I apologize if I'm not allowed to interrupt the "I'm a better Pats fan than you are debate" with some actual talk about the team.
Early reads on Patriots - The Boston Globe
Early reads on Patriots - The Boston Globe
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CLICK HERE to Register for a free account and login for a smoother ad-free experience. It's easy, and only takes a few moments.Good read. I really think the only thing that we know is nobody really has an idea of what to expect. Especially considering the Pats are so tight lipped on everything they do
Interesting piece, thanks
All in all if we're going to be beset with major problems it's better to have them exposed early in the season. The team's got 2 weeks (+ -) to work on difficulties so far plus prepare for the wc.
Time's on our side at least-the season's barely begun-though it seems long already for some strange reason .
Truth-we can only go UP from Sunday!
Exactly my thought. I really hope that we just bottomed out and only way out is to go up from here.
That was an incredibly balanced and rational assessment.
Bill faced the same situation in 2003 when the team started with the crushing loss to Buffalo and rebounded the following week only to lose again and be left wondering if they were going to be an up and down .500 team. They didn't lose again for like a year...
The biggest problem they face and the one that appears most difficult to correct suffficiently isn't the QB but the OL. Lombardi opined prior to the draft that Bill could not let that situation continue, it had to be dealt with. He based that on his own instinct and his knowledge of the man. I think that more than planning for an uber-backup behind an iron man was his shortcoming. There is an old saying that just because you get away with something doesn't make it right. We've gotten away with an inconsistent OL because they played in front of a HOF QB who made them look better than they were. Our opponents down the stretch last season decided to take a shot at proving that. They each oddly had what it took to force the issue - a great defense and nothing to lose... And in the process they created a plausible blueprint for beating this team even with Brady at the helm. Bill rolled the dice that not enough other teams could make that committment in 2008 and Neal would be back and depth would continue to develop because he needed youth and speed on defense too. Once Brady went down he was effectively screwed. A lot more teams can and will make the committment early on with any QB not named Brady behind a suspect OL.
It will be interesting to see what Bill does to counter the obvious. Neal will return and that will help but that's still over a month away and no saying he can stay on the field. We don't have a true blocking TE. Who knows what will hit the scrap heap but little has stuck convincingly from that source recently... So it's kinda gonna hafta come from coaching. Better scheme and execution in all three phases (although ST seems to have received the early memo). Defense has to step up and not just preventing scores but creating and scoring on turnovers. But if anyone can make a silk purse out of a sows ear it's Bill...
I'm not expecting Kyle Brady. I don't know if there is a decent blocking TE on the street or on a Practice Squad.Great analysis Mo, Any word on Kyle Brady? I know he was a huge salary cap issue, but is it possible he might be available at a discount to his last years' rate? Or is the general consensus his pride would get in the way of coming back (I know there were plenty of malcontent rumors last year, but I'm not necessarily sold on malcontent rumors)? Thoughts?