There has been a lot of sentiment about the Pats blowing the game because:
1. The offensive coordinator sucks (per NEM among others)
2. The team was too cheap to get good players (Felger and Callahan)
3. They were out coached (Borges)
While in part I agree with all of those statements it was still a great year. A very flawed team was arguably 1-3 plays away from the Super Bowl. Does it stink that the Pats lost an 18 point lead? Yup. Does it stink that they were about 3:30 minutes from the Super Bowl? Hell yeah.
Be that as it may, the Pats won 12 games and made it to the AFC championship game which by any account is a great season. Did I like the game plan? No. But they still managed to score 34 points (27 offensively). I HATE the TE trap and think the Pats need to – if not scrap the play – at least run a pass play once in a while when the TE goes in motion, stops, comes back and stands behind the T. If I know a trap is coming, so does the D and you are not helping the O out announcing to the world what is coming.
Do I wish the Pats had a game changer on D like a Jason Taylor or a true #1 WR on offense? Yes. But for all the people that are complaining I want someone to tell me who they would have paid big money to. Deion Branch (53/725/4) was what he always is – solid. T.O. had great numbers – 85 rec / 1,180 yards / 13 TDs – but he is a cancer for a team. Javon Walker (69/1084/8) would have cost a #2 AND a ton of money AND was coming off a knee injury so he was high risk. Keyshawn Johnson (70/815/4) was ok. Stallworth (38/725/5) added a spark in Philly but had hamstring problems for a good part of the year. So who should the Pats have gone after?
As for D, the biggest need was LB and safety and the Pats did very little to upgrade. While there was some good LBs in the draft all went before the Pats picked in the first. AJ Hawk (5), Ernie Sims (9), Kamerion Wimbley (13), Chad Greenway (17) and Bobby Carpenter (18) all went before the Pats drafted. Could the Pats have traded up for one of them? Sure. But that was a risk they did not want to take.
Look at the Chargers. All the big names and they still lost. Baltimore – 13 wins and one and done in the playoffs. Could/should the Pats have beaten Indy? Maybe. I’m just happy that we get to root for a team that hasn’t had a losing season in the 7 years. Think about that. Look at Oakland. Between 2000-2002 they went 12-4, 10-6 and 11-5 and went to a Super Bowl. Since then they won 4, 5, 4 and 2 games. Tampa Bay went 12-4 in 2002 and won a SuperBowl. Since then, 7-9, 5-11, 11-5 and 4-12. We are lucky everyone. Enjoy it!!!
1. The offensive coordinator sucks (per NEM among others)
2. The team was too cheap to get good players (Felger and Callahan)
3. They were out coached (Borges)
While in part I agree with all of those statements it was still a great year. A very flawed team was arguably 1-3 plays away from the Super Bowl. Does it stink that the Pats lost an 18 point lead? Yup. Does it stink that they were about 3:30 minutes from the Super Bowl? Hell yeah.
Be that as it may, the Pats won 12 games and made it to the AFC championship game which by any account is a great season. Did I like the game plan? No. But they still managed to score 34 points (27 offensively). I HATE the TE trap and think the Pats need to – if not scrap the play – at least run a pass play once in a while when the TE goes in motion, stops, comes back and stands behind the T. If I know a trap is coming, so does the D and you are not helping the O out announcing to the world what is coming.
Do I wish the Pats had a game changer on D like a Jason Taylor or a true #1 WR on offense? Yes. But for all the people that are complaining I want someone to tell me who they would have paid big money to. Deion Branch (53/725/4) was what he always is – solid. T.O. had great numbers – 85 rec / 1,180 yards / 13 TDs – but he is a cancer for a team. Javon Walker (69/1084/8) would have cost a #2 AND a ton of money AND was coming off a knee injury so he was high risk. Keyshawn Johnson (70/815/4) was ok. Stallworth (38/725/5) added a spark in Philly but had hamstring problems for a good part of the year. So who should the Pats have gone after?
As for D, the biggest need was LB and safety and the Pats did very little to upgrade. While there was some good LBs in the draft all went before the Pats picked in the first. AJ Hawk (5), Ernie Sims (9), Kamerion Wimbley (13), Chad Greenway (17) and Bobby Carpenter (18) all went before the Pats drafted. Could the Pats have traded up for one of them? Sure. But that was a risk they did not want to take.
Look at the Chargers. All the big names and they still lost. Baltimore – 13 wins and one and done in the playoffs. Could/should the Pats have beaten Indy? Maybe. I’m just happy that we get to root for a team that hasn’t had a losing season in the 7 years. Think about that. Look at Oakland. Between 2000-2002 they went 12-4, 10-6 and 11-5 and went to a Super Bowl. Since then they won 4, 5, 4 and 2 games. Tampa Bay went 12-4 in 2002 and won a SuperBowl. Since then, 7-9, 5-11, 11-5 and 4-12. We are lucky everyone. Enjoy it!!!
