Why all the worry about the offense?

[Fencer]

We have

Brady

Moss

The prospect of Welker coming back late in the season

A little bit more in the way of receiving talent (Faulk and Edelman mainly, right now)

An offensive line that can reasonably be expected to keep Brady upright, especially as Brady gets further away from his injury.

A mediocre (not catastrophic) running game (blockers and rushers alike)

That's not a bad place to start from

 

[ALP]

because our defense is only above average...and b/c our offense is like 2 pieces away from being in 07 form.....

if we have the offense of 07, we have a good chance of taking home a trophy this season.....if our offense is like last year, our defense prob wont cut it

 

[patsfan-1982]

for me it's not realy the talent level on the offense. it's the fact that they are so Predictable. and easy to defend. put two guys on moss and get in bradys face a lil and the pats can be stoped

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

Well unless you were in a coma during wild card weekend, there is pretty good reason to worry about what we can do without Welker.

Until we actually make a move to improve the area it is a worry.

 

[spacecrime]

Well unless you were in a coma during wild card weekend, there is pretty good reason to worry about what we can do without Welker.

You Pats will continue to defend the run poorly in the first qtr of games without Welker?

Seriously, I wouldn't assume that how a team played in its last game is how it will play in its next 16, and the absence of Wes was not the reason the Pats lost.

I suppose as an eternal optimist I am as bad as some of the worst of the eternal pessimists on this board, but I think the Pats look to be in good shape this year and rather than looking ahead with dread and foreboding, I am anticipating with joy the upcoming draft, tc and season.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

You Pats will continue to defend the run poorly in the first qtr of games without Welker?

Seriously, I wouldn't assume that how a team played in its last game is how it will play in its next 16, and the absence of Wes was not the reason the Pats lost.

I suppose as an eternal optimist I am as bad as some of the worst of the eternal pessimists on this board, but I think the Pats look to be in good shape this year and rather than looking ahead with dread and foreboding, I am anticipating with joy the upcoming draft, tc and season.

The defense gave up an early TD which sucks but 7-0 is not the end of the world. The offense did nothing but hurt us all game, giving Baltimore several chances in our territory. 1 of our 2 scores came off a muffed punt deep in Baltimore territory. Then after TBC's INT giving us the ball near midfield and Edelman's good return into BALT territory, the offense still did zero on either chance when we could have easily got back in the game. I'm not saying the defense was great but they really only gave up 2 drives, the offense was flat out dreadful all day long and set up most of Baltimore's points.

I'm optimistic too in the sense that I'm about 90% sure the problem at WR will be addressed properly, but until it actually happens there is reason for concern about this offense as it stands.

 

[mgteich]

Given our young defense, an OK offense is not good enough for us to compete for the Super Bowl.

We have

Brady

Moss

The prospect of Welker coming back late in the season

A little bit more in the way of receiving talent (Faulk and Edelman mainly, right now)

An offensive line that can reasonably be expected to keep Brady upright, especially as Brady gets further away from his injury.

A mediocre (not catastrophic) running game (blockers and rushers alike)

That's not a bad place to start from

 

[Fencer]

Tom Brady, from the neck up, is one of the greatest QBs in the history of the game.

But he wasn't last season. Last season he was pretty un-special in that regard.

I think that was a one-season aberration, and (barring injuries even worse than the ones he played through last season) he will be a significantly better QB this season than he was last.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Tom Brady, from the neck up, is one of the greatest QBs in the history of the game.

But he wasn't last season. Last season he was pretty un-special in that regard.

I think that was a one-season aberration, and (barring injuries even worse than the ones he played through last season) he will be a significantly better QB this season than he was last.

This team has absolutely no room to make mistakes with any receiver they pick this draft,this new receiver must play like Percy Harvin did for the Vikings last season and a good catching TE as well is needed or a 'healthy' Tom Brady won't make a damn difference.

 

[Rob0729]

Well unless you were in a coma during wild card weekend, there is pretty good reason to worry about what we can do without Welker.

Until we actually make a move to improve the area it is a worry.

I don't know if you can make a judgement based on one game. The Pats got into a hole early and were not able to get out of their funk. It doesn't neccessarily mean that it is indicative of what the Pats will do all next season.

Brady had an above average offense in 2006 with Reche Caldwell as his lead WR and Corey Dillon being so broken down that he was spent and out of most games by the second half.

 

[Deus Irae]

We have

Brady

Was not 100% physically or mentally last season, and age is now becoming a factor.

Moss

Older, struggling with injuries in recent years, worried about his contract

The prospect of Welker coming back late in the season

His return date is unknown. His play level upon his return is another unknown

A little bit more in the way of receiving talent (Faulk and Edelman mainly, right now)

Faulk's great, although another year older and only getting one year deals from the team. Edelman is a slot guy, meaning the team still has the Aikens of the world at WR3.

An offensive line that can reasonably be expected to keep Brady upright, especially as Brady gets further away from his injury.

