The offense is a catastrophe

[Ivan]

You're completely ignoring a couple small facts.

We are down an all pro tight end in hernandez and who knows if gronk is ever at full strength this season. Amendola didn't even make it into the regular season before getting hurt and then he got ANOTHER injury. And to top it off vereen is out for at least FOUR weeks and Ridley got benched.

1) They won a divisional game on the road.

2) They ran more offensive plays than any team other than possibly the eagles, who were on a record setting pace at the half last night.

3) Their defense held the Bills to two scores and shut down one of the better running backs in football in CJ Spiller.

4) They still have the GOAT QB, and he has NEVER had a bad season, regardless of the weapons he had around him.

5) Ridley is available this week, and one of the better RB's in the league when he is out there.

6) Gronkowski is on schedule to return earlier than anyone ever expected.

7) Amendola is nicked up, not dead, and when he was out there looked like outstanding, and like a really good prospect to replace much of Welker's role and production.

8) Edelman played really well and looks like he can contribute significantly this season, which would be a first as a receiver for them.



The Patriots have questions and challenges ahead of them, but they also have an unparalleled track record of meeting those challenges and questions. i don't expect them to dominate at any time this season but still have a great deal of faith that they will be really competitive and will be in the hunt come january. they may not have what it takes to win it all this season but they are still a good football team and their future is bright even if they still have some needs to fill down the road.

 

[the Patriot]

I agree with you, OP.

I know it's a fan's duty to see the bright side of everything but let's be real. If someone from the future told you last March that by week 2 of the regular season Hernandez would be gone, Welker would be gone, Gronk would still be out, Amendola would be hurt, Vereen would be hurt, and Brady's number one weapon on offense would be Edelman, what would you call that? A minor setback?

The start of this season has been pretty catastrophic. Luckily for us, catastrophe struck at a pretty convenient time as far as catastrophes go. There is still plenty of time to recover and be Super Bowl contenders by the end of the season.

 

[letekro]

Not to mention the Pats still ran 90 plays for 430 yards. It's not like the Bills held them to under 300 yards or something.

I wasn't able to watch the game and hadn't seen the box score. They put up 430 yards without Gronk, and without the rookies contributing much? How is that anything other than incredibly encouraging???

 

[JackBauer]

I'm not sure why people are moronic enough to believe extrapolating stats over a full season is any way shape or form comparable to evaluating personnel.

How exactly is extrapolating stats less moronic than extrapolating player progressions/evaluations?

 

[Ivan]

I have no idea why we are voted one of the worst fanbases in the NFL.

Unfortunately Patriot fans are spoiled beyond belief, and view a close game as abject failure.

 

[Ivan]

I agree with you, OP.

I know it's a fan's duty to see the bright side of everything but let's be real. If someone from the future told you last March that by week 2 of the regular season Hernandez would be gone, Welker would be gone, Gronk would still be out, Amendola would be hurt, Vereen would be hurt, and Brady's number one weapon on offense would be Edelman, what would you call that? A minor setback?

The start of this season has been pretty catastrophic. Luckily for us, catastrophe struck at a pretty convenient time as far as catastrophes go. There is still plenty of time to recover and be Super Bowl contenders by the end of the season.

Winning a divisional road game is "catastrophic?"

 

[patsfan13]

Gronk out, Vareen plays game with broken bone in wrist, Ridley benched, Sudfeld hurt. Pants only gain 430 yards, Gosh the OP is right the season is a total loss, 1-15 is what we should all see.




Bills with 286 yards of O yeah total luck that we won.

 

[JMC00]

2) They ran more offensive plays than any team other than possibly the eagles, who were on a record setting pace at the half last night.

Eagles only ended up running 77 plays the whole game.

The only team that came close to running 89 plays was Baltimore with 87 and that's really because Denver was scoring quick on the Ravens unorganized bordeline average defense.

 

[patsfan-1982]

it sucks that amendola could miss at lest one game but even without Gronk amendola and Vereen the pats still don't face a team with more offensive talent then them until week 4 at Atlanta and even then Gronk and everyone should be back

 

[the Patriot]

Winning a divisional road game is "catastrophic?"

No... but the win doesn't erase the misfortunes we've recently had on offense. I mean, we won the Chiefs game week one in 2008.

 

[BradyFTW!]

AmendOla already missing a game
Vereen is out for at least four weeks
Ridley is in the dog house
Offensive line looked overmatched
Dobson Boyce and Thompkins haven't shown anything real

Thankfully the defense finally looks GOOD but Brady is once again asked to carry the team. I said this two months ago and got chewed out for it but it still looks like the same story. Brady manages to carry us to the playoffs but then the burden is too much and we lose in the playoffs.

Pats lose to the broncos 20-27

How the hell do you figure (bolded)? The offense put up 4.5 YPC with 35 carries. Brady was sacked twice, both times on third down when the defense was expecting pass. Against 52 pass attempts, 2 sacks isn't bad at all, and there were plenty of occasions where Brady had all day to throw.

There's lots that you can criticize after that game, but offensive line play is not one of them.

BTW, by the time the Pats play the Broncos, Gronk, Vereen, and Amendola will all be back.

