Why do teams come out flat?

[ctpatsfan77]

Obviously, the Pats didn't play well today, and I don't want this to turn into a "Cut X" and "Bench Y" thread. Heck, I don't even want to single out the Pats, because it's not like they're the only team ever to do this.

My question is this, especially for those of you who've been involved in football: why do good teams sometimes come out playing like they'd rather be playing golf? In other words, why do you have games where it seems like most people on the team woke up and said "I'll just go through the motions"?

 

[BadMoFo]

It's a job to them. Sometimes you are ready for work, sometimes you want to be somewhere else. It just takes one player to screw it for everyone. If one player is playing bad on defense, everyone has to cover for them.

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

1. Because they don't care as much as fans do

or

2. They're not that good.

 

[crowell33]

On field leadership, or lack of it.

 

[reflexblue]

Obviously, the Pats didn't play well today, and I don't want this to turn into a "Cut X" and "Bench Y" thread. Heck, I don't even want to single out the Pats, because it's not like they're the only team ever to do this.

My question is this, especially for those of you who've been involved in football: why do good teams sometimes come out playing like they'd rather be playing golf? In other words, why do you have games where it seems like most people on the team woke up and said "I'll just go through the motions"?

Except for the Bills the Pats have played a brutal schedual. This team Had to be up every week its just hard to maintain that through a whole season. I think they did mentally let up for the browns and their sub 500 record.

 

[convertedpatsfan]

BB talked about it during one of his pressers earlier in the week, but it's something that happens to every team, whether game by game or half by half or even quarter by quarter. At the end of the day, they were more prepared and wanted it more than us.

 

[crowell33]

Except for the Bills the Pats have played a brutal schedual. This team Had to be up every week its just hard to maintain that through a whole season. I think they did mentally let up for the browns and their sub 500 record.

Statistically, the Pats have played one of the weakest schedules in the NFL this season.

 

[The Dynasty]

Bad week of practice Wilfork said. Probably looked ahead to next week vs the Steelers.

 

[reflexblue]

Statistically, the Pats have played one of the weakest schedules in the NFL this season.

Stats are for losers like you. At the time we played them Cinncy, the Jets, Baltimore, Miami, were all considered some of the top teams in the league. You can't turn around now and say well they're records aren't good Now, they were then. And some still are. The Chargers and Vikings were no cake walk either.

 

[IndianPat]

Daylight saving time. I know I have been feeling flat all day because of this wretched time change. I am sure some of the Patriots were affected by it too.

 

[The Dynasty]

Daylight saving time. I know I have been feeling flat all day because of this wretched time change. I am sure some of the Patriots were affected by it too.

Is this a joke? The Browns were in the same situation the Pats were with daylight savings, as well as the rest of the league

 

[BradfordPatsFan]

Coaches, fans, executives, and even players have asked this question for years.

I can be the "trap game" mentality. Sometimes you have something off of the field which stirs up a distraction. Think back to the "Everclear" game against Tampa (or was it Atlanta?) about 12 years ago. That was a bloodbath. Other times a team gets hit with something that totally throws them for a loop and they never recover, see: Wildcat circa 2008. Injuries, reading of press clippings, believing the hype, having a bad day, as someone else said...they all can lead to a game like today.

Usually it is not just one singular thing. The good news is that we are not accustomed to this around here lately. There are some teams who see this once a month. It sucks when it does happen but we can only hope that it does not spiral and become a recurring issue next week and beyond. If it does, then more introspection is warranted. It isn't a letdown, then, it is a real problem.

 

[IcyPatriot]

I think we went there and got all caught up in the no LeBron crappola.

 

[Sciz]

Wilfork says the team didn't have a good week of practice. That definitely had a big part in this game, I'm sure.

 

[convertedpatsfan]

I think emotions matter, but really it just comes down to execution and getting 11 guys in-sync at the same time. There are obviously big plays in games and momentum swings and emotions and big penalties. But more often than not, it's a breakdown of one or two guys on a play or two which kill momentum.

You convert a big third-down but someone's holding, and suddenly you're punting. Everyone is in the right spot except for one guy who takes a bad angle, and suddenly a cutback lane is available to the runner. You blitz the right guy and he misses the tackle and suddenly the QB is picking up huge yardage on what should have been a loss.

It's really about those 11 guys playing together. If they can get on the same page for an extended period of time and execute, you can play better. And if you can't, well, it's tough.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

I think the muffed kickoff and fumble on the goal line really took the air out of the team. Not to say we would have lit it up, or even won without them, but you never know how the game could have gone. We gave up an early drive but we seem to do that in the other games too. Make the key red zone stop and then we hand them the ball on our 20. We put ourselves in a big hole early and that affects the way you play.

The offense finally gets it going and then fumbles again on the goal line. When you're on the road you can't keep screwing yourself like that and expect to keep moving the ball, not with our current offense.

 

[convertedpatsfan]

I think the muffed kickoff and fumble on the goal line really took the air out of the team. Not to say we would have lit it up, or even won without them, but you never know how the game could have gone. We gave up an early drive but we seem to do that in the other games too. Make the key red zone stop and then we hand them the ball on our 20. We put ourselves in a big hole early and that affects the way you play.

The offense finally gets it going and then fumbles again on the goal line. When you're on the road you can't keep screwing yourself like that and expect to keep moving the ball, not with our current offense.

I agree. It also affected how Cleveland played with McCoy back there. It'd be different if they were behind and he was forced to play catch-up, but with a 10-point lead to start the game, he could take his shots here and there and rely on the running game.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Stats are for losers like you. At the time we played them Cinncy, the Jets, Baltimore, Miami, were all considered some of the top teams in the league. You can't turn around now and say well they're records aren't good Now, they were then. And some still are. The Chargers and Vikings were no cake walk either.

Cincy was never good. The fact that some people hadn't realized how below-average they were yet in week 1 (a lot of us already did recognize it) doesn't change that. I agree re: the others though, for the most part. The Vikings aren't any good either, but the rest (including the Chargers) were quality opponents.

 

[The Dynasty]

Cincy was never good. The fact that some people hadn't realized how below-average they were yet in week 1 (a lot of us already did recognize it) doesn't change that. I agree re: the others though, for the most part. The Vikings aren't any good either, but the rest (including the Chargers) were quality opponents.

Vikings are a solid team. If they get there locker room problems straightened out they could make a run at the playoffs. The have some very talented players

 

[BradyFTW!]

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Vikings are a solid team. If they get there locker room problems straightened out they could make a run at the playoffs. The have some very talented players

Who? The D-Line is supposed to be a strength, but it's been nothing short of terrible for weeks. Favre isn't any good. It's basically Peterson, Harvin, Hutchinson, Moss up until this past week, and some solid players throughout the rest of the roster. Minnesota doesn't have nearly as much talent as people give them credit for.

(I'm sure I missed 1 or 2 good players, since this is all off the top of my head, but the general point remains the same. They're really not all that talented).