bad? The offense comes out, struggles but puts up 25 points. Than they have a bad offensive game, now all is lost. I mean my goodness people. You said it yourself man, we talked GREATNESS, did we not? You also said it yourself nobody really thought this team could go undefeated.

So if you thought that, why are you crying? You sound like a baby comparing this crap to this christmas nonsense. I'm sorry is this team done? Is our season over? Is it not week 3? Hell, did we NOT start 2-2 in 2003? Did you find out the team sucked than too? Because you're pretty damn good at it being able to say wether we have it or not by week friggin 2.

It's too early to say they do or don't have it. But why the doom and gloom threads here after one less? How did you expect us to lose if you didn't expect a perfect season? We have ONE loss people, one goddamn loss.

You know what this thread reminds me of?
YouTube - Giants Fan in Shambles

 

[Absurdly Metro]

You know, after reading this post I thought this thread MIGHT have hope. Just maybe, Than I got to about the end of the first page when I had enough. The people in this thread sound like emo kids ready to cut themselves for god sake.

IT'S WEEK 3. WE ARE 1-1, I REPEAT 1-1, that means .500, that means there's a whole lot of season left to be played. There's plenty of time to get things right.

The defense comes out, gives up 26 points in 2 weeks. That's 13 PPG AVG. Is that bad? The offense comes out, struggles but puts up 25 points. Than they have a bad offensive game, now all is lost. I mean my goodness people. You said it yourself man, we talked GREATNESS, did we not? You also said it yourself nobody really thought this team could go undefeated.

So if you thought that, why are you crying? You sound like a baby comparing this crap to this christmas nonsense. I'm sorry is this team done? Is our season over? Is it not week 3? Hell, did we NOT start 2-2 in 2003? Did you find out the team sucked than too? Because you're pretty damn good at it being able to say wether we have it or not by week friggin 2.

It's too early to say they do or don't have it. But why the doom and gloom threads here after one less? How did you expect us to lose if you didn't expect a perfect season? We have ONE loss people, one goddamn loss.

You know what this thread reminds me of?
YouTube - Giants Fan in Shambles

oh come on. you're making stuff up dude. this thread isn't about being a bunch of chicken littles or giving up on the team. it's a long season. WE BELIEVE!!

otoh, don't you think it's okay, even natural, to at least be a little diappointed with how the team has started the season based on the almost universal expectations that NE was the lone NFL superpower on the footballl landscape?

If you knew the Pats with the g.o.a.t. mr. TFB coming back were gonna come stumbling and bumbling out of the gates like this this year then congratulations are in order for you sir. The season is proceeding exactly according to your expectations. If you didn't, which is the case with many here, then you're just a little shocked right now.

 

[Absurdly Metro]

I think it's more like you find out there isn't a real Santa, only some fat guy in a red suit with a bad disposition who works at the local mall.

Everytime you go there he starts yelling at you. Telling you how he's going to come over to your house and embarrass you. Knock your dad out, #@!$ your mom, piss on your Christmas tree, and take all your presents.

You don't believe a word of it until Christmas morning comes around and there you sit with no presents, a stinky wet christmas tree, a knocked out dad, and a knocked up mom. Yeah, it sucks!

 

[supafly]

The 2009 Pats are no better than the 2008 Pats. Our easy schedule will get us about 10 wins.

Our EASY schedule is the 3rd hardest in the league, and consists of 6 extremely difficult divisional games, games against:
DEN (2-0, will be tougher than some think)
BAL (2-0, playoff team, tough punishing D, offense has found groove)
ATL (2-0, playoff team, punishing D, offense has found groove)
IND (always a very hard game)
TEN (always tough D, Fisher great coach, season will be turned around)
CAR (same as Tennessee, great skill position players)
NEW ORL (2-0, playoff team, Brees may break Brady's 50 TD record, re-established defense, incredible offense, almost unbeatable at home)
HOU (pretty tough D, not sure what 09 team will consist of--certainly not an easy game)
NYJ (rematch, could be hardest game in division)
MIA X 2 (Brady often struggles against, always play us tough, two matchups)

The only real 'easier' games I see are against Tampa Bay, Buffalo (who we barely escaped from, are harder in their stadium, + revenge game)
and Jacksonville. This schedule is challenging, to say the least, and will be hard to win 11 or 12 games at most.

maybe this is what you were saying all along, maybe my 11 win prediction is equal to your 10 win prediction, but after hearing all offseason about how no one was afraid of the schedule, I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not. I've heard people say that "they didn't see any games we'd lose in the first half of the season," and "no one presents any challenges" so I want whatever it is that they're smoking, because I have been cautious as hell since the schedule came out

 

[stcjones]

It's like putting your hand in your Chrismas stocking expecting all kinds of sweet goodies and finding out that Santa defecated in it instead.

this is f'ing funny.....any pretty accurate.....)

