For those who trashed the defense

[Observer]

I trash them when they play ****ty, I praise them when they play well. I can't think of anything more normal.

 

[RayClay]

This is your apology thread. 100% participation ( this is a case where it’s fun to say I was wrong).
Don’t make me go back and quote your posts.

Really not necessary. The defense was lousy for a while as it was in the last Super Bowl. Shelton, who played well, was a healthy scratch the last part of the season.

Great win. No need for gotchas.

 

[RayClay]

And you're right - they weren't. But I'm talking more about the people who weren't willing to at least give them the benefit of the doubt or the opportunity to figure it out. No one cares about the regular season performances. While they count in terms of playoff seeding, it doesn't matter if they play great all year and suck in the postseason. Clearly, as we learned, they can be inconsistent and even terrible at times during the regular season as long as they're great in January (and February). It was the people who spent the year saying they had no shot who were a little frustrating. But let this be a lesson to at least ride it out, no matter how bad things look. You clearly never know how it might turn out

The same chicken littles will always be around. However, gloating when the D improbably comes together and hiding the year before, when it didn't, is not a good look.

I am never one to give up, by the way. Check my posts.

 

[Family]

I always thought the D was coming around. Solid young corners and it didn't seem they were doing much scheming early.

I was worried about the offense. Thought Tommy had slipped and didn't have enough weapons when Josh G left and Gronk was hurt.

But all was good.

 

[Joker]

Belechick sandbagged not only the fans of the NEP but the entire NFL. Everyone SHOULD have seen we'd be at least OK defensively after the Minny game. I know I was. I told Tunes that day "THIS is how I want the defense to play". They rushed and hit the QB all day, knocked the receivers off their routes and generally throttled the Viking.s offense. A few weeks later all the "experts" thought that game was a "mirage", a "fluke" becuas ethe Pats lost a couple of games where the defense looked passive. Belichick sandbagged everybody but the players on this team. They knew. You look at what suddenly happened from the Buffalo game forward. Everyone missed it. Everyone thought KC was going to be a horrific blowout. Everyone thought San Diego was going to win easily in the Razor. Everyone KNEW you don't beat KC AT HOME this year.

Well, EVERYONE was W-R-O-N-G. Patriots football...I'm a fan of Bill Belichick, the GREATEST NFL COACH IN HISTORY. Why don't you egotistical know-it-alls finally give up all your blithering, bleating blatherings. Sit back and ENJOY your football life for once. You won't be sorry.

 

[VrabelJr]

I’m not sure if other teams buy into the “Patriots are finesse” meme or not, but this post season should serve as a good reminder to the league what this team is about. I haven’t seen us just mash on opponents like that since the early 2000s. It was really fun to watch. Some sort of switch got flipped around Week 17 and the physicality got turned up to 11.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

I trashed the front 7 outside of Flowers (how could anyone trash him?). I was pretty level headed that Hightower may be just fine but saw Van Noy as a jag-like player. I’ve stuck up for the secondary a lot, noting they may be the best in the NFL and the pass rush is usually why they look bad. The emergence of Jackson and J McCourty, I think, does make them the best.

 

[jimnance]

I’m not sure if other teams buy into the “Patriots are finesse” meme or not, but this post season should serve as a good reminder to the league what this team is about. I haven’t seen us just mash on opponents like that since the early 2000s. It was really fun to watch. Some sort of switch got flipped around Week 17 and the physicality got turned up to 11.

Early 2000s?
C'mon man, I know you've paid better attention than that.
Ok, maybe you got memory issues.
The Champion 2014 and 2016 Patriots were among the most physical teams in the NFL,as was this years'.
It's not anything new.
It's a Hallmark of EVERY ONE of their Championship teams.
And it usually shows itself from December onward.

 

[Run DMC]

It's time for me to eat a healthy plate full of humble pie. I have second guessed BB all season and definitely was on suicide watch with our D for many games this season. Well, BB just painted yet another masterpiece, maybe his finest. The guy is light years ahead of any coach in the NFL. There is nothing left to prove, the system works and excels. So I'm going to shaddup and repeat the mantra "In BB we trust"!

 

[A Defiant Goose]

This is your apology thread. 100% participation ( this is a case where it’s fun to say I was wrong).
Don’t make me go back and quote your posts.

Defense from the regular season ****ing sucked and I'll stand by that

 

[condon84]

Or getting Gordon in the first place, or how getting Gordon and losing him would make life worse for the offense than never having got him in the first place, or Baker Mayfield never being a quality NFL quarterback, or pumping the defensive unit in 2017 as a top 5 unit, or not blaming Googs for the debacle in Denver in 2015. I could go further but that would make a good starting point to drive home the ultimate lesson of those living in glass houses tossing stones for something that people weren’t wrong about in the first place.

 

[Danger Zone]

Yeah because everyone saw us holding them to 3 points. Congrats, a broken clock is right twice a day. I don’t think you get brownie points for being a homer and not havin the capacity to be critical.

And for the millionth time, most homers, at least most of us that are constantly accused of being such, are perfectly capable and willing to be critical and we admit such constantly (there are exceptions). However we just don't think the sky is falling after one bad game or even two bad games.

Why?

BECAUSE THE BELICHICK LED PATRIOTS HAVE A LONG LONG LONG LONG LONG LONG PROVEN HISTORY OF FIXING THEIR PROBLEMS.

Having faith in the Master [darth vader breathing] is not just being a homer, its sometimes just smart.

 

[Ring 6]

Defense from the regular season ****ing sucked and I'll stand by that

7th best