The Defense Played Very Well Indeed

[mgteich]

The defense gave up 2 FG drives and a miracle catch at the end of the half for a total of 13 points.

Obviously, the offense has a very long way to go.

 

[BB8XSBW]

That was championship defense out there, and they weren't even going at 100%.

As far as the offense, I can't help but laugh at the hysteria here. Someone posters are having an aneurysm over the results of a preseason game. Those are signs of some serious mental health issues.

This was preseason game #4, and so you saw exactly what you would see in any preseason game. The team sat some of its starters and best players at various points throughout the game - for example, Bourne, Strange, Wynn. The offense was kept entirely vanilla. Only two personnel groupings were used the entire game and very little playaction or motion. It was all just base plays. Pretty standard operating procedure for a preseason game, and it's the exact type of stuff you will see for the remainder of the preseason. They will only start dialling in the important stuff once we get to the meaningful games in October.

I will say, though, that on the one or two drives that the offense actually tried, it looked unstoppable. They had zero issue doing what they wanted to that defense, be it on the ground or through the air. Mac was an absolute monster on 3rd down today, and delivered some dimes to Meyers and Bourne deep down the field, and he did it while playing with a severe back injury. This kid is truly special.

I would like to see the team sit both Mac and Bourne for the rest of the preseason. No need to risk the health of arguably our two best and most talented offensive players since Randy Moss.

 

[ivanvamp]

The defense gave up 2 FG drives and a miracle catch at the end of the half for a total of 13 points.

Obviously, the offense has a very long way to go.

That wasn't a miracle catch. It was a simple pass over the middle on 4th and 7 and the Pats' secondary completely misplayed it. That's not a "miracle". That's a godawful job by the Pats' defense.

 

[ivanvamp]

As for the "meaningful games" comment....I mean, they ALL matter at this point. This was a divisional, in-conference game. They don't get more meaningful than that.

Though....I think you're being sarcastic, @BB8XSBW - unless I'm reading you wrong.

 

[BB8XSBW]

As for the "meaningful games" comment....I mean, they ALL matter at this point. This was a divisional, in-conference game. They don't get more meaningful than that.

Though....I think you're being sarcastic, @BB8XSBW - unless I'm reading you wrong.

It was a meaningless game.

Last season we got swept by Miami and still made the playoffs. More importantly, we were the best team in the entire league before injuries devastated us down the stretch.

September games do not count.

 

[Pats1971]

It was a meaningless game.

Last season we got swept by Miami and still made the playoffs. More importantly, we were the best team in the entire league before injuries devastated us down the stretch.

September games do not count.

This game is no more meaningless than any game

 

[ivanvamp]

It was a meaningless game.

Last season we got swept by Miami and still made the playoffs. More importantly, we were the best team in the entire league before injuries devastated us down the stretch.

September games do not count.

LOL

 

[oldrover]

The Defense Played Very Well Indeed​

 

[BB8XSBW]

So you are saying that a NFl game against a division opponent is meaningless....

This is correct.

 

[sb1]

They played very well compared to what they looked like in the wild card game in January so there's that....

 

[woolster22]

The defense gave up 2 FG drives and a miracle catch at the end of the half for a total of 13 points.

Obviously, the offense has a very long way to go.

Tua is more the reason for that than anything the defense did. I'll be interested to see how the AFC East stacks up this year. The Jete, well this is patsfans. The Bills just ***** slapped the defending SB winner in their house and look to be among the top in the AFC again.

Tyreek got an extra 2mil/yr to tire pump Tua to Mia last offseason. The extra kool-aid colored glasses says BB is playing chess and costing the Phin's a W in the race for the 1 seed.

...the doom + gloom crowd is shouting "yeah, but they're going to be racing us."

That wasn't a miracle catch. It was a simple pass over the middle on 4th and 7 and the Pats' secondary completely misplayed it. That's not a "miracle". That's a godawful job by the Pats' defense.

You chalk that one up to playing in MIA. There's always at least one of those. The no-call on the first pick certainly could have been 1st and goal at the 1 with a chance to get your OL 'established.' The deflection was a "weird one" by my eyes, but that's worth absolutely nothing so take it for what you want.

We had a couple big plays break our back, and then we hear Mac is playing with a bad back? DO NOT **** WITH THE BACK! LET THAT ****ING THING HEAL!

No wonder his arm looked like ****.

 

[Triumph]

It was a meaningless game.

Last season we got swept by Miami and still made the playoffs. More importantly, we were the best team in the entire league before injuries devastated us down the stretch.

September games do not count.

16 - 1 ought to get a playoff spot.

 

[mgteich]

That wasn't a miracle catch. It was a simple pass over the middle on 4th and 7 and the Pats' secondary completely misplayed it. That's not a "miracle". That's a godawful job by the Pats' defense.

fair enough

 

[Froob]

Eh...I don't know if I'd go that far. They only gave up 13 but, gave up a lot of important plays.

 

[Dingleberry]

Eh...I don't know if I'd go that far. They only gave up 13 but, gave up a lot of important plays.

Ya, I think "very well" is a stretch to describe the D. They played good enough to win if they were supported by a semi-competent offense.

 

[catent]

Ya, I think "very well" is a stretch to describe the D. They played good enough to win if they were supported by a semi-competent offense.

The offense was semi-competent IMO; they turned the ball over three times, twice on Miami's side of the field. I thought they showed some good signs generating yards between the 20s. I guess turnovers are not consistent with competency, but my point is they didn't look anemic to me.

They lost the game because of turnovers and the end-of-half defensive breakdown.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

The offense was semi-competent IMO; they turned the ball over three times, twice on Miami's side of the field. I thought they showed some good signs generating yards between the 20s. I guess turnovers are not consistent with competency, but my point is they didn't look anemic to me.

They lost the game because of turnovers and the end-of-half defensive breakdown.

Mac has to play better. Missed a lot of open guys. Smith on an over the shoulder grab that would have been big. Agholor down the sideline when he had his man beat soundly. Can't miss those throws which are not hard ones. Even the first interception, and others, were too late. Mac's timing was off for the majority of the game. Maybe his back was hurt? Maybe 1st game jitters? Either way his timing has to be better for us to win.

 

[BradytoMosstoGronk]

Defense really only made a handful of bad plays, which includes the inexcusable TD to waddle before halftime.

I'm not as worried about them as I am the offense.

 

[ralmat55]

My definition of “very well” doesn’t include allowing the opponent to go 7-15 on 3rd and 4th downs often poorly contested. It doesn’t include failing to force a turnover when the opponent presented several opportunities for one. It does not include coming out on the field after your offense had scored a TD to get within 10 points and allowing multiple first downs, minutes coming off the clock, and a FG. Finally, it doesn’t include whatever happened at the end of the first half when a rookie HC punked you by going for it on 4th and seven near midfield, and you gave up a TD pass where one defender pulled back to avoid contact while 2 teammates collided with one another.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

My definition of “very well” doesn’t include allowing the opponent to go 7-15 on 3rd and 4th downs often poorly contested. It doesn’t include failing to force a turnover when the opponent presented several opportunities for one. It does not include coming out on the field after your offense had scored a TD to get within 10 points and allowing multiple first downs, minutes coming off the clock, and a FG. Finally, it doesn’t include whatever happened at the end of the first half when a rookie HC punked you by going for it on 4th and seven near midfield, and you gave up a TD pass where one defender pulled back to avoid contact while 2 teammates collided with one another.

No defense is perfect. Allowing 13 points is a good day for any team in the NFL, even if fans make stupid lists of complaints after the game.