 

[stcjones]

The current Pats team is NOT the one everybody knows and respects.

1- How could we let somebody talk trash for months and get away with it?
2- BB is loosing his control. The media and fans NEVER question him for anything. I think that BB has made a lot of bad decisions.
3-We don't have any killer instinct any more.
4-Our half time adjustment is not as good as we think.
5-TB doesn't have good connection with his receivers.
6-Our coordinators are mediocre. Why do we change O COORDINATOR every 4 years?????

very good points.....the OC from what I have noted....is BB himself.....I think it is advisable to have a specialized coordinator for each "division" (Offense and defense) but that is just me......

 

[Oswlek]

I repeat. For emphasis.

It is like finding out that Santa Claus is a 40 foot tall Rex Ryan who then proceeds to defecate and urinate on our heads.

That is what the Patriots have wrought.

Yes, no Patriot team has ever struggled, particularly early in the season.

Apparently this past week's game was the super bowl. And I thought Kris Jenkins was just being colorful.

 

[SoonerPatriot]

"Denial" is not a river in Egypt. It is a state of mind in Foxboro. The team blew a gasket in their Superbowl loss to the Giants. The Giants exposed the Pats offensive line woes and lack of running game. The rest of the league has picked up on this and the Pats have done nothing to counter it.

The 2009 Pats are no better than the 2008 Pats. Our easy schedule will get us about 10 wins.

Actually it was Philly in 2007 that did the exposing. The other teams just followed suit.

 

[stcjones]

Very Interesting comments, and very well written. I have to agree with your comments, maybe not 100%, but I do agree somewhat. I think the 2007 team was built to win it all, all the stars were aligned, the vets still were productive important parts of the team. But I remember it as if it were yesterday, I believe after we beat Buffalo 52-7, Brady came out and said in essence, we are trying to destroy teams, I remember cringing after hearing that. We stopped being dominant after that game, and teams started being very physical and started beating up our offensive line, AND Brady. It's like Brady opened up his mouth, and the opponents were listening loud and clear, and said "We're not gonna take it anymore". Needless to say, one terrible SB later, after getting beat up again, I think THAT'S when we found out Santa didn't exist anymore. We have not been dominant since that Buffalo game (a few flashes of it last year with Cassel at the helm, the Denver game comes to mind).

Flash forward to this season, the vets we counted on to lead our team, Bruschi (my favorite Patriot), Vrabel, Seau, Harrison, Seymour, etc, all either declined in talent due to age or injury (or money situations like Seymour). Despite maybe not being productive, you can NOT replace that kind of veteran winning leadership so fast. The defense is in the middle of a makeover that may take a few years, the offensive line, can be punished and attacked, and there is no running game to speak of, despite some so-called quality backs. This forces a recovering Tom Brady, to attempt to come from behind too often, leaving him as a sitting duck in an empty backfield on most occasions. Super Bowl teams do not win like that. I held my breath many times, reading people's expectations or predictions of a 19-0 season, etc, yet all the time staring at one of the most difficult schedules in football.

I'm not saying it's all doom and gloom, the 2001 Pats went 0-2, 1-3, 5-5, before winning their last 9 games (regular season and playoffs) on the way to being SB Champs, it can be done, the precedence is there. But also, after watching sports for close to 45 years, I know that sports is very cyclical, Good teams win for a while, and then start to decline, and become average to poor teams, and with good management and leadership, come around again. I think of the 49'ers, on top of the football world winning 5 SB's in 14 years, and then disappearing for many years (10 years). This may be happening to our beloved Pats. I'm hoping for at least one more Championship for the BB/Brady connection, but if it doesn't happen, I wouldn't be shocked. Nor would I be suicidal, it's been an incredible run, our beloved Pats have been in 5 SB's in the last 14 years, 6 AFC Championship games, How can I complain ?

good stats scott on the records prior to winning the SB's during those years......lets hope they can jell and get things back on track........