The UnPatriot-Like Patriots

[Brady'sButtBoy]

The Pats under BB have had a reputation for smart, disciplined play. It was the weapon they wielded against supposedly better teams to beat them. But since the awful Denver game last year you can attribute all but one of those five losses to three things smart, disciplined teams don't do-

Kill themsleves with turnovers, penalties and mental errors.

Denver - 5 TOs, what more can you say?

4 INTs and a fumble against the Colts, 8 penalties, including some killers. And we still had a chance to win.

Jets game? Two decisive TO's. And we were still in the game to the end despite just adjusting to life without both Harrison and Wilson.

Yesterday? Just two of the many mental errors - Hawkins going for the INT against Booker in the end zone instead of first being certain the ball wouldn't be caught. Brady letting himself get ahead of Faulk on the trick play called back for two forward passes. These two plays should have gone the other way and would have if the Pats were playing the smart, disciplned ball we've seen in the past. Turnovers - Three lost fumbles. Penalties - 9!!!

You can't keep pressure on poor teams like the Jets and Miami by playing dumb. Pressure Miami yesterday with disciplined play and we win, same with the Jets game. Play dumb against teams like the Colts and they put the knife in you.

Despite all the injuries, the wacky play calling, new WR's etc., cut half of our TO's and just a third of our penalties and we're at least 11-2 and cruising. That just shows how thin the margin of error is in the NFL - and we used to use that margin to our advantage.

 

[BelichickFan]

Yep, they just aren't playing well. Turnovers. Penalties. Missed tackles. There's a lot of problems and only 3 weeks to solve them. Heck, even Walter had a killer punt and it was called back because Pass lined up wrong. Just can't have that if we're going to win.

 

[Peter Pat]

I agree, this is not that Pats team we have become accustomed to seeing. I Think this is where all the coaching changes hurt the team. The penaltiea are a problem, but hey have always been a decent penalyzed team, I think in 2003 they were among the most penalyzed team in the league.

But the TOs are killing them. No just Brady who I think is trying to do way to much, and feels too much pressure to carry the team. Which leads to a lot more TOs by him.

But the fumbles have just been getting increasingly worse from all positions. I dont know if you can coach this, or if the team is just not as hungry and intense as it use to be, but this is no longer a blip on the radar, its a trend.