 

[Sicilian]

You know what I think the problem is? This team has been so successful for so long, that the average fan always looks at the game as "How legendary could we be?" instead of actually enjoying a football game. No one wants to see how the young kids respond to this adversity? Would that be too interesting for this spoiled fanbase? Is the only way you can enjoy a football season to have the Patriots completely dominate from start to finish?

Remember in 2001 when they were constant underdogs? Man, that year sucked. The injuries are putting us behind the 8-ball to start things offensively for sure, and some rookies and unknowns are going to have to step up to make things better. It's going to be grueling, it's going to have missteps, but that's part of the fun.

I want to see this defense rise to the challenge. I want to see Brady make chicken salad out of chicken ****. I want to see a young kid stick it in everyone's face. Because at the end of the day, when I'm writing my sports fan memoirs, I'm not going to write out a list of statistical accomplishments or a simple tally of wins and championships. I'm going to look back on a games like Super Bowl 36 and say, "Man, NO ONE thought we could beat the Rams except us, and we did it!" The rest of you can say crap like, "I told you all we'd never win." Whatever that means to you, bless your heart.

 

[mosi]

AmendOla already missing a game
Vereen is out for at least four weeks
Ridley is in the dog house
Offensive line looked overmatched
Dobson Boyce and Thompkins haven't shown anything real

Thankfully the defense finally looks GOOD but Brady is once again asked to carry the team. I said this two months ago and got chewed out for it but it still looks like the same story. Brady manages to carry us to the playoffs but then the burden is too much and we lose in the playoffs.

Pats lose to the broncos 20-27

Dude, we don't play the Broncos for over 2 and 1/2 month! Manning could have an aneurism for pete sake. Really, we have no idea what is going to happen.

 

[the Patriot]

Dude, we don't play the Broncos for over 2 and 1/2 month! Manning could have an aneurism for pete sake. Really, we have no idea what is going to happen.

lol. Manning will probably already be resting himself for the playoffs (the rest helps him so much).

 

[BradyFTW!]

I wasn't able to watch the game and hadn't seen the box score. They put up 430 yards without Gronk, and without the rookies contributing much? How is that anything other than incredibly encouraging???

The discouraging part is that two of the top three weapons on Sunday's offense are now injured. But that's what backups are for. It's not ideal, but the Patriots have guys who can get the job done, and they probably just have to be a little better than last week to pull out the win.

 

[SVN]

AmendOla already missing a game
Vereen is out for at least four weeks
Ridley is in the dog house
Offensive line looked overmatched
Dobson Boyce and Thompkins haven't shown anything real

Thankfully the defense finally looks GOOD but Brady is once again asked to carry the team. I said this two months ago and got chewed out for it but it still looks like the same story. Brady manages to carry us to the playoffs but then the burden is too much and we lose in the playoffs.

Pats lose to the broncos 20-27

Since you already know the result and the SCORE too , I assume you wont be bothered watching this catastrophic team any more.

 

[IllegalContact]

 

[Ivan]

Eagles only ended up running 77 plays the whole game.

The only team that came close to running 89 plays was Baltimore with 87 and that's really because Denver was scoring quick on the Ravens unorganized bordeline average defense.

Wow, they (the eagles) ran 53 in the first half and all the talk was about them breaking the record of 95.

I am still shocked that the Patriots ran more offensive plays than any team in the league despite their issues at the WR and TE positions. Imo it bodes well for them regardless of the current injury situation. Brady has never had a bad season and i honestly don't believe he will have one this year. he will have to find a way to get production out of the rookies and use his running game wisely, and their defense will have to win some games for them this season but i think the offensive reset will pay off for them down the road if not this season.

 

[YearbookCurfew]

ALL IS LOST! There is no way the offense will get better over the season! NOPE THE PATS WILL SCORE 3 POINTS PER GAME FOR THE REMAINING GAMES!

 

[Don Kipines]

I have no idea why we are voted one of the worst fanbases in the NFL.

Probably has something to do with the fact that all of New England runs around shrieking like teenage girls in a slasher movie when the team only wins by two points in a divisional road opener.

Boston fans are ridiculous. They can't do anything but complain. The Pats gutted out a tough, ugly game in a hostile, desperate environment Sunday, brought home a victory, and all we do is whine about it -- we're the ultimate sore winners.

2007 ruined this fan base. If we're not winning by 50 everyone panics, with fans conveniently forgetting that this team's championship years were littered with wonderfully ugly wins just like the one we just watched, and very few blowouts.

It's always something. If it's not the pass rush, then it's the secondary, or the running game... People forget that pre-Corey Dillon we were lining up Mike Cloud as our great hope on offense.

In the salary cap era there are always going to be soft spots on the roster and moreover there are always going to be injuries, for every team. The key is winning when things aren't going well and being a tough, well-coached team. I wish people would just stop freaking out and do the only positive thing we can do as fans, and just support the team (and cheer for them when they play hard, which they definitely did Sunday). Does anyone think whining about the "catastrophe" offense (which would have been a pretty ho-hum 30-point effort if not for some absurd turnovers) makes the team want to play harder for us? How about showing some appreciation? All you whining fans, who did you take a forearm to the head for this past Sunday? Because guys like Wilfork and Vellano and Solder and Vereen and Amendola took that and more for you. And this is how you repay them?