As long as an interior lineman doesn't get injured, they're in good shape.

A mediocre (not catastrophic) running game (blockers and rushers alike)

If healthy, and if the team doesn't upgrade WR3 and TE, this may be the strength of the offense to start the season.

That's not a bad place to start from

It's pretty bad when almost every spot on the offense has serious question marks. A lot has to go right for this team to rejoin the elite. Given that 'patient' approach the team has taken so far this offseason, it seems as if the draft will be the jumping off point for the more serious upgrades and depth moves. Relying on rookies from the second round and lower to make major contributions, instead of seeing them as potentially pleasant surprises if they can impact the lineup, is also not a great position to be in.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

I don't know if you can make a judgement based on one game. The Pats got into a hole early and were not able to get out of their funk. It doesn't neccessarily mean that it is indicative of what the Pats will do all next season.

Brady had an above average offense in 2006 with Reche Caldwell as his lead WR and Corey Dillon being so broken down that he was spent and out of most games by the second half.

Like I said, 7-0 is not an inescapable hole. That reminds me of some Brady-Manning debates I got into back in 2003 after the AFCC and Manning lovers said well the defense put Manning in an early hole and he started throwing picks/choking just because he was put in a tough position. Balogna, it's one score.

I know it's one game but that's all you have to go off of right now. But even when Welker was healthy the offense had it's famous 2nd half collapses where a first down was asking too much from them. So even with Welker it was quite clear that help is needed at WR.

 

[signbabybrady]

Was not 100% physically or mentally last season, and age is now becoming a factor.



Older, struggling with injuries in recent years, worried about his contract



His return date is unknown. His play level upon his return is another unknown



Faulk's great, although another year older and only getting one year deals from the team. Edelman is a slot guy, meaning the team still has the Aikens of the world at WR3.



As long as an interior lineman doesn't get injured, they're in good shape.



If healthy, and if the team doesn't upgrade WR3 and TE, this may be the strength of the offense to start the season.



It's pretty bad when almost every spot on the offense has serious question marks. A lot has to go right for this team to rejoin the elite. Given that 'patient' approach the team has taken so far this offseason, it seems as if the draft will be the jumping off point for the more serious upgrades and depth moves. Relying on rookies from the second round and lower to make major contributions, instead of seeing them as potentially pleasant surprises if they can impact the lineup, is also not a great position to be in.

I don't think we are relying on rookies to lead this team but instead we will be relying on rookies to answer some of those questions if needed. Most of the questions revolved around age and injury so in those cases you would not be asking for a full season of production but rather a rookie fill in here or there and that will only help there developement and this team as a whole as the season goes along.

Lets just run the excercise with WR as you have both age and injury concerns (between Moss, Welker, and Tate) So lets assume we draft a guy in the 2nd rd this player would be asked to come in and learn the position and will have a few extra reps as Welker likely wont be ready allowing him to develope and when Welkers returns if Moss' age catches up than this player will have gained valueble experience.

Sure if you throw out a couple areas where there may be a few questions and than say all the qustions will be answered negatively than we will be in trouble but if they all are anwered positively we might not need anything.

Look if Moss produces similar to last year or the year before and Welker comes back healthy than you combine that with Edelman and we have a damn good WR corp. If Moss shows his age or if Welker can't return than you start asking the Rookie to contribute more but it is not like you are asking the Rookie to come in day one and be a superhero. Sure If Moss shows his age and Welker can't return than we will need some contributions from rookies and than if that doesn't happen will be in trouble but that seems like a lot of if this and this and this happen than we are in trouble well you could make a statement like that about everyteam in any sport.

 

[spacecrime]

The defense gave up an early TD which sucks but 7-0 is not the end of the world.

7-0????

It was 24-0 in THE FIRST QUARTER!

Do you know what happens after that? Down 24-0 you must pass to get back into the game. Brady isn't right. Moss is hurt. The excellent Ravens defense knows we must pass and tees off on Brady.

But no, it is all because Welker was out of the lineup and unless we do something IMMEDIATELY we are doomed to lose game after game because Welker is out.

Pffft.

even if you believe that the Ravens game showed how the pats played without Welker, why do you pick the Ravens game? Oh, yeah, because we lost. If you said, "Look at the Atlanta game when Wes didn't play and we won, that would sound like the pats aren't in desperate trouble, and that goes against the lemming-think happening right now on this board.

But seriously, if you must rely on one game to define our WR corps without Welker, why that game?

Welker didn't play against ATL. We won. Welker didn't play but a few seconds against the Texans, and the offense did well enough to win that game.

That's my point. All this hand-wringing "we suck without welker - we must act NOW NOW NOW HELP HELP HELP" bull crap is ... well, bull crap.

Chill out. The Pats O will be fine.

 

[condon84]

for me it's not realy the talent level on the offense. it's the fact that they are so Predictable. and easy to defend. put two guys on moss and get in bradys face a lil and the pats can be stoped

This.

