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I wanted to give sometime for the news of the Hightower injury to pass to make this thread. The Pats I am sure will do a good job filling in for him but it is a big loss and I think it changes the dynamic of this team along with the Edelman injury.
A big staple of these Patriot championship team in the last few years has been slow starter but great finishers. In the 2014 and 2016 runs they had a few great comeback to win those championships. Besides the 2 super bowls you also have that very memorable Ravens game. I think this injury changes this and the way they have to win.
Let me be clear. I still think this can be a championship team in the current landscape of the NFL. I am certainly not jumping off any bandwagons or saying the sky is falling. However I think this team now falls into the same grouping as the 2007, 2011 and 2015 Patriots. Not because of talent or cause i think it will lose but because of my belief it has now lost its ability to come back from long odds.
This is not a team that facing a playoff opponent 10 points down in the 4th that can make the plays to win. The whole cycle of getting an offensive TD and defense stop (or vice versa) that IMO has gone out the window.
No i am not betting against Brady late. The best thing you can say about a great QB is he always gives you a chance to win. The key word is chance. It is about can the other 52 guys take advantage of that chance. Now I don't think they can. I think they need to play a different game and win a different way. The Pats now will probably need to be front runners late to win or down no more than 3 points late... hopefully less.
This to me is a problem as recently against good teams the Pats have notoriously been slow starters. In all 7 super bowls in the Brady/BB era they failed to score in the first quarter. Even though they dominated Atlanta last week the slow start happened again.
This team when those big games come I think will need to have to change to a front running team or neck and neck at worst by the 3rd quarter and certainly no later than early 4th. If they need a sequence of good clutch plays at the end to win I don't see them able to string it together anymore. The good news is no team really scares me right now. I don't think a team in the NFL exist that would be impossible for the Pats to have a lead on into the 4th if they play well.
Just my 2 cents.
A big staple of these Patriot championship team in the last few years has been slow starter but great finishers. In the 2014 and 2016 runs they had a few great comeback to win those championships. Besides the 2 super bowls you also have that very memorable Ravens game. I think this injury changes this and the way they have to win.
Let me be clear. I still think this can be a championship team in the current landscape of the NFL. I am certainly not jumping off any bandwagons or saying the sky is falling. However I think this team now falls into the same grouping as the 2007, 2011 and 2015 Patriots. Not because of talent or cause i think it will lose but because of my belief it has now lost its ability to come back from long odds.
This is not a team that facing a playoff opponent 10 points down in the 4th that can make the plays to win. The whole cycle of getting an offensive TD and defense stop (or vice versa) that IMO has gone out the window.
No i am not betting against Brady late. The best thing you can say about a great QB is he always gives you a chance to win. The key word is chance. It is about can the other 52 guys take advantage of that chance. Now I don't think they can. I think they need to play a different game and win a different way. The Pats now will probably need to be front runners late to win or down no more than 3 points late... hopefully less.
This to me is a problem as recently against good teams the Pats have notoriously been slow starters. In all 7 super bowls in the Brady/BB era they failed to score in the first quarter. Even though they dominated Atlanta last week the slow start happened again.
This team when those big games come I think will need to have to change to a front running team or neck and neck at worst by the 3rd quarter and certainly no later than early 4th. If they need a sequence of good clutch plays at the end to win I don't see them able to string it together anymore. The good news is no team really scares me right now. I don't think a team in the NFL exist that would be impossible for the Pats to have a lead on into the 4th if they play well.
Just my 2 cents.
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