We are on to 2018

[aluminum seats]

This got 11 agrees and a Winner.

Not sure I see the point?

 

[BTTA]

Not sure I see the point?

They won two of the last four.

 

[Deus Irae]

If everybody on the defense had merely made tackles at the "normal" rate, the Pats likely would've won. Tackling (and block-shedding/avoidance) sucked team-wide from the get-go.

If only they'd had a good tackler on the sidelines who could have come in to help....

 

[aluminum seats]

They won two of the last four.

Oh. Poster obviously meant 2 of the 3 before last Sunday.

 

[ZoisKing]

I agree with drafting multiple pro bowlers on defense. We're winning the next three SB.

 

[PP2]

The 2017 Pats front-7 included:

802 snaps (76%) - T. Flowers, 3rd Pats season ... 3rd NFL season
... including his rookie season when he was on IR
710 snaps (67%) - Van Noy, 2nd* Pats season
... 4th NFL (*played only a half season for the Pats in 2016)
582 snaps (55%) - Guy, 1st Pats season ... 8th NFL season
558 snaps (53%) - Roberts, 2nd Pats season ... 2nd NFL
543 snaps (51%) - Wise, ROOKIE
537 snaps (51%) - Brown, 3rd Pats season ... 3rd NFL season
473 snaps (45%) - A. Butler, ROOKIE
283 snaps (27%) - M. Flowers, 1st Pats season ... 3rd NFL season
... total of 72 defensive snaps played in his prior seasons
281 snaps (27%) - Lee, 1st Pats season ... 3rd NFL season
... no previous experience playing on defense anywhere
274 snaps (26%) - Branch, 4th Pats season ... 11th NFL
266 snaps (25%) - Marsh, 1st Pats season ... 4th NFL season
237 snaps (22%) - Hightower, 6th Pats season ... 6th NFL
181 snaps (17%) - Harris, 1st Pats season ... 11th NFL
88 snaps (8%) - RJF, 1st Pats season ... 10th NFL
57 snaps (5%) - Reilly, 1st Pats season (active roster)
... 4th NFL ... 139 defensive snaps in previous career
27 snaps (3%) - Harrison, 1st Pats season ... 16th NFL

38 combined snaps from Freeny, Langi (ROOKIE),
and Grigsby (1st Pats season)

In the secondary:

816 snaps (77%) - Gilmore, 1st Pats season
439 snaps (41%) - J. Jones, 2nd Pats season, 2nd NFL season
259 snaps (25%) - Rowe, 2nd Pats season, 3rd NFL season
214 snaps (20%) - Bademosi, 1st Pats season

This group allowed the 5th fewest points in the 2017 regular season and helped win 11 regular season games and two playoff games. You could give at least some of the 16 guys who've had limited (1-2 years) experience in the Pats system a little more time to learn it and develop, or you could just overreact to the Superbowl performance, ignore their collective season-long accomplishments, and turn majority of the defensive roster over AGAIN to start from scratch with a whole bunch of new players that you can only hope will somehow magically be "better" right off the bat.

Post of the thread, and probably the best post-game post I've read.

This is why we thankfully have Kraft who isn't constantly demanding instant success as most of the other billionaires are (they are conditioned to throw money at a problem to solve it). And we don't have a coach who's under pressure to succeed by tomorrow and feels compelled to cut trees before they bear fruits.

We also have a coach who's wise enough not to make decisions in the heat of the moment, but instead is probably taking a week or two away, then when he comes back he'll ruthlessly self-scout, and identify weaknesses that have to be dealt with.

I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't do too much on defense- perhaps add a FA shutdown corner, a few wills who can cover, one or two more tackles. He's always going to draft the best player available and make do with the rest. Of course this means the board will be up with pitchforks and howling come draft time. I lay 5-1 odds that we'll see another "he didn't draft a pass-rusher!" thread before long.

 

[Soliel]

I’ve got a brand new pitch fork and some torches

 

[sean10mm]

If only they'd had a good tackler on the sidelines who could have come in to help....

They had a good linebacker they didn't play? That's a revelation!

(Yes I know you mean Butler, but Butler couldn't save them from having a soft, slow and dumb front 7 that can't tell a play fake from a snowflake.)

 

[Satchboogie3]

They need talent on the front 7. Hightower is the only legit play maker upfront. Against a good O-line and QB, this will continue to happen. Foles had time to make a cup of coffee, check his email and twitter feed, and then casually find a receiver blowing past Rowe on Sunday.

And I agree to that this whole "only points matter, not yards" also needs to get thrown down a dark, deep hole (with the entire defense). That 7 minute by the Eagles, the time and yards were more damaging than the points. Philly's defense getting all that time to regain their breath and composer was all the difference in the world between the Oline continuing to give Brady just enough time (because he was getting pressured all game, despite the lack of sacks) and the Dline forcing a strip sack. Not to mention also costing NE time for an actual drive on their last possession.

Yards and TOP do matter.