It was painfully obvious last year how predictable we were. Hopefully, with a year of calling plays, O'Brien has a better handle of how to call games.

 

[Fencer]

This team has absolutely no room to make mistakes with any receiver they pick this draft,this new receiver must play like Percy Harvin did for the Vikings last season and a good catching TE as well is needed or a 'healthy' Tom Brady won't make a damn difference.

I imagine winning the Super Bowl with the current crew would require a Wes Welker return.

Brady, Moss, Faulk, a good pass/JAG rush OL, and JAGs isn't going to light up the scoreboard.

But it should be MORE than serviceable.

 

[signbabybrady]

I imagine winning the Super Bowl with the current crew would require a Wes Welker return.

Brady, Moss, Faulk, a good pass/JAG rush OL, and JAGs isn't going to light up the scoreboard.

But it should be MORE than serviceable.

I think the front office has made it fairly clear that a SB this year will be made possible by the continued developement of the youth on this team. Guys like Mayo, Guyton, Edelman, Vollmer, Merriweather, Chung, Butler and others getting better will make this team better and I think the lack of offseason accusitions highlights this fact and I see no reason not trust that these guys will step up along with some of the rookies drafted this season.

Sure having Wes back will be huge but not as important as the developement of the youth.

 

[Rob0729]

Like I said, 7-0 is not an inescapable hole. That reminds me of some Brady-Manning debates I got into back in 2003 after the AFCC and Manning lovers said well the defense put Manning in an early hole and he started throwing picks/choking just because he was put in a tough position. Balogna, it's one score.

I know it's one game but that's all you have to go off of right now. But even when Welker was healthy the offense had it's famous 2nd half collapses where a first down was asking too much from them. So even with Welker it was quite clear that help is needed at WR.

It was 14-0 within less than 2 minutes into the game because of a strip sack on the New England 17 where Faulk missed the pick up.

Personally, if all you have is one game, you really have nothing to go off at all. Based on one game, the Pats were as good or better than the 2007 team last season if that one game was the Tennessee game. Or they were worse than the 2008 Lions if that one game was the Saints game.

You cannot make general assumptions about a team based on one game. You just can't.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

7-0????

It was 24-0 in THE FIRST QUARTER!

Do you know what happens after that? Down 24-0 you must pass to get back into the game. Brady isn't right. Moss is hurt. The excellent Ravens defense knows we must pass and tees off on Brady.

But no, it is all because Welker was out of the lineup and unless we do something IMMEDIATELY we are doomed to lose game after game because Welker is out.

Pffft.

even if you believe that the Ravens game showed how the pats played without Welker, why do you pick the Ravens game? Oh, yeah, because we lost. If you said, "Look at the Atlanta game when Wes didn't play and we won, that would sound like the pats aren't in desperate trouble, and that goes against the lemming-think happening right now on this board.

But seriously, if you must rely on one game to define our WR corps without Welker, why that game?

Welker didn't play against ATL. We won. Welker didn't play but a few seconds against the Texans, and the offense did well enough to win that game.

That's my point. All this hand-wringing "we suck without welker - we must act NOW NOW NOW HELP HELP HELP" bull crap is ... well, bull crap.

Chill out. The Pats O will be fine.

17 of those 24 points came off turnovers that put the Ravens in OUR red zone or close to it... the 24 point hole was our offense's doing after our defense gave up one score. After the Ray Rice TD, if the offense so much as gets a few first downs and punts the ball so that Bmore is starting from inside their 30 on the next few possessions we would not have been in this 24-0 hole.

Even after we were giftwrapped 7 points to make it 24-7, our defense and ST set us up near midfield on consecutive possesions and the offense did NOTHING with either opportunity. They had 2 solid chances to cut the lead to 10 and we were getting the ball at halftime. You're underestimating just how pathetic our offense was in that game when there were clear chances to get back into the game. Also you conveniently left out the offfensive debacle @ NYJ minus Welker. If we enter the season with the WR's as they are now we are in trouble, unless Welker is somehow healthy and back up to speed by week 1.

 

[Deus Irae]

Sure if you throw out a couple areas where there may be a few questions and than say all the qustions will be answered negatively than we will be in trouble but if they all are anwered positively we might not need anything.

And in response to the O.P., isn't that precisely the issue?

Look if Moss produces similar to last year or the year before and Welker comes back healthy than you combine that with Edelman and we have a damn good WR corp. If Moss shows his age or if Welker can't return than you start asking the Rookie to contribute more but it is not like you are asking the Rookie to come in day one and be a superhero. Sure If Moss shows his age and Welker can't return than we will need some contributions from rookies and than if that doesn't happen will be in trouble but that seems like a lot of if this and this and this happen than we are in trouble well you could make a statement like that about everyteam in any sport.

Naturally, it's all about "What if?" and "How will" at this point in the year. That's my point, really. The draft will likely see an uptick in cheerleading, too. Remember the Chungisms thread last season? It'll all still be "what if?" and "How will?", and this year's Patrick Chung will be selected.