The Offense Is fine with one weakness

[VJCPatriot]

I think that Caldwell has quietly become the Patriots best wide receiver. The only guy who catches the ball more consistently is Watson. The ageless Troy Brown makes some big plays for us now and then but with him doing double duty it isn't realistic for him to be seeing as many loooks on offense.

My question is what happened to Doug Gabriel. He was the invisible man last night against the Bears.

Finally if Brady hooks up with Chad Jackson on that long pass that is a TD and we have a whole different feel for this ballgame. Thankfully the Pats scored anyways thanks to Gost's long boot, but you know what I mean.

I just keep waiting for CJ to breakout and I wonder why he only gets 1 or 2 looks a game and they are all generally long bombs. Isn't CJ assigned any intermediate routes or is he just not getting open or on the field?

 

[BelizePats]

The tunrovers were brutal and this has become a concern on the offensive side of the ball. If it does not get fixed, then it will be Denver in the playoffs all over again, when we get to the playoffs this year.
The other offence issue, for sure is McDaniels. His offensive play calling is painfully predictable and to date, it has been a liability to the team.
Our telent level has done much to make this less an issue but in my estimation, this guy has not been the right fit for the players on this team, this year.
I wonder what BB is thinking? He can't be too happy about it.

Rich

 

[MoLewisrocks]

The tunrovers were brutal and this has become a concern on the offensive side of the ball. If it does not get fixed, then it will be Denver in the playoffs all over again, when we get to the playoffs this year.
The other offence issue, for sure is McDaniels. His offensive play calling is painfully predictable and to date, it has been a liability to the team.
Our telent level has done much to make this less an issue but in my estimation, this guy has not been the right fit for the players on this team, this year.
I wonder what BB is thinking? He can't be too happy about it.

Rich

The only liability this 8-3 team has faced thus far in the 2006 season is it's erratic talent and their inability to perform consistently. Primarily on offense, although the defense has had it's moments. BB attempted to drive that point home to them last week after the GB game. He warned them that they needed to carry a good week of practice into each game or they will lose. Told them that they couldn't keep performing like yoyo's. Last night he threw a hefty dose of cold water on their post game locker room jubilation reminding them they turned the ball over 5 times and were lucky to win as a result.

I would be willing to bet BB is contemplating the size of Josh's bonus for managing this offense to the playoffs through it's 2 most challenging seasons in the last five years .

 

[5 Rings for Brady!!]

We came close to putting another 13-21 points on the board. The only thing that held us back was fumbles and drops, and also the refs.

Take away the bad PI calls or missed non-calls, and how would the Bears have done?

If proper execution happened, then the vibe around here would have gone in the other direction and we would be talking about how great everything is going.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

To be clear, I did not even mention the playcalling in the Chicago game, except for the reverse, which was pure sandlot. The two tips kept Chicago in the game; otherwise the game was the expected blowout against the best in the NFC.

I mentioned the Indy game where I believe the game plan was terrrible. You all point to offensive stats to show how great Josh is. I have often pointed to those stats to indicate how good the offense is. My point was, and is, that bb good have given Brady more coaching help at OC, as he did for the defense.

To put in another way, how would you rate Pees among the NFL's DC's? How would you rate his 2006 performance? Now how would you rate Josh?

Personally, I would rate Pees rather highly, especially against Chicago.

I would rate Josh rather low, especially against Indy. In any case, how would we have been disadvantaged by bringing in an experienced OC?
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AND JUST BTW, I believe that we have a better offense than 2004. Our offense is the very best we've ever had.

What makes you think BB isn't intimately involved with this offense - he always has been. It is his offense and the OC's here basically flesh it out and run it for him. Which is why he hasn't brought in established outside talent. Even Pees had to have familiarity running a similar program in college and serve an apprenticeship BB probably intended to run a year longer before this defense was turned over to him. And BB clearly has spent more time coaching him and the defense up after an abyssmal 2005 overall performance under Mangini.

No experienced OC or DC worth his salt would come to an organization like this to run someone elses system they are not even familiar with. That's the kind of idiot career move Mularkey made going to work for Saban with one hand tied behind his back and set up to be the fall guy. Hufnagel did a year here as the QB coach and quickly moved on to muck up the works in the Big Apple. Would you prefer some retread failed HC Belichick exposed because you somehow believe Bill would ever let any one of them tinker with his offense?

This is not the best offense this team has ever had. It would appear to have had that potential on paper if any of these players was capable of playing to the potential we've imbued them with. They apparently aren't through week 11. Dillon is no better than a Bettis type role player in his second consecutive injury hampered season. Maroney shows great promise but he is not yet a featured back. Faulk is Faulk and Pass has been MIA through the first 11 games (save on ST last night). We have not replaced either Branch or Givens performances through week 11, although if Caldwell were just a little tougher and focused he might almost replace Givens statistically. Gabriel to date has been a BUST. Surpassed at times in the pecking order by a hastily acquired street FA. Jackson is on a learning curve as steep as Mt. Everest and therefore contributing next to nothing of substance. Graham has missed most of the season and contributes little beyond blocking - which the Oline continues to need help with. 1 great catch last night and he was back to the trenches. Watson remains an enigma, alternately the most productive receiver on the field and the least reliable starter. The most reliable receiver on the team remains the 35 year old smurf who many here smugly insisted was over the hill as early as 2003. This year he's been the #2 or #3 and occasionally #1 WR on the team when not too busy subbing as a nickel corner or the emergency QB. He may be trying out as a LB after last night.

In 2003 and 2004 we had a small but productive receiving corps that prided itself in being playmakers who seldom dropped a catchable ball and did the little things like protecting the ball and securing the reception. We have nothing approaching that in 2006. BB has a saying that talent is only as valuable as it's ability to play in the system. These WR's have yet to prove they can, and perhaps that is why we were able to acquire them. They may yet all turn a corner, but they just as likely may not. And in the meantime Brady and McDaniels are making the very best of a difficult situation. So we are 8-3, just beat the Bears though as you yourself admitted had we won the turnover battle should have been a blowout. I would add to that if those guys showed up against Indy and NY we would be 10-1. Denver is another matter, and in week 3 of this transition season even Charlie likely would have been hamstrung by the matchup.

 

[JoeSixPat]

You guys insist on giving NEM material don't you ?

Actually I disagree. I'm fine with McDaniels. He's a little daring for me, there's times I want to run the clock down more that he's throwing but that's a minor thing.

The one weakness is we need another #2 WR. Caldwell has filled the Givens hole. Earlier in the year it looked like Gabriel would give us a second #2 quality WR, as Branch had. However, now we simply don't have that player. Once we do, if we ever get there, we should be set on offense the way the TE and RB are playing.

Caldwell is more than holding up his end of the bargain - and although I've been tough on him earlier this season I'll even forgive some of his fumbles and drops.

But even recognizing that the Bears D is very tough, with Urlacher often dropping back into coverage, when your WRs combine for a total of 4 passes caught, you still need some signficant help at WR.

It's far too premature for people to be declaring that we're fine at WR... we're not - not by a long shot.

 

[BradyManny]

I think the wideouts did their job yesterday - they ran their routes good enough to allow the TEs and RBs to get open underneath and in the intermediate range. The game plan seemed to be to take what they were given and they did.

The fact is we had an effective passing offense against the best passing defense in the league. If CJ tracks down TB's pass or if Watson holds onto that ball on the 1st drive (not sure if that would've been physically possible, just great D play), then Tom has over 300 yards passing with only 1 INT and 2 TDs.